Chapter Text
Legend really hopes that he and Four sprinting across the landscape towards a potential crisis as fast as their Pegasus boots can take them isn’t going to become a thing. Because this is the second time they’ve done it in as many days.
He must admit he’s impressed by Four’s ability to unceasingly sprint in to town on what he suspects is zero hours sleep. Not that he can blame him, as bad as the Palace of the Four Sword, and shadows within, were for Legend to deal with at least it was nothing new. That’s his past, not his future. It’s a much weightier thing for Four to consider even without the possiblity he’s got some personal pre-teen crisis of his own waiting for him here.
So the two of them run in the early morning light, Pegasus boots fluttering and Wolfie keeping pace. Definitely an ‘I am assigning you a babysitter’ move by Time after the events in the Dark World, but whatever, fine, the important thing is figuring out if they’re in Four’s past, if the festival they saw setting up in the distance is the one that launched his first adventure at 10 years old.
Wolfie peels off to find somewhere out of sight to transform as Four and Legend finish the final stretch into Castletown. Four leads the way a short distance from the gate to a bakery, a woman already inside and putting out the day’s bread to sell. He pushes the door open and staggers in a few steps, exhausted, followed by Legend.
“What,” Four wheezes, “What year is it?”
You are fucking smarter than this, Four.
The baker looks at them like they are insane.
“I’ll give you 20 rupees to answer the question and leave it at that,” Legend adds.
The baker stares for a moment longer then decides it’s too early to bother with whatever this is about and names a year, it doesn’t mean anything to Legend, the calendar has long since changed by his time. Four sinks to his haunches. Legend hands the woman a red rupee, then grabs Four by the collar and drags him out.
“Well?”
“We’re a year early,” Four says, utterly baffled.
Legend blinks, “What the fuck does that mean?”
❍ ❍ ❍
They’re in Four’s era for three maddening days before a portal appears again. All of them prowl the town and surrounding regions to search for anything amiss, anything that might indicate why they’re here. There’s nothing. No rumours of abnormal monsters, no strange happenings, the Picori Festival goes smoothly.
They can’t even find the young Four the day of the festival, but over the following days they keep a watch on his house and see a boisterous little boy going about his life, travelling to the castle with his knight father each day where Four says he’s likely playing with Zelda or doing knight training. It’s somewhere they can’t easily follow, but the Minish are fond of Four, even if “he” hasn’t met them yet, and they reassure him the Princess and her friend are the same as always.
The boy looks a lot like a younger Wind, Four just shrugs at that and says they all look like each other. They never see him out alone and there’s no natural way to interact with him. Four’s not sure if they should try or not.
There’s nothing. No sign. No monsters beyond what Four would expect to find in this region of the world.
The portal appears in front of Wild and Twilight in Hyrule field without rhyme or reason as they patrol for black blooded monsters. The two of them gather up the others and still not understanding why they were here, step through the portal.
When the portal closes, only four of them stand together in a small forest clearing. Legend, Wind, Twilight, and Four himself.
“It’s…” Legend trails off, a confused look on his face as he looks around, “It feels a little like Time’s, but not. But… I dunno, it’s familiar. Have we been here before?”
Four shakes his head, “I don’t think so?”
“Where are the others?” Wind asks, jogging around the clearing and peeking around trees, “Did we get separated?”
Twilight tilts his head, listening, “I think I can hear Sky playing,” he turns slowly and Four follows the motion. He can hear music maybe? A harp he thinks, “This way” Twilight leads on.
They follow in the direction of the sound, picking their way through the old growth forest, the sound of the harp, and it’s distinctly a harp now, getting stronger and clearer. Four doesn’t notice at first as Legend starts to speed up, driving their pace faster, but he soon begins pushing ahead, getting increasingly agitated as the sound gets louder, until he reaches the limit of his patience, overtakes Twilight and sprints off.
Twilight calls, the runs after him, followed by Four and Wind.
Four doesn’t catch him, but is close enough to hear Legend’s yell of “ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME!?” and the flurry of wings and feet. Birds burst into the sky from ahead, a squirrel tears past him, running for dear life.
He crashes through the trees into a clearing, drawing his sword, he needn’t bother.
Legend is there, fists clenched and shoulders hunched and looking pale and shaken, looking furious. A variety of woodland creatures are still scattering and fleeing the clearing, spooked off by his yell.
The target of his ire is a boy in a green tunic and hat, and white leggings standing on a tree stump, a pinkish harp in his hands. He’s… oh boy. He’s the young Legend again. Older now, about Wind’s age, and healthier looking than when he saw him last. Still slender, but not as worryingly so as when they met days ago, years ago. Because it must have been years for him, he’s well into adolescence. A short athletic boy of about fourteen, hair longer and thicker than it was as a child or is now. That single streak of pink living little room for doubt.
He looks pretty healthy, he looks pretty happy, if nervous at Legend’s expression. That crushing fear of his first quest not weighing on him. Some intermediate stage between the scared child and the world weary young man. He smiles at Legend, sheepish, then catches sight of the rest of them.
“Four!” he calls to him brightly, then to Wind who wastes no time in sprinting over to the other boy, “Wind, right?”
“Link! You remember us!? You’ve gotten bigger. You beat Ganon right? How’d it go? How old are you now? Where are we? What’s with the harp? Have you seen the others? Did you get dragged along just now too?” Well at least someone here is excited about this.
Legend storms off back into the forest. Twilight and Four share a look.
“I’ll go,” Twilight offers, then follows Legend. Four suspects he’ll be back soon, he just needs to rage a little bit.
“Give him a minute,” Four tells Link, noting the boy’s concerned expression as he watches him go, “This is a lot sooner for us than it is for you.”
Link holds out his left hand for Wind to inspect the mark on it, Wind grabs it with both of his own, “Full Triforce! Huh, it looks like Sky’s more than Legend’s. See! I told you, you could do it!” He shakes the hand in a vigorous ‘well done’ motion.
Link gives a little laugh, tips of his ears blushing pink, “I’m fourteen now I think? And no, I mean, I didn’t come here just now. I haven’t seen anyone else today.”
Wind frowns, “I wonder where they could be. I hope they’re not too far.
Hey, hey, Four! Who’s taller now?”
Wind drags Link back to back and Four grins as both boys try to stand taller than the other, “I think you’re the same height.”
“What? No I’m definitely taller,” Wind tries to put his hand on both their heads at once to measure, “Fourteen and how many months? Hey, sorry we couldn’t help with Ganon, I really wanted to, you know?”
“Give him some space, Wind,” Four says, noticing Link getting somewhat overwhelmed and flustered by the closeness and chatter.
Wind pokes his tongue out of him, but hops up on to the stump where Link had been playing, “What’s with the harp?”
“It’s the Harp of Ages.”
“What does it do?”
Link grins, “Time travel.”
“What, really? Oh, that’s so cool! Can I try it?”
“Wind! No!” Wind gives Four his best sad puppy look. It doesn’t work, no one can beat Red at that.
❍ ❍ ❍
It’s several long minutes before Legend storms back into the clearing, shadowed by Twilight, and stands silent for a long moment, tapping his foot, “Okay,” he looks like he’s about to storm off again but then reins himself in, “Okay. Ask your questions.”
Four takes the lead, which is probably for the best with Legend in that mood, “You know where we are?”
“Labrynna. Third adventure. Here to save the Oracle, now Ganon’s gone she’ll return to Hyrule along with her sisters.”
“Any Shadows?”
“No. Not that I know of. Nothing connected to anyone else,” he starts pacing. Wind doesn’t like his agitation one bit.
“What’s worrying you the most?” Four asks calmly.
Legend actually hisses, “Once is a coincidence. This. Is. Fucking. Targeted.”
“Yes, there’s something else going on,” Four agrees, “Our own pasts three times in a row? Though this isn’t exactly your past anymore is it?”
Legend stops his pacing, “What?”
“It’s Link’s,” Four tilts his head at the boy, “It’s not your timeline, it’s his.
Link, what are you here to do right now?”
“N-Nayru. She got possessed and Veran has her and I… I messed up,” there’s a sight tremble in his voice and Wind reaches to give his hand a squeeze, big brother instincts activated. He decides he’s totally older.
Legend just breezes past that comment with a grunt, and resumes his angry, agitated pacing, “Yeah, that’s the same.”
“Wait, Nayru the goddess?” Twilight asks.
“No, Nayru is the Oracle of Ages,” Link replies, watching Legend’s pacing, looking apprehensive again.
“A time Oracle?” Four asks, raising his eyebrows and Link nods.
“Okay, Legend, what if we’re here for Nayru? Something screwy has happened with the last three portals. Short of someone from Wars’ time, would she be the most likely to have some information?”
“Maybe,” he concedes.
“Then there’s something we can do about this. We’re okay, Link’s okay. We’ll work this out.”
Legend gets his point and stops his pacing, takes a deep breath and pushes back his hair, “Okay. Okay. Let’s talk to Nayru. Maybe she’ll know what’s going on, maybe she can tell us something.”
Wind wonders if Four can teach him the secret of how he gets people to calm down like that.
“Okay, we have a plan. We’ll go with Link to get Nayru and see if she can help. Wind can call Wild and we’ll meet up with them. Was there anything particularly heinous about this quest we should know about?”
“No… No. If anything this was one of the better ones. Veran, then Twinrova and Ganon-“
“AGAIN!?” Link’s voice cracks as he yells.
Legend just turns to him and grins, finally finding something funny in all this. Wind has already found plenty funny in all this.
“I ALREADY BEAT HIM TWICE! THAT’S IT, RIGHT? RIGHT?!”
“For Ganon…Yeah, pretty much.”
“What the fuck do you mean by pretty much? What the fuck do you mean for Ganon?”
“Language,” scolds Twilight.
“He’s all grown up,” Wind wipes away an imaginary tear.
“Ah-” says Link, noticing Twilight and realising he does not, in fact, know him.
“That’s Twilight,” Wind introduces, “He was the wolf.”
Link laughs a little nervously and takes a step back.
“It’s alright, I ain’t mad.”
He was definitely mad Link used him to join the fight, but really Wind thinks that’s on Twilight for thinking of him as a kid first and as Legend, as a Link, second.
“He was definitely mad,” Wind voices the thought, “But the rest of us thought it was hilarious so it’s fine.”
“The rest of us?” Four asks with eyebrows raised. Okay, so Warriors hadn’t thought it was funny, and Sky had done Sad Face.
“A solid at least half.”
Legend snorts and Link giggles.
“How, how long as it been? For you I mean?” Link turns the comment to Legend, “Your hair is still half pink.”
“Three. Fucking. Days.”
“…eh heh.”
Legend just glares at him.
“Legend absolutely hasn’t had time to repress everything yet,” Four nods.
“Oi, fuck you.”
“Let’s see if we can contact the others,” cuts in Twilight, probably just now realising he is trapped with four teenagers. Two of which are fourteen. Two of which are Legend.
♫ 𝅗𝅥 ♫ 𝅗𝅥
Something’s… off. Wild can sense it. Then again something is usually off in some way or another, that’s the thing about time travelling to fight an unspecified Evil, if you’re doing it right you run into some evil vibes pretty often. It’s not Wrong the way the Dark World was Wrong. But it’s like a crooked mirror, something that should be familiar being just that slightest bit skewed.
He can’t sense the magic of a place in the way Hyrule, Legend, and Time seem to, but he picks up on a hundred little different things. The health of the trees, the sound of the birds and animals, the density of the underbrush, the clearness of the sky, the songs of the insects. The land is different in every era, and he’s getting better and better at recognising it, even if he can’t articulate it properly to the others.
Time says it’s his era, and Hyrule agrees, but they both sound a little uncertain when they say it. He’s getting better at recognising that too.
Time hurries them towards the Ranch, his pace giving away his unease even if his face does not.
They’ve all been a little on edge these past few days. Seeing the shadows of the Colours, meeting baby Legend in the final throes of his first quest, being stuck as a goat. Okay, that last one was pretty fun, next time he’s home he’s going to see if he can use the whatsits Twilight uses to transform and try to scale duelling peaks with hooves.
He hopes baby Legend is okay, he was very little, and very scared, and very sweet. But he was also clever and determined, he’ll manage it for sure, Legend seemed to think so and he would know after all.
Legend didn’t want to talk about it, which is typical, but Wild thinks he’s been lurking a little closer around his favourite people. Hyrule of course, and Sky is a calming aura for everyone, but Four seems to have moved up his rankings a little too. Four’s been splitting a lot though, which is a sure sign he’s upset and working through things. It’s kind of nice though, he likes seeing the Colours too.
Wild walks with Hyrule, he thinks he’s missing Legend kind of like how Wild misses Twilight. It hasn’t been long at all they’re always just kind of… conscious when they don’t know where they are. They’ll probably find them soon, with any luck they’re already at the ranch.
Time starts to slow once he gets close enough to see the details of the fencing and they turn to follow it towards the house and barns. Wild can pick what it is this time; the trees are smaller, the grass less healthy, the fence is different, the cucoo coop he can see some distance away is entirely different.
Wild thinks of the young Legend, of the young Four.
They stop walking and before anyone can voice what they’re all starting to think a voice cuts across the paddock from the direction of the buildings.
“CUSTOMERS!” A little red haired girl sprints full speed in their direction and clambers up the fence to half hang over it to address them, “Customers! Are you customers!?”
She says it with such brightness and conviction Wild wouldn’t even consider denying it, it would break all their hearts.
They collectively hold their breath, but Time answers her with steadily, “Of course little Miss, Lon Lon Milk is the best in Hyrule isn’t it?”
The girl brightens even more, then promptly puts her chin in her hand and looks them over with what might be a ‘shrewd businesswoman expression’ on someone twice her age. Mostly it just looks cute, “Hmm, for such a big group I’ll cut ‘cha a good deal,” she nods like it’s decided, “If you’ll follow me please!”
She hops down from the fence to lead them to the barn.
“What’s your name if you don’t mind me asking?” asks Time, though of course he knows. They all do.
“Malon.”
Time smiles at her and it even seems genuine.
And so it is Wild finds himself in possession of a truly staggering amount of milk and cheese, not that he’s complaining. She drags her father out of the barn to handle the money for her but does the sales pitch herself. He takes a picture on his slate, Ms Malon might like to see it next time they see her.
“It’s getting dark mister, Hyrule field isn’t safe after dark. The stals are up ev’ry night now,” Malon warns them.
“We’ll be fine thank you, Miss.”
She sees to consider this, seemingly unsure if she should let them go or tell them to stay before she realises, “I can rent ya a place to camp! Right?”
She turns her gap toothed smile on Talon, “Of course, dear.”
Wild is beginning to suspect Time is going to give all their money to this child.
❍ ❍ ❍
“Wild!” Wind calls into the pirate’s charm, “Where are you?”
“We’re at Ranch, what about you?” Wild's voice comes back clearly.
“Uhhhh, Legend knows it but I can’t remember what it’s called. How many of you are there?”
“Me, Time, Sky, Wars, and Hyrule. The rest with you?”
“Yep. Me, Legend, Four, Legend, Twilight,” Wind chimes.
“You said Legend twice.”
Wind grins wider, joke perfectly executed and waves Link over to sit beside him, holding the charm up and knowing it will capture a moving picture for the slate.
Wild makes a sputtering sound, Wind wishes so badly he could see his face, “Is that baby Legend?”
“BABY?” demands Link, truly offended.
“Yeah! Baby?!” echos Wind, because excuse you, they’re the same age!
“Did he get dragged through too?”
“No, he was already here, right?”
“Yeah, well, no portals like you guys had. Well there was that thing with the Triforce getting here but I think that was different,” Link says, peering at the charm.
“Time says we’re in his era, what’s he doing here?” Wild asks.
“Wind. Is Legend there?” Time’s voice comes from the stone to ask.
“Huh, yeah.” They’ve all been listening in of course.
“Put Legend on please.”
Legend snatches the stone, “What do you mean this is your era!?”
“It’s my era,” Time says simply, “Specifically it’s my childhood. I just saw Malon, she looks to be the age she was when I met her. What are you doing here?”
Legend starts pacing again, not a good sign “But that’s… oh fuck I never realised.”
“Never realised what, Legend?”
And Wind thinks of the ‘You have to tell us things’ lecture he got a few days ago after the whole Dark World fiasco. Legend stops pacing and sits down with him and Link.
“So, did I ever tell you one my quests involved time travel?”
That’s probably a rhetorical question, Legend doesn’t tell anyone shit if he can help it.
“You may have mentioned something in passing…” Time trails off.
“I didn’t realise. I didn’t even think of it. Time, the kid’s not here because of us, he’s meant to be here. He’s doing the same thing I did.”
“So can you get to the ranch and we can-”
“Time, we’re in Labrynna. He’s here in his past to save the Oracle Nayru. This is number three. I didn’t realise there was overlap, I never even considered,” Legend looks like he’s having another of those time travel revelation moments, which frankly, Wind thought they’d stop having to deal with when they figured out the timeline ages ago. Time travel’s the gift that keeps on giving.
“Who’s that?” whispers Link to Wind, “What’s going on?”
“That’s Time,” Wind whispers back, “He was the gold wolf. We’re back in his era.”
“Huh…? But that…”
“So you can’t get back here?” Time asks.
“No. It’d take weeks, and we’d have to take a boat and that… that might be a bad idea right now.”
Wind wants to know what he means by that.
Link nudges Wind, and Wind glances over to find he’s looking pale.
“What do you mean his era? We’re only a few hundred years back. I thought you said you were the Heroes of Courage,” Link insists.
“We are… He’s the hero who… Legend!” Wind calls for his attention, but it’s Link who speaks up when he glances over.
“I didn’t go back that far. How can he be the hero before me?”
“…Shit.”
“Legend, what-?” begins Wild, Time silent beside him.
Legend cuts in before Link can bring himself to answer, before the kid has to be the one to say it.
“The kid is here, which means we’re on his timeline. And there’s no Hero of Time, only the Fallen Hero.”