It happened three weeks after that night.
Things were going smoothly. Saval and Irene were helping Zelda with her sealing. Irene had found a book filled with ancient spells and practiced with them every morning, while Saval alternated between watching and sometimes offering advice, and wandering off to help Sahasrahla search for more clues about Majora. In the small yard, they'd moved the picnic table to allow for training.
The clash of swords had alarmed the villagers at first, but Link's friend Bolson--Tessen had stifled a loud snort at the recollection of their own Bolson--had let them know it was simply training. Link had decided that he wanted to see how the boys handled themselves despite their obvious love of academics, and that had turned to training every day. Apparently, having the Hero of the Wild share his tactics and skill wasn't an offer they were willing to turn down--as scholars to study, that is.
Link smirked to himself as he spun out of Hazen's lunge and struck up, knocking the sword from the prince's grip. As he rounded Hazen's back, he came down on Tessen's blade, hard, and the boy buckled. Link reared back to raise his sword high--
The shhing of wind slicing behind him made Link stiffen, and not a moment too soon as the cold bite of steel grazed his neck. He let out a short laugh. "That was fast."
He could hear Hazen's smile. "I managed to hold on to my blade this time."
Link raised his hand, and the prince backed away. Tessen wiped his brow. "Your downward strikes are no joke."
"Heh," Link muttered, accepting the cloth Tessen tossed at him. "When you're up against a massive Lynel with a crusher the size of a fishing boat, you either get strong, or get dead."
"Goddesses," Hazen muttered. "Zelda told me about them, but we never saw any."
"No?" Link asked, sipping his water. The three of them took a break and went to the table, and as Hazen wiped his face, he missed Irene's eyes flicking over his frame. It was a hot day, and his borrowed shirt was soaked through with sweat. And the heat in the witch's face was just the warmth of the sun, surely, Zelda thought, smiling.
Tessen shook his head. "The Alliance wiped them all out before we could pick up a sword. Not that our parents would let us go, anyway."
Hazen laughed shortly, drinking his water. "Not that it stopped us from trying to sneak out."
"And Pipit caught us every time," Tessen chuckled. "Brought us to Zelda like stray pups."
Link watched the two boys with a smile, catching Zelda's eye. Her lips twitched, her fingers going to her belly. "I'm glad," Link said, bringing the boys' attention to him. He raised his eyes to theirs. "I'm glad this world becomes one where monsters like lynels are wiped out, and parents can protect their children."
Hazen nodded, swinging the cloth from hand to hand, his smile becoming a little less carefree, a little more reminiscent. And then it faded altogether.
"Hazen?"
"Goddesses," he whispered, in such a tone that Irene looked up from her book, and immediately called to Saval.
The Twilight princess took one look at her friend and opened her mouth, but he spoke. "I've just remembered--I completely forgot."
He stared at Tessen and Saval. "Hazen, what is it?" Link demanded, gripping his sword.
The prince took a single breath.
"The twins."
For a moment everyone was uncomprehending. Then Saval sucked in a gasp, covering her face with her hands, and Tessen dropped his sword. "Oh, no," he moaned.
"I was supposed to help Zhen with his languages course." Saval spoke through her fingers.
"And--oh, gods, Tetra's going to kill me," Tessen whispered. "I had to babysit Hylia because Paya was busy with Nayvis and Lulu and--"
"Will someone explain what's happening?" Zelda said testily.
Saval got herself together first. "They're our siblings. Hazen has twin brothers, Dinsel and Faroe, and a sister named Nayvis. I've got a twin brother named Zhen, and Tessen has a baby sister, Hylia."
"And we've been gone for who knows how long, and they're probably wondering where we are," Hazen added.
"Not to mention, we've no idea how to get back," Tessen finished, somewhat grimly. Link shared a look with Zelda, who closed her eyes for a moment.
"Listen," she said, taking each of their hands. "None of that matters right now. There's nothing we can do to change it, or let them know where you are. Not yet. As soon as we figure out how to operate the Doors, if we can, then we'll go from there. But for now, we must focus on fighting Majora."
"You said your parents fought in the war, right?" Link said. The three nodded. "Then they won't panic. They'll come at your absences with level-headedness. So I need you all to do the same here. Is that clear?"
It was clear, Link reflected later, that they were just kids. No older than eighteen, perhaps. But they each exchanged a look, and nodded their heads. They'd gone back to their tasks with perhaps more vigor than before, and while Link was sure their families were still very much on their minds, at least they were focused.
For as long as it lasted.
A month later, summer was at its peak. The skies were clear, a blue expanse dotted with puffy white clouds. Below, training had ended for the day, and the afternoon was being spent relaxing. Irene had shed her witch's hat and played with the village dog, who'd smelled Zelda's cooking and come running. Bolson and his crew sat at the fire pit in their usual spot, while the others sat at the table, laughing and drinking and eating.
"It's too long, Hazen, cut it!" Saval was shouting, laughing as Hazen shook his head.
"I'm not cutting my hair, and even if I was, I wouldn't trust any of you heathens with the scissors," he responded, nodding at Zelda. "Except you, Princess."
Saval and Tessen loudly denounced Hazen's sanity, choosing to keep such long hair in this heat. Link simply laughed, fingering the golden strands. "It is awfully long. Are you sure you wouldn't want a trim?"
"Adamant," Hazen said, catching what Zelda flicked at him. "You won't be able to see in battle if you wear it down, you know," she added.
Hazen lifted the hair band with a skeptical brow. "Best to do as she says, lad," Link suggested, lifting his cup. "I've been doing it for years, and I'm still alive."
Hazen snorted, gathering up his hair anyway. "Of course it's her advice that's kept you alive, and not the Hero's battle skills?"
"Important all the same," Link said, whacking Hazen with the serving spoon. "And it's those battle skills whipping you around the sparring circle, isn't it?"
Hazen grabbed the spoon with a grin and began a wrestling match on the ground. Saval and Tessen cheered them on, goading them, while Irene cackled in her chair.
Hazen felt Link grab his wrists and let him, his grin fading into something softer. Irene's earrings caught the sun, glittering blue like her eyes, and her white teeth were spread in a perfect smile.
Had he seen her smile? He couldn't remember. But she was smiling now. He felt his own mouth pull upwards at the sight, and at that moment Irene met his gaze.
Something collided into his chest and he went down. "Ohhh!" Tessen and Saval crowed, and Hazen fell to the ground hard. Link laughed, dusting his hands off, and extended one to Hazen. "First rule: don't let girls distract you," the Hero counseled.
Hazen snorted, letting him pull him to his feet. "You would know," he teased. "You've got the prettiest of them all."
That got a proud grin. Link looked back at Zelda, who'd heard the comments and rolled her eyes. "Yes I do," he said, and his wife laughed.
"So," Tessen said, slinging an arm around Hazen's shoulders. "You got your ass whooped by the Hero, again. How are you going to explain that to your dad?"
"I think he'd be more blown away by the fact that I actually trained with the Hero in the first place," Hazen shot back. "Too bad he's not here."
"He'd die," Tessen agreed.
Saval snorted. "And what about you? Ilayen would open the Doors just to come here himself."
"Gram would love it here," Irene added, nursing a cup of tea. She was relaxed, more than she had been for a long time. But when she looked at Hazen, her chest felt tight. She cleared her throat and looked elsewhere, but it wouldn't go away. She breathed a sigh through her nose, watching the sun sink below some clouds.
And here I thought Link was cute, she thought. He's got nothing on Hazen.
Golden hair, now in a ponytail--because that was good for her heart--lean, muscled frame, blue eyes, and an attitude to match hers. And he was a prince, for the Goddesses' sakes. She rubbed the rim of her teacup, listening to him and his friends rib each other, feeling his eyes drift to her every so often.
Irene tried not to let her chest tighten again, but it did it anyway. She took a deep breath, but it did nothing. So she turned her eyes to the clouds, watching the sunlight fade slowly. As it disappeared, the clouds grew darker--as if growing stronger in the sun's absence.
Irene frowned. It was only mid-afternoon. The air was light, if hot--none of the heaviness, the humidity, that told of a storm on the horizon. And . . . the longer she looked at those clouds, the heavier her chest grew.
Red lightning flashed.
Irene's lips parted.
She stood suddenly, disturbing her tea, but no words came from her mouth. Hazen was the first to notice. "Irene?"
Irene swallowed. "He's here."
The mood of the party was gone. Zelda seized Saval and sent her to Sahasrahla, and Hazen, Link and Tessen grabbed their swords. A hand went to Irene's shoulder, shaking her.
"Irene," Hazen said. "Come on. We need to move. You have to go with Zelda."
More red lightning flashed, and with it a vision from weeks ago--of Sahasrahla's house splintering apart. Of white fire searing her, sending her flying, of the unearthly screech of the mask as darkness took her.
Of waking up to Hazen's blue eyes staring down at her.
Irene jerked under his touch, suddenly able to move. She stumbled away from Hazen and into Zelda. She caught her with a steady hand. "Irene, listen to me. We are their first line of defense. Do you understand? We cannot fail."
Irene met the princess's bright green eyes. And nodded. Lightning flashed again, its rumbling carrying as if over miles, and the sound put strength in her muscles. Zelda was right. They didn't have time to freeze up. She had to protect them--her group.
Her friends.
Part of her wondered if it was early to call them that, but she had no prior experience to go by, and she had to focus, anyway. So she followed Zelda to the bridge, watching the clouds roll in swiftly, carrying their source deep within. "Remember your spells," Zelda said, raising her hands. They began to glow, faintly at first, flickering, and then they exploded in brilliant golden light. It expanded outward, encompassing the entire house, the yard--where the boys were preparing. Irene took a deep breath, raising her own hands.
Water spells first, Zelda had told her. It seemed to work the first time, so they'd hit Majora with all the water they could muster. Between that and the sealing power barring its entrance, Majora would be caught between.
Then Link, Hazen, and Tessen would run out to face it. Link carried the Master Sword, another divine instrument, and the other two had manifested the strongest swords in the Slate's inventory. Saval would fire arrows from behind the barrier any time Majora tried to attack, allowing the boys free movement to give the mask everything they had. Several quivers filled with ice arrows laid against the side of the house.
Irene felt nervous energy fill her from her toes to the tips of her hair, her heart slamming into her ribcage. If they destroyed the mask here, they would wipe out any chance of destruction--whether in Termina, or in the timestream. It ended here, one way or another.
The clouds swept in like a storm, slamming against the barrier. Zelda grunted, her arms straining. "Get ready," she muttered, and Irene summoned all her strength. The clouds roiled against the barrier, as if pushing for entry, and then they parted, and the mask drifted forward.
It was even more nightmarish up close. It stopped just in front of the barrier, hovering in all its creepiness. For one long moment that seemed to last forever, they simply stared at each other. The mask didn't move, or blink, but it seemed to take each and every one of them into account.
The witch, water swirling around her fingers. The princess, encased in a golden halo. The Hero, his Sword glowing blue in the presence of evil. The warrior scholars, swords glinting in the flashes of gold holy magic, of red lightning, of blue sparks from the witch's fingers. And the archer, amber eyes narrowed, ice arrows set to fly.
Again, the mask did not move. And yet it seemed to look down on them, right before letting out the worst screech they'd heard from it yet. A challenge.
And it slammed into the barrier, eliciting a shout from Zelda. "Now!"
The three swordsmen ran out of the barrier, battle cries leaving their mouths, and the mask screeched again, in triumph.
It swept for them, fire blazing around it, and saw the whites of their eyes before cold--horrible, agonizing cold--shocked it into place.
In a flash the three swordsmen had surrounded it, swords raised high, and the mask screeched in rage, in pain, as that blue blade slammed into it. It crashed to the dirt, sending out jets of flame every which way, at the men, at the golden princess, at the bloody archer, anything it could hit.
But they danced out of the way, the witch sending jets of water at the mask to drown it. She gritted her teeth, feeling the strain of the magic pull on her, but it was worth it, because she could see the mask beaten into the dirt, right on the edge of the cliff.
Zelda gasped. "Stop!"
It was too late. Majora slipped off the cliff and flew up, back in the air. Link cursed, bringing the Master Sword point up, and the boys took each others' backs. Majora sent more jets of flame outward, blasting against the barrier in plumes of orange and red. The boys ducked out of the way, sometimes slicing right through them. Hazen slashed downward, his mercurial sword cutting through the fire like it wasn't even there. The flames died out into embers, lighting his face, casting shadows under his cheekbones, around his snarl.
He lunged, taking the right while Tessen dove left. Link dashed in front of them, drawing Majora's fire, and Irene sent a blast of water right into the mask's face. It screeched, following in blind rage, and Tessen ducked down as it sent a plume of fire over his head. Irene aimed her hands higher, casting her spell in an arc and adding power, and the water became high-pressured. It collided with the mask in a boom, one after another, forcing it down to the ground, following it as it tried to escape.
Saval had changed her position, and now she fired another arrow--and another, and another, and as they exploded on Majora, Link leapt into the air and swung down--hard. Sending the mask directly into the boys' path.
Tessen lunged to one knee and Hazen jumped on his back, giving him the momentum to tackle the mask out of the air and onto solid ground--where they could keep it pinned. Irene changed her trajectory, sending a concerned glance at Zelda. She was holding strong, but her skin was pale, and her breathing had quickened. She caught Irene's glance.
"I'm fine," she gasped out. "Focus."
She obviously wasn't, but Irene turned back to the battle anyway. Hazen had been thrown, but he rose, his chest torn by Majora's spikes. Blood seeped through the slices, but he paid it no mind as he ran at the mask again, avoiding its fire. Tessen and Link were distracting it, and the mask was growing frantic. It screeched incessantly, making it feel like Irene's ears were bleeding.
A hand on her shoulder--and there was Saval. "We're almost there!" she shouted. "It's weakening!"
Indeed. The warriors were doing so much damage, and between them and the ice and water, Majora could hardly move. And Link knew it.
With a simple nod, he feinted left, right, and left again, and the mask spun wildly to keep up. But everywhere it turned, Hazen and Tessen were there, beating it back. As it whirled, screaming, Hazen swung his sword over his head in a spin, and the loudest shriek Majora had made yet tore from it, and broke Irene's concentration completely.
She screamed, deaf to her own voice, and fell, holding her ears. Something fell to the grass--the gold glint of an elaborate bow. Looking up, she saw Hazen roll, avoiding a wild jet of flame, and come back up with a colored spike in his hand. And Link made his move.
With the mask trying to kill Hazen, it had forgotten about the Hero. Link sprinted at it from behind, sword leveled for a thrust. Tessen and Hazen kept its back to Link, and Irene's breath stilled in her throat. Just a step closer, just one, just--!
Wind blasted outward from the mask, throwing everyone to their feet. Zelda shouted, her focus broken, and the golden dome above them fell. Their last barrier, gone.
Irene scrambled to her feet, trying to reach Zelda, but the princess screamed, "Behind you!"
At the last moment Irene whirled, and a scream clawed up her throat as giant yellow eyes closed in--
--and the tip of a sword punctured through one of them.
Irene panted, sprawled on the ground, as a boot kicked the mask off the sword and Hazen appeared. He didn't hesitate, simply grabbed Irene's hand and hauled her up. Zelda was on their tail as he led them to the remains of the picnic table, finding--
"Link!" Zelda gasped, falling to her knees.
The hero's breath was ragged, wheezing. Blood leaked from the wound in his side, around the jagged piece of wood stuck in it. "You have to leave," he managed. "It . . . it's calling you."
Clangs of metal and blasts of cold told the group that Tessen and Saval were holding the mask off, but--
"They won't last long," Link said. "This isn't a fight you can win alone--remember that."
"Where do we go?" Hazen demanded.
Link swallowed, pulling something from his hip. The Slate. "This will tell you where to go," he said, spitting blood. "We have to time it right, and you must trust me. When you're all together, press this button."
"Link, are you sure?" Zelda worried.
The hero nodded. "They'll be fine, Zel," he wheezed. "A little nauseous, but they won't be injured."
"Injured?" Irene said, her face uncomfortably warm. Hazen watched her, his blue eyes dark. His fingers raised, swiping her cheek, and came away red. "Your ear is bleeding," he murmured, and Irene swallowed. "Wh--why are going to be injured?" she asked, forcing herself to focus on the issue at hand and not Hazen's fingers against her skin.
"You won't be," Link said firmly. "Now get ready to call your friends--I'm going to prepare your departure."
Irene couldn't tell what he meant at all--but she caught a glimpse of the Slate. The map was opened, a yellow light flashing wildly at a northern part. When Link tapped it, a box opened, with strange markings over it.
"Call them, now," Link insisted, his finger hovering over the highlighted markings. Irene glanced at Hazen, who whistled hard and roared, "Over here! Now!"
Saval and Tessen heard and ran, but so did the mask. Majora was paces behind, but it was fast, and Link shouted, "Hold on to each other and don't let go!"
Hazen seized Irene's hand, Tessen grabbed Saval's, and they slid on their knees right into Hazen's waiting arms. Link's finger tapped the icon, and suddenly there was blue light, blue strings, all around, and Irene felt weightless--
A screech made her look, and found the mask spinning wildly before stopping abruptly. A jet of flame seared from it, a final attack, even as the blue light intensified, and their surroundings--the mask, Zelda's golden power, barring the mask despite her exhaustion, Link's tired smile--started to fade.
Then the orange fire was everywhere, and a scream was all she heard before it all vanished.
Later, Irene would puzzle for hours about how what happened could be possible. But now she simply ran through the forest, the bright sunshine a stark difference to the darkness she'd just fought in.
Strange wood creatures popped up and down everywhere, but Irene's attention wasn't on them. It was on the pulsing, the almost painful pull in her chest towards something, the same feeling she'd gotten in the Lost Woods at home.
The Doors were close.
Her group ducked under a branch and suddenly there they were, hovering in all their glory above a broken stone pedestal. Without a hesitation Hazen pulled them forward, ignoring the little wood creatures and the beautiful ethereality of the place and the truly enormous tree before them--almost throwing them through the Doors--and the last thing Irene heard was a deep voice.
"It's begun . . ."
:)
I hope you enjoyed this, cause I sure did! :3 hehehehe,
Review replies.
To StJames1: bruh. Time shenanigans doesn't even cover it. I thought I was going insane writing the latest few chapters in part three lmfao. Yes they do! As you all know I am a hhhhhHOE for writing happy Zelink (though you wouldn't have guessed it from Empire, AHAH). As for old Hyrule and new Hyrule, well...you know what they say.
Patience, young Padawan.
In other news I legitimately thought I'd have to put this on hiatus bc of some major issues, BUT, they have been resolved (mainly a few glaring plot holes). So yay!
Thank you to those who favorited and followed! Love ya *air fist bumps* :)
I hope y'all stay safe and get vaccinated!! I got my first one last week, arm was a little sore but I didn't feel sick, so that's good. Enjoy your week, and I'll see you on Monday (again)!