As the summary says, this is a remix of my original kid Wild story! This came about from a weird thought path and what Wild would be able to be with his godhood.
There's a line to an image I did of Wild on my profile if you're curious about his appearance. I'll be adding others as I go.
The final piece of Home, Where You Make It will be up soon.
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Divine Beings, Chaos Abound
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(Still Waters, Wild Forests remix)
In which instead of the Chain meeting Link only a year after he defeated Calamity Ganon like in Still Waters, Wild Forests, four years have passed and now he's twelve.
He might be just a bit wiser, just a bit more skilfully reckless but that doesn't mean he actually knows what the hell he's doing either when getting down to things. Whelp—Auntie Hylia needs his help so he's gonna join this chain of past Links to do just that.
But before that, he's gonna have some fun with them. Making it too easy would be boring after all.
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Contrary to popular belief, Link does not know what he is doing fifty percent of the time—although, he's inclined to agree that he acts like he does, but that's because he's a quick thinker and extraordinarily talented.
He goes into fights with only the knowledge of where monsters might be lurking or what sort of strength they are likely to wield.
It has been the cause of many injuries during his early days but even then, Link without a single memory to his name, with the body of a seven-year-old, had known how to fight in some capacity. Even with all this time after he had awoken, he can remember distinctly the taste of Bokoblin blood in his mouth as he acted as a true feral beast during that first month.
(Link ignores that part of him that says: only at the beginning, right. It sounds suspiciously like Zelda. Because no, using his hands and mouth are a last resort nowadays, no matter how Zelda tries to argue that: there shouldn't even be a need to resort to that Link, why can't you be normal and just steal a monster's weapon—)
(Link's so glad Zelda likes to spend most of her time in Hateno being a researcher and scholar with Purah because he would not be able to deal with her backseat driving—he gets enough of that with his dad.)
Exhaling with a white cloud, Link pulls his hood down further cover his face and tugs his scarf higher to cover his nose.
It wasn't cold enough for Link to consider using the Snowquill set but he had popped on the Ruby Circlet. It produced a warmth softly fizzling beneath his skin that left him feeling cosy.
The fire crackles and pops softly and snow sprinkled down on the already snowy covered terrain.
The misty fog hindered Link's vision, but he knew he was at no risk of encountering a monster while huddled inside Sha Gehma Shrine.
Well, that was until he heard something—voices.
Subconsciously his ears twitched as he honed in on the sound. He stood.
"Ugh! Why is it s—so cold!" a young voice cried in frustration, one that couldn't be any older than him.
"V—down you don't—what's here," the second voice was quieter and so Link couldn't hear it as clearly, but he didn't need to. The first voice groaned but said nothing else.
However, why were there people all the way out here of all places? There was nothing in the Tabantha Tundra expect the old Zonai labyrinth, monsters and wild animals…and himself, if that counted.
(Did that count? He didn't make this place his home, so maybe not?)
Slinking forward to peer out into the snowy terrain, Link searched for these people because going by the amount of noise they were making, it was clear there were more than just two people. Lady Hylia were they loud. It was a miracle the Lynel hadn't heard them yet!
Stepping out into the snow, Link jumped onto the small outcrop just outside the Shrine and he quickly spotted something out of place in the white covered land.
A group.
There were eight of them. Jeez.
Surely they couldn't be travellers interested in the ancient ruins because none of them looked prepared, so who were—oh.
Oh.
Link knew who they were.
He quickly eyed the south, knowing the Lynel could be drawn towards the sound if they weren't careful—or they could very much walk into her without know with all the dense fog—and Link really wasn't feeling up to fighting a Lynel at the moment.
Exhaling again, Link dashed towards the group waving a hand, "Hey!" he made sure not to project his voice to loud.
The group immediately stopped, tensing and hands went to weapons.
Link stopped, "What you lot doin' out here in those clothes!"
None of them were prepared for such weather! Link could understand they might have been dropped out here but surely, they must have some sort of clothing for colder weather! Talk about unprepared for the unexpected!
The older one, a man with familiar facial markings as his father—Hero of Time, Link knew—stepped forward, jaw tight, "Who are you?"
Link rolled his eyes, the motion hidden by his hood and waved his arms in a wild gesture, "Does it matter? Asked what a group of nine are doing out in the Tabantha Tundra so unpre'pared! Are you askin' for a death wish?"
It could get below freezing even during the day if you weren't careful. It was the only time Link admitted he needed to wear better clothing than his Barbarian set. He might not like it, but he didn't exactly want to freeze to death.
He sighed and turned, "C'mon! I have a fire close by."
They hurried after him.
It was a tight fit to get them all out of the snow and beneath the shelter that the Shrine was acting as but they were clearly grateful for the fire and not planning to protest any time soon.
"Thank you," the Hero of Time thanked once the others had all settled—Link had even given the youngest his Snowquill headset since younger bodies were more prone to temperature. The kid thanked him a million times over even when Link waved him off.
Link struggled, "The kid would have died before you could get to a stable."
A tense moment of silence.
"Aren't you younger than him?" the one that wasn't wearing any pants—what in the name of Lady Hylia? Didn't he have any packed away in case something like this happened? At least he had a Fire Rod to starve off some of the bitter cold—turned to Link and cocked a brow.
Link snorted softly, "Well, don't exactly know your names."
"Oh, I'm Hyrule!" the brunet smiled up at him, rosy cheeked, "Thank you so much for helping us!"
"And I'm Wind!" the one wearing Link's Snowquill headset beamed.
"Four."
"Legend," the trouserless guy grunted.
"Sky."
"Warriors."
"Names Twilight."
"Time," the Hero of—well, Time said.
"I go by…Lin," it wasn't a lie, a handful called Link that as a nickname—on girl days, that is.
Still, they don't know that and Link's feeling particularly…playful.
He wonders how long he can get away with this before someone realises he is this Hero they're meant to be finding…
He had already, in a way, been trolling them for a while now.
Would a stable person or merchant give him away?
A traveller he was friendly with?
Zelda or even dad?
Impa?
He'll work to that, gain their trust and offer to accompany them to wherever it is they're planning to head and considering they haven't been to this Hyrule before…
Oh, the fun to be had! He's mentally cackling at all the chaos waiting to happen.
"Nice to meet you, Lin," Four smiled and Link nodded.
"What you lot doin' here?" he questions, "S'reckless to be out here ill pre'pared."
"We got turned around," Warriors chipped in and there was a moment of silences which was filled with the crackling of the fire.
Link hummed, "'Urned around, eh? 'Appens to the best of 'em."
Link's smirk was hidden behind his scarf as they not-so-subtle all slumped when he didn't question them.
"Why are you out here then?" Sky asked.
"Mon'stas," Link offered, "They like to terro'rize the nearby stable, so I come round 'ccasionally to deal with 'em. Gotta be careful of the Lynel though, thankfully as long as you don't go into their territory they don't care too much."
"Lynel?" Hyrule paled.
Link nodded, "Yep, white-maned too."
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It had already been late and to Link's surprise a few of them managed to find something resembling sleep in the next five hours. Sky had bundled Wind up in his arms and both had started the quote-unquote cuddle pile which Four and Hyrule quickly joined.
Legend, Warriors, Twilight and Time—himself too—were the remaining awake.
"So, where were you heading to have gotten turned around to badly?"
"…Kakariko Village," Time answered hesitantly.
Link's brow shot up to his hairline, realised they couldn't see the action, and tilted his head, "Kakariko? Boy are you seriously lost. Dun'how you man'aged to get almost to the other side of the country tryin' to get to Kakariko."
"Other side—" Legend spluttered.
"Bout a two or three day journey, for me at least and I walk fast. So might even be five days' worth of travelling to get to Kakarito on foot for you."
"Do you travel a lot?" Twilight questioned.
Link nodded, "Don't like staying in one place to long, get couped up."
"Hyrule gets like that," Warriors smirked fondly.
Ah! A fellow wanderer! How wonderful!
Link absently pulled his scarf down, tucking it under his chin when he grew just a tad bit too hot. But he was keenly aware of their eyes falling to his now exposed scarring. While they could only see the lower portion of his face, the scarring went from the corner of his mouth, across his cheek and up to his forehead and ear.
There wasn't much feeling in them—in any of his scars—other than a vague sense of numbness that made him constantly aware that they existed. He had gotten good at ignoring that tug of thick skin or numb tingling.
Not even the Shrine of Resurrection could fix that. At least he got his eye back—that would have made it far more difficult, he knows.
Thankfully no one said anything, and Link was super grateful because he really does not want to explain why or what or how to these people who he hardly knows yet and even the notion of having to tell them brings that tight feeling to his chest and—
What he's trying to say is he's not in any way obliged to tell them thank you very much.
Link knows at some point he's going to have to tell his story but he's going to drag this out as much as he possibly can because—
"How old are you?" Time queried.
A long beat.
A hundred and twenty one, "Twelve."
Another long beat of silence.
"And you're out here by yourself?"
"I'm more than capable."
"We didn't say you weren't."
A third pause before Link hummed again, "I've known how to fight since I was old 'nough to pick up a wood'en sword. Spent almost too many hours a day trainin'. The only real challenge to me is the climate and that's easy to pre'pare for. So like I said earlier, I come round to deal with the Monstas bein' a nui'sance to the stable."
Goddess Farore, thinking back a hundred years ago made Link want to throw up what little food he had in his stomach. His…Link refused to call him his adoptive father because that man most certainly was not suitable to be a father. The man that had taken him in to increase his social standings than put him through abusive training in an attempt to make Link a prodigy, youngest person to ever join the guard training aged nine.
Although, that was likely done because that was when Link had pulled the Master Sword, so—
Link shook himself from his thoughts in time to catch Warriors comment, "So you spent your time just travelling and what? Fighting monsters?"
A nod and an absent: "Yeah, especially now some of them are growin' even stron'ger. You'd think after Calamity Ganon was finally defeated that things would get easier."
Also, that black blood tasted…weird; strangely magic.
Which—Link is so, so glad he didn't say aloud and with Zelda around. She might be trying to research into that but if she knew Link had tried the blood…
Well, he'd never hear the end of it. She might even try to strangle him for his quote-unquote stupidity. Honestly, she can get so violent for the smallest of things.
"How stronger?" Time asked—ah, right the black blood was related to the whole across time and timeline thing.
Link raised his head and met Time's gaze, "The average person with decent swordsmanship will definitely find them a challenge. You'll find most black blooded Monstas are gold in colour but not all golds are black blooded, if you know what I mean."
"You sound pretty confident in your skills," Legend chimed in.
Link's simple response was: "I have the skills to back up my confidence."
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The holy light that shone through the partially destroyed stain glass window cast a kaleidoscope of dazzling colours across everything it touched.
Distantly, Link heard the chirping of birds, the rustling of trees in the evening breeze, the soft ambiences the moon brought with it as it rose in the sky. The wilds called to him.
"He is raining chaos and darkness across fate that has already been written, he must be stopped. Do you understand the importance?" her voice is soft, always reminding Link of wind chimes.
"Yes," he whispers in return, raising his azure gaze to meet her own ocean blue, "What do I need to do?"
The corners of her eyes crease softly as her lips curled gently, "The is no rush, dear one, they are still growing used to one another. They are not yet…ready to meet this you," A soft giggle, "A shock to the system you will be."
Link grinned widely.
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Link managed to talk them out of actually visiting the stable as they did want to get to Kakariko Village but Link quickly took Aoife out.
Their shock at the sight of Aoife was totally worth it.
Link himself doesn't do much talking but the group chatter between themselves and Link uses that chance to snag small titbits of information; Hyrule can't cook for shit, none of them can cook but at least not as bad as Hyrule, Warriors was a womanizer (Link doesn't judge but he also doesn't understand why someone would—anyway), Time and Warriors were clearly the semi-unspoken leaders, and lots of other things.
When mid days comes and they make it to Serenne Stable, Link offers to cook them an easy vegetable soup. They were all relieved at the knowledge Link could cook, so he got eager nods of agreement. Sky offers his assistance and Link has him cut the vegetable as he begins to strip from his colder climate clothing and back into his Barbarian Set.
The revealing outfit had a few of them doing double takes because—this is the first time they're seeing his face in full, seeing a lot of his scarring, his tattoos and his obvious features that they all share in some way.
(E.I blue eyes and blonde hair. Expect Hyrule, he has brown hair, weird.)
"You have, uh, quite the fashion sense," Four commented awkwardly and Link laughed.
"It's got enhancements on it. Let's my attacks do more damage," he answered.
"That's amazing! Did you make it?" Wind perked up.
"No, it was created by the Zonai roughly ten thou'sand years ago before they died out. Got lucky stumblin' 'cross such a well pre'served set."
Link had ancient Zonai blood in him from his mother's side—which explained his Flurry Rush ability.
It had always felt right to wear something his ancestors had crafted.
"Zonai?" Sky questions.
"A warrior race that lived closely with the land. There is a lot of old in good condition ruins created by the Zonai around Hyrule, you can tell them apart from the Sheikah by the swirl symbols they carved into them."
"What do you mean by tell them apart from the Sheikah?" Time asked.
"Sheikah of old were an advanced civilization before a Hyrule King, deeming them a threat despite all they did to help the kingdom against Calamity Ganon, demanded they cast aside their technological advances or be exiled," a beat where they group stared at Link in horror. Then Link added absently to himself but still loud enough: "Kings that are horrible people seem to be a common thing, huh."
Rhoam, despite all he had done to help Link, had been a horrible person in life. Especially to Zelda and him.
Goddesses, he hated the King, but he didn't hate the Old Man. His feelings were extremely mixed damnit. Although, dad did say that feeling such a way was normal and Link's inclined to agree simply because if he thinks about it too much, he'll just end up hating the man he used to be more than the man who helped Link readjust to the world upon his awakening.
Anyway—
"So, what happened?"
Link thinks they shouldn't ask such questions if they're trying to play natives—it just makes them look even more out of place and had Link not already known who they were, would most certainly be questioning them about their lack of knowledge.
But Link's also going to give them the benefit of the doubt since they did genuinely want to know about the subject.
"Those who cast away the technology strove to live more simple lives, those exiled swore vengeance and allegiance to Calamity Ganon," Link began to dish out the bowls and remembered, "If anyone tries to sell you bananas, they're probably Yiga in disguise, which is what the exiled Sheikah call themselves. If you pass by 'em, just ignore them and they'll leave you be. They don't care much for the common folk except to try and indoctrinate 'em."
"You sound like you've had plenty of run ins with them," Warriors frowned as he took the bowl from Link.
Link gave a cheeky grin, "Might 'ave pissed 'em off at some point."
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There were ruby streaks and swirls and defined symbols that marked his skin. Long braided pale hair, piercing almost unnatural blue eyes and—the scarring. Time knew he had seen a lot but—never such scarring on one so young, not even a handful of years into double digits.
What had he seen? What had he gone through that left such horrible scars?
There was a curl of protectiveness that grew the more Time listened to Lin tell them about his experiences.
Why? Why did Lin feel like he was the one that had to do this? Where was the hero?
What had happened to this Hyrule?
What was this Calamity Ganon?
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"Contrary to popular belief," Madius started, "The roots that started this cycle of evil verses light wasn't from our own world."
Link paused her frolicking in the shallow water to turn and stare at her new companion that sat on the riverbank watching her, "What's the truth then?"
For a long moment Madius doesn't say anything, exhaling heavily and rubbing his face, "A Demon, a creature from another world, broke through the wall that divided his and ours. We were ignorant to it all going on until he was on our doorstep."
His silver eyes turn distant, mournful and angry; grief and resentment, "If we had noticed sooner, this torment your soul has gone through would never have happened."
Link hummed and glanced skyward to the sun that shone brightly above them. She basked in the warmth for a moment, "If so, everythin' that has hap'pened wouldn't. All the people that 'ave and are and will exist never would in the way they will or have or are. I wouldn't be here. Whoever my parents are wouldn't. So, des'pite the horror and tor'ment—the struggle and pain—I think…a part of it is worth it."
Madius chuckled softly, "You're quite wise for one who has no memories before three months ago."
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They make camp at the edge of the Breach of Demise and Sky looked pale when Link told the group the name.
Link didn't want to bring up any memories that clearly haunted Sky and said nothing about the action. The others didn't either but gave warm gestures to the First.
They have grilled fish that Link has stored in the Slate and camped on the rocky ground.
They rise early, half five, when the sun gets too bright for them to continue to try and sleep any longer. They cook more fish but eat as they walk.
Link makes sure to avoid getting too close to the ruins of Lon Lon Ranch knowing what affect that would have on Time if they did. Link didn't want to bring that pain to Time.
They eat on the move and by five in the evening, reach Riverside Stable.
Riverside Stable had to be one of Link's favourite stables, sat on the edge of Hylia River, it had such a warm and cozy feeling with the way the sun always seemed to hit the stable. It was quiet and peaceful and—the goats and Cuccos were always great cuddle companions.
Link left the group to themselves as he wandered round back and sat in the Cucco pen, where one wiggled her way into his arms and settles, ducking her head beneath her wing to sleep. A second comes up and makes her displeasure known.
"First come, first dibs, unfortunately," Link whispered with a smile.
He got the stink eye but with a rustling of feathers, had a Cucco on his head, who also settled down.
"Hey Lin, are you—Goddess!" Wind squawked.
His noise of shock brought the others around, Sky cooed and immediately came to sit and get a cuddle of his own from a third Cucco.
Link looked back to see looks of horror on all but Twilight and Time's faces. Link couldn't help the laugh that bubbled in his chest.
"What's wrong? Had bad experiences with Cuccos before?"
"Bad is an understatement," Legend grimaced, "How are you able to…tame those beasts?"
Link chortled.
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The Ranch had quietened down for the night, the few remaining lights being extinguished. Golden green mist had rolled in as the sun had set long ago, the animals that called the ranch home had strangely settled and been put at ease by the odd low lingering mist.
The gentle evening wind rustles his fur and feathers. He crossed one front paw over the another and the tip of his elongate tail curled.
Wary and tired heroes had made the homely ranch a refuge to recuperate after weeks of none stop camping, travel and killing off the black blooded monsters.
The least he could do was ease their wary bodies for when next they must move onward.
They would be needing it.
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Link had chosen Urbosa's song specifically to match the lightening that crackle across the early morning sky. The storm had started very early in the morning, long before the sun had risen, and showed no signs of stopping or even slowing.
Another crackle, a boom that was near deafening, and Link simply…watched and played his flute.
The music was easily defined as Gerudo. He had spent plenty of time within Gerudo Town and fellow Gerudo musicians to be able to create a ballad for the fierce Gerudo Chief taken before her time.
Link knew he had the attention of the group not busy playing cards. He's spotted Sky tapping along to the beats—did he play something too?
Finally, the song fades off and he pondered on playing another ballad, but it didn't feel right. The weather was to strongly reminding him of Urbosa; there would be no way he could dedicate a song to another when his focus was somewhere else. Maybe when the weather eased up? Link always felt more inclined to play a song for Mipha after rain, the petrichor strongly inspiring.
"Did you write it?" Sky asks, breaking the silence that had taken over.
A flash of lightning, then a boom of thunder, as if to remind him that it was still here and not, in fact, silent.
Link hummed, "I did. It's dedicated to a Gerudo Chief that helped fight against an evil to protect her people and Hyrule but 'ventually lost her life, unsuccessful. Her spirit was tra'pped until she had finally been freed and could fulfil her duty to Hyrule. Her name was Urbosa. A great chief that harnessed the ability to call upon lightening. She was a wonderful and loving woman that strove to see people to their fullest."
"You speak fondly of her," Sky comments curiously, Link couldn't fault him for being curious, but it hit Link right in the chest.
A small sad smile curled at his lips, "Hard not to when she was one of the only mother figures I had growing up."
Sky stilled, mild alarm and sadness on his face, "Oh…sorry."
Link gave a small wave of his hand, "It's alright, she did her duty and never had a regret about seeing it through. It was unfortunate that she…that she had to lose her life doing so."
Urbosa had been someone Link had spent plenty of time with when she came to visit the castle. While yes Urbosa had been a comfort for Zelda since her mother's passing, Urbosa had also been a large part of his childhood having taken to helping him, sparring with him and giving Link genuine and loving advice.
Urbosa was one of a few that knew the truth behind his childhood.
A fond memory that he'd regained—one of his favours by far. He could remember the way her metaphoric feathers had been ruffled; her anger caused lightening to spark along her arms. The only reason she hadn't gone and hunted the man down was because he had begged her not too; the man would have only made his living situations worse once she'd gone, using the fact she wasn't there to do so.
Urbosa had conceded but her position allowed her to pull some strings and Link was sent to the desert to 'train' in the hot climate.
It was the first time he'd realised he didn't feel completely he—it had been something he'd repressed because it was taboo that he wanted to sometimes wear beautiful dresses and want to look pretty. But in the desert alongside the Gerudo, he could learn and experience what he had been denied.
He had been taught to seal surf, how to navigation the seemingly endless sea of sands, how to take on a Molduga and so many things. He'd sat in on all sort of lessons the Gerudo offered from relationships and how to find your true self to cooking to surviving in the desert heat.
She could simply be herself during those handful of months.
Link being there was one of the only times a man had been grant access but half the time, Link hadn't even been a man when inside the walls of Gerudo Town. All of them knew too—they gifted her clothes to finally feel herself and find confidence in doing so. It had been when he started to grow his hair out, any longer than shoulder length would have been chopped off by the man that raised him because it was unbecoming of a man, of a knight, of the wielder for the word that sealed the darkness to have long hair and look like a woman.
So being able to finally grow out his hair as long as he wanted felt amazing and freeing.
"Never met another woman like her," Link smiled.
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By the time the rain had stopped, it was half eight. They made it to Duelling Peaks Stable by five.
Link boarded Aoife and the group goes about their business.
Gleefully spotting Beedle, Link skipped over with a grin, "Beedle!"
Said merchant gasped dramatically, grinning wide, "Hey Hey! Long time no see, Traveller!"
Link laughed, "Good to see you," an excited grin, "What you got?"
Beedle shared his excitement and set his pack down to begin to pull out arrows.
Some fire arrows, a duo of ancient arrows.
Link happily hands over the rupees.
Guardians might not be a problem anymore for anyone but ancient arrows could be a blessing in tricky situations. One thing about this black blood was there was no way for it to infect Guardians of any type. They can just continue to rot in their final resting place. Good riddance.
"Good doing business with you! So what are you up to at the moment, Traveller?" Beedle asks as they both sat at the cooking pot.
Link gestures to the group lingering just outside of the stable, "Helping these guys get to Kakariko Village, got lost and turned around."
"Ah," a cheeky smile, "Being a helping denizen again, are we? You know, one of these days there won't be anyone for you to help."
Link gave an enigmatic smile, "Oh, there will always be someone to help, friend."
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His presences brought a golden green mist, casting gentle prismatic hues across the cavern walls.
His bare feet pattered softly as he walked.
The bells and jewellery in his antlers and hair chimed with his movement.
His form took shape before the young woman, her lips blue, shivering having long tapered off, her eyes glazed over.
His face softened and continued to approach even as fear grew in her eyes despite how far gone she was.
He knew she could no longer speak, could not move a limb.
He gathered her numb body into his arms and carried her from the cave and into the snow-covered field. The storm swirled around them, pushed back by his mere presence. Above them, stars upon stars twinkled and welcomed them.
Gently, he lay her and sat beside her.
Around them, a circle of flowers of all types blossomed, colouring the bleak land.
"Traveller Liotta, one who sort to see everything there was to offer. Liotta whose life has ended, but in its end, a new beginning may sprout. As is the cycle of life."
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Link points them Impa's way with an easy-going smile. As he watches them head for the stairs, Link tilts his head.
'Zelda?'
'Oh, you're back are you?' she teased.
Link tut playfully, 'Just sent a chain of Links to you and Impa.'
'Chain of—Link!' she squawks as the door opens and Time steps in, followed closely by the others. She gasps, 'Please tell me you didn't—'
He snickers.
'You did! Link, why? Why must you do this to me!'
Link coughed to cover his verbal laughter, he'd rather not look weird for laughing out loud while having a mental conversation despite how all the Sheikah already kind of knew about his godhood.
'Bastard,' she hisses and Link can picture the forced smile on her face, 'Get your backside here this instant!'
'Nah,' that easy-going serene smile takes over his face again as he begins to hum to himself, perching his backside beside the fire and leant back against the tree, waiting for the chaos to kick in.
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was a look of alarm in this—he knew a Zelda when he saw one—Zelda's eyes at the sight of them. She did well to keep it from her face but—Time can't help but think she looks like she also wants to simultaneously strangle someone…
"I'm sorry for our sudden and unexpected entrance," he starts with.
The elderly Sheikah—this must be Impa—hums and eyes them, taking a moment to look them over, "Unexpected perhaps, but not unwelcome. How can I be of service?"
"We're are looking for someone," Sky steps forward, "We've been sent here by Goddess Hylia to find the current Hero of this Hyrule."
A knowing looking appears in Impa's eyes, "Ah, I know of who you speak off," she turns to Zelda, "Is he?"
She sighs, "It's Link," like it explained everything and Time has a sudden swell of oh no panic at the implication of those words and the emphasis alone.
Zelda eyed them for a moment before setting her cup aside and standing. They parted so she could step outside. However, she didn't go far, stilling at the top of the stairs and everyone watched on in confused silences.
"Link."
"Yeeeees?"
Wait.
Time knew that voice. Clearly, he wasn't the only one by the look of hell no on Legend's face; grin on Wind's and Four's; Warriors's, Twilight's, Hyrule's and Sky's shocked looks. Times sure he's mirroring their expressions.
"Here. Now."
There was laughter and a familiar face climbed the stairs.
They stared as Lin—no, Link rested a fist on a cocked hip, soft curl of his lips.
"You—" Legend spluttered.
"I'm so sorry," Zelda apologies.
Link just has that easy-going, serene smile on his face again.
Behind them, Impa laughs.
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"Why did you tell us your name was Lin?" Twilight rubbed his furrowed brow.
"I didn't say my name was Lin, just that I go by it. Plenty of people call me Lin," Link chirped in response, "Plus, I wanted to know how long it took for you guys to find out."
"How did you know us?" Hyrule questioned quietly.
Link is silent for a beat, he and Zelda shared a glance.
'How much should we tell them?'
'Time has some problems with dad, best leave that for now. Let's just tell them about Aunt Hylia.'
Zelda nodded and turned back to the group to answer, "It's a long story but to make it short, Goddess Hylia informed Link of your impending appearance."
"You just—" Sky looks at him in awe, "You can speak with her? Was it a one-time thing? Or—"
"We get it," Legend cut in with a roll of his eyes, "He can speak to the Goddess."
Link smiled at Sky, "If I go to a statue, I can speak with her."
Sky perked up but before he could ask anything more, Four spoke up next, "So she told you what exactly?"
"About the black blood, that she was pulling us together to try and stop this dark counter part of ours," yours, he silently corrects, Dark Link wasn't compatible with him considering his heritage but they didn't need to know about that yet, "Told me she couldn't physically do anything to stop him as she doesn't have a physical form," yet, he again adds, at this rate she'll have a physical form within the decade…although with all this going on, it could take a chunk out of her magic reserves dedicated to returning herself to physical form.
"Well she told you more than us," Time interjects, a tight look on his face.
Not all of them saw eye to eye with Hylia, Link had to remind himself. They have their issues and he isn't going to force his knowledge and thoughts onto them in an attempt to change their minds.
Link also knows Zelda, since they had sealed Ganon, had overcome her own anger at the Goddess as unlocking her powers had revealed the truth of the situation to her and to keep her anger and resentment after everything would only make her bitter and get her nowhere.
Zelda's words, not his.
"I know," Link nods, "and she speaks to me for reasons she's never spoken to you."
Time exhales and seems to understand the jigs of what Link was saying with the nod he gave. He hopes anyway.
.
.
.
The portal whirled before them.
Zelda gave one last squeeze of his hand before backing off, "Good luck."
Link gave her a cheeky grin, "When do I ever need luck?"
Beside him, Wind chuckled and Twilight peered down at him in amusement.
"Ready?" Time asked.
Link nodded and stepped into the portal beside Twilight, vision darkening and floor vanishing from beneath him.
Been ready for a while now.