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Hyrule wasn't sure how it happened.
It was just your average, run-of-the-mill monster camp, with Wild's Moblins and Twilight’s Skulltulas and even a few Darias from his own era hanging around. There were a couple of Darknuts that Legend recognized and some of Sky's Lizalfos, as well. A lot of monsters, but certainly nothing nine Heroes of Courage couldn't handle.
Well, that's how it should've gone, at least. But they had rotten luck, and things quickly got out of hand.
It started with a scream.
Wind's scream.
Hyrule managed a glance over at their youngest, immediately regretting the motion. Wind's shield was completely broken in two, and his arm beneath hadn't escaped unscathed. It, like the shield, was broken in two, limply hanging at a horrible angle as Wind's screams filled the air.
“Wind!” Warriors was on his way toward their sailor. He had a fairy– Wind would be okay. No need to worry.
Except that Warriors’ fairy was the last one they had, and they had run out of potions two days earlier. Which meant that healing Wind would leave them without any healing items.
Hyrule could feel the fairy's aura as it was released, healing Wind's arm before flying away. Now their number was back to nine, but the fight was still far from over.
Hyrule cast Fire on his sword, shoving it through a Moblin's gut with a nauseating squelch of flesh. The beast groaned, falling limp before disappearing in a puff of purple smoke, as Wild's monsters tended to do.
The traveler wrinkled his nose, flicking his sword to remove some of the thick black blood that coated the blade. He surveyed the field, noting the diminished number of monsters. They were making good progress.
He leapt toward a Skulltula Four was distracting, stabbing his sword straight through the arachnid. It screeched and collapsed, dead. The smith nodded once in thanks, running off to help Sky with the Lizalfos ganging up on him.
Hyrule turned his attention to the Darias. Wild had already picked off one of them with three arrows to the head, but there were still two left. Legend was dealing with one of them, and the other was wandering through the battle, axe held up and at the ready. It was heading toward Time and Twilight, both already engaged in a fight with the Darknuts as well as a stray Moblin.
Hyrule ran after the Daria, muttering under his breath. The beast pulled the axe back, preparing to throw it. Hyrule grit his teeth, extending a hand out toward the monster with a short yell. Lightning shot down from the sky, zapping the Daria. It disintegrated on impact, axe clattering to the ground.
“Nice job, Traveler!” Twilight called, whistling in appreciation. Hyrule nodded, grunting in surprise as the Moblin turned around, taking a swing at him. He reacted just in time, locking his sword with the beast's massive cleaver. Hyrule stumbled as the Moblin bore down on him, but he held strong. He was thankful for his power bracelet– without it, the large monster would easily take him out with that massive weapon it held.
Hyrule gritted his teeth, looking for some sort of opening. Thinking fast, he kicked the Moblin in the knee, rolling to the side before slicing his sword through the beast’s calves. It howled, but didn't quite die, black, oozy blood leaking from the deep cut Hyrule had made.
It swiped at the traveler, narrowly missing. Hyrule cast Jump, shooting himself upwards as the Moblin slashed down at where he had just been. With a shout, Hyrule fell back down, holding his sword firmly as it stabbed right through the Moblin's head. It fell to the ground with a strained gurgle, disappearing immediately afterward.
Hyrule let out a soft puff of breath, wiping the sweat from his brow. The fight was nearly over at this point– the only monsters remaining were the Lizalfos and one of the Darknuts. Sky, Warriors, Wind, and Four were all fighting the lizard-like creatures, while Time, Twilight, and Legend fought the Darknut. Wild was up in a tree, shooting arrows at the armored monster to help them out.
Hyrule was about to join the fight against the Lizalfos when a panicked shout filled his ears.
“VET!” Wild yelled, frantically aiming his bow.
Hyrule turned just in time to watch as another Daria burst from the bushes, axe flying toward Legend. The Veteran turned too late, and the axe embedded itself in his stomach with a sickening squelch.
The Daria fell only moments later, several arrows sticking out of its head. Legend stood for a few seconds, unmoving, before he stumbled and collapsed.
Hyrule felt his world slow down as Legend lay in the dirt, axe fully in his stomach. Twilight yelled in outrage, quickly stunning the Darknut before rolling behind it and performing a swift blow to the monster's unprotected backside. That seemed to be enough to take it down, and it fell, armor clanking as it poofed out of existence.
With a battle cry, Wild leapt from the tree, appearing to move in slow motion as he shot arrows in rapid succession, quickly taking out the remaining Lizalfos.
“We need a potion!” Twilight shouted, hovering over the injured Veteran.
“We're out!” Four replied, shaking his head.
“Fairies?” The rancher tried again.
It was Warriors who shook his head this time. “None left!”
Hyrule approached the scene, all nine of their number in a small area of the field. Legend was lying on his side, axe clearly embedded in his stomach. Twilight was crouched over him, hands hovering but not touching.
“What can we do? He'll bleed out!” Sky pointed out worriedly.
“I have bandages…” Warriors offered.
Hyrule stood, staring at Legend’s limp form. He had a spell he could use… but he had never used it on another person before. He wasn't sure if he even could.
Still, wasn't trying better than nothing? It wasn't like they had many options…
“I have a spell,” Hyrule said quietly. Despite his low volume, several heads turned in his direction. He shrunk in on himself shyly. “It's, uhm, it's a Life spell. I've never used it on anyone except myself before, though.”
Twilight stood up, gesturing to Legend. “It's all you, Hy. Whatever you can do.”
Hyrule hummed, kneeling in the dirt beside Legend. Around him, seven brothers stood in anxious anticipation, watching his every move. The pressure was on.
He closed his eyes, holding his hands close to himself as he sucked in a shaky breath. Hesitantly, Hyrule extended his hands, blinking rapidly as he examined the wound. Legend remained on his side as Hyrule took a deep breath, squeezing his eyes shut and grimacing as he channeled his magic– he was really starting to run low after that fight– and focused it into his hands.
“Remove the axe,” he instructed, voice tight with focus and slight strain.
“Count of three.” That was Warriors’ voice. “Ready? One, two… three!”
There was a terrible squelch as the axe was removed from Legend’s gut, drawing a weak cry from their normally grumpy Vet. Hyrule could feel how Legend’s blood gushed over his hands, coating them crimson. Hyrule grimaced as he tried to cast his Life spell, focusing as much as possible.
It wasn't working.
Oh Goddesses, it wasn't working.
Near panicked now, Hyrule gritted his teeth, letting out a strained cry of his own as his magic finally poured out of his hands and into Legend, forcing organs and arteries to heal. He spilled everything he had into his spell, slowly but surely knitting flesh back together. He could feel the way his magic strained and flickered as he gave everything he could.
“That's enough!” A hand tugged at his shoulder, but Hyrule fought past it. He wasn't going to let Legend die!
“Traveler! Enough!” A rougher hand grabbed at him, forcing him away from his predecessor. Hyrule cried out, weakly blinking as he finally opened his eyes. The world was faded and strangely distorted, like he was seeing double. His body swayed as his eyes drooped, wooziness slamming into him with full effect.
Hyrule blinked one eye at a time, glancing in Legend’s direction before immediately crashing to the ground.
“Oh, fuck!” Wind exclaimed, staring with wide eyes as Twilight moved Hyrule’s face out of the dirt. The traveler was semi-conscious, groaning weakly as Twilight moved his limp body to a more comfortable position.
“I don't suppose anyone has a green potion?” Time questioned, raising an eyebrow. He was met with several head shakes. Time sighed, turning his attention to Warriors. “Captain. How is he?”
Warriors, who was examining Legend’s midsection, shook his head in disbelief. “He looks fine,” he reported back, gently prodding where the axe had been. Legend was covered in blood, but the skin was healed perfectly. Warriors had seen Legend’s organs get pulled back together magically, but he was still struggling to believe it. “Has he been able to do that this whole time?”
“I…” Time looked back at Hyrule, who was barely aware of anything. He frowned, narrowing his eye. “I'm unsure.”
“He did mention that he'd never tried it on another person before,” Twilight supplied helpfully.
“Well, whatever he did, it was incredible,” Warriors decided, carefully moving Legend onto his back before sitting him up.
The Vet groaned, finally coming to as he held a hand to his head. “What…?” He blinked, wrinkling his nose as he took in the scene before him.
“You with us?” Warriors questioned, keeping his support on Legend’s back.
The Veteran scowled, pushing Warriors’ hands away. “I'm fine. Why is everyone acting so weird?” His gaze slid to Twilight, then to a barely conscious Hyrule. Legend’s expression soured even further, pushing himself to stand.
“Woah!” Warriors lunged as if to catch Legend, but the Vet only stepped away in confusion. “Careful!”
“Somebody better explain to me right fucking now what happened,” Legend threatened. He kneeled down next to Hyrule, taking his successor from Twilight. “Why is he like this? His hands are covered in blood!”
“Vet…” Warriors stood up, eyeing the pair suspiciously. “You were hit by an axe. Don't you remember?”
He waved a hand dismissively. “Yeah. But I'm fine now, someone must've had a fairy.”
“No…”
Legend’s head whipped around, glaring. “What do you mean, ‘no’? How else would I…” He trailed off, realization hitting him as he held Hyrule in his arms. “No… Did he…?”
“Heal you?” Time finished. “He did.”
Legend sucked in a breath, running a gentle hand through Hyrule’s hair. “Damn, kid,” he murmured quietly. “Didn't know you could do that.”
“Neither did we,” Time replied, shaking his head.
Legend sat, staring down at Hyrule. The traveler had fallen asleep or possibly unconscious and was now resting, hands stained with the Vet’s blood. Legend frowned, unsure of what he could do to make things any better.
Warriors stepped a little closer. “How are you feeling? And don't lie.”
“I'm fine,” Legend murmured, shaking his head. “Small headache, but that's it.”
“Probably from blood loss,” the Captain mused. “Not too bad, at least. ‘Rule managed to patch you up pretty quickly.”
“Yeah…” Legend trailed off, frowning as he stared at Hyrule. The kid had powerful magic, that was for sure, but a healing spell? It clearly took a lot of effort, but his injury was fully healed. Hyrule’s spell felt nearly identical to fairy healing magic, but with the slight twist that all of Hyrule’s spells tended to hold. It was uniquely Hyrule, Legend realized, rather than fairy magic that he was feeling the after-effects from.
“We should find somewhere to rest for the night,” Time reminded. “Does anyone recognize this place?”
Four stepped forward, nodding. “I think this is my era. There's a town not too far from here.”
“Lead the way.” Time waited until Four was moving before turning to Legend. “Can you walk?”
The Veteran scoffed, wrinkling his nose. “I lost some blood, not a leg. I'll be fine.”
Twilight hovered over the pair as Time and the others started to follow Four. “I can carry him, if ya need. Don't want to strain yourself.”
Legend hesitated, sighing before offering his successor to the rancher. Twilight lifted Hyrule with ease, arranging himself so the traveler rested against his back.
Legend helped himself up, dusting some invisible dirt off his blood-soaked tunic. With a scowl, he followed behind Twilight, keeping an eye on his successor the whole way to the town. Really, it wasn't far, but with Hyrule unconscious and in an undetermined state of health every minute felt like an eternity.
Call him soft, but Legend didn't like seeing his brothers in a poor state. He was a bit of a worrywart– not that he would ever admit it out loud– and having Hyrule look so pale and lifeless was definitely a cause for concern. Magic exhaustion was a bitch, and by the looks of it, Hyrule would need some time to recover.
Hopefully the town sold potions. It wouldn't fix everything– magical exhaustion was a little more severe than just having a low magic supply, especially to this degree– but it would speed up the process. At the very least, Hyrule wouldn't be running on empty.
Legend’s thoughts were interrupted by a shout. “Just up ahead!” Four called, much to everyone's relief. They hadn't been walking long, but everyone was exhausted from the battle. It would be nice to rest and recoup in a comfortable inn for the night.
They made it to the town, checking into the local inn. They got four rooms– one for Time and Warriors, one for Twilight and Wild, one for Sky, Wind, and Four, and the last one for Legend and Hyrule. Warriors had expressed concern about their two recently incapacitated members sharing a room alone, but with reassurance that he could be in the room next door, those concerns were muted.
Twilight dropped Hyrule off in Legend’s room, laying him down on the bed. Hyrule was still dead asleep and Legend was exhausted as well, so their room was the first to blow out the candle for the night.
The next morning, Legend awoke to find Hyrule in bed next to him, blinking tiredly. The traveler smiled weakly at Legend, humming a short note. “Hi,” he greeted sheepishly.
“You're awake,” Legend stated, sitting up quickly. “How do you feel?”
Hyrule shrugged, humming. “I've been better. But I'm okay.”
“Yeah?” Legend raised an eyebrow. “How's that magical exhaustion treating you?” He deadpanned.
“It's… normal…”
The Veteran sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “It shouldn't be. You can't force yourself to function when you're like this, it's not good for you.”
“You really think I have a choice?” Hyrule shot back, frowning.
“You can! You have us now!”
“You would've died!” The traveler cried before turning away, voice low. “And I don't want to lose you. Any of you.” He glanced back at Legend, breaking eye contact immediately. “I can't lose you guys.”
The Veteran softened, sighing. He laid a hesitant hand on Hyrule’s arm, trying to offer some support. “You don't need to run yourself dry. You did more than enough to help, and I would've been fine with a little less healing. At least until we could get you a green potion or something.”
“Sugar also helps,” the traveler mumbled without thinking. His eyes widened as his own words registered in his brain, but he didn't take back the statement.
Luckily, Legend didn't question it any further. “Sugar, huh? I'm sure the cook has something that could help,” he suggested.
Hyrule smiled gratefully. “That would be nice. I don't know how well I'll be able to function today…”
Legend pointed at him disapprovingly. “And that's exactly why you shouldn't use so much magic.”
“I'd do it again in a heartbeat,” Hyrule fired back, eyes tired yet determined.
“I know you would,” the Vet agreed. “But I'd rather you didn't. And I'm certainly not the only one who feels that way.”
A look of realization dawned on Hyrule’s face as he grimaced. “Oh, I'm gonna get lectured…”
“I'm just the beginning,” Legend warned teasingly. He got out of bed, walking around to the door. “I'll go ask Wild about the sugar.” He pointed at Hyrule sternly. “Don't you dare move. I'll be right back.”
With Legend out of the room, Hyrule was stuck with only his thoughts. His hands were clean– someone must've washed them at some point while he was out– but dried blood was still crusted under his nails, a reddish-brown reminder of his near-failure. If he had taken any longer… well, he doubted the Vet would be feeling as well as he currently was.
“I'm back,” Legend announced, cracking the door behind him. “I've brought honeyed apples.”
The plate was offered to Hyrule, who gladly accepted it. The apple was sliced thinly, with a generous honey drizzle and even a light dusting of powdered sugar on top. The traveler bit into the first slice with a small smile.
Legend’s lips were curled up in the most subtle of smiles as he watched Hyrule. “I assume it's helping, then?” He questioned, raising a knowing eyebrow.
“Mm-hm,” Hyrule hummed, licking his lips to catch some of the sticky honey.
Legend pushed the door fully closed. “You know… it's interesting that sugar helps your magic supply,” he mused, voice low. Hyrule froze. “I've never seen that in a Hylian before.” The Veteran made eye contact with Hyrule, keeping his expression carefully neutral. “But you're a little… different, aren't you?”
The traveler’s brown eyes were wide and distrustful, the remaining apples on his plate untouched as he was locked into a staring contest with Legend. “I don't know what you're talking about,” he insisted quietly, doing his best to keep his voice from warbling.
Legend sighed. “‘Rulie,” he said gently, sitting on the side of the bed near Hyrule. “Look. When you healed me, I thought it was fairy magic. Your magic is nearly identical to it. And sugar? Fairies, ‘Rule.” He paused, giving the traveler a moment to consider these observations. “I'm not oblivious. And I also want you to know that I won't tell anyone if you don't want me to.”
“Please don’t,” Hyrule mumbled, staring down at his plate like it was the most interesting thing in the world. “I didn’t want anyone to know…”
“So you are a fairy,” Legend mused, nodding slowly. “Are you a Great Fairy, then? Or what?”
Hyrule munched on a honeyed apple slice, avoiding eye contact. “Half,” he corrected, chewing slowly. “I’m Hylian, too.” As if to prove his point, the traveler wiggled his pointed ears.
Legend rubbed his chin in thought. “You must be pretty powerful among the fairies, then, with all your spells.” He rolled his wrist in Hyrule’s direction to emphasize his point.
“Mmm… not particularly.” Hyrule bit into another apple slice with a quiet crunch. “Like this, yes. But my healing magic isn’t as good, and it takes a lot out of me. My other spells are what sets me apart. But in my other form, I’m not…” He sighed, shrugging shamefully. “...I’m not much. I can only do my Life spell, and even then I’m still weaker than a regular fairy.”
“Other form?” The Veteran repeated, humming curiously. “Like a fairy, then? With wings?”
Hyrule sighed, setting down his apple plate. He squeezed his eyes shut, mumbling the spell as his world grew larger and he grew smaller. His wings fluttered with a light buzzing sound, bringing him up closer to Legend’s level. The Vet quickly held a palm out flat, eyes narrowed and curious as he stared at Hyrule’s fairy form. The traveler was happy to land, stumbling with a pant of exhaustion. He was still recovering, after all.
“You’re so small,” he murmured, squinting to try and get a better look. Legend wasn’t wrong– as far as fairies went, Hyrule was definitely on the smaller side. His glow was dim and pinkish in color, while his actual body was covered with a forest green dress that ended just below his knees. It was nothing glamorous, to say the least.
Hyrule chimed lowly, sitting down on Legend’s palm. In this form, he could feel the full effects of his magic exhaustion, which was– well, exhausting.
The Veteran frowned as he stared at the tiny fairy resting on his hand. Admittedly, Legend wasn’t much of a fairy expert, but even he could tell that Hyrule looked sickly. He certainly wasn’t anything like the fairies he had encountered during his adventures. Maybe it was the fact that Hyrule was half-Hylian, or maybe it was some sort of regional variance, or maybe-
Maybe it was because fairies depended on magic to sustain themselves, and Hyrule was devastatingly low on it.
Brows furrowing, Legend lightly jostled the lethargic fairy. “Alright, I get it. Change back now.” He lowered Hyrule down to the bed, moving back before his brother was full-sized again.
“Ohhh…” The traveler braced a hand to his forehead, closing his eyes as he leaned back against the pillows. “...Forgot how much magical exhaustion sucks in fairy form…”
The Vet snorted, doing his best to conceal his concern. “Right, well, you might want to avoid fairy form for a couple of days, then.” Legend leaned against the pillows as well, crossing his arms. “They don’t sell potions here. Smithy and a few of the others left town last night to visit a witch, but they couldn’t get any green potion,” he explained. “Only red.”
Hyrule groaned softly, keeping his eyes shut. “No magic…?” He mumbled, frowning.
“No magic,” Legend confirmed, nodding swiftly. He grabbed the forgotten plate of honeyed apple slices, pushing it into the traveler’s chest. “Now eat.”
Hyrule raised his hands in surrender, huffing out a short laugh before accepting the apple plate. He made a point to show the apple slice to Legend before taking a bite out of it with a small smile. Despite Hyrule’s relaxed, playful attitude, the Veteran couldn’t help but focus on the less savory details– deep bluish-purple eye bags resting beneath dulled brown eyes; the faint tremble of thin fingers; the pallor of skin that was, thankfully, fading, but not quite gone… well, Legend worried for a reason.
“I’m glad you’re not dead,” Hyrule murmured, startling Legend from his thoughts. He munched thoughtfully on an apple slice, staring pointedly at the plate. “For a second I thought the spell wasn’t going to work…” He let out a soft, self-deprecating chuckle. “...but it did. I thought you were a goner.”
The Vet hesitated, frowning at Hyrule’s– frankly upsetting– admission. He had missed the whole scene, being unconscious and all, but the main idea had been explained to him. Now, Legend was coming to realize that the main idea excluded a lot of the finer details– details that, apparently, were more important than previously thought.
With Legend’s silence, Hyrule continued with another chuckle– no humor behind it, only faint bitter tones. “You almost died because I couldn’t handle it. I… I’m sorry. I wish I could be more of a hero, but…” The traveler shrugged, trailing off as he curled into himself shamefully.
“Don’t apologize,” the Veteran huffed, scowling. He sighed, expression lightening as he pinched the bridge of his nose. “‘Rulie, look: I’m alive because of you. Your spell saved my life. If anything, I should be thanking you.”
“But-”
“No! You be quiet; predecessor override!” Legend pinched his fingers together snappily, effectively silencing whatever self-deprecating spiral Hyrule was about to go on. “You-” He pointed at the traveler meaningfully. “-don’t get to apologize! You did the right thing.” The Vet sighed, lowering his eyebrows. “Although, maybe next time cool it with the magic overuse?”
Hyrule grinned sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. “Sorry…?” He chuckled lightly, this time with a hint of a genuine smile behind it. “Didn’t know you cared so much, Lege.”
The Veteran scoffed, crossing his arms as he rolled his eyes. “Yeah, yeah. Don’t get all caught up over it.” He glanced back at Hyrule, shaking his head with a small smile. “Finish those apple slices, and I’ll leave you alone to rest, alright?”
Hyrule bit into an apple slice with a sharp crunch, raising his eyebrows as he stared at Legend. “Alone?” He questioned, brows furrowing as he gathered more honey onto his apple slice.
The Vet sighed, raising an eyebrow. “Unless you’d rather I stay?”
“Maybe.” The traveler nibbled at the apple thoughtfully. “If you don’t have anything else to do, I mean. You don’t have to.”
Legend waved a hand dismissively. “No, no.” he shook his head. “I can stay if you want. It might be nice to relax for a day, maybe polish some jewelry…” He twisted one of the rings on his fingers, examining the metalwork. “It’s been far too long,” he muttered, nodding absently.
“Okay. Thank you,” Hyrule replied shyly, setting his empty plate aside as he licked his lips.
The Veteran stood, moving to sit at the small desk in the room instead. “You need to rest, though. If you don’t, I’ll have to leave,” he warned, setting out some supplies as well as a few ring boxes. “So you better rest.”
Hyrule made a small noise of surrender, raising his hands up near his head. Admittedly, resting sounded pretty good right now. He was still quite exhausted, and even if sleep wouldn’t fix that, it was always nicer to sleep it off rather than feel so drained. It wasn’t often he got to relax like this, either, so maybe it would be nice to indulge for once. And with Legend here, he was safe and protected. So why not?
The Vet glanced back at him, expression deadpan and unimpressed. “Lie down, ‘Rulie,” he sighed, raising an eyebrow.
“Okay, okay.” The traveler scooted forward, grabbing fistfuls of the fluffy blankets to pull them up to his neck. His head rested back against a small mountain of pillows, causing him to practically melt into the bed.
Hyrule closed his eyes with a sigh, sleepily snuggling into the sheets. “Thank you, Lege,” he murmured, humming contentedly. Legend glanced over his shoulder at the half-asleep traveler, smiling fondly at the peaceful expression on his successor’s face. “Thank you, ‘Rulie. Sleep well.”
