#linkeduniverse fanfiction

[occasionallyprosie]

A Thousand Ways

Chapter 8: "An Ancient Ancestor"

Legend, once again, against all odds… actually wakes up. This is really becoming a pattern, but like he told Four's dad, he's certain the goddesses aren't done with him and he's not dying until they are. The little cabin is new though.

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Febuwhump 2024 | Prompt 15: "Who did this to you?"

Read On AO3 Warnings: Cursing

This one is rather long, and equal fluff and whump so...

Practically the last thing Legend expected was to wake up. Even more of the last thing he expected was to wake up warm.

Not burning, warm. The soft weight of woolen blankets, the distant crackling of a fire, real warmth; not the burning of a fever.

He was distantly aware of moments of being not quite lucid, but anything that happened other than being awake was not in his memory.

He blinked, face scrunching up as he tried to figure out his surroundings. A wooden house, plaster on the walls to keep heat or cold out as the seasons changed, a brick hearth in the center of the room with a vent above it to release the smoke up and out. His blurred but clearing vision let him see someone moving around nearby, but no more than that.

He didn't recognize the house, though he didn't really expect to. He wanted to fall back asleep, but the realization and understanding that no, he wasn't safe, he was in an unknown, didn't let him relax.

Instead, despite the continued exhaustion his body was in, he forced himself up. Clumsily, not quick enough to catch it, the blanket slipped from the futon he'd been on and hit the ground. It wasn't loud, in fact, he didn't even hear it. But somehow the shape across the room did notice and turned from the table.

"You’re up!" A feminine voice. They approached and he made out chestnut brown hair and a working-class dress. He didn't have a weapon nor the magic to defend himself, but as she knelt beside him and placed her hand over his head before he could react, he didn't feel threatened. She smiled at him, a soft and sad thing, "You certainly feel and look much better. Here, I made some soup."

She darted away and came back far too quickly for his addled mind to keep up with.

After drinking the soup--probably bone broth, he noted--he had enough awareness and general strength to notice more things.

"Thanks," he muttered. "Where..."

She smiled. "He did say it had been a few years since he last saw you, I'm not surprised you don’t know the place. You’re in Hyrule, first of all, in a temporary farmhouse not far from Kakariko Village and Castle Town."

He nodded. So probably just about the same area as his grandparents' farm in his era.

"I'm Marley. I'll be right back, I'm just going to go get my husband and let him handle this. He knows about this better than I do after all."

Legend nodded slightly as she got up and exited the front door, a bit of cold air rushed through the room the brief time the door was open and he shivered, tugging the blanket tighter.

He sighed softly, closing his eyes and assessing himself. His magic was fine, for the most part, low but with actual food and rest for maybe a day or two, it would be back in full. He didn't drain himself. His body however was pretty exhausted, he had a feeling he was far smaller than before and he had no point of reference due to him definitely not being in his clothes again. A large full green shirt that probably would've fit Time or Warriors, somewhere between their sizes, was hanging off his frame overtop his white dress that Dusk had made for and given to him.

His ear flicked as he heard voices approach and footsteps pad against soft ground. Unpaved then. The door swung open with a creak and Legend felt the air get stolen from his lungs when he saw who it was.

"Link, I'm glad you're--"

"Raven!"

His ancestor smiled, and just as he remembered, it was a warm and bright thing, filled with fondness.

"Glad to see you remember me," he laughed. He left his overcoat on the hook by the door and his boots by the bench, then he walked over to Legend.

"Remember--Of course I remember you, you idiot!" Legend smacked his arm. He was a bit speechless. He hadn't expected to ever see the man in front of him again.

Raven chuckled softly. "I wasn't sure, kids tend to forget things as they get older." He ruffled Legend's already messy hair and Legend squawked, smacking his attack away.

"I wasn't that young and I'm not that old either. You’re the old man at this point. Is that gray hairs I see?"

"I had those the last time you saw me, you gave them to me." Raven poked his side.

Legend flinched away from the poke and glared. "I did not."

Raven didn't push further, just laughed softly. "How old are you now then?"

Legend huffed. "It's been five years, I'm seventeen."

"Seventeen?" Raven looked a bit ill. "Link, you look fourteen."

"I was twelve when I left," he said pointedly.

"And you looked ten then," his ancestor countered. His eyes trailed along his skin and frame, it took Legend a moment to realize he had been looking at the numerous scars he had on display. "Kid, you look as worn as a year old training dummy. Oh golden three, Link... What happened to you? Who did this to you?"

You know, Legend wasn't sure what he expected, but he wasn't surprised by this. Raven had been very protective, had he any control of the circumstances of this reunion, he wouldn't have shown Raven a single one or his new scars if he could.

"Three more adventures," Legend told him, tugging the blanket to try and hide what he could. "I killed Ganon again, got struck by lightning," drowned, "and kept fighting."

"Why couldn't you just stop?"

His whole life, Sir Raven had been a hero, his hero. Legend realized at this moment that no matter how heroic his ancestor was, no matter what he had done, no matter how much of a hero Raven was, he wasn't a hero...

"I'm a hero," Legend said. He gave up on hiding his scars and even pushed his bangs back a bit with his left hand, flashing his Triforce and the feathers of his lightning burns that were hidden beneath his right bangs. "There is no stopping, not for me. It's my goddess-given duty to protect their lands, be it Hyrule or Labrynna or Holodrum."

Raven looked rather stricken. He looked a bit like Time, actually... a lot like Time. If Time had a son, Legend imagined Raven would be what that son would grow up to look like.

"Alright," he whispered. "I understand... How has Puini been?"

Legend let the heaviness of the previous topic slide away and he smiled. "She's had a foal. Epona is the fastest, strongest mare in Hyrule. So Puini's been enjoying her retirement."

Last he heard, at least. Puini was old, she hadn't been young when Raven gave her to him. Last Legend had been at the farm, he knew that unless he returned within a year, which he hadn't, Puini wouldn't still be there. He didn't say as much.

"Glad to hear she settled down too," Raven chuckled. "And that boy--Ralph?"

"Haven't really seen him since I last saw you," Legend admitted. "But we've exchanged letters every year or so, so he's doing well."

"I see... How are you feeling right now? Up for a tour of the farm? Marley and I managed to buy back our family's old farm, but it needs a lot of fixing."

"Your wife?" Legend grinned.

"She is. I love her so much." Raven had a lovesick smile and Legend felt a little sick when he realized it looked exactly like Time's smile when he talked about Malon.

Legend squeezed his arm, Raven came back to the current.

"I'm happy for you," he said softly.

"Thank you, I hope you like her too."

"If she's so wonderful that you fell in love with her, then I think I will." He grinned a bit. "I can also draw you a blueprint for the farm if you like, and the location of nearby natural wells."

Raven barked out a laugh. "Ah, the benefits of having your descendant around. Come on, kid."

Legend yelped as he was scooped off of the bed. "Hey! I can walk--"

"Marls would kill me if I made you walk with how bad condition you were in, I'd kill myself honestly. So hold on."

He huffed and managed to get Raven to let him onto his back instead of being carried in his arms.

As it turned out, not even walking, just staying mentally, emotionally, and socially present was exhausting. Raven showed him the makeshift pen for his new horse, then the area Raven remembered from his childhood was the cow field, Legend confirmed that in his time that was the field they kept their cows in, then the area he wanted to build the farmhouse.

Legend frowned, starting to feel a bit tired, but a mental map was drawn up and he shook his head.

"That's where the well is. Gramma says we built on some rock deposit 'cause the foundation is as strong as our hearts or sum'thin'."

Raven looked over his shoulder at him, smiling softly. "Where's the house then?"

Legend hummed, thinking carefully. "About forty...? Yeah, 'bout forty or so feet back behind the well. S'makes it easy t' fetch water n'matter the weather or where we're takin' it... an' it's kinda the middle a' the farm."

"That makes sense, and we wouldn't need to worry about foundation issues. I'll look for a rock deposit out back there, then we'll build or expand on it."

Legend hummed agreeably. He dropped his head against Raven's shoulder.

"I think I might be tired," he admitted, using Raven's shoulder to block the light from his eyes.

Raven laughed, the rumble vibrating Legend to some degree. "I was thinking the same thing. Let's get some food in you before you fall asleep."

"Ugh, I hate it when I can't find a town, or find any rupees, and when the knights are actually competent. Elsewise food is hard to find."

Screw arrows, he could find arrows in dungeons or steal them from monsters, healing supplies too, food however? Nope. Only in towns, especially in his Hyrule. Wild's and Twilight's and all of theirs? They might have food in the wilderness but in Legend's era? Nope. The best he could do was his apple orchard.

So if he couldn't find a town, he was screwed. If he could find a town, he needed rupees but currently, he was broke and monsters weren't dropping rupees after they died these days.

Raven was silent for a long moment. "I'm sorry you've been going through this. Is there no one in your time who could help you? What about that girl you mentioned?"

"Cadence's in a whole n'other dimension, an' Zel's busy leading the country..." Legend blinked slowly, registering the warmth of indoors hitting him. "An' I do have people who are helping me this adventure, but we got separated... I'll catch up with them 'ventually... when I'm not too weak to walk."

Raven sighed. "I see. Tell me about these people?"

He huffed, then he clambered off Raven's back a bit stubbornly. Raven rolled his eyes but gestured him to the kitchen area where Ms. Marley was cooking.

"Well, they're all heroes, people the goddesses chose to protect and save their world. One of them's my ancestor, other side, and he's pretty nice; great sword fighter, but gets lost in his head all the time. Then there's the Heroes of the Four Swords, have you heard of them?"

"Yes, I heard that story when I was out traveling."

"Yeah, as a whole, they're very grounded, down-to-earth, I mean. They're intelligent in every way possible and really fast. They're also a blacksmith." His hands moved vaguely as he spoke, a habit he had tried to break but this was Raven, he didn't mind being a bit more expressive with the man.

Raven watched him as he spoke, paying him his full attention.

"There's also my successor! He's a bit older than me, and he's taller by an inch or two. He's insanely good with magic, really scrappy in a fight, 'cause he never learned from any official place. He's still a really good fighter... stabby though. He's sharp too, notices everything, but he's a bit socially oblivious. He's also sassy, he's so much fun to banter with.

"Speaking of--There's also the Captain! You'd like him, him and probably the Rancher. The Captain's the captain of the queen's personal guard and he led an army to war that was so huge it merged two--three timelines. He's a good knight, and so is the first guy I mentioned as well as the Heroes of the Four Sword! Good knights, better men.

"The Rancher is a goat herd from some farming town just outside of Hyrule, but he's an insanely strong sword fighter and wrestler. He's really good with domestic animals, wild ones not so much. He's so honest but still nice unless you push him, he's a real country bumpkin.

"Of course, he is good with one wild animal and that would be the Champion. He's the Rancher's protege and sometimes he is completely feral. He's chaotic, kinda like how I was when we first met, he knows what to do but usually takes his own, faster, more dangerous path and generally comes out mostly unscathed."

Raven smiled softly as he listened to the teenager in front of him ramble on and on about his current companions. From the sounds of it, it was another time travel "quest" as Link liked to call them, which made the worry and concern in his stomach so much worse. Link loved and cared so wholly and clearly, these people he was talking about were his friends, maybe even close to brothers. But the boy was also hurt, the new scars and the way he gave Marley such a guarded and wary look... Link had grown up, and life had not been kind to him. Yet he was still so bright, it was sad.

Raven hoped Link would be lucky enough to keep in contact with these new brothers of his in a way they had and likely will never be able to.

Legend insisted on helping Marley out the next day. Though their crops were small and young, and their horse had been taken by Raven to Castle Town that day, there was still plenty to do. 

Marley also apparently wasn't a farm woman by birth, because she didn't have that stubbornness that Legend couldn't talk around. He helped put up the beginnings of a proper paddock for Raven's horse, Pallid--which Legend was judging him for naming his pale beige horse Pallid, but Puini was "pony" in Labyrnnese and Epona was a play on "pony" as well, so he couldn't say either of them were great at naming horses.

However, he hadn't been able to eat a whole meal yet, which was nothing he wasn't accustomed to. Re-adjusting to full meals was commonplace after most of his adventures. He did feel much better and had stayed on his feet and active the whole day without a problem though.

"Can I tag along?" He asked Raven the following day, perched on the newly built fence as the knight captain strapped on Pallid's saddle.

Raven paused his movements and looked at Legend with a slight frown. "Are you well enough to?"

Objectively no, but he was also himself, so yes.

"I feel well enough. I'd prefer to adjust back to eating more but that's unlikely with my current schedule, and I really need to get supplies."

He didn't mention he didn't have any money and fully intended to steal.

Raven sighed. "If you'd like, I wouldn't mind you accompanying me. I would actually appreciate that, and I'm sure you could teach some of them at the station a thing or two, recovering or not."

Legend rolled his eyes as his lips spread into a smirk. "Please, knowing the standard of knights, a keese could teach them a thing or two."

Raven laughed. "Your knights must be extremely disappointing if that's true. No, my men are better than that, but even when we last fought together you would have severely outclassed them."

"Alright, if I'm up for it at the moment I wouldn't mind a spar or two. Just... Just don’t let me near the cell block."

His ancestor paused for a brief moment before he nodded. "Alright. Go let Marley know you're coming with me."

"Okay," he chirped and hopped off the paddock fence. 

He wandered inside, leaning around corners to find Marley working on her yeast starter.

"Miss Marley?"

"Oh! Link! Can I help you?"

"Raven says to tell you that he's letting me come with him to Castle Town. I also promise that I'll be careful not to push myself if I have the option and I'll keep an eye on him."

Marley smiled warmly at him. "Alright, thanks for letting me know. You two be careful out there, and come home safe."

"We will, thanks, Miss Marley."

Legend hummed to himself as he found a perch with two crates, watching the training field and Raven put dozens of soldiers through drills.

"Now I want fifty laps around the whole guard station, go!"

Most ran off without another moment, one groaned and Legend heard him mutter a curse.

"Fucking bastard--telling us what to do as if he and his family ain't the reason our country's in ruin."

He froze, but Raven clearly heard it too and glared daggers at the soldier who was reluctantly going to follow.

"Hey, Smithson! I have a different thing for you." Raven grabbed a decent sword from a nearby rack and walked toward the open area near Legend's perch. The soldier grumbled and walked over.

Raven looked at Legend and held out the sword.

"I want you fighting Link until he decides you’re both done or you win."

Legend grinned, and he dropped from the barrels.

"You want me fighting a squire?"

Raven gave him a sharp look. "I want you to learn some things and I think defeat will be a good teacher. You should note as well that Link is mine."

"So you insult his family you insult mine," Legend spoke up as he tested the sword. "And I want you to learn some respect about the people who have given their lives and limb for this country."

"You’re a child."

"I've seen more death and violence in my years of living yet than you will in your lifetime," Legend said casually, he kept the annoyance from his voice and just kept it blunt and factual, which definitely infuriated the man.

Good.

His heart picked up speed but he tried to push it back. Raven was nearby and watching, he wouldn't end up in a cell. He would be fine, he just had to teach this soldier some respect for their family... he would have to ask Raven what he meant by that though, because he never heard anything negative about their family like that before.

"I'll show you respect," the soldier snarled, drawing his sword and lunging.

It took more effort to keep his breathing steady and his face impassive. He danced out of the way of the blade, kicked out the soldier's leg, and hit the pommel of his sword between his shoulder blades.

"First of all, a knight does all things with honor. In any mock fight, he does not attack before they both confirm preparedness."

The soldier glared daggers at him. "Shut up!" He lunged again.

Legend held back a grin. He turned his body horizontal at the waist, leaning low to his right and as the blade swung overhead, he kicked into the soldier's side. He had been wearing chainmail, so that did little harm, but he managed to kick hard enough for him to stagger. A one handed cartwheel also had him kicking his head with his other leg.

He landed neatly, popping back up to his feet quickly as the soldier scrambled.

"Secondly, you cannot stay down for longer than a moment." He stopped the soldier's movements with his sword at his throat. "You fall, you roll with it, and you recover to continue fighting. You fall and rush to stand up? You're killed."

"What would you know!" The soldier wrapped his hand around his blade and once again slashed blindly.

Legend easily danced out of its reach. He let the soldier stand and he took an actual stance.

"Would you like to actually spar or shall I continue with the verbal lessons before we step into the physical?"

The soldier clearly hated him, not a new feeling for Legend, and he lunged again.

Legend stayed still and this time he blocked. It was harder, he was considerably shorter and weaker than this soldier, but he wasn't inept.

He slid beside the soldier, letting his anger-filled attack drag him ahead and he smacked the flat side of his sword against the back of his unprotected head.

"Knights don’t let their emotions control them in battle, most assume that means fear, but that also applies to anger, love, grief, lust, and pride." Legend danced under the swinging blade and ignored the curses and slurs thrown his way. "They keep a level head in battle and act with honor. They use their minds just as much as their hearts, and in every stand they take, they are prepared to give their lives."

He recited a whole one of his grandfather's lectures, though paraphrased, on the duty and actions of a true knight. Each time, it just pissed the soldier off even more.

He would knock him down, dodge his reckless swings, critique, and forcibly fix his stances, they were still going when the rest of the training squadron returned from their laps less exhausted than the man actively trying to hurt Legend.

He heard some of the men question Raven.

"Captain, what's with the kid... and why is he kicking Smithson's ass?"

"He's mine, and because Smithson decided to speak ill of men who gave their lives for the safety of Hyrule," Raven responded.

"But that's a kid."

"And he would win a fight against any one of you easily, and were he in peak condition and not recovering from a lethal cold, I would have had him fighting groups of you at once."

"Groups--would he win?"

"Yes," Legend called over his shoulder, dancing around his opponent again and this time smacking his backside with the flat of his blade, garnering laughter from the audience and rage from the soldier, Smithson. "I'll have you know I took out a horde of at least thirty monsters not a month ago and came out unscathed. In a serious fight--"

Legend used his sword to block the next attack and stepped into Smithson's space to hook a foot behind his leg, destabilize his stance, and punch his face.

"--I'd have killed this whole compound and would be headed back home in time for dinner." He met Raven's eyes, which had a sliver of doubt, but he nodded slightly. 

"Well done, Link," Raven said. "That's enough for you both."

Legend nodded and sheathed his sword. He heard movement behind him and expected the anger, he didn't expect the attack.

"Link!" Raven cried, moving forward.

Instinct took over when he saw the tip of a blade swinging at him from the side, probably aimed just as recklessly as the rest of the attacks and therefore aimed far too high.

He turned his head but didn't move despite the outcry. Nayru's Love enveloped him, and the blade bounced off the shield that formed for the briefest moment.

Smithson froze, still clearly enraged but also visibly stricken and terrified.

Legend raised an eyebrow. "Your captain said we were done. You need to learn to respect your superiors, seems you're not only disrespectful to those who came before you and gave their lives so you could stand here with the life and freedoms you have."

Legend had to learn that lesson when he was young too, the Fallen Hero had been weak in his eyes as a child. It wasn't until Hytopia, three months after his first adventure, when he met two of his fellow heroes for the first time, that he learned. It didn't matter the circumstances or individual strengths, the Fallen Hero, Time, had given his life to protect Hyrule, and failing or succeeding, he deserved Legend's full respect.

Raven didn't let Link come back. Not with how bitter some of his men were over his descendant's words. He believed Link, though he marked his words as slightly arrogant. He did believe him and believed that he could survive a fight with the entire compound.

But with that belief and trust came worry, because the boy Raven had fought and won against when they first met, was already extremely skilled once a sword and not a spear was in his hand.

"Captain!" A scout ran over to him, stepping into attention. "A group of armed hylians is approaching the town! They appear battle-ready and dangerous."

"We can't deny them sanctuary unless they give us reason to," Raven chided.

"One wears the mark of the Queen, but Commander Thomas does not recognize him."

Commander Thomas was a worn veteran who had been in service for over sixty years now, claimed to know every single captain or higher-ranked soldier in Her Majesty's army.

"Then we should welcome a returning squadron home," Raven insisted. The scout nodded and Raven let out an exasperated sigh before he headed to greet this returning officer and his team.

It was a group of about eight men and young boys, at least two squires included in that and one definitely ranked officer with a few other knights whose training was finished. They saw him approaching and the ranked officer, a blond man with the Queen's mark on a blue scarf he wore, stepped forward.

"Welcome back to the heart of Hyrule," Raven greeted.

"Ah, thank you," the knight said a bit hesitantly. "I wasn't expecting a welcome."

"One of my older soldiers saw you approaching and were wary of an officer they didn't know, he's served a long time and claims to know every officer ever ranked, so he had me alerted."

"I see," the knight said. "Well, we are actually still on mission but need information we hoped someone here would know."

"I'd be glad to help. I'm Raven, the captain of the Castle Town guard."

"A pleasure to meet you. I'm Captain Link." He gestured at the others over his shoulder and the man with a furred pelt on his shoulders, which made Raven think he was more likely a mercenary paid to give them more strength than the speed the group clearly excelled in, left with most of the younger members. It left Raven with Captain Link, a well armored man who seemed more like a paladin than anything else, a younger man with a white cape over his shoulders, and then a squire in a multi-colored tunic.

"What are you searching for?" Raven asked, turning and Captain Link walking with him.

"Our main concern is a missing member of our company," the white caped man spoke up. "He's our scholar and went missing  a couple months ago."

"A scholar? I don’t mean to provoke, but are you certain he's survived this long?" Raven asked warily.

"Definitely," the white caped man insisted. "He's the most experienced of all of us, in battle as well."

The captain nodded his agreement slowly, Raven quickly recognized that the question of if their scholar was alive or not was a point of contention.

"We're... We aren't certain. But if he is alive then he is our main concern and second is our mission objective: a group of monsters strengthened by dark magic to the point of them bleeding blackened blood. We are on an extermination mission and first we need to find them."

Raven nodded, thoughtful. He hadn't had any reports of strengthened monsters or monsters with black blood. He swore Link, his descendent Link not this captain, had made a reference to such a thing but that was it. He said as much, leaving Link unmentioned.

"Someone has referenced these monsters?" The squire spoke up, sparking Raven's surprise, but he nodded.

"My, ah..." he had been claiming Link as his own, letting people assume their connection, but to say it outright? He'd have to. "My son, he's traveled a lot and recently observed a training course. He claimed my soldiers wouldn't last a minute against "black bloods" but I'm unsure if that is what you mean."

"Has he fought them?" The captain looked concerned. "These monsters are extremely powerful, my team is specially trained and even then an encounter with them ends in dangerous and sometimes life threatening injuries."

"Link can handle himself well."

The men all stopped in their tracks.

The captain grabbed Raven's arm. "Link?" He repeated. "Your son's name is Link?"

Raven nodded slowly, eyes narrowing. "It is. Why does that matter? It's not an abnormal name, rare and considered cursed by many due to recent history, but not abnormal. You share it."

"Is he a hero?" The captain demanded. "Your son, has he wielded the Master Sword? Or the Triforce of Courage? Was he called to defeat a great evil that he never should've been able to overcome yet against all odds he did?"

Raven felt his blood go cold. A roaring sound in his ears drowned out all reason. All he knew was that these men were looking for Link, and Link had said he wasn't often held in high regard when he hailed from.

His sword was held at the other captain's throat.

"What do you want with him?" He demanded lowly. He saw one of his soldiers see the change and soon enough, more were approaching with arms raised.

"Stay your blade, Sir Raven. We don't mean any harm."

"When you start asking about my boy who nobody should even know about, much less the fact that he's the hero, I'll decide whether or not you mean to hurt him."

They stood off, not a word was spoken nor a blade was moved. Then an alarm echoed through the town as a scout ran toward them.

"Captain! Monsters approaching the front gate! We count three dozen at minimum, sir!"

A Labrynese curse escaped him. 

"Take them to the cell block!" He ordered and glared at the men in front of him. "And you'll stay there until these monsters you've brought are gone."

"We can help!" They argued, but Raven's men dragged them toward the prison. Raven turned his head toward the front gate and the closing doors.

Legend ran into a squad of soldiers along the way to Castle Town, he wanted to run except one recognized him.

"Hey! You’re Cap'n Raven's kid," they said, grinning. Legend was not used to that response. "What are you doing out here?"

Legend grit his teeth. "He forgot some things back home and Miss Marley sent me to bring them to him," he explained.

"Ah, you can join us," the soldier told him. "You ain't as young as you look, are ya? All that talk the other day, you’re a knight?"

Against his will, yes. "I was knighted when I was twelve," he confirmed. "I'm seventeen now."

"Damn," one of them whistled. "Knighted? Fully?"

"By the Queen herself."

Another whistled loudly and several gave him their congratulations.

"What rank are you, if you don't mind me asking?" The man who had instigated the conversation asked.

Legend sighed softly. "Technically, I'm little more than a bodyguard to the Queen. Officially, I'm the Commander of the Queen's Royal Guard."

Fable had given him the position while he served as her personal guard between his return from overseas and Yuga's assault. She had insisted on it and he actually filled the position fairly well when the knights actually listened to him.

"Holy shit," one of the knights gasped.

"A commander? At seventeen?"

Legend shrugged. He decided not to admit he had been fifteen at the time.

"Golden Three, the Queen employing one of them?" He heard one of the quieter ones grumble. "A direct descendent?"

He looked over. "What do you mean?"

The squadron went a bit quiet.

"You... You do know your family history, right?" The first knight asked. Legend frowned.

"I'm afraid I don't know of anything that would lead the Queen to not employ any of my blood. Enlighten me?"

Looks were shared.

"If Captain Raven hasn't--"

"Do I need to make it an order? What family history."

They were clearly uncomfortable, but Legend refused to be confused or left in the dark. He hated it. Knowledge was the one thing he had currently.

"Sorry sir," a second knight stepped up, "we meant no disrespect. It's simply--We didn't wish to undermine Sir Raven, but you do outrank him so..." the knight seemed a tad wary. "See, just over fifty years ago, fifty-five now I believe?"

Another knight nodded and another muttered a confirmation.

"Yes, 55 years ago, the Fallen Hero died. You know of him, of course?" Legend nodded. "Well, though he died during his stand against the Dark Beast, it is well known to us from Castle Town to Kakariko that he was sweet on this lady from a ranch not all that far from here."

Yeah, Malon, Legend knew this...

"He had a kid with her," another spoke up. "That kid was Sir Raven's mother."

Legend's blood ran cold.

"His... His grandfather then..."

"Was the Fallen Hero," they confirmed. "You're the direct descendent of the man who many regard to have singlehandedly caused the complete upheaval and destruction of Hyrule's way of life, and nearly completely destroyed her as a whole."

That meant... That meant Time was his ancestor. 

"I'm sorry for you to have found out this way, ki-- sir," one of them said but it was beyond a rushing roar in his mind. "Sir Raven must have kept it from you for a reason."

Legend stared at the ground, then he heard and felt something. His head snapped up.

"K-- Sir?"

"Castle Town is under attack," he breathed.

"What?" The soldier prodded him.

He shoved the shock of Raven's lie of omission back. "Castle Town is under attack! Are you knights or what? Let's go!"

He heard several yelps and cries of shock, but they were pretty quick to run after him as he charged ahead. He could hear the alarm bell ringing and the ground shifting from heavy, heavier than Hylian, steps.

A daze hit him, he stumbled as a powerful wave of dizziness ran through him and his hand passed through the strap of his bag.

"Sir! What--"

"Keep moving," he snapped at the knight.

He had felt that dizziness before, he had become not quite here before. Only once, but he hadn't ever really forgotten that.

Raven was going to die. Unless Legend intervened, unless someone outside of this time stepped in, Raven would die and so would Legend.

The bell ringing grew louder and Legend could see a whole horde of monsters.

"Stick together!" He ordered over his shoulder at the knights running with him. "Pair off and keep each other's backs covered! Focus on protecting the people, leave the monsters to me!"

"Wha--Yes sir!"

He saw a fallen soldier and their sword left to the wayside. It was no detour to snatch it up, even if it took a stubborn focus to wield it in his current condition.

He ran into battle, as usual. His blade sank into a monster with too much resistance and he slid back, black staining the blade in his hand.

Oh, even better.

"We aren't staying, right?"

Twilight scoffed. "Of course not."

The guards left them in cells, but the moment they did, the Rancher moved forward and broke his cell bars. Warriors whistled lowly.

"Not bad."

"I'd like to see you do better," he retorted. "Let's hurry up, we can't leave these people to fight those monsters alone."

"I can't believe there's another hero," Wind said, retrieving his stuff. "It's nice that his Dad's protective."

"Not great for us," Wild deadpanned, hooking his slate back onto his hip. "How likely is it that we'll be seeing black bloods?"

"High," Time said. "Let's go."

Sky drew Fi and followed after them. She had grown closer to dormancy since their veteran... went missing.

He didn't know if he could be optimistic anymore, obviously Legend was a powerhouse in his own right, not like Twilight and his brute strength, or Warriors and his ability to command a battlefield, or Wild and his tenacity, or Hyrule and his magical prowess, or even Sky himself and his swordsmanship. But their veteran was strong and he had accomplished the most among them.

Sky had to trust he has been able to handle himself. He had to, or else he may lose what meager control he had over the storm inside.

Their items retrieved, they ran back out to the front gates of the town.

Warriors could hear someone yelling orders over the din of the battle. He could see the soldiers holding a line between the front gate and the town, but there were monsters breaking past. Wind was fastest, slamming into a breaching moblin, and Time was right behind the sailor.

Warriors moved his attention onward. Wind and Time could handle themselves, they always could after all. He ran up the steps to the top of the wall, Wild was behind him.

He had to find the commanding officer. He could hear someone yelling and telling soldiers to close ranks, block the gates, and keep the people away from the fight.

"Where's your commander?" He questioned an archer.

"Someone mentioned that the commander of the Queen's guard is on the battlefield, sir! I haven't seen him yet, sir."

Of course, it was one of the highest-ranking officers in Castle Town. The Raven guy was nowhere to be seen either.

An explosion of flames went off near the front gates. "Close ranks!" Someone too young to be yelling orders was the one to yell them. "Push them back!"

Another explosion had more knights rushing to fill the gap left by the burnt monsters. There was a blur of red, disappearing in flickers of green and white, enveloped in blue on occasion, but Warriors never got a good look at the monster killing machine on the battlefield. He was a bit distracted by the fact that whoever was giving orders sounded almost familiar.

"Take them down, Champion!" Warriors ordered. Wild already taking out his bow and notched three arrows. Warriors leapt over the wall and threw himself into the chaos.

It was the war all over, gold followed his blade as he took to his more culling stances and slashes.

Slowly but surely, they began to clear out some of the monsters to the point of retreat.

"Sir!" An unknown voice cried. "They're retreating!"

"I noticed," the voice that had been yelling was suddenly too familiar now that it was at a normal level and he could finally place it. "Get the wounded to the medics or infirmaries. Fix the gates and walls as quick as possible and make sure no civilians are injured. If there's a second wave then we have to be ready."

Warriors whipped around.

"Veteran?!" Hyrule cried.

Hyrule had seen him first, but Warriors spotted him a beat later.

Legend was there. He was there and alive. He also looked almost nothing like their veteran. His long hair was chopped unnaturally short, he didn't have his blue cap they all teased him for, he wore a green cloak over his shoulders but when he turned Warriors could see a red over white short dress and plain brown leather boots. He held a soldier's broadsword that was soaked in various shades of blood, black and red and purple alike.

"Traveler!"

They ran at each other, Hyrule all but leaping to grab him.

Hyrule, who claimed he found Legend, who saw him, but the portal stopped him from reaching him. He had insisted he'd seen him, most of of them worried he had lost himself to grief a bit. He had been in hysterics after all, completely unconsolable and insistent that Legend--who had been missing for a month at the time--had been right in front of him, covered in blood, but alive.

The traveler hero clung to Legend, clearly searching him for any sign of injury.

"You’re okay! You’re alive!" Hyrule's hands fluttered over the other hero but never letting go of him.

"I'm alright--It's okay, breathe, traveler. I'm right here," Legend soothed. "Is everyone else okay? Are they--"

"APPLE!"

A blur of blue slammed into Legend. Warriors almost wanted to laugh as the veteran staggered back and fell back onto the ground, Hyrule falling with them.

At Wind's cry, Warriors could see Twilight's head whirl around, probably giving the Rancher severe whiplash.

He always forgot the three of them had met before. It had been three months after each of their first adventure, so a while ago for Twilight, not so long ago for Wind, and years ago for Legend.

"You’re alright!"

"Yeah--Okay, get off. Really--I'm glad to see you but I need to find someone."

Warriors noticed that Legend's hand passed through Wind's arm. Wind and Hyrule noticed too, Twilight and Wild were running over.

"Vet..." Wind croaked, eyes going wide at his arm where Legend failed to fully touch him.

"I'm fine," Legend insisted. "I promise. I just--I need a fairy and a potion, tell me one of you--"

Hyrule was shoving two potions into his hand and Legend muttered some thanks before running off. The other heroes pursued immediately.

"Raven!" Legend yelled, his head whipping side to side as he searched and his eyes landed on a knight running their direction. "Soldier!" The knight snapped to attention, nearly tripping over himself to do so. "Where is Captain Raven?"

"He's in bad condition, sir," they yelped. "They're taking him to the medics but--"

"Show me."

Warriors glanced at Time, who looked a bit pale.

"Sprite?"

"He looked bad," Time said quietly, "that captain, I don’t think he'll survive."

Legend must've heard him because he looked over his shoulder at them, and Warriors hadn't ever seen him so... blazing. "I still have a chance."

Warriors didn't know what that meant, but he followed. The heroes all exchanged potions, quietly and quickly checking one another over while trying to stay close to their veteran who was alive.

Legend's cape rippled and Warriors wasn't sure about it. He seemed almost regal with how he moved and commanded the attention of these soldiers, demanding Raven's location and getting it.

They called him sir. That was... odd.

They found the right room and Legend rushed over to Raven's side, the captain's eyes were shut and the medic spoke first.

"I'm sorry, kid. He isn't--"

"I still have a chance," Legend repeated insistently. He released the fairy Hyrule gave him and she was quick to soak the man in her healing magic.

Warriors saw Raven gasp, eyes fluttering open. Legend rushed with the potion, coaxing Raven to sit up and drink it.

The heroes stayed out of the way, but Hyrule refused to let Legend out of arms reach, and Wind and Sky were both close by too. Twilight hung back surprisingly, but Warriors was too. They just watched on worriedly.

When Raven slumped back, breathing visibly steadying, Legend dropped his head against the knight's chest and relaxed.

"Oh thank the goddesses," Legend breathed. "Don't do that!"

The veteran sounded close to tears.

Raven settled a hand in Legend's hair, his face soft. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."

"You nearly died!" He snapped. "You would've died if I wasn't here--again!"

"I know."

"You have a wife now, and at the rate we're going with this, you'll have a kid next time. You can't--You can't keep needing a time traveler to ensure your survival."

Warriors was a bit concerned, he thought that this Raven was the father of the current hero, but this world also wasn't any they'd been to before to his knowledge, but Legend definitely knew this guy...

Was this Legend's father? They certainly had the dynamic, though Legend never mentioned family aside from an uncle.

"I'll do my best, but I only need a time traveler when one shows up," Raven said with a teasing lilt to his voice. "I'm assuming our audience are actually friends of yours?"

Legend pulled away fully. He settled on the edge of Raven's bed, looking over at the heroes. "Yeah, they're the other heroes I told you about."

"I see." Raven looked at Warriors. "I apologize for throwing you all in jail, nobody here knows Link is the hero, none of them know there is ever a hero in this time even if only every now and then, I was worried."

"It's alright," Warriors said, before Legend could question what had happened. "I get it. I've had similar experiences, there was a time when if anyone ever asked for a young hero and I didn't know them, I would've killed them on the spot."

A few heads turned toward him, but only Time's angled knowingly.

"I imagine they must have meant a lot to you," Raven said.

Warriors thought of two kids, one only a couple of years younger than he had been and another much younger than them both. They were both kids, one had been nine or ten... or even more, and the other was sixteen. How the older of the two had immediately adopted the younger and then latched right onto Warriors himself.

"Yeah, they do," Warriors confirmed.

Raven seemed to come to some kind of decision as he ruffled Legend's hair. "You got some good friends here, kid. Go catch up with them, I'll be fine here. Worst comes to worst, you'll head out and I'll watch over you."

Legend glanced between them, there was something indecipherable on the younger hero's face, but he nodded.

"Alright," he said. "Get some rest, old man. I'll see you when it's all over."

"Best be a long time now."

"Considering my track record, it will be."

Legend got off the bed and Warriors ushered the other heroes out and out of the way. They left Raven alone and Legend waved them to follow him.

Legend took the other heroes to Raven's office. Once they were all inside and he shut the door, he slumped against the nearest wall and shoved his hands through his hair. A heavy sigh escaped him, his whole body shuddering with it.

Sky came closer. "Vet? You alright?"

"Sorry, I just--Fading sucks."

"Fading?" Wind frowned.

Legend hummed. He pushed his hair back as he raised his head before he let his hands fall. "Yeah, sorry. Raven's... Raven is my ancestor, some 400 years before my era, he's... It happened before, during my fourth quest. He was going to be executed, and I... Well, he was going to die, and if he died, so did I."

He heard the sharp inhales and saw most of them pale drastically.

He laughed. "Yeah. That's--That's how I knew he could still survive. I... I was still here, so I could still save him." 

There was a long pause, just everyone a bit surprised and shaken and he wasn't surprised by that. Either way, he flashed them a grin, adjusting his stance against the wall to be a casual lean and not the exhausted slump it was.

"So, what'd I miss?"

"What'd--Why did you disappear is a better question!" Wind screeched. "What happened?! Where'd you go?! What's with the haircut and new get-up?!"

Legend winced. "Ah... Well, it's a long story and I don't want to get into it?"

The deadpan looks from everyone in the room had him groaning.

"Fine! Fine--I might've gotten arrested."

"You what?!"

"Twice."

"What?!"

"I only deserved it once though."

"That's one too many!" Four exclaimed.

"Funny you're the one to say that," Legend said awkwardly.

Four stared at him, and then his mouth dropped. "Do not tell me you committed a crime in my era."

"I generally prefer not to lie but okay: I didn't commit a crime in your era."

They all stared at him.

"Just--" Sky intervened. "Explain from the beginning?"

He didn't even want to think of the beginning. So he just... ignored the part he didn't want to say.

"I got arrested in my era because the knights there are still partially effected by a mind-altering spell that had them controlled by Agahnim, the evil mage that revived Ganon the first time around," Legend sighed. "They think I kidnapped my Zelda, I didn't, I run from them, they chase, they try to capture me and usually fail. Nine times out of ten, I'm fine."

"And that one?"

"Only happens when I'm compromised," Legend finished for Twilight. "And... I think... I swear I told someone but frankly, I can't remember anymore, I did have a concussion at the time. Mild, would've gone away with sleep and if it didn't we were in town and I'd have gotten a potion."

They seemed to agree with his logic, Hyrule speaking up and saying he had known.

"Yep. So--But a guard caught me and I was arrested. I didn't manage to escape before the shift but I've managed since... for the most part."

"Last time I saw you, you were covered in blood," Hyrule said bluntly.

Legend snorted, he grinned at his successor. "I promise you, most of that blood was mine."

Hyrule's eyes widened. "Vet you were soaked!"

He just grinned and shrugged. "Anyways, yeah. From then it was just trying to survive."

"And you look awful right now because...?" Wind questioned, eyes narrowed. "You look skeletal, Veteran."

"Eh, I caught a cold a couple weeks ago and still feeling the effects. It's fine. Plus food isn't easy to find in most of your eras without stealing."

Four suddenly paled. "That's--You stole food in my era?"

Legend didn't fail to notice how the older four's faces shifted to something guarded. He nodded to the smithy. "Yep. I owe Mister Carp two rupees for an apple, Missus Miller four for a loaf of bread, and then Missus Shepherd forty for this wool cloak I snagged--oh, and another two to Carp for the jerky."

He hated the pity.

"And the hair?" Wind asked tentatively.

Legend hesitated. He tested his length, and it only came down to his chin in the front and the middle of his neck in the back. He grimaced a bit.

"I... I had it cut, that's all."

He liked his hair long, he liked being able to tie it up, he liked being able to sit on the dirt path in Kakariko and let the kids play with it, and he liked to let Zelda test hairstyles on him. Dusk had to cut it short to even it out from the abuse he had taken from the guards of his own time.

"Why?"

"I don’t want to talk about it."

Twilight sighed. "Veteran--"

"I said I don’t want to talk about it," he snapped, shooting a glare at Twilight. "I'm not saying any more. I'm done. That's it."

Something apparently must've shown on his face or in his voice because all of them suddenly looked extremely concerned.

"Vet..." Sky was still close to him and he grabbed Legend's hand, startling the veteran. "What happened to you?"

Something shot through him and he thought he'd break, but he managed to grit his teeth and jerk away. "Nothing happened, Chosen. Leave it."

Thankfully, they did, but Legend didn't dare believe that was the end of it.

Legend had led them to the farm, Raven insistent on returning to Marley before he began his medically required rest. They arrived there and Legend noticed Time falter a bit, he ignored it, seeing Marley at the fence with her garden that'll one day be overflowing with tomatoes and other vegetables.

"We're back Miss Marley!" Legend called, waving a hand.

She looked up and a clear expression of relief hit her.

Legend turned to the heroes as Raven and Marley hugged. "There isn't enough room in the house for half of us, but the area is normally very safe. It shouldn't take long to go back to town though, if you'd rather stay in an--"

The familiar woosh and following tug was the tell-tale sign of a portal, formed just outside the front property line. There was no fence or gate, but in Legend's era, there was both, though they never did have a sign... Lon Lon Ranch had a sign, now that Legend thought about it, but otherwise, its fence was the same... He hadn't noticed that before.

"Don't even matter, vet," Twilight sighed. Legend decided not to draw attention to Hyrule latching onto his arm, or Sky shifting a bit closer to them both.

"Link, what's that?" Raven asked.

"Our ride. Time travel, remember?" Legend smiled at him. "I'll probably not see you again?"

"Best not to hope for it, you need a break, kid."

"I'm fine, adventures are fun."

"That's not what I meant."

He rolled his eyes, grinning. "Too bad. Bye Miss Marley, take care of that idiot."

"Bye Link, take care of yourself. And bye to your friends too," Marley called back to him.

"Bye, ma'am!"

"Buh bye!"

"Nice t'meet ya, miss!"

"See ya, Cap'n Raven, sir!"

"Til next time!"

Various other calls of farewell went off and Hyrule and Sky all but held Legend's hand through the portal. Legend decided last second to pull away and he dodged around Twilight and Wild, who were at the back of the group, to hug his ancestor.

Raven chuckled softly. "I was waiting for that. You be safe, Link."

Legend grinned at him as he pulled away. "Ah, you know I can't promise that. I'll be careful though."

"I s'pose that's all I can ask for. Goodbye, Link."

"Bye, Raven-- Oh, by the way, your men think I'm a commander so they told about your grandpa." Raven froze. "I hope you don't blame him too much like they do," he said as he moved away. "This hero business isn't exactly easy."

Raven glanced at the heroes behind Legend, who had all stopped when Legend slipped out of the procession. The pull of the portal grew, but it was restrained, like a gentle reminder rather than a harsh demand.

"Yes... I'm actually rather surprised you didn't already know."

"Eh, I've been learning a lot about my heritage on these adventures, you and yours included. Anyways--Bye!"

"Bye, Link."

Legend grabbed Hyrule's hand again and was the first through the portal, the other heroes following soon after.

Next>>

#linked universe #febuwhump 2024 #lu legend #linkeduniverse #legend lu #fanfic #lu warriors #lu hyrule #lu wild #lu wind #lu sky #lu twilight #lu time #lu four #WE FINALLY FEATURE EVERYONE GUYS #THEY'RE HERE #GANG'S BACK TOGETHER #legend linked universe #linkeduniverse fanfiction #linked universe legend #linked universe fanfic #lu fanfiction #lu fic #sir raven #a thousand ways au #prosie writes

[ohlookanothercartoontofallinto]

Sooooooooooooooooooooooo 

Um well 

Honestly a bit surprised myself that I’m back after a year, but anyways. This Fic is my passion project, and I really hope you enjoy the suffering. 

#linked universe #lu #linkeduniverse #linkeduniverse wind #lu wind #linked universe wind #linkeduniverse warriors #lu warriors #linked universe warriors #my writing #linkeduniverse fanfic #lu fanfiction #lu fanfic #linkeduniverse fanfiction #Song of #angst #I'm going to make so many people suffer

[sky-squido]

“Because I don’t have friends, do I?” Sky spat, whirling around to pin an imagined hero with his dark gaze, shoulders tense, fingers straining in his fists, filled with something hard and cold and trembling with enough force to shatter him whole.

“Not here. Not amongst you. No, I have—” he cut himself off, tearing away with a laugh equal parts disbelieving and derisive. “What do I even say? Patients? Projects? No, just more people in need of saving.”

His eyes hardened again, something twisting itself and settling inside his chest, visibly weighing his very soul down, killing the warmth and kindness so familiar to the soft curve of his face, sharpening his visage into that of a stranger.

Because he wasn’t Sky. Not without his kindness.

“Oh, I love you.” He started, his own voice fighting him as his body broke out into uncontrollable shudders, “every single last one of you. But you don’t love me, do you? Only what I can do for you.”

Stone cracked deafeningly against stone, Sky’s toes only just beginning to throb from the force of his kick, and as his lungs began to heave, he bent over, fingers caging another rock to hurl in his anger. His knees struck gravel, though, a hoarse cough shredding itself from his chest as he was forced to his palms, choking on the air.

“Of—fucking—course.”

The words spat themselves into the dust.

“Because nobody gives a shit about anyone other than themselves, do they? Their only concern is if I’m okay enough to help them.”

Sky slackened, dropping his head in defeat, every muscle in his back suddenly falling lax.

“As if I would ever tell them I wasn’t.”

Sky paused, then, cutting off his breath with silence, training his ears.

Only more silence.

Of course. How could he have forgotten? The person who always just happened to stumble upon someone when they needed it most always seemed to be Sky, somehow. What a coincidence.

And, unsurprisingly, it looked like nobody had taken it upon themselves to stumble upon him.

With that, some decision made itself within him.

And Sky let go.

His shoulder punched the gravel, his neck straining from the angle at which his temple struck the ground, his arms falling out limp in front of him, knuckles stinging from their impact with the rough stone, his flesh already aching with restricted bloodflow.

What? It wasn’t like anyone was going to find him.

Nobody looked at him unless they needed something. And he’d made sure everyone was taken care of before he left.

Of course, they always needed something else, too. While he was at it. Because he was just so fucking giving. Just such a nice guy. Real good-hearted.

Deep inside, he howled and cried and hugged his knees to his chest as a deluge of rain shore down around him.

Goddess, Sky wanted a hug.

Sure, he’d been hugging the others plenty, but sometimes there was a difference between hugging someone and being hugged.

Sky wanted to be held. Held as he sobbed. Without a touch of awkwardness or impatience. Only understanding and acceptance.

But, of course, who would hold him? That was Sky’s job.

Besides, if they thought he was anything less than perfectly alright, they wouldn’t come to him with their wounds. They’d suffer in silence and do something stupid and make everything worse and then they’d come to him anyway and he’d clean it up anyway and it would be even more work than if he had just sucked it up and bit his tongue and helped them out in the first place.

He didn’t even have to lie. It wasn’t like they ever asked him how he was doing—only if he was feeling up for a chat.

Some part of him whispered that it shouldn’t hurt this much. He’d been through worse. He’d be okay again, eventually. He always was.

But it did hurt. Because he loved them. He ripped his heart out of his chest with bloody, trembling hands, and struck it with flint and steel, setting it ablaze just to keep them warm.

They didn’t even thank him, anymore. Just accepted his gift and trusted that he had more to give next time they needed it.

And he did. Somehow, miraculously, he always did. No matter how bloodied, bruised up, and broken he was on the inside, by the grace of Hylia, he always just managed to scrape together exactly what they needed to smile just that little bit more genuinely.

And that was just it, wasn’t it? Now he couldn’t even bring himself to be angry. Not really. Not with them.

Because this was what he wanted. This was what he’d actively encouraged every step of the way. They wanted to stop, to let him have his rest, to handle their burdens themselves and not add any more weight to his. They were so worried about him all the time, constantly triple-checking to make sure it was alright before they spoke. Because they loved him. But it was always Sky who insisted, employing every tactic of persuasion he could invent, because here was someone in need of help.

Because Sky wasn’t Sky. Not without his kindness.

They told him to look after himself, to take care of himself, but didn’t they understand? Pain, suffering, hardship, they always came. And Sky had the power to make sure those he loved most didn’t have to go through those things alone.

And—how could he have forgotten—what a blessing that was.

What a beautiful gift, to have the strange magic of coincidence align just so that when these specific people he’d come to call family struggled and faltered and stumbled and broke down, that Sky—Sky, himself—could be there by their sides, reaching out. And that he could help. That his arms were arms that hugged and his words were words that healed and his hands were hands that held. That when they remembered those moments for the rest of their lives, they would remember a pain softened by warmth and a kind word and a soft embrace and, yes, even gratitude.

Because he knew they were grateful. He knew they loved him, not for what he did for them, but because of why he did it. They loved him. And they also knew, beyond a doubt, that Sky loved them, too. At the very least, he always made sure of that.

Some dam in his throat burst and Sky let himself breathe, dizziness dragging midnight into his vision, and he rolled over onto his stomach with a cough, pushing himself up to his knees and sucking in that crisp evening air, feeling a trembling tangle of thorns in his chest begin to unravel, somehow, impossibly, revealing itself to have been nothing but slipknots all along—slipknots and buds itching to bloom.

He blew it all out, the smallest of smiles tugging at his lips.

Thank you, he mouthed, something between the air and the atmosphere enveloping him in its warmth, wiping an unnoticed, forgotten tear from his cheek.

He pulled himself to his feet, brushed himself off, and blew out a steadying sigh.

He’d better head back—he knew his family would be worried about him if he were gone for too long.

And he knew exactly who to go to and ask for a hug. Warmth surged through his chest at the thought. Yeah. A long hug and a good cry and a full night of sleep in someone else’s arms. And Sky wouldn’t even have to say a word.

His smile grew just a little more as he picked his way across the moonlit mountainside, the chill of the night playing at his Sailcloth as he walked back to camp.

Silently, he thanked Hylia for the fact that so many of his darkest thoughts also happened to be complete and utter bullshit.

Now it was high time Sky got himself a hug from one of the many people who loved him fully and completely and without expecting a thing in return. Maybe he’d even go and get hugs from all of them, just because he could.

#squido writes #linkeduniverse #linked unvierse #lu fanfiction #linkeduniverse fanfiction #lu sky

[squidos-goodies]

Art from the newest chapter of my fic, Hey Four, Wanna Kill A Dragon With Me?

(oh yeah chapter 7’s out. ta-daaaaaaaaa! hope you enjoy!)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/36465094/chapters/96948144

#linked universe #linkeduniverse #squido draws #squido writes #lu wind #lu four #linkeduniverse fanfic #linkeduniverse fanfiction #lu fanfic #et cetera et cetera #digital drawing #blending modes have spoiled me so rotten you guys

[scarin-aaarin]

"Why doesn't Legend go all out and show his abilities?" asked the fandom. Friendly fire still exists.

#linkeduniverse #linked universe #linkeduniverse fanfiction #lu legend #legend fans let me hear ya #lu fic #also shout out to kate for just vibing w/ me while i wrote this and not judging my crazy

[mischefous]

sooo, I read A LOT of whumpy LU fics, and I finally had the motivation to draw up my favorite part from one of my fave fics where poor Legend gets drugged and Warriors is the first to get to him.

(Also i sowwy i didnt get every detail exactly how it was in the fic, dis was the best i could do)

I would love to do more of these. But fudge knuckles my motivation is dogshit. that's also why this is super messy T3T

but anyways, i do hope yall enjoy, AND GO READ THE ORIGINAL FIC ITS AAAAH, AMAZING!!!! Give it sum big lov'n!

#lu legend #lu warriors #warriors lu #legend lu #hero of warriors #hero of legend #hero of time #time lu #lu time #my art #digital art #linkeduniverse #linked universe #lu #cw whump #hurt/comfort #linked universe hyrule #legend linked universe #warriors linked universe #messy sketch #fanfic fanart #whump art #whump #lu fanart #lu fanfiction #fanfiction fanart #lu whump

[twilightangel83]

Hello and good day to all my fellow Legend of Zelda fans!

As you may or may not be aware we in the Legend of Zelda fandom have been having some troubles when it comes to tagging on A03. Mostly that the only tags that seem to be available to tag various Links with was the Linked Universe specific tags. Which led to writers either trying to make their own tags (which no one knew how to find) or inaccurately using Linked Universe Tags. Neither of which were fair to creators writing outside of Linked Universe, or fair to the Linked Universe community (let alone JoJo herself!).

People trying to tag their non-Linked Universe fics were either scrambling to be found or blending their words in with Linked Universe works. And Linked Universe fans who were searching for Linked Universe fics ended up stumbling across fics they weren’t looking for.

So, with that in mind, I reached out to the A03 team in search of a solution. And they have gotten back to me! I am going to post a picture of their reply under the cut, but I will summarize it first.

There (now? I’m not clear if they’ve all existed before) are tags we can use for most of our various Links that aren't Linked Universe. They’re just not tags that go in the “Character” box. Instead, you put Link (Legend of Zelda) in the character box and then one (or more) of these tags into the “Additional Tags” box. The tags are ‘Link from X game’. So, for example: Link from Breath of the Wild/Tears of the Kingdom (Legend of Zelda) or Link from Twilight Princess (Legend of Zelda). If you try to put a specific Link in and they don’t exist already you’ll just have to fill it in unfortunately. And the more people use that tag the sooner it will be made into one that’s canonized.

Mind you! These tags should NOT be used for Linked Universe fanfictions. JoJo has explicitly asked that Linked Universe fanworks NOT be tagged with general Legend of Zelda tags. And that is what these are. So please leave these tags for those of us writing outside of Linked Universe.

I did a little experimenting and there seems to be a tag for every game EXCEPT;

“Link from Four Swords Adventures (Legend of Zelda)”,

"Link from Triforce Heroes (Legend of Zelda)",

“Link from The Legend of Zelda (Legend of Zelda)”,

“Link from The Adventures of Link (Legend of Zelda)”, and

“Link from Age of Calamity (Legend of Zelda)”.

There is also no tag for:

“The Hero of Men (Legend of Zelda)” (or whatever title could be used for the hero before Link from The Minish Cap)

But there are Character tags for “Ancient Hero (Legend of Zelda)” and “Hylia’s Chosen Hero (Legend of Zelda)” (who I believe is the First Hero).

The more we, as a fandom, use these tags (especially the ones that aren’t currently searchable) the more readily usable they will be.

#legend of Zelda #the legend of Zelda #linkeduniverse #linked universe #legend of Zelda fandom #loz fandom #loz #a03 #ao3 #fanfiction #fanfics #fanfictions #tagging #a03 tagging #ao3 tagging #legend of Zelda tagging #loz tagging #fanfiction tagging #the legend of Zelda tagging #proper tagging #tags to use #Link from X game tag #canonized tags #tagging canonizing #we can make the change #tagging correctly #correctly tag your fics #link from

[luna-lovegreat]

Wait...

It's November. It's November first. Yesterday was October 31st, so October is over. ...it's over. Is it over?

Inktober, artober, whumptober, flufftober, linktober, every tag ending with -tober that's been circulating for the past month... is it over? I don't know why it's just hit me but...

This matters. So I will try to get the message across, even though I'm not the best at it sometimes

Fanartists, fan writers, artists, fic writers, people making comics, every single one of you that has created art for the past month...

Thank you

This is my first October on tumblr. When I started seeing the "tober" tags, seeing the posts from artists with wips, saying they were going to make something every day to a prompt, making masterposts to update with each day, I thought "cool"

But every day this month, I have gotten on here and smiled.

And I don't mean smiled. I mean I smiled at least 20 times every time I got on the app because I saw all the art and fics. I got to see artists/writers connect stories through different day prompts. I saw people having the most brilliant ideas and creativity, flowing from their hands into their posts. I saw artists responding to continuous asks, telling them how amazing they are. I saw artists getting behind, and keeping going.

I saw Free. Beautiful. Emotional. Amazing. Original. Creative. Art.

Every day

I haven't committed to anything of this before, so I can't directly relate to what you guys were thinking and feeling. But I'm willing to guess; I think you probably enjoyed it, because most won't do such a huge project unless they enjoy it. I think you probably saw it as a challenge you were willing to fulfill, and an opportunity to grow and develop your skills.

... but I'm also willing to bet you did it for us. For people like me, who love art, but don't do this specific type, who are in fandoms, who love tracking and watching you art and sending you compliments, who take joy in your work. For the other artists (and writers!) who admire each others styles and love to learn from each other.

If anyone ever tries to tell me that humans are inherently evil again, I will strap them to a chair, pull up these posts and say look. Look at what these people did. Look me in the eyes and tell me these sorts of actions don't come from the most loving hearts. Tell me these people don't want to make others happy, that they aren't inherently good. And I will tell you you're wrong.

I have so much going on, yet somehow it slipped into my life that I was constantly looking at your art for the joy of it without me even noticing.

And how is it possible. That we have such a beautiful community of people here that we will share. And communicate. And exchange compliments. And literally do things and send asks solely for the purpose of making someone smile.

I'm almost crying by now. God I can't express it well enough! But I am so. So. Grateful

You guys brought me a month of joy! You gave headcanons, and art, and stories!

Even yesterday, Halloween, I was blown away. Because I had expected... I didn't expect anything. And then I log on and see people sending happy halloween asks, exchanging doodles of candy, and headcanons and gifs.

And some are still catching up to the schedule or whatever, and that's ok! But at the beginning of this post, when I was simply realizing it was November, I asked myself "is it over?"

Is it over?

... I don't think so. I've seen artists say they're going to continue and expand on a piece they made and especially liked this month. Some people are still continuing, catching up to a voluntary deadline. All those masterposts with your whump/fluff/link/ink tober art? I know many as well as myself will be going through, looking over your posts with smiles, catching up on some things they missed this month... it will continue in the people and artists I didn't know existed before, but now follow. In the skills and growth in creativity! In the community we've grown, and art you've made, and the art to come, at a normal rate like every other month, even if it's not October anymore!

But my artists, writers... thank you so much. I don't know if you guys know how valuable and amazing you are. How incredible it is that you exist! People say it's amazing we exist under a sky of such stars, but how incredible is it that you made a stranger on the internet smile every day! Your life is so. So. Valuable. I can't even express how grateful I am that you exist, that you somehow are selfless enough to share the most beautiful parts of yourself simply to create, and to create joy. Thank you so so much.

(And this applies to all artists, in any fandoms, not just mine. And I'm just as grateful to people who couldn't do something every day, or only one day! You still share your art, you're just as... incredible. You are incredible.)

Okay.

So I'm gonna do this, and if others want to do it in the reblogs that's great! I do not care at all about reblogging or likes, but I want to make the people that have brought me such joy some appreciation- I hope I can bring you even a smidgen of the light you have brought into my life. So I'm gonna tag all the artists/writers I know of/can think of that have done any sort of October challenge, all of you creators that have made me smile. If people wanna want to tag others in the reblogs or replies to spread love that's cool.

(Basically I don't know social customs or anything at all, so if you don't want me to tag or if I was supposed to do something different or something let me know I have no idea what I'm supposed to do)(if I like accidentally tagged someone who isn't an artist/writer or forgot someone I follow... sorry)

@skyward-floored @kikker-oma @adrift-in-thyme @blueskittlesart @zeldaseyebrows @smilesrobotlover @bahbahhh @soso-dedeck @lennsart @arecaceae175 @illcamp @breannasfluff @solarfire-art @26kabeuchi @cathianemelian @truffeart @scribbly-z-raid @uniquevoidflowers

To all the artists and writers out there: thank you so much!!! You are amazing and I'm glad you exist. Your life is precious, and you matter. Thank you so much for sharing your beauty with us, we love you too!!!!!

... yeah. Just want yall to feel loved... because you are. Again, thank you. Thank you so so much to my beautiful creators who create joy as well as art, who keep storytelling alive. Just... thank you.

:)

#inktober #whumptober #artober #flufftober #linktober #lutober #sentences and stuff later in tags #loz #linkeduniverse #artists on tumblr #art #original art #artists #writers #writers on tumblr #fan fic writing #artist appreciation #love #fanart #fanfiction #fanfics #I have anxiety and I am so scared right now #I don't know social rules- I don't know if I've messed up #but I'm willing to mess up if it makes you smile #I love you guys #please know how precious you are. just by being you #if this gets one notes that's ok #if it gets thirty that doesn't feel like failure to me #I will be kind #nothing can take that away from me

[la-sera]

Fanart inspired by the fic This is an Adjuration by @not-freyja

Legend protects unconscious fairy Hyrule in his hands - from chapter 26 (Time's sketch)

Please read this awesome fic^^

My PC is still under repair, so I unpacked my watercolors and gouache and can only draw traditionally. I haven't used gouache paint for 3 years, sorry the results are not neat.

Hope you like it ^^

#linked universe #link #zelda #lu legend #lu hyrule #linkeduniverse #lu fanart #lu fanfiction #gouache #downfall duo #fairy hyrule #tw blood

[occasionallyprosie]

A Thousand Ways

Chapter 9: "Returning to the scene of the crime"

The heroes, finally reunited, traverse a few in-between eras, sail across Wind's Great Sea, and then end up in a much older era. Four really doesn't want to run into the current captain of the guard.

First | <<Previous | Next>>

Not Febuwhump (honestly just filler tbh)

Read On AO3 Warnings: None

Things eventually got back to normal.

The next era after a pair of heroless ones was Wind's, which Legend found much more enjoyable when he wasn't struggling to meet basic survival requirements like food, fresh water, and warmth. Even the sailing, though he hated it and his nerves were shot the whole time, was better than sitting on a flooding island as it stormed.

Four's era came after and Legend managed to pay back the people he stole from without being noticed by guards. He did keep the cloak, he liked it.

They were approached by guards though.

"Ey! Link! Welcome back!" One said, offering a high five to the Smithy. "Finally off medic leave?"

Remembering what the one medic said, Legend scowled.

Four clearly had his own reservations but complied with the high five. "I'm not on leave, Thomas, I resigned. Full time blacksmithing, remember?"

"Yeah, right," they waved a hand dismissively. "If you're looking for the captain, last I heard he took a patrol out for just outside of town."

"Thanks. Anyways I need to go, so..."

"Yeah, yeah," they said dismissively and gave a sort of condescending farewell.

Four's shoulders slumped and he looked over his shoulder at them. "Sorry about that, they umm... Most people here don’t fully believe me about the content of my adventures nor their aftereffects."

Legend glared in the direction the soldier went. "I noticed."

The other heroes had similar glares or winces of sympathy, Hyrule's magic felt a bit more volatile, and Wild's hand was twitching toward his slate.

It hit a bit close to home. He had his fair share of non-believers when he was young. Most everyone unaffected by mental magics believed him by the time he killed Ganon the fourth time, but...

"It's alright," Sky promised. "Where to?"

"The market. Hyrule Town has everything and we can restock. I'll go ask the captain about monster reports," Four said, and Legend caught his eye.

"I'll tag with you."

A few other pairs were made and Legend followed Four to the guard station he had run from last time.

"What happened last time you were here?" Four asked, eyes glinting lavender as they walked.

"I got caught for stealing some bread, and a guy I heard someone call Captain Smith caught me. I escaped again, ran into monsters, and almost passed out if not for adrenaline keeping me awake. Then I threatened that captain and more specifically the medic who helped me."

Four frowned. "Why?"

"Because he called you guys insane."

The smithy flinched, looking away. "They... What did you say?"

"I said that you guys are real, sane, and they need to pay you the respect you deserve after sacrificing your childhood for their safety."

Four looked up at him, the myriad of colors in his eyes fading behind a film of scarlet.

"You keep saying "you guys" and other plural forms of address... Why?"

Legend gave a wry smirk at the hero who came centuries before him. "In my era, the Heroes of the Four Sword are known and they're known well. Your stories... The stories of your adventures helped me through my first one, I know time and embellishment or censorship may have altered the truth of them, but every legend I ever read agreed on one thing and it is that you are heroes."

Four was silent. They had stopped walking at some point and he was staring at Legend with wide, glassy, iridescent eyes.

"We... We're known?"

Legend didn't miss the strain in his voice. He made a note to make sure all of his companions were aware of the stories told about them, at least the ones who he knew came before him.

"You are. Not that well known, I'll admit, I had to dive pretty deep into our history, and frankly, all the legends about you are written in my ancient Hylian, which almost nobody knows anymore. The Sheikah have very little on you too, so I had a roadblock there, but..." Legend shrugged. "I... I needed to find proof that my quest wasn't hopeless, and finding your story gave me an assurance that I could win and survive."

Four nodded, clearly thrown off balance. He gave Legend a wobbly smile.

"Thank you, vet. For telling me. I... I needed to hear that."

"Anytime... Now let's go see if your dad has any information for us."

Four made an agreeable noise, Legend almost missed when he wiped his face and he definitely didn't notice whatever had been wiped, but he saw the end of the movement right as Four continued ahead.

He followed after. They entered the guard station, the guards greeting Four familiarly.

"Link! You must be back to yourself then if you're..." a familiar voice trailed off, making a strained noise.

Four made a face before he looked at the medic whom Legend gave a sharp grin.

"What do you want, Johnson?" Four asked, voice carefully neutral.

The medic squawked. "Nothing! Sorry! Uhh, thanks for all your hard work, Link!"

He scrambled off. Four made a confused face while Legend snorted.

The bell visibly went off in the smithy's head and he whipped around to give Legend an incredulous look. "What was that?"

Legend grinned, watching the medic dart away. "That would be the medic I threatened."

"You--" he sighed heavily, an azure sheen settling over storm cloud gray. "Goddesses, if this is the shit you pulled here, I can't wait to see what happened in the other eras."

"Eh, I was sick in the Sailor's and whoever's came after his. For the others I just kinda ran and killed things. Like a normal adventure."

"I really don’t believe that."

When Four's father showed up, they actually already got the information they needed from a lieutenant who knew Four and had been more than happy to provide the information.

As they exited the station, Four stopped in his tracks and Legend looked to where his pale, slightly panicked eyes were looking at and his own narrowed.

"Smithy?" Legend lightly tapped his foot against the other's ankle.

Four shook his head. "S'fine. I got it." He moved forward and the knight noticed them. "Hey, Dad."

"Link, what're you doing here?"  Smith Senior sounded a bit confused, a bit worried, and Legend didn't miss the unsure glances sent his way, but ultimately he sounded blunt and detached. Legend reminded himself that he had his sword now, he had his pegasus boots, and his body wasn't drained and exhausted. He could take just about anything as he was currently.

"Passing through. Some friends and I are taking up mercenary jobs to handle problems the army can't really do thanks to bureaucracy or manpower," Four said, voice detached and cold, as blunt as he had been when the group first met him only without that cerulean sharpness.

"I see... Interesting choice of friends," Smith Senior said with a glance at Legend.

"He's weird," Four dismissed.

Legend shrugged. "I travel more and further than you think, time has never been a limitation."

Smith Senior made an odd face and with how increasingly annoyed he seemed, Legend could see the family resemblance. Oddly though, this man was not the same as the one he'd met last time. He was... colder, and less understanding.

"Yes, well... We have to go. I'll see you around," Four said, grabbing Legend's arm and dragging him on.

Legend glanced over his shoulder and met the knight's eyes. His own narrowed, considering.

The man he met before had seemed to actually care for his son, though he clearly had struggled to understand him and didn't wholeheartedly defend him... however, this man that Four was dragging Legend away from, was cold and at the very least acted as though Four wasn't good enough.

He didn't get it.

Next>>

#linked universe #lu legend #linkeduniverse #legend lu #fanfic #lu four #linkeduniverse fanfiction #linked universe fanfic #lu fanfic #prosie writes #a thousand ways au

[ohlookanothercartoontofallinto]

For those who know, they know. 

For those who don’t I warned you a long time ago. 

#linkeduniverse #linked universe #lu #linked universe sky #linkeduniverse sky #lu sky #linkeduniverse wind #lu wind #linked universe wind #linkeduniverse time #lu time #linked universe time #linkeduniverse fanfic #linkeduniverse fanfiction

[sky-squido]

dashed out a quick h/c ficlet between homework assignments! (sky & legend)

A symphony of sparks swirled up from the campfire, illuminating the pair of heroes, at once both together and alone, who staved off the darkness of the night with watchful eyes and a contemplative silence.

Until that silence was broken.

“Can I tell you something I’ve never told anyone before?“ Sky’s soft voice, rough from the long night of unacknowledged emotions, wafted amidst the cool night air.

Legend straightened where he sat, at once captivated and terrified by the question, desperate to hear what Sky had to say and yet unable to escape the sensation that he was about to find himself squarely out of his depth.

Sky raised his gaze to the starlit sky. “People need to get more sleep.“

Legend blinked at him, the pounding of his heart suddenly skipping with confusion.

“Am I hallucinating? Am I going insane? You have definitely said that many times to many people.“

“Oh, I know,“ Sky laughed, “I just wanted to get that person over there to click the Keep Reading button so we’d have more space to chat.“

Legend stiffened, shooting a cautious glance over his shoulder. “Are you sure breaking the fourth wall is a good idea?“

“Absolutely,” came Sky’s reply as the Chosen Hero slipped a hand into his pocket and retrieved a pair of reading glasses that he flicked open with practiced precision and propped professionally onto his nose, clearing his throat as he stared down at the thick, binder-clipped packet in his hands. “I have some stuff I’ve been meaning to say and I figured this was a sufficient pretense with which we could get everyone’s attention.“

“I’m definitely hallucinating,“ Legend decided.

“Ah,“ Sky started, raising a knowing finger, “but you wouldn’t be if you actually slept.“

“I sleep!“ Legend protested.

“How many hours a night?“ Sky countered.

“Enough...“ came Legend’s weak response.

Sky pulled his glasses off his face and stared Legend dead in the eyes.

“Give me a number.“

“...five? On a good night?“

Sky’s eyes narrowed. “And on an average night?“

“Three?“

Sky continued to glare.

“Two?“

Sky silently slipped his glasses back onto his nose before pointedly flipping through a few pages in his packet.

“Aha!“ He finally exclaimed, pointing at a highlighted section and angling the paper so Legend could see while he read aloud. 

“According to Basner et al. in twenty-thirteen, ‘Epidemiological evidence has linked habitually short sleep duration to excessive sleepiness, accidents, cognitive deficits, and more recently to increased risk of obesity, diabetes, hypertension, and all-cause mortality.’ ”

Sky paused in his reading to side-eye Legend. “Do you want to die a slow and painful death as a result of highly preventable diseases?“

Legend looked away with a pout. “Not particularly. But it’s fine! I’m just being an idiot!”

Sky cleared his throat again for effect and continued reading.

“Despite growing awareness of these risks, current surveys indicate that 35%-40% of the adult US population chronically restrict their sleep to less than 7 hours on weekday nights, primarily for lifestyle reasons.”

Legend gestured at the paper with exasperation. “See! I’m in good company! Forty percent of adults in the US—wherever that is—do the same thing!“

Sky raised an eyebrow, then flicked forward a few more pages in his packet. “Now, I understand how easy it is to let your decisions be swayed by what’s considered normal. Fortunately I have some thrilling papers on behavioral economics that might help you reevaluate why you do what you do, and maybe I can help you make some better decisions.“

“Behavioral what?“ Legend asked incredulously.

“Behavioral economics,“ Sky repeated before elaborating, “I’m a psych major,” as if that explained anything.

Legend’s eyebrows shot up on his forehead. “The Knight Academy gives out bachelor’s degrees in psychology?“

“This is fanfiction, Legend. You know there aren’t any rules.“

“This is a fanfiction?“ Legend repeated, “it seems to me more like a thinly-veiled callout post because squido knows nobody ever reads all the incredibly interesting scientific journal quotes she posts even though she’s risking a lot by using her university’s institutional access to publicly share otherwise paywalled information so she’s trying to integrate it into a more interesting format instead to see if people will actually read it.“

“Yeah,“ Sky agreed, “but that’s kind of what she does with most of her ‘actual’ fanfiction anyway. Earlier this year, you invented Dialectical Behavioral Therapy and somehow Wind became a Psychodynamic therapist. In her sophomore year high school English class, she learned that fiction has incredible power as a vehicle by which we can teach people things they wouldn’t otherwise be open to by suspending their disbelief and getting them invested in the characters. The story ends, but the lessons remain. From that day on, she resolved to use that power for good.“

“Huh,“ was Legend’s only response. “I thought it was because she learned about Narrative Therapy and how stories have an incredible power to change people’s lives“

“That too. Anyway,“ Sky continued, “according to Sunstein in twenty-fourteen, some of the most effective ways to influence people’s behavior are by using social norms to weaponize unconscious peer pressure and carefully framing the information you give the people you’re trying to convince.“

Legend cocked his head. “I don’t see how this is relevant.“

“Well,” Sky explained, “if you say that you’re not alone because lots of other people have just as bad sleep schedules as you, I would like to propose a counterpoint.”

Sky’s gaze grew very intense as he slowly swiveled his head to stare directly into the camera.

“You are in the minority. Most people get over seven hours of sleep a night. Most people aren’t legitimately chronically sleep deprived. But you are. You are suffering from memory problems, cognitive impairments, anxiety, and emotional distress that could be avoided.“

His stare grew piercing.

“Close tumblr,“ he ordered, “and go to sleep.“

#linkeduniverse #linked universe #lu fanfic #lu fanfiction #squido writes #linkeduniverse fanfiction #lu legend #lu sky #sky and legend

[squidos-goodies]

AFTER TWO AND A HALF ENTIRE YEARS

TO ISOLATE IS FINALLY DONE

honestly, legitimately, truly, thank you, everyone.

#squido writes #linkeduniverse #linked universe #lu fanfic #linkeduniverse fanfiction #lu sky #linked universe sky #SKY AND LEGEND BAYBE LET'S GET THAT CONTENT WOOO #i no longer live in shame!!!! #except for hey four wanna kill a dragon readers but I'M WORKING ON IT PROMISE

[thepinklink]

@skyward-floored made this post the other day and it gave me ideas. As it is 3,000 words long, I thought it’d be too long for a reblog, so here we are. Thank you for the inspiration, and I hope you like it, Peggy!! ❤️

Read the fic under the cut

“So, what was he like?” Warriors asks conversationally as he sits down before the fire, settling down to eat his dinner of rice.

Marin looks up from her own bowl and hums a questioning acknowledgment. “Mm?”

“You mentioned you knew another Link before.” Warriors shoves a spoonful of rice in his mouth. “What was he like?”

Marin nods, and ponders for a second, a dreamy glaze over her eyes. Warriors recognizes it in the other soldiers he talks to when they mention the loved ones they left behind. Marin opens her mouth as if to speak, the words still evading her for a moment. When they come, they’re wrapped tenderly in admiration and wistfulness.

“He was…like a dream. He was…he was everything I was missing. I told him that I wished I could fly, and he made me feel that I could. I told him I wanted to see the world, and he became it for me, and I saw him every day. His hands were rough and calloused, but he chose not to be calloused in character. He looked at me like I was everything, and he was smart and he was kind and you could see it all in his eyes. And those eyes, they were blue, bluer than the sea where it kisses the sky on the horizon.” She smiled, face turned towards the sky, mind far away from the campfire.

Warriors doesn’t know what to say. He’s heard a lot of people gush about their loved ones, but there is something about the way Marin speaks, careful and sure, that surprises him. He feels he shouldn’t be hearing this—like it was meant for her Link’s ears only, and he was eavesdropping. He’s saved the trouble of an initial response when Marin speaks again.

“I can still hear him so clearly. I can still feel his hair beneath my fingers. I remember him so well…but it all feels like a dream, I feel…that it all *was* a dream, im a way. And, verily, all dreams must come to an end. I wonder if he remembers me, and I wonder if he misses me as badly as I miss him. I’m sure he’s got better things to worry about. But…maybe that’s better. If I hurt this badly, I don’t want him to feel it at all. He told me stories of his past, and he’s lost so much and gained so little…it would be better if he didn’t remember me and was saved the pain of missing me. But then…I wish he did remember me. We loved each other…I hope he remembers me as fondly as I do him.” Marin looks at Warriors, browns eyes brimming with heartache. “Is that selfish?”

Her expression is pleading—silently begging for an answer Warriors is certain he has no business giving. But he can’t leave her hanging. He swallows.

“No. I don’t think it’s selfish. I think…I think he thinks the same thing. I think he lies awake at night, and thinks about you. I think he carries you with him everywhere, in a way, and I think that in a world full of gold and glory and titles, you are his greatest treasure. And I think it will always be that way, for him.”

The lapse in conversation is taken over by the crackle of the fire, and for a few minutes Warriors just watches the sparks curl up towards the night sky. Eventually, with a sniffle, Marin speaks again.

“You Links…you’re all the same, aren’t you?” She says with a watery laugh. “So caring and sensitive. You and him would have gotten along well.”

Warriors chuckles. “I’ll take your word for it.”

* * *

It’s Legend.

Warriors knows as soon as he meets him. They shake hands, and then Warriors finds himself staring into a pair of bright blue eyes.

Blue eyes, as blue as where the sea kisses the sky on the horizon.

They’re sharp, too, Warriors can see Legend taking in a thousand little details even in the brief second they make eye contact, and then introductions continue and Warriors is left reeling under the feeling of having met a ghost.

Later, he talks himself off that ledge. He’s paranoid—as soon as he heard they were all named Link, he’d been on the lookout. He was just paranoid, looking for the first guy who matched Marin’s description, when it was an unrealistic endeavor anyways. Marin hadn’t mentioned any defining physical traits—all the Links had blue eyes, the same blue eyes, in fact, and calloused hands. Everything else had been regarding his character, the way he treated her and made her feel. And Warriors definitely wasn’t getting any first-hand examples of those.

As the weeks go by and Warriors gets to know them all, he ignores the insistent instinct that Marin’s lover is Legend and instead analyses everyone else. And they all fall epically and tragically short. Wind was talkative and never mentioned a Marin, despite telling plenty of stories all staged at sea, and if Warriors was understanding things correctly, Wind was close to a pirate girl named Tetra. Nothing romantic, per se, but everything about Wind simply had the wrong…vibe. That was all Warriors could really argue. Since Marin never mentioned physical traits, it could have been any of them, really, leaving Warriors main method of deduction as whatever his gut was feeling.

Wild ruled himself out with his own Zelda, and most of his story came out fairly early in their journey and no Marin was ever mentioned. Twilight spoke of a girl who had broken his heart, and his melancholy demeanor didn’t match the wistful longing Warriors thought he should have had. Sky was happily courting, Hyrule much too shy, and Four too active and analytical.

Warriors briefly thought it could be Time—he spoke of his wife with utmost adoration. But then they met her, and although Warriors was surprised at her strange likeness to Marin, knew it definitely wasn’t Time.

Which left, as Warriors had originally and always known, Legend. And it only grew more obvious as the time passed.

He guessed exactly who Time married, because he loved someone near the same. He could be snarky and bold when he talked to them, ruthless and calculated in a fight, but Warriors saw the way he interacted with kids and people in the villages they stayed at or passed through. It was as if he’d flipped a switch, and suddenly he was the gentlest and softest person Warriors had ever met. Meeting him in person strengthens the way Marin had described him—hands rough and calloused by his past and traumas, but he chose purposely not to let it sour his character. And he did it all at the ripe age of 18.

All of this, of course, fell into place weeks after their initial meeting, and when it finally did Warriors was left with an entirely new problem: getting Legend to confirm it.

He knew in his heart, sure, that Legend was in fact the Link Marin had loved so deeply. But he could only be 99% sure. That last one percent would come as soon as Legend mentioned her, but Warriors is impatient to wait for it to happen organically. But he also doesn’t want to just walk up to him and mention it—he respects Legend, sure, but that isn’t enough to bridge the gap of familiarity. It isn’t enough to explain the awful feeling Warriors has. It isn’t enough to cover the possibility—probability—that if Warriors is too impatient, it could lead to insensitivity and the last thing Warriors wants to do is dredge up bad memories when Legend is caught in a place where he can’t run.

Ultimately, Warriors can only wait. No matter how anxious he is, he places his money on the goddesses having everything planned out already, and his chance will come when it comes. Which it does, and sooner than the Captain expected.

Months have passed since they first met, and the group has grown much closer. Close enough to rifle through each other’s things, poke and prod at other, compete for largest scar and in general, act very much like brothers. And Warriors has grown to consider them so; in a way he never has with anyone else, Warriors loves them as if they are all of the same flesh and blood. And after that, his mission is no longer delivering one last message. It is giving his brother a vital piece of information. He no longer owes it to him because of Marin or out of perceived obligation. He owes it to him because to keep it to himself would be to lie to his brother.

Well. Maybe not directly, but still. It would feel like lying.

Thus, one warm and humid evening somewhere in Time’s Hyrule, deep in some woods somewhere, when Legend stands up and stretches and declares he’s going on patrol, Warriors jumps straight the chance to accompany him. The silence is peaceable at first, and the two heroes walk through the woods, eyes peeled and ears open for any sign of monsters. The camp noises fade far behind them, replaced by the sounds of a forest preparing for bed. It’s broken when Legend stops abruptly.

“What?” Warriors asks, stopping too and looking around. “Did you see something?”

“What do you want?”

Warriors stops and looks at Legend. “What?”

“What do you want?” Legend repeats, eyes boring into Warriors’ soul. They betray no sign of hostility or wariness, and neither does Legend’s tone. It’s short and to the point. “I can tell you’ve got something on your mind. You have since we first met. I thought you must have recognized me, but I know I’ve never seen you before in my life. So what is it?”

Warriors blinks. Damn, the kid is perceptive. He struggles to find the words, everything sounding too soon, too indifferent, too harsh. Shouldn’t there have been a more gentle lead up to this? Then again, Warriors has no idea how he would have achieved that, either.

“Spit it out,” Legend says impatiently. “I’m not a little kid, I can take it. Are you mad I smeared mud on your face the other day? Because if that’s the case I’m not apologizing, I was perfectly justified—“

“Marin.” Warriors says, and Legend’s jaw snaps shut. His whole body stiffens, something flickers in his eyes—good natured annoyance turns to fear, ever so briefly, before he relaxes again. He’s deadly calm now, attention completely on Warriors. He doesn’t say anything, so Warriors keeps going.

“I met a girl during the war. Her name was Marin. She had red hair and a blue and purple dress and she could sing like no one else. When we met, and I told her my name, she smiled and said that she knew a Link, once. That was you, wasn’t it?”

Legend nods stiffly. Warriors hesitates. Again, words evade him. Legend doesn’t care.

“That’s not everything.” His voice is almost monotone. “Tell me.”

Warriors opens his mouth. No words come out.

“Captain.” It’s harsh this time, almost anxious. “Say it.”

“…She’s gone.”

* * *

“Spit it out. I’m not a little kid, I can take it. Are you mad I smeared mud on your face the other day? Because if that’s the case I’m not apologizing, I was perfectly justified—“

“Marin.”

Legend hates the cold shock that shudders through his whole body when Warriors says it. He forces himself to stay calm, taking a deep breath and exhaling through his nose. His silence prompts Warriors to continue.

“I met a girl during the war. Her name was Marin. She had red hair and a blue and purple dress and she could sing like no one else. When we met, and I told her my name, she smiled and said that she knew a Link, once. That was you, wasn’t it?”

Legend nods. He can tell that isn’t what Warriors wanted to tell him. Not all of it, anyway.

“That’s not everything. Tell me.”

Silence.

“Captain.” He feels the faint tendrils of desperation prickling at his heart. “Say it.”

“…She’s gone.”

Legend doesn’t understand at first. Maybe, unconsciously, he doesn’t want to understand.

“What? Of course she is. She…she has been, for awhile now, and she clearly isn’t here—“

“Legend. She’s dead.”

There’s no way he can misunderstand that. He can’t feel the rest of his body. He just keeps standing there, staring hardly at Warriors’ face.

“What.”

“She…she died, Legend. I’m sorry. She fought long and hard, but ultimately the enemy overtook her. She didn’t…she didn’t even have a chance.”

Legend keeps staring at him for a second, and then he shifts his gaze to the ground. He feels sick. He’s shaky and weak, and after a minute, he just sits down.

Warriors knew Marin during his war. Which meant she survived. Somehow, she had survived Koholint, even though it was a dream.

And then she died in that war.

The irony. It’s so ironic, in a sick and twisted way, he can taste it. Uncalled for, a chuckle escapes him, and then a soft laugh, and then he’s just cackling outright, loud, humorless laughter because of course she survived. Of course the Windfish would spare her, of course Legend find that out in an information of her death somewhere else.

Of course Legend would only find out that he didn’t kill her after she had died at someone else’s hand.

He laughs, and he laughs, and he laughs until Warriors is shaking his shoulders and telling him to snap out of it. He does his best, but ultimately all he can do is grasp Warriors’ forearms and look into his eyes, still chuckling breathlessly.

“…Of course.” He says. Warriors looks genuinely afraid of what Legend will say next. “Of course, the goddesses would let me blame myself. Of course they would let me spend all this time hating myself, until they knew there was no way she could distract me.”

Warriors is visibly confused. “What?”

“That’s got to be it…right? There’s nothing…I don’t know why else they would do this. How…could I be so damn unlucky? I’ve lost her twice. How do I keep doing this?” He laughs again, but when it fades out he’s too short of breath and his eyes burn. Scalding tears sear his cheeks, and he doesn’t know if he’ll survive how badly his heart hurts. Not again.

Warriors shifts to tuck him completely against his chest, holding him tightly, as if he could absorb the pain somehow.

“I’m sorry,” he murmurs into Legend hair. “I’m so sorry.”

* * *

Legend cries for a long time, and violently enough that Warriors wonders if he’s getting enough air. They’re incredibly vulnerable here, and when Warriors hears something approaching through the woods, he jumps up and very nearly stabs Wolfie as he jumps through the bushes. Wild is close behind him, and once Warriors knows it’s just them he returns to Legend.

“Whoa!” Wild yelps softly as he sees Warriors gathers the limp and unyielding Veteran into a bridal carry. “Is he—“

“He’s not injured.” Warriors assures him, shifting his hold on Legend so it’s more comfortable for them both. “He just heard some pretty shocking news and it hit hard.”

Wild nods, understanding immediately and offering no further inquiries.

“You guys have been gone so long we started to worry. Supper’s way past over and we were about to get ready for bed when we realized you hadn’t returned, so we split up and went searching,” Wild explains his sudden appearance.

“Sorry, we didn’t mean to cause any trouble.” Warriors apologizes sincerely.

“It’s alright. Just as long as no one’s hurt.”

The walk back is silent, and Warriors has never been so glad to see bed rolls surrounding a campfire. Legend isn’t asleep, but he’s sluggish and almost unresponsive. Wild digs his bed roll from his bag while Warriors coaxes him to at least take off his boots, and then as soon as he’s tucked into his bed roll, he’s asleep. Warriors, searching to offer a little bit more comfort, undoes his scarf and lays it over the Veteran like a blanket. He doesn’t know that it will actually do much in the way of support, but it makes him feel better so he leaves it.

Warriors himself stays awake until every searching member of the chain has returned, just to explain what took them so long. Any anger at the inconvenient scare dissipates upon hearing how it came to be, and seeing the Veteran curled up in his bed roll. Arguably, they can’t really tell by his face that he’s been distressed—but the fact that he was already asleep when they all got back, and that he remained asleep throughout the remainder of bedtime prep, spoke for itself. Even though Warriors didn’t say exactly what Legend was told, the weight of the situation falls on them all, and except to establish watches, no more words are spoken for the rest of the night.

* * *

Not a word passes Legend’s lips for a week. His mood seems to shift through the days; at first he is almost angry, going everywhere and about everything with a hard purpose, refusing to let his emotions get the better of him. And then one day, he loses that battle as soon as he wakes up, and is the last one for the rest of the week. The last one to get out of bed, the last one to pack up, the last one to start and the last one to stop.

The others do their best to accommodate him, no matter how much time they lose. They can tell he’s trying, even when he’s too tired to. They’ve all been there, in some way, at some point in time. They all give him space, they do their best to silently convey that they’re there for him when he wants to reach out.

Everyone, that is, save Wind. And it is Wind, surprisingly, who breaks him out of it all.

He’s annoying, at first, sticking to Legend’s side like glue and chattering away at every hour of the say. Legend comes very close to strangling him more than once, but that all fades with the anger. The week continues, and Wind’s constant talking fills the silence, the lighthouse on the hill during a storm. He doesn’t realize it until later, but Wind was always helping hold him together. His every story, his every mundane topic was all meant to keep Legend from getting trapped in his own head. From forgetting the feeling of grass beneath his boots and the sound of his brothers as they all walked on.

An evening almost seven days exactly from that first, Legend is sitting in front of the fire, leaned against a log. Wind sits on the log next to him. For the first time in a week, the Sailor is quiet, and not because his mouth is full of food. Then,

“What was she like?”

The question is a violent shift from anything else Wind had said before. His cheery, story-telling tone is gone, replaced instead with tentativeness. It’s soft and curious, worried he’s overstepped. Legend glances around the fire, and the rest of the Chain has all stopped. There’s some tension as they wait for Legend’s response, unsure if he’ll answer or if it will have a negative effect. Legend’s eyes settled back on the fire and he sighs.

“She was my everything.” He looks at Wind, who is watching him with rapt attention. “You would have liked her.”

He doesn’t know what else to say. Words can’t really describe her, anyways.

“Could she sing?” Wind asks. Legend nods.

“Yes, she could sing.”

“What did she look like?”

“…She had red hair, and big brown eyes, and she could get anything out of me with those eyes.”

Wind laughs. “She sounds like Malon.”

Legend smiles. “She was a lot like Malon. Of Malon were a goddess, they’d be almost the same.” He looks at Time. “No offense, Old Man.”

“None taken,” Time says softly, a glimmer of amusement in his eyes.

A comfortable silence settles over the camp for a few moments.

“She once asked me if it was selfish of her to hope you remembered her.” Warriors says suddenly. “I said it wasn’t.”

Legend nods again. “You were right.” He looks up at the unfamiliar stars, and wonders if she now knows he never forgot.

#linked universe #linkeduniverse #lu legend #lu warriors #plink writes #lu fanfiction #peggy my dear #lu wind #lu wild #lu time #lu marin

[kokiri-clori]

LU Writer Appreciation Project 2023

hosted by @seekingseven (love yoouu!!)

My second gift for @lyrabythelake based on their fanfic  Lifting The Fog

Ahhh I am such a huge fan for whump fics and this one definitely kept me reading all the way to the end. I love the sense of urgency in this with the dangerous terrain that was not doing them any favors. 

#sorry seeking I hope you do mind all the pings! #lyra i kept this fic in my back pocket #enjoy! #clorieden #linkeduniverse #linked universe #linked universe discord #fanfic #fanfiction #ao3 #luwap #luwap 2023 #lu legend #lu wild #lu twilight #lu time #whump

[estelian-01]

another day another art!!! This one’s for @hotcheetohatredwastaken! This one is from an awesome scene from “Blood Drops on Roses!” If you haven’t read it yet I highly recommend it!!!

#lu #linked universe #linkeduniverse #estelian draws #lu art #legend of zelda art #lu wild #lu fic recs #lu fic #lu fanart #lu fanfiction #digital drawing #digital art #digital illustration #tw blood