This is the third book of the Fragmented Hero series. Please read the previous books if you haven't to catch up with the storyline. I hope you're all ready for another emotional rollercoaster I might conjure out of nowhere.
If being a hero means getting thrown to different Hyrules at the most inopportune times, Link does not want to be one. He would rather get constantly caught up with the Blood Moon mid-raid in monster camps than waking unceremoniously in the middle of the night and taking up the role of the bringer of bad news.
He has no qualms with Sun - she has been a gracious host to them the first time he landed on Skyloft - but her future self, on the other hand, might be a wee bit of a trigger-happy case. Seriously, the Goddess needs to tone down her sass when it comes to her heroes and give them peace of mind every once in a while. Then again, not all of them are like Time, who openly expresses his contempt to the Goddess. Otherwise, they would have held a heroes' strike a long time ago and have to be dragged into the portals, kicking and screaming, every time they popped out of existence.
"Behind you!"
The scarred youth twisted around and fired an arrow point-blank on a Lizalfos who attempted to sneak up on him. The scaly monster fell face-first on the ground by his feet - the arrow embedded on its forehead pierced further to its brain as the fletching was pushed upwards by the impact. He did not have time to process the horrendous sight as he plucked three arrows from his quiver and barely spared a glance at his new targets. A screech and the deafening clang of fallen weapons are all he needed to hear to confirm that he had successfully taken down his prey. A single arrow whizzed past overhead and embedded itself on another Lizalfos' shoulder. It was a good shot from Sailor, and Link followed up with three more right on the throat.
From his chosen vantage point, he has the hawk-eye's view of the battle that is currently raging on. The Lizalfos camp they stumbled into was located on a shallow depression in the middle of a savannah. None of them recognized the era they were transported, and the open field leaves little for the nine Hylians to hide and go for a sneak attack. They were left with no choice but to march right into the enemy camp and face the monsters head-on.
Four and Hyrule were treading nimbly through the battlefield, wordlessly coordinating their attacks on any monster that came too close. The Traveler parried a jagged sword from a Lizalfos, and the Smith lunged in for the kill. Four then stepped back and ducked his upper body as the other hero stabbed his magic sword upwards at another scaly monster about to pounce at the shorter hero. The gleaming blade impaled itself right at the chest and nearly tore the monster's heart off the body. Hyrule yanked his sword back, and Four kicked the corpse away, bowling over its approaching kin.
Not far from the duo, Warriors, Sky, and Legend were positioned in a loose circle, covering each other's back as they sliced through their enemies in their own ways. The Veteran whipped out his hookshot and grabbed a Lizalfos, which the Captain took down. Sky stepped in to intercept an attack aimed at the blue scarfed hero before unleashing a powerful sword beam that took down five at once. Warriors returned the favor by blocking an enemy's sword headed to the Skyloftian with his shield and pushed the next monster back. The three heroes immediately hemmed in the unfortunate monster, which met its demise at three swordpoints.
Time and Twilight were closest to where he and Wind are, standing back-to-back and squaring against a particularly nasty group of Lizalfos. The two heroes might seem to be at a disadvantage to any onlooker, but it is the exact opposite for someone who has seen the two fight together. The mentor-protégé duo is a frightening powerhouse that would give a Silver Lynel a run for its rupees. They hacked and slashed with controlled ferocity, decimating the monsters in mere minutes. Link was only glad that he was not one of those at the other end of the two heroes' swords.
Soon, the battle finally reached its conclusion as the tag team of Four and Hyrule cut down the last monster with a perfectly timed dual strike from the two heroes. They reconvened at the center of the bloodstained crater after Link gave them an all-clear from the high ground. Wind trailed after the older hero with a skip on his step, and Link knew it was only a matter of time before the Sailor starts ogling at his marksmanship. He hooked his Savage Lynel Bow on his back and surveyed the group. Now then, where is that person he calls his mentor?
"Wild!" Speak of the wolf, and he shall appear. Link turned to see Twilight striding toward him with an expression he coined as the Rancher's Protective Mode. "I saw a Lizalfos sneaked up on you. Are you hurt?"
Right, he is not Link anymore. He is Wild now. The incarnation of the Goddess Hylia and the Spirit of the Master had generously bequeathed upon him the title of a hero. His title is not as fancy as the Hero of Legend or as grand as the Hero of Time or even as mysterious as the Hero of Twilight, but something felt right about it.
The Hero of the Wild.
It is a title given to the hero who was nurtured and had thrived in the ancient and untamed domain of Mother Nature…and it is his. It is a title meant only for him, that only he could be proud of. He did not question Sun's speech during that fateful night - partly because he was struggling not to lose himself to hysterics to hear her properly - but he once asked her before they left Skyloft why she would go to such lengths to give an imposter like him a hero title. Sun did not give him an answer; she simply smiled at him and left him with a few words.
"Next time, Hero of the Wild, speak to me casually. Call my name as it is."
It sounded like an inside joke, with how playful the tone of her voice is, and Wild did not know what she meant by that. He had not thought about it since then. It took him a few days to respond to his hero title being called and a few more to get used to it to some degree. He still needed to remind himself at times, but he had made considerable progress on that.
"I'm fine." To prove his point, Wild raised his arms wide to display his nearly immaculate clothes. That seemed to put his mentor at ease, and he turned his attention to his surroundings. He licked his lips as he listened and felt. No dice. He huffed before addressing the questioning look from Time that he has grown accustomed to. "No portal yet."
Their de factor leader nodded his thanks before turning to the others. "Any injuries?"
"The usual," Hyrule reported as he knelt beside Legend and wrapped the latter's arm with clean bandages. "The worst we got is a nasty sword cut on Legend's arm."
Legend rolled his eyes. "It's just a scrape. Stop being dramatic about it." That earned him a glare from his successor, which he promptly ignored.
"Well, at least we've been better thanks to Wild." Warriors remarked and cocked his head in the younger man's direction with a smirk. "Your marksmanship is impeccable as always, Champion."
Wild made a sour face. "Please don't call me that."
The Captain barked out a laugh as he walked toward him and patted him on the back. "I think it's fitting, my friend. The Hylian Champion…that's an esteemed title to have."
Wild huffed. "You mean, gaudy." He pushed the Captain's hand away from his back and threw the man a sharp look. "And no, I'm not going to store your womanizing paraphernalia inside my Sheikah Slate."
A round of snickers escaped from the heroes as Warriors sputtered. "W-Womanizing – HEY! That's not what it looks like!"
"Yeah, right!" Wild snorted, flicking a few stray strands of his hair away from his face. "Who in their right mind would hit on every girl he sees and collect gifts from them as if it is a one-time affair?"
"Well, it is, isn't it?" Warriors reasoned out. "There's no assurance I'll see them again. I just told them that I would like something to remember them by, and they willingly provided. They insisted I take their gifts and what kind of a gentleman would I be if I refuse."
"Never mind. That's extortion. You're worse than the Veteran."
"Hey! Don't lump me with him."
Warriors gasped in mock betrayal and turned to Twilight. "Rancher, control your gremlin!"
Twilight inclined his head that Wild has come to familiarize himself with Wolfie. It is supposed to be an innocent gesture, but the Champion knew better than overlooking the mischief twinkling in those eyes. "Huh? Why would I?"
"Which," Wild pointed out, trying (and failing) to hide the snicker threatening to split his face. "Basically translates to 'Your suffering fuels my existence'."
"I hate both of you." Warriors pouted. "I'm severing our friendship as of this moment. May you mourn the loss of my friendship and remember the rest of our journey together as nothing short of a tragedy. Know that it will never blossom forth again unless the Hero of Twilight treats me to a pint of ale in the next town we come across."
"If it even exists."
Twilight's retort had Wild guffawing. His shoulders trembled as he laughed at the Captain's expense. Warriors whined for emotional comfort from Time, but they could tell that the man was simply playing along. Time seemed amused as he shooed the younger hero, who complained about betraying him as well.
"Let me guess," Legend coughed a few times and then placed a dramatic hand on his forehead as he spoke in a high-pitched cringy rendition of the Captain's voice. "Betrayed by my brothers-in-arms, whatever shall I do now?"
A burst of hearty laughter erupted from the group. "Goddesses! What in – Vet, no! Don't…PFFT!" Hyrule managed to hold his glare for the first few seconds before finally giving in when he happened to glance at the red-faced Captain.
"Hey, hey! First, I don't sound like that, Vet." Warriors rebuffed, though he is visibly trying not to laugh with the others at the Veteran's intentionally poor attempt to copy him. "Second, what in Hylia's name is that weird hand thing? I don't do that."
"Wanna bet on it?"
"In your dreams!"
Two instantly fell to their usual banter, much to the annoyance of the Traveler who has yet to finish his work. The others watched on with equal degrees of amusement, and the Champion could not help but reach for his Sheikah Slate to capture a photo of the heartwarming scene. Since his first visit to Skyloft, Wild has been taking pictures of moments he wanted to keep a record of - most of which featured him and Twilight. He even showed the Rancher the photos they took together before his sudden departure from his era. He did so in hopes of his mentor recovering his forgotten memories, and it did not let him down. It was pretty amusing to see Twilight's expressions every time he remembers something embarrassing he had done simply because Wild dragged him into it.
Wild was about to activate the camera feature of the Sheikah Slate when he felt eyes on him. He looked over his shoulder and saw Wind staring at him. Scratch that. The Sailor was gazing past him, and when Wild turned to look over his shoulder, he saw nothing. "Hey, Wind? Is something the matter?"
That seemed to break whatever spell had befallen the youngest. Wind blinked at him and some more before cracking into a smile. It did not reach his eyes, however. "Mmmm. Nope. Just fine! Squeaky as a newly polished deck of a ship. No worries!"
Wild frowned at that, even as the Hero of Winds twined his fingers with the Champion's – a habit that the Sailor has begun subconsciously developing around him as of the late. While he knows his way with children, Wind is not your ordinary kid. He is a hero like the seven others and undoubtedly witnessed things that no child of his age should have. Wild could tell he did not want to be treated as a kid, but at the same time, unknowingly wants to. He did not want to be protected but still needed to be and to protect others in return. He wanted to be respected as the hero he is, and even if the others do so, it is still difficult to separate the fact that he is the youngest among them.
Not that Wild is any different at that aspect. Ignoring the hundred-year sleep, he is just a few years senior to the Sailor. He might be physically and biologically older than Wind, but his mind is a lot younger than him – more than a decade of a gap between them. Both of them are much of a contradiction as the rest of the other Links.
Wild would have quietly called out Wind's bluff if it were not for the familiar sensation brushing against the hairs on the back of his neck. His ears twitched as he caught on Hylia's voice and turned to the direction she had indicated. "Sorry to interrupt." He called out, drawing the attention of eight Hylians to himself almost immediately. "Portal's here."
It did not take three seconds for a portal to come into view. Some of the Links groaned, mumbling how very short the intervals of the portals have been lately. Four stepped beside Wild; his purple eyes transfixed on the swirling gateway. "I still can't get over the fact you can hear and talk to Hylia."
"Eh, I'm used to it." Wild shrugged, reaching for his sword just in case they had to fight at the other side of the portal right off the bat. "And it's nowhere as crazy as the things I've done."
"What things?"
"Wild." Twilight crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes. He has that look that Wolfie reserves only for Wild and his antics. For some reason, Wild finds it more frightening and nerve-wracking in his Hylian form.
A nervous chuckle bubbled in the Champion's throat. Right. Twilight does not remember everything yet. "Ummm...hey! Did you guys hear that? Hylia said to hurry up." He pulled away from Wind's grasp and hustled a confused Four to the portal as he ducked his head away from the Rancher's searing gaze. "We'll go in first. Let's go, Four!"
"W-Wha-? Wait!"
The Smith's protests were drowned out as shimmering blue light swallowed them both. The portal-hopping felt the same to Wild as the previous ones. Either it was because he has gotten used to it, or teleporting via the Sheikah Slate has given him enough practice not to feel the ill effects at all. The moment his boots found lush grass – a contrast to the dry beige of the savannah -, he felt a small hand latched on his arm in a vice grip. He managed to catch Four's shoulders before the latter stumbled face-first to the ground. The Smith was pale as a sheet, his face scrunched in pain, as he held on to the Champion for support.
The others had given him a head start regarding the side effects that plague them every after-Shift, with Four having the worst of it all. No one knows why and the Smith never elaborated beyond that it is a side effect of his journey. Because of that, Four needs someone by his side every time they jump eras to prevent him from getting injured at the other side. It just so happens that Wild was the one who coaxed him to the portal and, therefore, the closest to him.
Wild sheathed his sword and gingerly placed his free hand on the Smith's back. He began kneading circles in hopes that it would help ease the hero's nausea. He glanced at the others who are at various levels of momentary sickness except for Wind. The youngest hero explained that he found it similar to the rocking of a ship, especially during stormy days and nights, which is why he was the only one who came out unscathed before Wild joined the team. The Champion could only wonder how they could get their bearings back on track and jump into a fight whenever they are thrown dab smack in the heart of the enemy's territory. Perhaps Hylia takes pity on them and makes it more bearable during those times. Maybe.
"This…this is so unfair…." Hyrule's back arched as he heaved from where he was rooted on the ground. He could barely glance at the not-so-oblivious Wind and Wild. "H-How is the two of you…okay?"
"Is it really that bad?" Wild asked, handing Four over to Twilight, who has recovered first. The Smith fitted easily on his mentor's back despite the incoherent complaints from the former. It seemed it would take an hour or so before the Hero of the Four Sword could completely recover and get on his feet without any risk of collapsing and cracking his head.
"Depends on your definition of bad," Twilight answered, adjusting his hold beneath Four's knees. "It is like this most of the time. Sometimes, they are more tolerable. In rare cases, we don't feel anything at all. But those times are always reserved for urgent ones. Shifts that you can be absolutely sure that a fight is waiting at the other side."
"Then, there are purple portals," Warriors added, shifting his feet to support a still disoriented Legend. "Those are the worst. We've encountered five so far, and they're never pleasant. Expect that the fights will be brutal as well. More difficult than you've faced since joining us."
Wild frowned at that. The portal that led them to the dungeon and that gigantic Skulltula – two things that his Hyrule lacks, though the others argued that the Skulltulas they encountered before are nowhere the size he and Twilight faced – was blue, not purple. It took two of them and Twilight almost dying just to take down that monster. If the purple ones lead to worse variations of monsters they had fought before, then what are the chances of one of them actually dying? What are the odds that he will really lose Twilight when a purple portal finally pops in front of him?
Wild bit his bottom lip. No. He cannot think like that. He chased the morbid thoughts away, hoping that his mentor did not notice his troubled expression. Of course, he knew it was useless because he caught Twilight's concerned gaze on him. The man is too keen for his own good and knows him better than the other six heroes to overlook his change in disposition. The Rancher did not question right away, Thank Hylia!, but Wild knew he would not let the day pass without asking him if he wanted to talk about it. The Champion can admit if he does not want to, and Twilight will wait until he is ready. He had entrusted himself to the Hero of Twilight, just like how the latter trusted him to be open with him whenever he is prepared to divulge him things that he has yet to tell anyone.
Then again, it goes both ways – him watching Twilight's back in and out of battles and the Rancher already confessing portions of his journey he yet to tell the others, even Time. They both value the mutual trust between them and will go to lengths to protect it.
Wild raised his left hand in a quick sign of Later, which his mentor immediately understood and nodded. They turned to the others who have finally recovered and are now figuring out whose Hyrule they are dumped into. The place they landed in was a vast pasture of lush green grass. A paddock made of wood was built in the middle, where horses - domesticated, Wild assumed - milled and grazed around under the lazy daylight. Across from where they are, he could see buildings - a house, a huge barn, and a silo - stood against low-lying plateaus surrounding the area. The slab of wood nailed on the gate of the paddock vaguely read 'Lon Lon Ranch'. The place feels somewhat familiar to Wild, like he has been here before, but he could not remember exactly where and when he had the opportunity to do so.
Unsurprising for most of them, it is Time's. What gave it away was not the man himself, but rather someone outside their group in the form of a female Hylian that shouted Time's name - his birth name - and ran towards him with a familiar mare that none of them have seen for nearly two weeks. The Old Man swept the red-haired woman in his arms and peppered her with kisses on the face. The woman laughed and returned the affections with more fervor before the hero deposited her back to the ground.
"Oh, goddesses! I missed you so much." The woman said as she squeezed Time's face and stole a kiss on his nose. "You and the boys. I was so surprised when Twilight's Epona arrived here by her lonesome self. I thought I would see you again, all beaten and bruised like last time. I nearly had a heart attack with all of that blood!"
Time chuckled softly and kissed the crown of her head. "Sorry. We didn't mean to. We'll try not to dirty the floor next time."
The woman smacked his arm and wagged a finger. "You better, you dolt! And I mean, the lot of you not getting injured."
"That…will be difficult."
"Link!"
Wild glanced between Time and the woman before turning to Twilight. His mentor did not seem bothered by the sudden appearance of the woman. Not even the other Links. In fact, they were quite ecstatic to see her as the others began flocking around her and Time. The woman greeted and took stock of each of them, checking if there were injuries to be treated and inquiring how they had been since they last visited this era. She reminded Wild of Saki, how the female Rito would equally fuss over him and her two boys, and how she would always welcome him with warmth every time he came by Rito Village. He missed her dearly and hoped she would forgive him for not showing his face for months now and making her worry.
"Oh, a new one?"
Wild nearly jumped out of his skin when it finally registered that the woman was already standing in front of him. He was so deep in his thoughts – he has been doing that a lot lately, Wild realized – that he did not notice her walk up to him.
"Malon, this is Link." Time sidled next to the scarred youth and placed a reassuring arm on his shoulder. He must have noticed the sudden anxiety that Malon's proximity induced to their newest member. "He goes by the nickname of Wild. Wild, this is my wife, Malon."
"Oh, goodness! What happened to you, dear?"
Wild flinched when Malon cupped his face. He stared at her with uneasy eyes as the woman inspected and gently rubbed the scars blotting the left side of his face with the pad of her thumb. He glanced desperately at Time because he did not know what to do, what is he supposed to do?, and what is the right thing to do here? There are a limited number of people that had gotten this close to him. While he is friendly and outgoing to everyone, he kept them at arm's length. The heroes, except for Twilight, are no different. This stranger should not be any different at all.
Wild was about to wriggle himself free from Malon's grasp as politely and carefully as he could when the woman pulled him into a hug. The Champion's body became stiff where he is standing on and…and he did not know what to do so please please let him go –
"Sshh! Sshh! It's okay. You're safe here." Malon whispered to his ears as she caressed his hair in tender strokes. "You're safe here, Wild. No one will hurt you here. I promise."
Wild did not know what to do. He did not know how to interact with this person, this person who is nothing but a stranger to him, yet willing and eager to show him kindness, this person whom he could tell the sincerity of her words is genuine without looking at her eyes. All he could do was clutch on her clothes tightly and sink into her embrace as tears pooled at the corners of his eyes. Her warmth washed over him as the exhaustion of his nearly two years of existence finally seeped through his muscles and bones. She reminded him of someone, not Saki, but someone else. Someone he was supposed to know, supposed to remember. Someone…a beautiful woman with flowing locks of golden, sparkling blue eyes, and a kind smile that rivals no other flashed beneath his closed eyelids.
"Link…my Little Courage."
"Thank you."
Wild did not know to whom those words were directed, and he could only care less to ponder about it. What is important is that he meant it.
"Thank you."
And he truly meant it.