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Once upon a time, a hand reached toward the sky-
No.
Not just once upon a time, but many times.
Let's try this again.
Many times throughout history, the hands of children, teens, and adults alike reached toward the sky.
Sometimes they reached for the stars, fingers curled as though they could simply grasp one of the twinkling lights, so far away and yet so close.
On the islands of Skyloft, it was easy to see the stars. The islands hovered above the cloud layer and so every night all you could see were stars in every direction. Sitting on the edge of the plaza, Link reached out, pretending as though he could simply pluck a star out of the darkness. His legs would have swung lightly if he'd dangled them off of the edge, but Sun had chewed him out last time she had found him sleeping like that, so he put a bit of distance between him and the edge. Personally, he thought she was being a bit overprotective. Crimson was right there, after all! If he did fall, it wouldn’t take long for his loftwing to catch up. She had his best interests at heart though, so he didn’t mind it. His arm drifted down to his side, settling into the softness of his other half. Even in sleep, Crimson made a noise of contentment, one wing shifting enough to cover Link like a blanket, buffeting against the slightly chilly wind that had started up not long after night had fallen.
Below him, villagers had been finishing up their daily activities. Doors shut, candles were snuffed out, good nights given and received. Nothing was locked up; crime was pretty much non-existent in Skyloft, although there was the occasional bit of mischief. That sort of thing was unavoidable though; people were going to have their fun. As long as it wasn’t over the top or hurting anyone or damaging properly, then what was the harm? He yawned then, hard enough to pop his jaw, and the young knight of Skyloft leaned back against his other half.
Crimson was curled up behind him, a warm wall against his back and covering his lap. The loftwing was asleep and the even breaths rocked Link just enough to make him sleepy. Smiling happily, the blond yawned and settled back into soft feathers, his eyes drifting shut as the moon peeked over the edge of the horizon.
Link looked up toward the sky, scanning the constellations as he checked his heading. Tetra had said to meet him once Grandma was feeling better, but an earlier storm had messed up his heading a bit. Luckily he hadn’t been thrown too far off course; he’d lost a few hours but that was okay.
The stars above were broken up by a few clouds, leftover from earlier, but the constellations were still easy to make out, especially for an experienced sailor such as him! Whistling to himself, Link adjusted a few ropes, moving the sail just enough to turn the craft a bit to port. The night was silent, only the lapping of the waves and the gentle breeze for company. Regardless, a grin split the blond’s face as he gazed at the sky. The stars were company enough for him. He and Aryll had spent many nights on Offset Island stargazing and even though he knew ‘proper’ names for them that the star charts used, Link liked making up names and stories to accompany them.
When he got back, he’d have a bunch of stories to tell her and they could stay up and share them, just like they used to, before everything.
Link lay down to get some rest, reaching a hand toward the sky as the moon came out from the clouds overhead. With a grin, he pretended to snatch it from its place among the stars, thinking of his sister and how much she loved to watch it.
At least the stars were predictable, Link mused. He was perched in a tree at the moment since there were reports of monsters in the area and there wasn't much point in making anything resembling a proper camp when he'd have to get an early start. Zelda had said that he didn’t have to go, that she could send some soldiers to look into it, but he waved her off. As always, he’d taken his adventuring bag along, prepared for a variety of situations and he knew where the closest village was if necessary. Right now his bag hung close by, within arms reach at all times just in case something showed their face. At the moment he knew it was safe because the sounds of the forest surrounded him with a comforting lullaby that nearly tempted him to sleep even out here, in the wilds. It may have, if sleep ever came easily to him anymore.
He didn’t want to spend another day in the castle, avoiding the guards’ suspicious gazes. It didn’t matter that the princess had ‘officially pardoned’ him (not that he’d needed it) but the wizard's mind manipulation was still holding strong in some of the men. Zelda was working on it in her free time, as little as she had of that. In the meantime, it was easier to simply stay out of the way. Out here he didn’t have to be worried about being torn from his bed in the middle of the night or that someone might try to ‘do their duty’ and rid the kingdom of a criminal.
Link was getting awfully tired of the sight of the stone cell he kept getting thrown into, but at least they didn't try to fight him anymore.
Above him, the stars twinkled, the same stars he’d seen his whole life, but the sight sent a pang of lossguiltpain through him. His smile turned a bit remorseful as the lights dotting the sky reminded him of everything he’d lost, of the time he’d spent on an island, learning about constellations that he’d never see again.
Above him, a cloud drifted lazily in front of the moon, and Link reached out as if to pluck it away.
Another portal, another world, another fight. Link sighed, cleaning off his sword as around him, his men began cleaning up. It hadn’t been too hard of a fight and nobody had gotten seriously injured today, so they were in a good position for the larger fight tomorrow. Lana had sent them through early, giving them time to get where they needed to be. It was a good thing she had, too. Working around the additional forces tomorrow would have made for a tougher fight.
Camp was made quickly by the men and cold rations passed around for dinner. The squad was too close to the enemy to risk a fire, which was not an uncommon occurrence. The force they had fought today wasn't due to check in until after the fight tomorrow, but the rest of the enemies were still close enough that one wrong move could bring everything crashing down on their heads. So camp was done quietly, in murmurs and sign. Link sat off to the side, watching his men interact in silent jokes and jeers. Once upon a time he’d have joined them, a grin on his face as he laughed and signed with them, but the war had not been kind.
Traitors came in the most inconspicuous forms, he’d found out.
It was a new moon tonight which would make the watches more difficult. Nothing they hadn’t dealt with before. One of the men waved and grabbed Link’s attention, asking if he wanted to take the first watch. He didn't really mind whatever watch he was given, which was usually first or second. By now, the men had begun to familiarize themselves with each other's preferences, who liked what watch, who woke the others up early or late, that sort of thing. The blond nodded his assent and the men turned back to each other, sorting out the rest of the watches among themselves, and settled in to sleep once they’d passed it on to their commander.
Left alone, the only sounds around the soft breathing of his men, Link looked to the sky again. Stars twinkled, breaking up the darkness spread out above them, and he reached out, closing a fist around a distant light and a prayer for tomorrow on his breath.
Epona’s whinny made Link’s lips twitch up into a soft smile. It was nice to see her so content as she ran around the paddock, even though her age meant that she was slowing down some. Behind him, the cuccos had already settled down for the night and Malon was waiting inside for him, probably with a cup of warm milk and some of the cookies she'd been baking earlier. A perfect way to end the night. Clapping a hand on the railing before he turned around, Link sighed contentedly. The ranch was calm and so it was time for him to turn in with his wife so they could rest and prepare for another day. His smile widened at the thought. His wife, the girl who had become a woman as feisty yet mischievous as he was, who put up with all of his jokes and pranks, but also his nightmares and wounds, both physical and mental. Who knew when to pull him in to her breast, when to let him pull her to his, and when to have a backbone and knock some sense into him. Who had taught him everything he knew about dealing with people other than the Kokiri properly (including not breaking every pot in sight. How was he supposed to know that they could be a pain to replace? The Kokiri used wood for everything) and how businesses worked.
She had been there for him when the world hadn't made sense, even though he'd put life and limb on the line on two separate adventures to save it.
Despite everything he’d been through, he had made it here to Lon Lon Ranch with a woman he loved and who loved him.
The sky above him wasn’t quite cloudy enough for rain, the few stars that poked through shining brightly against the dark tapestry they were laid on.
A soft smile on his face, Link reached out to the night sky, that familiar backdrop that had kept him company throughout his adventures even when he’d had nobody else, and remembered so many other nights doing the same thing.
Link ran through the forest, reveling in the stretch of his legs as the trees flew by. It was dark, the moon barely a sliver tonight, but his eyes were good enough that it didn’t matter. In the distance he could hear the howling of wolves, but it wasn’t a hunting call and not in the direction of town, so he let it be. It wasn’t often that wolves even came close to town; there was plenty of other prey in the area. Monsters hadn’t been seen much in the last few weeks so the local animals had been starting to recover. He could smell the trails they'd left, see the tracks they left behind in the foliage as that too recovered.
It was good for the village; more animals meant more food, and the lack of monsters had helped the general atmosphere too.
That didn't mean it was any easier to return to. Nobody in the village understood what he had been through, although the children treated him the same. They were some of the only ones, and while he knew that the ones left behind tried their best, things had changed between them. It wasn't their fault, just like it wasn't his. It was just facts.
It didn't make things any better or easier to stomach.
The one person who understood him was gone, now. She had left and broken the only bridge between their worlds so he couldn't even follow.
Lifting his muzzle, now that he had run off a good distance, Link howled at the moon, lamenting everything he’d lost and would never get back beneath the impartial, everlasting stars.
Link sighed, his gaze toward the sky. Today had been a long day of running back and forth, helping the soldiers and townspeople clean up after all the destruction of his last adventure. A lot had happened and there was plenty that needed done, so when the blond wasn’t helping his grandfather in the forge he was helping the rebuilding efforts, when he wasn’t stuck in bed, anyway. Dot also kept him busy, asking for him to come by when he had a spare moment.
At least the rebuilding in Castle Town was almost done. It would free up a lot of time in their schedule, they thought. Maybe Erune would be willing to hang out for a bit, the part of Link that was Red whispered, and the blond shook his head. Today wasn't a bad day. Today the colors were whispers nudging the back of his mind instead of trying to pull him in different directions, so he'd take it. Link had spent a while directly after the last adventure relearning how to be as close to Link as he could get rather than RedGreenVioBlue, had to spend time sorting out four different sets of memories, four different perspectives of the same events, four different sets of emotions, throughout the entire time they had been split up.
Some days were a step forward, where he felt a little more settled in his skin, as though his fingers were his own and he could get his feet beneath him without having to wrangle his limbs into working. On those days he didn't want four different things at each meal or a migraine from trying to keep parts of themself from arguing.
Some days were a step back, where he found even walking difficult, disconnected from his body. Speaking was difficult sometimes, multiple voices trying to make themselves known through one mouth, and unfortunately signing wasn’t always reliable either, the more delicate gestures hard to perform when violet and viridian each wanted to sign something different, to each be expressed.
No matter the day, Link made his way outside and watched the sun set. Sometimes his father joined him, helping him back to bed once the two of them started nodding off. Today the captain was off with some of his men, scouting some of the more distant parts of Hyrule to ensure the last of the monsters had been taken care of.
Link wanted to go with him, but right now, he would be more of a hindrance than a help. Absently, he raised a hand toward the sky, blocking out the sliver of the moon. There were some clouds throughout the sky, but nothing that threatened rain, not tonight. Behind him, Link could hear the distant sounds of Grandpa’s forge going.
Link dropped his hand, looking up at the sky that despite everything, still held the same stars that had been there since he’d met Ezlo, since Shadow, since the Split, that had heard every whispered plea, every fervent prayer to a goddess he wasn't sure was listening.
The lake at the Zora Domain was beautiful at night, Link thought to himself with a soft smile. Even with Van Ruta present, its lights glowing softly and the stars themselves twinkling as brightly as ever, it was beautiful. Maybe once everything was taken care of he could spend more time here. For now, Sidon had convinced him to take a day and get some rest before he headed out again, but the Prince was currently attending to his duties and so Link had been left on his own.
The Zora Domain in general was graceful and sleek, just like the Zora themselves. So different from how Link thought of himself, but they had accepted him and Sidon himself seemed really fond of him. It was nice, the way they treated him. They knew who he had been beforehand, what his failure had cost the Zora, had cost Sidon himself, but even so he was his own person. He was Link the traveler, the one who was calming the Divine Beasts, but he wasn't celebrated. He wasn't made into a figure larger than life or held to expectations others had formed for him. It wasn't like everyone did, but he heard it often enough that sometimes it began to grate on him.
Sidon was his closest friend, the only one who invited him to sit and rest for a bit, while knowing who he truly was.
The thought of the Prince's friendship made Link’s smile widen a bit and he reached to the sky as if he could cross the distance with such a small gesture, and his fingers curled into a fist before his arm dropped back down.
Maybe when Sidon was done, they could come play tag out here, beneath the stars.
Hyrule, despite everything, was beautiful at night. Sure, there were monsters out there that wanted to kill him in order to resurrect Ganon, but there were also innocent people out there who hadn’t asked to be beset by monsters. People who were scared of him because of what he represented, not him specifically.
That being said, most people found it too difficult to pull the associations apart and so he found himself looked at with suspicion at best, run out of town at worst.
The brunet didn’t hold it against them. They were scared and just wanted to protect themselves and the people close to them, and there was only so much they knew how to do. They worked with what they had, even when there wasn't much.
That didn’t make the cold nights spent outside any warmer or less dangerous, but he'd learned to deal with it over the years. He'd learned how to read the forest and the land, how to tell when danger was near, how to forage and cook what he could, when a fire was safe to have.
The people had their villages and towns, but he had the forest and the land and everything it held, including some impressive sunrises and sunsets, if he did say so himself. At night, when it was safe enough, he repeated all of the stories he'd been told throughout the years of the Heros who had come before, the legends that survived anyway. Most of them were about the Hero of Legend, but occasionally there were other stories that creeped in there.
Tonight, the sounds of monsters were too close to sleep and so Link spent the night lounging in a tree, his ears open to the forest around him as he looked toward the sky. The sight of the stars were twinkling, a comfort. They changed, sure, like everything else, but it was a steady change that he’d learned to read. By the stars alone he could navigate anywhere in Hyrule, although he had to make do on cloudy days.
A wisp of a cloud slowly drifted along, and he followed its progress with one hand, pretending as though he could shoo it away and out of the sky. Tonight would be a sleepless night, as restless as the monsters that lurked in the forest, but the stars would be his silent companion once again, listening to his laments and daily victories with nary a reply.
Sometimes they reached toward the sun, rays of light passing between splayed fingers, bright and warm and a silent reminder of why they did everything they did.
The orchard was doing well, Legend thought to himself. Ravio was humming under his breath as he picked apples, placing them into a basket with a soft smile. Everybody else was inside, taking advantage of a safe space to sleep for once. Legend would have been among them, had it not been for an unfortunate nightmare.
That was okay. It wasn’t the first night of little sleep and it wouldn’t be the last. At least everyone else had been sleeping well when he’d checked on them, and then when dawn had peeked over the edge of the horizon, Ravio had prepared them a short breakfast before they had headed out. They had just arrived through the portal yesterday and everyone had been exhausted. Ravio, a soft smile on his face for the family his friend had created for himself, had shuffled everyone off to bed once dinner was over, Legend himself included.
He raised a hand to the sky as the breeze picked up, rifling his hair. Joining in on the purple rabbit man’s humming, the blond looked out over the horizon, smiling to himself at the view of Hyrule, bathed in morning light. He couldn’t call it recovering, not when he knew what was coming, but there was hope, still. The world - Hyrule - would survive and although Ganon would return, he would be struck down again and again by his brothers. A part of him still felt guilty that everything he did wouldn't be enough to leave the world a better place for his brothers, but they had it handled.
They would be okay.
Wild grinned to himself as he pushed the Master Cycle harder, zipping along his Hyrule. He enjoyed the wind whipping his hair around, the rev of the engine. Zelda was busy with Puhr, doing something with science and he hadn’t wanted to be a test subject again so he’d made his escape.
Two adventures had taken a lot out of him and he was no longer quite the naive kid who’d woken up at the Shrine, speech tucked deep where he couldn’t get to it but words flew by on nimble fingers as he picked up sign from people he’d met all along his adventure. He had known some when he’d woken up, but it had taken a while to warm up and he’d had to start from scratch for a while until he'd found his flow.
That was okay. His teachers had been patient and always had something new for him to pick up when he’d stopped by on his travels. Eventually he hadn’t needed to use it, when his throat had loosened its hold and words had begun to escape.
Too bad he’d never had them for Wolfie.
That was okay in the end too, though. He’d met Wolfie again and they had gone on another adventure, with loose lips and smiles that were for once shared. Twilight was a nice guy, if a bit overbearing at times. Wild was fine! He’d made it this far, after all. All of the others had looked out for him too, though, and he’d looked out for them. Cooked their favorite meals for them when they were homesick, sat with them after nightmares. Like the things they had all done for him too (although he still cooked like 95% of the time because he wanted to) as though they were a family.
They had been. Still were, even if they were scattered throughout time.
The sun, at its highest beamed down at him, warm and comfortable. The bike beneath him rode smoothly across the field.
Wild raised a hand toward the sky, relishing in the warmth and freedom. Just like his brothers might have, all throughout the past, and knew? Maybe in the future too, even if they hadn’t met any of them.
“Ting along, tong along, it's time for a waking song,” Four murmured to themself as they sat up, rubbing the sleep out of their eyes with one hand. It had been a good dream, but with a wistful touch, full of people they weren't sure they'd be able to visit when they got back. Would the Minish magic hold, even through all of their travels and times, or would Four be subject to a much lonelier existence when they returned to their time, for the last time? Well, for now there was nothing to do but have faith in Ezlo and the minish’s skill, since there was nothing any of them could do about it. They smiled a sad sort of smile to themself at the bittersweet thought before he looked to the sky, where the sun was beginning to rise. Better to change the subject before they got too into their own head or Vio would disappear into their corner again for a while.
Four felt themself out, gently probing around their mind and body. They hadn't switched in a while and nobody was arguing, so he'd probably be without any issues for the day. That wasn’t always the case, since disagreements could pop up at the drop of a hat, but the mindscape didn't feel particularly volatile today. Turning back outward, the blond looked around. Everybody was still asleep for the most part, although a few of them were starting to stir.
Maybe they’d split later, just to stretch their legs. Red had been wanting to ask Sky about his wood carving, anyway.
As the sun's rays crept over the horizon, the blond stretched with one last yawn. Wild was just waking as well, but the only other one up was Wind, who waved from the rock he was perched on to keep watch.
Four couldn't help but grin back when they noticed the curly haired preteen’s happy expression. One last stretch, hands raised towards the sky, Four made grabby hands as though they could pull the light from the sky and bend it to their will just as their counterpart had done the inverse.
Still grinning, the blacksmith climbed out of their bedroll and started preparing for the day.
Twilight, as Wolfie (the name reminded him of something the children in Ordon would use, a bittersweet reminder of what he’d left behind) did a perimeter check, his ears pricked for the sound of anything out of place. He’d done this before, alongside a blond whose words were choked up by a sleep that changed his entire world, when magic had tied him to four paws and a snout.
The others were asleep, Twilight having been chosen for last watch (not that he minded) and it wouldn’t be long before Wild would rise for the morning. The champion was particular about making sure everybody ate in the morning - he’d confided to Twilight once, in the dead of night - that it was because he remembered when he woke up from the shrine and hadn’t known anything about cooking. He knew what it was like to have to skip meals simply because you didn’t have anything, and while everyone might have been familiar with the feeling, it wasn’t one that Wild wanted anyone to deal with on their journey together. His slate could hold a number of dishes, the technology preserving the condition until they were pulled out and served.
The Traveler had had the worst luck of the lot; they’d all seen his Hyrule and nobody knew how the brunet had survived as long as he had, even the Vet.
Twilight had done the best he could to make sure that everyone, despite their issues, their preferences, that the team - the family - had learned to work around each other, smoothing rough edges, filling holes, and filing down points until each of them, even in the middle of an adventure, had been able to enjoy themself without fear of hiding who they were or what they could do. It hadn’t just been for his benefit - the smithy had revealed their secrets to them and he couldn’t even imagine trying to deal with four voices in your mind, let alone also controlling your body. Hyrule had told them about his fairy spell. Legend had given up his fear of thunder, of Koholint, what his various adventures had done to him. All told as the months passed, sometimes in whispers, sometimes with loud voices and dramatic gestures, sometimes signed with shaky hands because the words wouldn’t come.
Letting the twili magic wash over him, Twilight stood and stretched, smiling as he looked around camp. Just as he had predicted, Wild was just beginning to stir. He stretched again, hands raised towards the sky, and his smile became a grin. Time to see what his Cub was making for breakfast today.
Occasionally, Sky liked to go to the higher parts of Skyloft, where there were just grass patches and you could see the entirety of the Isle laid out before you. Sometimes Crimson or Zelda stayed with him, lending their body heat against the chill of the wind. Other times he went alone, relishing in the view of their village and the clouds that reached out around them.
Today, he sat on top of the Goddess Statue, watching the work below him as an inkling of color crept over the horizon, turning the sky soft pinks and purples. Stars began to wink out as brightness overtook them. Some might have called it sacreligious, sitting on top of a religious icon like that, but considering Hylia herself reincarnated didn’t mind, he figured it was okay.
Zelda had forced him to take a break, saying that if she caught wind of him working at all she’d get Crimson to sit on him. He deserved a break, she said, after everything he’s done.
His brothers had done more, he thought privately. He’d only done the two adventures. Even the ones younger than him had been on more!
That being said, like the others had always told him, he was helping to start a whole country. Because of what they were doing here, now, Hyrule would be born. His brothers would come to exist, with their own troubles and doubts, but also their joys and laughter. If he'd been off on more adventures, Hyrule might not become what it would. Building a country was a lot of work!
Briefly, Sky wondered if Wind had ever managed to start New Hyrule, like he and Tetra had planned. The short sailor had said that they had been looking around for land suitable for a proper country, something that they expected to take a while given how much sea there was to cover.
The land of Hyrule had gone through dark times, even drowned in Wind’s time, but even so it hadn’t been forgotten.
Huh. Wait, what about Labrynna and Holodrum?
Well, if what little Legend had told them was true, they had their own heroes. Maybe he should have asked about it, but they had it handled.
The sun cleared the cloud layer, a bright herald of a new day, and Sky smiled and reached for it.
Color had just begun to peak over the horizon as Time lifted a bucket full of milk, planning to take it inside. He had woken up only slightly earlier than usual, deciding to spend the time starting on the chores and Malon had joined him with a smile. She always hummed as she fed the cuccos, her skirts swishing gently as she swung back and forth, tossing their feed.
The redhead was beautiful.
How did he ever get so lucky?
Legend had once said that it was the least Hylia could do for them, giving them somebody who they could trust, who they could go back home too. Time wasn’t quite sure he agreed with the idea, but he wasn’t going to complain about where he’d ended up, regardless of what he’d gone through. The rest of the Chain (Green had been way too proud of that pun) were still all asleep inside; they had been pushed hard lately, days and days of fighting and bad terrain had combined to be a torturous trek most of the last week. Even Sky’s patience had been starting to fray by the time the Ranch had come into view.
When they got up later that morning, Time knew Malon would be on them, making sure each of them were taken care of with that special charm she had and a smile on her face. The other Links were all their children now, a task he was more than willing to take on, and he knew Malon felt the same. Later, Legend would help Twilight with the animals for a bit, then asked to help with any mending or other sewing projects Malon might need. Wind, Hyrule, and Warriors would be sent to town, letting them stretch their legs and Four would go with the others to town to use the forge. Wild would have run of the kitchen. Twilight would help Time replace fence posts in the afternoon.
For now, they could sleep in, without having to worry about being attacked in their sleep, in proper beds instead of their bedrolls.
Time, with a bucket of fresh milk, turned back to his house with a content smile. His wife caught sight of him and smiled, dumping out the rest of the feed, and raised an arm his way.
He raised his arm in return, linking hands with her in the cool rays of the rising sun.
Warriors polished his sword, letting the relative silence of camp wash over him. It had been a long couple of days in Wild’s Hyrule, since a storm had trapped them all in a cave, but at least it meant that they hadn’t had to deal with fights for those days. It was preferable in terms of conserving resources though the extended stay had some of the more… excitable members of the Chain practically frothing at the mouth from boredom. Wild had resorted to constantly cooking… whatever he felt like, apparently. Sometimes he would be pulled away for a break by either Twilight or Wind, whenever the young one stopped going on about how bored he was.
Right now he had been drawn into a dogpile with several other members of the chain, taking advantage of the relative safety of the blizzard to discard their armor for now. Warriors had extricated himself early, not because of the overwhelming number of bodies, but the relentless buzz that had started under his skin. He looked longingly at the pile, still polishing his sword, but maybe it was the laziness of the last few days that was beginning to make him wish they were outside of this cave finally.
At some point, without his knowing (perhaps it had been the repetitive motions of polishing or the soft snoring of his brothers) Warriors dozed off and found himself blinking awake to near silence. Looking up, he realized that the blizzard had died down during the night. It was an hour or two past dawn, and when he looked around, he saw Wild at the small fire they had constructed, preparing breakfast. A later start than normal, but who knew what time they had actually fallen asleep.
…He wasn’t going to ask Time.
The others were still snoring away for now although it wouldn’t be long before Wind or Hyrule saw the morning light and tried to run outside.
Maybe if Legend woke up first, he’d be willing to bet on it.
Warriors smiled at the thought, shaking his head when he remembered Wind trying to start a betting pool. To think Four had taken over and had been good at it, handing out and taking rupees without losing track a single time.
The captain put his sword (apparently, half asleep, he'd put it off to the side) and polish away, standing up to get a good look outside of the cave. The storm had knocked out the slate’s reception, so Wild hadn’t been entirely certain where they had ended up.
Outside, the view took his breath away. Champion had mentioned the view from his mountains a few times, but Warriors had not expected it to be this stunning. He could see the ruins of Hyrule castle off in the distance, a sight that made him ache, but even so, the signs of recovery abounded.
In the afternoon light, Hyrule looked possible again. Time had worn it down and evil had done its worst, but the people persisted. They rebuilt. Hyrule wouldn’t be the same, but it would be alive.
Wind sat in the crow’s nest, watching the waves in the distance. Below him the deck was quiet, only the barest crew active. There was no need for more since there were no ships in the distance, nor any hint of land dotting the horizon. It was simply blue; the undisturbed waves of the ocean and a cloudless sky, all around him. Well, besides the sun that hung high in the sky. The wind had held steady most of the day, pushing them along, and so Tetra was below deck, probably passing time with some Niko and the others playing cards.
Tetra had banned him (for today) after he’d soundly beat everyone for a few rounds, using some tricks (totally not cheats) he’d learned from Legend and Four.
He didn’t mind, taking his temporary banishment with a wide grin and had scaled the rigging to sit in his favorite perch on the whole ship. Sky had confided in him once his own appreciation for the sights heights could bring, and the thought softened his grin into something more content. He missed his brothers, sure, but he still had the memories and this time his adventure hadn’t been a dream. The others had met them too.
The sun, strong and reassuring, beat down on his skin unrelentingly and Wind turned his face to it, closing his eyes.
Up here, he could smell the salt, see the expanse of so much undiscovered territory before them, feel the light, hear the shouts and bustle of his men, his friends, below.
Raising a hand to the sun and shielding his eyes from its overwhelming glare, Wind smiled and thought of his brothers, of what lay before him. Who knew what happened from here? As far as they knew, there were no further heroes in his timeline, but maybe they just hadn’t been summoned. After all, New Hyrule was being constructed, now that they’d found a suitable area. What else was out there, waiting to be discovered?
The future was bright, wasn’t it?
And so it was that all throughout the history of Hyrule, and indeed beyond, that hands were raised, both in despair and in hope. Hands that reached out for something more, reached out to shield, to hold dear.
Time goes on. Cycles continue. Evil rises and Good follows. Oceans rise, empires fall. The sun rises, the moon its shadowed partner in their celestial dance.
Throughout it all, hope survives and a hero to defend it will rise.