Saying Zelda was frustrated was an understatement.

When Verla dropped the news, she and Teba hurried to the village's entrance. Mazli reported that the hero went down straight towards the Rito Stable. He tried to stop him, but Link did not seem to hear him and just kept going. The honey-blond Hylian was mumbling to himself, saying something about a Hero of the Four Sword and how he needed to find him. The two headed to the stable, and the owner, Galli, told them that Link had taken Epona before speeding off towards the Tabanatha Tundra. Only a few quiet words were exchanged between the men before the hero disappeared to the horizon.

Chasing after him on horseback would be pointless, so Zelda decided to intercept her rogue best friend near the Hebra Tower. Teba went with her, and they waited atop for nearly an hour and a half. The moment they saw the familiar brown coat of Link's loyal steed at a distance, it was only a matter of surprising Epona to an abrupt stop. Teba flew down the Sheikah Tower into a controlled nosedive before landing meters in front of the horse. Epona whinnied and reared back, almost throwing off her rider in the process. The princess slid off the Rito Champion's back and marched right towards the hero.

"LINK!"

Zelda is not frustrated. No, she is furious. The princess is infuriated beyond belief because Link had decided to disappear for months. She worries about him every day, only for him to reappear before her, barely clinging to life. At that moment, she realized how scared she was of losing him the second time. Now? He had gone off again by himself in an unstable condition, and Zelda did not know what to do. What should she do?

"What do you think you are doing?"

Zelda snatched the hero's hand off the reins as she persuaded him to look at her. Link did not. Instead, his eyes remained transfixed ahead of him. He was looking at…what? She could not see anything beyond the white-washed landscape that is worth going off to immediately after a period of being bedridden. What does he see?

"Please, Link." The princess pleaded. The exasperation in her voice was drained away by exhaustion and anxiety bottled inside her for months. "Talk to me."

"Four…" If Zelda were not close to Link, she would have missed it. She squeezed his hand as he murmured the same word over and over again. "Four…Four…"

"Link?"

"Four…is here…Must…Must find him…." Link mumbled. She could tell that he had not returned to his previous self yet. Whatever was driving his body to move, it was not him. "Hero of the Four Sword…Find…Find him…"

Hero of the Four Sword? Zelda's lips formed a thin line. Only the name Four rings a bell to her, but not the Hero of the Four Sword. She listened to stories about legendary heroes since she was a child, but some had become vague or lost throughout the ages. Are they the same person? She heard the soft crunch of snow behind her as Teba approached them with a disgruntled expression.

"Link, stop! You're not in the right mind to go out to the mountains." Teba reprimanded. "It's dangerous here right now! We have to go back to the village."

Link's placid expression pulled into a snarl, and he yanked his hand away from Zelda. "Get out of our way!"

Zelda failed to suppress a gasp when the hero turned to them. His usually blue eyes were darker in hue than she remembered as he spoke in the voice of two persons. Fury and exasperation rippled on his features as he glowered at the Rito Champion. Link would never make such an expression before Teba. This is…This is…

"You're not Link." Zelda stepped back and fell into a defensive stance. Her hand drifted to the Sheikah Slate hooked by her hip. She heard the familiar creak of an arrow being drawn behind her. "Who are you?"

The hero's gaze landed on the princess. The change in his expression was as sudden as the colors of his eyes. His face became stoic as purple overtook his pupils. "We are Link." The other voice that mingled with Link's was different from moments ago. "We are him."

Zelda's green eyes narrowed at Not-Link. "No, you aren't." She raised the Ancient Sheikah tool threateningly. Her thumb hovered just above a golden rune. "Who are you? Yiga? Calamity Ganon? What did you do to the real Link? Where did you bring him?"

Frantic red flashed in the scarred man's eyes, and he raised his hands in an attempt to appease them. "W-We're not enemies!" Link exclaimed. "I swear! We're uhhh…." He turned his head to the side as if to speak to someone. "Vio, Blue, help -"

Teba cut him off sharply. "Answer the princess' question, boy." His yellow eyes narrowed at him. "Now."

Link nearly jumped off Epona's saddle when he finally noticed the point of Teba's arrow aimed at him. "Eep! Really! We swear to Hylia! It's not like what you think!" He pleaded. "Let us explain, please!"

The princess scoffed at that. "And what? Tell us that Link was possessed?" Her grip tightened around the Sheikah Slate. "I think you're underestimating us -"

The hero's eyes widened. "N-NO! It's nothing like that!" He fumbled for the right words. "A-Actually, you're right about that one. We're - W-Wait! Blue, you can't -"

"Oh, fuck this!" Link hissed angrily. "We don't have time for this! Green's in trouble, and we're just wasting time -!"

"Red," The anger on the scarred man's expression abruptly evaporated as if it was not there in the first place. "Restrain him. I'm taking the helm for now. We might harm Wild fighting over control like this."

Link paused and hummed as if he had received a favorable response from someone he could only see. Then, he turned his attention back to Zelda and Teba. The princess stiffened at the intensity of his gaze - it reminded her of when the hero was still her appointed knight a century ago. She does not like it.

"I apologize on behalf of my brothers," Link spoke. "We're not used to…this body. It's the first time we had to commandeer a body that isn't ours. It has been an….interesting experience so far." He sat back on the saddle with an expression of general nonchalance on his face. "Either way, the princess is correct. We are possessing Link, but not by our own will."

What? Zelda faltered, her grip on the Sheikah Slate slackened by a margin. Link was…possessed? But that is - She did not understand what was happening but something - A feeling? An instinct? - told her that the words of the person before her were genuine. Whatever entities were possessing Link right now meant no harm.

Still, the princess could not afford to let her guard down. She could feel Teba's keen eyes on them - the Rito Champion had decided to keep his beak shut for now and let her lead. Zelda appreciated the unspoken gesture and more that she could trust someone to watch her back.

"If your claim is true," Zelda glared at him. "Then, get out of him this instant! I don't know who you are, but he isn't yours to possess. He isn't some puppet for you to control!"

The princess said that, but she was not thoroughly convinced. However, there is a grain of truth in every lie. What if they are right? What if she and Teba are wrong, and they accidentally hurt Link? Her jaw clenched at the thought. She needs to buy time and wait for an opportunity to incapacitate this person using Stasis and bring him back to Rito Village. Probably find a way to exorcise whatever had taken control of her 'supposed' best friend.

Link's expression softened as red colored his eyes. "We know," He spoke in a fond voice that took Zelda by surprise. "But we need his help. He's the only one who can save Green."

At that moment, the princess saw Link - her Link - smiling at her. Despite the scars that discolored his face and the darkness he had witnessed, his smile still shone brightly. Perhaps, even brighter than one hundred years ago. Back then, he would only grace her a smile whenever they were alone - when their unwanted responsibilities do not burden them as the blood of the Goddess and the destined hero.

When they are just Zelda and Link.

Zelda blinked away the tears prickling her eyes. This is not the time to be emotional. She tried to muster and project as much authority she could into her voice. "Let's end this farce." She said. "Identify yourself. Tell us who you really are. We won't tolerate any lies. I've beaten up my fair share of monsters and Yiga. Adding another one to the list would be nothing."

Not-Link looked surprised but bobbed his head nonetheless. "I'm Red," His eyes shifted to blue and purple. "Blue, and Vio. We are the three personas of one person. We have many titles, but among our peers, we are best known as the Hero of the Four Sword - a bearer of the Hero's Spirit and wielder of the Four Sword."

"Possessing Wild's body like this shouldn't be possible," Red explained. "He told us he doesn't share the same spirit, yet -"

"- Yet, here we are!" Blue scowled as he crossed Link's arms. He was miffed from being forcefully wrenched away from control earlier. "Accidentally taking over someone else's body that isn't supposed to be our reincarnation."

"This hasn't happened before," Vio added. "This connection is…unusual. Especially the feedback to the Hero's Spirit. Just like how we felt his anger before." He tapped the hero's chin thoughtfully. "Something is going on with the Hero of the Wild…."

Zelda was lost at this point. She could not wrap her head around every word uttered by this Hero of the Four Sword - another legendary hero whose deeds had probably vanished in Hyrulean history. Who is Wild? Who is this Hero of the Wild? Are they talking about Link? Her Link? She needed answers, but she felt this was not the right time to ask. Instead, there is something else more important nagging at the back of her mind...

"Are you…" Zelda glanced at Teba from the corners of her eyes. "The Hylians that the Rito found earlier. Are they you?"

The answer came quicker than the princess expected. "Yes," Red confirmed. "That's us, alright. Though," He rubbed the hero's nape as a sheepish smile decorated the scarred face. "Knowing that our bodies are out there while we're here is kinda…weird."

Zelda could not argue with that. She knows how it feels to have her soul detached from her body. The princess had spent a century confined within Calamity Ganon's body - she could not see, move, or even breath. She is alive, but she does not hunger or thirst for worldly nutrition. She could do nothing but sense and wait for Link to wake up and struggle to finish the inevitable fight she had managed to postpone. It was unreal. Sometimes, she still felt like she had not completely broken free from her malicious prison - her body no longer hers to fully control.

Zelda swallowed the lump in her throat. She decided not to dwell on that thought longer than needed to be and concentrate on the question she had been itching to ask. "Where's Link?"

For a moment, the three personas were silent as they stared at the princess with an inscrutable look. "He's…" It was Vio. "He's fine. He is still asleep - unaware that we are controlling his body in the meantime. We don't actually know how this is possible, but it seems our similar desire to find the other heroes allowed us to resonate like this."

"There are other heroes?"

The princess' eyes widened when Vio nodded in confirmation. Zelda rubbed a gloved hand over her face at the revelation. More heroes shared the same spirit as Link - legendary figures whose deeds were written on history books and sung by bards - who, for some reason, existed in their era altogether. Could it be that Link's disappearance was not purely accidental but a machination of fate? Was Hylia gathering her heroes from across the ages for something? Is it a quest? Is Hyrule in danger once again?

"I could tell that you have a lot of questions, Princess Zelda," The princess opened her mouth to ask how he knew who she was, even though she had not introduced herself first, but Vio beat her to it. "We saw a brief glimpse of Wild's - Link's memories. They are…" He trailed off and furrowed Link's eyebrows. Finally, he shook his head. "Forgive us. It isn't any of our business to prod into such matters."

Link grabbed Epona's reins and turned his purple eyes to the snowy path ahead. His impassive expression betrayed his worry for their missing companion. "We must go. As much as we want to answer your queries, our brother needs us more. We could sense danger lurking wherever he is right now."

"Your brother…" Zelda said. "His name is Green?"

Link's head bobbed in confirmation. The princess could tell that they were getting antsy by the second. She could see the strain on his face - the blue one was already at the limits of his patience and tried to snatch control from his kin. Epona seemed to share the sentiment as she pawed the snow restlessly, eager to continue her interrupted run.

"If that's the case," Zelda hooked the Sheikah Slate at her side and reached up to grip the hero's arm. "I'm going with you."

Link's eyes flashed into three colors in quick succession. Before the Colors could voice out their protests, the princess had haphazardly stepped on the remaining space on the stirrup and hauled herself up behind him. She even ignored Teba's squawks of complaints as she balanced near the croup of the mare.

"Move," Zelda ordered. "I'm not going to let you go with Link's body. Your claim of having the same spirit is inconclusive until I hear it from Link himself. If you try to do anything funny," She purposefully nodded at the fretting Rito Champion's direction. "I can assure you that your bodies will not be left unscathed. Link is very important to us, after all."

It is strange to see an uncharacteristic horror in Link's face. The hero seemed to fear so little that the princess could not help but be worried for him. Even so, that expression was satisfying - it only means that they understood that her threat was not an empty one. Zelda will never make empty threats for Link's sake.

"Besides," The princess patted the Sheikah Slate attached to her hip. "It would be better for us to teleport. It's faster this way. We'll reach our destination - wherever that is - in a matter of minutes."

The Colors stared at her as if seeing her in a new and dangerous light. They seemed to debate among themselves for a couple of seconds before finally relenting to the princess' demands. They are in an unfamiliar Hyrule - it would be good to bring someone who could guide them. Plus, the Colors already wasted precious time just to convince this era's princess that they are not enemies. Teleporting would be advantageous despite its undesired side effects. They moved Link's body forward to give the princess enough space to settle on the narrow saddle behind him. Zelda turned to Teba, who was looking at her with concern.

"Princess, I don't think this is wise." The Rito Champion glared at whatever was possessing Link right now. The Colors flinched at the intensity of that gaze. "If something happens to you - "

Zelda shook her head and flashed him a winning smile. "I'll be fine, Teba. So, please keep an eye on our new 'friends' while I'm out." She stressed the word 'friends' to emphasize a point. "I'm sure they don't want to find themselves hanging by Vah Medoh's wings when they wake up."

That earned her a subtle curve of the Rito Champion's beak. A menacing promise glinted in his yellow eyes. "Of course." He bowed slightly. "I will make sure they'll be on their best behavior during their stay in the village."

The Colors would be lying if that was not terrifying. Are all the people of Wild's era like this? Link's throat gulped as Vio and Red nearly shoved Blue into the helm. The blue-eyed hero cursed under his breath and dared to address the princess behind him. "Let's go uh...Ma'am?"

"Yes," Zelda's smile only grew. If there is such a thing as a feral princess, this Zelda might be that one. "Let's."