Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

Four didn’t like making mistakes. He figured none of them did. Either the other Links, or his other selves; he and his brothers all had a little fear of making mistakes at a cost they couldn’t bear to pay. In Four’s case, he didn’t want to repeat those mistakes.

Losing Wild, even after the strides they thought everyone was taking to redeem themselves... Well, that hurt. A lot. The only bright spot Four could see was that Wild was alive and there was still a good chance they could meet him again.

Still, in meeting Linkle, everyone had an opportunity for redemption.

If someone would just say something already, Blue hummed in aggravation.

Four tried to keep his expression clear even as he watched Linkle. She was walking in the middle of the group and seemed content to keep her silence. No one else was sure how to break it, so the walk continued without the sporadic conversation that usually passed the time.

It was pretty awkward, honestly.

Vio was getting annoyed, No one was ever this bad even with Wild, and Linkle hasn’t even done anything to warrant this.

Is it bad to wish something would happen? Like, a monster attack would do well as an icebreaker, right? Red wondered meekly.

Probably, but I’m thinking maybe we need to be the one to break the ice ourselves, Green pointed out.

“Hm...” Linkle stretched her arms above her head, tripping right into a dip in the path during her distraction. “Oh! Uh, you know, I didn’t actually have breakfast today. Do you guys stop for lunch at all?” Red huffed, knowing she was blushing because of her clumsiness rather than the sudden attention from her question.

“We already had lunch.” Wind said without sympathy even as the group slowed to a stop. Blue grumbled to himself as Four let Time approach their youngest member.

“We have snacks though, if you need to keep your energy up.” Time offered as he gave the sailor a heavy knock on the head. Linkle looked a little concerned for Wind’s angry yelp, but she approached a beckoning Twilight when he knelt down to sort through his bag.

“Here, you can have some of these. They’re pretty good.” He grinned as he offered some meat and vegetable kabobs.

“Oh, are you sure?” Linkle asked, slow to take them.

“Have at it. A good friend made them, so I promise they’re the best thing you’ve ever tasted.”

Is he talking about Wild? Green wondered while everyone began to wonder why they didn’t have any of those snacks too.

“Thanks.” Linkle rolled her shoulders, a move that would have looked shy if not for the easy eye contact. Vio urging them on, Four asked a question that they hoped would start a conversation. Anything but the tense silence between them all.

“Do you travel often, Linkle? You mentioned you had supplies before, right?”

“I do travel a lot, yes.” The girl grinned at Four, her posture looking relieved for the question. Maybe she was more bothered by the silence than they thought. “I do a lot of investigating on behalf of the Crown. I was planning to head to Gerudo Town and check in on some rumors when I, well, I guess lost my way. I hadn't heard the noon bells sound like that before."

“That must have been the portal that brought you here. The one we took also sounded unusually different.” Four contemplated. Vio wondered if the merging of different times were the cause of the different ringing. Normally they traveled together from one time to another, not more than one era to one time.

“Right! When I realized I wasn’t imagining that rain, I started looking for my stuff. All of my equipment and supplies... Nothing was around me. I had just started to get angry about it when I stumbled into that swarm of strange lizalfos.”

“Right, those were lizalfos from my era.” Sky chimed in. “I’m glad we were able to get to you in time.”

“They weren’t a big problem.” She grinned confidently. “If needed, I could have taken one of their weapons and used it on them.”

“It’s strange, though. These portals normally allow us to keep our stuff when we go through them.” Warriors noted. It was something they were always grateful for when they weren’t as prepared to walk through, or if the change happened in their sleep.

“Well, it wouldn’t be the first time I had to start with nothing in a brand new area.” Linkle shrugged before finishing one of her kabobs.

“So you make a habit of losing your stuff?” Wind snarked.

“Hey, don’t be rude.” Legend warned.

“What kind of hero are you?” Wind wondered. “You don’t look like you could take on Ganondorf, especially if you have nothing on you so often.”

“Hey.” Green snapped with Blue's temper. “Lay off her. What is with you?”

“Well, he’s not wrong.” Linkle tried to soothe. “I’ve never heard of a Ganondorf before. Do you all have a version of him in your eras? Did you all train with him or something?”

Everyone stopped.

“What?” Hyrule spoke for them all as Linkle blinked at them warily.

“What what?” She held herself stiffly, her hands clasped in front of her defensively. She looked, for just a moment, like a noblewoman prepared for bad news. Then she shifted her shoulders and looked like she was about to be offended instead.

“No way.” Warriors whispered.

“Oh, thank the goddesses I’m not the only one!” Sky laughed.

Hyrule took it upon himself to explain the basics of how everyone’s quests related in regards to their cycle of reincarnation. The continual protection of the Triforce against the King of Evil, and how Princess Zelda almost always works together with the sages to seal him away again. Because of a curse from a god no one but Sky had ever known. Linkle listened with wide eyes, attention riveted. 

Green vaguely realized that no one had done this with Wild.

Red quietly noticed that she has the same gestures as Wild when nervous, as brief as those moments are.

Blue wondered when Wind will stop being a brat and start acting normally again.

Vio looked at Linkle’s posture, her subtle gestures, the things that caught her interest the most, and he wondered.

---

When the sun began to fade and the evening winds started to chill, Time sent Twilight and Hyrule ahead to scout for a good place to set up camp.

“Ah, right. Camp.” Linkle mumbled to herself. As everyone started to contemplate their plans for dinner, wondering if they should ration Wild’s food or just enjoy it while they could, Four had a worrying thought.

Linkle was a girl.

No shit, smartass, Blue scoffed.

No, no, just. Linkle is a girl. This is a camp of men. One girl surrounded by eight strangers was bad enough, but out in the middle of nowhere? Vio was beginning to wonder if this was why Linkle had gotten quieter and less open as the day started to end.

We won’t let anything happen. We’re the heroes of Hyrule. Red was confused as to how their numbers could be a concern.

But she doesn’t know us, Vio tried to explain. She might be really worried about camping with us.

Why? Blue asked. She said she’s used to traveling. She can’t be afraid of night attacks.

But she doesn’t have anything, no bedroll or extra clothes, Vio pointed out with an exasperated groan.

Four could see her eyes locked onto the larger group as they discussed options, and how her shoulders drooped at a realization only she would know.

Wild didn't use a bedroll, Green reminded them. We made a promise, remember? No more assumptions. We’ll just ask her and try to help her feel more comfortable. She could be worried about something else. She said herself it wouldn’t be the first time she traveled without supplies.

Four considered that idea. Zelda was the only girl he regularly spent any time with, and she wasn’t as old as Linkle. Well, this was assuming Linkle was as old as she looked; a young woman and not just a teenager. Granted, if Linkle was a hero that Hylia wanted them to travel with, maybe she was more fearless than his longtime friend.

He had to be straightforward. He had to ask.

“Hey, I’ll go collect some firewood tonight.” He volunteered when they started to think about camp duties. “Linkle, you wanna come with me?”

“Sure.” She smiled, but still looked subdued. Based on the uncertain looks the rest of the team were sharing, Four supposed they had noticed her discomfort.

He hoped it was unspoken that no one wanted to have background meetings about Linkle the way they did with Wild.

“Great! Let’s go.” Four grinned, letting Red hook his arm through hers. She held him just as tightly as he did and followed him easily, even as she stumbled as his speed.

“Oh, now? How will we find camp?”

“Eh, the others will find us.” Four shrugged even as the guys laughed and called after them.

“We see what you did there, Four!”

“Hey, what if we wanted to hang out too?”

“Too late!” Four teased. “I’m calling dibs to be her best friend!”

As the group continued to split from them, Four was glad to see Linkle relax. Even if it was surprising how easy it was for her to hold his arm in hers more warmly. He was a little too short to lock elbows the way he could with his own Princess Zelda, but it was comfortable enough.

Red was ecstatic to be allowed to walk so familiarly. He rarely had the chance to meet new people ever since they started this latest adventure together. No one regretted their decision to keep together, but it did make it a little hard sometimes to be themselves. 

“I assume you had specific questions?” She asked once they wandered far enough away.

“Well,” Four did not, in fact, have any questions at all.

Something easy, Red tried to think.

Nothing too serious, Vio reminded.

I hate small talk, Blue groaned.

What could we have in common? Green wondered

“What’s your favorite food?” Four mentally smacked all of his selves. Was that really the best they could do?

“Oh, like a dish? That’s pretty hard. I really enjoy cooking, and so many dishes are just as yummy to eat as they are fun to make.”

“You can cook?” Four immediately backtracked at Linkle’s questioning look. “I mean, not that I don’t believe you! Just, a lot of us are only good with like, a dish or two.”

“Yeah, I love cooking.” She smiled shyly. “I had all sorts of ingredients in my supplies, some of them pretty rare and hard to come by. I’m, I’m really bummed that I lost them.”

“I’m sorry to hear that. Don’t worry though. As soon as we reach a town we’ll get you a bag and help kit you up.”

“I have no way to pay you back.” She lamented though Four refused to think of that as a no.

“You’re one of us.” He said instead, hoping she wouldn’t worry about it for too long.

They continued to walk through the woods, Linkle only vaguely getting sidetracked by animal trails, mushrooms, and trees she swore had nests with eggs in them.

It was only after she was startled by a beetle suddenly flying away and automatically rushing to catch it that Four realized why Vio was quiet.

She moved like Wild.

Not exactly like him, Vio corrected. Just little things, like the way she looks at things. How she walks. How she fidgets.

Four could sort of see it.

Except Linkle was a girl. Her face had no scars from past battles, her eyes were green, and she didn’t have a Sheikah Slate like Wild and his Queen Zelda.

Maybe, they’re related? Red suggested.

Where does her era fall in the timeline? Blue wondered.

We can ask when we’re back with the others, Green settled firmly when Linkle rushed back, looking embarrassed for leaving him so suddenly.

“Sorry! I couldn’t help it!” She blushed, unable to look at him for too long.

“It’s alright, as long as we don’t get lost. We should start picking up tinder and branches to burn through. Before we get too far from the others.”

“Right!” Linkle nodded determinedly. “So do you have an axe or something else?”

“An axe? What for?”

“To, cut down a tree?” She explained slowly, tilting her head as if he were the strange one in this conversation.

“No, I definitely do not.” Four answered plainly, eyeing the modest trees around them and unable to imagine burning one just for the night.

“Oh.” Linkle looked at him, curious and wondering before blinking away to gather her words. “How... How do you get your firewood?”

What? How else?

Just like Wild, Vio reminded. We can encourage questions. We can let her know it’s okay to ask us anything.

Right. Right. We promised Wild that, but there’s no reason we can’t do the same with Linkle, Red nodded.

“We don’t need to chop down a whole tree. We’ll just grab as many sticks and stuff as we can and call it good.” Linkle didn’t look convinced, but she picked up long and sturdy branches that Four wouldn’t have thought to get. He supposed she was just used to building different fires.

What, like entire walls of fire? Red wondered curiously.

You’re not thinking about this! Blue demanded, trying to shake the idea out of Red.

Hmm… Red was not dissuaded.

The rain from earlier that day meant much of the land was pretty wet. They would need to move their firewood close to what fire they could light. It would be their only chance at drying them before feeding them into the firepit. Still, they managed to get a good amount.

Even if Linkle started to grumble to herself about making something harder than it needed to be.

I find myself a little intimidated that she travels often with an axe specifically for felling trees, Vio admitted as he watched her consider her pile.

Different era, different habits, Red shrugged. Green could feel them bickering in the back of his mind while he tried to make sense of what Linkle was doing.

“Oh. Oh, that’s clever.” He grinned. It made him feel like his own collection was amateurish, but he could only look forward to seeing everyone else’s’ reactions.

“Yeah?” Linkle asked as she twisted the thinner branches together around the stems of her bundle. As wet as it all was, they bent easily. The thicker parts of her branches were long and sturdy, and so even without rope Linkle had herself an impressive bundle.

“Yeah.” The taller girl stood up, her collection an impressive length and weight on her shoulder. “Hah. That might be just as tall and heavy as I am.”

Four was glad to see Linkle smile back at the comment. She didn’t seem to be straining herself, so he didn’t bother offering help where it might not be needed. Thankfully the woods were open enough that they didn’t need to worry about getting turned around or bumping their firewood into the trees as they walked.

“Hey, can I ask? What’s your favorite food?” Linkle wondered.

“I like,”

Spicy curries! Red chirped.

Sour tarts! Blue called out.

Stews! Vio perked up.

Sweetbreads! Green answered excitedly.

The words got stuck as he tried to say them all at once. After a breath, he pushed out “food,” and immediately started to yell at himself for the lockup they hadn’t had in forever.

Luckily Linkle didn’t seem to mind or think anything strange about it.

“Well then, I officially nominate you as my taste tester for when I next cook something.”

“Yeah?” Four grinned, relieved and intrigued. “I look forward to it.”

"Great!"

The next few days were a little less easy.

Primarily, and everyone was getting bothered, because Wind seemed to blame the girl for Wild not being with them. He was derisive, sharp worded, and only relaxed and normal when she was away. 

Linkle didn’t seem to notice right away, always smiling and cheerful with him as if she thought it was cute behavior, but everyone else has already given the little pirate a warning. After all, Wild hadn't seemed to notice their own comments or impressions when they had been especially judgmental with him, no matter how short a time that had lasted. No one wanted to know what Linkle would be like if she snapped in a fashion similar to Wild's own heartbreaking defeat. They liked her happy and talkative. They had no idea why she smiled and laughed so easily with Wind when he was at his prickliest. 

Wind, to his effort, did relax his insults, but he didn’t change the attitude at all. Everyone could only do their best to casually keep the two separated.

On top of that, the more comfortable Linkle became the more often she strayed. Not too far, but enough to see shadows of Wild in her distractions.

She caught bugs, picked plants, and after a small monster scuffle, she tried to taste some leftover slime from a red like like. Sky was barely able to stop her in time.

Four didn’t even want to know why she was wanted to put some monster guts in her mouth, but…

Everyone could see Wild in her.

She wasn’t him. She couldn’t be. For every similarity there was a difference to be noted.

She preferred to sleep in trees, though she mentioned it was a common way to camp between public cooking pots in her era. She caught a lot of things, but only to study them up close before releasing or putting them back. She fought viciously with her crossbows and her feet, but up close to her targets rather than keeping her distance from her enemies and allies alike.

And for every conversation she’s had with them all, she’s been just as hesitant to start a new one. Wild, well, Wild didn’t even try. Until their last few days, where he was so very talkative and had seemed so willing to keep trying.

Green had to admit, Vio’s idea that Linkle was Wild’s descendant seemed pretty likely. There was a resemblance.

I think it’s more the other way around, Blue snorted. I think she’s Wild’s ancestor.

Maybe they’re from alternate timelines? Red piped up. This could be a girl Wild.

No way, Blue scoffed.

The other heroes seemed to be in similar minds.

Linkle was Wild’s ancestor. She was his descendant. She was an alternate version of him.

And then came Time’s two rupees.

She was Zelda.

It put the topic on hold while everyone tried to study her without being too strange or obvious about it. Because, maybe? Could she be a Zelda?

"Well, Wind, your Zelda has a different name, right?" Hyrule checked.

"Yeah. Her name is Tetra. She's only been known as Zelda before my final battle." Wind shrugged, not caring as much as the others about this mystery. Warriors scowled at everyone.

"That doesn't mean anything. The Linkle in my era is also a Hero. She may not have fought alongside me, but her efforts were recognized. She's family, even, so Linkle has to be a Hero of Courage. She can't be Zelda." He insisted. 

"Hm. Those sound like betting words." Time said thoughtfully. Legend and Hyrule sat up eagerly to do just that. 

Then Linkle threw all their theories into the air again by mentioning that her Queen had a twin brother, the Crown Prince. They hadn’t even been able to ask more about that because then she started asking them about their own relationships with their rulers of Hyrule.

“Well, most of Hyrules are being led by Zelda. Mine is a Queen too. We’re pretty good friends, though I suspect she and Malon are closer nowadays.” Time admitted.

“We don’t even have a castle.” Sky said cheerfully. “My home has just recently come down from the clouds of Skyloft. Zelda and my friend Groose are working hard as pioneers to establishing the Surface as a place we can even live off on.”

“My Zelda is a Queen. I think your is too, right Warriors?” Twilight checked.

“Right.”

“I’m not too close, though she checks in on me every so often. I’d say we were friends.” Twilight shrugged.

“I wouldn’t call my relationship friendly, but she does trust me. She was my Queen before I became a hero, so my respect for her may not let me get too chummy.” Warriors shrugged. That would have been believable if Four hadn’t seen him give her a hug before they left the last time they were in his era. Blue and Green snickered to themselves at the light lie.

“I think the rest of our Zeldas are princesses.” Hyrule said thoughtfully. “I have two, and they both prefer me staying close by. They’ve offered me a lot of gifts so I wouldn’t need to go home as often, but I like being able to wander around and just be free to check on them.”

“Gifts, huh?” Linkle grinned.

“Are you sure they’re not bribing you to marry one of them?” Warriors wondered.

“What? No no! They- That can’t be it!” Hyrule denied, flustered and growing redder at the thought of it.

“What sort of gifts do you get?” Sky asked, leaning up in interest.

It’s not our business, Green reminded Vio and Blue before they could start scheming.

Thankfully, conversation continued easily. Four wasn’t sure when he noticed that Linkle had supposedly decided to distance herself a little, but she didn’t seem bothered. She let him walk next to her at the back of the group, but seemed content to keep her silence. She listened as the others continued, eyes darting from them to the trail around them.

Four hoped she didn’t feel uncomfortable. He really really hoped she didn’t.

“So, how do you feel about figuring out where you are in the timeline?” Time started as they all took their portion of dinner from the fire.

They were sitting around camp, the light of the sunset making everything glow in the rolling fog. Four was just sitting next to Hyrule with his fire-roasted fish and the last of the bread rolls Wild made them when Time spoke up.

“Pardon?” Linkle was caught off guard. To be fair, she had been in her head, thoughtful and quiet since the afternoon.

“You know.” Warriors grinned as he leaned forward. “What year do you consider your current time? How far are you in the future or past from us?”

“Um, that’s, hard to say.” Linkle said slowly. “Calamity Ganon struck so long ago, no one is really sure when we lost track.” She cupped her chin in thought, ignoring everyone’s various reactions.

She knew about the Calamity. That already put her in their far future. Now all they needed was to know where she was compared to Wild.

“We’ve heard a little about the Calamity. How long ago was it defeated?” Legend stepped up to redirect their questions.

“Well, from what we can guess, the final battle erupted 100 years ago.”

“100 years ago.” Four echoed.

This sounds familiar, Vio sighed.

That’s a mark for the alternate Wild theory! Red cheered.

Green could only grin as Blue grumbled with Vio. Yup! Same timeframe!

“Oh, so, did you just defeat it then?” Linkle looked blankly at Twilight. “You’re the hero of Hyrule, right? We know that, well, one of ours, he defeated the Calamity after it woke up 100 years prior to the final battle. I’m, sorry. I guess I just thought...” Linkle frowned thoughtfully, picking at her fish as she tried to understand what he was saying.

“Calamity Ganon hasn’t shown itself since I was born. I’m not a hero or anything. I’m just a field hand, even under personal responsibility for the Prince’s investigations.”

“A field hand?”

“What investigations?”

“As a field hand to the Crown, specifically the Prince, I am responsible for investigating artifacts or knowledge lost from the initial attack of Calamity Ganon. Once I find it, I am to safeguard it as I report it to the castle for the sake of Hyrule's benefit. Even so, the last time the Calamity had been awake, previous to the rough estimate of 100 years, is said to be 10,000 years, so I don’t expect to need to fight it either. Thank goodness.” Linkle finished, ignoring their reactions to take a bite of her food.

“WHAT!?” Wind screeched as everyone else let out similar exclamations.

Linkle chewed on her bread roll, green eyes bright in the firelight as everyone tried to ask more questions. Her answers just created more questions as she spoke about pilot Champions and Divine Beasts, the former of which were ambassadors and the latter dormant temples in her time.

Green could see her smiling, even as she tried to hide it behind her dinner. It was small, but not unkind. She looked more relieved than anything.

He wondered how much she wanted them to get riled up. She looked much more relaxed as everyone got more animated. It must be better for her to see them be less controlled, less cautious around her.

Oh. We stopped asking about how our lives compared, Green realized. She lost interest as we started talking about repairs and trading our arrows and stuff.

Red snapped in thought, She must have felt left out, or guilty, since she doesn’t have anything.

She’s pretty clever to find something that draws our attention so effectively, Vio admitted as he caught onto what Green was looking at.

She is! Blue laughed.

Maybe Time is right, Green hummed. Maybe she’s really a Zelda. Her Prince must be the Hero, then.

I guess they do have the same colored eyes, Red tried to agree. It just doesn’t feel correct.

Right, because why would we need a Hero of Wisdom to travel with us Heroes of Courage? Vio wondered.

Four didn’t really want to think too deeply about that possible answer.

Linkle then steered their conversation to comparing the seasons of their Hyrule, elixirs and potions, a monster shop no one else has heard of, and she only got more animated as her enthusiasm grew.

She squeezed in an example that included her having guessed their nicknames and the person they said was missing when they met her, which – everyone was appalled to realize they never introduced themselves – but she carried on.

Collecting things then evolved into cooking and then she fairly volunteered to do cooking duties if everyone wouldn’t mind, ‘Please! I just want to help out more!’

It was enlightening. She was fully willing to say anything about her era so long as she could learn something about theirs in return. It was almost like she wanted a trade of information, but she was being very subtle about it. Or. No, not really subtle...

Careful.

Green couldn’t help but notice the way Linkle spoke. She was meeting everyone’s eyes, only looking away for short moments to gather her words, wasn’t stuttering or lying as far as he could tell, but.

But.

She’s not saying something, Vio watched her closely. She’s wording her information too carefully to be completely honest.

You would know, right? Ow! Blue flinched at the hard warning.

Maybe she does know about Wild. Vio suggested, ignoring Blue’s grumpy expressions to Red.

But why wouldn’t she tell us so? Red countered without bothering to acknowledge Blue either. Why talk around it?

The timing is a little off, Green pointed out. She said the Calamity was gone before she was born, remember?

Red hummed, maybe it’s a different Link. Warriors said he had a Linkle in his era. Maybe she’s from an alternate timeline after all. A Link and a Linkle sharing a lifetime. Just in case Hyrule needed both of their help for different things. Wild and Queen Zelda certainly never mentioned a good friend named Linkle. Or a Prince brother.

Maybe her Link is a hero. She might know him, and he might not want any attention or may be injured. Maybe that’s why she was here instead, Green tried to add to Red’s thought.

Do you think they’re different ages, her and her Link? Blue suggested as they rolled that idea in their head. They don’t necessarily have to be in the same generation, do they? Her Link might be old.

Vio sniffed, You may as well just say she’s Wild’s descendant, and that her big secret is that she’s cousins or half-siblings to her Queen and Prince.

Wait! Back up! Would Wild marry his Zelda!? Blue shouted.

Red screamed at the idea, and Four immediately demanded that they stop thinking about it before they accidentally did something out loud.

Like choke on their dinner.

---

Four woke up to a sound of uncomfortable groaning, and as he pushed himself up he tried to think around his own dizziness.

Why aren’t we on our bedroll? Blue asked flatly.

It sounds like everyone is just as confused as we are, Green noted.

Was this from a portal? We haven’t fought anything infected in forever! Vio grumbled around their headache.

Guys, those are Linkle’s crossbows! Red exclaimed in worry.

They’re awake and on their feet in a breath. They picked up the pair of weapons and looked around the camp in concern.

Everyone was together in a modest clearing, with trees much thicker and older than the ones they fell asleep between. The sky was just beginning to glow in the morning sunrise, and no one looked to be injured. Everything smelled slightly like plant rot and mud.

Everyone was lying in approximately the same place they were before going to bed. Maybe not entirely on their beds, or with their bags exactly where they had been placed, but close enough.

Linkle’s weapons being next to Twilight’s bag, when she was usually in a tree above Time or Sky, was worrying. Especially since the muddy slopes and distinct smell of aquatic plants were telling him what sort of land they were in and that they did not want Linkle to be alone in it.

“Linkle!?” Four called out.

The others notice his worry just as quickly.

“Linkle!”

“Linkle, are you alright?”

There was no reply.

“Well, that’s just great. First we lost Wild, and now we lost Linkle!” Wind scoffed as he started to repack.

“Wow, didn’t know you cared.” Warriors rose an eyebrow.

“I don’t.” Wind snapped, his nose already starting to look pink at the attention.

“Sure you don’t.” Warriors grinned, messing Wind’s hair up as he passed him. The pirate swiped at him, but Warriors only laughed and left him be to pack his own stuff.

“Well, I’m worried.” Hyrule said as he followed the unspoken order and began to help breakdown their messily moved camp.

“Me too.” Four confessed.

The mood became somber as they set out to figure out where they were. What do they need to do in order to keep their next member? Were they being tested? Were Linkle and Wild okay? Were they likely to start losing each other too?

Minish portal ahead, Vio noted.

Wait, I know where we are! Green’s declaration made all of his other selves equally attentive. They all drooped as they realized where, exactly, they had ended up.

“So, if anyone wanted to know, this is my Hyrule.” Four mentioned as he stepped up to Time.

“Really? How can you tell?” Their leader wondered.

“I hate this place too much to not recognize it.” Blue grimaced as their boots gave a soft squelch in the mud.

“Whoa! That sounds like a story!” Legend laughed. “What’s wrong, Four? Did you slip one too many times?”

“Careful, there’s a deep patch.” Four said lightly as they all stopped at the edge of the wet marsh.

“Ugh. Gross.” Sky sighed as he pulled his foot back out of the water.

“Link! Link, is that you?” A man called from above them in a hushed yell. Everyone looked around in confusion before Four caught sight of a decorated helmet from on top of a ledge. With that clue, he recognized the voice.

Oh boy, Red sighed.

Vio groaned, Not him.

Didn’t he have an assignment near the border? Blue wondered.

We must have been gone long enough for him to finish, Green grimaced.

“Well, there goes the good day I was having.” Four said out loud just before the man leaned over the edge of the taller mound he was on. Everyone could see the wide grin growing under that helmet.

“Goddesses, Link. Where have you been? Worrying your Princess and your Master like this? For shame, Apprentice!”

“You only have, like, a five percent chance of being right. Zelda and my grandpa both know what I’m up to.” Vio waved off the soldier that Zelda and he both spend the most time with. Like a babysitter, nowadays. “What are you doing out here anyway? I thought you were in charge of the border patrols this month?”

“Hah! Your sense of time has been skewed, Apprentice Link! I’ve been back for at least two months now. How tardy you are!” Staff Sergeant Whirle had ducked to give a quiet chuckle, and that made Four worried.

“What’s wrong?” He asked plainly. The older man, smiled back, a little wryly but still amused enough. Like always.

“Never mind me. You best be off to the castle, boy.” Whirle said as he waved off his concern. “You and your friends. I don’t care what skill you’ve already shown or the skills of your friends if they’re anything like you, but you shouldn’t be here.” He advised with a more serious voice.

“Why not?” Wind asked. Which was good because Four wasn’t sure how much he could actually push this man. He could be lenient, but that wasn’t how he earned his rank.

“There’s been sightings. My squad and I will be taking care of it, so don’t you concern yourselves.” The older man said, looking at Four as if to tell him to control everyone.

As if we can, Green sighed.

Red pouted with him, It’s not our fault everyone is nosy.

Four made sure his expression did not reflect his thoughts.

“You’re talking about the monsters with black blood.” He said instead. Whirle looked around from his high spot and crouched over the edge of his ledge with a sigh.

“That is the assumption. We just don’t know. We only have four missing persons and one scared kid who made her way back home by luck. She said the monsters that scared her and her friends had glowing red eyes. No way we could know about the blood without actually finding these beasts.”

“We can help.” Time offered even as Staff Sergeant Whirle shook his head to deny him.

“No. The Princess is already organizing everyone to investigate this area carefully and we don’t need any stragglers making a mess of her plans. Link. Apprentice Link! Did you not hear me!” He hissed.

Four double-checked that his pegasus boots would still work and that his sword and mole mitts were easily at hand.

The others around him were checking their own footwear and doing their best to match his secondary weapon.

“It’s fine. We can check the Wind Ruins before we head to town.” Four explained as Time gave the other man a helpless shrug.

“Wind R-? What? Boy, those are a myth.” Whirle said exasperatedly.

“Are not. We can leave you to check out Castor Wilds. You won’t see us get in your way about that. But if you think there is a group of monsters threatening Hyrule Town, wouldn’t you want to be thorough?” Four asked.

He knows we’re right, Vio stared back for them all.

Red resisted the urge to accidentally make them fidget, Yeah, but does he have to look so angry about it?

Ugh, Blue sighed in resignation, we’re gonna be in so much trouble.

Green agreed, we’ll just have to hope it was worth it.

“By the goddesses,” Whirle grumbled as he covered his eyes and rubbed them roughly. “I sure do hope I can finish soon. I’m starting to imagine a no good troublemaker for company.” He bit out with reluctant exaggeration. Four smiled, relaxing at the permission.

“What?” Wind asked in obvious concern.

“It’s a good thing my partner is coming back soon.” Whirle continued as he pulled himself back onto his ledge and disappeared over the top of it. “These sort of careful operations require a good partner to cover your back.” He added pointedly, no doubt a warning for Time and Warriors.

“Thanks, sir.” Four grinned as he tugged the other’s attentions. “We ready to go?”

“But what about your-?” Hyrule started with a worried hand pointing to the tall mud ledge.

“Plausible deniability, Hyrule. He’ll be fine. Let’s go. And watch out for the bramble thorns. And those parts over there have hidden roots, so don’t stray too much. And hurry up! If you take too long you’ll drown, and I have no idea how to get you guys out if you happen to get stuck.”

“Huh, this place is sounding lovelier by the second.” Legend made a face at the swamp water under his own Pegasus boots.

“Come on.” Four hopped a couple of times to get the magic of his boots charged up, and then he darted across the water with the familiarity born from many failures. There was no way he was going to fall in while everyone else was watching.

Some, like Twilight and Sky, had to depend on basic running, but Four was glad they didn’t have any trouble on the way to the Wind Ruins. Once they made it to dry land again, he took the time to switch his pegasus boots out and everyone was glad to have the opportunity to try wiping down their boots. In the ruins itself, Four walked slow enough that the others could spread out and check out the things that interested them. 

The shortcuts he made last time he was here seems to have been undisturbed, so he slipped through and weaved around the area as the others meandered along. He should probably hide the shortcuts again on their way out, just so no one else got too comfortable in these ruins.

“Is this an eyegore?” Time wondered as they approached the suddenly lively statue blocking in their way. The only statue that would inevitably find itself in working order no matter how many times Four would turn it off.

“That’s definitely an armos, old man, you blind?” Legend smirked.

“Only in one eye.” Time looked back, expression unamused. Legend’s humor faltered at that, even with everyone else giving a good chuckle, and the group crowded the statue.

“It’s blocking its eye.”

“Do you think a bomb will work from this side?”

“Can you throw high and not far?”

“I mean, maybe?”

What does it take to get rid of it? Blue scowled. Forever.

It’s just a guardian, Blue, there’s no need to get mad at it for doing its job, Vio huffed.

“Guys, stand back and let it go back to its sentry spot. Let me deal with it.” Four called as he stepped up to the minish portal nearby.

“Aw, why can’t we do it?” Wind whined, already holding his bow and arrow out.

“Because you’re not seeing the real solution. Just come here. And don’t be walking around. I don’t need you guys stepping on me by accident.” He added in a mumble even as the others did what he said and let the armos come back out of the thin pathway it was blocking snugly. So, for the first time since he confessed, he used a minish portal in front of the others.

He darted towards the armos and climbed up with a speed he didn’t have when bigger, and then hit that damn switch for what Blue hoped was the last time.

He was snatched up before he could properly climb back down.

“Four! Are you alright!?”

“What did you do? What happened?”

“You’re so little! It’s really dangerous for you to take on an armos like this!”

Biting time! Blue reared back before his other selves could stop him. Luckily for Twilight, the gloves were enough of a deterrent for Vio to wrestle Blue out of control.

“Di- did you just try to bite me?”

“…Yes.” Vio said defiantly for them all. He glared at the others, arms crossed and impatient for them to realize he did not appreciate being handled like this.

“Oh, right. Sorry.” With space between their feet, Four was allowed back onto the ground and allowed to scurry back to the portal on his own.

“Honestly guys,” He started as he led them through the path. Even as they eyed the still armos suspiciously, they followed him easily enough. “You think I wouldn’t know how to navigate my own home? I had to come here on my first adventure when I was an actual kid. I know what I’m doing, no matter what size.”

“We know that, Four. We trust in your skills. But come on, what are we supposed to think when we see you climb inside of that thing’s head and hear a crunch?” Sky asked.

Four considered that, reminded that they didn’t know much about his abilities when he was small or separated, and grumpily conceded.

Green wondered, aren’t some sounds different when we hear them between minish size and not?

They are, Vio groaned in realization.

So they didn’t hear a click, Blue grumbled, big deal.

Maybe they thought it ate us, so, probably big deal, Red suggested guiltily.

“Sorry to worry you.” Red said after a moment when it became clear none of his other selves were going to. “I’ll try to warn you better next time.”

“Next time?” Hyrule repeated with a worried expression that Four didn’t look at.

“Who knows what we’ll end up facing later on?” He shrugged in reply before climbing up the steps to the Fortress of Winds. As everyone joined him, he slipped on his mole mitts and crouched into the corner of the entrance.

“Whoa. You have treasure chests outside of your temples?” Wind peered over his shoulder as he easily slipped his hands into the dirt pile there. He grinned back as he felt what he had hidden there for this very purpose.

“Not really.” Four said as he tugged the small chest out.

It gets hard keeping track of all the maps and stuff he found for each of the temples and dungeons. It was easier, and probably more respectful, to keep maps and compasses close to where he found them just in case he needed to come back someday. So, with the help of his mole mitts, and Zelda providing sturdy little chests, Four had hidden each set just outside of the dungeon they belonged to.

Four carefully took out the contents, placed the chest back to be used again when they were done, and then moved to the middle of the group.

“Okay, guys. This place is called the Fortress of Winds. Be honored, because no one else in my Hyrule knows about it. Well, almost no one else.” He rolled his shoulder, aware that Ezlo certainly knew more about this place than he did.

“Your Fortress has a map at the entrance.” Warriors pointed out, not looking impressed by the crumbling pillars and lack of stable roofs.

“Well, if that’s the attitude you want, then I’ll just not explain it’s purpose.” Four sniffed. Wind and Sky grumbled at that, but Four didn’t bother acknowledging Warrior’s quiet apology. Vio conceded that maybe they could tell everyone the history of the fortress later. It was too interesting to keep to themselves. “So, for the sake of clearing out any unwanted monsters, infected or not, I’m suggesting we all split up. East and West.”

“Split up?”

“Is that safe?”

“It’s not a big place, see? I imagine we could probably hear each other through most of the fortress if we call out.” Four said as he spread out the map he had taken from the chest.

“Only three floors.”

“Looks pretty straightforward.”

“No wonder you didn’t have a problem coming here as a little kid.”

“I nominate Warriors on not my team.” Four crossed his arms.

“W-wait, what!?”

“Haha!”

“I propose being on Four’s team.” Time said, a hand falling comfortably onto his shoulder in support.

“I call Warriors team.” Sky smiled. “It looks like he doesn’t have anything to dig with, so I’ll help him out.” He added, fitting his own mole mitts with interesting shovel tips on the knuckles securely. Warriors scowled at the attention.

“Oh, come on!”

“I wanna be with Four!” Wind declared.

“I’ll stay with him too.” Legend said as he stepped over to his side too, a sharp grin thrown to Warriors for good measure.

“Great, Twilight and I will be on Warrior’s team then.” Hyrule laughed. “Do we need to dig more often on either side?”

“I can dig better if I transform, so we all have two diggers each.” Twilight spoke up. Four looked at him, and how he held himself nonchalantly about his previous big secret. Then he turned to look at the map to consider Hyrule’s question.

“Uh, you and Sky, and Four and who?” Wind wondered.

“Psh, as if I wouldn’t have something.” Legend laughed, rubbing Wind’s hair messily to the boy’s consternation.

“Well, the west side shouldn’t need to clear any dirt piles just to pass through, unless some places were blocked off again. If you clear the sand piles there just to make sure nothing is hiding inside at least you can help each other. It’ll be about equal digging either way.” Four said, ignoring Wind’s flailing next to him.

“How do we know where to go? You only have one map.” Four offered the map to Twilight, who took it after a moment of surprise.

“I know where to go, so we’ll be fine. We can meet up at the entrance when we’re done and sort through the central rooms together.”

“Good idea, boys. We should be able to clear this place in no time.” Time grinned. Everyone else smiled back, excited to see a dungeon from Four’s era.

Hopefully this place is still cleared and empty, Green said with optimism.

Hopefully we won’t need to worry about any of those infected monsters being here, Red added.

Vio sighed, It’ll be kind of sad, to have this place desecrated like that.

Blue nodded solemnly, Let’s make sure everything okay. For the sake of the Wind Tribe.

Four led them inside, waving to the others as they turned to the left and he turned to the right. Warriors and Hyrule both made different sounds to the pile of dirt they needed to dig through, Twilight calling out a halfhearted ‘liar’ to Four. Sky just started, judging by the sounds of shifting sand. 

Vio and Green snickered, knowing that it only looked intimidating.

The halls echoed with the winds whistling through the aged walls and the small monsters that usually resided. Keese, primarily, though Four didn’t bother with them as they passed.

“Shouldn’t we, get them? Or something?” Wind wondered. He pointed to the two keese hissing at them from the corner.

“Nah. Those guys will always be there.”

“Recognize them, then?” Time asked, lowering his boomerang.

“Sure. That’s Inky and Blot.” Blue smiled brightly, teeth showing and sarcasm just barely hidden.

“Wh-what?” Legend turned to look at them again. Four laughed, peeking into the next room to see the normal Spark buzzing away from the other side of the blocks in the room.

“I’m kidding. Come on.” Time caught one of the keese before he left the room as if to prove a point. Wind gleefully got the other one after rounding the corner of the doorway, showing off his own boomerang skills before they headed upstairs.

“How young were you when you first cleared this temple?” Time wondered as they carried on, monsters barely a challenge to them.

“Probably, ten?”

“Whoa! You and I were the same age?” Wind gasped, looking more amazed than he probably should have.

“I guess.” Four shrugged, his other selves getting quiet at the attention. Wind’s exclamations about what he found challenging about his own journey only made Four hyper-aware of Time and Legend’s attention on him.

He never really liked others worrying about him, especially when it wasn’t necessary.

“I had the King of Red Lions guiding me, and I’m really thankful, you know? I would have never known where to go without him. I mean, now I know the whole Great Sea and every single island, but when I first started I couldn’t even fish! Did you have anyone helping you on your adventure?” Wind wondered.

Four hummed lightly,

Vio thinking fondly of the wizard’s bossy image at odds with his softer side,

Red smiling at the memory of his obsession with food,

Blue snorting because he really wasn’t the bravest but he did try so hard

Green sighing for the missed opportunity to ever get to know him as a minish

“We-Well. I had Ezlo.” Four said quietly after a moment. He rubbed the ornament on his hood. He hadn’t realized he had even pulled it over his shoulder. The little beak of the figurine was ever open, like a shadow of the smile Ezlo had always given him. He let Red’s smile show a little.

“I take it your partner isn’t with you anymore, huh?” Legend said gently, despite Time’s warning look.

“No. He isn’t. Ezlo was like an old wizard. He, made something he shouldn’t have, and his student ended up wreaking havoc from the corruption... When everything was set right, he just, had to go home.” Four shrugged, trying to think of how to phrase it without sounding too hurt about it.

Because, he wasn’t. He missed Ezlo, had enjoyed his company, and was thankful for his guidance even when it was sometimes given too freely. The old guy was demanding and single-minded at times, but he was genuine and had faith in Four to succeed. He was like another grandfather, honestly. 

Four just wondered what he’d think of him, sometimes, now that he had used the Four Sword and fractured himself into his other selves.

“Sounds like an ass.” Legend huffed.

“Legend.” Wind sighed as Time frowned at him.

“What? It’s true.” Legend held his hands out defensively, even as he watched Four. “Sounds like he was just using you to fix his own problems.”

“That’s just because you don’t know what we went through.” Four smiled lightly, touched that Legend was offended on his behalf. The other hero was watching him closely with a protectiveness that was normally reserved for Hyrule, as was Time. “He couldn’t do anything even if he wanted to due to circumstances. But he was...”

Kind, Red remembered all the moments of encouragement.

Invaluable, Vio considered as it was through the old mage they even learned to shrink.

Wise, Blue admitted to the many helpful facts about each new area they traveled to.

Sincere, Green acknowledged as he thought about all the fears the old hat had and how determined he was to do his best despite it all.

“good.” Four said with a small waver in his voice. “He was a good guy.” He added quietly as he took a breath to regain his bearings. 

“Sounds like this good friend of yours doesn’t even want to visit.” Four snorted, trying to clear the wetness in the back of his throat at the rough protectiveness in Legend’s posture.

“He can’t help that either. The portal between our worlds only opens once every hundred years.” Legend blinked down at him, expression awkward even as Blue stared back and dared him to say something more.

“The King of Red Lions was really good too.” Wind said solemnly. “But, he turned out to be a ghost that was haunting a sailboat.” Vio snorted.

“Yeah. Ezlo was a hat.” He couldn’t help but giggle, which Wind grinned at.

“A hat?”

“What?” Time and Legend both tried to pester for more information, but Four was ready to cross the room.

It was a little strange, going backwards through the fortress as they were, but it wasn’t bad. The monsters were small and normal. Wind and Legend were happy enough to race against each other to defeat them, so Four and Time had an easy walk of it. The switches and mechanisms that once blocked the way or required backtracking were still unset.

The most interesting challenge by far was the rolling pillar of spikes that Wind and Four could duck under and the Time and Legend could jump over. Or leap over, in Time’s case.

“I can’t believe you did that for no reason.” Green tried to say seriously, even as Blue and Red both cackled on the inside.

“Whoa-hoho! What was that?” Legend laughed.

“Just a small jump.” Time said, only the faintest pink on his cheeks giving away his stumbling as unintentional.

They all turned to the smaller room ahead just as they heard faint echoing coming from the other side of the temple. It sounded like a mixture between yelling and laughing.

“…Was that Twilight?”

A high pitched howl sounded faintly from the western side, followed by more laughter and a barely audible argument.

“There’s a couple of caverns and large drops over there. Probably Warriors.” Four nodded.

“Probably.”

“Sounds right.”

“That would be like him.”

Vio grinned, It could just as easily be Hyrule.

Don’t be like that. Warriors brought on Pick-On-Warriors Day all by himself, Blue grinned back.

“Are these switches?” Time wondered as he carefully toed at a raised floor tile.

“Yeah, I had to step on them all at once to get the key from here.” He gestured to the chest falling apart in the corner. A monster must have chewed on it at some point.

“How did you do that?”

“You and your Ezlo friend are only two. Did you have to go get someone else to journey with you?”

“No, there’s a trick up ahead. Come on, I’ll show you.” In the northern room, Four waved the others in and to the side before gesturing to the green tiles ahead. “With these magic blocks, I can do this,” He stepped over one, feeling the magic pull at him the way it always had, and then stepped off so it could-

Red let out a yelp of alarm

Blue lurched forward, almost taking control

Green tightened his control, practice the only reason they didn’t physically react.

Vio was gone.

Gone!

Just before he could properly begin to panic, the magical double next to him opened his eyes, and looked back at him with an unreadable expression.

Then he smiled lightly, reassuringly, and he stared directly at him when these copies would never do anything outside of what he did. 

“Vio.” Green recognized with sudden relief at those familiar purple eyes. He was barely able to keep the relief out of his voice as he resisted the urge to sigh. 

“Hey, Four.” Vio waved, quickly getting distracted at his sleeve and the four colored tunic he was wearing. 

He can talk! Blue screamed. 

He’s outside! How!? We didn't use the Four Sword! Red added, nearly pushing Green out of the way in his urge to reassure them all that Vio was really okay.

We hadn't tried the tiles since we got it, so, maybe this is just how it works now? Green stayed tense as he did his best to not come undone in front of the others.

They were willing to talk about their first adventure, but they were not ready to admit to their second just yet. For various reasons.

“Whoa, it’s another you.” Wind gasped. “I had to command ancient servant statues in my own Towers and stuff but you get, like, your own self!”

“Was this in all of your dungeons? Wait, is this why you wanted us to call you Four? Can you make four of you?” Legend wondered as he stepped up to try poking Vio in the cheek.

“Three actually, so four of us total.” Vio told him, leaning back. His violet eyes narrowed in warning at the lack of personal space, but Legend didn't seem to notice or care.

“Hmm, strange that it doesn’t affect me.” Time said from one of the other tiles. He stepped over it again, slower and more deliberate, but nothing happened.

“I wanna try!” Wind jumped to his own chosen tile. He stepped on it as he passed, but no matter how many times he tried it wouldn’t copy him either.

“Why did it call you Four? Wouldn’t it call you by your own name?” Legend wondered suspiciously, still following Vio with a hand ready to reach out for him.

“We are pretty much the same guy. He’s not some blank spirit.” Green, admitted, amused at the circling the two were doing. Red began to cheer Vio on as Blue urged Legend to just jump him.

“I’m smarter.” Vio chimed as he made his way to Four’s side.

“Sure you are. That just means I’m stronger.” Green smiled.

What does that leave us? Red wondered.

You have the greatest magical strength of us all, and I have durability, Blue answered confidently.

Red stared at him, stunned at the easy compliment. Oh.

“Well, if you don’t actually need me,” Vio rolled his eyes good-naturedly, offering a fist up to meet him. Green bumped it with his own hard enough to dispell it, and sighed in relief as Vio easily returned to him just as the magical mirage dissolved.

Red and Green quickly hugged Vio tightly. Blue even let himself he pulled in without a fuss.

“That’s a nifty trick.” Legend watched him with sharp eyes.

“It is, isn’t it.” Four smiled blandly. Wind and Time gave one last attempt before they left the room.

“Four! Time! Can you hear us!?” Twilight’s voice called out as they checked the last room. They followed the yelling into the next room. The path to Twilight was blocked by a wall, and a dark pit prevented any chance of going around it.

“Yes, we’re here!”

“This is as far as we can go! We’re going to head back to the front!” Sky shouted. It was surprising how clear his voice was.

“We’re heading back too!” Four cupped his hands to answer back.

“See you soon!” Wind added from next to him. “AAWOOOOOO!!!!” He howled without warning, starling Four and Legend both. Time just added his own howl, sounding eerily accurate in his impression. 

The other group burst into laughter, answering howls echoing back even as it sounded like Twilight tried to argue about it.

The rest of the Fortress of Winds was simple, and Four was glad it was still generally safe. They cleared the few monsters there were, strolling past the halls and sharing what they found on each side.

"We found out why he's going by Four!" Legend bragged, placing a cheerful hand onto his shoulder. Four was made to head to the closest magic tile to show everyone his ‘cloning’ trick. Red came out this time, and he was so excited to greet everyone his happiness was probably a little overwhelming to the others after Green’s usually cool and collected impression.

Ha.

"Wolfie just a big puppy!" Hyrule shared as they explained why they had been howling. Near the entrance, Twilight was encouraged to show everyone exactly how he went about digging in his wolf form, to his begrudging consent. Four’s group didn’t quite get why the small shaking part of his routine was so hilarious, but Vio supposed the other group was mostly enjoying the buildup of laughing with more laughter. Twilight sniffed in annoyance but seemed good-natured about it.

All in all, Blue supposed, not a bad way to return.

Green and Red agreed.

“Let’s head to town and let your Princess know that at least this area is safe.” Time suggested after Twilight finally decided to start throwing handfuls of sand at the others of his group. Four was ready to put the map back, so he nodded his agreement easily. 

"Yeah, I'm ready to go. Come on, everyone." He ducked as a particularly hard dirt clod flew towards him. He laughed at the attempt and darted towards the entrance. 

It’s been a long time since they had all been this comfortable. 

Four did his best to not frown at that thought. How would they have acted, what could they have done, if Wild or Linkle had still been with them?

Was the answer the reason they weren’t here?

He hoped that wasn't the case. He really hoped Linkle was somewhere in his era, safe and just waiting for everyone to catch up to her.