Actions

Work Header

Rating:
Archive Warning:
Category:
Fandoms:
Relationships:
Characters:
Additional Tags:
Language:
English
Collections:
Four Swords Related Fics
Stats:
Published:
2025-03-13
Completed:
2025-03-16
Words:
14,647
Chapters:
4/4
Comments:
180
Kudos:
565
Bookmarks:
142
Hits:
3,960

Fortuity

,

Chapter 2: The Inherent Catharsis Of Killing Ganon

Chapter Text

He’d been dreaming for so long. 

Thoughts were difficult here, in this endless expanse of stars. On occasion, dreams slipped through to occupy his mind. He saw Vio become Link once more, saw his other half live and grow in the world of light. Little flickers of pain and joy were bittersweet reminders that life indeed carried on without him. Time passed. How long he never knew. 

When Shadow had enough strength to feel anything, it was mostly relief. His sacrifice had paid off. He’d made a difference, done something with his life and death. But most of the time he drifted in sleep and numbness. He wondered, when he could wonder, if the memories would all fade away. If he would just fade away. He couldn't tell if the brief moments were getting shorter, if the time between dragged longer. What was death to a being born of magic and shadows? His light lived still, after all.

A hint of dawn poked over the horizon, and a scream that shook him to his core. Before him, flickering like a candle, formed the silhouette of the boy he’d been longing for, the other half he had always known and barely met. He drowned out Shadow’s flickering memories like the sun outshone the stars. This can’t be real. If Shadow had a heart, it would have stopped. “Link?”

It was Link, it wasn’t Link. A silhouette split in two.

He reached out. They disappeared, and Shadow’s world was flooded with light, then abruptly went dark.

He curled into existence, born of the shadows and dark magic, and blood. The blood was new. There hadn’t been blood last time, was there meant to be blood? Power humming around and through him, a confusing tangle in his reforming being. The taste of sugar-sweet magic lingered oddly on his tongue.

Ah. This could not be anything good. No one dragged him into existence for the betterment of the world.

A familiar bay of monsters was reaching crescendo, and a voice he almost knew cried out. Shadow unfurled, drawing himself from the blood and darkness, from Link's shadow, and opened his eyes.

…to a scene of chaos. Carved channels in an altar ran red. A boy he did not know lay still and pale, heavy shackles on thin wrists and collarbone. His throat torn and bleeding. A robed figure grasped Vio-Green-Red-Blue-Link by the collar and ripped a knife out of him, raising it high, readying to bring it down again. Oh, absolutely the fuck not. Shadow did not need to understand anything else.

He launched himself at the figure, all teeth and claws and fury, tearing into the figure's face and chest. The bastard dropped, the knife dropped, Link (Link?) dropped, and he was the only one Shadow caught, a wash of magic cradling his fall. 

He was bleeding, he was bleeding! What had happened? Where were Vio and the others? Why did he look different now? What had happened in the fight with Vaati? With Gan- Wait, was that fucking Ganon? Oh fuck. 

He was in so much trouble. They were in so much trouble.

The air was thick with a cloud of Dark magic. It pulsed again, and the half-formed body of Shadow’s worst nightmare solidified into horrifying reality. He took the form of a hulking blue pig man, maybe four meters tall, garbed in spiky dark armor and holding a fuck-off sized spear. He roared, the sound enough to shake the cave around them. Shadow hissed at the sound.

Ganon turned toward them. Towards probably-Link and the poor guy as they beld out into the concerningly large and intricate magic circle and crap on a fucksicle; this was probably one of those moments in Vio's stories where someone was supposed to do something heroic, and Link was in no condition to be smiting anyone. Well, he’d already died for them once.

Shadow held Link tightly for one more second, squeezing him gently before setting him down on the blood soaked stone. This was going to have to be quick. He straightened to glare at Ganon. Well, time to work off a lifetime of workplace frustration. It wasn’t a long life, but it was his whole life, you know? Shadow cracked his knuckles and lunged.

Powerful guys liked to prove they were powerful by being big and meaty and intimidating. The downside? They were always too fucking slow. Shadow had never been one to surrender to the chains of gravity, and he wasn’t going to do so now. He flew above Ganon’s trident, somersaulting up and over his head. Shadow twisted midair and slashed downwards with his claws, carving four deep gouges into his thick neck.

“Over here, pig dick!” He shouted, voice full of rage, letting the anger smother out anything else there was to feel. “I’m your problem now!”

Ganon twisted and the trident flashed towards him but Shadow melted out of the way. Okay, maybe he wasn’t that slow, but Shadow was still faster. He slipped back further away from the boys on the altar, drawing Ganon with him, wondering if he could get back inside his guard. How was he supposed to kill this guy anyway? He didn’t have a mystic weapon or anything! Maybe he could just chew through his spine or something, would that work? 

A guy with a scary fuck off sword (why did everyone but him have a terrifying weapon?), glowing orange-gold like a hot forge sprinted in to the fight out of nowhere and gouged his blade deep into the blue-black hide. Oh hey! That might work! Reddish black blood sprayed from the wound, but the newcomer didn’t pause in his ruthless assault. Apparently Shadow wasn't the only idiot here today. He was more than happy to hand over this fight to the mystery new guy  and rushed back to Link. There'd be no point chasing off Ganon if he bled out. 

He landed crouched over his other half. Link was ashen pale, a pool of bright red blood soaking his quadri-colored tunic. He’s bleeding, he’s hurt, what do I do? He’d never wished to have healing magic so much. Shadow lifted Link gently, feeling for the injury. There, in his lower back just below his ribcage! He pressed hard on the wound. That’s what you were supposed to do, right? To keep the blood inside? Link groaned softly at Shadow’s touch but his eyes did not open.

Movement, someone rushed towards them. Shadow twisted towards the figure with a growl, crouching lower over Link, magic twisting and writhing in the darkness. I’ll kill them for this, I’ll kill them ALL—

“Woah, woah, woah!” It was a Hylian boy, and he looked a lot like Vio and the others the last time he’d seen them, he skidded to a stop. Shadow’s eyes flicked from the newcomer to Link and back again.

He really wished he’d stop having the most confusing day of his life so frequently. How did the world keep managing to outdo itself? Shadow wasn’t even that old! Actually maybe that was the problem?

The kid was armed though, a threat. Shadow let out a hiss. The darkness shuddered around him, reacting to his will and reaching for the boy. Nobody else was going to touch Link. Not now that Shadow was here.

The boy blanched. He held up his hands in a show of peace. “It’s okay, it’s okay, you’re protecting Four, right?” the kid tried to placate him.

What the fuck’s a Four? Shadow didn’t reply. Link’s blood was seeping out under his hands. What can I do, what can I do?! How had it all gone wrong?!

“I’ve got a fairy,” the boy said and Shadow froze. A fairy, he’s got a fairy. Is he lying? Could I take it? “I’m, I’m going to put it on the altar okay? And you’ll let it heal Fou—Let it heal those two?”

A jerking nod. Fuck, Shadow had forgotten about the other poor schmuck chained up and lying on the altar to his side. 

A roar erupted from the room’s entrance and the boy whirled back around to face the new threat. Something’s coming. Link was bleeding. The guy in red was dodging and rolling away from Ganon’s trident, keeping his attention for now. 

“Give–!” 

The boy startled as Shadow addressed him. He rummaged through a bag. “Right!”

A bottle with a fairy hurled towards him. Shadow caught it, ripped the cork free, and tipped the little sprite out. He backed away, just a little; fairies hated him, but he’ll forgive this one her irritation. He knew he stank of dark magic to them, the little beings would naturally see him as a threat, a predator. She spiraled around the two boys, touching down on each of them, a gentle blessing of light within the darkened chamber. It was over in moments, and he rushed back to Link.

His breathing was harsh, but stronger. Still not good, he needed to get them out. How’s the other guy? Shadow moved from Link to the other boy, putting his hand down on the altar beside him and felt a magic buzz run through him. What the hell? He lifted his hand and… it was the blood? Drenched in foreign magic, in power. Not Dark or Light, something more akin to fairies or dragons. Nature magic.

Shadow looked at the other boy properly for the first time and wondered if he was wrong in taking him for a Hylian. There was something… different. Shadow was a magic being at his core, he didn’t think he saw the world quite like Hylians did, and something about the boy is odd to that sense. He was weighed down with iron shackles on his wrists, on his neck, wrapped around him. Which could mean fae but could also just mean, you know, normal and boring. Either way, his weird magic blood was probably what got him chained to an altar in a spooky monster cult’s den.

Fortunately, Shadow was neither fae nor mortal. So nice fucking try, iron, but you ain’t special. 

He gripped the lock fastening the collar and twisted it, forcing his magic into the mechanisms as he did, and it came apart in his hands. He unlatched the thing and tossed it away. The boy immediately started breathing easier. I still don’t like the look of his throat, though. The cut may not be fatal anymore thanks to the fairy’s healing, but it had to hurt like a bitch.

Right, one restraint down. Just the manacles on his wrists left.

There was a yell from the chamber’s main entrance, and Shadow glanced up, checking the progress of the fight. Honestly, he’d tuned out the monsters, he’d done that most of his life after all. Ganon was still fighting the young man in red. The boy who looked kinda like the colors was trying to hold the door and doing a pretty damn good job of it; normally Hylians just screamed and ran from monsters like that. Stalfos bones started to fumble around not-Link’s feet as some weird looking Bokoblins tried to force their way past him into the room. Emphasis on tried. 

Then abruptly they scattered as a roar sounded from further down the hall. The whirlwind of bones resolved itself into a Stalfos faster than should be possible, just out of the kid’s line of sight.

Crap.

The Stalfos’ arm grips the kid’s leg.

Double crap.

He glanced down at Link, motionless and pale even after the fairy. Uuugggghhhhhhh, damn it! Shadow leapt from the altar and shifted back to a cloud of dark magic, and lunged for the kid. He scooped him up and out of the way, dumping the two of them against a wall as a massive bullheaded monster he didn’t recognise crashed into the room, stampeding right where they’d been seconds ago. 

A few things happened at once; the boy looked up at him, owl eyed, and whispered “That was so cool!” And the guy in red yelled “Wind!” which seems a pointless thing to yell, especially since the distraction cost him the game of light ball tennis he’d apparently been playing with Ganon. He went down as the ball of energy slammed him into the wall of the chamber, Ganon turned back towards the altar.

“Legend!” the boy in blue yelled. Also a stupid thing to yell. Wait, was that supposed to be red guy’s name? It seemed a little presumptuous to Shadow.

Now, Shadow gets that he’s not always the smartest guy in the room (especially as he likes his rooms with Vio in them), but he’s feelin’ it tonight. Fuck, there were too many fights happening. 

He leapt, all tooth and claw, and ripped at the head of the bull monster, not stopping to finish the job, that’s the kid’s problem again, and used the momentum to launch himself back to the altar. He scooped up the Four Sword, sticky with blood, and pointed it at Ganon as he stood over the two boys.

He bared his teeth, “Hey Boss, fuck you. I quit.”

No sign of recognition from Ganon. No sign of thought from Ganon. Weird. He roared instead of threatening Shadow, like some common bokoblin. Normally he’d get told he’s gonna get tortured and slowly murdered then dragged back out of the mirror and asked if he’d learnt his lesson or if they needed to go again. Okay, well whatever. Everything is weird, what’s a little more?

Anyhoodle.

Ganon waved a hand and a ball of light (but not Light ) spun towards him, and well, he’d seen that red guy wacking it back earlier, after all. Couldn’t be that hard. He swung the Four Sword at the light ball. Success! He’d deflected it! Failure! It slammed into the ceiling instead of Ganon! 

Another light ball, this one Shadow deflected into the wall.

“Slash sideways!” Yelled the red guy—who almost got killed by one of these he might add—with all the frustration of a pro watching a newbie suck at a game they’re particularly good at.

“What!?”

“Stop slashing up!” He made a sideways slashing motion with his sword.

Shadow was kinda pissed off at being told what to do, even if he probably needed it. It’s the principle of the thing.

Nonetheless, because winning is more important than being petulant when Link’s life is on the line, Shadow mimicked it the next time the energy ball spun towards him. He hated that it worked. He still missed, but it was closer. The ball spun past Ganonbeastie and the guy in red sprinted after it with what must have been magically enhanced speed, and parried it into Ganon’s back. Big blue pig boss fell to a knee with a grunt.

Shadow did not want another round of light tennis.

Red-guy-maybe-called-Legend was rushing in, but Shadow got there first, not even bothering to try to keep looking Hylian as he descended on Ganon, hacking the Four Sword into his back and neck in a fury. Cutting away at flesh and magic.

“Move!” Yelled Legend, and Shadow pulled himself out of the way just in time to dodge the scary glowing murder sword as it slammed through Ganon’s face. Finally, finally, his ex-boss exploded into miasma.

Shadow looked back to check on the young guy, and found him standing in a cloud of clearing dark magic smoke, his own foes fallen, fishing out a potion to chase off the hurts of the fight. Seconds passed where all they could manage to do was catch their breath, the chamber oddly silent after the fight. 

Then the cry of some new monster echoed through the rock, and Shadow’s attention snapped back to where Link was still lying unconscious on the ground. He met red guy’s eye briefly and with a nod they both ran for the injured. They may have cleared the ritual chamber, but based on the racket there were still plenty of enemies outside somewhere.Where the hell were they anyway?

Now he had a moment to think, Shadow had time to really take in just how shitty Link looked. How much blood had he lost? Had the fairy been enough? He hated this so much. He reached for Link’s cheek with no thought beyond ‘Please wake up?’

“So you’re on our side, right?” Young-guy-maybe-Wind asked. He took up position in front of them, watching the lower of the two entrances. “I really, really don’t want to kill you after you saved me.”

Snapped his gaze up and narrowed his eyes at the boy, “Like you could,” he scoffed. “I’m on Link’s side.”

“Well funny thing then, that’s my name too! And his!” Wind gestured towards red guy with one hand and looked back briefly to grin at Shadow. Fuck, this kid was young. What was this red-dress idiot doing, letting a baby onto a battlefield? He and the others hadn't been that young had they? 

“That why you went with the dumbass nicknames?” Shadow asked, one eyebrow raised. It was why Vio and the others had after all, but what were the odds of there being a bunch of Links twice? And they were barely better than the names his Link had chosen for his other selves! Actually, no, ‘Legend’ was absolutely worse.

Wind flashed him a smile. “Exactly! The Link you know we’ve been calling Four, and the one the monsters kidnapped is Hyrule! I’m Wind” — Ha! He was right— “and that’s Legend,” he confirmed.

Shadow rolled his eyes, generously not calling the kid out on how stupid that all sounded. Shadow could properly make fun of them when the absolutely not love of his life wasn’t bleeding and unconscious in his arms. “I’m Shadow. Though Zelda did try to insist I was Link too, once.”

“Why do you look like Four?” Legend asked without looking up from the final boy—Hyrule, apparently. Shite luck to be named after a country. Legend was fiddling with the iron shackles still locked around the poor boy’s wrists. “Why should we trust you?”

“Why do you look like a dickhead?” Shadow rolled his eyes, Legend also rolled his eyes.This was taking too long, “Here, the locks are arcane, dumbass. Let me.”

Legend watched with narrowed eyes as Shadow reached out with one hand—the other still cradling his Link—to lay a hand on the manacles. The magic in them buzzed angrily, Shadow buzzed angrily back and pushed enough magic into them to shatter the spell.The locks sprang open as the cuffs crumbled away. Legend immediately flung the shattered remains to the floor and frowned at the raw skin revealed beneath. 

“You’re okay, Hyrule, you’re okay.” He whispered. Shadow smirked at the tenderness in his words. Just like Blue–hiding his affection under blustering anger. He’s a big fucking softie, I know it.

Not that Shadow had room to talk, though. A big part of him wanted to hold Link close and make sure nothing harmed him ever again. The other part of him was peeved that he’d had a big, triumphant, heroic return to existence and Link had the nerve to be unconscious for it. Shadow had looked so cool! 

We need to get you out of here, Shadow thought, cupping Link’s cheek. But he showed no sign of waking up. He poked him a couple of times just to be sure, no dice. Shadow wondered if he could fight his way to freedom while carrying him and decided it might pay to try the ‘enemy of my enemy helps me escape a murder lair’ thing. That’s how the saying went, right?

“So is freeing your friends, saving your asses, and helping kill Ganon enough to call a truce, or do I need to keep going?” Shadow asked.

Legend tied off the bandage on Hyrule’s throat and leveled a glare at Shadow. “We’re not doing anything until you explain who and what the fuck you are.”

Oh, come on, really? Shadow hated these suspicious types. “Does that really matter right this second? You’d be dead without me!”

“You spawned in the middle of a ritual designed to resurrect the King of Evil!”

“And then I tried to rip his head off!”

“You said he was your boss!”

“And no one likes their fucking boss!”

“You’re fucking leaking dark magic!”

“Yeah, well, your hat clashes with your outfit!”

“Boys, boys, you’re both pretty!” Wind laughed. Which was a lie, Shadow was much prettier thanks, that guy looked like a shrew. Wind had crossed the room towards the lower door while they were arguing and now had an ear pressed against it. “But I don’t think we have the time to gossip! It sounds like the uglies are getting closer.”

The darkness around Shadow rippled in anticipation and Legend glared at him. Wind glanced back at the both of them and sighed.

“Legend, really, there’s probably like a bajillion Fours or something, we haven’t even met a yellow one yet, so what if there’s an attack Four that gets summoned by evil rituals?” he argued, “Let’s go before we have to deal with Ganon again. ”

Legend looked between them a few times before coming to the inevitable conclusion that there was no real choice.

“Fuck. Wind, help me get Rulie on my back.”

Wind hurried back to do so, the two of them sitting Hyrule up on the altar then slumping him on Legend’s back, arms hanging limply over his shoulders.

“Do you want me to take Four?” Wind asked Shadow.

Shadow just hissed at him.

The kid raised his hands in surrender. “All right, all right, I’m taking point then I guess. Ready?”

The two of them nodded, and followed Wind out.