One shot written in the Linked Universe AU on Tumblr by Jojo56830. Originally only posted on AO3, I've decided I'd like to have all the stories I've written on one site together. Anything I write for the Linked Universe AU will be posted on AO3 first, but I will eventually have it on here as well. I hope you enjoy this. :)
Disclaimer: I own nothing of The Legend of Zelda, and this amazing AU is by Jojo56830 on Tumblr.
It's Wind's turn to keep watch. The early morning shift is always his. Whether it was because his friends worried about what may happen if he were left alone during the late night or because his seniors preferred sleeping in a little later, he doesn't know. He doesn't really mind. Wind likes the early mornings. Early mornings are quiet and sleepy, with soft grass wet with dew and gentle birdsongs filling the air. When he was younger, he and his sister Aryll would sneak out of their grandma's house at the fist sign of day break to go play in the surf. Or sometimes, they would just lie down next to each other in the wet sand and Wind would tell her stories of raucous pirates and terrifying dragons and all the grand adventures they could have on the Great Sea.
Wind lets out a big yawn as he surveys the field they've camped at. The grass here was wispy and tall, reaching to his thighs when he was standing and tickling his nose and eyes as he sat. The heroes had chosen to nestle themselves between the edge of the field and the tree line, a thick, dark woods offering them protection from behind. Wind squints at the haze that has blanketed their surroundings. If he had to pick one thing he hates about early mornings, it would be the fog.
Fog reminds him of things. Some good, some very bad. Some so minuscule he's surprised it became a memory at all.
He remembers the smell of sea water and the taste of salt on his lips as he and Aryll ran barefoot across the foggy beach of Outset Island. He remembers the creaking and groaning of a ship as it followed the gentle movements of the waves, and how the rocking always made him feel lazy and groggy. He remembers lying on rough wooden planks, splinters prickling at his back, as he gazed up at endless grey. He remembers the itchy fabric of his tunic being damp with the wet air. He remembers the sound of seagulls squawking from somewhere above him. He remembers sitting on the large prow of Tetra's ship and staring at the nothingness of a fog covered sea.
A twig snaps somewhere in the distance. Wind's wide eyes immediately search for the maker of the sound. There's nothing out there, not that he can really see anyway. The sound couldn't have come from too far away, this he knows. He glances over his shoulder at the dense woods. Perhaps the noise came from somewhere behind him, a dear or boar making its morning rounds, and the fog is just playing tricks on his mind.
He also remembers a rumor. A rumor about a ship that carried vast amounts of treasure and another one about how any who dared set foot on the ship were never seen from again. He remembers the fog that rolled in when that ship appeared. How he couldn't see through it. How it was strangely sticky and clung to him like a spider web does when you've accidentally walked through it. He remembers watching his best friend leap onto that ship, full of bravado and scoffing at the idea of ghosts and haunted vessels. He remembers how only moments later her scream pierced the air around them. He remembers leaping after her and the panic of losing his grip, falling into the harsh unforgiving ocean, cold saltwater filling his lungs. He remembers waking up with sand in his mouth and caked onto his skin and pain pounding behind his eyes. He remembers the wild desire that filled him at the chance to rescue her. He remembers finding her upon that ship, days later, her skin the color of stone and cold and hard like ice. He remembers fear being rooted deep in his gut as she was taken again. He remembers chasing after her, hands sweaty as he manned the cannon on Linebeck's ship, repeating the words "I'll get you back, I swear, I won't stop until I do" over and over again in his mind. He remembers looking across choppy waves to see her waving at him, a relieved smile lighting up her face. He remembers bittersweet goodbyes as the world around them disappeared and gave way to a bright sunny sky above.
Another twig snap and a low raspy growl has Wind standing to his feet, his sword drawn. He knows that noise had not come from within the trees. He squints into the low forming cloud. All he sees is swirling grey and white. There isn't even a dark shadow to give away what lie in wait. Wind considers his friends, wondering if he should wake them, or if he should investigate further. He chooses the latter. To be cautious though, Wind reaches down and shakes Four awake. The elder boy blinks sleepily at him from his bedroll. Wind has to look away to keep from snickering. Four's face is puffy from sleep, and red indents cover the half that had been squashed against his pillow. His trademark green headband slipped off sometime during the night and now his hair is messy tangles that fall into his eyes.
"Wha's goin' on?" Four's voice is gruff with sleep.
"Thought I heard something. Can you watch things here while I go check it out?" Wind whispers so he doesn't wake everyone else. Four's mouth opens wide in a huge yawn he doesn't even bother covering.
"Shouldn't go alone. Let's wake the others," he mumbles.
"No. It might just be an animal. Let me scope things out first. I'll be back soon."
Four looks like he wants to argue more, but instead he nods at Wind and stands to grab his blade. Wind is thankful his friend, who more and more each day seemed like a big brother to the young hero, trusts him enough to follow his lead. He knows sometimes the others forget he's not just a skinny lad of almost 14 years. He's a hero, just like them. And he's faced things far more dangerous than thick, choking fog.
Wind glances back to give his friend a reassuring smile. Four offers a tentative one back and whispers a soft "be careful." Wind just nods once, and then he's walking into the swirling mist, everything around him disappearing in a haze of white.
He remembers the first time he saw the sea in his new home covered by a blanket of clouds. He'd dressed quickly in his favorite blue shirt and the coat he always wore when operating his train. He'd stood there, barefoot, gazing at the fog for a long time, his toes going numb from the cold, wet sand. He remembers missing Outset Island in that moment. He remembers speeding through a strange woods, every wrong turn sending him back to the beginning. He remembers great big spiders, half the size of his locomotive, swinging back and forth across the tracks. He remembers pulling down hard on the trains whistle, again and again, because the thought of what would happen if the train hit the arachnid head on made him queasy. He remembers looking back once he'd cleared the Lost Woods, the fog curling around the trunks of twisted, gnarled trees, and feeling a mysterious chill run down his spine.
Wind never thought he'd have to go out of his way to thank Hylia for giving the Hylians their large pointed ears, but here he is doing so. It is the sound of air being sliced by steal and the strange zzzp noice of an electric current that alerts him to the weapon tossed in his direction. Wind manages to backflip out of the way at the last second, the hair on the back of his neck standing on end as the forked boomerang flies by his face. The fog is too thick for him to see where it returns to. Wind tightens the grip on his sword and searches around him. He hears a squeaky kind of rasp and then the slap slap slap of quick footsteps to his left. He whips around, slicing in a downward stroke at the same time. The lizalfos beside him lets out a pained screech and then jumps back. It opens its mouth wide, pointed yellow-stained teeth and large horn buzzing with electricity on full display, and launches its long sticky tongue in his direction.
Wind leaps to the side, a surprised shout escaping his lips. The lizard creature doesn't exist in his Hyrule, but he's helped his friend's take down a few with his bow and arrow before. This is his first fight with one up close and it makes him regret not asking Wild more about how the creatures attack. The lizalfos charges again, so Wind has to stumble backwards so the creature does not crash into him. He swipes his blade horizontally, but the monster manages to jump back before it's hit. It hisses at Wind and lunges forward, thrusting the shard blade on its boomerang towards the hero's head. He brings his shield up to block, eyeing the electric magic in its horn. He's seen Wild use an arrow to force one of these lizards to release its electrified field before, so he knows how dangerous it is. The lizalfos tries swinging the weapon at Wind's side, his shoulder, his legs, but each time he is too fast. It thrusts the boomerang down again, a frustrated screech echoing around them, and misses. The attack had been made with too much force though, because the lizalfos is stumbling forward. Wind takes advantage of the moment and rolls behind the monster. He leaps to his feet and slashes down across its back, hard. The lizalfos lets out another scream of pain before shuffling forward and collapsing on the ground.
A second and third lizard beast step out from the gloom, their green scales looking wet and shiny from the mist around them. The second one leaps at him, but Wind rolls away. He tries to thrust the blade at the monster's stomach, but it screeches and jumps away. The third lizalfos charges, a spear pointed in the hero's direction. He waits until the creature is close enough before leaping into the air, flipping over its head, and slashing deep into the back of its skull. He hears a thud as it hits the ground behind him.
The second lizalfos hisses at him, and Wind can hear the buzzing of the current in its horn growing stronger. He really doesn't want to know what it would feel like to be struck with that electricity, so he jumps forward, bringing his sword down on the creature in a quick swipe. It slices the lizalfos' face, which makes the beast stumble backwards with a howl of pain. Wind uses the moment of distraction to to thrust forward again, this time successfully piercing its scaly stomach. It gurgles in a way that has Wind grimacing and then slumps towards him. He pulls his sword free and watches as it falls.
Wind pants as he looks around him. The fog is lifting now, so he can vaguely make out the field they're camped at. He doesn't see anything else waiting to attack him, but he's been surprised by monsters before. With a final glance down at the now dead lizalfos, Wind wipes his blade on the grass and heads back to camp. Four is waiting patiently for him by a newly started campfire, the multicolored fabric of his tunic standing out brightly against what was left of the grey mist. Wind plops down and sticks his hands towards the flames, grateful for the warmth. He hadn't realized how cold he was.
"Any trouble?" The older boy asks. Wind shakes his head.
"Nothing worth mentioning," he says. Four hums at him, and looks like he wants to ask more, but instead his friend just smiles.
"Right. Nothing out there but fog, then."
"Yea," Wind agrees, casting a final glance at the field. "It's just the fog."