Chapter Text
Link sprung from his bed with a strangled gasp, panting as he frantically took in his surroundings. The smell of wood and fresh baked bread. The feel of a warm blanket and someone's warm breath. Hateno- he was home, he was home and he was with Zelda. So why did everything feel so wrong? Almost like her.
He exhaled, letting his head fall into shaky hands as he tried to steady himself. A dream, he had been dreaming. He was Link, Zelda’s knight and friend- Zelda’s Link. Link, he repeated to himself, silently shaking.
“Link?” Zelda murmured from next to him, and he felt her slowly sit up beside him.
“It ok,” he spoke into his hands, prying his eyes open only to be greeted by little black spots. Was it okay? Why did he feel so…out of place?
“...Do you want to talk about it?” She hummed, grabbing his hand.
It was their normal routine, one they went through nearly every week. Comfort one another as best they could, but don’t truly push until the other was ready. Hylia, he was grateful for Zelda. He didn’t know what he would do without her- who he would be without her.
“I…cant.” He finally ground out through clenched teeth.
“That's ok,” She squeezed his hand. “We can talk about it when you're ready.”
He dropped his hands, turning to look at her. “No, no that's not it. I just…I can't remember.” He choked out, looking down again.
“Oh.” She whispered, and he laughed a little.
“Nothing I'm not used to.”
Zelda swatted his arm at that, and he laughed in earnest this time, earning a small smile from her.
“But…” He frowned, looking down at his hands again. They had stopped shaking as much, to his relief. “Im not quite sure what that was. I dont…feel right.”
Zelda shifted next to him, and he glanced up as she placed a hand on his forehead. She frowned, and pulled it away after a moment.
“You don't feel warm…”
He shook his head, sitting up a bit straighter. “No, not like that. Like…something’s not there…like-” he shook his head again, cutting himself off. He didn't need to finish the thought, they both knew.
Like how he felt after the shrine.
“Perhaps you had a memory in your sleep, but forgot it once again after you woke up?” Zelda replied, placing a finger on her lip. It was a terrible habit she had, and one several people had attempted to get her to break, though Link found it enduring.
He nodded his head and sighed, throwing himself back down onto the pillows. Zelda loomed over him, contemplation and concern visible in her features.
“Yeah, that's gotta be it. Im…tired.” He admitted, throwing an arm over his eyes after closing them.
Zelda laughed a little, settling back down next to him. “So go to sleep.” She didn't need to tell him twice.
The next time Link awoke, he felt as though he had only been asleep for a minute. He slowly pried open his eyes, confused as to why he was awake. The house was still dark so he couldn't have been asleep long. Huffing, he turned over towards Zelda for warmth- it was cold after all. That must be why he woke up.
Only, Zelda wasn’t next to him.
Gasping, he shot up before ripping the blanket off of himself, as he frantically scrambled off the bed. Link has never been known for his luck though, and to his horror he got caught up on the blanket, and found himself sprawled across the cold floor.
“Link!” He heard Zelda’s startled shout, followed by the pounding of feet against the stairs. Knowing that she was in the house, he continued to lay on the floor, making sure he looked as miserable as he could.
From the ground he watched as her feet stopped next to him, before she quickly sat down and lay a hand on his back.
“Are you alright?” She asked, and he moaned pathetically in response. She huffed and removed her hand, and he frowned at the loss of touch.
“Oh stop that. You’re fine, get up.”
He sighed, pulling himself up. “Why did you leave?”
Zelda turned her head away from him at that, her shoulders hunching. Ah.
“Dont worry, really, it just startled me. I know you wouldn’t leave the house without letting me know.”
Zelda brightened a little at that, turning towards him with a small smile. “That feeling you felt earlier…” He felt his own smile drop, his body growing cold.
“Stop.” He knew where this was going, he thought he had since the first time he woke up. He didn’t want to face it, not now. Maybe not ever.
“I…I woke up a little while ago. Shaking, sweating, and so confused. I felt out of place, somehow. Like I forgot something very, very important. But I have no idea what I dreamed about, Link.”
“Zelda, no, stop.” He was shaking now, to his dismay. She shot him a look of pity, but continued on.
“You know how I dream. I never forget- I can't forget.” She hugged herself tightly, biting her lip.
“Something is wrong, Link. I felt it. I felt her.”
He let out a small whine, as his head dropped. “But…but why?”
She sighed, unwrapping her arms and reaching towards him, and he leaned in closer to her.
“I…I don't know. But it’s different from before, I think. Before the calamity struck, I would awake full of pure terror and rage. But this feels different. I can’t explain it, but I feel like a piece of me was crying for you.”
He gaped at her, shoulders drooping. That's…not what he felt.
“I felt like a piece of me was missing.”
Zelda startled at that, bringing her finger to her mouth. “So you feel a piece of yourself missing, and I feel as though I'm crying out for you…this is…strange.”
He huffed at that, a little laugh escaping him despite the turmoil he was feeling. “Strange, right. It seems like the goddess wants us to go to war again.”
She took a shaky breath. “I just….I just want to live a quiet life. Here, with you. Is that too much to ask?”
He huddled closer to her, remaining silent. What could he say to that? It wasn’t fair, any of it.
“What do we do now?” She whispered.
“Is ignoring it an option?”
She laughed a little, slapping him on the arm. “I wish, but we know how that would end. One can’t simply ignore a call from the goddess.”
“So…we go to Purah. Or Impa- though Purah is closer.”
She nodded, “right. We go to Purah first. Then Impa.”
“...And what exactly will they do?”
“Hey, you're the one who suggested it!”
He chuckled, looking down once more.
“Right then, if you have nothing further to say, let's be off.”
“W-what?! The sun just rose!”
Zelda stood up, brushing her dress as she rose. “And? Like I said, the goddess can’t be ignored. We should figure this out as soon as possible.”
He stared up at her, mouth agape.
“But…but I want to go back to sleep!”
He squeaked as a pillow was thrown at his head, causing him to fall back. “Hey! You could have given me a concussion!”
She gasped at that, hand flying to her mouth. Crouching down she poked at his head, looking at him quizzically. After a minute she nodded once, pointing a finger in the air. “I, a trained professional,
have deduced that you are gravely ill…I diagnose you as being terribly overdramatic! Oh how awful!”
He scowled at her, swatting her hand. “I’m the overdramatic one?”
“Yes. Now, get up and let's get dressed.”
He mumbled some slightly vulgar things under his breath as he rose from the floor, but obliged her order .Link got himself ready quickly, though he barely remembered going through the motions. Whatever this feeling was, whatever he was being pulled too, he wasn’t ready. He didn’t think he would be for a long time, maybe not ever.It's not fair, a selfish part of him whispered.
He would do whatever it took to protect his people- to protect his Zelda. But a part of him just wanted to stay in this house forever, by her side. He wanted their simple life to continue- he wanted to bake with her, to laugh with her, and to just simply be with her. Not as the princess and her appointed knight, but as Link and Zelda. Link and Zelda, who live in Hateno. Link, who the local merchants have come to both fear and greatly admire. Link who the village kids love to chase around. Link, who seemingly has a big crush on the princess (not that he will ever admit that those rumors are true).
She had asked it earlier, and he silently agrees with her- is it too much to ask? To just be Link, and not The Hero?
“Link!”
Zelda’s shout from below the balcony startled him out of his thoughts as he hurried to tie his hair up. “Right, I’m coming!” He shouted back, already rushing to the stairs.
She was there at the bottom, beaming up at him, and a lump formed in his throat as he stared back down at her. What was going to happen to them? Would he ever see this smile again?
“Ready?”
He swallowed, mustering a smile. “Yeah, yeah lets get going.”
Link had expected a quiet and pleasant walk with Zelda. What he had not expected,was to be greeted by two strangers loudly bickering at the end of the bridge.
Whoever they were, Link had never met them before. The first one was somewhat short, a little shorter than Link himself, with a strange outfit and slightly pink hair. Pinkie, Link decided to call him, wasn’t wearing any pants, and seemed to be doing most of the shouting. The other one was ever shorter than Pinkie, and his outfit was somehow ever weirder. His tunic was a mix of colors, and he was wearing some kind of headband- Link decided he would be called Rainbow. One thing was for sure- he would definitely remember meeting people as odd as the pair.
Yiga tended to stay away from the villages, though it wasn’t unheard of them to try and lure travellers away from the safety of large numbers. Had they finally found where Link and Zelda stay? Was this some kind of ambush?
His hand twitched and he fought back the urge to draw a weapon- not yet.
Zelda glanced at him, and he gave her a slight nod. If things went south, he could disarm the two of them easily. One against two- easy.
“Uhm, hello there! Are you two alright?”
Pinkie startled at Zelda’s words, and Link held back a snort. How had he not noticed them? It wasn’t as if they were being quiet. Must be some argument.
Rainbow followed Pinkie's movements, and turned towards the pair with a tight smile.
“Ah, hello! I apologize if our shouting disturbed you, my friend here can be quite ill mannered at times…and thick headed.” The last part was mumbled, but everyone still heard it, and Pinkie shot Rainbow a nasty look. Yikes.
“Really Four? You’re the one causing problems!” Rainbow's name was…Four? This was getting weirder and weirder.
“If I do recall-”
“Stop talking like that!”
Rainbow, or Four, glared at Pinky, crossing his arms. “Why are you so stubborn?!”
“Because your plan sucks!”
“Like yours is any better! You suggested we just march up to the house and-” He paled a bit, glancing at Link and Zelda. “And…ask for directions? What if we…we bother those poor people!”
Zelda perked up, stepping closer to the two, while Link grabbed the slate from his hip. Whatever they had truly intended to do at the house, it couldn’t have been good.
“Oh! Are you two lost? We’re from this village, so we could help you out!”
“Yes!” Pinkie shouted, a bit too quickly for Links liking. “We’re new here you see. We’re uh, travelers from a different region.”
“Where are you from?” Zelda asked innocently, a kind smile plastered on her face. Link started tapping through the slate.
“Oh you know, the West.”
“Which part?”
Pinkie glanced at Four, his hands flying together. “Oh, uhm! Really far out, doubt you’ve even heard of it really.”
“I know every region of Hyrule! I love to adventure, and I would love to hear more about your home! It’s only fair you know, I tell you about my home, you tell me about yours!”
Pinkie laughed, a forced little thing. “Right! Uhm, we’re from…Faron! A small town out there.”
Zelda frowned, her finger moving to her lips. “Hmmm ... .that's not to the west…are you confused perhaps?”
“O-oh yes! I apologize, I’m just pretty mixed up right now, with all this…travel.”
“Oh no worries! I understand, truly. Did you happen to see the castle on your journey?”
“Unfortunately, not yet.”
Four coughed, interrupting. “Uhm, Legend we should maybe ask them about, y'know."
“Ask us about what?”
Four smiled at Zelda, and Link scowled.
“Do you happen to know the hero or the princess? Or where they could be found?”
That was all Link needed to hear to confirm his suspicions, as he pulled a banana out from the slate, and pushed Zelda back. Throwing the banana at Pinkie's face, he shouted “NO!” Before grabbing
Zelda’s hand and dashing back towards the house.
“Link!” She gasped, tripping as she tried to orient herself. “What are you doing?!”
“Getting you to safety!” He shouted back. “Once you're safe in the house I can go back to fight them!”
“But-!”
He was rudely interrupted as something latched onto his leg, causing him to fall forwards. Yelping, he rolled onto his back in an attempt to orient himself, though he quickly began to move towards the strange men.
“Link!” Zelda screamed, grabbing his arm.
“Let go!” He screamed back, as the force of her pull and the pulling on his leg began to rip his arm.
“What is that!” She shrieked, still holding on.
“Zelda!” He whined, still stuck between Pinkie and Four, and Zelda.
“We don't want to hurt you!” Four shouted to them, and Link groaned in response.
“Yeah, clearly!” He yelled back, slightly hysterical.
“What? This shouldn't- oh. Zelda! Let go of his arm!” Pinkie shouted, startling Zelda enough to let go.
With the pulling now gone, and the threat of a dislocated shoulder gone as well, Link reared up. Whatever was attached to his leg, it was unlike anything he had ever seen. Metal links connected to a strange device in Pinkie's hand, the very end of it wrapped around Link's leg. Long claws dug into his leg, and most likely should have been harming him- but they seemed to be padded with some kind of jelly.
“Listen, I’m going to let you go! We have no intention of harming you! We just want to talk!”
“No! I don't talk to the likes of you! So you have some new toy, awesome! Well, so do I!”
Link did not in fact have a new toy, but the Yiga didn’t need to know that.
“What?” Pinkie screamed, frustration clear in his voice. Good, Link thought. He wanted to be as annoying as possible.
Zelda took that as an opportunity to rip the claw off of Link’s leg, before hastily helping him to his feet. “Sorry- sorry for pulling you-”
“Hey no worries, you kept me from being dragged to them after all.”
She nodded looking back towards the Yiga.
“You rush them, and while they’re distracted I’ll freeze them with the slate.” She whispered, still keeping her eye on the two. Link nodded slightly, grabbing a sword at random from the slate, before slipping it into her grasp.
“Did you just pull a sword from a glowing box?!” Four shouted, gaping at him.
“Oh don’t try to play stupid now, we already know what you are, Yiga!”
“No, I really don't think you do!” Pinkie growled, grabbing his hair.
Link watched as Four's eyes moved from the sword in Link's hands, to the slate in Zelda’s. His eyes widened in panic, and he threw his hands up in the air. “Wait…wait, wait don’t-!”
Link ignored him, and darted towards him, holding the sword high. He heard Zelda activating stasis behind him, and grinned. Perfect.
“Stop it!” Pinkie screamed, louder than he had the previous times- it was enough to make Link slightly falter, and he kicked himself internally. There was no room for hesitation on the battlefield.
But then, Pinkie did the strangest thing. Instead of fighting back, he raised his left hand into the air. There was a mark on it, Link noticed in horror. One he had seen only in his memories, and once while fighting a demon.
Link skidded to a stop, turning to look at Zelda, whose face had fallen.
“How do you…”
“We aren’t here to fight you!”
Zelda took a few cautious steps forward, before racing to meet with Link. She got closer to Pinkie, ignoring Link's startled cry, and grasped his hand in her own.
“Nobody knows about this symbol, no one other than the royal family.” She muttered, gazing at Pinkie's hand.
Her head jerked up, and Pinkie startled back. “Did you break into the castle and see this? What game are you trying to play, showing me this? Who are you?”
“Look, you might think I’m crazy, but my name is Link- and I’m pretty sure we were sent here to find you.”
“What?!” Link yelped, pointing his sword at Pinkie's throat. “This is a new low, even for you guys! Where do you get off doing all this? Let’s just go back to killing each other the old fashioned way.”
“No, no, let's not kill each other at all!” Zelda interjected, grabbing Link's arm. “Link, look, they had no reaction to the bananas! And this mark, it's not drawn on. It looks almost exactly like mine did!”
Link faltered, but kept his sword pointed at Pinkie- or Legend, he thinks that what he heard Four call the other. He was sticking with Pinkie for now though, he really did not want to call this guy Legend.
Pinkie raised his hands up, his eye twitching. “Look, she’s right. I don’t know what the fuck a “Yiga” even is. And I lied, we aren’t from Faron-”
“Aha! I knew it! So you are liars!”
“Yes, that much was obvious.” Four deadpanned, crossing his arms. “It doesn’t take a genius to figure that out.”
“Excuse me? Are you calling me dumb?”
“What? No-”
“Can I finish?” Pinkie shouted, and Four rolled his eyes. “As I was saying- we aren’t from Faron. We aren’t even from this era. Ugh, look. Usually we have Sky with us and it’s easier to explain, but we went off on our own to ask some questions and of course somehow ended up bumping into you.” He sighed, twisting a ring on his finger. “I’m Link. This,” he jabbed a thumb at Four, “is Link. You are Link. And we have six other Links back at the inn.”
Link stared at him, blinking.
“Okay….right….”
Pinkie groaned, burying his hands in his head. “Why does this always happen when Sky isn’t around? Every time man!”
Zelda took that as her cue to step a bit closer, leaning into Fours space, until she was nearly nose to nose with him.
“Zel…” Link warned, grabbing the sword tighter.
“Uhm, hello?” Four squeaked, backing up slightly.
“He’s telling the truth, I think…” She muttered, still staring at Four. “There’s something about him, something familiar. It feels kinda of like…like you.”
“The hero's spirit.” Pinkie nodded, finally backing away from Link's sword. Link stared at him, before slowly lowering it. He might not trust these two, but he trusts Zelda, and he certainly trusts what remains of her power.
“So, this must be why we felt a pull.”
Link put his sword back into the slate, vigorously shaking his head. “No, no way. No way, no way.”
“Think about it, Link. You said you felt like a part of you was missing, I said I felt like I was looking for you in some way. And now this. Two, no- eight other Links!”
Pinkie nodded his head, “she’s right. We all felt that pull in some way. I know it's hard to believe, but trust me we’re telling the truth.”
“Look, why don’t you two come to the inn with us. You can meet some of our other companions who can explain this much better, and have solid proof with them.”
Zelda nodded, bringing her hands together. “Oh how interesting! Of course we’ll go with you!”
“We will?! Uh, Zel, maybe we shouldn't follow the strange men?”
She pouted at him, slapping his arm lightly. “Oh lighten up. If things go wrong you can disarm them in seconds!” She chirped, and Pinkie paled slightly.
Link sighed, shoulders drooping. “Alright, fine. I’ll hear you out. But this is insane.”
She grinned at him wildly, “we’ve done crazier things.”
That’s how they found themselves in their current position, sitting in the tiny Hateno Inn, surrounded by 8 strange and slightly intimidating men. The one in the absurd amount of armor with only one eye was currently speaking to Zelda, the two of them seemingly hitting it off. Link was not pleased, and scowled at the man from his seat in the corner.
“Hey there!” A cheery voice interjected Links brooding, and he sighed, turning to face the voice. Standing next to him was a man, probably not too much older than Link, in a white cape. He smiled lazily, and sat down next to him.
“I'm Sky, it’s nice to finally meet you! I’m sure this is all really confusing, but once Time is ready we’ll properly explain everything.”
“Why can’t you just explain it now.” Link muttered, looking away.
“O-oh! Well, I suppose I could.” Sky turned to look at the armoured man, who Link assumed was Time, and the two nodded at each other briefly. “Actually, why don’t we do that now.”
Link straightened up, looking at the others in the strange group. Zelda looked pleased at least, so that put him slightly at ease.
“Right, there's no need to beat around the bush.” Time started, walking a bit more towards Link. “Legend briefly explained it to you, but we’re all heroes of courage. We all share the goddesses spirit, and have all fought some version of Ganon, or Ganondorf.” Link startled, learning forward in his chair, as Four let out a tiny “hey!”.
Time rubbed his neck awkwardly, “right, sorry. Most of us have.”
“You can’t be serious.” Link whispered, grabbing the corners of the chair.
“We all come from some different point in time. Portals have been taking us from place to place, from time to time. We honestly thought we had our last member of the group, and then we discovered you. Have you noticed stronger monsters than usual? Black blood?”
Link nodded tightly, his eyes not leaving Time’s. A few weeks back, he had gone to clear out a monster camp. Nothing unusual, or even difficult. But the monsters there had bled black, and attacked with nearly the strength of a Lynel- Link almost lost his arm.
Time nodded back, exhaling. “Right. We think that's why we’ve been brought together. Something is happening across time, making these monsters stronger. And we…we have to stop it.”
There was no way this was happening.
“Can you believe it? Link! The heroes of old!” Zelda squealed, bouncing on her heels. “I grew up hearing stories of the heroes of the past, this is incredible! Think of the things you could learn travelling with them! Oh!” She clapped her hands, giggling. “Oh Link, you must take photographs for me!”
Link paled, shaking his head. “This is insane, there’s no way this is really-” He faltered as Sky stood from next to him, drawing his blade. Instinctively he jumped from his own seat, hand going to the slate.
“Wait! Wait, stop! I’m not going to attack!” Sky frantically spoke, fully pulling his sword out.
Link's mouth fell open, and he stumbled back.
“You have got to be kidding me.”
In Sky's grasp was the master sword, the real master sword. Link had seen copies before, fake versions of the sword used to teach school children or con gullible travellers. But nothing could compare to the real sword- nothing could replicate the faint pull that Link felt at his very soul each time he was within reach of it- the feeling of warmth and comfort he felt emanate from it. He felt that now as he stared at the sword in Sky's hand. It was a feeling he hadn’t felt since defeating Ganondorf, and a feeling he had thought he would never have to feel again. A part of him longed to reach out- the part of him that secretly missed that faint tug, the comfort that lay within the sword.
“I’m sorry Link, but we really are telling the truth.”
He groaned, bringing a hand to his head. Only he would end up on some strange interdimensional quest with the heroes of the past. Not that he wanted to go, and he made sure to tell them that.
Time cleared his throat, shuffling his feet. “There’s not a choice. Some of us tried to stay home, to ignore the tug of the portals. It…didn’t work out well.”
The short one in blue snorted at that, pointing at Four. “Yeah, he tried to ignore it and ended up separated from us when we switched times. We warned him like, I don't know, twenty times? He ended up stuck in Time’s Gerudo prison for three days.” He snorted again, and then started laughing into his hand. Four's face turned bright red, and he harshly kicked the blue one.
“Right. That could happen.” Time deadpanned.
“So I have no choice?” He seethed, shoulders rising. “I’m supposed to just…follow you all into some weird magical portal? At the snap of a finger?”
Pinkie snorted, crossing his arms. “Yeah, sucks right?”
Link rounded on him, glaring. “Sucks? I spent my whole life fighting in a war I didn’t want any part of, and now I have to join another? No way. I’ll ignore that portal, just you watch.”
“I really don’t think it works that way…” Sky added, and Link turned his glare to him.
“Link…” Zelda whispered, though he didn’t turn to face her. He didn’t know if he could.
It wasn’t fair, really. Any of it. He saved Zelda, he won. He was supposed to live a quiet life with her, he was supposed to help rebuild the country and be with her in peace. For the first time maybe ever,
Link had something to truly live for. Not just duty or orders, not just the words of a girl he had barely known. No, he had a future to fight for. His own future. He couldn’t travel with these people, these heroes.
You’re the “hero” of Hyrule, aren't you? A part of him whispered.
You’re a coward- you’re selfish. A stoic knight replied.
Was he even worthy of travelling with them? Hylia, one of them was the Hero of Time. Link had died.
“I…” He gulped, looking down. “I can’t go with you.”
He jumped as a hand was placed on his shoulder, and turned to face another Link. This one wore a long blue scarf, and his very presence nearly made Link freeze. Something about him seemed familiar- and instilled the feeling of both respect and fear into him.
“Listen, we would never make you come with us if you said no under normal circumstances. But this isn’t something we can oppose. If you truly wish to stay here, we won't object. But do know, the portal will drag you through. And you might not like the outcome if you end up on the other side alone.”
He clenched his fist, his nails digging into his skin.
“Link.” Zelda spoke, and he heard her move closer. “They tell the truth. I know you know this. You know as well as I do that we cannot fight destiny.” She was behind him now, and he turned to face her, his face scrunching. She grasped his hands, and smiled a sad smile. “I would wish nothing more than for you to stay, but it cannot be.” She whispered, gazing into his eyes. “Think of all you can learn, all you can bring home with you. Our history…it’s something I mourn deeply. And Link, wherever you go, I’ll be there. Even if you can't see me, I’ll be with you. I always have been, I always will be.” She reached out, tapping the back of his left hand.
He looked down at it, swallowing.
In the legends of old, there were three pieces of the triforce- power, wisdom, and courage. The calamity sought to wield power, to twist the world into its own- but a princess wielding power and a knight wielding courage always rose to stop it.
Link never wielded courage.
When he first was appointed Hyrule’s champion, the gossip mongers whispered about him constantly. Who was the boy with the sword of legend? Why did he not hold courage? Over time, his feats with the sacred blade overshadowed the missing courage, and so the whispers died down, and the people shifted focus. Hyrule criticized their princess for her inability to access her sacred power, but they gradually forgot that their knight could not access his as well.
Zelda told him that the legend wasn’t entirely accurate.That at one point, the triforce was split in three- but over the centuries, the royal family came to hold all three pieces. It was why the eras of peace lasted so long, and why the calamity spent so long recovering after each attempt at control.
Looking at these heroes, and Pinkie's left hand, he couldn't help but doubt her. Was it something wrong with him? Is he responsible for his kingdom's destruction?
Zelda swore that courage still lay within him, in a different form. She would run a thumb across his left hand, as he stared at her own. Once, on a ruined battlefield, that hand had displayed a mark of chaos and divinity. A mark his own would never show.
She would whisper about his courage, and the wisdom she herself held. She would stay up late into the night, telling him stories of the heroes of old. How they all had a Zelda- a wisdom to their courage. She told him he was her courage. He didn’t know if that was true.
He couldn’t possibly fit in with this group.
“I can't." He choked out, ignoring the other around him. “Im not…”
“You are.” She squeezed, staring into his eyes sternly. “You are.”
He took a shaky breath, and squeezed her hand back.
Zelda believed in him, she always had. If she thought he could do it, then he had to try. He had to try for her. And as much as he hated to admit it, he really didn’t have a choice. He could scream and cry
all he wanted, but he knew the goddess, and he knew her well. She would bless him with life, but never comfort.
“Alright, fine. Let’s say I go with you. I can’t be called Link, can I?” He turned around again to face Scarf-man, shakily grinning. Scarf-man exhaled, shaking his head with a grin of his own.
“No, that you can not be.”
“Do you have a hero title? Most of us go by our titles.” Time questioned, smiling at him.
Link hummed, “just the Hero of Hyrule, or the Champion of Hyrule.”
“Well, Hyrule’s already taken, so Champion could work.”
Link shook his head. “That one…I don't know if I would like being called that constantly.”
Time nodded, placing a finger to his chin. “Maybe it would help if we introduce ourselves first. You already know me, I’m Time. That,” he pointed at Pinkie, “is Legend.” Pinkie waved, and Link smiled back. Yeah, he was still Pinkie in Links heart. “That’s Four,” Four waved, “and that's-" he was interrupted by the small blue one, who grabbed his arm.
“Aw, c’mon old man, let us introduce ourselves! I'm Wind! Or sailor! I’m the hero of the Winds, and an awesome pirate!” He puffed his chest, clearly proud. Link had never heard of him before, but awkwardly gave a thumbs up.
Time shook his head, but didn’t continue speaking. Scarf-man took this as his cue to talk- “Im Warriors, or Captain.”
The beefy one with the wolf pelt stepped forward, and spoke for the first time since this whole thing started. Something about him felt weird to Link, and he stared at him. “Hey there. My name's Twilight, or Twi for short.” Link nodded, still staring. The other man rubbed his neck awkwardly, and looked away. Odd.
The next to speak was another one Link hadn’t heard from before- the green one with the extremely messy hair. “Hello! I'm Hyrule!” Link smiled at him, and nodded.
Sky was the last one to speak, waving. “Im Sky, but you already knew that.”
“So…” Link started, playing with the hem of his cloak. “I have no idea what to say.”
Zelda laughed, slapping his arm. “You know Link, there is another title some people have started using for you.”
He stared at her, his eyes wide in panic. “There is?! Why haven’t I heard of this?”
She grinned, “the wild hero!”
He groaned, pulling the cloak over his face, which was growing red. “Of course they would call me that…” He mumbled. It wasn’t a bad title really, and unfortunately it was quite fitting.
“So…should we call you Wild?” Sky asked, his voice sounding far too genuine and kind.
Link pulled his hood down, fixing his hair as he did. “Wild...sure, why not. That works.”
Warriors smiled at him, grabbing his hand and shaking it. “Well then! Wild, welcome to the chain!”