If they stay in this place any longer, Warriors is going to lose his mind. Last night was an eye-opener and a nightmare fuel for them. He has his fair share of fears, whether on the battlefield or outside of it. It is a part of war – lingering and inseparable – and thrives even on those untouched by the horrors of bloodshed. He has fears, has faced them, and is living with them. It would not be an exaggeration that he even eats them for breakfast like your everyday omelet. But the fear in their new member's eyes – the pure, unadulterated terror glazing those blue eyes – was something he only came to witness for the first time last night. All of them have their own reservations about the Master Sword - with Time being the most transparent of his contempt to the divine sword – and kept them to themselves unless someone brings the topic up and promptly destroys the good ol' jolly atmosphere. He has met the spirit that dwells within the sword and even fought with her in a corporeal form, though his relationship with Fi was nothing as close as she and Sky have.
Warriors leaned against the mouth of the overhang, glancing at his companions who were off to their usual late morning routine. Wind sat cross-legged at the opposite side, entertaining himself with making fallen leaves dance mid-air with his Wind Waker. Four and Time were outside, the former inspecting the older Link's Biggoron Sword for any cracks and giving long-due advice about maintenance. Not far from them, Epona grazed on the sparse grass jutting out from the forest floor. Inside the overhang, Legend was rummaging through his stuff, no doubt counting and checking his stuff like the collector he is. Hyrule was glued to the new Link's bedside, checking his patient's temperature from time to time. Their new member's fever made its comeback after last night's events, stressing the Traveler and prompting him to take two out of the four night watch shifts to look after his patient. Legend tried to stop his successor, but Hyrule has already made up his mind, and forcing him to comply will only stress their resident healer more.
Sky was idling next to the dead campfire, mindlessly poking at the charred wood. For the first time in a while, he was not lugging the Master Sword on his back and instead opted to leave it with the rest of his belongings. His sailcloth was missing too, used to cover the entirety of the divine sword out of sight. As far as the Captain could tell, the Skyloftian did not sleep very well last night. Deep dark bags marked below his eyes, his usually soft and serene face looking older than he actually is. Twilight cannot be found anywhere as Time sent him out to scout. The Rancher was hesitant at first, and it did not go unnoticed to any of them how he glanced every so often to their new member. Eventually, he relented under Time's assurances and sent their friendly wolf friend to take his place while tackling the task handed to him. The wolf was lying on his belly just beyond the first line of trees, its ears pricked up and swiveling from one direction to another like clockwork in a constant alert for any danger. Of course, the matter of how the wolf could find them in any Hyrule they jumped into is still a big question, but if they have the postman delivering their mail almost ritualistically, it would be better to reserve their brain cells and their sanity somewhere else.
A rustle and a few quiet words spoken from inside the overhang made everyone pause and peer. It seemed that the new Link is finally awake, and Hyrule was helping the kid sit up. His fever had broken again by the time Hyrule roused from sleep, but the Traveler can be a worrywart and refused to be at ease until his patient shows any sign of wakefulness. The kid's complexion has gotten better, though his eyes still held some fogginess. His unkempt honey-blond hair hung before his face like a curtain, and Warriors had to resist the urge to walk up and brush them away. Probably offer to tie it up into a decent hairstyle too. Hyrule was fussing over him as expected, though the Captain could not understand for the life of him why the Traveler is already hovering over the new Link like some mother hen when they just literally met about a week ago. The Rancher too, but everyone knew that he has a strong weakness to kids even though their new member can hardly be called a kid anymore.
The Captain watched Hyrule handed a small vial of blue liquid to the new Link. It was a medicine for the throat that the Traveler managed to harass…or haggle the Veteran to impart with. Their resident healer figured that the kid's throat would hurt like hell after all that screaming last night. He watched as the kid turned the vial over his scarred palms before letting it stay on his left. His right hand opened and extended to touch his chin, and he brought it down to Hyrule's direction – a sign similar to Time and Twilight's that meant Thank you. The kid paused, most likely wondering if Hyrule understood that. The Traveler simply smiled and confirmed what his patient was thinking before proceeding to explain that they learned each other's sign language in the case of an emergency.
The kid uncorked the vial and downed the medicine in a single gulp. He inserted the cork back and handed the empty vial to Hyrule, who promptly ignored the searing gaze his predecessor was burning on his back. The Traveler then proceeded to ask the standard questions – where it hurts, how painful it is, and if he is sure with his answers. The new Link signed his answers without missing a beat – it does not hurt anywhere, and he is certain he is fine.
It is clear as day that their new member immediately warmed up to their resident healer, whether because Hyrule spent the most time taking care of him or because the Traveler is a gentle and amiable person when no one is hiding their injuries from him, the Captain could only guess. In fact, it is not out of the question if Hyrule is the only one who can resonate with the new Link's thoughts and emotions through the Hero's Spirit connection. The spiritual link that binds them all is unpredictable, after all. There is no telling whose emotions and thoughts will be transmitted or whether one, a few, or all of them will receive them. The Captain will not even draw a line that Twilight is also affected, considering how aggressively protective the Rancher was to the new Link last night.
A soft huff drew the Captain's attention away from Hyrule and the kid. Wolfie has left his post and padded into camp. Wolf and man stared at each other for a moment, eerily reminding Warriors of the Rancher, before Wolfie broke eye contact and continued his way. The wolf passed by Sky, who was watching the new Link with something akin to worry and regret, before stopping in front of the kid. The new Link's hands froze from their animated signing and stared at the wolf with mouth agape. A smile of delight and relief lighted up the kid's scarred face, and the wolf took that as a 'go' sign to approach closer and sat on his haunches next to him. The new Link immediately embraced the wolf and buried his head on his fur.
Warriors felt horror crawled his spine. He will get mauled to death! If there is one thing they knew about Wolfie, it is that the wolf absolutely hates being treated like a domestic pet. He immediately reached for his sword, prepared to give the wolf a whacking with the blunt side to chase him away or slay the beast if things go awry. His fear, however, was unfounded as the wolf did not attack but rather nuzzled affectionately against the kid like a long-lost companion. That confused him and everyone else who witnessed the thing. Does Wolfie really know this kid? Twilight told them that the new Link knows Wolfie like an old friend, but the questions of how and when are something he did not have answers to. None of them do. Wolfie is an enigma to everyone, probably except to Time and this kid.
The Captain's hand dropped to his side just as Time and Four stepped inside the camp. Wind also rose up from his seat, tucking the Wind Waker inside the folds of his shirt. Legend left the disarray that is his belongings and tapped the gawking Sky on the shoulder. The Chosen Hero blinked, glanced at the new Link and Wolfie, before nodding. He stood up and followed Time, falling three steps behind the biologically older Link, as they encroached the permissible distance set by the new Link last night.
The kid lifted his head from the nest of wolf fur and peered at the two. His eyebrows furrowing together at the sight of them as he further snuggled against the wolf. Wolfie gave a huff but did not shake the kid off. The wolf simply looked at Time as if saying, Better do it right this time, Old Man. That Twilight-like expression is creeping Warriors out, if he is being honest.
"Hello there." Time started, settling himself on a cross-legged position across him. Sky seemed nervous but sat down too, though a few inches back. "Hyrule told us your fever broke. How are you feeling?"
The kid's eyes immediately darted to Sky, searching for something on his back, and then to their surroundings. When he could not find the Master Sword anywhere, the tension on his shoulders loosened a bit, and he glanced at Hyrule, who gave him an encouraging smile. He freed his hands from around Wolfie's fur and raised them to sign. I'm feeling fine.
The kid paused, wondering if they understood like Hyrule told him, in which Time smiled kindly and nodded. "That is good to hear. You've been sick for almost a week. We're worried."
An unimpressed look shifted on the kid's face. He might have scoffed if he wanted to. Whose fault was that, I wonder?
Touché. Warriors could not see Time's expression, but he saw Sky winced. The others wore varying expressions of surprise and disbelief at the sudden change of attitude. Even Wolfie did a double-take at the kid. The Captain, on the other hand, could not stop the growing grin on his lips. Ohhh, this kid is feisty.
"Right." Time coughed. "We're…uhh, really sorry about that. We're in a tight schedule, you see. Chasing after the enemy threatening all Hyrules. We don't have the luxury of time."
The kid huffed, glowering at Sky without any reservations. He opened his mouth, finally comfortable enough to use his voice. The medicine that Hyrule administered must have done its work well. "I am NOT touching the Master Sword." He announced firmly. "The Goddess might have told me to join you, but it does not mean I have to do everything you told me to."
"Okay." Time nodded slowly. It seemed even the Hero of Time folded under the intensity of this kid's glare regardless of who it was directed to. That, and they needed to make a compromise for the sake of the team. "No touching the Master Sword. Got it."
"I don't trust you." The kid is irked, no doubt. He even gave pointed looks at Warriors, Legend, and Wind, though it lasted less on the Sailor compared to the other two before honing back to Time and Sky. "Especially, the two of you."
A beat and a sigh. "Fair enough."
The new Link studied them a little longer before leaning back on Wolfie. His hostility lessening as he relaxed against the wolf's fur. "That's…all I have to say." His blue eyes flicked back to Time, a bit hesitant this time. "Unless there's something you want to say…?"
"…There is." Time responded after a moment, easing a bit now that the tension unknotted by itself. He gave the kid a searching look. "You can talk to the Goddess, correct?"
The kid frowned, unsure where this conversation is going. "Umm…yes, but not always. Why?"
"We need help." Time answered. "We want to ask you if you can speak to her on our behalf. We've been going on this quest for five months now, yet with little progress. If you can ask her for anything, anything that could point us in the right direction, then we will be grateful." He paused, reminded of the condition set by their new member. "That is, if you don't mind."
The new Link considered him for a moment before glancing at the others. His expression softened at Hyrule and Wolfie. "Okay. I'll try." He said, and almost immediately, there was a collective sigh of relief from the other Links. "But don't get your hopes up. I usually speak to the Goddess through her statues in my Hyrule. Speaking without them…is something I haven't tried."
"It's okay." Time smiled reassuringly. "Trying is enough for us. If the Goddess didn't answer you, that would be on her you, not you."
The kid blinked at him in surprise, and slowly, a conspiratorial smile quirked on his lips. "Maybe."
Oh no. Warriors thought, watching the uncannily similar grins on the two Links' faces. He could already tell that this new Link is a mischievous one, though more obvious than Time is. It would not be farfetched if the kid eventually warmed up to Time faster than to Sky. He pitied the Skyloftian – it seemed he has a lot of work to do to get the new Link open up to him. Not that the Captain is any better. That pointed look that the kid gave him is more than enough indication to him.
"So," Everyone looked at the Smith who has settled next to Legend's pile of trinkets, much to the latter's annoyance. "What do we call you? We don't know your hero title, and we can't call you Link unless we want to confuse ourselves. We're all Link, after all."
"Umm…" It was Sky, who finally spoke up after hours of silence. "I think calling him Link would be fine if we're not in any of our Hyrules."
"How about when we're in any of our Hyrules?"
"We'll cross that bridge when we get to that." Time answered in Sky's stead. He pushed himself up, dusting his pants. "Our first priority is food. We got nothing to fill our stomachs, and it's almost lunchtime. There hasn't been a monster on sight, but we can't be complacent. We still need our energy in case something happens."
Wind snuck a glance at the cooking pot left beside the unlit campfire. "No leftovers from last night?"
Legend snorted. "Sailor, you and Pretty Boy over there practically inhaled dinner. Of course, there wouldn't be any."
Warriors strode toward the Veteran and clamped his hands on the smaller hero's shoulders from behind. A knowing glint teasing on his eyes. "Speak for yourself, Vet. You wolfed down yours like you've never had eaten for years."
The Veteran scowled and pushed the Captain's hands off his shoulders. He jabbed a thumb in the direction of Link. "Tell that to the kid. He put up quite a fight. It took four of us to pin him down!"
"You mean, it took three of us to help you keep him down."
"Hah! Says the captain of the knights. What's the use of your title if you can't even restrain someone less than your own size?"
"Hey, that's low!"
"Try me, Pretty Boy!"
Hyrule sighed, running a palm over his face. "They're at it again…" He turned to Link, who was not paying attention to the bickering. He has the rectangular Sheikah tool on his hands, swiping the glowing smooth surface with a finger. The Traveler leaned slightly, cautious not to overstep the close proximity granted to him, and peered to see what their new member is up to. "What are you doing?"
Link flinched a bit, hands and tool shying away to himself. Hyrule felt guilty and moved back, hoping he did not scare him. Their new member looked embarrassed – the tips of his ears flushed red – before signing a Sorry and gesturing to the Traveler that it is okay. He angled the tool for him to see properly. The tool was lit up, illuminating their faces with a soft glow. Boxes lined up the surface of the object, showing what seemed to be different kinds of raw ingredients. He swiped a few times to the left – this time, showing images of meals.
"Food." Link explained as he tapped the screen with a fingernail. "I got food. Raw ingredients and cooked food." He opened his palm and pressed an image with his other hand. Tendrils of blue light danced above his palm, and a couple of rectangular brown stuff on a leaf materialized. Hyrule could make out chopped pieces of a variety of mushrooms embedded in the compact substance that he saw in the new Link's Hyrule.
"Mushroom Rice Balls." Link said and offered it to Hyrule. The Traveler hesitated at first, but one glance at Link's expectant eyes made him surrender. He gingerly picked up one triangular food while their new member took the other. Across him, Wolfie gave a whine that might translate to Where's mine?
Hyrule watched Link took a bite and waited for any side effects. Nothing happened. After a few seconds of deliberation, he nibbled the topmost corner. Almost immediately, a burst of flavors exploded in his tongue. His eyes widened the size of saucers. "HOLY SHIT!"
That made the quarrel in the background cease, and everyone turned to Hyrule. Legend has a scandalized look on his face because his successor never cusses! It was almost comical, but Hyrule ignored the sudden attention on him as he gobbled up the rice ball. "This is sooww gwood! What thew whell!" He exclaimed between bites. He licked his fingers cleaned, and a whine escaped his throat when he realized that there is not enough. "Where did you buy that? I never tasted anything that good!"
Link's expression was a mixture of mock offense and self-satisfaction. "No, not store-bought." He shook his head then swallowed the last clump of his rice ball. "I cooked them. Why would I buy food when I can cook?"
The Traveler stared at him like he has seen a ghost before smacking himself. Link flinched at how loud it was and was worried if his hand will mark red on his face. "Of course! You can cook. Twilight said so!"
Link tilted his head, glancing at the other Links now staring at them intently. Now that he thinks about it, there are only seven of them when there were supposed to be eight. Then again, how did this Twilight guy know he can cook? He turned to Hyrule to ask when the Traveler beat him to it.
"Guys, guys! You gotta see this." Hyrule gestured enthusiastically at Link and his tool. "He got food."
There was something reverent with how Hyrule said that, and they all turned to Link, who shrunk under their gazes. He gripped the Sheikah Slate against his chest, intent on hiding it from them. Wolfie nudged his snout at the side of his face and huffed, blowing the kid's fringes. The wolf blinked at him, slightly tilting his head at the waiting heroes. Link looked at Wolfie, to the Sheikah Slate, and then to the Links. Little by little, his fingers loosened on the sides of the tool.
"This…this is the Sheikah Slate." He spoke up after a second. "It's a tool that helped me in my journey." He flipped the screen of the Sheikah Slate, and they all leaned forward to see. "While it is useful in combat, it can also store items."
Wind's eyes widened as he peered from Time's side. "Like a bag?"
Link nodded and swiped the screen with practiced ease. He did not even need to see to know which page of his inventory he is at. "It can store anything. Weapons, shields, bow, arrows, you name it. It can also store clothes and food. It cleans my clothes whenever I switch them out and keeps the food fresh and warm. I can store as much as I want." He pulled the Sheikah Slate back and shrugged nonchalantly. "Never tried to find the limit, though."
Link gathered his folded Sheikah attire and set it on his lap. With a tap on the screen, the clothes dissolved into strings of blue light and were absorbed into the Sheikah Slate. There was a collective Oh! from the heroes as he swiped on the screen. He tapped on the Mushroom Rice Balls and offered it to Time, who eyed it with a skeptical look on his face.
"If you guys don't want it," Hyrule plucked one rice ball and took a large bite from it. "I will eawt iwt." He gave them a look as he chewed and swallowed. His eyes almost rolled at the back of his head as the delicious bliss danced on his tongue. "Oh goddesses! This is really, really good!"
The Traveler reached out for the other rice ball, but the Hero of Time snatched it out of his reach. The biologically older Link smirked at him, which earned him a pout and a glare from the younger hero. If Hyrule's reactions are anything to go by, then there is no harm in trying out what their new member is offering. He picked up the rice ball with three fingers, noted the texture and the ingredients that seemed harmless enough before taking a small bite. It did not take twenty seconds before the rice ball disappeared from Time's hand and into his stomach.
The others could only stare in disbelief as the Hero of Time cleared his throat, trying hard not to lick his fingers. "Do you…do you have more?" He tried to keep his voice even but failed to keep the hopefulness from trickling out. "For everyone, I mean."
Link blinked and stared at him before looking down back to his Slate. He could not keep the small smile on his lips as he summoned more Mushroom Rice Balls and handed them to the waiting hands of the Hero of Time. It took less than two minutes for the food to be distributed and even less to stuff their mouths and stomachs with the divine-blessed food. It would not be an exaggeration if some of the Links were close to tears and praying to the goddesses for finally eating not just good food, but the good food. Exultant praises were instantly thrown in Link's direction as the recipient hid his blush behind Wolfie's form.
"We're keeping him." Warriors declared, leaving no room for any protests. Not that any of them would. He lighted up as a new batch of rice balls was passed to him and immediately dug in. "Sweet, sweet Farore! You're a goddess-sent blessing, Link!"
"YES!" Wind cheered, rice grains dotting his cheeks. "No more bland food!" No one seemed offended by Wind's statement as they were all drowning in bliss. Not even Time, who was known for his tasteless cooking.
"Where the hell is the Rancher?" Four asked after swallowing a bite. "He's missing on the good stuff!"
Link did not miss the glance thrown in Wolfie's direction by Time. There was a knowing glint in that lone eye of his. The wolf, on the other hand, was busy chomping on his share gleefully. "Don't worry." He said. "I'm sure he has his share."
The diminutive hero tilted his head at Time before shrugging and concentrating on his second helping. Link watched as Sky scooted closer, his share cradled on his palms like a delicate baby. "The food is wonderful, Link." He bowed his head. "On behalf of the others, I would like to thank you for sharing these with us."
"O-Oh!" If Link could get any redder, he might explode in embarrassment. "It…It's okay, really!" He clasped his hands together, avoiding eye contact. "I…I love cooking." He admitted shyly. "I love it more if I'm cooking for others. It's…it's the first thing I learned since I woke up."
Sky lifted his head and blinked at him. "Woke…up?"
Ah. Link glanced at Hyrule, who was happily munching on a rice ball. The Traveler's reaction to his confession yesterday flashed in his mind. He felt torn at the thought of lying to the heroes who were the reincarnations of this body's original soul. What should he say? They would learn the truth eventually, and when they do, he will be abandoned, whether Hylia wants him to stay with them or not.
"…All shall be revealed to you in due time…."
He shook his head, chasing away the echo of the Goddess' words. He cannot lose it again, not in front of these heroes. He already did twice…and he is so sick of it. He wanted to hide and curl up into a ball, away from the prying and expecting eyes of gods and men, away from Hylia and her heroes. But he could not do that - he has already sunk too deep into the quagmire of a hero's role to hope for escape. His salvation…is there even such a thing as salvation? Does such a thing exist for an artificial soul such as him?
Sky must have noticed how uncomfortable he was with the question and tried to redirect the topic away, but Link has already made up his mind. He cannot lie to them. If Hylia wants him to join their quest, he will do it on his own terms. Maybe he will not be direct to them about the truth, but he will drop hints and blindly hoped that they will piece them together. He already told one Link the truth and did not believe him. For him, that was more than enough.
"He…I mean, I, I died." The words that rolled off his tongue were deceptively truthful, like the calm before the storm – a storm that will unravel his secrets and bare his misplaced soul for them to see and rebuke. "I slept for one hundred years. When I finally woke up, I…don't have any memories. I only have what I witnessed in my journey for almost two years."
The jovial atmosphere stilled so suddenly that one could hear if a pin dropped to the ground. Someone accidentally kicked something metallic – a shield or a sword, perhaps. The clattering noise was deafening, but it did nothing to unfreeze the Chosen Hero staring at him with eyes wide in shock and consternation. He croaked the quietest yet most pained of voices. "Y-You died…and you lost your memories?"
"Yes." Link nodded, ignoring the traitorous voices chanting in his head. Liar. Liar. Liar. He too, cast away the words of the Goddess – soft, insistent, and false. Hero of Hyrule. He pushed them all away, intent on listening to no one but his voice only. "That…I did."