Formally Aligned

As he walked away from the Princess's quarters, it kept crossing his mind whether he should turn back and explain more. 'But maybe not,' was what continued to pop into his head and deter him. 'I'm not sure what all the misunderstandings are that surround this…part of myself, but…clearly they're not terrible, I guess.' His eyes cast to the floor, 'Ah…I'm sure I'll know later.'

Heading outside, Young Link trekked to the training arena. For once, the guards simply let him in! 'Did one of them start to bow!?' He kept his face polite, but he couldn't believe it! That aside, now he surveyed the different faces, looking for those that register as familiar. He smiled, 'There they are!' A proud gleam came to his eye when he recognized Kevin trying to attempt the ending blow he'd previously been defeated with. He jogged over, "Not too bad! You need to put more force into your thighs if that jump is going to get any higher, though."

Kevin, Lucas, and Isaac all stopped dead in their tracks before bursting into cheers and greetings. The red head tried to lunge for a hug but was clotheslined by Lucas, "Dude! He could still be recovering!"

"M-My neck…" He groaned, sitting up, "That was so mean…"

Isaac rolled his eyes, placing a gentle hand on the Hero's shoulder, "Speaking of which, how are you?"

"All better, actually!" He chimed, "In fact I wanted to see how you guys were doing since it'd been so long! I figured I'd find you here. I'm glad my intuition is still intact."

"Oh man," Lucas began, his hands situated at his hips, "Finding out that it was the Yiga that had taken you…it explains everything."

His eyes widened, "Wait what? I know they were causing some trouble bu—"

"Some!" Kevin exclaimed, appalled, "It was a hell of a lot more than some! When they took you, they must have gone on a fuckin' power trip!"

"Kevin!" Isaac hissed, "Watch your mouth!"

"I'm telling it like it is! Kid—" He flinched, "wait sorry—Hero. I'm sure you've heard of how they'll terrorize towns and stuff? They were outright taking hostages! Actually threatening to kill innocent people unless they bent to their will or gave them money and jewels—just anything valuable." He waved to Isaac, "Including damn bananas!"

Lucas nodded, "They were vicious too. Maybe it was just our group, but our search parties more often turned into trying to protect the towns. We'd gone so far as to tell civilians not to come out of their homes unless absolutely necessary." Then they both held up their left hands.

Time's heart beat faster, "You're missing parts of your fingers!?"

Kevin was missing the last digit on his middle and ring finger, while Lucas had lost his pinky and the tip of his ring finger as well. Lucas continued, "I'll explain from the beginning. So, Link and the Princess came back early in the day, and it became obvious something had gone wrong. You weren't with them and Link—considering he's a pretty chill dude—looked so angry I thought his father died. When official word got out that the legend, a hero among men, had gone missing, nearly the entire regalia collectively lost their minds."

"You're a little guy, sure," Isaac noted, "but there's actually a lot of other guys that respect the things you've done once we found out who you really were." His smile was shy, "You're really cool."

"And an example of what the champion could turn into! You're kinda a beacon of hope too. There's no way this Calamity Ganon will doom us all if we've got someone who's already killed him before on our side!" Kevin smirked, "Fate's been decided if you ask me!"

"Okay don't go too crazy, Kevin," Lucas reminded him, "Technically that's not official. We all know how actual alliances with outsiders work. Anyways, they get us all together and Link tells us what happened. He must have been advised to not say his suspicions, because the Head of Command had this really serious stare going on with him as he spoke. He only nodded in agreement at the very end."

Kevin's eyebrow raised, "That didn't stop us from having our own suspicions of course! Anyone with at least one working eye could take a mean guess that it was the damn Yiga behind everything. That same day we were told to start forming groups and searching was the exact day that they began acting more vicious than before. Nasty bastards." He wiggled his chopped fingers, "This was just a sign of how aggressive they'd gotten. Normally things like Ned getting his head chopped off are very very rare. They were putting mortal wounds in all of us, though."

"A-Are you okay?" Isaac asked.

Time's blood had gone from a simmer to a boil hearing about how his capture led to chaos among the knights and civilians. He tried to contain his temper flare but the power within him ignored his attempts. His fierce markings lit up his cheeks and forehead as his brows furled, "Ugh! Of course those idiots did this! Of course they couldn't just contain their hatred to me!" He took deep breaths to try to regain his composure, blinking in surprise at the cowering expressions coming from his teammates, "Huh? Guys what's wrong?" 'They even have their shields drawn!'

Kevin puffed out a sigh of relief, his entire body relaxing, "Dear Hylia, Link! That about scared the shit out of me!"

The two appeared to be catching their breath as well, "I don't think I've ever seen you do that before!" Isaac stopped his hand from drifting any closer to him.

"Did…did they do this to you?" There was sympathy in Lucas's brown eyes. "What happened?"

The Hero gestured to his face, "This—" He paused for a moment, "This is just weird Hero stuff. It's just…me. Otherwise, as for what the Yiga did to me?" He squinted his eyes and crossed his arms, "Long story short, they tortured me."

They gasped.

"And you best believe that I made them pay." He huffed, looking away, "Let me guess: after three days into your search, suddenly the Yiga attacks seemed to cease entirely. There was nothing all day. Maybe monsters—but no Yiga. Correct?"

Isaac took a moment to think before his eyes became wide, "Right on the dot! We believed the Armageddon of Yiga attacks was coming our way and we could finally declare war on them."

"We stood at our posts all day and night on complete alert…" Lucas recalled. Kevin was too shocked to speak. "We couldn't believe our eyes when the sun began to rise…"

"The day before that, some of your groups might have been fighting them, but then they'd suddenly warp away, right?"

"That actually happened to us!" Kevin blurted, "Like the same actual day we got our fingers taken off! They disappeared mid-battle! I know it pissed us off at the time, but to be real, we were glad. They were getting scary, even for us."

"They were warping away because I broke out. I escaped."

Their eyes nearly popped out of their heads as it became eerily quiet.

Time's finger lifted, "And let me tell you something." His eyes darkened as his tone became serious, "I stained the canyon red that day." The Hero hid his minute satisfaction at watching a shimmer take place in each of their gazes. They were emboldened by his story.

His marks had mostly faded as a condoling expression now took over, "This should really be to all of you, and you can let the others know too, but I'm terribly sorry that any of this happened. The only person who should have been hurt was me, but I guess it's a bit foolish to expect that of your enemies, hm?"

Their resolve only seemed to grow at his words.

Lucas frowned, "To hell with apologizing! I'll defend the King until the day I die, but we have got to change how we deal with them!"

"It's exactly what I've been saying!" Kevin joined in, "We need real consequences if they're ever going to stop terrorizing our people!"

Even Isaac took a stand with a new fire in his eyes, "Yes! I bet we could convince Charlie to talk to the other captains about this! It's gotta start with us!"

Young Link had to chuckle at their optimism, "Well I wish you luck! But really, please don't get kicked out or do anything rash." He looked to Isaac, "You make sure they're going about this the right way, okay?"

"Heh heh, you can count on me!"

"Hey!" Kevin butt in, "Speaking of Charlie, you should have heard him the day you came back all covered in blood and dead-looking! He got so fiercely drunk that he started giving speeches! Speeches I tell you!"

Lucas started to laugh, "It was sad, but super hilarious at the same time. The best part was that you could tell he was trying to be all serious and heartfelt, but he was so far gone he never ended up saying anything that made sense!" He gave him a pat on the back, "Hey, I know you're probably busy attending with the Princess all the time, but now that you're back in action, just know that we'd be honored to have you back with us whenever you've got the chance."

He grinned, "Of course! I'll be sure to let you know i—"

"Hero of Time!" Came a booming voice from across the arena.

Feeling challenged, he whipped around with a violent look in his eyes, 'Wait WHAT!?' He fixed his face, bowing his head in respect, "Ah, the Head of Command! What can I do for you?" Everyone else around him had gone to their knees to bow.

His eyes read that he was pleased, "I am glad I could find you here. The King requests an audience with you. Please, follow me."

Time glanced back at his teammates, finding all of their heads facing the soft dirt. He faced him once more, "I'll oblige."

They walked side by side in complete silence. The halls themselves seemed to hold their breath as their footsteps echoed off its walls. The Hero could tell he was tall from afar, but now that he was beside him, he was gigantic! Like Godric but add twenty pounds of muscle and at least two more inches to his height. He was a bear of a man!

'Right,' He thought, maintaining a neutral expression, 'Just what do they want with me?' He recalled Link's meeting with him from before, 'Is this related to that?! Also why now? He's had any time after he found out who I was after Link pulled the sword to talk to me!' He pursed his lips, considering everything he'd been up to since then, 'On second thought…I have been gone… a lot …whatever.'

He snapped out of his internal dialogue at the sound of the Head of Command opening the large doors to His Majesty's office. There were two of the King's guards outside who squinted at him as they passed through. Time watched the general bow before doing so himself. As he rose, his ear involuntarily flicked after catching the King's eyes. It was the gaze of a man who held many reservations toward others, but there must have been something about the Hero that regarded one that was especially particular. 'Is that contempt, too? Just how suspicious of me is he?' It made him a little nervous.

The King began, gesturing to him with a hand bejeweled by rings, "Good—"

"It's four twenty-six," He blurted, causing the general to make a face.

Blinking with some consideration, he ambled on, "Well let's just call it evening, I suppose. Good evening, Hero of Time. I've heard good news regarding your recovery and for that I'm glad."

"Oh…thank you." It was hard to not appear surprised that he cared, "I've heard stories from your knights…I'd like to formally apologize for being a reason why any of that happened. Perhaps it might give you some peace of mind that their numbers are a little dire, if I'm being respectful."

"I figured as much would happen. Their blood has been on your hands since my daughter found you." He briefly paused, "Mind you, had the Yiga not mainly isolated their attacks to you but to my people as well…this would be a very different conversation."

Time laced his fingers together, "Yes, what kind of conversation is this?"

"One that may redefine definitions." He breathed a sigh, "Tell me, what exactly happened to you? I'm trying to better understand your connection to the Clan."

"What happened is that they stole my legend out of the book that talks of them. While you all thought I was a boy from the forest with exceptional sword skills, they've known who I am for at least a month after I came to the castle. They wanted my mask so they could use it against you to aid the Calamity when it returns. Each of their attacks against me this entire time has been for the purpose of taking it. Though, while it's my mask, I couldn't let them use it to wreak havoc on the land I've protected once before. It's against everything I stand for." He crossed his arms, his tone becoming curt, "They shoved blue nightshade in my face and captured me. I couldn't tell you everything they did to me because I was unconscious for it. When they let me wake up, they tortured me for information on the mask."

"Where is it?" The King asked. He'd been taking in his words with a discerned expression.

The Hero of Time looked him in the eye, "I have it." His heart rate quickened against his will as his voice echoed off the walls. His stare remained as the doors behind him flung open and promptly had two spears pointed at his back.

"Your Majesty! We heard something strange from outside!"

"Are you alright?"

"Boys," His tone was not impressed, "If I, King Rhoam, truly believed myself to be in danger I would have had you in here with me." He gestured to the Head of Command next, "Have you no respect to one of our most devoted generals, either?"

Silence.

"You are dismissed." His Majesty shook his head once the doors creaked shut, "Hero, my deepest apologies. I fail to understand their thought process." Sighing, he continued from where they left off, "I am glad your mask is within your control. It is getting increasingly harder to fully process what the Yiga are capable of. I feel their ability to take you from within one of our most advanced fortresses is a public whipping in its own right. You might imagine how I feel."

"Don't be too harsh," His voice had returned to normal, "They can look like anyone. A traveler beside the road, even one of your guards. However, they can't change their faces, so as long as you know what all of your closest men look like, I'm sure there won't be an issue." Time sighed as well, "They seem to be more formidable than some of my toughest foes, as much as I dislike admitting that. Outthinking them can be just as hard as fighting them."

They moved onto his next point, "Pertaining to what just occurred with your voice…" Rhoam shifted in his chair, "And please understand that I don't intend to be rude," he prefaced, "but what are you?" Though, instead of giving him a chance to answer, he carried on, "In all my years, even when my beautiful wife and her mother were still alive, there is something that is just…" his tongue clicked, "far more supernatural about you than there ever was with them. I'm sure you've heard by now as well that Zelda's grandmother was able to awaken her powers back in her time."

Time figured this wasn't the right opportunity to answer the question just yet, "What was she like?"

"Beautiful of course, despite her age. She long outlived her husband as well, though I can imagine the stresses of a King become too much for all of us one day."

His eye twitched.

The King didn't notice, "She was the most prolifically prophetic woman I'd ever met. She always had dreams and visions that told her the future. The day she died was a great sadness to us all…even more so when her daughter, my beautiful wife, unexpectedly came next."

He still managed to nod his condolences, "I'm sorry for your loss. While I was escaping the Yiga's Hideout, I overheard a conversation about the late queen. Not even their grunts know what happened to her. It's hard to tell if they assumed the Clan killed her or if it was something or someone else. Unfortunately that's all I know."

Rhoam's eyes had grown gloomy before they refocused on the Hero, "Ah, my question…if you don't mind."

Time gave it some thought, "I can't help your feelings toward me, but Hylians are capable of much more than you know. We've been around for a long time and so…some abilities stay and others go I suppose. I'm not sure what else to say." He watched the King and the general's eyes meet.

The Head of Command took over, "That certainly gives us more history regarding our race, so thank you for that. When we brought Link in to question him about your abilities, he told us that we should ask you yourself."

'I'll have to thank him for not selling me out later.' His weight shifted to one side, "See, while I'm assuming you want to know for a good reason—such as aiding the kingdom—you're both war generals in your own right. Like I would with you, if I listed everything I could do, you'd continue to look for holes in my character. That question is really asking me: what is your weakness?" His aloof behavior spoke for itself, "I've told Zelda the same thing, it takes the fun out of the surprise."

The general nodded, looking to the King, "This is quite on par with what the champion said as well."

'Oh my Gods, you might as well be telling me what the hell he said! If there's some kind of point to make it seem like I can't trust him, this is a very sorry attempt.' On the outside, his brow had merely raised. "Is this the part where I ask what he's told you? Speaking like that without any purpose is a waste of air."

Both of their eyelids rose with astonishment.

"I had been whispering…"

"And I still heard you."

"Ahem," The Head of Command's posture straightened, "Might we ask why you're called the Hero of Time?"

He tried to be as frank as possible, loosely referencing the instrument at his hip, "Because I own the Ocarina of Time, and a large part of my adventure was traveling back and forth through time." Here came the inevitable eye roll, "And no, I did not time travel here. My journey has long ended."

They both wore thinking frowns. "What can you do with time?" The King asked.

"Why would I tell you that?" He almost scoffed, internally scolding himself, 'Damn you, calm down! We shouldn't give those guards an actual reason to come in here!' "Or what I mean to say is that nothing I can do will help with the Calamity. It doesn't work the way you probably think it does."

"Curious," he replied, standing. King Rhoam reached into the drawer of his desk, pulling out a scroll. He motioned for the Hero to come closer as he laid it out, "A formal sign of your alignment to Hyrule and trust in your aid to the Calamity."

A comment slipped out, "Ah, I can't just say I'm going to help, I have to sign an agreement ensuring I will."

"You can think of it that way if you'd like." He held out a pen.

Once it touched Time's fingers, a chasm opened up in his stomach.

"Do you, Hero of Time, pledge your allegiance to our kingdom and to ensuring its safety?"

'Dammit! These letters are too damn loopy for me to tell if there's some kind of catch if I don't! Not to mention this awful gut feeling telling me to get the hell away from this thing!' He considered the King's proposition, "Just that?"

Rhoam looked him in the eye, "Yes."

His gaze traveled back to the line that awaited his signature, 'Well…' the gaping hole in his stomach began to inch closer together, 'How binding is this signature if this contract ends up burned in the end? None of these people are sorcerers anyways. I bet some old kitchen plans from thousands of years ago are more likely to have a protective spell cast on it than any of their far more important documents. Including historical texts.' Time took a breath, "I do."

The seconds ticking by tocked slower and slower as the Hero brought his pen to the page. In fact, he took a moment to look at the men's faces and take a gander at the room in general. There was a beautiful mural of the Goddess on the ceiling. She wore a smile as she serenely looked down upon those within the office. Perhaps it was meant to be taken as her blessing whatever work goes on in there. He laughed to himself, 'She would never do such a thing.' Time resumed as normal after he signed the page in Old Hylian. The King and Head of Command appeared to be hiding how his inhumanly fast actions startled them.

"Goodness," Rhoam stroked his white beard, "I should hope your affinity for your powers rubs off on my daughter."

"My faith in her ability to awaken them herself is undying, thanks." He looked between the two of them, "Shall I be going? Was that it?"

The Head of Command's eyes fluttered, "Y-Yes. You may proceed."

For the first time since he stepped into His Majesty's office, he smiled, "I hope both of you have a pleasant evening." The Hero zipped out of the room and down the hallway before they could answer. Now that he was on his own again, he took a moment to consider if there were truly any ill intentions going on behind the scenes, 'Mmm…nah. I could tell that deep down they're probably afraid of me. I guess I'm not fond of that…but kings…I suppose I can't help the way I feel about them.'

He continued in the direction of food and was semi-pleasantly surprised to receive a mighty welcome to the Dining Hall. This 'welcome' included getting scooped up into a hearty hug by Godric himself.

"I thought I'd heard that you got out today!" He boomed. "You wouldn't believe how worried we all were!"

His personal bubble had been obliterated but he couldn't help but laugh, "Oh I believe it! I've already heard stories!"

There was his toothy grin again, "O' course, o' course!" His expression quickly became inquisitive as his voice lowered to a rumbling whisper, "How the hell did they snatch your grown, handsome self?"

His eyes widened as his face turned bright red, hissing while pulling his ear, "I—the fairy's magic wore off dammit! I looked like this when it happened!" Now he squirmed, "Put me down too! I'm not a damn kid!" He hopped out of his arms before he could oblige.

"That's our feisty legend!" The big swordsman cheesed.

"Hey at least wait until I've got food in front of me!" Not too long afterward, he was happily scooping mashed potatoes into his mouth while listening to the rest of the Elite Squad give their story.

"Godric became a mess to manage after we found out what happened to you," Theodore recalled, cradling his temples, "But of course I'm glad you're alright."

Anthony was next. His eyes were glossy, "You just don't understand how I felt knowing it was possible we'd never get to spar again! And my hair!" He flipped around to where they could see the back of it, "I never thought I'd get a damn haircut while fighting the Yiga! It's gonna grow back so uneven!"

"Hey!" Came Godric, "you just be glad I saved ya from gettin' scalped! You were cryin' like a baby too!"

Roe nodded, "He'd really been pinned down and had his hair held up and everything."

Time thought they were playing around until he heard that. His hands fell to the table in disbelief, "You're serious!?" 'Again…everything they tried to do to these people all because they'd finally managed to catch me!'

The slender knight gave him a confused look, "Yes. I said what I said."

Theo explained, "There were two blademasters and three scythemen. Poor Anthony got his helmet practically punched off of him and we assume one of the scythemen were jealous of his hair." Now he gave the spearman a look, "You're lucky they just chopped off that one part."

"Then I stepped in and ripped the Yiga right off 'im! Threw 'em right at a tree!" Godric chuckled.

The Hero felt terrible, 'They must be using humor to pull through because there is no way Theo wasn't protecting Anthony from there out. Or maybe Roe stepped in with his knives. Either way, I have no idea how they're laughing about it now.' "Please don't tell me anything worse happened…"

Roe scratched his chin, "Come to think of it, we did lose a couple of civilians and lots of people were injured."

Anthony snorted, "Were they really injured for long, though? They had potions on hand, so pretty much everyone was healed in a timely fashion." He rephrased it, "Well, more like no one died from their injuries."

His jaw hit the table. He couldn't believe his ears! "How are you all talking so casually about this!?" 'Hell, it almost makes me mad!'

"Ah right, you're just—well obviously you're just now finding out about it. You're seeing the aftermath of most of us being over it, Hero," Theo explained, "Believe me, the morale had never been lower when this was all happening, but we've got you back, you're back in good health, and so are the rest of our spirits." He even wore a small smile when he finished.

Still, it didn't sit right knowing more about what had occurred. His eyes glanced over his mashed potatoes. They weren't all that appetizing anymore. "You make a good point. I can't help but feel awful about it, though. I'm sure you've already heard what exactly happened by—"

"Yeah actually!" Godric interrupted, "That kiddo Kevin was tellin' me about it!"

He almost smirked before covering his mouth, 'Of course! I would expect no less from him!'

"Oh he had this twinkle in his eye an' everythin'! Said they tortured you but that canyon had been stained redder than a rupee before you left! He mentioned how that's why those Yiga were disappearin' on us too!"

The others were shocked. "Wait are you serious!?" Anthony gushed, throwing himself forward on the table to watch his reaction, "They were all teleporting away to come fight you!?"

"I almost can't believe it myself!" Theo remarked.

Alas the Hero confirmed it with a nod, "Trust me, I strongly doubt they'll be an issue until the Calamity happens. Whenever that i—" He felt as though he'd been winded as his hand raced to his chest. He used the other to hold onto the table while he tried to gather just what the hell had happened. The room started to spin, making his head drop toward his lap as his eyes rolled back into his head. 'Hylia!?' Her voice was curt and particularly warpy.

Do not draw attention to yourself.

Be sure of your words.

Let it forget first.

She was gone as fast as she appeared.

He gasped as his head popped back up, panting as his surroundings began to stabilize. Much to his horror, the entire room was staring at him. His mind yelled at him to leave. It hated all the eyes that awaited his response. "S-Sorry. I uh—" An idea crossed his mind as he blinked, "—just…flashbacks…" He stood despite Theo's attempt to pat his shoulder to show his understanding. "I think I should go…get some sleep." Before anyone could speak a word, he'd zipped away until he reached the corridor that led to the stairs, feeling more relieved after he stepped into the hall that held the door to his room.

'Still…Her warning.' He walked toward his door, 'This must be because I said anything about the Calamity…or maybe Ganon in general?' Time scratched the back of his neck as his hand landed on the doorknob, 'I did feel someone else's presence earlier…' He squeezed it, shaking his head, 'No. No way…it'll take a lot before I believe that.' Trying to think about it further made his head hurt.

He breathed a sigh as he opened the door, "Link!? What are you doing in here!?"

There his descendant was, unapologetically lying on his stomach with his head resting on both of his arms. He even had the gall to look tired as his head slowly readjusted to look at him, "Finally. I nearly fell asleep waiting on you."

"F-Finally!?"

"You signed the King's alliance-alignment-thing, right?" Link quickly gave up on holding his head straight, instead lowering it back down to rest his cheek against his arms.

He closed the door behind him, now starting to disrobe, "Oh right, that. Yeah I did—actually—what all did they ask you about?" He could hear him roll onto his back.

"Just stuff about your personality, abilities, history…since I know you best. I actually didn't say too much."

"Well, I actually wasn't all that worried about that part."

"Aw, really?" He mused.

"Link, shut up."

"Damn meanie." Now he yawned, "Anyways, I'll tell you what I think you wanna hear. The most interesting thing they brought up at the end was trust. I started by saying that you can imagine what someone like him has been through…too much. More than you and I can imagine. Then I said, 'For the purpose of him aiding the kingdom, this isn't an issue, but his trust is not easy to earn and not easy to keep. However, he inherently believes in our cause and in the prophecy. He inherently believes that Zelda's powers will awaken. In fact, he calls her the goddess sometimes.' Then, finally, 'I can't know for sure what his answer will be, but I'm sure he'd take no issue in lending us a hand.'"

Now that he was in something more comfortable to sleep in, the Hero had strolled over and pinched the knight's cheek, using it to move his face around. "Dear Goddesses, I'd think after you said all that, they'd simply ask if I wanted to help out or not."

Link appeared to be too tired to bother batting him away. His eyes were closed but his surprise was apparent, "They didn't?"

"Hell no! The King was more interested in my connection to the Yiga Clan! Then he asked me what I was! He called me more supernatural than Zelda's prophetic grandmother!" He nodded as an astonished gaze met his own, "Yes, I'm serious! It felt more like an interrogation than asking for my simple allegiance!"

"Dear Hylia…I'm more surprised you didn't say no…"

"And how would that have played out, hm? While I doubt I'll help you fight G—him." He caught himself, "Of course I'll see if there are other ways I can help. That's just the right thing to do."

"Aahh, you're hurting my cheek now," his descendant pulled his hand off. "In any case, I'm glad that's your sentiment." Then his eyes caught a gleam as though an idea popped into his head, "Hey actually, what did you find out about your new ability? I assume that's what you did to Zelda? I'll have you know she spent the rest of the day thinking about it."

Time propped his pillow up and sat against the headboard with his legs crossed, "In what kind of way?"

"First it was theoretical, but then it kinda spiraled into whether that could count as her first kiss. I told her it was up to her."

"Link you should've said no! Of course that doesn't count!"

He blinked back, "Right…well you still haven't answered my question."

The Hero threw his hands out to the side, "I mean…I dunno! That was just one instance of it. I doubt I can apply what happened to her to everyone else; feeling better, getting aggressively cuddly with me, and then becoming tired enough to fall asleep. There's too much that could be different." He made a gesture, "Especially considering she was upset too. Either way, I don't feel like I really found out much of anything…and I ended up getting attacked by her again."

The knight made a face, "Are you just saying that? That last part?"

"No! She actually tackled me after I was cornered by her huge headboard! Besides, what could I have done? She put her head on my stomach and was out in seconds." He pretended to shiver, "I can still feel her father watching me…"

Now Link smiled, "That reminds me. Just where are you coming up with the idea that the King will inherently kill you if you look at her the wrong way? Your made-up stories about how he'll murder you are hilarious, but they're clearly based on some fear you have." He couldn't keep himself from giggling.

"I'd rather you call me overly cautious, thank you very much. Otherwise, the fathers I've met in my lifetime were just very protective of their daughters, and I'm just looking out for myself. If I never do anything that would make him upset, I'll never have to worry about getting punched in the face or something." Malon's father had made jokes about the both of them getting married when he found him in Kakariko after Ingo had taken over the ranch, but he would be damned if his head even leaned in her direction. As threatening as that was, it was a little funny considering he thought of her as a friend.

The champion rolled back onto his stomach with a piqued look on his face, "Now it sounds like you've broken someone's heart before. Do tell.~"

"Link! I've literally never dated anyone! That's genuinely just how my manners work around women: don't do anything that will get you killed by their father! It's that simple!"

He sat his face in his hand, "Man, I thought for sure you'd had a relationship with someone. Especially considering how you actually look."

"Yeah no, like you said before, I'm just a 'massive ladies man' against my will." He pressed further as a hand went to his hip, "And since you're so curious, how about yourself? Though I'm gonna go with no since Mipha had a huge crush on you and you were completely oblivious about it. From what I can assume, this has been going on for years too."

That got a rise out of him, "Ha. Okay. Well in my defense, she's nice to me all the time and she's known me since I was a kid! If she's been flirting, it must be with the air because I'm not seeing anything."

"Link. Oh my Gods. You don't ever notice how shy she gets around you? I remember she spent her entire evening trying to talk to you until you found me and Urbosa dancing!" He wore a smug expression, "I think you should just decide if you want fish babies or not, and if not, let her down gently. You're killing her slowly at this point."

His descendant was speechless as he stared back in astonishment.

Time watched his expression change as different thoughts cycled through his head. First it was astonished, then considerate, then intrigued which quickly flipped to being concerned, then confused, then turned back to concerned, and finally ended with a pair of pursed lips with a decided look in his eyes.

They flicked his way, "Do me a favor and never make me think that hard ever again."

He playfully pushed him over, "You can also just say this isn't the time to be worrying about such things too. It pretty much never is for me as well, so you're not alone."

Link grumbled nonsense as his face became smushed into the covers. Time could just barely make out an "I hate you." After a moment he looked back at him, "Well if you ever want to test that abilit—"

The Hero was already shaking his head, "That is not how you should be ending this conversation."

His tired eyes blinked back, "…well if you ever want to test th—"

He pushed him again. At this rate, he might be able to roll him off. A minute later, Time scolded him once more after he scooted down to continue rolling his lifeless body toward the end of his bed, "Dammit, you made the sheets warm where I sleep too! Bastard!"

His descendant was a blink away from sleep, "If you ever want to—" Link's blue eyes fluttered open as he was flipped on his back and pinned down by the shoulders. His pupils narrowed.

The Hero quickly pecked his forehead, promptly sitting back and watching afterward, "Well?" Instead of getting a response, he observed the champion's eyes rolling back into his head as he passed out on the spot. His hands dropped to his lap, "What was the damn point?" He muttered, "He's not even going to remember that any of this happened." His shoulders slumped as he looked back at him, hearing his heart slow, "Yep…he's absolutely not waking up anytime soon."

Time made quick work of maneuvering his descendant to where he took up the side of the bed that was closest to the wall. He wore an ornery grin as he sat a pillow over his face…before deciding he was uncomfortable with the odds of him suffocating. Afterwards, he unpropped his pillow from earlier and collapsed with a sigh.

"I don't think I'm looking forward to him waking up tomorrow…"

…

His eyelids trudged open as the warble of birds beginning to sing danced into his ears. As he tried to shift up further onto his pillow, he realized there was an arm wrapped around his waist when it proceeded to pull him closer to the body behind him in response to his movement. Then a warm gust of breath tickled the tip of his ear. Time flippantly closed his eyes, 'I am surprised yet unsurprised that this is happening.'

The champion went from sleeping in his space near the wall to fully embracing the Hero into a cuddle in his sleep. Based on the way he was held, this was at least for half satisfaction, don't go, don't leave me; and half protection, don't worry, I'm here. Link's heart indicated he was maybe a light shove away from waking up.

Time couldn't find the means to throw his arm off, it felt a little too mean, so he instead flipped directions. 'I know what I've done, but that should be a big enough movement that could get anyone to wake up…or that's how I'm making sense of this.' He was immediately met with a strong squeeze as his descendant woke with a breath.

There was a lightness to his otherwise already soft tone of voice, "It's morning? Weird, I don't remember falling asleep."

Meanwhile the Hero's face was still smushed into his chest as he wheezed, "Well we all do at some point. Loosen your grip a little!" His wish was immediately granted only for another cardinal sin to be committed right after.

Link combed back his messy strands of hair with his fingers, "My bad, so sorry." He smiled, "Well…it feels like we were talking about something before, but I really can't remember what it was. Instead, how did you sleep?"

His ear flicked, 'Grrrr I hate that this feels nice! Ack!' "Fine I guess, but you definitely slept better than me," He grumbled. "In the meantime, how do you feel?" There must have been steam coming out his nose from how hot the air felt, 'I might as well actually learn something else about this ability.' He had to stifle a sigh as the champion smushed his cheek into his forehead.

"I'm glad you asked! It's been a long time since my head has felt so empty," Link gushed, "I think we could sit here like this all day and I wouldn't mind one bit." He twitched a little as he blinked, "Oh right, this is…" he stalled for a moment, "this is one of your powers, isn't it? I think I remember that much."

The petting had moved to the back of his head. It was starting to feel too self-indulgent…namely for himself. The deity gingerly removed his hand, careful not to pull his own hair with it, "Yes, you were curious about it." 'Gods, this must be what I sound like sometimes. Carelessly speaking my mind…well, seems this ability truly does make them do that and makes them cuddly…I think I understand what I would use this for, but otherwise this seems too…niche? I don't know.'

Link unstuck his cheek from his forehead, now dreamily gazing into his eyes. "Y'know, sometimes I wonder if I can do things you can do. I understand we're from different times but it still crosses my mind. Especially since your magic makes my hands go numb."

The Hero watched in dismay as a smile spread across the champion's face.

He blinked once more, "Hey you kissed me, right?"

Time clapped a hand over the knight's mouth as he listened for nearby hearts and other indications of living beings. His eye twitched as his findings came back negative, "Link don't say it like that! It was your forehead dammit!"

The champion spoke through his hand, undeterred in the slightest, "That's right it was! Well what if I do the same thing?" His blue eyes sparkled at the idea.

He sat up, putting his hands together and pointing them at him with each phrase, "I think. If you do that. You're going. To regret it later."

Link sat up as well, "But I still can? I thought for sure you were going to say no."

He wasn't bothered, but he wasn't keen either. He knew how this was going to turn out but, 'At least it's just innocent curiosity, and, while he's the one that asked for this in the first place, I might as well put up with indulging him. Bastard. This better not last for long.' A thought struck him, bringing about a smirk, 'Hm, actually this won't last for long.' His descendant looked happier now that he was smiling, albeit deviously.

Time crossed his arms, "Well? Don't keep me waiting." 'Ew, idiot, why did you phrase it like t—!' He blinked as he felt the soft touch come and go just above his eyebrow. Raising one of them, he searched the knight's expression, especially his eyes. The deity felt indifferent at best, meanwhile, 'Uh-huh. There it is. I can see it. Everything he just did, and said, probably thought too, are hitting him like a brick wall.' That's not to say he had any contempt for the knight. In fact, it was amusing.

A hand had gone to one of Link's temples as he appeared to go through the motions. He took a breath before his gaze met his ancestor's, "I just—I just did that…willingly? Really?"

"Mhm."

His exhale turned into a sigh, "And…based on how you look, that did absolutely nothing, did it?"

Messing with him crossed his mind, but he figured he shouldn't, "Yeah, it didn't, but that's a good thing. How do you feel now?"

"About that? Stupid. About everything else?" He paused, his eyes trailing elsewhere, "Well one part of me says it was weird, but to be honest I did mean pretty much everything I said so…I think indifferent is the word I'm looking for." Then he squinted back a warning.

Young Link chuckled, "Pffffft. As if I'd ever do that to you on purpose without a good reason. You kill me sometimes, you really do, but as someone who quite frankly can't control when that happens to me…I wouldn't dare." His smug smirk from before returned, "Also, I told you so."

He flashed him a look, "Shut it!" After slumping like a wilting flower, he scooted closer and ran his fingers through the Hero's bangs once more, wearing a slightly grumpy frown.

This went on for a moment in silence.

Time's disbelieving stare searched the room for answers before nonchalantly blinking at him, "Why."

"It makes me feel better," He replied, "I thought you knew that."

"What? N-No." 'I don't remember him saying that!'

"It makes my stress melt away."

"Link, what the—" 'He must be kidding!'

"I think you've said you like it too," But this notion sounded more unsure. His finger went to his chin for that one.

"LINK! Get your damn hands off me before I bite you!" His cheeks had turned pink out of annoyance for having to use an old threat on him, but his descendant could also bear to shut up more on that last phrase, 'He shouldn't know that in the first place! Aaaargh!'

"Oh actually, before you bite me because I'm not stopping, I remembered the other reason why I was waiting for you last night."

He frowned, "What is it?"

"We're leaving later today to go to the Great Plateau. I think late noon maybe."

Petty grievances aside, his eyes instantly shimmered, "Wait, really?! Yes!" He hopped out of bed, bouncing around in victory, "Yes, yes, yes! Link I've been wanting to go there for ages!" His hand motioned to the beyond, "Every time we've passed by I just—I don't know! But it's great!" Now he took his descendant's hands and pulled him out to make him celebrate as well, laughing, "This is amazing news!" His heart felt ecstatic!

At first Link appeared surprised at this development, but a smile erupted once he explained the way he felt, "Haha! Now I'm excited too! Do you think something's up there?"

"I have no idea, truly, but finding out is just as fulfilling! That place has been an itch in my mind!" 'I'll finally, FINALLY be able to confirm my suspicions about the shrines!' "Gods, I haven't felt this way in forever! Ah, it almost makes me want to play a song." He took his ocarina off the nightstand and played the festival tune he heard back in Clock Town. He beamed at Link's amazement when he was finished.

"Dear Hylia!" He applauded, "I completely forgot you're actually really good at playing music! I think you should play more often."

"Hehe thanks, but that's just the thing, magical instruments should probably be saved for more important times. Some of the other songs I've played before actually served a purpose in my adventure. They'd take me to places faster than my horse could." Time watched his eyes bulge out of his head.

"No way!"

"It's no wonder they don't work here, but," He kept a thoughtful face, "some of them do."

"Which ones?"

There was a slyness to his tone as he gestured toward the door, winking "Let me know when you want it to rain.~"