#local dragon grandpa snatches adopted child

[baileys-writing-desk]

The Morning Sun (“I’m here, and so is Four”)

After using all his healing magic, Rulie wakes up to see someone very familiar.

AO3

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A soft, distant melody drifts into Hyrule’s ears, slowly bringing him to awareness. His body feels blissfully warm, like something soft is covering him…and a slight breeze ruffles his hair. That deep voice…the beautiful song…why is that so familiar?

He takes in a breath and groans, far too weak to move, or to open his eyes.

“Look…ru…’t worked…”

Another voice, a much smaller one this time. The singing voice slowly comes to a stop. Wait—no… He liked the singing. It was so soothing…

“…rule.” The deeper voice returns. “Hyrule…you with us?”

…Who is that?

The traveler shifts under the soft material, a blanket perhaps, but this doesn’t feel like his bedroll. Far from it, in fact…the surface he’s lying on is smooth but wrinkly, almost a bit…scaly? What the hell…?

“Hey, can you hear me?”

…Oh, right. He is supposed to respond to that…but when he opens his mouth in an attempt to speak, only a croak comes out. His heavy eyelids still won’t open, and he can just barely move one hand up from under the blanket. But it is seemingly enough for the voice to know he is listening.

“Shh…it’s okay, boy. No need to force it, just take it easy. You were asleep for…quite a while.”

…How long?, he wants to ask, and who the hell are you? Letting his hand fall limply back down, he lets out another long groan. Soft murmurs can be heard from farther away…perhaps his brothers are here. And this voice…he should know who it belongs to…The curiosity overtakes him and at last, he weakly peels his heavy eyelids open.

Squinting at the harsh sunlight, he gazes up blearily to see a massive blur of colors: yellow, brown, white…a glowing blue? Something is glowing…or rather, more than one thing is glowing. Small blobs of yellow fade in and out, like little sparks of light.

Wait a second…is that…

“Ah, there you are!” The deep voice is slightly louder this time, chuckling slightly. “Good morning, Rulie.”

The mix of bright lights hurts the traveler’s eyes, and so he gently lets them slip back closed.

…Lanayru?

“Oh, the light bothering you? My apologies, boy.”

Hyrule slowly clears his throat, attempting to speak again. “Mmmm…” His voice comes out dry and raspy. “…’s okay.”

It all begins to click now. The wrinkly texture of the surface beneath him…it is that of Lanayru’s hands.

“Wh-why are you…” he continues, voice cracking before he can finish. Why are you holding me…

“Hm?” Lanayru doesn’t seem to follow. “…Why am I here? Ah, right. You can’t possibly remember that.”

Hyrule slowly puts a hand to his forehead, rubbing it to ease the slight aching. That was not the question he wanted… After a second of silence a smaller voice pipes in.

“Hey Rulie, it’s me, Sky. Don’t worry, you’re safe now. We went through a portal to my era while you were out, that’s why Lanayru’s here. And Four is doing much better, so you can relax, ok?”

Four?

“Wh…what happened to Four?” he mumbles. Lanayru says nothing.

“You don’t remember?”

Hyrule’s mind draws a blank. “…No.”

A long, drawn-out sigh, then Sky’s voice again. “It’s okay, Rulie, you’re still out of it. Can you look at me?”

He moans quietly. Just thinking about that scorching sun makes the aching in his head return. But perhaps he could try again…

Four…Four…

Why can’t I remember??

Slowly he turns his head to the left, to the sound of Sky’s voice, and blinks his eyes open, relieved to find he is no longer looking straight into the sun. Large brown shapes focus in front of him, with lighter, pointed tips. Lanayru’s fingers. He is lying in both of the dragon’s hands, cupped together to give him more room, like how anyone his size would hold a baby bunny.

And beyond that…Through the spaces between the fingers he can make out the blurry figure of Sky through the still-harsh sunlight. The ground isn’t too far beneath them…Lanayru must be sitting down, he figures. Bleary hazel eyes finally meet concerned blue ones, and Sky seems to be grinning, most likely with relief.

“Wh…what happened, Sky?” Hyrule croaks out. “…Where’s Four…?”

“I told you, Four’s fine. Because of you, Rulie, you used everything you had to heal him, I mean-“ Sky takes in a shaky breath. “…You could have died, Hyrule. I almost thought we were gonna lose you.”

Hyrule’s heart drops. “Oh…”

The pieces begin to emerge in his mind now, nearly all at once. The battle in Time’s Hyrule. The monster’s weapon bringing Four down. Four lying in the grass, bloody sword sticking out of him…

…oh.

No. No no no…

The traveler’s eyes widen and he lets out a strained gasp.

“Four, stay with me! Oh fuck, shit, I can’t stop the bleeding- HYRULE! Please-“

The magic is already pulsing off Hyrule’s hands as he thrusts them on the smithy’s chest. He doesn’t know how much he has left…but Four’s life is now in his hands. He can’t lose his brother, his friend…he can’t-

“Rulie? You still there?”

Lanayru’s voice brings him back. He shudders.

“I…I think I remember now…”

“Yes, very good,” the dragon replies. “What you did was quite heroic, boy. Nearly sacrificing yourself to save another’s life…Among the most courageous things a mortal can do, I believe.”

“Lanayru, I-“ He coughs from drawing in a sharp breath of air. “I had no choice.”

“I know, boy. I understand.” The Thunder Dragon’s low voice is soft and gentle. “Link—or, uh—Sky…please don’t be upset, he’s alright now, ok?”

Sky nods his head, eyebrows raised and gaze pointed down, toward the grass and the swirling white clouds of Lanayru’s tail.

“I grabbed you off Four,” the Skyloftian explains. “His wounds were no longer fatal, and I didn’t want you using all your magic, but you passed out in my arms. Do you remember that, Rulie?”

The traveler grunts, closing his eyes briefly…his vision has been clearing, but the sun is still a bit too bright for the state he’s in.

It comes to him like a dream.

“Rulie. I think he’s okay now—“

“Rulie, stop! HYRULE STOP. You’ve done enough-“

He can’t stop. Not until every inch of magic has been drained from his frail body. His eyelids begin to grow heavy…his vision swims, he’s barely conscious.

“RULIE!!” Someone is pulling him away from Four, but it’s too late, the last bit of magic fizzles out and the world is now a spinning blur of colors. His eyes roll back in his head and he falls limp in their grasp.

Hyrule slowly opens his eyes, gazing at Sky through the dragon’s claws. “…I do…” He swallows hard. “…How long was I gone?”

“Almost two days. We spent the night in Time’s era, but our location just wasn’t safe for you or Four. And bless Hylia, we woke up the next morning to a portal, was it a gift from the goddesses or a sweet coincidence I don’t know…but it sent us here. We weren’t sure how safe it would be with two of you unconscious, but we had to do it.” Sky sighs. “Thank Hylia we made the right call.”

“I saw the portal open,” Lanayru adds. “Right in front of me! I was flyin’ through the air, of course…I knew you were probably in the middle of something so I waited, until my Link came to me.”

“Yeah, Lanayru was a big help.” Sky grins at Hyrule, and then up at the dragon. “He took you, Rulie, almost right away. You two spent the day and night together, and the rest of us tended to Four.”

“Wait…you were with me the whole time?” Hyrule groans and puts his elbows beneath him, attempting to sit up. “…Lanayru, did you—“

“Woah-ho, easy now,” the dragon interrupts, gently pressing his thumb to the traveler’s back as the latter finally reaches a sitting position. “Don’t push yourself too hard, you’re still very weak.”

A red checkered blanket is draped over Lanayru’s other hand, where Hyrule’s legs and feet are placed. Carefully he pulls the blanket back, turning himself to face the open clearing where Sky stands.

“Did you…stay up all night?” he mutters, finishing his thought.

“Oh, heavens no.” Lanayru’s hearty laugh rings from above, and Hyrule guesses the dragon is smiling. “Old dragons need their sleep too. Don’t worry, I kept you safe in my robe. Nobody hurts you on my watch, boy.”

“That’s…really kind of you.” Hyrule smiles. “Thank you.”

“Ah, no problem, Rulie. Now you were asking where Four is?”

Before the traveler can respond, someone else steps into the clearing, rushing up to meet Sky. The pink hair and red tunic makes him unmistakably Legend.

“Hey Sky, I just wanted to see how he’s—“ The veteran gasps as his eyes meet Hyrule’s. “Oh Rulie, you’re awake! Three-damn it, you fucking idiot!”

Legend’s tone comes out as much more of relief than anger, but surely he’s at least a little angry at Hyrule.

“Language, boy,” Lanayru scolds. But Legend doesn’t seem to care.

“Why did you do that?! When I saw you I—I almost thought you fucking died!”

Hyrule gulps, breaking eye contact with his predecessor to gaze at Lanayru’s fingers.

“But I didn’t,” he says eventually. “I’m here, and so is Four. I did what was needed…”

“Well…maybe next time, don’t do that, okay? Rulie, you scared the living shit out of us! I was so fucking worried—“ Legend pauses, gazing at both the traveler and the Thunder Dragon. “…Are you okay? How are you feeling?”

Hyrule groans at his predecessor’s question. “Could be better, Ledge. I’m still really tired…”

“Hmph, well you look like shit.” Legend smiles teasingly. “No offense.”

Lanayru chuckles again, making the veteran raise his eyebrow in confusion.

“Allll right, Link. Perhaps that’s enough of the sailor’s mouth for now, hm?” Although Hyrule cannot see Lanayru’s face, he figures the dragon is doing his ‘disappointed dad’ stare. “Now tell me, any updates on Four?”

Yes, please tell me where the hell he is… Hyrule thinks to himself, gently rubbing his temples.

“I just got back from the lake, Mr. Thunder Dragon. He’s been in and out recently, but he woke up for a bit to talk to me. I think the water is really helping…we had Her Excellence replenish his bath this morning.”

Hyrule’s brow furrows. “…Her Excellence?”

“Ah, what is that dragon’s name? That blue one with all the water.”

Sky grimaces a bit, seemingly waiting for Hyrule’s reaction.

Oh.

“…Faron?” he squeaks out.

“Yes, Faron! That’s right!” Legend laughs. “Ah, she’s been so kind to me…I never asked for her name. Pity.”

“But Sky, you said…you didn’t want us going to see her.”

“I know, Rulie, this was an exception,” says the Skyloftian. “Faron has sacred water, and when she sustained critical injuries a while back…that water helped her recover. I’m not sure what effect it has on a Hylian, but I think it’s at least soothing Four’s mind. He took a nasty blow to the head too, you know. And you can’t fully heal concussions, right?”

Hyrule slowly shakes his head. “No…I wish I could.”

“Don’t worry, it’s okay. The water will hopefully do the rest. Besides…I never imagined something like this. Two heroes and two dragons, it’s wonderful.”

“Yeah,” Legend adds. “Naydra, thanks for taking care of my Rulie. You’re amazing.”

…Naydra?

The Thunder Dragon seems confused. “No problem…wait, what did you call me?”

“Legend!!” Sky bursts into laughter, nearly throwing his head back. “You got mine and Wild’s dragons mixed up again, didn’t you?”

“…Fuck. I’m sorry, um…”

“Lanayru.”

“Ah, Lanayru! Rats.” Legend snaps his fingers. “I mean…I was pretty close.”

“Don’t worry, it happens. And you’re very much welcome. When you fellas are here I’ll guard Rulie with my life! Right, Rulie?”

Hyrule nods, too lazy to turn his head back and look at the dragon’s face. He must be wondering who this Naydra is… Ever since meeting Lanayru, Hyrule hasn’t been too fond of Wild’s dragons. Not that he’d ever tell Wild, but the sight of them last time had him really missing Lanayru. So much so that it hurt to look.

“Well, you’re looking a bit better already,” Sky exclaims, smiling. “Do you think you’ll be able to stand? Because soooomebody here wants a hug.”

The Skyloftian gestures to Legend, who pouts in an attempt to hide it, but Hyrule can tell through the veteran’s puppy-dog eyes. After two days without Hyrule, he surely wants to hold his successor tight and never let go.

The traveler sighs. “…I think so.”

“Alright, I’m gonna let you down now, ok?” Lanayru leans forward, placing his hands on the grass, and slowly Hyrule scoots off, moaning slightly in the process. A wave of light-headedness washes through him after his feet touch the ground, and he grabs on to the dragon’s finger to steady himself.

“Woah there- be careful, Rulie.” Sky warns, rushing over to him. “I got you.”

Hyrule wraps his arm around Sky’s shoulders, and Lanayru sets the blanket down with his now empty hands. As the two heroes approach Legend, the Thunder Dragon rises back up to sitting with a deep exhale. His arms must be a bit tired…

“Rulie. Don’t ever do that again,” Legend scolds, but the pure relief is clear in his expression.

The weak traveler lets go of Sky and buries himself into his predecessor’s embrace, allowing Legend to wrap sturdy arms around his frail body and gently stroke his messy hair.

“I can’t guarantee it,” Hyrule mutters, voice slightly muffled.

“Yeah…I know. But maybe go for, like 80 percent odds?”

He chuckles at Legend’s joke. A little too promising… “Okay. I’ll try.”

Finally the veteran seems content enough to let go of the traveler, and as Hyrule steps away, he grins. The weakness in his legs has lessened a little, but he still longs to be back in Lanayru’s hands again. It was much more comfortable.

“Hey, I think I’m gonna go back to camp to let them know you’re awake,” Sky explains. “So you might have more visitors. Just stay here…don’t leave Lanayru’s sight.”

“I won’t, I promise.” He knows he wouldn’t have the strength to leave, even if he wanted to.

“Good. The others will be so relieved to see you.”

The Skyloftian heads off into the dense trees of the forest, where Hyrule assumes the rest of the group has set up camp. They must be so worried about me… A pang of guilt aches in his chest at what he must have put them through. At least now they’ll know he’s okay…

He slowly turns around, relying slightly on Legend’s shoulder to stay upright, and at last he sees the Thunder Dragon’s full body. Lanayru is beaming, fluffy beard a swirly mess and eyes containing their usual sparkle. His hands are rested on his crossed back claws and his tail drapes around him, white clouds shining in the sunlight.

“Well…it’s good to have you back, boy!” he exclaims. “Now come here. I think you need some more rest.”

Hyrule smiles softly in agreement. With Legend’s help, the traveler takes baby steps back toward Lanayru’s waiting arms.