Hello fellow readers! Happy Thanksgiving for my American readers! Here is another chapter to celebrate for you all! How has your Thanksgiving been going, my lovelies?
So, funny story. If you think you're an idiot, allow me to reassure you that I am the idiot. While pulling my coat off a concrete stool, I knocked the stool over and onto my toe. Yep! Thankfully, it was X-rayed the day before yesterday and was not broken. What a relief... I can keep my streak of "I Have Never Broken A Bone!" Anywho, stay safe this Thanksgiving, readers! Thank you for reading, reviewing, following, and favoriting! Love you all!
P.S, thank you to my wonderful muses, MoonSamurai, Sombra, and Doctor. Also, a shoutout to WildLink. Thank you all, I love you!
But I can't forget my best friend, Zoe, who's shown me support and given me motivation throughout. ~Love yooou Zoe!~
-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!
Ilia's eyebrows knitted together, her hands shifting to her hips as her face slowly turned red with rage, vexed. She completely disregarded the fact Link's guest signed instead of speaking. Granted, it had surprised her, but her being accused of harming her childhood best friend had taken her aback more than Hylian sign language ever could.
Hurt him? Just who does he think he is?!
"Hurt him? Why would I ever hurt him?!" Ilia snarled, her lips twitching. Before, she was willing to give this stranger the benefit of the doubt, even after he had so roughly grabbed her hand, but this was easily crossing the line. A spark of jealousy lit within her. She was the one that was supposed to be defending Link, not some young man he found injured in the woods.
Wild's glare only turned more icy as he stationed himself between Ilia and Link, body tense and knees slightly bent, like a predator ready to spring upon prey. He quickly pointed at her, then at the ceiling, lowering his hands so his palms and fingers were flat, shifting his hands back and forth together as one. You just did!
Ilia dared to step closer toward him, their faces now an inch apart, their hot breath creeping down the other's back. She expected him to back down and cower, but he did everything but that. He unflinchingly held his ground.
That was when Ilia realized just how intimidated she was by him, and that was the absolute truth. However, she desperately attempted to not to let it show in fear of appearing weak before him. Something about the way he stood, like the last, standing soldier among a field of fallen men, how those deep, pained pools of blue pierced her soul… It was unnerving. It was said the eyes were the windows to the soul, and she could clearly see this was a man who fought many battles, both physically and mentally, a man who had confronted many foes. But most of all, this was a man who clashed with his own demons day and night in an endless, raging cycle.
This was a soldier with the weight of the world on his shoulders. He was someone who kept his past closely guarded, hiding something deep within the dark, locked corners of his soul. But what was he hiding…? And for what purpose…?
Ilia was sure her spirit was squirming within its shell the more she gazed into those dark, broken eyes. But what had she to hide? She had nothing to fear. She had done nothing wrong.
Had she?
The Hero of The Wild stood his ground, eyes narrowing, clearly able to see the discomfort written upon her face, followed by the shock that slowly overcame her. Her body had began to shake, eyes widening, her confidence fading as she backtracked. A small smile crept over his face.
Now, she knew. She knew just what he was. A monster.
A monster forged of his own fears, his own insecurities, his own self loathing.
"Who are you…?" She whispered, but Wild did not answer. He needn't answer what she already knew.
Link watched the interaction between the two in both confusion and awe. He had never seen someone cripple such a confident, sassy, strong young woman like Ilia so quickly. No one but Wild so far was capable of such a feat, and not a word was spoken to make her to do so.
"Um..." Link spoke, though his voice was very quiet. He took Wild's arm and gently pulled him back from Ilia. "That's enough, Wild…"
Wild's stance fell back to a more friendlier one, his body relaxing and eyes losing their cold, icy glare. He walked away and to the couch, plopping down upon it, pulling his legs up so he sat in a criss-cross fashion, as if nothing had happened. He took up the sketchbook on the table and traced his fingertips over it, sighing.
"Sorry about that, Ilia..." Link breathed, rubbing the back of his neck. "I don't know what's gotten into him… He's just really protective…"
Ilia shook her head and turned toward the door, whispering, "Maybe… I should go…"
"You don't have to..." the Ordonian stated with a slight whimper. "I'm sure it's all just a misunderstanding..."
Before he could utter another word, Ilia left the abode, slamming the door shut behind her. The ladder outside creaked as she descended, her footsteps fading into silence.
Why did Wild hate Ilia so much?
Link strode over to Wild and sat beside him, snatching the sketchbook away a little angrily. Wild perked his ears back low, reaching out for it, but Link held it away from him.
"What was that for?! She wasn't going to hurt you and she didn't hurt me! Wild, that wasn't necessary!" Link suddenly snapped, Wild recoiling. "Why did you do that?! Now she's going to tell everyone you're here!
I'm sorry… Wild slowly signed by forming an A with his fist, rotating his fist in a circle over his chest counterclockwise, ears perked back. His blue looped earrings dangled as he pulled his legs up to his chest and rested his knees on them.
Link sighed gently and set the sketchbook down, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Wild… You can't just go off on people like that. Please understand that… Ilia has been at my side for as long as I can remember, she'd never intentionally try to hurt me. Sure, there's been times she's screamed at me and thrown things at me, but she's female and females have some nasty hormones…"
I'm sorry… Wild signed yet again, though his movements were more shaky this time around.
Link looked up, his hands coming up to tangle in his hair, elbows resting on his knees. "It's too late to apologize now… And I forgive you. You were just scared for both of us... But why did you do it…?"
The Hero of The Wild shrugged his shoulders slightly, the basic way of saying, "I don't know."
Except, he did know. He had dreamed of that very same girl while he slept merely hours ago. He closed his eyes as he recalled the dream still fresh within his mind.
He stood within a forest, trees stretching their barren branches to the night skies as black as charcoal. Large, wet, cold droplets of rain pelted his back, his feet thumping against the forest floor. He was running… Running as far as his legs could take him before collapsing on his knees, breathing hard. A rumble of thunder sounded before a giant crack of lightning lit the sky, illuminating a figure a few feet before him.
It was only for a split second, but he could see the figure. He could see her. Bright green eyes, dirty blonde hair, clutching something in her hand. Diamonds of red, orange, black, and yellow, all of varying hues, floated in the air around them, similarly to when the specks of Malice would float in the air during the Blood Moon.
Then, they suddenly stopped floating around him, all forming into a jagged barrier around the two figures, glowing.
The girl was crouched over a figure, turning to Wild with blood smeared all along her face, staining her hair and matting her clothes. She smiled at him, revealing fangs, licking the blood clean from her dagger and whispering, "Hello, brat…".
Suddenly, the solid ground beneath him became nothing but warm, liquid crimson.
Blood.
That was when the loud knock to the door had snapped him into a state of semi-consciousness. The dream was merely a few seconds or so long, but it scared him nonetheless. While quickly rushing to hide within the bathroom, he sank to the floor and tried not to scream, burying his face into fistfuls of his shirt, thinking about the dream he had just witnessed.
It was not unheard of for Chosen Heroes to have precognitive dreams, foretelling the future. More often than not, those dreams were dangerous warnings, lingering in the back of the Hero's mind until they finally came true.
I was only trying to protect you… Wild wanted to answer his ancestor, but why would he believe him? It could simply be a dream and he overreacted… It could simply be a misunderstanding… It could simply be the fact he feared the girl would pull a dagger on them and slit their throats…
Yet again, silence passed between the heroes. Link finally took up the black cloak neatly folded upon the table and tossed it at Wild, resulting in Wild flinching and shutting his eyes tightly. As if he were expecting to be struck. Guilt plucked at Link's heart.
"Alright… I'm sorry for yelling at you like that, it wasn't right of me. I'm just scared you'll be hurt by someone… That they might try to take you away," Link sighed. "What happened between you and Ilia happened. Are you feeling well enough to go pick apples? It's getting dark."
Wild hesitated, but nodded slowly, getting up. Link watched as he struggled with tying the cloak, hands shaking, the strings slipping between his fingers. The Hero of Twilight stepped up to him and easily tied the cloak together, making sure it was tight around his guest's shoulders.
The young man placed his fingers to his lips and brought his hand down, ears perked against his head. Thank you…
Link nodded, going to the kitchen and taking up a basket, bringing it back to Wild and holding it out to him. "With your injuries, it isn't safe to be climbing trees. I'll do the climbing and hand them down to you. I don't need a cloak, I'll just tear it up anyway. Alright?"
Wild nodded, forcing a small smile, though his hands still shook. He had been yelled at before in the past and been unfazed by the matter, having grown numb to it. Why was Link yelling at him any different, even if he apologized?
Perhaps it was the fact he was the only family Wild had left. The only family who hadn't perished either at the hands of Calamity or at the hands of something else. It was a matter he dared not expand upon, fearing what he would discover if he dove too far deep into it. All he knew was that his father was a knight. He knew nothing of his mother.
Often, he wondered if they looked down upon him from the heavens with a sense of pride. If they would say, "That's my son!" or "I'm so proud of you, Link!". But those were words he would never again hear from the mouths of his own parents. But… what proof did he have they were proud of him back then?
Yet again, those thoughts were chased from Wild's mind as Link reached over and ruffled his hair a little. Wild subconsciously leaned into the touch and closed his eyes, shoulders shaking, biting back tears. Would any of his ancestors be proud of him?
"Hey… I'm not mad at you," Link confirmed gently, tilting Wild's chin up so they met eye to eye. "Let's forget it happened for now. I'm sure you have your reasons. And when you're ready to tell me those reasons, I'm here to listen."
Wild nodded again, and took a deep breath, swallowing his tears down. Link handed him the boots Ilia intended for himself and waited patiently until Wild had them strapped on. The Hero of Twilight looked over his guest, taking a step back to better observe him. He truly did look like a Hero, even if he was wearing Ordon clothing.
The more Link observed Wild, the more he came to believe he was a chosen Hero. But many things threw off his theory. Such as the fact he did not carry the Triforce, or the fact he was found sporting a blue garb rather than the traditional green.
"You look ready for an adventure," Link commented with a playful smile, Wild laughing gently and rubbing the back of his neck in slight embarrassment. The Hero of Twilight turned toward the door, opening it slowly and holding it open for Wild. The two stood at the doorway, feeling a gentle breeze brush past as the sun began to sink into the horizon, the skies slowly turning a shade of orange.
The birds' vibrant melodies had become a chorus of gentle, soothing chirps as the crickets began chirping and frogs began croaking, the hawk circling overhead, flapping its powerful wings. It seemed, at this hour, a serene calmness spread over the land of Hyrule.
The hour of twilight was nearing. Midna's favorite time of day.
Link heard Wild take a deep inhale of the air, letting it out slowly before he began to descend down the ladder, Link following shortly after him. Once upon the ground, Wild stopped to gaze at his surroundings, his eyes wide as they wandered from the practice dummies to the tree in which Link's house was carved into, to the targets set up around the house, to the hawk above them and to the path behind them.
"If this excites you, then I say you're easily amused," Link teased, waving Wild toward the entrance to Ordon. "You'll get familiar with the land in time, trust me. There's not much to see in Ordon. It's the rest of Hyrule that has a lot to offer. Maybe I could take you to Castle Town sometime to meet The Resistance."
Castle Town… Wild thought to himself. The Castle Town he knew of was nothing but Malice infested ruins with remnants of the past rotting on the ground, overgrown and forgotten. He had never had the opportunity to see the town whilst it was alive, bustling with people, banners waving in the wind.
He undoubtedly had a century ago, but that was entirely lost to him… He'd do nearly anything to see Hyrule yet again before it was demolished. Even if this was not the decimated Hyrule he was familiar with.
Link lead him down the path into Ordon, keeping him close out of instinct as he watched for the residents of the village. He stopped Wild, holding his arm out in front of him to prevent him from going any further as he began to take note of the locations of those within the village.
As usual, Talo and Malo were out and about, but they were crouched low within the grass, whispering among themselves. Whatever it was, Link knew by now they were up to no good.
Rusl was nowhere to be found, but Uli sat upon her porch, rocking her little one in her arms and watching her son practice with a wooden play sword upon the dock. The boy with fluffy blonde hair swung the blade this way and that, his bangs occasionally falling in his eyes. He had decided he would grow his hair out longer to take after his hero, Link.
The adults seemed to be inside for the time being, with the exception of Uli, and the kids were out and about. Most likely, Beth was inside, helping set up decorations for the Harvest Festival that would soon be upon them.
Good. Talo and Malo were concentrated upon whatever they were whispering about, meaning he wouldn't have to worry over them. Colin was his only concern right now, but truly, Colin wasn't much of a concern at all. He was a sweet boy who deeply admired the Hero of Twilight.
Uli turned toward Link and waved toward him, the Hero of Twilight stretching his arm and waving in return. "That's Uli. She took me in like her own child and put up with my recklessness for several years. I suppose you could consider her my mother. Not by blood, but definitely by heart. I'm going to bake a pie for her as a little pick-me-up."
Wild nodded gently, waving at her as well. He felt he had seen her before, but he couldn't recall where, no matter how hard he racked his brain. The mother to Colin only smiled brightly at Wild who cocked his head at the bundle in her arms, Wild smiling in return. She gently waved the two over, Link hesitating but coming to meet up with her.
Colin was too focused upon his practice to really pay the two any mind.
"It's good to see your guest up and about," Uli said with a warming, motherly smile. A blanket was draped around her shoulders, purposed to conceal her little one if she grew hungry. "Where are you two headed off to?"
"Just to go pick apples," Link replied, bending down to gently pet Akio's head. The blonde haired little girl peered up at him with bright blue eyes, yawning. "Little Kio is getting sleepy."
"I'll take her in soon," Uli assured him, looking over to Wild. "How are you feeling, sweetheart?"
Wild, not knowing how to really respond, fumbled nervously with a lock of his hair, biting his lower lip. This woman knew about him too? Had Ilia told the entire village about him?
"Uli was one of the first people I went to once I found you," Link said toward Wild. "She gave us food and something to drink, but I don't expect you to remember that. You were pretty out of it."
So that's why she seems vaguely familiar.
The blonde haired woman's eyes sparkled in the fading sunlight, the warm smile never left her face, bouncing her little one ever so slightly, waiting for an answer from Wild patiently. She could clearly tell he was uncomfortable, so she didn't press him any further.
"Wild doesn't speak," Link whispered to her discreetly. Uli nodded gently, frowning a little in reply, watching as Wild rubbed the back of his neck. Unfortunately, Hylians had much better hearing than a non-Hylian. He caught onto the conversation rather easily.
"I'm sure he would have a beautiful voice," she commented in a whisper, again flashing a smile at Wild. Akio started to fuss loudly, kicking her feet and crying. Uli kissed her head and bounced her in hopes to calm her down, but nothing seemed to be working. She slowly rose to take her inside, but Wild cleared his throat.
He made the letter S with both hands, bringing them down, pointing to himself, making a V with two fingers and pointing to his eyes, lowering them. He then made a rocking motion with his arms, as if he were carrying an infant. Can I see the baby?
"You want to see Akio…?" Uli questioned. Wild nodded gently in response. Uli was admittedly a little hesitant to hand her daughter off, but she slowly placed the babe into Wild's arms. Very easily, Wild adjusted his arms so the little one was comfortable, supporting her head with one hand as he cradled her and held her close, bouncing her ever so slightly. Very slowly, he began to hum Zelda's lullaby.
Instantly, the little one quieted, and started to calm, her fussing ceasing. She listened intently to his humming, waving her arms slightly and babbling. He stroked her nose very gently with one finger, coaxing her into sleep. He kept his head a distance from her face, fearing that she may catch whatever illness he carried.
Sure enough, the babe slipped into sleep within his arms.
"How did you-?" Uli began, her voice in a whisper, but she trailed off, Wild handing the infant back to her.
She's beautiful. Wild signed, making the sign for "beautiful" by rotating his fingers in a circle around his face and closing his fingers into a fist once they reached his chin.
Uli didn't understand much sign language, but she understood enough to know what Wild had signed. She smiled happily and gently hugged him whilst holding Akio. The Hero of The Wild wasn't used to the affection, but he very carefully returned the embrace.
"Alright you two, go on ahead. I won't keep you any longer," Uli whispered.
Wild waved her goodbye before Link took his hand and continued guiding him down the path. They reached the ranch, Wild starting to limp behind him as they climbed up the steep hill. Link wrapped an arm around his waist and helped him up to the gates of the ranch.
Thankfully, the gates were still open. He could see Fado carrying buckets of water into the pens, some of it sloshing out and drenching his shirt. Both Wild and Link winced in unison at that. On the bright side, it was a good thing it was clean water he could pull up from the stream that ran through the orchard, not some used, sloppy goat water.
"We need to be careful to avoid him. He won't cause any trouble, but he's a loudmouth who doesn't keep secrets. He should be occupied with the goats for the moment, so we're good to continue on," Link whispered toward Wild. Wild nodded gently, though his eyes were fixated upon a horseshoe shaped reed upon the ground. He had never seen it before. What did it do?
The Hero of Twilight motioned for Wild to follow. He abandoned his curiosity and followed him toward the East side of the ranch where Link slid open a hatch on a wooden gate and pushed it open with a loud creak. He cringed, looking back, but thankfully, Fado didn't seem to notice.
Link closed the gate behind them quietly, leaving it unlocked for when they return, then again guided Wild down a path, into the apple orchard. After weaving between a few pine trees, they came upon a large field with apple trees lined up together, a few wooden crates stacked for picking apples for the Harvest Festival.
The orchard was rather spaced and quiet, the trees casting shadows upon the earth, branches swaying ever so slightly in the wind. Apples dully reflected the orange, pink, and red rays of the sunlight.
"It's nice and quiet here," Link began as he approached the closest tree, easily climbing it. He started picking apples from the tree, Wild taking them and placing them gingerly within the basket. Link reached across a branch and plucked a large, red apple from the tree, handing it down to Wild. "When I was younger, I used to come down here and read under the sunlight. In the Springtime, it always smells so good when those blossoms open up… Even now it smells amazing, don't you think?"
Wild nodded gently, Link taking yet another apple, but pausing.
"If I wandered off, Rusl knew he'd almost always find me here. Here, at the Spirit's Spring, or in the field. Sometimes, we'd both lay in the grass, staring up at the clouds and enjoying each other's company. Sometimes, Rusl and I would get into fights and I'd storm away to take a breath… I'd always come here, sit in this very tree, and sob…" He ran his fingers along the wood. "I'd strike at this tree.. Take my anger out on it… But it never did anything to me. It bore me fruit and provided me with shade in the Summer. I would strike it until my knuckles were raw, wondering if I could ever really belong in a family. Rusl never told me what happened to my parents. And to this day, he still refuses…"
He handed the apple down to Wild, who sighed and placed the apple within the basket.
"Tell me… Do you ever feel a strange sadness as dusk falls…?" Link asked quietly, staring up at the sky. He could recall the very same words Rusl had spoken to him for what felt like eternity ago. His eyes slid closed, whispering, "They say it's the only time when our world connects with theirs… The only time we can feel the lingering regrets of spirits who have left our world. That is why loneliness always pervades the hour of Twilight…"
The wind brushed past the two yet again, causing Wild's cloak to gently drift in the breeze, his bangs pulled along with it. But he remained silent, looking up at the heavens himself as they bled a shade of red, orange, and yellow.
Indeed, he felt lonely. He had gazed up at the sky many times throughout his adventure, but never had he felt so alone in all the world than when the hour of Twilight was upon him. There were many spirits whose lives had been claimed by the Calamity, those whose lives had just begun. There were those who had hope, those who begged the Gods save them.
But hope never came.
If he closed his eyes and let the silence embrace him, he swore he could feel their sorrow that lingered within the world, even a century later. A deep, scarring sorrow never to be forgotten, never to be removed. How could Hyrule herself heal from such a tragedy when the blood of the innocent permanently stained her earth, a reminder of the endless bloodshed that would again and again befall her lands?
And a permanent reminder of the endless cycle of bloodshed, a boy turned "Hero" by fate, and a princess who slowly crumbled, though she fought so hard each and every day to keep a smile upon her face and keep going.
Would he be strong enough to stop the Calamity and save Hyrule…? Would he be strong enough to save Zelda from the endless Malice she was forced to endure? Would they ever be in each other's arms again?
Or would he too fall victim to Calamity just as countless others had...?
He longed to see her smile again. That smile as beautiful as the sun that chased away the darkness and filled his heart with hope. He longed to hold her close and never let her go again.
But how could he save her if he could never save himself...?
How long could he keep his head up when so many eyes were upon him and swallow down his tears? How long did he have to be "Hero"? How long did he have to act brave when truly, he crumbled?
When could he finally defeat his demons that gnawed at his soul, devoured his sanity, and ate at his heart? That played at his emotions like strings on a harp.
For how long must he hang his head and cry in the dark alone?
Muahahaha, the chapter is finished! Thank you all for reading!