Here I am, once again. I'm torn into pieces. Can't deny it, can't pretend. Just thought you were the one.
... Ahem.
Howdy! It's been a while since I've been on this site. I've been pretty eager to write an OCI story with some satirical elements, because sarcasm is a very strong suit of mine, so... I'm back! From the makers of Insert Epic Title Here and (the unfortunately deleted) Four Swords Facebook, I bring you an actual, serious fic series: The Common State of Innocent Violence.
... Yes, even the title is a joke.
I'm projecting this story to end at about chapter 20. Oh, and this is NOT going to be the regular length of each episode. Think of this 12,000-something word chapter as the hour-and-a-half long series pilot. Episodes from this point on are gonna be... somewhere around the 5k mark, I'd say.
... Are people still doing disclaimers on this site, or is that so five years ago and I'm being an old hag by doing one?
Disclaimer: While I do not own any part of Nintendo or the Legend of Zelda franchise, nor do I own the original Legend of Zelda: Four Swords manga, I am the creator of many of the concepts that will appear in this series, along with the five main OCs.
episode 1: Pilot
There is a certain way in which kids, teens, and unnatural creatures tend to be pulled into an adventure, and their calling comes from one of two things: by pure unadulterated accident, or they are chosen for their task. It is a curious thing, when higher powers direct chosen ones- because often, their chosen ones are simply picked from a distance after careful observation. How they handle the situation is an entirely different beast.
Also, we're not going to tell you how adults are chosen, because more often than not, the answer is simply that: they aren't.
Adventures are difficult, long, life-changing missions, and they are reserved for the young and bright of heart only. World-weary thirty-somethings are simply not suited to frolic about in the midst of war and battle. No, only the wide-eyed children can be sent to save a country from a cruel fate, and that, friends, is simply the way things are- and the way things have always been. How foolish, how ignorant, would it be to suggest that perhaps they are not prepared to face needless bloodshed and death? Truly distasteful.
But anyway, five twelve-year-olds sat in a cabin.
It sure as heck wasn't a log cabin. It was one of those cabins they had at indoor summer camps, or at camps for preteen girls or something of the like, where the walls looked like brick but were actually plaster, and the floor was a really uncomfortably cold tile, and the beds had iron posts and horrible mattresses. One of those cabins, in one of those evenings when it was too early to go to sleep but too late to do anything.
A loud whine emitted from one of the beds, and its owner- a red-head with dramatic blonde highlights- flopped face-down onto her pillow. Her pink skirt hitched up to her thighs and her side ponytail splayed all over the pillowcase, but she didn't budge an inch. "I'm boooooored."
No one actually bothered to answer her. In fact, every single other person in the room was reading. A tiny, pale girl with long black hair hung off the side of her bed on her back, mouth slightly open as she read the colorful comic book in her hands. An equally small (but perhaps taller) girl's entire head, plus her shoulders, were covered in the enormous leatherbound book she had buried her nose in. In the far corner of the room, a still fully-dressed (down to the shoes) boy with a scruffy haircut very seriously turned a page of what appeared to be a textbook. And across from the redhead, a tall black girl slowly chewed a candy bar as she read some fantasy book or other one-handed.
The redhead looked up from her pillow to stare, pouting, at the girl in the bed across from her. "Cheeeeerryyyyyy," she whined loudly.
The girl called Cherry lowered her book slightly to look up at the redhead mildly.
"Can we do something?" The redhead frowned.
"No, Cricket, there's nothing to do." Cherry rolled her eyes good-naturedly as she went back to her novel. "Seriously, you should've brought a book."
"No. Nothing to read. Read all the time. Magazines. Cool girl books." Cricket lifted herself up on her forearms, her eyes widening- they appeared a deep shade of brown. "High school romance novels," she stage whispered, as if telling a scandalous secret.
"Uh huh." Cherry nodded vaguely as she went to take another bite of her her candy bar.
"Cherry, be real, here." The black haired girl's intensely purple eyes didn't move as she stared blankly at the comic book in her hands- it was more than apparent that she wasn't really looking at it. "There's nothing to do in the daytime, either. This camp sucks."
Cherry lifted her head and frowned over at the much smaller girl in the bed diagonal from her. "Hey, y'know, my parents paid for you to come to this camp. Watch it."
"Cherry." The girl's voice was dull. "I'm not kidding. Give me your honest opinion on this place."
Cherry hesitated, her book falling slightly limp in her hand. Her lips pursed unwillingly.
"Don't worry, Tammy," Cricket declared, getting up on her knees and throwing a hand in the air. "When I get rich- and famous, famous too- I'm gonna pay for all of us to go to a way better summer camp. ...AND SEND NATO TO THE RIGHT CAMP, BY THE WAY."
The dark-haired boy- Fortunato was his name- jumped horribly and looked up in alarm at the sound of his name. Cherry squinted at him for a long time.
"Okay," she said slowly, "I'm still confused. How'd he wind up here with us, again?"
"Folks made a dumb mistake." Tammy's tone was lifeless. "Sent him to the all-girls' camp instead of the all-boys' one and the counselors stuck him in here with us because we know him."
"Which is a shaaaaame," Cricket declared, putting her hands on her hips, "because everyone woulda loved him. Seriously. Everyone. Everyone would be in love with him right now. But they're not. They put him here and now no one's in love with him."
"Well," Nato said simply, putting a hand to his chest, "...I don't think that will be for too long. But it can wait as long as it needs. If someone comes after me, I'll accept."
Tammy cracked a lazy grin as she let the comic book fall down on her face. "Dude, calm down, the counselors would kick you out if you tried. And speaking of someone being too thirsty, I know I am. ...For a better camp." She lifted her hands and double-pistol winked at no one in particular.
Cherry's expression clearly read "God have mercy on my soul".
Cricket, who had slouched back again, shot up into a sitting position. "The lemonade!" she exclaimed suddenly at Tammy's statement. "Did you try it? The lemonade is watery! The food is watery! The water is watery! There's water everywhere!"
"Cricket, we're right by a lake," Cherry pointed out in amusement.
"The lake is most watery!"
"Does anyone want to hear a story?" a fifth voice asked softly.
Instantly, the rest of the room's occupants went silent, and they (barring Tammy) shared brief, surprised looks before turning their focus on the girl hidden behind the leatherbound book. When she lowered it to let the massive book sit across her lap, her thin, delicate face was finally visible, framed by the shock of white, fluffy hair that sat on her head at barely chin-length. Her enormous, round eyes were a faint tint of pink- and where Tammy was fair skinned, this girl was practically ivory. "...From my book," she said gently.
"You said earlier that your book was… about myths, is that right?" Nato asked curiously as one of the girl's small hands ran across the weathered pages. "Then you'd be telling us a myth?"
"That's right…" Alvina smiled broadly. "This book is from Hyrule."
Nato's eyes widened. "From…?"
Cricket frowned. "Huh? Hyrule? Isn't that the one from those video games? The one thing, you know. The kingdom. Hyrule is the kingdom."
"What games?" Tammy sat up, her comic book falling into her lap, and frowned at Cricket.
"It's a series," Cherry answered, even though the question had been posed at the red-headed girl. "The Legend of Zelda. You play as this blonde guy who wears green named Link, and you try to save Princess Zelda."
"Usually," Cricket corrected- Tammy and Nato's gazes shot back to her after Cherry's original explanation. "Sometimes you're trying to save other people instead. It's a fun game. Alvina's got a whole book of myths about the games or something."
"About the kingdom," Alvina corrected. "About legends and prophecies, and the people in them."
"But it's a game…?" Cherry's eyebrows rose. "Is it a lore book? Or are you saying- you're saying you believe it's a real country?"
"Of course it's real." Alvina tilted her head slightly at Cherry. "Most fiction has a basis in myth. And all myth has a basis in truth… the kingdom of Hyrule is no different."
The tall girl nodded slowly in response, appearing to take everything in.
"I believe that." Nato spoke up, reaching out with one hand to close his textbook. He shifted on his bed so as to turn his full attention to Alvina. "I don't think this world- universe, maybe- is so limited that a kingdom like that wouldn't exist. Tell us a story, Alvina."
Alvina smiled gently and, lowering her head to the pages, began to read aloud.
In a sanctuary deep in the woods, there is said to be a holy, mythical sword.
This sword is said to give incredible power to they who draw it from its pedestal- the Chosen One of the Four Sword. They who are chosen of the goddesses are granted the power of Four. They are given the strength of four people with the soul of one… and with that power, it is said darkness cannot stand against their light. The Sword rests, when it has no owner, in its pedestal in its own holy sanctuary.
The creator of the sword is unknown, but they are said to be a powerful divine entity that watches over the wielder of the Four Sword, protecting them from harm. The Holy Guardian of the Four Sword provides the Four Sword hero with as much aid as possible without direct interference. So, too, have there been lesser Guardians of the Four Sword- for where there are Heroes, there are, too, mortal Guardians, appointed by the Holy Guardian to guide them through their journey. Whether these Guardians watch from afar, or they step in directly… they always watch over the Hero.
And so too will evil always be sealed within the sword's pedestal… making drawing the sword a blessing, and a curse...
"But what if you had no choice?" Cricket asked aloud, frowning. "What if there was. Like. Another evil and you had to pull the sword to fight it and you got the other evil thing free. That's two evil things to fight. I mean that's what happened in Four Sword Adventures."
Tammy shrugged, looking over at the redhead. "Then you're screwed, I guess. ...I dunno, does it say anything, Al?"
Alvina shook her head as she scanned the page. "No… not about that."
"But imagine being there to see all this stuff happen," Cricket continued eagerly as she stood up from her bed. She crossed to Alvina's bed and sat down at the end. "OR. Or. Imagine being- whassit called again, Alvie. A Guardian. Cherry, what do you think?"
Cherry shrugged noncommittally. "...Yeah… it'd be pretty cool. If I had to do it, I mean. I wouldn't just go running into something like that. I have a busy life."
"There's a prophecy here," Alvina said suddenly, her eyes not leaving the page. "It's interesting…"
"Let's hear it, then, if you don't mind." Nato had been sitting quietly and listening up until this point- but now, he appeared far more interested.
Alvina's finger trailed across the text as she softly spoke the prophecy aloud- and somehow, miraculously, no one spoke. No one cut in. The prophecy went from beginning to end, uninterrupted, as she read.
"When Four is drawn, evil's claim stayed, a battle started is yet won. A kingdom in peril will Guardians save- past six years' pain reign faith and love. The One becomes Four- then Four for nevermore."
Nato's eyes lit up, and he put a hand to his chin, looking up thoughtfully as he contemplated the prophecy. "Some of it is clear," he mused. "Some of it isn't. But the clear parts are what we already knew."
"Right." Tammy glanced over at him. "Someone's gonna draw the sword, shit's gonna go down, and those Guardian guys will do something to help. The myth kinda already says that."
Cricket pushed her hands into her cheeks and attempted to frown while doing a guppy face. "I don't get the six years thing," she mumbled past her pressed-together lips.
Cherry finally sighed and closed her book, placing her half-eaten candy bar on top of it to keep the front cover pressed into its pages. "Well… I mean, it's a cool-sounding prophecy."
She shifted into a sitting position, rubbed her eyes, and finally looked up to find the other four occupants of the room were staring at her expectantly. Her brown eyes darted around the room- and finally, she sighed.
"Okay," she said. "I'm not a prophecy-interpreter or a genius, but I'm gonna try. It sounds like when this hero guy pulls the sword, he's gonna start a war. A big war. Even if he does defeat the evil he's trying to take down when he pulls the thing."
"Wow," Cricket murmured, her gaze growing distant. "...Imagine being in that war, guys… imagine fighting a war like that… saving lives…"
"Shit, I'd be game." Tammy shrugged carelessly.
"Then it's settled." Cricket stood up on Alvina's bed and pointed dramatically to the ceiling. "WE," she announced, a blinding grin spreading across her round face, "are gonna go to Hyrule!"
If Cricket had expected wild applause at this gesture, she did not receive it. Cherry's eyebrows rose; Nato blinked, apparently taken aback. Tammy just looked at her blankly. Alvina smiled broadly, her eyes lighting up again.
"I think that's a wonderful idea." Alvina gently closed her book of myths. "I'd… I would love to go to a place like Hyrule… see its sights… Cricket, if we could get there…"
"Then we get there." Cricket grinned broadly. "It'll be just like Four Sword Adventures. Except I have someone else to play it with. And we're not playing. It'll be really really cool. ...Anyone else in?"
Tammy slid off her bed and crossed to Alvina's, right across from hers- she sat on the very edge of the bed. "I mean, it'd probably be more fun to go to a place and see stuff than stay in this place."
"Alright, alright, I'm gonna be dragged into this anyway." Cherry held up her hands and walked toward the rest of the group. "But let's not do anything… you know, stupid. Okay?"
Nato, silently and without comment, got up from his bed and walked toward Alvina's.
"Sorry, Cherry." Tammy nonchalantly lifted her chin. "Stupid is my middle name. Actually, no, I take that back. Stupid is my first middle name, followed by Gorgeous."
"Wooooo, that's the ticket!" Cricket clapped eagerly as the small party gathered around Alvina's bed. "We're all goin' to Hyrule now! Hyrule's gonna be fun! Tickets, get your tickets here, choo choo here comes the FUN train! …But here's the question now." She flopped down into a seated position on Alvina's mattress, and leaned forward conspiratorially. "How do we get from A to B?"
Tammy raised her hands slowly. "Dude this is super crazy but like what if. What if we like… held hands and closed our eyes and wished to go there."
Cherry pressed a hand to her forehead, giving the faux-serious Tammy a dull look. "Oh sure," she said, with feigned delight mere moments later. "After all, what else do we do? Act like we're chosen heroes and read the myth book some more, hoping it'll suck us inside, because Hyrule needs our help?"
Alvina delicately shrugged her shoulders. "Maybe there's always some greater evil out there…"
"There always is," Cricket said impatiently. "So, are we gonna do this or not?"
And she held out her hands. Cherry rolled her eyes, but finally gave a resigned sort of smile and reached out to clasp Cricket's hand, looking around the rest of the circle with amusement. "...Okay, so how about it?"
"Ah," Alvina said softly. "You know…"
"Huh?" Cherry glanced at her.
"...Shouldn't you get dressed?" the albino girl suggested gently, lifting a hand in reason as she looked from Tammy to Cherry. "If we did get sent into Hyrule, you'd both be in sleep clothes. You'd be stranded out in the kingdom with nothing else to wear…"
Tammy glanced down at herself. "...It's not like I ever wear anything but T-shirts and shorts anyway."
"You're not wearing a bra," Cricket suggested.
"Oh, yeah." Tammy clapped a hand to her forehead. "You're right. Lemme just go strap my scandalous triple As down and we can be on our way."
"Cricket, seriously." Cherry rolled her eyes and extended her hand to the small albino girl. "You need to chill. We don't even know if this is gonna work."
"For the record," Tammy pointed out casually as she reached out to take Alvina's other hand, "I'm damn sure this is probably not gonna work."
Nato shrugged as he connected the bridge between Cricket and Tammy's spare hands, and Tammy suddenly shuddered. "Nato, your hands are freezing."
"Oh." Nato looked uncomfortable. "Sorry."
"Whatever, it's cool. ...Damn that was a pun."
"Forget the puns!" Cricket declared. "Everybody ready? Close your eyes- and wish really really hard!"
The whole party screwed their eyes shut, hands in each others' as they focused on the wish in their own manner. Cricket, for one, squeezed Nato and Cherry's hands as she wished hard, desperate, hoping beyond hope that their wish would be heard. The exact antithesis of her were Cherry and Tammy- Cherry appeared calm, but she slouched casually and didn't seem to expect anything to happen. Tammy could have been asleep for all her excitement. Nato and Alvina were in a state of meditative calm, though Nato could be seen biting his lip and wincing, his hand crushed in Cricket's vice grip.
The group of five made their wish.
...It was hard to say who noticed it first, but Cricket's vice grip suddenly loosened- and it was apparent why. The mattress beneath them suddenly seemed to feel faintly like grass. In fact, the sensation grew stronger until it did, entirely, feel like grass. Cricket's grip loosened, but Nato, Tammy and Cherry's grips all suddenly tightened.
It was hard to say, too, whose eyes opened first, but when everyone dared to squint their eyes open at their surroundings, Cricket's loud, delighted gasp confirmed the worst fears- and the dear hopes- of the others.
It was sunset instead of just past dusk, and the cloudless sky above them was stained a deep orange that faded up into pale, dusty blue. The grass was unmoving- there wasn't a strong breeze- but it was green and littered the ground save for a nearby dirt path. Trees were to Alvina and Tammy's backs; a waterfall was at Cricket and Nato's backs, some distance away, a rainbow reflecting in the water as it cascaded fiercely down a cliff.
Wherever they were- they were not in their cabin.
"We made it!" Cricket gasped delightedly, hopping up to her feet and looking around wildly. "We're actually here! We got here! It worked!" She continued squealing happily as Cherry gawked up at her, her chin tucked and her eyebrows risen high as she gaped soundlessly. Tammy was in a similar state, her eyes wide, but she looked around their surroundings instead. Alvina rose to her feet with a delighted, dazzling smile on her face; Nato's eyes were wide, but the rest of him was slack.
"It's beautiful," Alvina whispered, gazing past them at the rushing waterfall. "It's so beautiful here…"
Tammy made a faint gurgling noise.
"Hold it!" Cherry shouted suddenly, leaping to her feet next. "How'd we get here?! You don't just get places because you close your eyes and wish to go. That's ridiculous, it- it makes no sense. I…" Her voice seemed to die in her throat as she lifted her hands helplessly. "...I don't get it."
"We really made it?" Tammy croaked, barely above a whisper.
"It seems that way." Nato rose to his feet and brushed himself off, then bowed slightly as he offered a hand to Tammy. The tiny dark-haired girl took his hand without comment and staggered as she got to her feet last out of all of them. "...I'll admit, I doubted," Nato said seriously, putting a hand to his chest and lifting his chin. "But it seems my doubts were… unnecessary. Tammy, your idea was excellent."
"My ideas are all terrible," Tammy said at once, aghast. "Don't listen to me. Oh, God, if it gets us into these situations please never listen to me again."
"Guys, hang on- stop." Cherry raked a hand through her hair. "Let's regroup."
"Right!" Cricket clapped her hands together a couple of times, grinning. "We're in Hyrule. It's sundown. We have no idea where we are. Tammy and Cherry are both in pajamas. Am I missing anything."
"We have no supplies, no sense of direction, and no known way of getting back home other than-" Nato began, counting off on his fingers, only to be interrupted.
"Closing our eyes and wishing really hard!" Tammy clapped her hands to either side of her head, then clenched them into fists at her sides and screwed her eyes shut. She bobbed up and down anxiously as she, presumably, wished desperately to get home- but, even as the rest of the party watched, that was all she did. Eventually, one purple eye cracked open, and she sagged when she realized her surroundings hadn't changed.
"Tammy," Cricket said curiously, "I thought you said you were okay with this."
"That was when I thought it was a joke!" Tammy said in a strangled voice, whirling on Cricket. "Holy shit, Cricket, I was kidding, I wouldn't last a day out here! We'll all be lucky if we don't die of starvation, because like Nato said-"
"Tammy, calm down," Cherry said firmly. "We didn't finish the recap."
"The hell else is there to say?!" Tammy threw up her hands.
Nato shrugged. "We can't go anywhere without a map or a compass, or some sense of direction," he concluded. "There's a dirt path here-" he gestured to it- "but we don't have any idea which way will lead to a town. ...Does anyone have a map, then?"
"How about a guide?" Cricket suggested.
Cherry's eyebrows rose as she turned to the red-headed girl. "And where are you gonna find a guide at?"
Cricket pointed helpfully to the dirt path, and all at once, the other four turned their heads into the trees where she pointed. In the complete silence, they could hear footsteps light on the dirt- Cherry's eyes narrowed, Nato tensed, Tammy shrank back and Alvina appeared unfazed- and then, quite suddenly, a figure in a red tunic pushed through the bushes. Blonde hair fell in a fringe over his face; startlingly blue eyes blinked in astonishment when they fell upon the party of five.
"Oh," the boy said aloud. "I didn't think we'd see anyone else in these woods."
He didn't appear to be any harm to them; in fact, he was probably around twelve years old, just as they were, but he was undoubtedly a Hyrule native. His ears were pointed and he wore a sword and shield over his back; on his head, he wore a long, pointed cap that trailed down at his back. As a matter of fact, when the party of five had taken in his appearance, Cricket's eyes lit up in recognition as Cherry blinked in surprise.
"Hi!" Cricket waved to the boy amiably. "Can you help us? We're a little lost. Well more than a little lost. We're looking for someone."
Cherry gave Cricket a confused look, but didn't say anything. The boy brightened.
"Sure!" he said cheerfully- he seemed friendly enough, that was for certain- and started to walk toward them. "Who're you looking for? Or where are you trying to go?"
"Well, we're looking for a town," Cherry began slowly. "We're not really sure where we are…"
Cricket puffed up importantly and lifted her chin, putting her hands on her hips. "And," she said, in a very serious voice, "we are looking for the Four Sword Heroes."
Tammy and Cherry's eyes widened, but the boy didn't even seem to notice; he suddenly grinned at them as if completely delighted by the questions. "Oh, I can help you with both of those!" he said eagerly. "But, um… what're you lookin' for the heroes for?"
"Isn't it obvious?" Nato spoke seriously now, stepping forward and delicately batting Cherry backward with one arm. "We're the Guardians of the Four Sword."
The boy's eyes widened. "You're… what? Um- I'll be right back, okay?"
And, casting them a wide-eyed stare, he turned heel and ran back into the bushes.
Tammy stepped out of their group to give Cricket a bewildered look. "We're what?" she demanded.
"Cricket, what were you thinking?" Cherry asked incredulously, albeit while trying to keep her voice low. "And Nato, you too? That boy-"
"-is Link," Cricket whispered back, frowning at the other girl. "He's the hero."
"I know, but-"
"Cherry, listen." Nato spoke quietly, but his expression was firm. "Everything happens for a reason. You're right- no one just travels to another country because they close their eyes and wish for it. This must have happened because it was meant to happen, and the only reasoning for it I can think of is…" He took a breath. "...is that the five of us are the Guardians."
Cherry glared at him.
"...I really hate that you could be right," she muttered.
"0-1 Nato," Cricket said cheerfully. "Does anyone else agree?"
Tammy raised a hand helplessly. "If being a Guardian means I'll get out of this alive, I am okay with that."
"Nato's right," Alvina murmured. "...Everything happens for a reason. There is no such thing as coincidence."
It was probably very lucky (or fate?) that they finished discussing this just as the bushes rustled again, and the boy in the red tunic stepped out into the open. Even though two of them were expecting it, to everyone's amazement, he was followed by an identical boy in green, and after him, two more in blue and purple. The party of five exchanged glances- at the same time, so did the four boys.
The worlds of the Heroes and the Guardians had finally collided.
After a pause, the boy in purple stepped forward, past his lookalikes. "...You say you're the Four Sword Guardians." His voice was calm and measured; his expression did not give away anything going on in his mind. "Do you have any proof?"
"Proof?" Cricket frowned. "What, we have to, like… prove who we are to you? How're we supposed to do that?"
The purple clothed boy shrugged. "That's your problem, not ours."
"Well, for one thing, you don't have to act like we're an ambush," Cherry said bluntly- as if on instinct, she had stepped out in front of the rest of the group. The way she planted her feet and folded her arms made her look like some cross between a cat ruffling up its fur and a mother bear. "We're here to help you."
"Yeah, 'cause-" The boy in blue shouldered past the boy in purple and glared at the other group. "It's so easy to believe you just because you say so."
"That's interesting." The purple-clad boy glanced at his counterpart. "I didn't think you'd agree with me."
It wasn't his words; the way he said it made it apparent to everyone in the forest that there was a hidden meaning behind them. Cricket, Nato and Tammy exchanged worried glances as the blue-clad boy glared back at the other. "Oh yeah?"
"Yes, but I think we can argue semantics later," the other boy said simply.
"No, go ahead." The one in blue leered. "Why're you surprised?"
The green-clad boy, standing behind the other two, groaned. "Guys, please, not now…"
The purple clothed one shrugged again. "Well, judging by the few hours I've known you, you seem volatile and completely incapable of reason, so I figured-"
"Oh God," Tammy muttered as the other boy grabbed the purple-clad one by the collar, yelling obscenities, and their green and red companions jumped in to try and separate them. "You know that Hyrule needs our help thing you said earlier, Cherry? I know you were being sarcastic, but they're a mess."
Cherry sighed heavily and pinched the bridge of her nose; Nato averted his gaze, as if uncomfortable or ashamed of the display.
"Hellooooo?" Cricket called out to them anxiously. "We're still here!"
"When Four is drawn, evil's claim stayed-" Alvina's voice was soft, but was the perfect pitch to pierce the cacophony going on across the dirt path. "A battle started is yet won. A kingdom in peril will Guardians save- past six years' pain reign faith and love. The One becomes Four- then Four for nevermore."
The effect of Alvina's words (and Alvina in general) caused the four heroes to instantly cease their fighting and turn their heads. The blue-clad boy let go of his counterpart's collar as he turned; he and the other two exchanged wide-eyed glances, but the purple clothed one barely brushed himself off before fixing his gaze on Alvina.
"...You know the prophecy." His voice was quiet.
Alvina nodded softly. "...Yes."
"That's impossible," the boy in green said aloud. "The only person who told us about the Four Sword prophecy was…"
The four of them suddenly looked troubled, but he continued. "...Princess Zelda. She said it came to her in a dream… She should've been the only person to know the prophecy, she said herself she hadn't told anyone else."
"And yet, here we are." Nato lifted his chin. "If she was supposed to be the only one who knew the prophecy, why do we know it as well if we aren't the Four Sword Guardians?"
There was a heavy silence.
It was unceremoniously broken by the boy in red rushing forward, cheering in delight as he crossed the great divide to stand with the other group of twelve year olds. "You are the Guardians! Wow, I didn't think we'd ever get to meet the Four Sword Guardians, but-"
"But you're the heroes." Tammy cracked a smile. "Of course you're gonna meet us."
"I didn't think we'd meet the heroes!" Cricket said eagerly, putting out a hand, which the boy shook with an equally eager grin. "I'm Cricket, what's your name?"
"Link! ...Well-" The boy glanced sheepishly back at the other three boys- the two boys in blue and purple glared at him, while the one in green frowned visibly. "I guess we're all Link."
"Right." Cherry nodded slowly. "You're the same person, but split into four parts…"
"We can't all be Link, though," he continued, turning back to face the other three as they ventured closer. "How about…" His face lit up. "Nicknames! See, I wear red clothes, right? So I'll be Red." He pointed at his blue clothed lookalike. "You're Blue."
"What?!" the newly christened Blue demanded.
Red turned to the purple clothed boy and opened his mouth- but before he could say a word, the other boy's eyebrows rose as if daring him to say what they all expected. Red's mouth slowly closed into an extremely sheepish grin. The air was thick with discomfort. Cricket clapped her hands over her mouth to muffle her giggling.
"...So, how about that Purple, yeah?" Tammy clapped her hands together, wearing a shit-eating grin. "What a guy. Can't wait to travel with you, Purple, ol' buddy."
The boy in purple glared silently at her.
Red giggled. "No, Purple's not gonna work. Maybe a different kind of purple."
"Lavender." Tammy was still grinning.
"Mauve," Nato supplied helpfully. He averted his gaze when the obviously disapproving boy turned his leer on him.
"Orchid," Cricket whispered from behind her fingers, and finally broke down shaking with hysterical laughter.
Cherry sighed. "...Plum. I know, it's a no. That's the only purple I've got, sorry."
"Violet," Alvina suggested.
Red clapped his hands together and gestured to Alvina excitedly. "That's it! Violet! Violet's a name!"
The boy's forehead creased. "Isn't it technically a girl's name, though?"
"I dunno," Blue said aloud- he was looking at the newly named Violet and grinning much like Tammy was. "I kinda liked Orchid."
The other boy raised his eyes to the heavens as if asking for patience, or perhaps to be struck down on the spot so as to have mercy from these buffoons.
"How about we shorten it?" Red offered, raising his hands helpfully. "Vio. Is that any better?"
The boy hesitated, then finally gave a tentative nod- apparently the name Vio satisfied him enough.
"And Green!" Red grinned and turned to the final unnamed member of their group. "What d'you think? Good, right?"
"I guess…" The boy now named Green rubbed the back of his neck. "Feels kinda weird, though."
"Well, you guys can use your silly nicknames," Blue declared. The rest of the group turned to watch him as he stomped over to a nearby rock, put one foot up on it, and posed dramatically, as if pronouncing himself the president, or maybe a team captain in a game of dodgeball. "I'm Link, you got it? I'm the main Link, so that's what you're gonna call me!"
"Okay." Tammy pulled a poker face. "Cerulean."
Cricket choked out a laugh. The side of Cherry's mouth twitched in amusement.
"No," Blue snapped, all glory lost as he took his foot back down. "It's Link! Look, if you're gonna be annoying to him-" He gestured to Vio, who scowled instantly. "-then go right ahead, but-"
"-but if you're gonna be an ass, I'm not holding back." Tammy held up her hands defensively. "Sorry, I don't make the rules."
Blue opened his mouth to snap something back, but Green cut across him. "You can't just put yourself above all of us by calling yourself the main Link," he snapped.
The party of Guardians seemed to almost sigh in relief at a voice of reason.
"Besides!" Green jabbed a thumb at himself, glaring at Blue. "Everyone knows Link wears green! If anyone's the main Link, it's me!"
The group of five- minus Alvina, who raised her eyebrows- collectively groaned. Green looked over at them, blinking. "...What'd I say?" he asked tentatively. "Look, that was just- I wasn't being serious!"
The next moment he was yelling in shock as he had to whip out his sword, sheath and all, to block a blow from Blue, who had charged at him in fury. "You think you're better than me 'cause you wear green?!" Blue shouted, his face twisted with rage. "FINE! Then we're switching tunics, now! And hats, too!"
Cricket gasped in shock. "You can't do that!"
"Dude, holy shit, stop!" Tammy looked alarmed. "You could've killed him!"
"He couldn't have." Vio watched as Green shoved him away with a grunt, sending the other sliding across the dirt on his feet. "We're all well aware of our instincts as sword fighters. Green blocking was practically second nature, and as bull-headed as he is-"
"Quiet over there, pretty boy!" Blue roared in the distance.
"-Blue knew he'd block the blow." Vio shrugged. "It's nothing really to worry about."
"But…" Red glanced at Vio curiously. "If we're all the same person, why are the four of us so different?"
Vio hummed, a slight smile tugging at the corners of his mouth; he seemed to be enjoying himself now. "Because the four of us are all just a part of my- ah, of Link's personality. The original Link carried pieces of all four of us, but now that we're separated, we're all a singular part of the whole. Green is focused and motivated, Blue is hot-headed and aggressive, to put it lightly-"
Blue whipped around and glared at Vio. "What?!"
"Red is innocent and optimistic," Vio continued without missing a beat, turning to Red.
"Oh!" Red brightened. "I see! So that means Vio is super cool, right?" He grinned broadly.
Vio shrugged. "I'd prefer calm and collected," he said simply.
"You're not denying it," Nato pointed out.
"No, I suppose not." Vio glanced around the other five. "It's your turn, then. We've introduced ourselves."
Cricket's hand shot into the air first, almost hitting Nato, who stepped away in alarm. "Me, me! I'm Cricket Roselock!" She grinned around at them all. "Uh, what do I say? I'm twelve years old and I love singing, my favorite color's pink, I'm gonna be rich and famous someday, star sign is-"
"Whoa, whoa, enough!" Cherry raised her hands and motioned for Cricket to stop. The redhead fell silent, but her enthusiasm was still there on her face. Cherry took a breath and turned back to the others. "I'm Cherry Leroy, just Cherry is fine. Sorry about them, they're kinda an… eccentric group."
"You say that like you're not a part of the group." Cricket frowned at her.
"It's okay, I get it." Green nodded.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Blue demanded at once, turning on him. Green groaned out a sound of sheer and complete regret.
"Green isn't alone." Vio smiled calmly. "I understand completely."
Blue whipped around, but Tammy was already pushing her way forward. "Name's Tamiko White," she announced. "Yeah, I know, kind of a weird sounding first and last name to put together. I go by Tammy. For the record, if you're an ass, I will kick you. Not your ass, you're already an ass. I can kick anywhere I like, an ass can't have another ass."
"A pregnant ass can have an ass," Cricket said helpfully.
"A pregnant ass has two asses, and is also an ass," Tammy agreed. "Which makes it assception, just so we're clear. That aside, you get it. I'm in the business of ass and the kicking of. Exit, stage left, Nato enters the scene."
"Thank you, Tammy." Nato bowed, perhaps a little overdramatically for someone whose opening act had been an anecdote about asses. Green and Vio now wore expressions that could only be described as 'concerned'. "My name is Fortunato, but my friends call me Nato. You're more than welcome to do the same."
"I thought that name was pronounced 'For-choo-NAY-tow,'" Red said curiously.
"No, no, no." Nato shook his head. "It isn't NAY, it's NAH. NAH-tow. Common misconception, I understand." He smiled calmly. "I'm sure we'll get along, provided none of us have any fights. I take my friends very seriously."
"I can't guarantee there won't be some fighting." Vio's pointed stare briefly fell on Tammy, then on Blue. Thankfully, neither of them noticed. "But I'm sure we all agree."
"Are you sure?" Cherry's eyebrows rose. "You've been picking fights since we got here."
"He had every right not to trust we were the Guardians." Alvina took a few delicate steps forward, then bowed formally; her pale yellow sundress rustled about her knees. "Alvina Ansgar." She straightened up and smiled quietly. "It's wonderful to meet you all."
Vio barely lowered his head, both in greeting and as if he were slightly mollified by someone saying he'd been right. Cherry made a face.
Green smiled awkwardly. "I'd like to say the same, but… I wish it didn't have to be like this, y'know? I mean, our princess just got kidnapped, and we have to go-" His eyes widened in horrified realization. "We have to go! Oh, shoot, we have to get to Hyrule Castle and warn our father!"
"We found the path," Red pointed out quickly. "We'll get back faster now, right?"
"It cuts off some time, but it's still going to be a good half hour before we're back at the castle town," Vio warned. "Another twenty minutes to cross town to get to the castle itself."
"Wait, what's happening?" Cherry asked at once. "Your princess was kidnapped, and-"
"Guys, look," Blue cut in sharply, pointing. "Isn't that the castle cook?"
The heroes turned in surprise; the others followed suit, looking out toward the distant hills that sprawled out past the forest. It was plain to see why the woman they were looking at was distinguishable from a distance- though she seemed an average middle-aged woman, wearing a simple dress and modest apron, her hair was bright red, and so was the hair of the tiny girl she was hauling over the hill.
"It is!" Red gasped immediately. "It's Arcy!"
Green cupped his hands around his mouth. "Hey, Arcy!" He started off running toward her, the other two hot on his heels.
"No, you idiots!" Vio shouted after them. "Not all at once! No one else knows we-" He furiously raked a hand through his fringe, then gave up and ran right after them.
Cherry watched them run down the path for a few moments, then turned back to the rest of her own group of friends. "Well, that's it," she said aloud. "We're definitely stuck in this mess."
"We have been," Nato said seriously. "If I'm right, and we were brought here because we are the Guardians-"
Tammy raised a hand. "I'm still totally open to the 'mass hallucination' explanation."
"-then this whole thing may have been preordained by a higher power, and we've never been able to do anything about it," Nato finished, putting a hand on Tammy's shoulder. Tammy brushed his hand off, looking disturbed.
"Dude, holy hell, seriously, your hands are cold. ...Alvina, did the book say anything else about the Guardians? Anything more helpful than 'you're gonna stop a war, have fun'?"
Alvina shook her head. "No… it went on to tell the tales of the Four Sword wielders throughout its history. But Nato is right… if the prophecy has been around long enough to have it in a book of myths, our fates must have been decided a long time ago…"
"Who cares?" Cricket puffed herself up. "All we gotta do now is stick to the heroes like glue, right? 'Cause glue is the way we need to do this. 'f it's not glue, not gonna work."
"It'd also be great to get some information." Cherry glanced down at herself. "And some clothes." She cast Alvina a wary glance.
Alvina just shrugged. "I don't plan on saying 'I told you so'..." She smiled slightly. "Maybe someone else could, if you'd like…?"
"No, I'm really oka-"
"She told you so!" Cricket blurted out at once.
"Hey, you guys!" Green's voice called urgently from far off in the distance. "Come quick! Something- something really bad happened at Hyrule Castle!"
The Guardians exchanged worried looks.
"Should we be worrying around now that none of us really know how to fight?" Cherry muttered.
"Kick them," Cricket ordered. "I mean kick anyone who tries to get us. You dance. Strong legs. Kick them."
"We are ALL going to die," Tammy announced. "Thanks for playing. Put 'she saw the whole thing coming' on my gravestone if any of you are still around." She paused. "Wait, what's the message on the gravestone called again?"
"An epitaph," Nato supplied. "None of us are going to die, Tammy."
"Yeah, well-"
"Are you coming with us or not?!" came the roar of Blue's voice from the hills.
Cherry and Tammy hadn't taken the concept seriously. Nato had been curious. Cricket and Alvina- overeager. Either way, one thing was fairly obvious: at least three out of five of the Guardians had underestimated exactly what they were getting into.
Hyrule Castle Town was barely hanging on; most people had escaped already, survived the terrible ruin that had settled itself upon the kingdom's capital. Houses still smoked slightly, partially burnt, while others sat lonely and charred, practically burned to the ground. The sky was getting dark as dusk, clouds and smoke gathered. The people who hadn't yet escaped weren't visible on the streets, but they were there. The group of nine could feel their stares from the shadows.
Hyrule Castle itself was an entirely different horror story. Or perhaps it was the same horror story, amplified tenfold.
"I don't believe this…" Green's voice echoed miserably through the lifeless, charred courtyard. "The castle, and the town… all this in one day?"
As if in answer, a breeze whistled ominously through the blackened trees and stone- as the entire party passed through and stopped at a door. All of them had agreed that going in through the front door would be ridiculously stupid (Nato and Vio in particular had both been aghast at the very notion), and instead, they were entering through the kitchen. Thankfully, Arcy had given them the key. Though it helped their plan, it hadn't helped their spirits as they forced themselves to look about the ruined castle.
Finally, a tightly clenched pair of fists slammed down on a pillar- accompanying Blue's outraged cry of "No!"
Blue's voice- a chorus of "no, no, no"s all around them- echoed loudly into the distance.
"Shhhhhh!" Vio hissed quietly, glaring at Blue. "Arcy said there were monsters still in here."
"Hey, um… you guys." Green glanced around- not at his fellow heroes, but at the Guardians. "Listen… now would be a really good time to tell us if you can fight. None of you have weapons… heck, three of you aren't wearing shoes."
Cherry and Tammy both looked down at their bare feet.
"Yeah, uh… coming here was kinda short notice," Tammy muttered. "I mean really short notice."
"I don't wear shoes." Alvina smiled dimly.
"I have a few tricks." Cherry met Green's gaze as Blue, Vio and Red stared at Alvina blankly in the background. "If you can find me a sword, I can fight."
"I think there're some display swords on the walls," Red said helpfully, looking over.
"So, one sword fighter." Green glanced back around the group of Guardians, barring Cherry- his hand twitched at a pocket in his tunic almost impatiently.
Cricket waved a hand in the air. "I can fight! ...Depending on what it is."
Tammy opened her mouth, but Alvina spoke up first. "We're alright. We should be fine."
Green nodded and turned back to the door immediately, drawing the key from his pocket. Tammy gave Alvina an incredulous look; Alvina just barely shook her head in response.
The castle was too quiet.
"It's really quiet," Red's voice barely whispered, and even that seemed to reverberate through the stone halls of Hyrule Castle. "Are there really still monsters here?"
"Don't let your guard down." Blue looked and sounded tense; his eyes darted around as they ventured down a hallway. His sword was already drawn and held tight in both hands. "...They're in here somewhere."
"...I have a bad feeling about this." Cherry spoke in a low voice. "Listen, I don't think we should be here. I think we should get out while we still can."
CLANG.
The unmistakable sound of iron on stone sounded from somewhere behind them, echoing horribly through the hallway. Everyone's heads turned backward in horror as the sound approached- and magnified, as if far more than just one pair of iron boots were heading straight for them. No one even needed to speak; as soon as realization hit, they all started running for the exit at the end of the hall.
The instant they hurtled out into the next room- some kind of foyer, judging by its size- the three heroes who hadn't drawn their swords did so as the whole party shot up against the wall. The clanging of armor only grew closer and closer. The four heroes, Cherry, Cricket and Nato were tensed up in preparation to fight; Tammy just hid behind Alvina in terror.
The clanging of armor suddenly stopped.
And then, it burst out again all at once as their attackers were upon them.
The four heroes managed to stick together in one group, but they and the Guardians were quickly separated from each other. The suits of armor attacked relentlessly- the heroes shouted and sliced their swords, but it was clear they were being overwhelmed.
"Are you guys doing okay?!" Green's voice yelled over the cacophony.
Cherry had finally found a sword on the wall and was currently in the process of jabbing it into a suit of armor. "Never better!" she shouted in response.
Nato looked tense as he held his arms out in front of Alvina and Tammy- the three of them were slowly being backed into a wall as several suits of armor approached. Tammy was hyperventilating; Alvina stared with relative calm out at the approaching enemy.
"What're you doing, Green?!" Vio's voice demanded. "Fight them or they'll cut you down!"
Some distance from Vio, Green stepped back, away from the suit of armor he had just blocked. "We can't!" he cried out in distress. "We know these guys! We've trained together, ate together-"
He gasped when Blue shot in front of him to stab the suit of armor through the middle, then whirled around to grab him by the shirt collar.
"Well, they're enemies now!" Blue shouted at him. "So we have to fight!"
The brief pause was, unfortunately, bad for them- they were both forced to back up as more suits of armor approached, and they, Red, and Vio ended up pressing against the wall next to Nato, Alvina, and Tammy. Cricket practically ran to stand next to them; Cherry was the last to be pushed back, now with no sword and a cut on her right hand to show for it.
"Are you okay?" Red asked worriedly as Cherry quietly hissed in pain, clutching the wounded hand in her other hand.
"Don't worry about me," Cherry said grimly. "This is the least of our troubles right now."
Or perhaps it wasn't- because no sooner had she said that than every last suit of armor in the room collapsed and dropped to the floor, slamming against the ground with a chorus of CLANGing noises- and quite suddenly, they disappeared into mere smoke and vapor, dark mist that briefly rose into the air before disappearing. Cherry's eyes widened- she glanced around the rest of the equally startled group. Alvina looked mildly surprised; even Tammy had been startled out of her terror, blinking in confusion at the place where the metal army had once stood.
"Your concern is pathetic," a voice said calmly, further back into the dark room. "They're just my toys. I'm touched, though."
Everyone tensed as footsteps grew nearer to them; a black boot stepped out of the shadows, followed by another as a figure in a black tunic approached them. A familiar fringe, as dark as the shadows he had just stepped out of, hung over the boy's pale face, from which crimson eyes glowed malevolently. An equally familiar hat sat on his head- but the end seemed to have a mind of its own, swirling and twisting every which way. A sly smirk, simply too wicked to be allowed, was spread widely across his face.
One thing was for certain: the boy looked exactly like the four heroes that stood across from him.
"You're late," he drawled, stopping some distance from them. "I got tired of waiting."
"You!" Vio said sharply.
"Do you know hi- I mean, aside from him looking just like you," Cherry said, bewildered, as she turned to the heroes. "Who is he?"
"I think a better question is, who're you?" the boy asked lazily, pretending to examine his nails. He casually buffed them on his tunic as he peered out at the party. "Let's see… injured girl who I'm betting asks a lot of dumb questions, overexcited red-head-"
"Excuse me?" Cherry asked incredulously, as Cricket gasped loudly and slapped both hands over her mouth.
"Wow, 2-0 to me," the boy commented almost cheerfully. "I'm guessing wannabe hero who cuts his own hair, and you're… like, eight."
"And you are an asshole," Tammy declared as Nato self-consciously touched his scruffy hair. "And I am twelve."
The boy pointedly ignored her and turned his gaze on Alvina. "I don't even know where to begin with you."
Alvina lightly tipped her head to one side.
"All of you plus four miserable heroes trying to save a doomed kingdom?" The boy smirked wickedly again. "I'm guessing… Four Sword Guardians. But it's kinda funny, if there are four heroes, why are there five of you?" He pretended to thoughtfully stroke his chin. "Sounds to me like one of you doesn't belong, know what I'm saying?"
The Guardians looked at each other in dismay, but Green stepped forward. "Enough!" he snapped. "Where's Princess Zelda?!"
"Ruin my fun, why don't you?" The boy shrugged. "What's it to you, anyway? It's not like her location will do you any good. Darkness will take over, and then she'll either die a hero or live long enough to…" He waved a hand lazily. "You know the saying."
"That's not true!" Green said fiercely. "And- and who are you, anyway?!"
"We've been through this. Forgotten already?" The boy grinned. "I'm the hero, Link. I'm your living shadow from the Dark World. You might call me Shadow Link, if you feel like, but we're getting off the real topic here."
The boy- Shadow Link- took a step forward and lifted his chin. "Since either you or her-" he nodded casually at Cherry, who scowled- "is going to ask, I'll just tell you. The Wind Mage Vaati has been revived. Dark energy from him is being blown into this world- and when there's enough, the Dark World will replace yours as 'real' existence. At that point, Princess Zelda- if she hasn't been turned by then- will be offered up as a sacrifice to bring about eternal darkness."
"If you get that far," Green retorted. "The Four Sword has enough power to defeat you."
Shadow actually laughed; apparently, the concept of being defeated by the sword genuinely amused him. "Ha! You'd like to think that, huh? You're a little too late… the sword's been tainted with darkness since you drew it from the pedestal. It can't do a thing against me now."
"That's not true!" Blue shouted, and even though cries of "Blue, no!" followed him, he lunged at Shadow, sword in hand.
It happened so quickly that no one even really saw it: one moment, Blue was rushing at Shadow as the other lifted one hand, and then quite suddenly, he was not- instead, Blue was flying backward and skidding onto the ground, tunic smoking slightly and sword clattering to the floor beside him. Red and Alvina hurriedly crossed the room to help him- the other six looked on in horror as Shadow's hand smoked at the fingertips.
"Now do you get it?" Shadow grinned as he let his hand fall to his side.
Green glanced back at Blue, whom Red and Alvina were currently helping to his feet- and then took a deep, long breath. "Where are the rest of the people who were in the castle, then?" he asked firmly. "What did you do with the guards, the castle workers- and my father?"
Shadow put a hand to his chin thoughtfully. "Your father? Oh, right… I sent them all to the Dark World as one big happy family."
"You didn't." Green spoke very quietly.
"Oh, but I did, that's the beauty of it!" Shadow spread his arms wide as he gave the party a massive, manic grin- one that showed off how his canines were actually more like fangs than anything. "In the end, he begged for his life, you know? Over, and over… 'Don't kill me, don't kill me, please, I'll do anything!'" he mocked aloud. "It was pathetic."
This time, cries and protests followed Green as he lunged, incensed, at Shadow, with the clear intent to slice him in half. Shadow laughed wildly as his hand lifted-
There was a blast of black and white.
Everyone shielded their eyes from the smoke that covered the room afterward. For several moments, as the dust cleared, it was silent… Green's eyes were screwed shut as if he was sure he was dead, but carefully, he peered out… and his eyes flew open wide at what he saw.
No one had even seen him approach, but Nato stood with both feet planted in front of Green, hands lightly outstretched at his sides- his fingertips, much like Shadow's had done, streamed lightly with glittering mist. In front of them, where he had blocked Shadow's attack, was a pile of snow and slush that had spread across the floor. Shadow stood some distance away; he no longer looked amused.
"W-What?" Tammy stared out at the three of them, eyes wide. "Holy shit- Nato?"
"Is that… snow?" Vio asked slowly.
"I think…" Cherry answered cautiously.
"Wooooo, Nato!" Cricket jumped up and down, clapping eagerly. "You've got magic powers! That is so COOL, I want magic powers!"
"That's right… Slipped my mind for a minute, there." Shadow stared unamusedly at Nato, scratching his neck, as Nato gazed back at him levelly. "Four Sword Guardians. You do that whole 'guarding' thing for the chosen heroes." He shrugged. "I was a little hasty, I guess. My mistake."
"Green." Nato spoke lowly, still looking at Shadow. "You heard him. The sword isn't any use now. I'll take care of this."
"But-!" Green protested, taking a step backward.
"Green, give it up," Vio said sharply, taking a step forward. "He's right."
"He's not!" Blue burst out furiously, picking up his sword off the ground. "It's just hard to get close enough to even touch him!" He glared at Shadow, lip curled in a snarl. "How about you make like a real shadow and disappear, huh?!"
Shadow's eyes widened. Apparently, that had been entirely the wrong thing to say.
In the next moment, Nato was lunging out to block another shockwave with a wall of ice as Shadow turned his attention on Blue instead. "Don't you EVER mock the shadows!" the boy roared. Dark energy swirled wildly around his body- it was like every inch of him, every fiber, was twisted with fury, distorted by the evil powers that he was channeling through him. "Do you understand what kind of power you're dealing with?!" Crimson eyes blazed, shifting to burn holes in Nato's fearful, pale blue eyes. "I'll SHOW you!"
"Blue!" Cherry shouted angrily. "You just made it worse!"
"Nice job breaking it, hero!" Tammy choked out, whipping around to face Blue.
"He can fight me, if he wants!" Blue yelled, pointing his sword out at the seething shadow boy. "I'll cut him down!"
"You can't, you idiot!" Tammy screamed. "We're all gonna die!"
"Can we please stop yelling?!" Cricket shrieked.
It all seemed hopeless as Nato lifted his hands, preparing for the worst- even he seemed to be aware that his power was no match for Shadow's, but the way he lifted his chin and stood tall seemed to say he was proud to die. The mist poured from his hands as malevolent energy blazed out from Shadow's fingertips, and the dark Link lifted his hands with a roar- and then, a miracle occurred.
Or rather, the light at the end of the tunnel appeared- or maybe just a light appeared, because Shadow's eyes widened in horror as a single glowing ball appeared in his face. He screamed and staggered backward, covering his face. "Aaaaaah! Stop it!" he screamed, cowering. "Get away from me!"
The glowing ball (a fairy?) floated quickly toward the party, whirled around in a circle a couple of times, and everything went white.
"Four Sword Heroes… can you hear me?"
Green's eyes fluttered open first, and he gasped to find that they were no longer in the castle with Shadow Link; just as he was, the other three Links and the five Guardians stood around the large room. One by one, they blinked their eyes open and looked about, puzzled over their whereabouts. Nato exhaled deeply, his body relaxing in sheer relief. Tammy almost literally fell over and had to be caught by Alvina.
"The Blue Maiden," Vio said at once- he was the first to really react, after their sudden rescue, to the large crystal that floated in the middle of the room. "She's trapped in that crystal." He glanced around the large stone room again. "We're under the castle, aren't we? Did you save us?"
If one peered closely into the crystal, the young blue-clad woman was barely visible, her hands still clasped together in prayer. She smiled faintly in reply. "I sent a fairy to help you. Link, listen… something terrible has happened."
The four Links scrambled to venture closer to the maiden as to better hear what she had to say. "Darkness covers Hyrule as it did in legend," she continued gravely when they approached. "A phantom hero, the one you just encountered, has trapped myself and the other maidens and scattered us. He is 'Shadow Link', a reflection of you created in the depths of the Dark World, but he is far stronger than any mere shadow… And he grows stronger all the time. It took all my strength to even send one fairy to help you. You must defeat him before his power reaches its peak."
Red sighed miserably. "We can't even defeat him now. How do we defeat him when he's always getting stronger?"
Tammy yelped and almost fell over again when the aforementioned fairy chimed loudly beside her. "Blue Maiden!" it- she?- chimed in. "The Guardians!"
"Thank you, Proxi." The Blue Maiden smiled and lifted her head to address the five standing further back from the Links. "I welcome you to our land, Four Sword Guardians. I'm sorry your first glimpse of Hyrule is so poor, and unfortunately, I must ask that you watch over the heroes. I have felt the presence of the Holy Guardian since you've arrived… it seems it has awakened, in this time of need."
"Hang on, first glimpse?" Green frowned and turned his head to look at the group of Guardians, who averted their gazes. "They're not from Hyrule?"
"The Four Sword Guardians are from a world far away," the Blue Maiden confirmed. "But the Holy Guardian preordained them to be Guardians, just as it preordained you to be Heroes. They are here now to help you defeat Shadow Link and re-energize the sword."
"Never mind that," Blue said quickly, stepping forward. "We should break you out first!"
The maiden shook her head. "No, that's impossible right now. Vaati's placed a curse on the sword that can only be broken when it IS re-energized. Fill the Four Sword with Force first… and then, no evil will be able to stop you."
Blue scowled. "It figures Vaati would do that…"
"What about Princess Zelda?" Green interjected urgently. "Is she okay?"
The Blue Maiden closed her eyes. "...Weak as I am, I can't sense her clearly. But I can feel her spirit… far, far away from here."
"She's alive," Blue said seriously, turning to the others. "That's enough for now."
"Blue Maiden?" Nato asked tentatively as he stepped up to stand beside the Links. "May I ask you something?"
The maiden nodded. "Certainly."
"...How many Guardians are there?"
Tammy and Cricket exchanged a surprised look as Cherry and Alvina silently awaited the response. The Blue Maiden sighed.
"I'm afraid… I have no idea. As you have undoubtedly considered by now, there are five of you, and only four heroes. Logic would suggest that one of you is not truly a Guardian, but… that's impossible for me to say." She shook her head. "I'm sorry I can't give you a direct answer. However, I can tell you this… supposedly, the Holy Guardian bestowed gifts upon each Guardian, giving each of them a power to aid the Heroes in their quest. After your efforts today, the legend is likely confirmed. You, at the very least, are truly a Four Sword Guardian, young one."
Nato nodded quietly. "I see. Thank you."
"So…" Cherry spoke up. She glanced over at the other three girls that stood next to her. "You're saying that if we see who has a gift and who doesn't, we might be able to tell who's really a Guardian?"
"As unfortunate as it sounds, that's the only way," the Blue Maiden said sadly. "I'm sorry, all of you. I haven't been able to answer many of your questions, and no doubt they are numerous… I wish I could do more to help. I'd like to send Proxi with you in my stead to aid you."
Proxi chimed happily. "I'll be with you to the very end, Four Sword Heroes! I won't be a bother!"
"Thank you, Blue Maiden," Green spoke up, gazing up at her seriously. "We'll be back to save you as soon as we can."
"Then go forth with my faith in you, Heroes," she murmured. "Head east, toward the sea… I sense another maiden trapped in the temple there. Good fortune be with you…"
In the midst of a dark clearing, there shone a single light. It blazed strongly in the pitch black of the forest, piercing the night with its hues of orange and red. The fire, like the young heroes that sat around it, snug in their sleeping rolls, was small- but it was strong enough to light up a whole circle of intense darkness.
"...Hey, question." Green's voice spoke up, in the midst of quiet chatter amongst their various party members. "Whose idea was it to ransack what was left of the castle town for supplies, again?"
"Proxi's." Vio was sitting exceptionally close to the fire, squinting into a book that he held close to his face.
The fairy appeared in their midst with a burst of sparkles and a soft chiming noise. "Did you call me?" she asked curiously.
"Not technically, but this is good timing." Vio glanced up from probably ruining his eyes by reading in the dark. "We salvaged what we could from the castle town, didn't we?"
"Stole." Tammy lazily raised a hand in the distance, interrupting her own conversation with Cricket. "We stole what we could."
Proxi chimed nervously. "Umm… Well, I hate to say it, but… no one was going to use any of it anytime soon. It didn't make sense to just leave without some supplies."
"It's not about the stealing." Vio shook his head. "How are we storing and carrying all of our supplies? That is, how are you doing it? If no one else has noticed yet-"
"-none of us have had to carry a thing since we left." Cherry had her head leaned against a tree and her eyes closed. The cut on her hand had been bound with gauze since their escape from the castle. "You're right. When we stopped to set up camp, Proxi just made it all appear from nowhere. Like magic."
"Oh!" Proxi glowed brightly. "Well, that's simple! See, normally you'd have to carry all of it around, but with fairy magic and an endless dimensional pocket with paradoxical space used to- no, never mind, too long an explanation, it doesn't translate well."
The camp was silent. Vio looked almost affronted.
"...Just go with 'fairy magic' and you'll be fine," Proxi said hastily.
"I'm not complaining." Blue shrugged, flat on his back on his own sleep roll. Red frowned.
"But Proxi! What if we need something from our supplies while we're traveling?"
"Just summon me and I'll get it for you, Red!" Proxi answered him kindly. "I mean, you couldn't possibly carry all of your supplies all the time, you're heroes! You get into too many fights, your supplies will only weigh you down and get in the way! Things will be damaged, items will be lost! ...Besides, you won't look as cool."
"What?"
"N-Nothing." Proxi flapped her wings nervously. "I'm gonna go see how the Blue Maiden's doing, okay? Summon me if you need me."
In another puff of glittering light, she vanished.
Tammy slapped her leg suddenly, as if realizing something completely out-of-context. "Like magic. Damn, I get it now." Her head turned toward Nato, who looked up at her with surprised eyes. "Your hands. They're always cold, that's why you don't touch people very often. They're cold because of your ice magic."
Nato nodded silently. Directly across the fire from him, Alvina looked down, then up at the dark-haired boy in relative silence.
"...You knew already, didn't you?" she asked softly. "About your powers."
The rest of the party took their turn to be surprised this time as each of them turned to look at Nato. He didn't flinch under the many eyes that now watched him, waiting for a reaction, a response- and then, he barely nodded.
"You didn't tell us?" Cricket asked, alarmed. "We're your friends, Nato!"
"And you would have accepted me for what I was, no doubt." Nato shook his head. "But in a world like the one we've been living in, powers like I have aren't…" He bit his lip. "...socially acceptable."
"...He's right," Cherry admitted. "You don't hear people talk about real magic in our world. If someone with powers like Nato's just showed up and covered a city in snow-"
"People would riot," Tammy agreed, unusually quiet. "Some people would support him. Other people would get scared and… who knows what they'd do."
Cricket looked down sadly.
"...Is magic nonexistent in your world?" Vio asked curiously, finally closing his book and setting it down some distance away. Apparently, even though he was willing to risk his eyesight, he would not risk a fire, the good, responsible kid he was. "You talk about it as if it's some kind of terrible disease."
"Pretty much," Cherry agreed. "Our world is pretty mundane compared to yours. We're a little out of our comfort zone here."
"Speaking of that." Tammy squinted. "Sleeping on the ground isn't actually that bad. Heeeey, Alviiiinaaaaa." She reached out toward her white-haired friend and made grabby-hands motions. The other girl smiled faintly and stood, crossed the clearing, and settled herself into Tammy's sleep roll beside her friend.
"...What're you doing?" Red asked curiously as Tammy also shuffled under the covers.
"Going to sleep," Tammy mumbled as she tried to get comfortable.
"You're gonna share your sleep roll?" Red tipped his head. "Why?"
There was a pause in the conversation. By extension, because no one else was talking, there was a pause in all sound in the clearing, save for the quiet crackling of the fire. And then-
"I really can't stay," came the muffled reply.
Cricket gasped loudly and shot up from her slouch. "Baby, it's cold outside~" she sang.
"I've gotta go away-"
"Baby, it's cold outside!"
"This evening has been-"
"Been hoping that you'd drop in-"
"So very nice."
"I'll hold your hands-" Cricket leaned over and grabbed Nato's hands, startling him. "They're just like ice!"
"My mother will start to worry," Tammy's voice slurred drowsily.
"Beautiful, what's your hurry?" Cricket sang back.
"My father will be pacing the floor-"
"Listen to that fireplace roar."
"So really, I'd better scurry…"
"Beautiful, please don't hurry!"
"Well, maybe just a half a drink more…"
"Put some records on while I pour~"
"It's not even that cold out," Blue mumbled as the gradually more drowsy Tammy and elated Cricket continued their back-and-forth.
Nato smiled awkwardly. "She and Alvina do this all the time, so I'm sure they're just used to it by now."
"Sing, or share sleeping rolls?" Red asked Nato.
Blue groaned. "If they sing all the time-"
"Cricket sings," Nato corrected.
"I really can't stay-"
"Baby don't hold out-"
"But baby, it's-"
"COLD OUUUUTSIIIIDE." Cricket lifted her hands as she belted out the other end of the harmony. She effectively drowned out Tammy with her enthusiasm.
"Okay I'm going to sleep now. Goodbye." Tammy dully waved a hand.
"Goodnight," Cricket corrected, dropping her own hands. "You mean goodnight."
"No, I mean goodbye. Goodbye." And, ending the conversation, Tammy tugged the blankets further over her and Alvina's heads.
The crackling of the flames continued.
Into the night, they kept alive, devouring the firewood that had been fed to it as Vio- closest to the flames- tended them carefully. They started to drop off rather quickly after that; even Cricket, who had been and always was so energetic, eventually curled up under her blankets and was asleep in minutes. The day had been exhausting, and so, too, would the days ahead be- and so, at length, only Vio and Green were left awake in the midst of a dark, tired clearing.
Vio had an excuse, keeping first watch. Green just sighed heavily.
The purple-clothed boy barely lifted his head, not even turning to look at his lookalike. "...Losing confidence?"
Green cast Vio a surprised look. "Yeah… how'd you know?"
"I am you." Vio's tone carried a hint of amusement. "It's only natural."
"...You're right." Green sighed again and lay down on his sleep roll. He kept his movements quiet and his voice low, lest he wake the others. "Does having nine people on our team improve our odds if we have no idea how to be a team?"
"...That's an interesting question." There was a faint rustling sound as Vio turned a page in his book. It seemed he planned to read it while on watch. "On one hand, it's as you say. None of us work as a team. Our group quadrupled, and then doubled again in the span of an hour- half of us have only just met. On the other hand…" Another rustling sound. "There is strength in numbers."
"Strength in numbers," Green repeated lowly. "...Do you think it's enough to help us beat Shadow Link?"
"The four of us alone, I would have said about a 50/50 chance," Vio mused, still not looking up from his book. "Nine of us improves those odds, so… I'm sure it'll be helpful."
They were silent again.
"... Good luck with the watch, okay? ...I should get to sleep." Green turned over onto his side. "Night, Vio."
"Good night, Green."
In a realm beyond the reach of mortal eyes, in the silence of a place holier than humanly possible, light gently dappled every inch of existence, emitted by a creature of total and unmistakable purity. It flickered with its every movement; its sheer benevolence would blind any lesser being that dared to gaze upon its pure, amazing beauty.
"Four Heroes have awakened…"
Its voice was heavenly, almost unreal; it was rather not like a voice at all, but like a sound one might hear in their head rather than with their ears. And yet, it sounded troubled- and grave.
"...Four Guardians have been evoked."