I went looking for art of them, realized I didn't have art of all of them, had to add in a few, realized they don't really show their clothes off that well... ehhh. Hopefully this is good enough hehe. Here they are!
Been rereading your coa febuwhump fics. Do you know the order they met each other in? Specifically Fiest and Spirit.
(Blorbo hours): How did First feel when he found someone who could see him and talk with him?
I do! They actually start out in smaller groups, so it’s like— Windy and Hue meet up, and then they’re joined by Hibiscus and Kaleidoscope, but in the meantime in a different era, Slate, Gloam, Brownie, and Light end up together, and in yet another era, Cloud, Mini, and Sprite end up in a group too.
Era doesn’t come until a bit later, but when he does he joins Cloud’s group. Spirit and First are actually by themselves for a bit before they join a group too, they end up with the Slate bunch (actually everyone does in the end).
They all hop around separately for a bit, then all get together at one point, and possibly get mixed up into different groups again, (haven’t totally decided XD). Hopefully that all makes sense 😅
Blorbo hours—
—————
First: it was wonderful. It gets exceedingly lonely not being able to talk to anyone, and meeting Spirit and realizing he could understand me, and I could even interact with him to a small degree...
First: it was one of the best moments I’ve experienced in a very long time.
I’m like barely sticking to these prompts anymore but oh well I had a blast with this one hee hee
Some slight explanation might be required here: only a few of the Links are aware of First’s existence. Spirit is the only one who can see him without any sort of assistance, though a couple of the others have items that would work. Does that make sense? I shouldn’t be doing this half awake haha. If anyone’s confused feel free to ask what the heck I’m on about
Spirit is spirit tracks Link, and First is the hero from the manga in Hyrule Historia.
Courage of ages explanation
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“F-First?”
“Yes little one?”
“I c-can’t f-f-feel m-my toes an-anym-more.”
First pursed his lip, drawing closer to where Spirit was plodding through the nearly waist-high snow, shivering uncontrollably.
“Can you move them at all?” he asked, and Spirit managed to nod. He let out a relieved sigh. “Good. Try to keep them moving. We must close to some sort of shelter, it can’t be long now.”
Spirit only nodded and kept walking.
First kept his eyes on him as they trudged across the snowfield, occasionally scanning for shelter, but his gaze always flicked back to the boy in front of him, ears red and lips blue. They must have been going for hours now through the snow, and the fact that Spirit was still moving at a fairly steady pace was surprising in and of itself.
First only prayed there was somewhere close for him to shelter.
And that he could make it.
Right as he had the thought he heard a small noise, and turned to see Spirit collapse, falling down into the snow and making no move to get up. First felt a thrill of fear jolt through him and he lunged for Spirit’s side, studying his face and any of the exposed skin that he could see.
“Spirit, you have to keep going, you can’t stop here,” he said frantically. “You’ll freeze.”
Spirit only shivered.
First hovered uselessly over the engineer, fear making itself a home in his chest. How on earth could he get Spirit moving again? He was a ghost, he had no way of helping the boy in front of him get up aside from encouraging words.
Never had he wished he could pick things up more than in this moment.
“Spirit— Link,” he said, trying to keep the fear out of his voice, “you must get up.”
“I-I c-can’t,” he chattered out in a whisper.
“Yes you can Link, you can do it,” he said firmly, meeting his eyes. “Just one foot in front of the other. I know for a fact you have been through worse than this. Keep going. Please.”
Spirit still didn’t move.
Then, frame shuddering as if it was going to fall apart, he put out a hand, pushing himself up to his elbows. Making an enormous effort, he then got to his knees, and eventually back to his feet, shivering so hard First was concerned he would fall over again.
“That’s it Link, come on, the others must be close,” he encouraged, and Spirit gave him the faintest hint of a smile before continuing to plod onwards through the whirling snow.
He only made it another few minutes before collapsing again.
“Spirit!”
First darted back to his side, and noticed his shivering had slowed, eyes half-lidded as he looked up at First.
“Spirit, please, get up,” First begged, crouching next to him and running a ghostly hand across his cheek. “You’ll freeze to death if you stay here.”
Spirit breathed out a quiet sigh, and closed his eyes, looking utterly spent.
“Link, please.”
“‘m s-sorry First,” Spirit said in a hoarse whisper, a tired but accepting look on his face. “Make s-sure... Zel...”
His voice died, and First glanced desperately around for some sort of shelter, a goal, something that could help him—
And his eyes alit on a pinprick of light, just barely visible from his vantage point.
He stared, squinting through the flakes still falling, and realized the light was coming from an opening in a hill nearby, in what must be a cave. Light meant warmth, and a cave meant shelter, and who else would be out in this storm other than their traveling companions?
“Link, the others must be near,” he said quickly, and Spirit’s eyes opened slightly. “I can see light, it must be them. It cannot be more than ten minutes away, all you have to do is make it there.”
Spirit only closed his eyes again.
“Link please,” First begged, but Spirit didn’t react aside from a small twitch.
First looked between him and the light in the distance, the decision he had to make warring inside of him. He could make it there and back in less than fifteen minutes if he hurried, with someone who could carry Spirit and truly help him, but could he just leave Spirit here alone while he retrieved help?
What if he froze while he was gone, not even granted the comfort of someone beside him?
First shook himself, banishing the dreary thoughts as he set his jaw. He had to leave.
There was no other way,
“Link, I’ll be right back,” he said firmly, brushing an unfeeling hand through the boy’s hair. “I’m getting help. Stay awake, okay? You need to promise me you’ll do everything you can to stay awake.”
“‘kay,” Spirit whispered.
“Promise me,” First stressed, and Spirit opened his eyes just a little, meeting his gaze.
“‘Promise.”
First gave him one last smile, trying to ignore how blue the younger hero’s lips were, then stood and took off towards the light in the distance.
He was confident he could find his way back; the light was a straight shot from where he was, and the distance truly wasn’t very long. And if for some reason he had trouble, he was sure the others had lanterns they could use and would easily be able to locate Spirit.
So long as I’m not too late.
He sped his steps, and soon came into clear view of the cave, noting the line of tracks that led inside, stretching away in the opposite direction from where he and Spirit had been walking. He skidded inside, and relief sank into him at the sight of the twelve other heroes all crammed around a fire.
He was right. He’d found the others.
“Thank you Hylia,” he breathed, and stepped forward.
It looked like he’d arrived just in time to hear a frantic discussion of what to do about their missing member, several of them wanting to go out into the storm to look for Spirit, several of the others telling them they’d just get lost and freeze, words growing heated with anger and worry.
First frowned at their directionless squabbling, and stepped forwards into the light.
“I know where he is, we need to act quickly!” he shouted over the ruckus. “Stop this argument!”
None of the Links heard him.
First frowned, but then he froze, and was sure he felt the blood drain from his face as the realization suddenly hit him. How could he have forgotten?
He was a ghost.
Nobody could see him except for Spirit.
“No no no, listen to me, I know where Spirit lies!” he shouted again, standing right in the middle of the group. “He’s freezing out there, if we don’t retrieve him soon he’ll die!”
None of them turned around, focused completely on the discussion at hand.
“LISTEN TO ME!” he roared, but the other Links continued to sit and discuss what they were going to do, having no clue that he was even present.
First clenched his fists and spent several more minutes trying fruitless attempts to alert the others, everything he could think of, but nothing worked. He clutched at his hair, mind racing. He’d already been gone for far too long. Spirit needed help now, and even though help was so close he had no way to communicate a way for him to get it.
First was on the verge of despair and about to leave and try to help Spirit again by himself when Gloam suddenly stood up, catching everyone’s attention.
“Look, I’ll just sniff him out. Even in this weather as long as there’s a scent I should be able to find it.”
First perked up and darted to Gloam’s side as he explained, citing his ability to find his way back, and thick pelt that would keep him warm, the other Links reluctantly warming up to the idea.
“I don’t like the idea of you going out there alone, but you’re right,” Hibiscus said quietly, a worried pinch to his brow.
“It does make the most sense,” Cloud agreed, though he looked even more reluctant. “I’ve seen you sniff out all sorts of stuff.”
“Come on, please just change...” First begged as the Links all slowly agreed. Being away from Spirit was torture, but this was his best chance now. Gloam’s wolf form was able to see spirits, and First was no exception. He would easily be able to lead the Hero of Twilight to where Spirit had collapsed.
We’re running out of time!
“Not by yourself,” Era interjected, mouth set in a frown. “Take someone with you, I don’t like you going out there alone.”
“I’ll come, I’ve got cold gear!” Slate quickly cut in, but Gloam shook his head.
“Anyone else will only slow me down,” he retorted, arms crossed. “And half of y’all are already on the verge of being frozen stiff, the less of us that are out in this storm the better. I’ll be quick, and if I can’t find him after an hour I’ll come back and we can rethink this then.”
First watched Era sigh, and look around the cave. Gloam was right: more than a few of the Links weren’t dressed for the weather and looked miserably cold, even huddled around the fire as they were.
“I can cover the most ground Era, you know that. I have the best chance of finding him,” Gloam said quietly.
“Just let him go already, Spirit could be in big trouble!” Windy said through chattering teeth, worry thick in his voice. First silently cheered him. At least someone realizes how urgent this is!
Era closed his eyes, and finally nodded.
“Fine. One hour. And not a minute longer, unless you find a sign that Spirit is close,” he said firmly, and Gloam nodded. “Then we reevaluate. And if you think you’re getting too cold, come back sooner. The last thing we need is two people frozen out there.”
Gloam nodded, and finally changed into a wolf, First nearly collapsing with relief as the now-lupine hero closed his eyes to switch to his enhanced Senses. He moved in front of the wolf, and when Gloam opened his eyes, he startled at the sight of First standing in his face, looking downright frantic with worry.
“I know where he is, you need to come with me now,” he blurted out, and Gloam barked and immediately charged out of the cave and back into the whirling snow.
First stayed in front of him, going as fast as he could manage, Gloam running through the snow behind him. The storm seemed to have gotten worse, flakes of ice blowing whipping past, and though First couldn’t feel it, he was sure it was colder than before.
What felt like forever went by, though it couldn’t have been long when First finally caught sight of Spirit again. He felt his heart skip a beat at how still he was now, no longer shivering at all. Just lying there, half-covered by the snow.
“Spirit you promised you’d try,” he choked out, frantically going to his side and studying his face.
Spirit didn’t move.
Gloam skidded to a halt directly after him and changed back to a hylian at the same time, dropping to Spirit’s side with a sharp intake of breath.
“Light spirits, kid,” he gasped, pulling the engineer into his lap. He immediately bundled him into a tight hold, listening to his heart and studying his fingers and other extremities. “Spirit, hey, can you hear me?”
The engineer didn’t react at all.
Gloam sucked in a breath and lifted Spirit into his arms, tucking him as warmly into his hold as he could. His head lolled against Gloam’s shoulder, and First felt fear roll through him, sharper than anything he’d experienced in a long time.
Hylia please.
“I can’t do much for him out here, we’ll have to get him back and warmed up,” Gloam said quickly, getting back to his feet. “Hib’ll know what to do. He... he will.”
Gloam began to quickly trudge back to the cave, First staying as close beside him as he could as they traveled through the storm.
“I’m so sorry First, I should’ve checked if you were around sooner,” Gloam said suddenly as they went. His voice was thick with shame, and First startled at it. “I should’ve known to ask you first, you’re always around Spirit, but the thought didn’t even cross my mind and now...”
He shook his head, looking miserable.
First closed his eyes and remained silent, feeling heavy as he drifted behind. Gloam wouldn’t have been able to hear his reply, but he appreciated the apology.
But the bitter feel of being forgotten, treated as one who wasn’t truly part of the group left a heavy weight in his chest, along with the worry still there for Spirit.
Not that he had any right to feel this way. It had been his decision to keep his existence a secret from everyone except a select few, despite Spirit’s insistence that the others would gladly know him. He’d been content with his anonymity in the group, and fearful of the reactions of the others were he revealed, but all it had led to was Spirit nearly being frozen solid.
Perhaps none of this would’ve happened if I wasn’t such a coward.
He swallowed as Gloam finally reached the cave and began shouting for assistance, the other Links looking surprised at his quick return. They quickly broke into frantic cries once they noticed Spirit though, and the cave turned into a flurry of activity that First couldn’t help with at all.
“I’m sorry little one,” he whispered, looking down at where Spirit still lay cradled in Gloam’s arms.
Obsessing over First got me thinking about COA First and how much I love him. If you don’t mind sharing, what are your favorite headcanons about him? (Well I guess they wouldn’t be headcanons since it’s your au but you know what I mean 😅)
Also if it’s not too spoilery, does he ever get to reunite with Hylia?
Aaaaah First my guy my beloved tragic ghosty angst guy 💖💖💖
I need to fully hammer out my version of how he got imprisoned and died and what his whole deal with Hylia is (I like the manga well enough but I’m tweaking things because it’s only somewhat canon anyways and some things just don’t make sense), but yeah, I have some favorite headcanons :)
He has a younger brother, Orville! (from the manga? he’s in like three panels lol) Reason being that 1) it’s interesting making him have a sibling and they obviously know each other at least somewhat, and 2) because Orville sounds a little like Aryll and I think that’s a cool reference
First is also Cloud (sksw Link)’s many many many many greats uncle.
He’s always had a bit of a fascination with the sky, and would often watch clouds when he had some free time. It’s what he hated about being imprisoned the most.
Before he had his honor tarnished (or whatever it was that happened that got him imprisoned), he often had “the lionhearted” tacked on the end of his name because of his bravery.
He has a bit of a sweet tooth, but what he really likes is cake, especially chocolate, or fruit. He misses being able to eat...
So the words “you’re safe now” aren’t exactly said but the vibes are there okay
Anyways LAST DAY (...a day late shh) for a decision on a whim, the second half of this month has been pretty fun! Thanks to everyone who’s come along for the (short) ride, it means a lot to me that anyone has liked these fics for my little au at all 😊
This is a part two to day 18! I highly suggest reading that one first.
Day 18
Courage of ages explanation
————————————————————
When Gloam came sprinting back into the cave where they’d all sheltered from the blizzard only fifteen minutes after he’d left, Windy had been surprised, and relieved he must have found Spirit so fast.
But the moment was short-lived, and gone the moment he caught sight of the engineer lying frozen in his arms.
The (truly too small for thirteen people) cave burst into movement once they all realized what was going on, Gloam kneeling down and shouting for assistance. Windy rushed forward as the others began gathering supplies, Slate saying something about an elixir that could help, Hue offering his fire gloves and Light was muttering something about a fire rod as he rummaged quickly through his pouch.
Hibiscus was already kneeling next to Spirit as Windy reached his side, peeling off his gloves and wincing at the waxy-colored fingers underneath.
“His clothes are wet and only making him colder, we need to get them off,” he quickly instructed, and Windy began helping Gloam peel off the equally freezing clothes. Once they’d finished, Windy grabbed a spare tunic he owned and they pulled him into that, then wrapped Spirit tight in a blanket, the boy still unmoving.
“It’s a good thing he was wearing gloves, his frostbite would be much worse otherwise,” Hibiscus murmured as he gently held his hands, checking his toes as well. “Our biggest concern is warming him up overall though, he’s freezing...”
Windy didn’t wait for another word, plopping himself down next to Spirit and leaning against him, wincing a little at the temperature of his skin.
He didn’t have all that much experience with the cold, only ever visiting an island or two where the temperature was uncomfortably chilly. He hadn’t even known what snow was for a long time, and while he could see its potential, wasn’t particularly fond of it.
Especially now that it had frozen his successor nearly solid.
“Windy, hug him more, you’ll give him more heat,” Hue said, coming up and pressing himself onto Spirit’s other side. “He’ll warm up faster.”
“How do you know that?” Hibiscus said interestedly as Windy did what he said. Hue smiled grimly.
”Hypothermia is an old friend.”
Windy pulled the blanket he was in around Spirit, tucking him closer against his side. Little trembles began to shake through the engineer as Light and Kaleidoscope settled themselves up to him as well, and soon full-on shivers were wracking through him, making Windy’s worry only grow.
“That’s good, believe it or not,” Hibiscus said, wrapping an offered fire rod in a blanket before tucking it into their midst. “Means he’s warmed up enough to shiver.”
“Can’t we just set him right next to the fire and get him warm?” Windy asked, brushing a hand across the engineer’s brow. His hair had ice crystals frozen in it. “Or hand him a fire rod, that would be faster right?”
“Yeah, but we can’t warm him up that fast,” Hue said with a shake of his head. “We have to do it slowly, it’s bad if you don’t.”
“He’s right, unfortunately that’s how it goes,” Hibiscus sighed. He leaned back after several minutes of tending to Spirit’s frostbite, looking annoyed at himself. “I’ve done all I can. We have to keep him warm, and we’ll wait until he wakes up to figure out what to do next.”
If he wakes up, Windy couldn’t help but worry, looking down at Spirit.
His lips still looked blue, ice melting in his hair and sending small trickles of water down his face. He was shivering almost uncontrollably, and Windy pulled him closer, wiping the water off his head. He was rather cold himself; the cave’s entrance may have been out of the wind, but an occasional gust blew in, and Slate’s well, slate, had registered the temperature as well below zero, but Spirit was much worse. He wasn’t sure how the younger boy was even alive.
He’d been all alone out there, how had he made it?
Windy sighed and shook off his thoughts, running a hand through Spirit’s hair.
More heroes joined their huddle as time went on, almost everyone settled around Spirit in some way. Windy was closest obviously, but Hue and Light were right next to him, Kaleidoscope not far off. Mini and Sprite were settled close by as well, adding to the warmth, and Cloud was slowly coaxing Brownie into sitting with the rest of them.
A few of them weren’t in the pile; Slate was cooking and tending the fire still, Hibiscus talking quietly to him, and Gloam was keeping watch in his wolf form by the entrance. But everyone else was piled around Spirit, even Era was near the edge with a blanket.
Despite the crummy circumstances, Windy couldn’t help but smile a bit, tucking Spirit up close and letting the both of them be warmed by the heat.
(...)
Windy woke up some time later to a quiet murmuring next to him.
He immediately looked over, feeling a wave of relief at the sight of Spirit’s eyes open. The engineer was still shivering a little, but the violent shaking had slowed a considerable amount, and his lips didn’t look nearly as blue.
He was currently staring at what seemed to just be an empty part of the wall, and whispering something that Windy could barely make out. The sailor leaned closer, but he still couldn’t make out what exactly he was saying, catching only a few words.
Then the engineer stopped, and smiled just a little.
“N-not your f-fault...” Spirit whispered, and a small breeze ruffled the engineer’s hair. Windy almost thought he saw him lean into an invisible touch, and started to wonder if he was delirious. Did hypothermia make people delirious?
“Spirit?” he ventured quietly, and the smaller boy startled and looked over at him.
Windy smiled, and Spirit returned it, though it wasn’t very big.
“Glad to see you awake,” Windy said happily, ignoring the bit of worry that remained. “How‘re you feeling mate? You’ve had a rough time the past couple hours.”
Spirit closed his eyes at the question, looking very small in his pile of blankets.
“Kinda l-like I got punched by a s-sir frosty,” he mumbled, and Windy couldn’t help his bark of laughter.
“I don’t have those, are they really so bad?” he teased, and Spirit weakly rolled his eyes.
“They’re t-terrible. They th-throw their heads at my train,” he grumbled quietly. “At l-least I don’t u-usually see them when I’m j-just walking around. It’s m-mostly wolfos...”
He trailed off, then shivered a little more violently.
“I s-saw some out there at one p-point,” he whispered. “They w-were different than m-mine, all wispy and creepy, and g-glowing eyes... Fir... um, they got scared off, but th-they could follow my scent...”
He looked suddenly dismayed, and tried to sit up.
“I might have led them r-right here! I—”
“Whoa, calm down there Dove, that’s the last thing you should be worrying about right now,” Windy stopped him, giving him a gentle flick on the nose. “You were nearly frozen solid, you wouldn’t be fighting even if any did follow you. take it easy.”
“But sir—“
“Look, even if they do, we’ve got nothing to worry about,” Windy said confidently. “We’ve got a pretty good defensive situation here. And thirteen heroes. A couple of dumb wolves are nothing against all of us!”
Gloam shot him a look from the cave entrance, and Windy coughed into his arm.
“...dumb wolfos that is. Not regular wolves. They’re not dumb.”
Spirit smiled a little at the exchange, and shivered again.
Windy pulled him up next to him, fixing the blankets that had been knocked askew at some point. Spirit sighed and relaxed against him, still shivering on and off, but looking much better.
“You don’t need to worry about it Dove. All you need to be focusing on is getting warmed up, alright? We’ll take care of any problems for now. You’re safe.”
“Alright,” Spirit mumbled, looking a little embarrassed.
Windy smiled at him, giving his hair a fond ruffle, then settled back down into the warm pile of heroes, not even caring that Light’s knee was poking him in the back or that Hue’s head was where he wanted his to be. Spirit nestled up to him, and he sighed contentedly.
How many times does First make death jokes/jokes about being dead?
Spirit: more than I would have thought. He’s sneaky about it too, because you don’t think he’d ever make many jokes because he seems all serious, but he’s as much of a gremlin as the rest of us.
First: now little one, that’s a bit harsh. Would I joke about something as unseemly as my own death?
Ok I’ve got a question I’ve been dying to ask CoA First. What’s your relationship with Hylia? Like are/were you guys close at all? Or maybe had feelings for each other? 👀
First: *ahem* well, ah, we were certainly close.
First: fighting in a war together does tend to bring people closer I’ve noticed, and since she chose me as her hero, we... spent a lot of time together.
Spirit: *whispering* he’s too shy to admit it, but they were super in love
