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declareqenius · 2 months

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stitched up

warnings: blood, stitches

summary: you were sent on a mission with your father, tony stark, but something went wrong with the new prototype, resulting in you being injured. wanda needs the closeness and the confirmation that you’re right in front of her, but natasha’s emotions nearly get the better of her.

a/n: this is not how i wanted to end this originally, but i’m having some writer’s block and just wanted to post something again. i may do a part two but it depends on if y’all would like to see a part two or not!

“If your arm wasn’t bleeding this much, and if my mind and heart didn’t ache every time I glanced away from you, your father would be hanging from the ceiling by his ankles.”

Of course, leave it to your girlfriend to say something so poetic, yet so vulgar, in a semi-serious situation.

Wanda’s arms are crossed as she worriedly checks over the rest of your body, trying to keep herself from peeking at the gushing blood coming from your shoulder. The only thing that holds her back from storming down the hallway in search of your father is her need to see that you’re going to be okay. Meaning she has to sit there and watch on as Bruce slowly stitches the gash shut.

“We both know you would do so much worse than that, Wands.” You try to mask your slight wince with a cheeky grin, but of course your girlfriend notices.

“You’re right. I think I’ll let Natasha have her fun first.” She makes it sound like a joke, however you both know it’s far from such a thing.

Wanda’s eyebrows are still tightly furrowed together, her eyes constantly checking over you as if the second she looks away some new injury will magically appear. Even though you’re the one covered in blood with the stitching needle in their arm, you can’t help but want to comfort her.

“Hey, love,” you gently place your first finger under her chin and guide her head until her eyes meet yours, “I’m alright. It’s okay.”

She searches deeply within your eyes, and it’s a miracle you maintain eye contact with her. The sheer build up of love, worry, and warmth you find within her soft green irises takes you aback.

“It shouldn’t have happened.”

She says it so firmly. The sentence is so contradictory to the emotions she showed you seconds ago. The feelings she only allows you and Natasha- your other, probably furious, redheaded girlfriend- to read and memorize, to know like the back of your hands.

Her Sokovian accent is thick, which only happens when she’s scared, angry, or safe. And, right now with Bruce in the room, you know it’s a combination of the first two.

“You’re right, as always,” you give her a smile, which she mirrors, and you stow the memory away as a small victory. “But it did happen. And there’s nothing we can do about it now except let Bruce stitch me up, okay? I’ll be good as new afterwards. Right, Bruce?”

Your eyes don’t leave Wanda’s because you know looking at Bruce will somehow make the stitching process hurt more.

The man only gives a nod and soft grunt of approval.

“See? Nothing to worry about, my dear.”

“Nothing to worry about, huh?”

A calloused voice cuts through the room. You’re the first to snap your head up and break the heartfelt moment with Wanda. The quick movement causes Bruce to tug the stitches more than intended, and you close your eyes and take in a slow, deep breath. The soft hand soothingly running along your uninjured arm is the only thing keeping you completely grounded at the moment.

“Cause from where I’m standing, detka, it looks like something we should be worried about.”

Once you open your eyes again, they immediately fall upon Natasha, leaning against the doorframe with her arms crossed and undoubtedly pissed off.

You’re aware her anger isn’t directed at you. You know _why _she’s pissed. Your emotions would most definitely get the better of you if either one of your girlfriends was injured and you couldn’t do anything to prevent it. It would be worse if you could have prevented it.

The certainty of your words and relaying the facts to her wouldn’t calm her down, but you know there’s no calming her down on your part. Not when you’re sitting on a stool injured and had to be carried to the med bay so you wouldn’t bleed to death.

“HYDRA got the jump on us, Nat. We weren’t expecting it and there was nothing that could have been done to ensure our safety. You know that. We had the Iron Man suit and the counteract prototype with us, and that’s it. Dad decided to use the prototype because it was all we had. It malfunctioned and I didn’t have enough time to move out of the way after the HYDRA agent pushed me towards it.”

You’re clear with all of your words and your voice never wavers, nor does your eye contact. Natasha may be the Black Widow, and only a very select group of people could ever talk to her the matter-of-fact way you just did, but sometimes she needs a reminder that things happen no matter how much one tries to prevent them.

“He could have kept you safe. That should have been his priority. You’re his daughter, Y/N. That’s way more important than barging into an intel mission unprepared! With only a prototype, no less. Especially when it puts your life in danger!”

The two of you hold eye contact with each other for a few seconds until you glance away and focus on watching Bruce finalize his stitch-work. Watching the needle thread through your skin makes the pain undeniably worse, but you can’t seem to force yourself to look at your girlfriends.

You don’t see the guilt-ridden regret that crosses Natasha’s features before she looks at the floor beneath her.

Tony wasn’t unprepared for the mission. Neither were you. Both of you surveyed the perimeter twice. Both of you were careful at every corner you turned. HYDRA just happened to outsmart two of the smartest people in the world.

Minutes later and Bruce finishes stitching your left shoulder up. Natasha stands at the door impatiently and Wanda watches her but still makes sure to have some physical contact with you.

“Alright,” Bruce stands from his chair, “twenty-five stitches. No major physical activity for the next two weeks. That includes missions, working out, and... I don’t have to say it. Let’s give the wound time to heal itself, okay?”

You nod and thank him before he takes his leave, passing by a very guilty, annoyed Natasha.

“Natalia, podoydi syuda, pozhaluysta.”

Wanda is the first to speak once Bruce leaves, and you’re grateful she took the initiative. Neither of them like seeing you hurt since both have lost so much in their short lives, but Natasha eats herself up over your injuries. She always thinks she’d be able to do something to prevent them, especially in the field. Wanda’s reactions are slightly more reasonable, but her worry gets the best of her and she often needs physical contact to remind herself you’re still there.

Natasha begrudgingly takes a seat next to Wanda, who immediately holds out her hand to give the former assassin the option of physical contact. Your shorter girlfriend hesitates before she gently take Wanda’s left hand in her right but makes no move to touch you or glance in your direction.

The chairs they sit in are lower than your stool, and part of you finds it funny that you’re the one that’s been placed in that position.

“Moglo byt’ gorazdo khuzhe,” Natasha mutters, staring at her boots and focusing on the way Wanda’s thumb rubs back and forth along the back of her hand.

It could have been much worse.

“Odnako eto bylo ne tak. Ona vse yeshche zdes', i my nuzhny yey pryamo seychas.”

It wasn’t, though. She’s still here and she needs both of us right now.

Wanda’s voice is soothing as she softly speaks to Natasha.

You let them have their moment and offer the Sokovian a small smile when she sends a gentle wink your way.

Both know you don’t understand the conversation. You’ve picked up some basic Russian, words or phrases they say a lot, but when they get into full conversations and larger sentences, all you can do is either pretend you’re busy or sit and watch their facial expressions to gauge the nature of the conversation.

They speak a minute longer and Natasha starts relaxing. Her furrowed brows even out, her drawn lips ease into a relaxed expression, and her eyes- although still holding an ounce of anger- start to glisten. She finds the need within herself to look at you, check you over for any other injuries- although Wanda has done that several times over- and finally, search your beautiful eyes with her own.

“Nat-”

You move to speak, wanting to voice your concerns and reassure both of them you’re okay even though they can see you sitting here in front of them. However, Natasha stands from her seat and takes a step over to you. She keeps her eye contact with you and gently, with a slight nod of confirmation from you, she slots herself between your legs. Her hand comes up to your cheek and she notices a small bruise forming above your eyebrow. It makes her eyes water a little more.

“I’m sorry, muy lyubov. You’re injured and I’ve been acting like a dick. I won’t apologize for wanting to keep you safe, or wanting to make Tony pay for his lack of common sense, but I will apologize for directing my anger toward you. You didn’t deserve that. I’m sorry, detka.”

“It’s okay, Nat. I forgive you. I understand why you were so angry, I mean, I would be too if you or Wands were in my position. So, I get it, but next time I need you to try and talk to me, okay?”

Natasha nods her confirmation, and you know from the look in her eyes that she’s determined to work on her communication with both you and Wanda.

“Thank you, my love.”

Sometimes you all understand each other in different ways and need each other for different things, but in the end, the three of you fit together like nothing anyone has ever seen. The journey has been long and will continue to be, but none of you would have it any other way.

Natasha’s eyes are still teary, and you can’t help but tilt your head up just enough to catch her lips in a slow, soft kiss. Enough to remind her that she’s forgiven and that you’re not going anywhere. You break apart after a few moments and see Nat’s small smile. It could be better, but you’ll take it for now. However, you notice Wanda getting impatient after having watched you kiss Natasha.

You look over at Wanda with a grin on your face, “Anything you’d like to say, Wands?”

“My turn.”

Wanda gets up from her chair and stands to the left of Natasha. She gently cups your left cheek with her right hand and kisses you much like you did Natasha, except with more fervor- as if she could express gratitude for your life through a kiss. When she pulls away there’s a smile on both of your faces, and her eyes have replaced worry and anger with unconditional love.

It never ceases to amaze you how willingly and openly your girlfriends give themselves to you.

#wandanat x reader #wanda maximoff #natasha romanoff #they're here #i'm trying to get back into writing please go easy on me

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occasionallyprosie · 3 months

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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.

First | <<Previous | Next>>

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.

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