Malon sighed as she weeded her garden out front, idly wondering what trouble her idiot husband had gotten himself into this time. She supposed most wives would be out of their minds with worry if their husbands vanished for a month without a word, and she'd be a liar if she said she wasn't a little concerned, but she had complete faith in her Fairy Boy. He'd come home before, he'd do it again.
She sighed. "I wish I knew where he was, at least…" She gazed at the clouds chugging by. "Just be safe, Link…"
A sudden gust of wind blew her favorite sunhat off her head, and she quickly turned to catch it, only to find a familiar tan hand had already done so. Her heart skipped several beats as a familiar deep voice spoke. "Careful. I know you love that hat."
A wide grin spread across her features as she fought back the tears. "Of course I love it, Fairy Boy. You made it for me."
Link swept her up into a massive hug and lifted her off the ground. She laughed, joy overtaking her as she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him into a passionate kiss.
A knot that she hadn't even felt forming uncoiled from around her heart. He was home. He was safe and he was right here with her. She buried her face into the crook of his neck, letting the scent of the forest and iron wash over her. "Idiot. I was worried."
"I'm sorry. I'll ask Hylia to let me leave a note, next time." He chuckled as he buried his face in her hair, his breath hot on her scalp.
An awkward cough caught her attention as she realized he wasn't alone. She peaked around him to spot a literal herd of boys—ages ranging from child to young adult. "And who have we here?" She didn't bother moving from her position against Link.
"Malon?" One of them questioned. "I thought for sure it was Zelda."
She turned her gaze back towards her Fairy Boy. "What trouble have you gotten yourself into this time?"
"Come on, I'll explain inside." Link took her by the hand and led her back inside, sitting her down on the couch. The other boys followed him inside with various levels of unease. The one with the scars—and by Hylia, how did this boy get such horrific injuries?!—seemed the most uncomfortable, right alongside the brown-haired one. The scarred youth kept gazing at the things in their home like he'd never seen them before.
In fact, that one with the red tunic acted a lot like how Link did when he was younger—cautious and prickly, like a wounded animal. A trickling inkling of something wandered into her mind as she took another look at the boys. Similar hair colors or facial structures were among some, but others—like the brown haired one—looked completely different. Relation was out.
But there was something about them—a shine in their eye that Malon couldn't help but relate to her Fairy Boy. "You're all heroes, aren't you?"
The group startled, and Link just gave a half chuckle. "You're too sharp sometimes, dear." He gave her a small kiss on the cheek before gesturing towards the boys. "These are incarnations of the Hero's Spirit throughout time. This is Sky—the oldest of us—and that's Green, Red, Vio, and Blue—who was the last known hero before me. They collectively go by Four when merged—I'll explain later. I apparently broke the timeline several times, so in the one where we are now, we have Twilight. In the timeline I left behind, we've got Wind. We're pretty sure Warriors is the hero that came after Wind, but we aren't sure yet. And in a third one—where I fell—we have Legend and his successor, Hyrule." He then gestured toward the scarred youth. "We're not sure which timeline Wild is from, or if he's from a fourth one, but he's the farthest down the line of any of us."
She took a moment to let everything settle in. "Well, it looks like this time, trouble has found you." Malon laughed a little to hide the unease she felt at this. A new journey meant new dangers, and she wasn't sure what she'd do if anything happened to her Fairy Boy. "So, then, if you're all the hero, I imagine you must all have similar names, hence the nicknames my husband listed off." She eyed her husband. "So what's yours?"
"Time. Since I'm called the Hero of Time, we thought it was fitting."
"Ah, so when we have kids, they can call you Father Time?" Malon laughed as Time joined her. "All jokes aside, you're all welcome to this home. Though I'll expect you to help out a bit."
"I can cook?" Wild offered tentatively.
"He's the only one who can." Time whispered into her ear.
"So you all suffer from the same cooking inability as my Fairy Boy."
"Fairy Boy?" Hyrule muttered to Legend, who gave a shrug.
Time sent her a miffed look. "I haven't seen you for six months, and this is how you greet me? Poking fun at my cooking skills?"
"You'd have to have cooking skills for that." She corrected him, causing a few of the boys to laugh. Time just gave her a lopsided smile.
"Well, I've got plenty of other skills?" He offered.
"Oh yeah?" She quirked an eyebrow as a coy smile spread across her face. "Like what, your ability to fall into the water whenever you try to fish?"
He ignored the laughter of the other boys. "No, I was thinking of the ability to devour all your peach cobbler in the blink of an eye!" He made to get up and head for the kitchen, but she quickly put a stop to that.
"You set one foot in that kitchen, Mister, and I'll put cherries in your pies for a year." She warned him, enjoying the way he flinched lightly at the name of his most hated kind of pie. She eyed the boys. "Now, why don't you show them what they can do to help out while Wild and I get started on dinner?"
"Okay, okay." Time held his hands up in surrender before he quickly stole another kiss. She sent him a small smile as she shooed him out of the house. Once the others were gone, she turned her gaze towards Wild.
"Well, now, let's get started. Have you anything in mind? I know what my Link likes, but the others?" She put an apron on and handed one to the boy, who blinked at it with uncertainty for a moment before copying her actions. She laughed a little as he struggled to tie it, and came over to lend him a hand. She made sure to tie it slowly so he could watch her.
Then, just like a young child, he curiously undid the bow and attempted to do it himself. It took him a couple of tries, but he eventually managed to make a somewhat loose and lopsided bow. He smiled a bit, pride shining in his eyes.
"Yes, just like that! Wonderful!" Malon beamed, and he startled, as if he'd forgotten she was there. She stifled the urge to giggle at his expression. "So, eating preferences?"
Wild looked a little lost before shaking his head. "Uh… the others aren't really picky… Green hates peppers with a passion, and I'm pretty sure Vio's allergic to mushrooms. I believe Sky may be allergic to brussel sprouts, and Warriors won't go near eel with a lizalfos spear. Oh, and Legend isn't a big fan of fish."
"Okay, so that rules out peppers, mushrooms and seafood." She paused. "What's 'brussel sprouts'?"
"Something that apparently only exists in Legend's Hyrule." Wild shrugged.
She hummed a bit as she thought. "I think I know just what to make." She grinned as she got out the ingredients they needed. Wild was a little unsure around some of her tools and supplies, but ultimately settled into their routine wonderfully.
They danced around the kitchen, putting everything together. Time was right—Wild was actually a good cook. But it was pretty obvious to her that he wasn't used to cooking with anyone.
"Do you like cooking?" She asked as they whipped up the batter for dessert.
"Oh, yes." He grinned, scars stretching in what looked an almost painful manner. "It's something I learned soon after my journey started! I love it!"
"You wouldn't believe all the little things my husband learned on his journey, but none of them were cooking." Malon chuckled, taking a damp cloth and wiping the flour from Wild's cheek. He blinked owlishly at her before flushing red.
"I learned everything I know on my journey." He hesitated a moment. "I… I lost my memories of before. So I've only got these last three years."
Her heart stuttered in her chest. No wonder this child acted like… well, a child. This boy… he had nothing? "What about your family?"
"If I had one, they're dead now." He set down the bowl he'd been mixing with a bit of a despondent look.
Malon couldn't help herself as she set down the wooden spoon and pulled Wild into a hug. He stiffened. For a moment, Malon feared she'd done the wrong thing, and made to pull away, but then she felt his fists clench her apron. Wild melted into her embrace.
She pulled him in a little closer when she felt him shaking a little, and gently ran her fingers through his hair. She hummed a melody she learned from her husband as she flipped to what her husband affectionately called her 'mother mode'.
"Is this… what a mother feels like?" Wild whispered softly under his breath. Malon wasn't sure if she was supposed to hear it or not, but it broke her heart regardless.
She caught the concerned gaze of Legend watching them through the window, and she discreetly shook her head. He nodded and backed off, likely to keep the others from interrupting them. She was sure Wild wouldn't appreciate the others seeing him like this.
Wild finally started to calm down enough for her to slowly let him go. He hastily swiped the remaining moisture from his eyes with an embarrassed flush. "Don't you dare apologise." She cut him off when she saw him open his mouth. He shut it with a startled look. "It doesn't matter if you're from this time, or a hundred years from now. I'm here for you. If you need anything, you come to me. I don't care how little you think it is. Can't sleep? Don't feel good? Just plain frustrated because you can't find one specific rock you saw yesterday? You come to me, Wild. And I'll be here for you. I don't care what it is, because I care about you."
He stared at her with a sense of awe. "B-but you just met me?"
"And?" Malon crossed her arms. "Just because we just met doesn't mean I can't love you. And let me let you in on a little secret." She lowered her voice to a whisper. "A mother's love knows no boundaries. Not time, blood nor even death." She gently ruffled his hair, which had fallen from its rather horridly done ponytail. She vowed to show him how to do a better one, especially since he seemed the type to go out and intentionally find trouble. "Now, come on. This food isn't going to cook itself!" She held up her spoon as Wild picked up his own. He tapped his spoon against hers almost like it was a subconscious reflex. He blinked for a moment before Malon tapped hers back against his.
Wild relaxed for a moment before his eyes completely went blank. All movement stilled and she frowned, waving a hand before his face. Had she… done something wrong? It didn't seem quite the same as when she'd accidentally induced a flashback from her husband—buying that clock had been a bad idea, apparently (in her defense, he hadn't told her about Termina yet by that point). After a minute or two where she progressively grew more worried, Wild shook himself out of it.
"There you are." She sighed in relief as he blinked back a few more tears. He then hugged her as tightly as he could.
"I remembered her." He whispered. "I… I did have a mom. And we cooked together. You… you feel like she did."
Malon felt inexplicably touched. "I'll always be here for you, Wild."
"I know." He smiled into her apron. "I know."
Malon's boys—because they were undoubtedly hers, now, regardless of timelines and heritage—had been there for a couple of weeks, and based on what her husband had told her, they could be pulled away at any given moment without warning. She'd managed to make a lot of progress with Wild—the boy had come to her just last night with a nightmare.
He'd silently padded into her and Time's room and gently poked her awake. Her movement had awoken Time, and the hero had been more than a little surprised to see Wild standing there. Wild had hesitantly looked at Time before turning his attention back to Malon.
"What's wrong?" She'd asked him, watching as he'd shifted from foot to foot.
"Nightmare." It was all he'd said, but apparently it was plenty more than what Time had been used to. Without question, she'd opened the covers of the bed and scooched over, allowing Wild to climb in next to her as she wrapped him in a protective embrace.
"I'll keep the nightmares away from you." She'd promised. "Get some rest." Wild had slept soundly the rest of the night.
Time sat down beside her, startling her out of her thoughts. "They're all outside, enjoying the sun." He explained. "Wild seems full of energy. I don't think he's had a proper night's rest in years."
"I imagine not." She sighed. Wild hadn't told her much, but he'd confessed a few things to her about his Journey. That he was alone and could only rely on himself. That someone he'd seen as a friend had literally stabbed him in the back. That the only people he could really consider friends were 'busy with other things'. She wasn't sure about that last part, and urged him to reach out to them when he was able. Perhaps they were giving him space that they thought he needed, much like how she'd noticed the other Links tended to do. The only true exceptions seemed to be Legend and Hyrule. Even her own Fairy Boy seemed to hesitate a bit, unsure of how to approach the lonely child.
"I've never seen him so relaxed." Time mused, a gentle upturn of his lips told her he was somewhat lost in thought. "That kid's been on edge since we met him. He's only just started warming up to us."
"Sometimes a mother's touch is all you need." Malon laughed a bit under her breath.
"I hope he'll let us in, soon." Time sighed. "He needs some light in his life. We don't know anything about his journey, but we know it wasn't nice."
"When has a hero's journey ever been kind?" She sent him a look.
"Well, it's been kind to my wallet." He chuckled a bit. "You wouldn't believe all the rupees I've found in the grass or abandoned chests deep in dungeons."
"Well, that's because nobody's stupid enough to go into those dungeons." They sat together, content in one another's presence. "You're going to have to leave soon." She leaned against him.
"Yes." He wrapped an arm around her shoulder.
"I really wish you wouldn't go off on these dangerous journeys." She didn't want him to leave and never return.
"Believe me, if I had a choice…"
"I know." She pulled him into a gentle kiss, savoring the taste of apricots and apples as she ran her fingers through his soft locks of hair. "Just promise me you'll be careful."
"As careful as I can be." He nodded as he got up and held out a hand towards her. "Come on, we should make sure Wild isn't riding some deer into our stables again." He chuckled, drawing a small smile from her.
The sun was shining, bringing with it the warmth of early summer. The eleven other Links were lounging in the sunshine. Wild and Hyrule were quietly debating something while Legend shot them both an amused look, like he had no intention of stopping the trouble they were no doubt going to cause.
For a moment, everything was calm. Then, Wild's head whipped up, eyes wide. "Another portal?" Vio asked, raising an eyebrow.
"That isn't Hylia." He whispered aloud. It was the last thing he managed to say before a bright flash of malicious purple light took all twelve of them from her, leaving Malon standing alone in the field.