Author's Disclaimer: I do not own the Legend of Zelda, nor can I take credit for Linked Universe. Zelda belongs to Nintendo and LU was created by the amazing jojo56830 on Tumblr. I am earning no profit from this story other than the enjoyment of writing it and sharing it with others. I hope you all enjoy reading it! Feel free to let me know what you think by giving this chapter a review.
"We do have more important matters at hand," Rhoam confirmed, shifting the attention away from Wild. "We must make a plan regarding these monster attacks."
"Well, we can't play defense forever," Warriors said. "We should find whatever hole in the ground they're spawning from and take it out."
"As if we hadn't thought of that already," Revali sneered. "I've flown circles around Hyrule looking for their base or whatever, but I've never found anything!"
"Well, it's entirely possible you missed something. I imagine it's rather difficult to see over that ego of yours," Urbosa shrugged.
"Where would you suggest looking, Captain?" Calamity asked.
"I'm sure you know this place's geography better than I. But we usually find dens in dark places that people never bother," Warriors answered.
"We could investigate the Typhlo Ruins," Zelda suggested. "If you want dark, those things are unparalleled."
"We couldn't ever get anywhere in there!" Daruk said. "Those ruins are so shadowy I can't see my own feet!"
"I've navigated them before," Wild said. "I can help."
"Excellent!" Calamity said. "Who else will go?"
"I will," Twilight volunteered. "I can see well in the dark."
"I'll come too," Urbosa said. "Worst comes to worst, I can make us a fire with lightning."
"You should go too, General," Zelda said.
Calamity nodded. "Very well."
"This needs to be a recon mission only," Four said, his eyes purple tonight. "Just you four go and see what can be found. If you find anything important, leave it alone and we'll properly deal with it together."
"Quite right," Impa agreed. "It would be foolish to challenge an entire den of monsters with just four of you."
"Now that that's decided," Zelda began, "let us talk about other things."
"Wild promised to make us breakfast tomorrow," Daruk said. "Rumor has it he's an excellent cook!"
"I-I'm alright," Wild said quietly.
"Be proud of yourself, cub," Twilight encouraged. "You're much better than just 'alright.'"
Wild grinned.
"Sounds ambitious," Zelda admitted. "You'll be cooking for…" her eyes scanned the table for a moment, "fourteen people."
"Nineteen if you want some, Your Majesties, Purah, Impa...and Kogha," Wild said honestly.
"I'll pass," Rhoam said. "Unfortunately, I have other things to be doing tomorrow morning."
"You truly don't mind making more for us?" Zelda questioned.
Wild shook his head.
"Well, in that case, I would be delighted to eat with you all," she said with a smile.
"I'm in!" Purah said excitedly.
"Sure," Impa shrugged.
"As long as bananas are involved," Kogha decided.
The rest of the meal was accompanied by petty smalltalk. Wild noted that Kogha really didn't seem like that bad of a person. He was obviously lazy and ate way more than he should've, but he didn't seem evil or even all that rude. He jabbed at Warriors and Revali a few times, but Wild guessed that was because those two were easily irritable and Kogha thought making them mad was funny. Purah and Impa were not all that different from the way Wild knew them to be. Impa kept a level head, no matter what her sister said, and she was quick to admonish her sibling for any particularly rude remarks. Purah said whatever was on her mind. She never meant to be unkind, but without stopping and thinking through her words, sometimes they came out that way. Apologies were quickly muttered-at Impa's insistence-anytime Purah truly offended someone, and Wild had to laugh at her brash mannerisms.
"Can I ask you a question, Time?" Purah asked.
Time turned his attention to her. "By all means."
"What's wrong with your face?" she asked. Beside her, Impa smacked a palm over her forehead.
To his credit, Time was not bothered. He just laughed softly. "You mean my eye? Or...these?" he gestured to the red and blue that marked up the right half of his face.
"Both," Purah answered confidently, painfully oblivious to her rather brunt question.
"Well," Time began, "I'm afraid I can't tell you."
"He's never told us," Legend said.
"I've asked him so many times!" Wind added. Then the sailor gasped. "Oh! Show them your white eye, Time!"
Wild cocked his head, remembering the disturbingly blank eye that rested underneath their leader's scarred eyelid. They had assumed for the longest time that the entire eye was scarred shut, but no, Time could open it. He just chose not to, since that entirely white eye-no pupil, iris, nothing except the pearly white part-was admittedly disturbing. It had likely been his intention to keep that a secret for the entirety of their adventure. But Wind had gotten him to open it a few weeks ago when he and Time were discussing their places in history. Wild didn't remember exactly what was said, since it hadn't really concerned him and he'd been busy cooking at the time, but he did remember Time being so shocked that his scarred eye opened, showcasing that perfectly white eyeball.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Time said evenly, continuing to eat normally.
"Yes, you do!" Wind insisted. He looked at his enraptured audience. "He's got this white eye underneath his scarred eyelid. But he's never explained that either!"
"Sounds like a mysterious guy," Zelda said, giggling at Time's indifferent expression.
"He's good at keeping secrets," Warriors agreed.
"Well? You gonna show us that eye or not?" Kogha asked.
"I truly don't know what you're talking about," Time said, an amused grin tugging at his lips. It was obvious that he enjoyed being vague and mysterious.
"Open your scarred eye and we'll see!" Wind pushed, pulling on Time's sleeve.
"Wind, it's scarred shut," Time said. "I couldn't open it if I wanted to."
"But you did!" Wind huffed. "I saw it! We all saw it! Remember?"
The other heroes at the table nodded.
This went on for a while. Despite Wind's best efforts, Revali's nagging, and Legend's teasing, Time's eye remained shut throughout the entirety of the meal. The entire table was thoroughly amused by the eldest hero's insistence at playing dumb, though it was obvious the longer it went on and the more frustrated Wind got that Time was trying not to laugh.
Once dinner was cleared, Rhoam excused everyone to do as they pleased. Wild walked back to the guest bedrooms with a smile on his face, still amused by both Time and Wind's antics.
"Do you think he'll ever show them that eye?" Wild questioned
"Not if he can help it. Showing us was an accident," Twilight replied.
"Do you know what happened to him?" Wild asked seriously. Twilight seemed to know things about their eldest that nobody else did.
"No idea," Twilight answered.
"I wonder if he really did fight the moon," Wild said, remembering the conversation that Warriors started only a few days after they'd all first met.
"Knowing him, I wouldn't be surprised," Twilight shrugged.
"What's this now?" Calamity asked, falling in stride with Twilight. Urbosa came to stand next to Wild. "Sorry to eavesdrop, I simply wanted to speak with you all about our mission tomorrow."
"Oh. I-it's okay," Wild shrugged. "We were just talking about Time. He mentioned offhandedly a few months ago that the biggest thing he'd ever fought was the moon."
"We have no idea if it's true or not," Twilight said. "That just about sums up every conversation you'll have with that one."
"Well, being a hero of his status, I'm not surprised he keeps things like that a secret," Urbosa said. "Being as famous as he is must be annoying."
"...In his own world, he's not," Wild said. "He lives on a ranch with his wife, and they kind of keep to themselves."
"He's married?" Calamity questioned. "Why, I never imagined heroes like us could get married!"
"Why not, General?" Urbosa laughed.
"Well, I don't know," Calamity shrugged. "Life just always seems too busy. I drew the Master Sword and became the hero, and my life hasn't slowed down since! We had the Great Calamity, I became General, and now we've got all this going on. I simply...assumed it'd always be like that."
"I own a house," Wild said thoughtfully. "In Hateno Village. It's fixed up real nice." He glanced at Urbosa. "I have all the Champions' signature weapons hung on the wall there." He sighed. "I-it helped me not feel so alone during my adventure."
Urbosa smiled softly. "What a kind gesture."
"I'm sure Revali will be pleased to know his bow has been taken care of," Calamity added. "But a house in Hateno, you say? Did you come to own our house again?"
Wild hesitated. T-their house? He vaguely remembered Calamity introducing himself as being from Hateno Village. But was the house Wild now owned the one he grew up in? He'd never even considered the possibility. Bolson had said that it once belonged to a knight who reported for service at the castle and never returned. That was Wild's story, but he wasn't the only one who'd died that night. Far from it.
"You said you wanted to talk about our mission?" Twilight interrupted, saving Wild from needing to come up with an answer to that without any recollection of the house he'd once lived in.
"Ah, I did," Calamity agreed. "Sorry, I got sidetracked. In any case, we seem like a capable squadron. You said you can see in the dark, Twilight?"
Twilight nodded. "Just a skill I honed during my adventure. Spent a lot of time in dark areas."
"And you said you've been through the Typhlo ruins, Wild?" Calamity went on.
Wild nodded.
"What could you have possibly needed out of that shadowy place?" Urbosa wondered aloud.
"A shrine," Wild answered.
"...A what?" Calamity questioned.
"A...a shrine," Wild repeated. "I-it's this ancient Sheikah building that was built to test the hero's strength. Most of them have puzzles in them, but some have combat tests too. When completed, I got a Spirit Orb from the ancient monk who was watching the shrine. Four Spirit Orbs could give me more stamina or more endurance."
"I've never heard of such things," Calamity admitted. "But if we're going to where one is, surely you can show us then. I'd love to train myself in such a manner."
Wild nodded slowly. How could they not have heard of shrines before? This world was supposed to mirror his in everything but the events that happened. Shrines were built 10,000 years ago, long before Terrako split the timeline. They weren't all in super obscure places. There was one in the castle docks! They should've been known about...So why weren't they?
"In any case, the Typhlo ruins are quite dangerous," Urbosa said. "We're begging for a battle if we go in unprepared."
"How did you get through them, Wild?" Calamity asked.
"There are torches all over the place. They kind of lead to each other," Wild said. "I-it's kind of hard to explain. But we can make light by bringing fire and lighting all the torches."
"We'll bring flint in that case, and I'll carry a lit torch," Calamity decided.
"Anything else we need to know about?" Urbosa asked.
"In my time, there's a Hinox that lives in the middle of the ruins," Wild said. "But it might not be there now, since my time is 100 years from now here."
"Not to mention we eradicated every Hinox we came across during the Great Calamity," Calamity added.
"We'll keep our eyes open for it," Twilight promised.
"Now the best thing for us to do would be get a good night's rest," Urbosa decided. "We'll have Purah help us fast travel to the Woodland Tower tomorrow morning after breakfast, but we'll have to walk the rest of the way there."
"Sounds like an excellent plan," Calamity confirmed. "Goodnight, everyone!" He headed into his own room. Urbosa kept going down another flight of stairs, and Wild assumed she had some other sleeping arrangement elsewhere. Wild turned to go into his room, but he paused when Twilight put his hand on his shoulder.
"You going to be okay tonight?" Twilight asked. "You've been upset all day."
Wild clenched his jaw. "I-I'm sorry, it's just been hard. Seeing the Champions was great. But...but Kogha was hard. A-and I don't want Calamity to know that I forgot everything."
Twilight pulled Wild in for a hug. "He wouldn't judge you, cub."
"You don't know that."
"Does he really seem like the kind of person to judge?"
"...No."
"Well, I won't tell him until you do," Twilight promised. "It's your choice."
Wild nodded. "I don't want them to know."
"They won't hear it from me," Twilight said.
"C-can Wolfie sleep with me tonight?" Wild asked shakily. "I'm sorry, I just, it's so-"
"There's no need for you to explain," Twilight promised. "Go on and get ready for bed. He'll be there shortly."
"Thanks, Twilight."
"Don't mention it, cub."
Wild entered his room as Twilight turned to enter his. The cook took his hair down and ran his hands through it, not wanting it to be super tangled the next morning. He glanced at the perfectly soft bed that was waiting for him and just sighed. He couldn't possibly sleep in that. It was too nice for him. He was all dirty. He'd get it all dirty.
Digging his bed roll out of his bag, Wild laid it across the floor. He glared at his reflection in the huge mirror, his scars so horribly obvious against the canvas of his youthful face. But there wasn't anything he could do about either his face or the mirror, so he just turned around and stared at the floor. He kept the Sheikah Slate on his belt, resting his bag on the desk in the far corner and pointedly ignoring the fluffy bed.
He heard something scratching at his closed door and opened it without hesitation. Wolfie was waiting outside, his tongue lolling lazily from his mouth. His tail wagged when he spotted Wild, and Wild smiled back. He let the wolf in and made his way back to his bedroll. Wolfie cocked his head, staring up at the bed that had been left undisturbed.
"I don't deserve it," Wild muttered. "I'm not used to nice beds anyway. I prefer the ground."
Wolfie whimpered, pawing at the bed.
"You can sleep up there if you want," Wild huffed. "But I'm staying here."
Wolfie shook his head, walking over to Wild and curling up against his chest. Wild breathed in the familiar smell of the wilderness that lingered in Wolfie's fur, curling his fingers in the soft pelt and relishing in his friend's warmth. Wolfie licked his face, his tail wiggling. "You're a good friend, Twi," Wild laughed, wiping the slobber off his cheek.
Wolfie barked back softly.
Wild grinned, laying his head down to sleep. He kept his fingers in Wolfie's fur, the tangled softness of the wolf's pelt comforting him more than any puffy mattress could. Wild fell asleep quickly, unease still curling in his stomach, but shame no longer burning a hole through his heart.