Link looked up and studied the choked sky. The sporadic canopies of Hyrule's world were a stark contrast to the lush ones he was used to in his Hyrule. Travelling through a jungle often gives him a tranquil yet lonely feeling but treading in this forest brings about a different sense of loneliness. It is longing yet, at the same time, sorrowful. He has heard snippets of Hyrule's journey during last night's Spiced Meat Skewers that he had in his inventory. Their Hyrules are not so different from each other, and he could sense the beginnings of camaraderie with his fellow wanderer.
He trusts Hyrule, maybe not as much as Wolfie, but it was more than he could give the others…yet. It did not bother him much that he did not believe him the first time than he expected, but there are still ways to go for them to properly form a bond. They are neither friends nor acquaintances but somewhere in-between, and Hyrule did not seem to mind it for now. That, and Link would have cooked something a bit fancier and healthier, perhaps Gourmet Poultry Pilaf, but their host was keen on not making him overwork anytime soon.
Yesterday was uneventful compared to the day before. Perhaps due to the fact he did not go apeshit crazy the third time that week. Not that he can blame them walking on eggshells around him. He is a ticking time bomb that explodes and respawns faster than one can blink. He remembered how pale Sky's face is after his so-called revelation and how his shoulders and hands trembled as the words, I am sorry. This is all my fault spilled from his lips in a broken tune.
Link failed to comprehend at first why he was apologizing. He did not do anything wrong except trying to make him touch the Master Sword, but he had already made his intention of not doing that known. He wanted to ask, but the man stood up and left in the guise of needing fresh air. No one stopped him, and no one breathed a word about it. Sky did not return until dinner and stayed at the edge of the camp the rest of the night, unable to look at him in the eyes.
Link remained confused until Hyrule explained to him in hushed tones that Sky is the earliest among them, right before the land of Hyrule they know is called as such. He was the one who reforged the Master Sword to what it is in the present and sealed a wicked entity called Demise, who later cursed the blood of Hylia's incarnate and the Hero's Spirit into an eternal cycle of reincarnation and bloodshed. While not vocal about it, Sky blames himself for all the terrible misfortunes his reincarnations suffered from. It was because of him that they were marked to a life of fighting before they were even born, though the others never considered it his fault for not foreseeing and preventing the curse. It was never his.
Still, Link did not understand. If there is anyone that Sky has to apologize to, it is not him. It is the real Link – the true owner of this body that died protecting his liege and accomplishing his duty as a knight and hero. He is not him. His soul is not of the Hero's Spirit. Those words of apology meant nothing to someone like him…and they never will.
After finally getting an 'okay' from the resident healer of the group, they finally decided to clear the camp and find their way to civilization the next day. Wolfie left sometime during the night and has yet to return. Link changed into his Hylian set and sent the borrowed clothes in his Sheikah Slate to clean. He later found out that they were Legend's and thanked the Veteran who waved it off coolly.
As they marched through the forest, Hyrule hovered close to him at the rear and would often check him over for any sign of fatigue. They would stop for a break every hour per the Traveler's request, even though Link insisted that he can hold out longer. He appreciated their consideration of his health, but it is unnecessary. He faced more hopeless situations than getting sick and even worse than fighting against monsters while sick. That, and the heroes are adamant not to go against their healer. After the fifth try, he gave up and let them be, much to Hyrule's not-so-subtle satisfaction.
They are on their sixth break when the smallest Link, Four, joined them as he showed Hyrule his inventory. He lent him one of his Ancient Short Swords, watching in mild amusement how the Traveler ogled at the blade. Four walked to Hyrule's side, eyes trained at the glowing blade. Noticing the owlish interest of the Smith, the healer passed the sword to the Smith after Link gave his permission at his request.
"This is incredible…" Four breathed as he ran a finger on the blunt side of the Ancient Short Sword. He lifted it against the midday sun, marveling how the glowing blade appeared translucent against the light. "I've never seen anything like this."
"Robbie invented it." Link answered from his perch on a low-lying boulder. He has to double-check it beforehand to see if it is a Stone Talus or just an ordinary chunk of rock. "He's a Sheikah researcher in Akkala and had been studying the Guardians made by his ancestors ten thousand years ago. That sword is a product of a hundred years' worth of research on his part. It's one of my favorites."
Hyrule tilted his head questioningly. "What are Guardians?"
"Did you see those structures with eyes and legs on the Great Plateau?" When Hyrule nodded, Link took that as his cue to continue. "Those are just one variation of Guardians. There are lots of them. They're actually Ancient Sheikah technology meant to assist in the fight against Calamity Ganon." He looked down and wrung his hands together on his lap. "That is their original purpose anyway, but when Calamity Ganon appeared on the day of the princess' seventeenth birthday, it took control of the Guardians and sent them amok. That was one hundred years ago."
The Smith lowered the blade to look at him. There was an indescribable expression on his face. "Are you…are you really over a hundred years old?"
That question made several heads turn in their direction. Link would have snorted if he did not remember that these people are not versed about his Hyrule and its rich tales from the past one hundred years. He decided to humor them, not spitefully, of course, but to have a wee bit of revenge for making a wanderer like him take too many breaks than should be legally allowed.
No. This body is. My soul is not. Link wanted to answer that, but he feared that Four would not believe him like Hyrule did, and technically, he is over a hundred years old. That is, biologically speaking. He doubted age matters to the spiritual side of things. "Yes." He nodded slowly. "I'm one hundred and eighteen."
Link watched Four's expression morphed from skepticism to understanding, then fascination, and finally, curiosity. It was not just him – Link is mystified of the Smith. He paid him more attention than the others since yesterday's lunch as the latter is not included in his Does-not-trust-these-Links list. Four seems keen not to share his journey with him yet but does not keep his distance either. If anything, they shared the same curiosity about each other.
There are times he would catch him staring unabashedly with eyes glittering violet-black under the shade of the overhang. Other times, his eyes would have that green sheen and even a warring mixture of red and blue. He has seen his eyes changed colors frequently whenever the Smith is studying him that he thought he was imagining things or the light playing tricks on his addled mind.
Now, he is sure that is not the case. He watched Four's eyes changed colors from blue, green, red, and violet in a span of seconds. "So, your Princess Zelda's over a hundred too?"
"Yes. A hundred and nineteen, to be exact." Link tilted his head. "Do you have a Princess Zelda too?"
"Yes. We call her Dot to distinguish her from the other Zeldas. Sky has Sun, Wind has Tetra, Hyrule has Dawn and Aurora, and so on."
Link's head snapped to Hyrule. "You have two?"
The Traveler scratched his cheek. A faint blush coloring his freckled cheeks. "It's…it's a long story." He leaned against the boulder and tilted his head upwards to look up to Link. "How about yours? What nickname would you give your Zelda?"
Link pondered the question. What would he give Zelda? What nickname would she like? He looked down at the Slate on his lap. Is he even allowed to give her a nickname? He is not her knight, after all. He is not her Link. Would not giving her a nickname be a sign of disrespect to the real Link?
At the back of his head, a voice sneered. Are you not ridiculing him already by possessing his body?
Four must have noticed his face shifted to something somber and kicked Hyrule at the shin. The Traveler yelped in surprise and glared at the Smith but did not retaliate. He knows he deserved that. Four walked to Link and waved the Ancient Short Sword in front of his face. The movement drew Link away from his stupor and scowled at him.
"Hey, you cooking? It's almost lunch, and I'm hungry." The Smith tossed a look at the Traveler. "I'm sure our resident healer will agree that you're fit enough to cook."
Hyrule gaped at him, and Four's blue eyes dared him to refuse. Sensing this is a fight he cannot win, especially with his earlier blunder, he rubbed a palm on his face and sighed. "Fine, but someone has to assist you. My point of not overexerting yourself still stands."
Four handed the sword back to Link, who was watching the exchange with suspicion and amusement. "I'll do it. I can follow instructions." He side-eyed Link with a mischievous smirk. "Of course, I call first dibs on the food. The assistant has the right, you know. Especially this is the first time you'll be cooking for us."
That immediately raised a lot of eyebrows and complaints, with Wind and Hyrule being the most vocal about them. If there is anything that the Links could bond the easiest with, that is food. Good food. "You totally plan for this, didn't you Smithy?" Hyrule accused.
Four shrugged nonchalantly, but Link saw through those blue-violet eyes. "Dunno what you're talking about." He turned to their newly appointed cook. "Right, Link?"
Link let a teasing smile quirked on his lips. Three can play a game. "Second. I'm the chef."
The Smith's eyes flashed red, and he crossed his arms with a pout. "Fine. Can't argue with that."
Link chuckled lightheartedly and leapt off the boulder. He stretched a bit, popping a few joints here and then, before leading the Smith to the center of the clearing. He summoned two bundles of wood, two flints, his trusty kitchen implements, and the ingredients for the dish he decided to make – two blocks of goat butter, three whole chunks of raw gourmet meat, a bottle of Goron spice, and seven cups of Hylian rice. The Smith watched on with an enthralled look on his face as the items materialized from strings of blue light and accepted some of the items proffered to him.
He instructed Four, who happily obliged, to help him light two campfires and taught him how to rinse the rice a few times until the water is not too murky, grease the bottom of the cooking pot with goat butter, and measure the right amount of water for cooking. He also taught him how to watch the intensity of the flames and keep the cooking to a simmer to prevent burning the rice.
While Four went on his task, he heated another cooking pot on the second campfire and cut the raw gourmet into briskets. Once the pot is ready, he proceeded to cooking the meat, pouring a few cups of water, and adding half a bottle of Goron spice. He sealed the pot with a lid, checked the Sheikah Slate for the estimated time, and proceeded to clean his cooking equipment.
They worked with relative ease as if it was not the first time they have done this. Their quiet conversation melded easily with the background chatter of other Links – many of whom have gathered to watch them flit around their working station. Link welcomed the attention - he is used to being watched on while cooking in his Hyrule. Whenever he stopped by a stable, and he is not exhausted enough to conk out on a soft bed, he would cook a feast and share them with the stable hands and anyone who came by to stay for a while. It is his way of thanking them for looking after his horses, and in return, they would inform him about anything, especially if the Yiga is involved.
"That's a nifty magical tool to have."
Link looked up from his Sheikah Slate to see the man with a pelt standing over him. He and Four are just waiting out for the food to finish cooking and are currently resting and chatting under the shade of a tree. Twilight, he reminded himself of his nickname, sat across him while the others flocked the cooking pots in uncontrolled anticipation. Among all of the Links, Twilight seemed to be the most far-off. He is often away to who-knows-where and just pops out when you least expected. He was the only one who managed to tail him when he was on the run, and Link was not even aware of it.
There is something intimidating about him, maybe even more than Time, and familiar. He could tell that the man holds secrets that are not meant to be learned, and he did not like it. There are so many reasons why Link must be wary of the man, and listing them would take a century. Maybe he was assuming things, which makes sense since he has yet to know and trust everyone here well enough, but he would rather be cautious than bite the dust tragically later.
The Smith seated beside Link simply peered at the Hero of Twilight before returning back to admiring the Ancient Bladesaw that its owner procured from his Slate. There was a glint in those blue-green eyes of the smallest Link that had Twilight scooting away from the glowing weapon-of-war. Link would be lying if he did not find that hilarious.
"Uh, yeah." Link nodded, tapping a fingernail on the dimming screen of the Slate. "But it isn't magic. It's technology."
"Tech…nology?" Twilight blinked. "What's that?"
"It's science-y stuff." Link shook his head bashfully. "Sorry. I'm not the best one to explain it. Zelda could but…uhh, she's not here, and we're not in my Hyrule, so…."
The Rancher hummed. "I understand."
An awkward silence followed between the two that made Four raise an eyebrow at Twilight. If the Rancher did not know the Smith any better, he would not have realized that Four was laughing internally at his pathetic attempt to interact with the new Link. Their new member might have a neutral stance about the two of them, but that does not mean earning his trust would be easier. He glared at the Smith, which the latter returned with a roll of his blue eyes and a knowing smirk.
"Hey, Link." Four called out. "You have other inventions that your Sheikah researcher friend made?"
Link pondered for a moment as he skimmed through his Slate. "I already showed you the sword, shield, spear…Ah! How about these?" With one tap, he produced a golden-brown bow with its limbs folded inwards. With a press of a button, the bow sprung open to a length almost similar to his height. The bowstring glowed in blue – a contrast to the glowing orange circles embedded on the body of the bow.
"This is the Ancient Bow and this," A strange-looking arrow unlike they had ever seen before materialized on Link's lap. It was brown, with a circular shaft etched with the snaking designs they have seen on the Sheikah structures of Link's Hyrule. "Is an Ancient Arrow."
Link passed the bow to Four's waiting hands and picked up the arrow. He flipped open a lid at one end of the shaft and pulled a circular hook hidden inside. A glowing blue tip similar to the blade of the Ancient Short Sword swiveled out and clicked into place, completing the true appearance of the arrow.
"Amazing…" Four reached out for the arrow, which Link generously handed to him. He stood up, slotted the arrow in place, and posed for an archery stance. He swiveled in a mock aim, earning some jumpy reactions from those whom the arrow was pointed at. He dropped the stance and grinned at Link. "If we returned to your Hyrule, you gotta bring me to meet Robbie."
Link chuckled. "Sure. But be careful with that arrow. That thing can kill everything with just one shot."
Four sputtered. "What? One shot?" He separated the arrow from the bow and pointed it to Link with a warning frown. "You better not be kidding me."
"No, no. I'm serious!" He reached out and took the bow and arrow off the Smith's hands, navigating his face away from the tip of the arrow while doing so. "It's actually meant to combat Guardians. If used on monsters, they would die instantly but not drop loots." He sent the weapons back to the Slate and shrugged. "What a pity, really."
Four tapped his foot, a thoughtful expression on his face. "That's still a really powerful weapon to have. Would have made our journeys a breeze if we have those."
Link gave him a sympathetic smile. "I have a limited supply, so I only use them when necessary. Getting the required materials to craft them is difficult and dangerous."
The Smith hummed thoughtfully. "That's fair, I guess. Great power means great responsibility and all that philosophical nonsense."
That cracked Link up. His laughter echoing across the dreary forest and drawing the others' attention. Four grinned smugly and threw a triumphant look at Hyrule, who gave a thumbs-up. Mission Getting-To-Know-New-Link-And-Making-Him-Feel-At-Home is progressing well…for Hyrule and Four. The others have yet to try their hand, but none of them are in a rush.
Four noticed the lids of the cooking pots shook slightly and hustled their new member on asking if they are done and what to do. He glanced at Twilight, who was looking a tad dejected, then to Link, who had stood up and is on his way to check their meals. "Hey, Twilight. Help us distribute the food, will you?"
Twilight looked up to Four in surprise. There was a searching look on his face, and the Smith cocked his head in the direction of the new Link. They might not be in a rush to get to know this new Link, but it does not mean they are going completely solo. They are a team, and Four thinks it is time for him to pass the baton to the next person who needs it the most. A flicker of understanding shone in the Rancher's eyes, and he flashed a grateful smile.
Twilight stood up, and Four patted him on the back. "Good luck, Rancher."
"Thank you."