Hello everyone! Here is another chapter for Lost! I apologize for it being a lot shorter this time around, but my mind has been running blank and writing this chapter was definitely a struggle. Thank you all for reading, favoriting, and reviewing! I will try my best to update at least once a week, depending upon my school schedule. Love you all~!

-WingedIceWolf

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE LEGEND OF ZELDA OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS!

DISCLAIMER 2: THIS IS NOT A LINK X LINK FANFICTION!

Link took a deep inhale and held it, clenching his fists tight and trying to remain calm. The frustration that had begun to bottle up within him, burning in his core, began to eat away at him, bit by bit, chipping away at his patience. He wanted to scream, demanding answers to questions that turned over and over again in his head. He wished he had all the pieces of the puzzle laid out in front of him, the last step remaining being piecing them together.

All his life, secrets were kept from the Chosen Hero. All his life, the truth was shrouded in mystery, but before it could be unveiled, he was thrust into the center of the conflict. All his life, he had done as told without much rebuttal or question. All his life, the world beat and broke him again and again, but he brushed the dirt off himself and kept going with a smile.

Why?

Because that's what Heroes do. Every Hero had the right to bleed, the right to cry, the right to cast aside all hope. But in the end, the true Heroes were the ones who kept going with courage in their hearts, one foot after the other, one step at a time.

Why should now be any different? The truth would come to Link if he pushed through to the end instead of wallowing in his own self-pity. There were more important matters than sulking.

He forced a smile and let out his choked back breath in a slow, exhale, ears focusing upon the waters trickling between rocks, the chirping of crickets, the hoot of the owls, and the whisper of the breeze. He felt the cold breeze brush by him yet again, the heat of the torch warming his numb feet. The Hero caught the scent of fallen leaves upon the wind, but also the smell of burning wood brought across the woodlands from the chimneys within Ordon.

At least Ordona answered one question for me. Wild is from the future… From an era that has nearly forgotten mine…

His sapphire blue eyes fluttered open, taking a few seconds to adjust to the torch within the ground before him. Wrapping his cloak tighter around his shoulders, he bent down, pulling the torch from the ground, and starting back toward the path. The flaming tree limb lit the forest around him in an orange, flickering glow as he navigated, leaning against the rock walls that surrounded the woods and allowing his right hand to course across the rough surface.

The spirits refuse to tell me his entire story… Perhaps the Gods have a tie in this as well. Link thought to himself with an inward sigh. Perhaps it is fated that I happened upon a young man in Hyrule field. Fate or not, his life lies in my hands. And I'm not going to let it slip through my fingers.

Link held his head high and smiled, standing up straight. Eventually, he reached his house within the tree, passing the practice dummies set up to the side of his house and leaving the Ordon woods behind him. Using a small puddle of water from earlier, he doused the flames upon the torch and tossed the stick to the side, it landing somewhere in the tall grass with a soft thump. The Hero ascended up the ladder, removing his shoes and leaving them on the small ledge.

He opened the door and stepped inside, immediately locking it behind him as he threw his cloak into the crate. Link's ears twitched, his eyes fell upon a figure curled up upon the floor, cheek pressed against the floorboards and hair shadowing his eyes, the blanket he once clutched covering just his feet. Link's heart skipped a beat, eyes widening.

Oh Gods, is he… No!

Link immediately rushed to his guest, feet slapping against the floor. He dropped down to his knees none too gently and brushed the amber blonde hair from Wild's face, placing two fingers to the vein in his neck. A gentle throb beneath his fingertips confirmed his guest was still alive.

To his relief, Wild stirred, coughing gently and looking up at him, eyes slightly glassed over. Link whispered a silent thanks to the Gods before sliding his arms under Wild, lifting him up and onto the couch. The young man cried out softly in pain, eyes squeezing shut. Link lied the blanket down upon him, brushing his bangs from his forehead to feel for a fever.

The Hero's eyebrows knitted together, concern written on his face as he stated, "You're burning up… Why were you on the floor…? Did you pass out?"

His guest simply shook his head gently, eyes starting to slide closed, coughing yet again. By the looks of it, Link could tell he was in definite need of rest, despite his previous days of unconsciousness. Sweat had collected on his brow, chest rising and falling in an uneven pattern. He almost looked similar to Prince Ralis, when Link had first laid eyes upon him at Telma's bar. It tugged at his heart, but he shook his head.

"Don't talk. In your case, sign. Save your strength… Probably used it all up in that chess match, didn't you?" Link teased gently. Wild's ears twitched, but he didn't reply. "I talked with one of the healers. He said you're probably just coughing up leftover blood… It shouldn't get severe, but I'll be here to watch in case it does…"

Link hurried to his ladder, snatching up a pillow lying at the foot of it, returning to Wild and lifting his head with one hand, sliding the pillow beneath. The pillow was stuffed with clean Cucco downy, having a goat embroidered onto the pillow in a brown thread, being one of Link's favorite pillows. But he was willing to give it up if it meant the comfort of another.

Wild huffed gently in what Link hoped was comfort, taking a deep breath, wiping a bit of pink tainted saliva from his lip. Link snagged the cloth set on the table from before, dabbing at the blood with a quiet apology, then stepping away to return to the kitchen. He slid open a drawer and took up another white cloth, entering the bathroom.

The Hero half-stepped-half-sprinted toward the faucet, pumping it until water spouted from the nozzle, beginning to fill the tub with the melodic drumming of water against tin. He set the rag down upon the edge of the tub, hurriedly going to a corner of the room where a bucket was hung beside towels, snatching it from the hook and positioning it beneath the faucet.

He waited impatiently for the bucket to fill, leaning over the edge of the tub with his nails tapping the rim, watching the water level within the bucket rise more and more until it overflowed, spilling down the sides. Without taking his eyes off the bucket, he reached out and snapped the faucet shut, lifting the heavy bucket with ease and stepping out into the front room, setting the bucket down upon the table.

Link had been a ranch hand for years of his life. Lifting buckets of water and milk was nothing to him. When he was younger, he would stumble and struggle with the buckets, the liquid within often sloshing and pouring down the side, resulting in Link being yelled at to be more careful. As weeks turned into months, carrying the buckets was as simple as breathing.

He wrung out the water from the rag into the bucket, water hitting water. Lightly shaking it off, he returned to the kitchen, grabbing the medicine from earlier upon his shelf along with a set of measuring spoons, grasping them tightly in his left hand, then returning to his guest. Link brushed his bangs back and set the wet cloth down on Wild's head.

He then uncorked the medicine, taking a teaspoon, propping his guest up and helping him ingest the medicine. Wild groaned softly, but relaxed noticeably once he was yet again allowed to rest his head. Link moved another bucket to the side of the couch, should Wild feel the need to empty the contents of his stomach.

"The medicine I gave you should help lower your fever. Just fall back asleep, it's pretty late anyway. I'm a light sleeper, so if I hear you start coughing, I'll wake immediately. I promise," Link vowed, kneeling beside Wild and lacing their fingers together. "I'm not going to let you die..."

He gave his guest's hand a tight squeeze. To his surprise, he received a small squeeze back, though his guest seemed rather uneasy and restless, lightly tossing and turning. The Hero rested his head on the couch cushion, biting his lower lip as he tried to think of a way he could help.

Link thought back to when he was younger and restless. Often, Uli would hum to calm him down and hug him close. He had used the humming tactic, not the hugging part of it, however, upon those within the village and even Midna. Each and every time, it worked. What would be the harm in trying now?

Link cleared his throat and began to hum Zelda's lullaby, the young man perking up noticeably and listening intently. With the passing of time, the effects of the medicine kicked in and he slipped into sleep, his hand falling limp and head comfortably slanted to one side. Despite being ill, he looked quite peaceful, the ghost of a smile upon his lips.

The Hero sighed, turning away and climbing up the ladder to the first wooden platform that the ladder attached to. Many blankets were draped over the railing of the wooden platform, pictures hung upon the wall as well. Link snatched up a random blanket, a green one that had a leaf sewn into it, throwing it over a mesh of blankets upon the ground acting as a bedroll, plopping down upon it and curling up on the floor.

Link had become accustomed to sleeping on the floor over the years, with or without a pillow. Either way, it did not bother him. It had become natural for him to sprawl out on the floor with his hands behind his head, staring up at the ceiling.

With a deep sigh, he tried to fall back asleep, but thoughts continuously turned in his head that refused to settle. Along with the racing of his mind, slight anxiety plucked at his heart. Worry for his guest.

Ordona told me, "Your companion will survive, so long as the will to survive burns deep within him and you remain at his side…" Does that mean… without me… He will pass…? And… He's from the future… How do I get him back to his era…? Is he stuck here forever…? Does he have a family…? Or… is he an orphan like I am…?

Link rose on one arm to peep over the side of the ledge, down at Wild. But there was something he needed to know, and he couldn't wait another second. He needed to know if the young man would respond to the name all Chosen Heroes were given.

"Link…?"

The young man's ears twitched twice, stirring gently, but nothing more. Link froze, not sure if it was mere coincidence, or if that was the true name of his guest. He spoke the name again, only this time, Wild groaned slightly in response.

Is his name really Link…? Is he… a Hero? Link pondered, fidgeting with a lock of his hair. He has to be if his name is Link! But… I have no proof besides his slight reactions that his name is really "Link"… He's feverish and still hurt… Link sighed deeply, rubbing his face with his hands, pushing up his cheeks with his palms so his face was smashed together.

For a long while, he focused on clearing his mind, filling his head with the thoughts of warm hot cocoa, the Harvest Festival banners flapping in the wind, fishing patiently at Hena's pond while apple blossoms fell into the water, of nights where the stars shone high above and he lied in the grass, watching them move slowly across the sky.

I have to be patient… For now, I should probably just sleep… There's nothing more I can do for him at the moment and pressing the Light Spirits for information won't get me anywhere...

The Hero defeated closed his eyes, snuggling up beneath the blanket and drifting off into sleep.

~o~

He closed his eyes and took a deep inhale of the air around him, his breath able to be seen in the darkness. His tail swished, long, golden fur blowing softly in the breeze. His keen ears caught the sound of the life around him; everything from the worms in the earth to the birds nestled in the trees.

He paused to glance at the spirit's spring he had passed by earlier, stepping into the gates and laying upon a patch of grass, circling twice before he sprawled out, resting his head on his paws. His crimson eye began to slide shut before a voice filled his ears.

"You have done well to keep watch over him in the past, Hero…"

The wolf's eye opened, lifting his head to see a golden orb floating above him, spiraling and glowing brightly.

"You were allowed rest, yet you have returned from the veil. Why?"

There is yet another of my descendants I must keep close watch over… And ensure the safety of the Hero of Twilight as he aids the Hero Of The Wild in his journey to regain his lost memories and heal his shattered spirit. The wolf answered. I can taste a change in the air, Ordona… feel it rush in my fur… A great threat arises… A threat that very well may bring about the downfall of a future Hyrule. I passed with regrets… I do not wish for these two boys who fate has deemed Heroes to suffer the same tragedy...

"Your heart remains pure, Hero of Time," the spirit complimented. "I assume the Gods have kept in touch with you for you to know so much of a descendant who otherwise would remain a mystery to you."

The wolf nodded, slightly.

The Gods bestowed upon me the chance to redeem myself… And I accepted their proposal. I am aware of the consequences of our actions within this era and what affects they may have upon the Hero of The Wild. But for now, he must focus upon his own well being and recovery. I promise you, there is no better young man to show a broken soul kindness and re-piece it than the Hero of Twilight. When the dust settles, the blows will have made their marks and the consequences will be unchanged.

"Do you not fear what could happen should the Hero of Twilight be slaughtered?"

I know of the risk, yes… But I will not allow it. My spirit lives on in that boy. When he was born, no breath was in his lungs and no warmth in his body. A simple shard of my soul saved him. It fused to his soul and is what keeps him strong and breathing. My light is well sought out after by demons… and just as I, demons prey upon them, even as we speak… They linger in the shadows, waiting for the right opportunity to strike... It is not simply the Hero of Twilight that is endangered… But so is his descendant…

"There is only so little you can do in your current form, Link," Ordona warned. The wolf cracked a small smile.

I do not fear for my own sake… My time has passed and my body has long since decayed into the earth. A sword wields no strength unless the hand the holds it has courage… I will not cast aside my own flesh and blood.

"So be it..."

Ordona disappeared in a gentle glow, leaving the Hero's Shade where he had been laying. Here, he could rest his weary form… For tomorrow was another day full of promise.

And there you are, my lovelies! I hope you enjoyed!

-WingedIceWolf