An exploration into the depths goes horribly wrong, and everyone decides that the buddy system might actually be helpful.
tags: Captain having a hard time, Captain hates arrows, Whump, Angst, anxiety attack, Near Death Experience, Gloom Poisoning, fluff/comfort(at the end), Multiple POV's
Link walked quietly behind the others, the thick darkness seeming to press down on the gentle glow surrounding their group. Wild and Twilight moved quietly up ahead, occasionally tossing a brightbloom seed ahead to light their path. Time stayed close to Link, his head swiveling back and forth, long ears flicking every time a boot scuffed against the ashy ground. Link smiled faintly, nodding in approval. Good to see Sprite’s senses were still sharp.
He sighed, straightening his shoulders slightly in an attempt to ease the tension across his back. He couldn’t wait to get back to the surface… where the darkness didn’t weigh anything and the back of his neck didn’t prickle constantly with the feeling of being watched.
They continued through the dark, until tall ruins rose out of the dark in front of them. A mine. Wild quickly skittered away, making happy humming noises as he dropped down a large hole, probably looking for some materials to mine. Twilight stopped near the edge of the mine, his mismatched eyes narrowed as he scanned the darkness. Time trotted off, pulling out several brightblooms to light up the area.
“Try not to wander off too far,” Link cautioned.
“Yes, Captain,” Time called over his shoulder, disappearing behind a large, aged stone pillar.
Link pulled a few of the glowing seeds out of his pouch as well, making his way around the opposite side of the mine. He continued with his routine, taking several steps between each tossed seed as he followed some massive, petrified ruin. Chief had called them conveyor belts, and said they could be used to transport large amounts of materials quickly between places. Sky had also confirmed this.
I should have Legend do a sketch of these, he thought idly, tossing another seed ahead of him. So I can take it to Zelda when we find a way home. These would be useful for trade… he reached for another seed, only to find there were none left in his pouch. He’d thought he’d had more… apparently not. He turned and began making his way back to the others. He could get more from Wild, though after this excursion, they’d have to spend some time in the surface caves, getting more of the seeds.
He carefully stepped down a series of small ledges, following the trail of lights he’d made back towards the mine. Though… It was taking him a while to get back. Surely he hadn’t wandered this far away from the others. His brow furrowed slightly, and he paused, glancing around. He didn’t remember climbing up any ledges… but he must have, because the brightblooms had gone up there. He looked ahead again. Yes… There was the trail of lights. He must have been really distracted while he was walking.
Forging ahead, he started paying more attention. With each small hill he reached the top of, he was sure he’d see the mine on the other side, only he didn’t. Just more darkness, and a trail of lights vanishing into it. He looked over his shoulder, a slight shiver running through him. He must have passed the mine… gone too far back. He wasn’t lost… he couldn’t be, they hadn’t explored this part of the depths before. He glanced down the trail again, then turned and began walking back the way he’d come.
The darkness seemed to press down harder on the small patches of light, and he quickened his pace, battling the shivers of anxiety that were starting to creep into him.
He was alone… alone in the dark… and lost.
At that thought, he started jogging, leaping over pits in the ground as he looked around frantically. On the trail went, until he skidded to a stop. Patches of gloom were starting to appear. They’d definitely not passed any gloom on their way to the mine. This was wrong.
Had he somehow stumbled across someone else’s path? He knew they weren’t the only ones exploring the depths, but surely they would have seen this earlier… unless…
His sense of anxiety doubled, as well as the prickling at the back of his neck. Alarm bells chimed in the back of his mind, each one ringing out danger. His fingers gripped the hilt of his sword, and he subtly shifted into a defensive stance. The darkness overhead was definitely thicker, almost smothering. Too close.
He had to fight to keep his breath steady as he edged backwards, his free hand reaching back to his pouch for his warp ring. It wasn’t there. Stolen. And this path of seeds… that had been stolen as well. He’d been led away from the others on purpose. He was alone, in the dark, in the silence- to be alone was death.
Surely the others would be looking for him at this point. He’d been gone from them for too long. He didn’t know how long, just that it was too long. They’d be looking for him… Twilight could track him- or they’d find the false trail of lights- then they’d find him. They’d find him. He just had to stay put. Stay on alert, ready for anything. He wouldn’t be safe until he was reunited with the others, and back up on the surface.
Unless… the others had been led away and lost too… they’d split up at the mine… Sprite-
He slowly drew his sword, glancing around as a fragmented prayer floated through his mind. Goddesses Farore, Nayru, Din… keep my brothers safe- let them find each other and me- please- he let out a shuddering breath, trying to force himself to stay steady. They… would be fine. He had to believe that… he would believe that until he saw otherwise. They’d be fine.
He glanced around again, trying to find a wall he could put his back to. That would at least slim the chances of him being snuck up on. There was nothing. Just a plain of darkness that seemed to flicker and swim with distant patches of gloom, and the trail of brightblooms behind him.
He turned in a slow circle, looking for any hints of yellow or white, any sign of movement. The patches of gloom seemed to jump at him in the corners of his vision, ripples of faint red appearing to creep across the ground at him, then retreat as soon as he saw them clearly. Each time it happened, his heart almost stuttered, and he’d hold his breath, staring wide-eyed until he was sure nothing was there. His hands were shaking uncontrollably, and he could feel the darkness, prickling on his skin, tugging at strands of his hair, breathing down his neck- he whirled around, coming face to face with nothing.
He let out a short breath, almost a panicked laugh. There was nothing. Nothing. He stepped back slightly, almost crushing his brightbloom. He was fine, there was nothing there. Light of the Triforce, the fact that there was nothing was almost worse than if there was something. He could fight something. He couldn’t do anything against nothing.
He started slowly turning again, eyes flitting across the darkness, his heart thundering in his chest.
Wait- he froze again, staring into the wall of black with wide eyes. The silence was broken by a faint scuffing, something walking through the darkness. Multiple somethings. He shifted his grip on his sword, wishing desperately that he had a shield. He stared hard into the darkness, until he saw something distant and pale. The distant scuffing halted, and the pale thing stopped moving.
Then the thing started racing towards him, the scuffing turned to the thundering of hooves. Monsters.
He dove out of the way just as the first stalhorse shot past, brittle hooves trampling his brightbloom into the stone ground. A second nearly crashed into him, and he was sent reeling. He stumbled, tripping slightly before he regained his footing, and sprinted blindly into the darkness. His thoughts were reduced to a single, screeching note of panic, and he’d lost his sword somewhere- he crashed into something- it felt like a tree, and he was sent stumbling again. He could vaguely see pale shapes darting around him, the sharp crack of their hooves on the stone muffled by the rushing in his ears. He spun, darting off in another direction, away from them- a sharp hissing was the only indication that arrows were being fired. It narrowly missed his ear. They can see in the dark- he was blind and his enemy wasn’t- he was on foot and they were on horses- they were armed, he only had armor- he was alone- outnumbered-
I’m going to die- it was pounding in his head, just as loudly as the screeching was. Veins of fire shot up his leg as an arrow punched through his boot and into his calf. He cried out, stumbling before crashing to the ground hard. His vision flashed white, then sensation began slowly fading back into him. Throbbing agony pulsing through his leg, and a dull ache in the side of his head and behind his eyes. Chittering noises filtered in overhead, as well as the whispery snorting of the skeletal horses.
Don’t move. Don’t do anything. Play dead. The thought drifted through his foggy mind. That… he could do that. Safest option. He couldn’t run, his enemy was right on top of him- he just had to hope that they thought he was dead and left him.
Trying not to move was hard. The ground under his cheek felt hot and sticky, and his face was starting to burn, tingles racing through him. He’d fallen on gloom. A sick feeling began to settle in his gut, and he had to fight the urge to shift. He could feel the gloom sticking to him, all over. Had he run onto a patch without noticing?
The creek of a bow snapped him out of his thoughts, and before he could react, something slammed down through his hand, pinning it to the ground. He jerked, biting back a scream. Play dead- play dead- Goddesses help me- he could feel the gloom creeping into him, invading the area the arrow had pierced through.
The chittering above him sounded almost like laughter, then, mercifully, the creatures turned and began riding away. He forced himself to wait until the clattering of hooves faded to nothing, his face scrunched as tears began to slide down his cheeks. The sickness was feeling worse, as was the burning, all pulsing in time with the arrows in his hand and leg.
Even after silence fell, he lay there for several long seconds, waiting to see if the monsters would return. There was nothing. Time to move. He shoved himself up, wincing and shaking, then snapped off the shaft of the arrow pinning his hand. Without giving himself time to think, he pulled his hand off the broken shaft. Despite his best efforts, he couldn’t hold back the thin whine as he held his hand close. He had to… had to stop the bleeding. He could feel it, soaking through his glove and down under his armguard. Bandages… he didn’t have any. He blinked hard, shaking his head to try and get rid of the dizziness. He… had to get off the gloom. The sickness had turned to pain, a deep, wrenching, twisting sensation in his gut.
He quickly wrapped his injured hand in his cloak, then looked around, trying to find the lights. It seemed the stalhorses had trampled more of the blooms, and the only sign of them was a faint glow behind a small slope. He took a deep breath, then struggled to get to his feet. After two tries, he gave up, resorting to crawling. His bad leg dragged behind him, and he held his injured hand close to his chest as he slowly dragged himself across the sticky, gloomy ground.
Sharp pain jolted through his body, and he paused, wheezing and panting before continuing to struggle forwards, looking only at that faint light beyond the hill. Keep going. Just keep going. Get off the gloom. Get away from here. His thoughts were coming more slowly. He was shaking, breathing hard. Another flash of agony burst through him, and he lurched forwards, retching.
Just breathe- keep breathing- keep going- he was shaking so badly, and he could see the gloom clinging to him, tendrils of it snaking up his arm and across his shoulder. His wounded hand was practically glowing a bloody red. He dragged in another gasp of air, then pulled himself forwards along the ground. Streams of hot tears ran down his face, hissing as they fell onto the gloom.
A third wave of pain surged through him, nauseating and more intense than before. He collapsed onto his side, dry heaving and shivering uncontrollably. The red light under him swam across his vision, gloom reaching up to take him. But he couldn't bring himself to move anymore. It hurt too much… he could feel his life being sapped away. Physically feel it being ripped from him, consumed by the bloody mass he couldn't escape.
Another wave of agony washed over him, and everything faded to white briefly. When he returned to himself, he was curled up in a ball, sobbing. This is it.
“Goddesses above…” he whispered. It wasn't a proper prayer. There wasn't time for a proper prayer. “Goddesses please-” he cut off, twisting fire coursing through him and sending him flailing.
“I don't want to die-” it came out a strangled yell. He didn't want to die- he was scared- he was alone- helpless-
A flicker of light faded into his vision, gentle blue. He heard a voice, but it was distant.
“Shifting sands- Link, get over here!” A woman's voice? Calling him? More light poured into his eyes, there was… someone leaning over him. Pale skin and hair, a deep red cloak…
“H-Hero?” He managed, straining to focus. The person leaning over him froze, then vanished out of his line of sight.
“Stay with him. I'll bring the others here. Try and preserve him as best as you can.” A voice said.
“Okay- go hurry! He's not going to last much longer-” there was the woman's voice again. She sounded like…
“Zelda?” He whispered, then hot agony crashed through him again and everything faded.
Link shot through the darkness, a trail of pale flame flickering in his wake. He paused at the top of a ledge, where he and Almajara had last seen the group. They were still down there, slowly making their way through the darkness, tossing lights ahead of them. His eyes narrowed slightly, and his sword and shield appeared in hand, then he darted down the cliff, blazing across the ground before crashing into the dark shadow that had replaced Captain. The illusion around it shattered, and it screeched, vanishing like smoke. The other three whirled, eyes widening.
“Hero- what-” Twilight stuttered. Link held up a hand to stop him.
“No time, Captain is in trouble. Follow me,” he said, then he darted off again, leaving behind a trail of spirit fire for them to follow. Within minutes, he was back with Almajara and Captain. She was attempting to pull him out of the gloom, somehow managing to drag him a few inches before slipping through him. Not good.
“Hey- help me out-” she said, waving him over. He knelt down next to them, watching the gloom retreat from his light. He slid his arms under Captain, trying to ignore the fact that he could touch the younger man. He wasn’t dead yet. He managed to drag him closer to the edge of the gloom before the others arrived. They skidded to a halt at the edge of the lake of gloom, each one looking different shades of horrified. They talked amongst each other for a moment, before Wild sprinted out onto the gloom, skidding to a stop next to Captain. Link and Almajara scooted back as Wild pulled Captain up over his shoulders. Then the pair vanished into long strands of blue light.
A glance over his shoulder confirmed that the other two had vanished as well, all of them headed up to the surface. Thank the Goddess…
“Are they… going to be okay?” Almajara asked softly, stepping up behind him. Link was quiet for a long moment.
Link blinked at the sudden evening light hitting his eyes. He stumbled away from the shrine, carrying Captain with him. They made it to a small patch of trees, and Wild carefully laid Captain down at the base of the closest one. Dear Hylia… he looked awful…
His skin was ashy and gray, and deep black veins spread across the skin of his face and hands. The hand he’d had wrapped in his cloak was caked with blackened blood, still shimmering faintly with gloom. The arrow in his leg was in a similar state, though the gloom was worse there, faint tendrils of it melting away under the sunlight.
He quickly checked Captains pulse, breathing a quiet sigh of relief when he found it. It was faint, but still there. He could still be saved. If Hero hadn’t shown up when he did… Captain would have been dead, and they wouldn’t have known the Dark had infiltrated their group. It might have managed to kill one of them…
He began quickly pulling off Captains scarf and armor, trying to expose him to the sun more. That would help deal with the gloom while he cleaned up the wounds. He had to keep Captain stable until Twilight and Time arrived with the rest of the group.
Since he’d traded his slate for Twilight's ring, he didn’t have access to any of his inventory. He should have grabbed some things before running off, but then again… he hadn’t known if Captain was even alive. He pulled off Captains gloves, wincing at the hole through the center of his left palm. Probably caused by an arrow… he didn’t have any water.
He straightened, looking around, his ears pricked. If he recalled correctly… There was a clean pond nearby, up on the hill. He glanced at Captain one more time before hopping to his feet and racing away through the tall grass.
It took him a few minutes to reach the pond, then a few more to find a round stone the right shape to carry water. He scooped the water up, then started making his way back down the hill towards where he’d left Captain. He only spilled a few drops, but that was fine. He carefully set the stone bowl down in the grass, then used his sword to cut a strip out of the bottom of his shirt. Zelda was going to have a fit about repairing that… oh well.
He soaked the cloth, then began carefully washing away the cursed blood from the wound in Captain’s hand. It looked like most of the gloom in the wound had burned away from the sunlight, but once he’d gotten his slate back, he’d definitely be making some sundelion food. He’d also make sure both Zelda and Sun worked some healing on him. Goddess only knew how much he’d need it.
He worked carefully until he was sure the hole was clean, then he cut another strip from his shirt, wrapping it tightly around Captain's hand. Now for the arrow wound in his leg. He’d need more water…
After another few minutes, he was kneeling next to Captain again, with clean water. The arrow had gone through Captains boot and into his calf which… from the shape of the hole in the leather, the arrow was barbed. It would have to be cut out, which Link would prefer one of the more experienced medics take care of.
He looked at the mess for a long moment before taking his sword, stepping several feet away, and shattering the blade on a stone. He took a medium sized shard, then used it as a small knife to carefully slice away Captains boot and pant leg. Then he ripped a third strip of cloth from the bottom of his shirt and began to gently wash around the arrow, trying to clean it up as best as he could. There was less blood, as the arrow was still in his leg, but it was still messy.
Just as he was finishing, Captain stirred slightly, his face scrunching as he made a faint whimpering sound. Link hummed worriedly, scooting up and gently resting his hand on the other man’s shoulder. He’d fallen still again, and when Link checked his pulse, it had grown stronger and steadier. He was looking healthier as well, the grayness fading and the black veins retreating.
He heard a sudden burst of sound at that moment, and he glanced up to see the rest of the group appearing in front of the shrine. Several of them caught sight of him and Captain, and sprinted over, Time arriving first.
“How is he? Is he okay? How-” Time paused, glancing down at Captain for a moment. “How bad is it?”
Link scooted back, allowing Sky to take his place, then started signing for Time.
He’s recovering. I cleaned his wounds as best as I could, and the sunlight is helping clear the gloom. Sun and Flower should heal him though. I don’t know how long he was in the gloom, but it almost killed him. The others winced.
“You did a good job taking care of him… I’ll handle the rest,” Sky said, patting Link’s shoulder before moving to work on the arrow. Link nodded, hopping to his feet and trotting off to find Flower.
Link quietly made his way through the camp, the last light of the sunset fading behind the mountains to the west. He carried two bowls of dinner, one for himself, and one for Captain.
Captain had woken up a little while ago, and had been able to take a potion. He was healed, but still weak from the gloom poisoning. Guilt twinged through Link’s gut, and he fought to stop a wince from crossing his face.
He sat down next to his and Captain’s bedroll, setting his bowl down on his knee and offering the other to Captain.
“Oh… thank you, Twilight,” Captain said, his voice hoarse. He sat up slowly, taking the bowl and scouring the sundelion porridge.
Link picked up his own bowl, staring at the contents. He… wasn’t hungry. Everything inside felt so awful and twisted up… he wouldn’t be surprised if Captain could smell the guilt on him. He should have known… should have seen that something was off…
“Twilight? Are you… alright?” Captain asked after a moment, and Twilight glanced up, briefly making eye contact before looking away again.
“I’m… fine,” he said, picking at the grass.
“No you’re not. You have the look of someone who’s guilty for something that’s not their fault,” Captain said softly. Link winced.
“Grabbing the goat by the horns tonight, I see,” he sighed, slumping a little.
“You do know that it wasn’t your fault… right?” Captain said, brushing his hand against Link’s arm. His hand felt cold.
“I… know it wasn’t… my fault,” Link managed, “but still. I should have… noticed something was wrong. I’m usually more perspective than that…”
“The shadow took my place?” Captain asked. Link grimaced, nodding slowly.
“I see… I had suspected as much. I believe it was the shadow that led me away as well. It stole my bightblooms and warp ring. When I realized, I tried to find my way back, but I’d already strayed too far away.” Captain explained.
Link rubbed his temples, frustration battling with the guilt in his chest. He should have known…
“We won’t be able to have anyone alone in the depths… not until the shadow is dealt with. It’s gotten too good at mimicking us. I couldn’t even smell a difference,” he grumbled.
“Yes… groups of three or more is safest… Wild and Legend won’t be too happy about that…” Captain muttered, his tone exhausted. Link glanced up at him, concerned. He was looking… worn. He needed rest.
“Yes, well, we can worry about that all tomorrow. You should rest now,” Link said, scooting closer and taking Captain’s mostly empty bowl. He set the bowl aside, then started fluffing up their shared pillows, ignoring the amused glance Captain shot at him.
“I doubt the pillows are going to fight back tonight, not after the beating you’re giving them,” Captain said after a moment, his tone teasing. Link flushed slightly, setting down the last pillow and ‘glaring’ back at Captain.
“Don’t poke fun, I’m just trying to help you sleep comfortably tonight,” he retorted. Captain raised an eyebrow at him.
“You know what would help me sleep the best?” he asked. Link blinked at him, frowning slightly. Captain scooted closer, gently pushing Link onto the pile of pillows he’d just made, then laying down next to him, his head on Link’s shoulder.
“I would sleep best if you stayed here with me,” he said softly, wrapping an arm around Link’s torso.
Link hesitated, then smiled softly, nodding. Some warmth filled his chest, pushing back the guilt somewhat.
“I can do that,” he said, putting his arm around Captain’s shoulders, and relaxing a bit. Captain smiled, his eyes fluttering closed, and he sighed.
“One last thing,” he muttered, “Do try to actually sleep. Don’t stay up worrying or beating yourself up.”
“Alright, I’ll try,” Link replied. He couldn’t truly promise that he’d sleep tonight… sleep never came easily to him. But… he’d do his best.
Wild doesn't need sleep- until he does. After a month and a half of being awake, rushing around to find everyone the compass points to, he finally starts to run out of energy.
TW: violence, impaling
Link crept silently through the undergrowth, eyes narrowed, flicking around and taking in the late afternoon forest. There was a monster camp ahead… he needed to clean it out before their group could move through.
Off to his right, Captain was stalking along, as quiet as he could manage with his armor. He’d insisted that Link take companions to fight, to which Link had hesitantly agreed.
To the left, the massive, dark wolf that was Twilight seemed to blend into the undergrowth, only patches of fur showing through the leaves as he padded ahead.
Link blinked, flinching slightly as a line of script appeared across his vision. He grimaced slightly, reading through the Shiekah script.
Energy is critically low. Sleep immediately.
He dismissed the message, then darted ahead through the trees. It was the third day he’d ignored the message. He didn’t have time to sleep. They had to find where the last three arrows were leading them. There was no time to waste, and he wasn’t going to waste a full day by sleeping.
Up ahead, the monster camp appeared out of the trees. It was a large camp, with five bokoblins, a boss bokoblin, and two moblins. He knew how to handle these. He glanced around, motioning for Twilight and Captain to both hang back.
He summoned a bow, putting an arrow to the string and fusing a muddlebud to the point. He held his breath against the dizzyingly sweet pollen, drawing back the string, and launching the arrow right into the middle of the camp. It hit the boss boko and two of the little bokos, and chaos began to spread through the camp.
Link darted closer, ducking behind a tree as a stone whistled by his head. He scrambled up the trunk, perching on a branch and drawing back, aiming a fire arrow into the camp. Bokoblins screamed as flames erupted around them.
The two that had been muddled were dead, and the boss boko was shaking itself, its eyes clearing from the confusion. Link huffed slightly at that. Monsters were annoyingly good at recovering quickly from the muddlebuds.
He took a deep breath, whistling loudly, and Twilight exploded out of the undergrowth, howling and barreling into the monster camp. He crashed into one of the moblins, tearing into it with claw and fang.
Captain appeared as well, his sword drawn as he danced through the confused monsters, leaving behind a trail of thin slashes and dark blood.
Link watched for a moment, then leaped off of the branch, slowing time as he drew back his bow. He landed four shots to the face of the boss boko, sending it sprawling before he landed, switching out his bow for the master sword.
Energy is critically low. Sleep immediately.
The message flashed across his eyes and he dismissed it. He was in the middle of a fight, this absolutely wasn’t the time or place to fall asleep-
He skidded to a stop next to the boss boko, hacking into its tough skin with his sword. He landed another few hits before it recovered, rolling to its feet with a roar. It was silver, making it much more resilient than the others in the camp.
Link dodged the first strike, retaliating with a strike to the boss boko’s wrist. It had a royal claymore, he’d have to be careful not to get hit. He landed another few strikes up the arm of the boss boko, causing it to stagger back, wailing and tossing its great head.
It swung wildly, the blade whistling through the air, and Link leaped back, slowing time down and sliding easily into the flurry rush. He got eight hits in, thick droplets of blood spraying around him as time returned to normal. The boss boko howled, slumping forwards in an attempt to shield its torn gut.
Link slipped forward, staying low and moving fast. He stabbed his sword into the knee of the boss boko, causing it to topple backwards with a scream. He skittered around the failing limbs, dodging the claymore one last time, before driving the Master Sword deep into the neck of the boss boko. It gurgled, blood splattering across the ground as its flailing slowed, then stopped.
Link stepped away, shaking his head slightly to clear the faint dizziness. He’d need to collect all the bits he could before heading back to camp… he…
There was a rushing sound in his ears, and the dizziness got worse. He… this was bad. His vision started darkening in the corners, and he thought he heard someone shouting for him… he glanced up, wavering slightly.
Twilight was sprinting towards him, shouting and waving. He looked panicked… Link shook his head again, and for a moment, the rushing sound faded.
“WILD- WILD LOOK OUT-”
Link blinked, then whirled just in time to get a thick, wooden spear to the gut. He grunted, eyes going wide as the tip of the spear pushed through his armor and into his stomach. The moblin standing over him snarled, shoving the spear deeper into him, pushing him off balance. He fell back, landing against the body of the boss boko. Sharp pain started throbbing through the numb coldness his body felt, racing out from the spear tip and up through his gut. The pain pulsed in time with his heart, spreading further through his body with each beat.
He wasn’t… functioning. He couldn’t fight. Everything was shutting down- he’d been shutting down before he’d been impaled.
A dull roar reached his ears, and he glanced up in time to see Twilight crash into the moblin, knocking it back. The spear was yanked from his gut, and Link slowly flopped onto his side, wheezing slightly as he watched blood begin to pool on the ground in front of him. He had to… had to heal… had to heal now…
He tried to open his inventory, but couldn’t. Only a faint message blinking across his sight.
Energy is spent. Entering sleep. Will wake in: 20 hours.
No… no that was too long… he had to… heal…
Darkness.
*************************************
Link fell to his knees next to Wild, his mind already racing. Why hadn’t he gotten out of the way? He was healing himself, right?
He looked dead- he wasn’t moving, his eyes half-closed, his breath coming in slow, stuttering bursts. He was bleeding- there was a hole in his gut. The ground in front of him had gotten a blue-red sheen from the steady stream of blood. Link bit his lip, trying to think. This was bad. Wild wasn’t healing, and he was bleeding out. Maybe he’d been knocked unconscious?
He quickly unclipped his scarf, bundling it up and pressing it to Wild’s gut. He needed to stop the blood flow, he knew enough to do that.
“Twilight-” he called, looking over his shoulder. Twilight had just finished killing the last moblin, and he hurried over, his eyes wide with worry.
“Is he ok?” he asked, his deep voice louder than normal.
“He’s unconscious,” Link said, turning back to Wild and putting more pressure on the wound. It was already starting to bleed through his scarf.
“I need you to go get the others. Flower, Sky and Sun, they’re more equipped to deal with injuries. I’ll stay with Wild and keep him stable,”
“Alright, hang tight,” Twilight said, turning and darting away. Link grimaced slightly, shifting closer to Wild so he could have better leverage. He needed to keep pressure on the wound, he knew that much.
Goddesses he didn’t like this. He’d never seen Wild like this, usually he healed himself quickly. It was unsettling to see him this vulnerable.
He tried to steady his breathing. It wouldn’t do anyone any good if he panicked. He started quietly reciting a prayer in his mind. Prayer to Nayru for the healing of the wounded. It was one he could recite in his sleep. He slowly calmed, familiar words flowing smoothly from his tongue. He could almost ignore the warm wetness slowly soaking into his gloves. Wild would be alright. The others would know what to do.
He didn’t know how much time had passed before he heard the sounds of the others returning. He glanced up right as Flower skidded to a stop next to him.
“Captain- what happened? Is he alright?” she asked frantically, pulling out her slate.
“We were fighting. I didn’t see what happened, but he was stabbed by a moblin. He hasn’t moved since he fell, but he’s still breathing.” Link said, leaning back slightly so she could see. Her face twisted slightly, and she leaned over Wild, her focused gaze scouring his face.
“Of course- I told him he was pushing himself too hard-” she muttered.
“What do you mean?” Link asked, moving out of the way and letting Sun take his place. Her hands were already glowing with healing power.
“He’s asleep,” Flower said, her tone a mix of worry and exasperation.
“Asleep?” Twilight asked.
“Yes. He doesn’t need sleep as often as most people. The longest he’s gone without sleep is fifty-two days. When he starts running low on energy, he gets warnings. He can choose to ignore them, forcing himself to stay awake, but eventually he just shuts down, his body forcing sleep on him for an unknown amount of time. He can’t be woken, and he won’t react to anything. My guess is, he’s been getting warnings for the last few days, but ignoring it because we’re in such a rush.” Flower explained, grimacing.
Link winced, glancing at Wild again. That would explain why he’d collapsed… though the ability to ignore sleep for so long was certainly useful. It would explain why he’d never seen Wild sleep until now. But still…
“Twilight, once Wild is healed, can you carry him back to the others? We’ll make camp until he wakes up.” he said. He’d have to talk to Wild once he was awake… he could understand why Wild would want to push himself this hard, but… collapsing like he had would slow them down more than just taking a few hours to rest. He’d make sure this didn’t happen again.
Link stalked quietly through the silence of the depths. It was nice to finally get some alone time. After the events of the last few weeks… he’d barely gotten a moment to himself.
True, it wasn’t the smartest decision to go to the depths by himself, what with all the horrors that existed down here. He wouldn’t be surprised if one of said horrors was following him already, despite the fact that he’d only been down here for ten minutes. No matter, he always fought better when he didn’t have to worry about friendly fire.
He continued on through the pale trees, the dusty stone under his feet crunching slightly as he walked. He turned his head back and forth, eyes searching, ears pricked for any sort of threat.
A distant sound reached his ears, quick footsteps that were headed his way. He whipped around, summoning his cloak from his rings and wrapping himself in it, vanishing just as whoever or whatever it was came into view.
It was Ravio.
What was he doing here?
He pulled off his cloak before Ravio passed him, seeming to appear from the air. Ravio jumped, his eyes going wide and his arms flailing slightly as he skidded to a stop next to Link.
“Link- there you are! What are you doing down here by yourself?” Ravio asked, glaring slightly and putting his hands on his hips.
“I could ask the same of you,” Link replied, mirroring Ravio’s action.
“I’m only down here because you decided to ignore the group’s rules and come down here by yourself. Captain was about ready to send out search parties if I hadn’t volunteered to find you first.” Ravio snapped. Link could barely restrain himself from rolling his eyes. Of course.
“I’m just looking for Dollmakers. I need to restock on Dolls. That’s all.” he said, “How did you find me?”
“Finding you was easy, I just had to go to the most dangerous place in this world and I knew you’d be there.” Ravio replied, raising an eyebrow in a knowing way. Link raised an eyebrow as well, then sighed, glancing away.
“I suppose you’re gonna drag me back to the others now?” he asked sullenly.
Ravio was quiet for a long moment, and Link couldn’t help but glance at him slightly. Ravio crossed his arms, his eyes narrowed and his lips pursed. Link offered a hesitant smile, and Ravio’s eyes narrowed even more before he groaned.
“I won’t drag you back, as long as you take me with you.” he said. Link blinked, his relief quickly turning to surprise.
“What?”
“You heard me. Take me with you, and you can keep exploring. I can watch your back.”
“But… don’t you hate the depths? More than anything?” Link asked. Ravio nodded.
“Yes, yes I do. But I’m far more concerned with your safety. I’m not going to have a repeat of a few weeks ago.” he said firmly. Link winced.
“Yeah… right, I suppose that’s fair… sorry,” he mumbled. He sighed, turning and waving for Ravio to follow him.
“We’re not looking for any big fights, just some Dollmakers. Wild said there were a few in this area, so we should see one soon,” he explained. Ravio nodded slightly.
“Sounds good. I could also do with another doll or two, if you think we can manage that,” he said. Link nodded immediately. He’d already been thinking of picking up poes for Ravio so he could trade for more dolls, but… they could do some extra hunting.
“Also, I should mention that we only have an hour. If we aren’t back by then, Captain is going to send out search parties,” Ravio said after a moment. Link sighed, nodding. It… made sense. But still, he really wished the others wouldn’t worry about him as much. The only reason he’d been caught by Demon a few weeks ago was because he was trying to rescue Sky. If it hadn’t been for that, he would have been perfectly fine.
“Alright. Keep an eye out for Blight, there’s been a lot more of it creeping around lately. If we see any, we go straight to the surface.” he said. Ravio nodded, his face pailing slightly at the mention of Blight.
They continued on in silence, exiting the forest of pale trees and making their way up a short incline. There was a faint blue light up ahead, and Link held out his arm to stop Ravio.
“I think there’s a Dollmaker up ahead,” he whispered, and Ravio nodded slightly.
“I’ve never fought one before,” he said, and Link nodded slightly.
“Well, they only take damage from magic, so you’ll want to have a fire or ice rod on hand. I have my good defence rings on, so don’t worry about hitting me,” he explained. Ravio nodded again, reaching into his satchel and pulling out his ice rod, and several defence rings.
“I’ll be shielded too. Do we just want to alternate freezing and flaming it?” he asked. Link grinned slightly.
“That’s a good idea. It’ll make this easy, we’ll be done in no time.”
They crept forwards, staying low to the ground as they got closer. Eventually, the Dollmaker came into view, hovering over the ground silently. Its large, blue owl face swiveled back and forth, golden feathery antenna flicking. Its segmented wings floated on the outside of its midnight black cloak, and tiny lights flickered out of the darkness around it, shimmering like distant stars.
Link glanced at Ravio, who was staring at the Dollmaker with awe and fear.
“You ready?” he whispered, and Ravio nodded, gripping his ice rod. Link summoned a fire rod, his strongest, then nodded for Ravio to take the first hit.
The Dollmaker screeched as the bolt of ice hit it squarely in the face, and it reeled back, wings snapping open and beams of light exploding from them, singing the ground. Link dodged one of the beams, then took aim and fired an inferno, catching the Dollmaker within it.
Ravio was sprinting around to get behind the Dollmaker, and he fired several more bolts of ice, hitting the spirit creature’s wings. The Dollmaker lit up with another volley of light beams as it attempted to attack. The ice on its wings fragmented the beams, sending them scattering in all directions.
Link took a hit to the shoulder, his defence rings absorbing the brunt of the blow, but it was still enough to stagger him
“Ravio! Don’t freeze its wings!” he called, firing off another massive burst of flame. Ravio called out his acknowledgement, his next round of ice hitting the Dollmaker in the face and body instead.
“How long does it usually take to kill these things?” Ravio shouted as Link let loose another blast of fire.
“Not too long, especially not with our items. I’d say another minute or so of good hits and we’ll finish it off,” Link replied, grinning and dodging another beam of light. The Dollmaker was mostly aiming for him, and he hoped it stayed that way, as he was very good at dodging.
The Dollmaker suddenly froze, hardly flinching as Ravio’s next attack hit it. Its face turned up towards the roof of the depths, and its antenna flicked, then the Dollmaker vanished, disappearing into a cloud of blue shimmering lights and smoke.
What?
“Did we… beat it?” Ravio asked hesitantly, clutching his ice rod close to his chest. Link stepped forwards, kicking at the ground under where the Dollmaker had vanished. No doll…
“It… ran away,” he said, confusion spinning through his mind. He’d never heard of or seen a Dollmaker flee like that. That… worried him.
He turned around, surveying the area as best as he could in the dim light. What could possibly make something as fearless as a Dollmaker flee so quickly?
Ravio stepped up next to him, also glancing around worriedly. His ears were twitching like they always did when he was starting to panic.
“Link, I think we should go. Now.” he whispered, and Link nodded slowly.
“Yeah, that’s a good idea. Let's find a Lightroot.” he said.
“Why a Lightroot? Don’t you have your warp ring?”
“No. I haven’t had a chance to go to Hateno and get a new one, so I’m stuck with the first one I got. I need a Lightroot to get to the surface,” Link explained, turning and walking briskly away. There was a Lightroot not too far, he could see it. It would take a few minutes to get there, but it was doable.
“Why did you come down here if you don’t have a fully functional warp ring?” Ravio hissed, stumbling slightly in his hast to keep up with Link.
“I needed the space, and I needed to get dolls, but it’s fine,” Link muttered, looking around nervously. He was starting to get the feeling that they were being watched, the back of his neck and head pricking uncomfortably. He quickened his pace, trying to hurry as quietly as he could.
“Link- Link- look up–” Ravio’s panicked hiss caused Link to stop in his tracks. He looked up, and immediately wished he hadn’t.
Far above them, winding between massive stalactites and dipping in and out of the fog, there was a massive, dark shape. Shimmers of red and purple appeared out of the dark shape, scales reflecting the light far below. It’s head appeared out of the fog, a massive, black and gold eye surrounded by pale fangs and a dark red mane.
Demon.
This was the largest Link had ever seen it. He prayed it hadn’t seen them. He didn’t want to know how fast it could move in this form.
Its head vanished into the fog again, and Link grabbed Ravio’s arm, pulling him forwards as he darted into a group of pale trees.
“Listen to me, Ravio, you need to warp up to the surface now. Tell the others that you found me, but Demon is in the area. I’m going to try and sneak to the Lightroot over there. Tell Wild which Lightroot it is, and tell him to meet me there.” he whispered urgently.
“What- I’m not- I can’t leave you here!” Ravio whispered back, grabbing Link's hands and holding them tight. His eyes were wide and his ears were fully pinned back- he was half a jumpscare away from bolting.
“Ravio, I know you’re worried about me, but trust me when I say that I’m going to be taking every precaution I can. I can’t use all my abilities if you’re here with me- I can’t risk you getting hurt-”
“And I can’t risk losing you again! I’m not leaving!” Ravio interrupted, clutching Link’s hands even tighter. Link was about to respond when he froze, listening.
There was a sound, not too far away. A slithering, oily, bubbly sound.
Blight.
Lots of Blight.
Link met Ravio’s eyes, then grabbed his hand, sprinting as quietly as he could away from the sound. Please let it have not noticed them- please-
They ducked into a small cave on the side of a stone wall. It was a few feet deep, enough to hopefully keep them hidden enough. Ravio pulled out his sand rod, quickly sealing the cave entrance and leaving them in complete darkness.
Link could hear him breathing hard, almost hyperventilating. He couldn’t blame him, his own panic was starting to spike. They were trapped. Cornered. Trapped.
Calm down.
“Ravio- I really need you to listen to me right now,” Link said, fighting to keep the tremor out of his voice, “you have to warp up to the surface and get the others, right now.”
“I’m not leaving you-” Ravio’s voice was shrill, and Link winced, glancing in the direction of the closed cave entrance. He could faintly hear monsters out there now. Garbled, muffled cries that reached his ears. Blighted monsters for sure, and a hoard of them from the sound of it. There was no easy way out of this.
“Ravio Please- I know I can get myself to the Lightroot, but I need you to go tell Wild to meet me there. It’s the only way we both make it out of here, I need you to do this!” Link said firmly. He couldn’t keep the desperation out of his voice this time.
He didn’t remember much from the last time Blight had taken him, but it hadn’t been good. The only reason the others had been able to defeat and save him had been because he’d already been seriously injured from Demon. He absolutely did not want anyone to be fighting his fully functional self.
Ravio whimpered, and Link blindly reached out, grabbing his arm and pulling him into a tight hug.
“Please… Ravio please… I promise, I’ll be ok.” he said softly. Ravio hugged him back, his grip almost crushing.
“Sometimes, I really hate you,” Ravio whispered, “swear to me that you’ll get out safely. Swear it.”
“I swear. I swear on the Triforce, I will get out safely.” Link said. Ravio leaned back slightly, jabbing his finger into Link’s chest.
“Also swear that you’ll stop going into dangerous places on your own.”
Link leaned forwards, gently brushing a kiss onto Ravio’s nose.
“I swear it. Now Go.” he said, pushing Ravio away. He caught a faint glimpse of Ravio’s expression as he warped away, terror and grief.
I’m so sorry.
He turned to face the sealed cave entrance. He could hear the monsters much clearer now. They seemed to be gathering around the closed cave. They knew he was there. He took a deep breath, trying to calm his stuttering heart. His hands were shaking as he summoned his sword and medallions.
This was definitely going to get Demon’s attention.
He activated Quake first, sharp cracks sounding through the air as the stone cave exploded around him. Monsters were sent flying, their bodies trailing ink and blood.
Bombos was next, fire exploding around him and raining from the sky, burning away the blight that coated the ground.
Link sprinted forwards, cutting through any of the monsters that somehow managed to survive the medallion attacks. Sharp pain radiated out from behind his eyes and down his jaw.
The medallions had devoured his magic reserves, and he was well past his soft limit. Hopefully he wouldn’t have to get to his hard limit.
The blighted hoard was beginning to recover, emaciated bokoblins covered in eyes running after him as he sprinted through the ghostly trees. He could see the Lightroot ahead, glimmering faintly on top of the hill.
A pair of Blighted Moblins leaped out in front of him, and he hurled the Ether medallion at them, wincing as lightning sheared down, shattering the ground and reducing the moblins to ash. The medallion reformed in his hand, and he continued racing on.
The sharp pain in his head grew worse, blurring his vision. Still, he sprinted on.
Don’t let them catch you- don’t let them touch you-
A sea of black ink and yellow eyes turned to him as he broke out of the trees, and he barely had time to cast Bombos a second time before he ran right into the midst of the Blight. It burned away around him, whispery shrieks filling the air as it turned to dust.
A great roar shook the depths, and Link stumbled, falling to his hands and knees. Demon was chasing him now.
He forced himself back to his feet, ignoring the spiking pain in his head and chest from how much magic he was using. He had to keep going- he was almost there.
He scrambled up the incline, his heart leaping into his throat as a Blighted Bokoblin almost caught hold of his foot. Too close- too close- he reached the top of the incline, hurling Ether down at the gathering hoard, shattering it before he turned and stumbled to the lightroot. The pain was radiating through his whole body now, blinding and nauseating, and blood had begun to drip from his nose.
Wild sprinted out to meet him, catching him as he collapsed, and dragging him under the Lightroot. Link blinked hard against the brightness, wincing and fighting to stay conscious. His eyes widened as he caught sight of the massive, dark shape twisting through the air towards them.
“Wild- get us the FUCK OUT OF HERE!” he screeched, and right before Demon crashed into them, the world splintered into blue light.
Everything reformed a moment later, the late evening light harsh against Link’s eyes. The sound of several voices crashed against his ears, and he sagged forwards, unable to keep himself upright and struggling to breathe.
Wild lowered him to the ground, and suddenly, Ravio was there, pulling Link into his arms and calling his name frantically. Link managed a faint smile, fighting to keep his eyes focused on Ravio’s.
“S-see?” he muttered thickly, “Told-d you I’d- be alright-” the world spun around him, and his eyes rolled back as unconsciousness claimed him.
Sky and Sun work together to deal with the side effects of Sky's adventure. Nightmares have never been the same.
TW: burning eyes, crying blood
Link stood on the edge, looking down into darkness. He’d been here before, so many times. Trails of smoke seemed to flow up from the pit below, reaching up to swallow the light. A dull roar echoed up to him, shaking him to his bones. He couldn’t move. Couldn’t run. He was burning- burning all over, his skin crackling with lightning burns. The pit shuddered, thick, white spires erupting from the ground as the entire pit turned into a gaping maw. Fangs twisted together, spiraling down into the great throat, and dark scales rippled out across the ground, constantly shifting and swirling like smoke, flickers of red drifting in and out of view like dull firelight.
He couldn’t move. He was frozen in place, staring down at the great imprisoned demon as it devoured the world beneath him. His body was on fire, flesh melting away from bone, his eyes peeled wide open as they burned away-
He jolted awake, sucking in a shuddering gasp. It was dark, and the chill night air pricked against his sweaty skin. He slowly pushed himself into a sitting position, his arms shaking and his joints aching fiercely. His knee was the worst, as usual.
He tried to steady his breathing, blinking hard as his eyes began to sting. He was fine- just fine- he’d had that dream hundreds of times before, he knew how to deal with it. He took a deep breath, squeezing his eyes shut and putting his head in his hands. Another deep breath. He was fine. He was safe. Zelda was sleeping next to him. She was safe.
Demise was dead.
He’d killed it.
They were safe.
He took another deep breath, ignoring the shudder in his chest, fighting back the burning in his eyes. His hands were shaking, and he could feel the heat of his eyes. He was fine. He was fine. He sucked in another breath, tilting his head back, as if he could stop what was already happening.
The first hot tear slowly dripped down his cheek, leaving behind a sticky trail. It was quickly followed by another, then another. Link winced, squinting slightly into the darkness as he leaned forwards, cupping his hands to try and catch the tears. He didn’t need them making a mess. His eyes burned hotter with each blink, and he was reduced to squeezing them shut.
He reached out blindly, fumbling across the blankets till he found Zelda’s shoulder. He shook her gently.
“Zel- Zel, I need help,” he mumbled. She shifted, stretching and grumbling something indistinct. He shook her shoulder again, and she sighed, sitting up.
“Yeah, I’m awake, are you ok?” she said, her voice slurred with sleep.
“Could you get me a towel?” he asked, trying to keep the shaking from his voice. The tears were starting to drip out of his hand, and he really didn’t want to have to spend tomorrow morning scrubbing blood spots out of the blanket.
“Oh, yeah, hang on,” Zelda said, her voice more alert. He heard her rummaging around their tent, and a faint light shone through his closed eyes.
“Here, use this for your hands,” she said, and he felt a soft cloth pressed into his free hand, “I’ll be back in a moment with some water,”
“Thank you,” he muttered, carefully trying to dry his hands.
While he waited for her to return, he began to carefully dry his face. The tears were still falling in full force, they usually didn’t slow for a while. Each time he squinted his eyes open, the burning intensified, and he caught a faint glimpse of the inside of their tent, muddled and mottled with red before he closed his eyes again.
The tent flap opened, and he heard Zelda settle next to him once more.
“I’m back, are you still doing alright?” she asked, her voice soft and comforting.
“Yeah, I’m… doing ok.” he replied, squinting his eyes open enough to offer her a faint smile. She sighed. He knew she didn’t believe him. He wouldn’t believe himself either, not with the bloody tears still running down his face and smoke drifting out of his eyes.
“I’m going to start cleaning your face, so try to hold still,” she said, and Link nodded, barely managing not to flinch when he felt the cool, wet cloth touch his face. He slowly relaxed, feeling his heartbeat slow to a normal pace. The deep ache in his knee and hip started to fade as well, the memories of the dream melting away.
“Do you want to talk about anything?” Zelda’s question pulled Link back to the present, and he shrugged faintly.
“It wasn’t anything new… just… twisted memories,” he sighed heavily, “it looks different each time. Each time, it’s a little worse. Like my mind didn’t know what to make of it the first three times, so it just makes things up to fill in the details.”
Zelda hummed thoughtfully, continuing to gently wipe away the blood from his face. A quiet calm began to fill the tent, the silence of night slowly pushing away the darkness of the memories. Link started to relax, the tension he’d been holding slowly releasing. The tears began to slow, and the burning in his eyes faded. He was alright, he was safe, and he could finally believe it again.
After another moment, he carefully opened his eyes, blinking against the brightness of the small globe of light hovering next to Zelda. His vision was still pretty blurry, but it would clear up in time.
“You’re feeling better?” Zelda asked, her brow furrowing slightly.
“Yeah. I’m doing ok, thank you,” he said, smiling faintly to reassure her. She sighed, cupping his face in her hands.
“You worry me sometimes. But I’m glad you’re doing better.” she whispered. Link smiled a little more, turning his head slightly so he could kiss her palm.
“I love you too,” he said. She huffed a soft laugh, shaking her head and tossing the dirty rag into the small bowl of water next to her.
“I’ll go get some clean water so you can wash your hands. Then you can finish wiping your face.” she said. Link nodded.
“Thank you,” he called quietly after her as she left. He was… so lucky she chose to stay with him, despite having to deal with things like this. All his pain, all his flaws, all his nightmares. She stayed through it all. The gratitude welling up inside of him made his vision go blurry again, and he quickly wiped his eyes.
Storms, he was getting sentimental again. That always seemed to happen when he was awake this late at night… Well, he didn’t mind it too much this time. He would gladly take normal, happy tears over the others.
He was alright. Zelda was alright. They were both safe now, and that was all he could ask for.
There's three arrows left on the compass to find, and they point down into the depths. Wild and Flower have conflicting ideas on how to go about finding and rescuing their last three.
CW: Recalled Spoilers
Night had fallen a good while ago. They’d arrived at the Dueling Peaks stable earlier that evening, and separated into two groups. The inside group were settled in the beds, sleeping soundly, and the outside group had tents set up next to the cooking fire. Above them all, perched on the top of the stable, Link stared out into the night, looking towards the great, split mountain.
The compass shone in his hand, several large, glowing arrows pointing down to their camps, and three tiny arrows pointing ahead and down. The arrows hadn’t moved in hours, a fact that sent anxiety worming through Link’s gut. Those three arrows barely moved at all as is, but the fact that now, sitting still, they weren’t moving at all was concerning.
It had been well over a month… and if those arrows were pointing down to the depths, like he suspected and feared… that wasn’t good.
He needed to go find those last three now.
Resolution began to take the place of anxiety, and he carefully, silently climbed his way down the stable roof. He reached the edge, hopping down and landing in a crouch. He looked around quickly, then set down a travelers medallion. Once he’d found the last three, he’d bring them straight here.
He began trotting down the road by himself, the compass in hand, leading him on. He wouldn’t take anyone with him, he didn’t trust them to be able to keep up with his tireless pace. Besides, they would just insist that he take everyone, like they had been doing for the last few days of relentless travel. Anyone else would just slow him down and put the last three in more danger.
He reached the foot of the mountain, then paused, glancing up. If he scaled the mountain, then he could glide down from the top, which would allow him to cover much more ground than if he just followed the road…
“Link? Where are you going?” Zelda’s voice startled him, and he whirled around, dismissing the compass. He somewhat wished that he hadn’t taught her how to walk silently. He didn’t like getting snuck up on like that.
“I’m… doing some exploring.” he lied, hesitating slightly with his signs. Zelda raised her eyebrow slightly, then sighed.
“You don’t have to lie. I saw you holding the compass. You’re going to find the last three on your own, aren’t you?” she signed. Link wilted slightly.
“We’ve talked about this several times, Link. You don’t have to do things on your own anymore, there are people who want to help, and are involved. You can’t just make decisions by yourself that affect the whole group,” Zelda signed firmly, her expression sharp. Link glared at her.
“This doesn’t affect the whole group right now. But choosing to travel slowly in a large group does affect those last three. They’re out there on their own, probably in the depths, so without food and clean water. Every day we take to find them is another day they’re suffering. It’s better for me to go find them now.” He put emphasis on that last sentence, trying to help her understand.
Her expression softened slightly, her eyes darkening with concern.
“I understand that. It’s not a situation that I want to be in, and it’s not a situation I want to continue, but we can’t exclude the others from this. Yes, it is critical that we find the others as quickly as possible, but we have to do it as a united group. The others want to help, and we can’t deny them that opportunity.”
Panic shot through Link, sudden and sharp, and he clenched his teeth, signing rapidly,
“No- you don’t understand- Zelda, they’ve been down there for almost two months! As far as I know, there isn’t anything edible down there, and trust me, I tried! The depths aren’t even fully explored- for all we know, they’re stuck down there in pitch black! There’s monsters and creatures down there that can easily take down anyone who isn’t paying attention! This isn’t a question of who wants to be involved in saving them, it’s a question of whether we get there in time to save anything at all!” he hissed slightly, opening his eyes wide and hoping she could see his pleading expression. He needed to do this- he couldn’t afford to be held back-
“Link, I do understand. I know. But I can’t just leave all the others behind! They want to be involved, and they want to help! They’re just as concerned as we are, and they have skills and abilities that are useful and can help! I can’t, in good conscience, leave them completely out of this mission!” Zelda said out loud firmly, her voice trembling.
Link turned away, tugging at his hair and grinding his teeth in panicked frustration. She wasn’t listening- it was happening again- why did this keep happening- all the time- every time he needed to do something on his own he was held back- he should just leave now, ignore her and leave- no, can’t do that. Can’t disobey orders.
He felt Zelda’s hand on his shoulder, and he spun around again, brushing her hand off and glaring.
“You. do. Not. understand,” he signed, punching each sign out as forcefully as he could, “Every time I hold myself back for the sake of someone else, tragedy happens! Every time I wait for the others to catch up, I’m too late! People get hurt- people die- and I could have stopped it if I hadn’t waited.” his eyes were stinging now, his vision blurring slightly as hot tears began to spill over.
“I brought all of the others here, they’re in our time because of me- if any of them can’t go home because they died, then that responsibility is on my shoulders. I cannot wait. I cannot hold myself back, when I know I can’t trust anyone else to keep my pace- I will not wait any longer. They can’t wait any longer.” he continued, shaking his head hard.
There was silence for a long moment. He stared into Zelda’s face, some of his fury melting away to shame as he saw her broken expression. She blinked several times, looking down and sucking in a shaky breath.
“Alright. You can go. I’m sorry,” she finally whispered, turning away.
Link hesitated, blinking, trying to sort through the conflicting emotions as he watched her walk away. He’d… he’d hurt her. Why did he have to say all that? He could have at least phrased it better so it didn’t seem aimed at her but… what he’d said was true. It hurt. All around, it just hurt.
He should follow her, go back to the stable and wait for the others, like she’d said- no. there were lives at stake. Lives were more important than emotions. He..
When the group stumble upon a group of monsters, they think it'll be easy to take them out. unfortunately, these monsters live in lynel territory, and the fight draws unwanted attention.
Fairy knows he can take the hit when Legend has his back turned.
CW: temporary character death, death by many arrows, blood and injury, infighting among the boys, strong language and swearing, Recalled Spoilers
Link darted through the battle, his ears and antenna pinned back, his eyes narrowed as he searched for another monster to kill. The trees were close together, making it hard for the monsters to navigate. To Link, he’d never felt more at home than in the trees. Their life gave him life, and he’d never felt so full of energy and strength.
He caught sight of a lizalfos attempting to sneak away from the battle, and he dropped into a running crouch, following it through the trees. Once he was close enough, he leaped up landing on the lizalfos’ back and driving it to the ground. It whipped around, its raspy screech cutting short as Link stabbed his knives into its throat, killing it.
There was a roar, and he snapped his head up. That was a familiar roar.
A Lynel.
What was a lynel doing here? Were they in its territory?
It was trotting between the trees, pale white fur and violet stripes standing out starkly against the green. It had its bow out- looking for a target.
Link followed its gaze over to where Legend was fighting. His back was turned to the lynel, his focus on the several bokoblins that were attempting to break through his shield. His heart began thudding as he saw the lynel draw five arrows and set them to its string. Legend wasn’t paying attention- his back was wide open.
Link gritted his teeth. He’d never died to arrows before… hopefully it wouldn’t come to that, but if he knew anything about lynels, he knew their aim was true, and they always aimed to kill.
No more time to think, the lynel was drawing back on its bow.
Link sprinted forwards, diving in front of Legend just as the lynel released its volley.
His breath vanished as four arrows slammed into him in a line across his body. One took his right shoulder, one to the ribs, one to the stomach, and one in his left thigh.
Legend screeched as Link crashed into him, screaming something. Link hit the ground hard, and hot veins of pain shot through his whole body. He lay there, blinking hard, trying to figure out how to start breathing again. He could feel the tips of the arrows inside of him, pushing through his muscles and organs, grinding against his ribs- one of his lungs was definitely punctured.
There was more shouting around him, frantic movement. The lynel was firing on them again, and Wild was there, a massive, stone shield appearing from blue light. The cracking of arrows on stone reached Link’s ears distantly.
He vaguely realized he’d started breathing again, his breath short gasps and wheezes. It… it hurt… a lot.
It was similar to being run through, only smaller and more spread out, with more points of origin for the pain. It filled him more fully then the pain of being impaled had. He definitely wasn’t making it out of this alive.
Legend was suddenly leaning over him, his shimmering eyes wide and panicked. He turned and yelled something over his shoulder, then turned back, dismissing his shield into one of his rings.
A handy bit of magic, those rings.
Links slow thoughts were interrupted by explosive pain through his body as Legend carefully pulled him into his arms, picking him up and beginning to race away through the trees.
Everything turned to a blur, agony and numbness warring for first place in his mind. Then, he was being layed back down, his back to a fallen log. A thin whine escaped him, and hot fire raged through his torso. There was a taste of iron in his mouth as well. The arrow in his gut must have gone through his stomach.
He blinked hard, glancing up at where Legend was leaning over him again.
“Fairy? Can you hear me?” he asked, his normally sharp voice soft and filled with concern.
Link blinked again, then nodded slightly, one of his antenna flicking.
“Right. Hang tight, I’ll get you patched up-” the rest of what Legend was saying was cut off as Link coughed. More iron taste filled his mouth. Blood. He hated the taste of blood.
He reached out, catching Legend’s arm right as he was pulling a bottled potion. He gritted his teeth, gathering what strength he had to shove Legend away.
“Go Back-” he managed. He knew Legend could understand some of the fae language. Hopefully enough that he would know and listen.
“Go back? What the fuck do you mean, go back? I’m not leaving you like this-” Legend said, his usual fury returning to his tone. Link winced, then waved Legend off again.
“I’ll be fine, please go back,” Link protested, his voice hitching slightly from the pain of talking. It was already hard to breathe, talking was worse. Hot pain pulsed through his body in time with his weakening heartbeat. He could feel that through his whole body as well.
“Yeah, like I’m gonna believe that for a second. Now shut up and take the damn potion,” Legend snarled, leaning forwards and shoving the potion towards Link. Link just shook his head, wincing.
“No, I’ll be fine. I have an item. Go help the others.”
“You have an item that will heal you?” Legend asked, raising an eyebrow suspiciously. Link nodded. It was true… it would heal him.
“Yes. I’ve had worse, I’ll be fine.” he said weakly.
Legend stared at him for a long time, various expressions flicking across his face. He glanced down at the potion in his hands, then growled, digging through his bag again.
“Fine. fine. But just- take these-” Legend shoved two bottles into Link’s hands, “take the potion, take the fairy, just- whatever-” he stood, summoning his sword and shield.
“I’ll be back, and you better be healed. You better be…” then he turned and darted off, vanishing into the forest back towards the battle.
Link slumped slightly, letting out a shaky breath. The sharp throbbing in the arrow wounds was… overwhelming. He just had to wait it out… and hope the others would be alright.
He opened his eyes again, glancing down at the little fairy trapped in a bottle. He knew why the others did it… but still. No fairy deserved to be captured and held in such a way.
“What is your name?” he asked the little fairy, slowly shifting to start rummaging through his pouch.
“My name is Kaelum,” the fairy replied, pressing his hands against the glass of the bottle.
“Can you speak Hylian?” Link asked, his voice straining slightly.
“Yes, I can,” Kaelum replied, watching nervously as Link pulled the doll out of his pouch. He settled back again, taking a moment to try and breathe. It was getting harder to do that… there was numbness prickling up his arms and legs now.
“When I wake up, will you be my voice?” he asked softly. Having the others translate for him was hard… ever since Mila had left, he’d been without a voice. Without a companion.
Kaelum blinked up at him, his tattered wings fluttering slightly as he thought. He glanced down at the doll in Link’s hand, then to the arrows sticking out of his torso, then,
“Yes. I will be your voice.”
*************************************
Red sprinted through the last remnants of the battle, his eyes wide and frantic. He’d seen what happened- where was Fairy- Legend was back, but where was Fairy? Blue was close to front as well, his rage and panic a slow boil right under the surface.
“Legend?” he called, skidding to a stop in front of the other man, “Where’s Fairy? Is he okay? Where is he-” he was cut off as Legend pushed past him, his face a dark mask.
“He’ll be fine.” he said. He’ll be fine? So he’s not fine now? Why?
“What do you mean, He’ll be fine? Why isn’t he fine now?” Red asked, following after Legend and attempting to grab his arm to spin him around, “Where is he?”
Legend stopped, his shoulders dropping. He turned, pointing off into the woods.
“I left him in a clearing, that way. It’s not too far. He’s taking care of himself.”
Red felt a pit forming in his gut. Blue stepped forwards, stepping into front with him, his panic barely held back now.
“You left him?” they asked. Legend bristled, glaring at them.
“Well, he didn’t give me a choice!”
Red and Blue stood there for a moment, chewing on their lip and fighting down the urge to scream. They took a deep breath, then turned and began walking firmly into the trees, in the direction Legend had pointed in.
“He’s just going to send you back, he doesn’t want help,” Legend yelled, and they broke into a run, blinking hard to clear their eyes.
“Colors- Come back!” someone was shouting for them. They ignored whoever it was and kept running.
Fairy would be fine.
He’d be fine.
He had to be fine.
“FAIRY?” they called, charging through the undergrowth, “FAIRY, WHERE ARE YOU-”
They skidded to a stop at the edge of a clearing, their eyes going wide.
Fairy lay across the clearing, propped up on a fallen log. His eyes were closed, and his breathing was faint and stuttering. Blood soaked the front of his tunic from the four arrows jutting out of him, and the markings across his skin flickered weakly.
Red fell to his knees next to Fairy, hesitating as he reached out. His hand was shaking. It all felt so disconnected and distant, like he was seeing everything from far away. His vision began to blur as tears filled his eyes.
“Fairy?” he asked, his voice trembling. He… he had to be able to hear him still, right?
Fairy’s eyes fluttered open, unfocused and such a dull shade of blue. They were almost gray, compared to the usual vibrant blue they were.
“Red?” his voice was so faint. He shifted, as if he were trying to sit up more, and Red put his hand on his chest, holding him still.
“No- Stay down,” he said frantically, looking around for anything he could use to help. If only Vio was close to front- they’d know what to do-
He noticed a small healing fairy curled up on Fairy’s shoulder. Legend must have left that behind… he should have known better, Fairy never used them for healing.
“Please, can you heal him?” he asked anyway. He had to ask. The fairy blinked at him sympathetically, shifting its wings and huddling up to be smaller.
“I’m sorry,” it chimed. Red was fully crying now, tears blinding him. His chest hurt. This couldn’t be happening. He glanced down as Fairy touched his hand.
“It’s ok… it’s ok…” his voice was so weak. It only made Red cry harder. He carefully pulled Fairy into his arms, trying not to hurt him as he held him close. Where were the others? Why was he alone right now? He was almost never alone- why now? When he needed help the most, there was no one there.
“I’m so sorry-” he managed. He almost couldn’t get the words out through his sobs. Fairy continued whispering reassurances, as if attempting to comfort Red.
Why was this happening? What had either of them done to deserve this? Why did Fairy have to take those arrows for Legend? Legend could and would protect and heal himself- Fairy didn’t have to do that and now he was going to die. He was going to die because Legend left him. He could have stayed. He should have stayed. He didn’t, and now, Fairy was going to die.
Fairy’s voice stuttered, and Red blinked, looking up frantically. No- no- he couldn’t- couldn’t lose- Fairy shuddered, then went limp, his head falling back against Red’s arm. Any last traces of blue in his eyes faded to empty gray.
He…
He was gone.
Gone.
He couldn’t…
“Fairy?” his voice was faint, and he fumbled to check for a pulse, “Fairy?” no… no please… “Link?”
No pulse.
He was dead.
He didn’t know how long he was sitting there, all alone, cradling Fairy’s body and numbly calling his name. He didn’t know… he didn’t care. He was alone… so alone…
He vaguely heard someone calling. Many someones. The rest of the group… it didn’t matter. They were too late. They couldn’t do anything. He didn’t move, didn’t respond to their calls.
Then someone screamed.
Red’s head snapped up, his heart pounding. Who-
Legend was standing at the edge of the clearing, his eyes wide and his face a mess of sheer panic. Ravio was right behind him, staring horrified. The other members of the group quickly appeared through the trees, drawn by the cry.
“No- NO- GODDESSES PLEASE NO-” Legend stumbled back, clutching at his tunic as tears started to run down his face, “He’s not- I– please no- I didn’t mean- I’m sorry- I’m sorry-” he continued stuttered frantic apologies. Excuses.
Red glared at him, clutching Fairy closer. Legend. Legend. How dare he apologize- how dare he- he could have stopped this- he could have stayed- Blue was there in his mind, his fury and grief combining with Red’s, and their face twisted into a snarl. Vio was close as well, their coldness washing through the back of all their mind. There were others, but Red was too enraged to care.
“Colors- Colors-” It was Sky. He was kneeling next to them, carefully trying to get them to let go of Fairy, “I’ve got him, let him go,”
Slowly, reluctantly, they let go, allowing Sky to take Fairy from them. They scooted away and Sun took their place, her hands glowing with healing power. It wouldn’t work. Fairy was already long dead.
Red retreated, too overcome with grief to remain in front, and Blue took his place. He was boiling. He reached blindly for his shield, which had been left forgotten in the grass. He picked it up, slowly standing and gripping the edge of the shield with trembling hands.
Legend was still sobbing half apologies, wailing out excuses. What right did he have to try and excuse himself? He was the reason Fairy was shot, he had left Fairy behind, he was the reason Fairy was dead now. How dare he try to apologize.
“LEGEND- HOW COULD YOU?” He roared, hurling his shield at the other man as hard as he could. The shield took Legend to the gut, and he crumpled, several of the others around him shouting in alarm.
“HE’S DEAD, LEGEND! FAIRY’S DEAD BECAUSE OF YOU! HOW COULD YOU LEAVE HIM LIKE THAT?” hot, furious tears were streaming down his face, and Twilight grabbed him from behind, trying to hold him back, “HE SAVED YOUR LIFE! HE TOOK THOSE ARROWS FOR YOU! AND YOU ABANDONED HIM- YOU HEARTLESS MONSTER-”
“THAT’S ENOUGH!” Captain’s roar cut through Blue’s tirade, and silence fell, only broken by Legend’s muffled sobs. Blue gritted his teeth, glaring up at Captain, who’s expression was tight.
“We’re all grieving right now, but throwing blame and rage at each other will not help.” Captain said, his voice softer, but no less cutting. Blue wilted, his fury slowed, and replaced with a deep pain that twisted in his chest.
Fairy had been his friend. He’d been all of their friend. The truest friend they’d had since they were young. And now… he was gone.
Blue’s job was to protect. He was supposed to keep everyone together, keep everyone safe… he’d failed so miserably. He slowly turned away from the others, staring blankly off into the woods.
Twilight put his hands on his shoulders, leaning down to meet his eyes.
“Let’s go find a place to sit down and talk, okay?” he said, his voice hushed and fragile. Blue could only nod, leaning into Twilights arms slightly. He didn’t want to talk. He didn’t want to think. He wanted someone else to take over for him, but no one was willing. No one wanted to face this. So he just blindly followed Twilight as they began walking into the woods.
They were nearly to the edge of the clearing when Sky’s shout stopped them in their tracks.
“Fairy!?”
Blue was frozen in place for a moment, then shoved out of the way as Red came crashing into front. They shook themselves, trying to reorient as fast as they could after such an abrupt switch, then Red whirled around.
Sky was leaning back, and Fairy- Fairy- was sitting up, shaking his head and blinking around at everyone surrounding him.
Red broke out into a sprint, disbelief, terror, and relief all crashing through him at once. In a second, he was across the clearing, falling to his knees next to Fairy and snatching him into the biggest, tightest hug he could give. He was sobbing again, holding Fairy close. Fairy hugged him back, his grip strong. Red could hear his heartbeat. His heart was beating. He was alive. How- he’d been dead, but he was alive now- he was ok-
A scuffle behind him caused him to turn slightly, and he caught sight of Legend rushing towards them, his expression murderous.
“FAIRY- YOU SON OF A BITCH- WHY DIDN’T YOU TELL ME YOU COULD COME BACK?” He roared, just as Captain and Wild caught hold of his arms and held him back. Red glared fiercely at him. Don’t you dare- don’t you dare blame him- you were the one who left him-
“IS THIS SOME GAME TO YOU? JUST ANOTHER FUCKING PRANK? I THOUGHT YOU WERE DEAD BECAUSE OF ME!” Legend screamed, tears flooding down his face as he struggled against Wild and Captain. He slumped forwards, shaking.
“Why would you do that? Why wouldn’t you let me help?” he asked, his voice softer and weaker than his earlier screaming.
Twilight stepped between Legend and Colors, who was still clinging tightly to Fairy. He said something softly to Legend, who snarled something in return, then he, Twilight, Wild, Captain, and Ravio began moving off into the woods, likely to find a place to calm down.
Red turned back to continue hugging Fairy, disbelief still raging through him. Fairy had died. And now he was here, alive and whole.
“Fairy? Are you alright?” Flower’s voice seemed to reach his ears distantly. Fairy said something softly that Red didn’t catch, and there was a small chime.
Right… the little healing fairy that had been with him earlier. Fairy must have asked it to be his new voice.
“I’m alright, not hurt anymore,” Fairy said, patting red on the back and smiling reassuringly at the others.
“But how? You… you were dead?” Sun asked, her voice slightly hushed. Fairy winced, his antenna flicking back slightly.
“Yeah… sorry about that… probably should have explained that sooner,” he muttered. Red glanced up slightly, his brows furrowed.
“Explained what?” was Fairy… immortal or something? Fairy reached down for something in the grass, picking it up and holding it out for the others to see.
“My dolls,” he showed them the little cloth doll in his hand. Red had seen the dolls before, but… this one had several holes down the front, the stuffing leaking out. Holes in the same places he’d been struck with arrows.
“They bring me back, like an extra life.”
“You- how do you… how many times…” Sky’s voice trailed off weakly, his face pale as he watched Fairy put away the doll. Red hugged Fairy tighter, suddenly terrified of what his answer would be. How many times had his friend died?
“This would be… the fourth time.” Fairy said, his voice tired. Red whimpered slightly. He was not going to think about what all that entailed.
“Oh… I’m so sorry…” Sun whispered as she carefully pulled both Red and Fairy into a gentle hug.
“It’s alright,” Fairy muttered, gently patting her arm and hugging Red close, “I’m just glad I wasn’t alone this time,”
Red curled into the hug, shaking and crying softly. He would never let Fairy be alone like that again. He would keep Fairy safe. Fairy would not die again. He would make sure of that.
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
-Chapters: 1/5
Fandom: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Fi & Link (Legend of Zelda)
Characters: Link (Legend of Zelda), Fi (Legend of Zelda), Guardian(s) (Legend of Zelda)
Additional Tags: Silent realm, Whump, Canon Rewrite, Arachnophobia, Link Has a Bad Time (Legend of Zelda), Near Death Experiences, Survival Horror
Summary:
As part of Link's journey, he must face the Trials of the Goddesses. These Trials are known as the Silent Realms, and are meant to test the Chosen to his limits, all to prepare him for his final, great battle against the Demon God, Demise.
