Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Legend placed his hand on the scanner at the entrance to his new team's quarters. The biometric lock hummed briefly before disengaging. Good. At least something is doing its job around here.

He pulled the heavy door open to reveal a hallway. A handful of doors lined either side, some standing open. Legend moved to the first open one and peeked in. Two figures, blond and brunet, sat at a small table, cards in hand. The brunet turned to him. “Who're you?”

Legend studied him. Bandages ran up one arm, his wrist in a brace. “Legend. I'm your guide while Four's recovering.”

The blond looked up at that. No visible injuries, Legend thought, but that doesn’t mean anything. And he looks tired. “I see. I'm Wind, and this is Twilight. I'd say it's nice to meet you, but…” Wind shrugged one shoulder and winced.

“Don't worry, I'm used to it. Paperwork says I'm supposed to report to ‘Warriors’. What room is he in?”

“I think he's meeting with Lana right now,” Twilight said. “Come on. I'll show you your quarters and you can unpack while you're waiting.”

Legend nodded. “Thanks.”

A knock at the door some time later had Legend looking up, automatically cataloging what little he could feel of the newcomer past his shields.

The newcomer had short hair, blond, but it was well maintained, just like the blue scarf around his neck. He was taller than Legend by a good few inches, enough that the Guide had to tilt his head up to meet the other's gaze.

This must be Warriors.

“You must be our temporary Guide,” he greeted. “My name is Warriors.”

“Legend.” Legend moved to shake the captain's hand. An electric current ran up his arm. Sentinel. Fully realized one, too. Interesting. “What's the sitrep?”

“Our previous leader, Time, is MIA, presumed KIA, but we haven't found a body yet. As you can imagine, everyone is taking it rough. We've been a full squad for some time now, and the boys have come to rely on each other. Our superiors let this go on account of our record. We're the only squad in the region with a success rate above 95%. Part of that is due to our Guide, Four, who has integrated himself well. I understand you're used to situations such as these?” Warriors replied, his tone sharp in a way that spoke of being used to relaying information and orders, although not unkind. Strictly business.

“I am. You might call me a professional substitute,” Legend said, his tone a bit less sharp but still businesslike. “Sorry to hear about Time. I worked with him once before, years back. He's a good man.”

Warriors nodded as Legend continued. “Now. Four didn't mention it, but it would help to know your team makeup. I know you’re a Sentinel. How many in the squad, are there any other sentinels or guides, and are any of you bonded?”

“Eight, normally. No bonds have been reported,” Warriors told him. “Four is our only Guide, but none of the others have reported any evidence of Sentinel or Guide potential, other than Time, who's a Sentinel. How much of the files did you actually get to read?” The acting captain was well aware of file redactions and how little sometimes actually made it through, but having a basic idea of how much Legend knew would be a good place to start.

“Not a lot. And you and I both know how much gets left out of reports, both intentionally and otherwise. Not that I have any plans to change that; the last thing I want to do is mess with our best-performing squad’s makeup.” Legend frowned. A guide not bonding with at least one available sentinel was odd, but in this case it made his job at least slightly easier. “I'd like to meet the entire squad individually as soon as they're recovered enough. Just to get an idea of exactly what I'm working with.”

“Of course,” the officer replied. “I'll mention it to them and have them contact you for a good time to stop by.” He hesitated then, voice softer. “I know you're used to doing this, but for some of them, this is their first time, both having a replacement step in and losing someone.”

The guide nodded. “I'll go easy, Captain. Just a quick question; what's the age range? Wind seemed awfully young.”

“Wind is our youngest, at 18. This is his first small squad, so everything is hitting him hard. Time and I are the oldest, at 30 and 28 respectively. Four is 20, despite his appearance.” Warriors listed off easily; if Legend needed more details, he'd be happy to provide them, if only to ease his squad’s introduction. “I do have to ask; how much of recent events did Champion's file contain?”

“Just the basics. There was mention of a serious injury. From what I understand they weren't sure he was going to survive. Why?”

“From what we've been able to tell, he's developed… some sort of amnesia. The medics haven't been able to determine if it's permanent or temporary as of yet, given the extent of the damage and the fact that he hasn't been able to stay awake for more than a few minutes.” Warriors sighed, almost deflating, but his posture stayed strong.

Legend winced. That changed things a bit; essentially, depending on the type of amnesia, the squad was potentially dealing with two losses, not one. If it were permanent, either Champion would be declared unfit for duty and medically discharged, or have to basically reestablish himself, possibly as an entirely different person. “I'll keep that under advisement. Is the rest of the squad aware of this development?”

“They are not. We decided to keep it quiet until it was confirmed one way or the other. There is enough skepticism regarding the changes to the squad that rumors might cause more harm than necessary,” Warriors shook his head. “If possible, the squad plans on sticking together, as much as we can, but too much change will rock the boat, as it were. Our balance is already in sway, understandably, and I hope this doesn't tip us over.”

“I can't say that's not a valid concern,” Legend said. “It seems this post is going to be a bit more complex than I first imagined. It might be a good thing I'm here.”

“Well, you are the best, presumably for a reason,” Warriors allowed himself to crack a smile, a small one, at that. “Not to put too much pressure on you, but you may be something we need desperately right now, especially with Four out of the picture.”

Legend rolled his shoulders and returned the smile. “Alright. Now that the formal shit is out of the way, why don't we sit down and you can give me a rundown of exactly what happened on that last mission. Forget what's in the official report. I've read it twice. Tell me what's not in the report so I know what pitfalls to avoid.”

“Do you mind if I come in, then? So we aren't overheard,” Warriors asked, allowing Legend to set boundaries. Either way, he'd like to avoid potentially upsetting his squad mates further, or give out secrets they haven't yet given to each other. Rare, but they existed. “We can head to mine, if you'd prefer.”

“Here is fine. Come in and have a seat.” Legend closes the door after Warriors walks in, then crosses to his bag and digs out a pen and notebook. He shakes his head at Warrior's frown. “Don't worry. My notes are in code. Only one person knows the cypher and she's not military.”

“Codes are breakable,” Warriors frowned out of concern. “Do you destroy each set once your job is done?”

“I do.” Legend turned the notebook to show a number of ripped-out pages. “The pages are shredded and the pieces burned. Usually in front of the commanding officer. I'm here to help, not cause more problems, and your secrets are your own.”

Mollified, Warriors nodded and settled a bit. “Thank you. I'm sorry to put your methods under such scrutiny, but you understand, perhaps more than anyone, what is at risk here.”

“Of course. Alright. Let’s get started.”

57 hours prior:

Time walked into the squad room, folder clenched tightly in his fist. It was thin, a bare bones assessment, which told him one thing: this mission was going to be hell. “Chain squad, listen up.”

Every eye in the place turned to him: seven sets, most in shades of blue, although Four's were usually gray and Hyrule's leaned hazel. He glanced around to make sure everyone was listening. “We have a new mission.”

“What kind, old man?” Warriors asked, his tone sharp but not overly so. That expression, the way Time held himself, meant this mission was not going to be an easy one.

“Infiltrate and capture. Lana got a bead on Cia's whereabouts. We're supposed to go in and confirm.”

Champion winced, eyes dark. “That's not going to be easy. You know she's going to have that place warded in every way possible. Getting in undetected is going to be next to impossible.”

Time nodded at the specialist. “I know. Which is why the Gerudo and Zora contingents are going to stage a diversion. If it works, it should draw out enough of her forces that we can deal with the rest if we have to.”

“Are we splitting up, then? One to handle the majority of the forces that are left, the other to handle the actual infiltration?” Wind even set his hand of cards down, fully invested in the conversation.

“How are we handling the actual capture? Given the extent of her abilities, I'm not sure we even know the full extent.” Four, in a corner of the main area that held a workbench and some tools, chimed in.

“How are we even countering her? Do we know the layout, what she might have laid out?” Hyrule asked.

“We have a rough layout of everything but the inner rooms, provided by a pair of defectors,” Time said, addressing Hyrule's question first. “As far as capturing her goes, Lana will be providing a teleport beacon. She'll join us as soon as we have a definite location on the target.” He turned to Wind. “And yes, we're splitting. You, Champion, and Hyrule are our infiltration specialists. We'll clear the way and hopefully keep eyes on us while the three of you scout Cia's location and plant the beacon. Do not, I repeat, do not engage unless you have no other choice. Let Lana handle Cia. If Demise or Majora is involved, abort and inform HQ. Understood?”

“So more infiltration than capture, on our end,” Four mused, setting down his tools as he looked over the group. “I'll do my best to keep an eye on everyone and keep communication open. Time, how long until we head out? I'd like to perform last minute checks, if possible.”

“Eighteen hours. Wars, Champ, you and I will go over the plan and layout. The rest of you, check supplies and get some rest. This isn't going to be an easy mission. There's a good chance one or more of us will get injured, or worse.” Time looked over his squad. “That being said, if we’re successful, having Cia off the field will be a major boon for our side. Briefing is at 0630.”

“You don't have to try and sell it to us, old man,” Wind laughed lightly. “We all know what having Cia off the field would mean.”

“Right, sorry.” Some of the professionalism drained from Time’s manner and he smiled at Wind.

The teenager grinned back and hopped up from his seat. “Come on, Hyrule. Let’s check our stealth gear. Champ, want us to do yours?”

The stoic blond nodded and signed permission. Wind bounded out of the room, Hyrule close on his heels. Time and Warriors shared a look as they left. “This is his first big mission, isn’t it?” Warriors asked softly.

“Yep.” Time shook his head. “Were we ever that enthusiastic?”

You were. Until Majora made his appearance, Warriors signed, then sighed at the haunted look in their leader’s eyes. “Come on. Sky, set fire watches. We’ll see the rest of you in the morning.”

“Yes sir.”

Everything started out fine. The beginning of the mission went off without a hitch. Hyrule, Champion, and Wind hung back while Four, Twilight, Time, Sky, and Warriors cleared a path, sweeping through Cia's defenses with careful strategy.

“Time, movement at 1000,” Four called, his hammer standing taller than he did as he awaited his leader's commands. Keeping an eye on the other half of the squad’s progress was trivial - all he could do was watch out for sudden spikes of alarm, the equivalent of shouts. In the meantime, he helped coordinate the others.

“Understood. Do not engage, not yet. Let them come to us,” Time answered, planting his feet. Right. This was where they were holding their defensive line. Near the primary escape route, so they could continue to act as a diversion.

At the agreed-upon place, Champion's squad broke off, the three infiltration experts clad in stealth gear and moving silently. Everything was going according to plan.

Warriors never found out who triggered the alarm. It's possible it wasn't any of them. It's even more possible that this had been the enemy's plan all along, including the “defectors”. Either of those were likely, but in the end it didn't matter what had gone wrong.

Only that it had, and badly.

“Shit,” Four said, as the lights flickered and an ear-splitting racket blared from every speaker. Time collapsed in pain, his oversensitive ears twitching madly as he tried to block out the sound. “Time!”

Warriors’ hand twitched in an aborted movement to reach for the man. “Four, defensive positions,” he ordered instead, speaking up to be audible over the baring alarms. “How's the rest of the squad?”

The blond hesitated before falling back behind the second in command, eyes going vaguely hazy as he checked in with the rest of the squad. Twilight and Sky filled in behind and around them, covering the Guide as he scanned. “They're making progress, I've warned them to be on the lookout. Do I order a retreat?”

Warriors considered for a second. “Not yet. This place isn’t that big. They should be close. And we’re not going to get another chance at this.”

Four nodded and focused on Time.

Present day:

“It’s all a bit muddled after that,” Warriors admitted, watching Legend’s hand fly across the page. “I’d no sooner given the order than an entire squad of bokoblins and moblins teleported in. We didn’t have a chance. I’m not even sure when Time was taken. Hyrule said that they were fine until the last few corridors and had to use the beacon to get out after Champ got hit with a beam from one of the guardian turrets.”

“That was around the same time that Four took the blow to the head? To the best of your understanding?” Legend checked, just for continuity's sake. “I am in no way accusing your men of any sort of failure, I just want to make sure my report is correct.”

“Yes,” Warriors sighed. “There was some sort of projectile that managed to get past us. Four wasn’t knocked unconscious, but he did become disoriented. It’s after that we regrouped according to our exit strategy.”

“Thank you. One last question for you then, if you don’t mind?” The whole time, Legend had been making notes, he’d also been monitoring Warriors’ tone and body language, gauging where the man sat emotionally and mentally. The man was definitely experienced as a soldier, but that in itself had its own set of tells.

“Of course.” Warriors studied the guide in return. There was a professionalism that spoke of competence and a deep-set almost weariness that said Legend had had this conversation more times than anyone should have. “Might I ask one in return?”

Legend glanced up as he caught up on his notes; it wasn't often the soldiers he worked with asked questions back. Most of the time they, understandably, didn't want to get attached to him either. “I'll ask mine first, just to round off my notes. Of course, I reserve the right to veto any question I don't want to answer.”

He didn't actually particularly want to ask his question, but it was important. “If for whatever reason, Four is unable to return to duty - will your team be able to handle it?”

Warriors frowned. “None of us are bonded,” he said slowly, thinking through his answer, “so that's not an issue. Some of us won't be happy- Wind, especially, is quite fond of him- but it won't break us. I suppose it also depends on the replacement. Our group has an unusual dynamic, and finding someone to fit in might be tricky.”

“Unusual dynamic? In what way?” Legend tilted his head, running over what he knew of the group so far.

“Well, for one, we're all named Link. It's the reason our squad’s designation is the Chain,” Warriors said with a grin. “It's a fairly unusual name and something of a running joke with command. Also, we all have Zeldas as friends.”

So they were more intertwined than most squads, good to know. “Well, seems like I'll fit right in then,” Legend replied dryly with a slight grin of his own.

The XO blinked. “Your name is Link?”

“Link Lon, at your service.” If they'd been standing, Legend would have dipped into a bow with a flourish just because. “Brother of Zelda Fable Hyrule.”

Warriors stared, then burst out laughing. “Oh Hylia. That's too good a coincidence to pass up. Wind is going to love it.”

Another thought struck him. “Are you related to Malon Lon?”

“The name rings a bell,” Legend allowed, curious as to where Warriors was going with this. He tucked the tidbit about Wind away for future reference.

“It would be a hell of a coincidence if you are, but…” He shrugged, some of the levity draining away. “She's Time’s wife.”

Legend almost choked, coughing in surprise. “Wait, red hair, works on Lon Lon ranch? Sweetest lady in Hyrule?”

“Yes, that's her.” Warriors blinked. “Wait, so you really- Are you? Seriously?”

“She's my aunt. If I remember correctly she's my mother's sister. It's not important; this won't help us,” Legend frowned, mildly unhappy with the situation. An unexpected familial connection just asked for unwanted bonds, both official and unofficial. He'd have to tread carefully and make sure he didn't stick around too long.

“Actually, it might. The entire squad adores Malon. Knowing you're related will help the others accept you that much easier.” Warriors tapped his finger on the table in thought. “We should probably have you meet the others. Losing Time has hit everyone hard, and with Four out of commission and Champ still unconscious we're sort of at a loss.”

“I do still have to talk to them,” Legend agreed, even if he had his doubts about Warriors' claim working well in the long run. “If we're done here, I'll start on that.”

Wars nodded. He pulled out his slate and tapped a few buttons. “The Chain will meet us in the main room. I’ll introduce you.”

The two rose and exited Legend’s quarters. It was a short trip down the hall to the squad room; Legend studied the layout, noticing the location of the kitchen and mess hall, as well as a closed door that probably led to Warrior’s quarters. Normally it would be Time’s, but as a married man he’d have separate housing. Probably. Although, if Malon were living here… He shook the thought off as Warriors stopped in front of a door. “We’re here.”

Right. Meeting the squad face to face. “Alright then.” He stood back and let Warriors open the door, instinctively matching names to faces as they stepped into the room.

A sleepy looking blond, whose eyes were more alert than his expression suggested, wearing primarily white and red, although not in a medic's uniform. Sky.

A much younger blond- one of the two who had met him back before the meeting with Warriors. Wind.

Curly haired brunette, skittish and watching him back, tucked under Sky's arm. Legend could feel a glimmer of magic off of him. A mage. Hyrule. (Absently, he wondered, as always, how someone had developed a code name the same as their country.)

As his gaze turned to Twilight, Warriors spoke up, a slightly impish smile on his face. “Squad, this is Four’s temporary replacement. Callsign is Legend, but his name is Link Lon. And yes, he has a Zelda.”

Everyone in the squad stared for a moment before one of them (Twilight, Legend’s mind supplied) spoke up. “Like, Miss Malon Lon?”

“Yep.”

Wind stood with a fist pump, immediately chanting. “Yes! One of us! One of us!”

Legend blinked, surprised by the immediate response, but rolled with it. “Nice to meet you all. I have been assigned to your squad for the foreseeable future, so I hope we can work well together.”

“As do we,” Sky replied. “Welcome to the Chain, Legend.”

“Yeah! Welcome!” Wind echoed, then sobered. “Honestly, we needed some good news. Has Champ woken up yet, Wars?”

Warriors shook his head. “I’m sure Flora will let us know the instant he does. I have heard from Dot. Four’s still suffering from his concussion. Between that and the leg it’s likely going to be several months before he’s fit to resume duty.”

“I hope he’s okay,” Wind said quietly, deflating at the reminder of his friend in such a condition. Sky threw an arm over his shoulders, drawing him in, a comforting presence. Legend watched, noting the almost familial relationship. They had been a squad for a while.

A small part, the guide in him that absolutely screamed for a bond, was jealous of the intimacy. Legend told it to shut up. It didn't listen, but it did quiet enough that he could ignore it.

Somehow, I don't think that's going to last forever.

Hyrule fiddled with something, sparks of magic flicking from his fingers. Nervous tic? “I still think you should let me try and heal him. I can at least help with the leg.”

Legend blinked. “You're a healer?” he asked. Magic users who could heal were extremely rare and usually closely guarded. What was one doing in a combat unit?

Or maybe it made complete sense- having a healer who could respond faster than a medic unit made a squad more versatile, and was safer for the members.

“I can talk to someone,” he offered after a moment, thinking through who was on this particular base. Having Four back sooner would put the squad closer to normal status sooner rather than later.

“I'd rather you didn't,” Warriors said quietly. There was a definite note of don't push, I'll explain later in his voice. “Hyrule. I'd rather you help keep an eye on Champ. He needs you more than Four does right now.”

The mage nodded, slightly mollified. “Yes, Captain.”

Legend nodded as well, shrinking back, with a mental note. Right. He overstepped; he didn't know these people well enough yet, so he shouldn't have made offers he wasn't sure he could back. “Apologies, Captain.”

“Accepted.” Wars checked his slate as it beeped. “I have a call with Artemis in a moment. Feel free to get to know the men. Miss Malon should be stopping by later, as well. Twilight.”

“Sir?”

“You're in charge. Make sure Legend knows our schedule and where all the important rooms are. We're not scheduled for active duty for now, but sparring and training are fine if you're up for it. I'll see you all at dinner.”

“Yes sir.”

“Sir,” Legend returned with a nod as the captain took his leave, turning to Twilight once he was gone. “I am in your hands, then.”

Twilight didn't look entirely comfortable with the idea of command, but the man took a deep breath anyway.

“Right. Well, Legend, we should probably start off with a tour. After dinner, we were planning on playing games, but until then we were going to do drills. Acceptable?”

“Yes.” Sparring and games would give him a better idea as to how the group functioned as a whole, as well as individual personalities. “I'd like to join you; we can grab my things on the way.”

Twilight raised an eyebrow, clearly not expecting the offer. “Sure. Suppose it can't hurt to see how ya fight just in case we do get called up.”

“I might have learned a few things,” Legend allows with a shadow of a grin as he and Twilight start out. “After all, I've been at this a while.”

“Oh? How many squads have you filled in for?” Wind asks. “The army isn't that big, is it?”

“I've been at this for a few years, and I typically only stay with a squad for a month at most,” Legend answered easily - that was a question he got often. “It's less about the army being large and more about my variety of duties and sometimes filling in for a Guide on multiple occasions, depending on circumstances. Not to mention the Hylian army isn't the only one I sub for; I've worked with almost all of our allies at least once. Spent the last six months or so in Lorule.”

Wind nodded. “That's fair. Bet you have some awesome stories, huh?”

Hyrule followed them out of the room. “Twi, if it’s okay, I’m going to go check on Champ. I know Flora’s watching him, but maybe I can do something to help.”

The sergeant frowned, then nodded. “Alright. You know the chief’s standing orders. Nothing miraculous, and no exhausting yourself.”

“Right.”

“Flora?” Legend asked.

“Champ’s Zelda,” Wind explained. “They’re… complicated.”

“I see,” the veteran responded, watching Hyrule as he left. There was, as usual, much to take in that wasn't on the reports. “What squad is she a part of?”

“She isn’t, exactly,” Twilight said. “Flora’s in R&D. Mostly survival gear. Last I heard she was working with the Hytopian contingent to weave better protective spells into our uniforms.”

“Good to know. How much does she know about what goes on here?” Legend asked, hoping Twilight would pick up on his deeper, unspoken question.

The sergeant considered that for a moment. “Enough. Our Zeldas and various significant others know the day to day stuff. Every company has its secrets. Miss Malon knows more than anyone, but even she doesn't know everything.”

He’d have to note that down later, to keep track, but it made sense. The Zeldas (how weird that they’d become their own group, almost complement to the Links themselves) might be an exception to who information was shared with, but he’d have to make sure before talking to them himself. “Honestly, who doesn’t have secrets? Is Miss Malon aware of the situation?”

“She is. We couldn’t exactly keep it from her. All of us owe her too much for that.” Twilight didn’t elaborate further. Sky and Wind took the cue to turn back to their own conversation, albeit a bit more subdued. “Come on. I’ll give you the cook’s tour, and after lunch we’ll hit the training grounds. I’m curious to see how you hold up against Sky.”

“Cook's tour?” Legend asked, following Twilight curiously. A duel against Sky did sound interesting- the man's file hadn't held much, except that he was an accomplished swordsman and duelist. That could be fun..

“Slang term. Means a lot of places in a short period of time,” Twilight explained. “Picked it up from Four- he's sort of the scholar of the group. Anyway, most of the rooms aren't anything special, there's just a lot of them.”

Scholar, huh? Maybe he should reach out at some point and see just how much of a scholar the guy was. “Ah, I see. The typical mess, barracks, and main room, I assume. What else is there?”

“Well.” Twilight scratched the back of his neck. “There's a library-slash-classroom. Some of us grew up in places that didn't have much of a school system, so Wars set up a place where we can take classes or study stuff we missed out on. Four has a workshop- he's better than most of the official guys at fixing weapons and shit, and most of us don't really use standard-issue gear.”

“Huh. They really do treat you guys well,” Legend remarked - it was rare that soldiers got that many amenities. Non standard gear? That was rare too. “Mind if I ask about your gear?”

“Yeah, well, it helps that we ain’t exactly a standard unit, either,” Twilight shrugged, his country drawl growing stronger for a moment. “All of us have magic of one sort or another, and from what I understand it’s all unusual shit, like Hyrule’s healing. I don’t really know a whole lot about it- I’m one of those kids that grew up in a little backwoods farm town, and schoolin’ ain’t my strong suit- but HQ don’t know half of it. Ain’t none of us volunteering the info either ‘cause none of us would fit in a regular squad. ‘Cept Wars, maybe.”

He turned a corner and stopped at a door. “As for my gear, it’s probably easier to just show ya. This is my bunk. Come on in, this’ll take a sec.”

Legend nodded, letting Twilight enter first before he followed. Twi's bunk was small, as expected, but fairly neatly organized. They must not move often if they've settled in this much. “It's easier to stay here, where others understand.”

“That’s one of the reasons, yeah.” Twilight dug a set of armor out of a chest; it still had rents and tears in it from the last fight. “None of us know how to repair it like Four does,” Twi shrugged as he caught Legend’s raised eyebrow. “We have backup gear, standard stuff, but you wanted to see mine, so…”

He donned the armor quickly and strapped a shield to his back. A sword, glittering with magic to Legend’s senses, was hooked to his belt, and a strange crystal, glowing darkly, hung from a chain on his neck. “The crystal’s the key, really,” he explained. “It’s a focus.”

“With Four out of the picture, more than just your Guide is affected,” Legend replied with dawning understanding. “Your equipment, your whole dynamic, is at risk.”

“Exactly. Which, I think, is one of the reasons you got sent to us.” Twilight studied Legend for a moment, obviously parsing out his words. “You’re a Link. With a Zelda. That can’t be a coincidence. You have magic- Hyrule can sense it pretty well, and he told me as much when you first showed up. Heck, you’re related to Malon. I don’t know how many people do your job, but I’m pretty sure you’re the only Guide out there besides Four who could come in here and not completely fuck this up.”

Legend studied him for a moment, mulling over the situation and Twilight's words in his mind. With every spin, he found himself agreeing. This was no coincidence, but that in itself made things more complicated. Where did he fit in here, between Four and Hyrule, as full guide and budding? And it wasn't as though he'd stay long term. He was just a bandaid. He squashed any hope of staying long term at the reminder.

“I'm simply a fill in, Twilight. No matter how well we might work together.“

“Maybe, maybe not,” Twilight said cryptically. “Anyway, we came in here so I could show you what my gear does. Whatever you do, please don’t yell. Wolfie’s ears are sensitive.”

With that, he touched the crystal and closed his eyes. A swirl of shadowy fog surrounded him, and when it cleared, the space Twilight had occupied was now filled by a large, dark gray wolf, clad in battered armor. It boofed once at Legend and sat, tail twitching.

Legend very pointedly bit back his initial yelp of surprise. Huh. That definitely would have attracted the researchers' attention. “You guys have been very lucky, haven't you?”

Wolfie nodded and stepped forward. The shadows swirled again and Twilight appeared, slightly unsteady. “We have,” he said, grabbing a chair back to keep his balance, and waved off Legend’s concern. “I’m alright. Changing that fast just takes a bit out of me.”

“Noted.” Legend nods, examining the room and Twilight himself with a new perspective. “Are there any other consequences of that I should be aware of?”

“All of my senses are sharper than normal,” Twi said with a shrug, “even more than most Sentinels I’ve met. And I’m a lot stronger than most, but Time thinks that’s just genetics and me growing up throwing goats and stuff around on a farm.”

“No evidence of Sentinel awakening, though? Or at least nothing you can attribute to such?” Legend double checked, mostly for his own piece of mind. This squad was already much different than their files had suggested, even if it was rare to find one who wasn't. After this stint he'd have a lot more to lock away in his mind to make sure nobody else found it.

“Not from me. But…. You may want to check on Sky. He's been…off, the last couple of days.” Twilight shrugged. “Four always made it a point not to bond with anyone, but they say it can happen accidentally.”

“It can,” Legend allowed, thinking back to how Sky had been in the other room, but he didn’t know the man well enough to have any idea what might be different. He’d have to talk to the man later today, perform his own assessment. “All of you are new to me - is there anything in particular you think I should pay attention to?”

Twilight thought about that for a moment as he stripped off his armor and put it aside. “We're all grieving,” he said finally. “Time's more than our commander; him and Malon are almost like parents to some of us. Having him gone, Champ down, and Four out of commission… none of us are exactly on stable footing here.”

“I'll be gentle,” the veteran assured him with an expression of not pity, but understanding. “This isn't my first time stepping into a minefield. I'm here to help, not make things worse.”

Twilight gave a nod and stored the last bits of his gear. Before he could say anything else his slate beeped, the loud noise startling them both. Twilight pulled the device from his belt and poked it. “Hyrule?”

“Yeah. Twi, is the guide still with you?” Hyrule's voice was quiet but strained with worry and, possibly, fear.

“Yes? What's up?”

“We need him in the infirmary stat.” Yelling came from behind him, the voice unfamiliar. Twilight blinked once, then bolted for the door, Legend following close behind. “Champ’s awake, but he's not himself.”

“How so?” Legend asked, easily keeping up with the other's loping strides.

Hyrule glanced sideways. “He doesn't remember us,” the medic said. “At all. Twi, I don't think he remembers who he is.”

“Shit,” Twilight growled. “We're in the barracks. Be there in five. Call Wars, let him know.”

Hyrule nodded and the screen flicked off. Twilight and Legend glanced at each other and ran faster.

Chapter Text

Hyrule sagged in relief as Twilight and Legend entered the medbay. “Oh thank Hylia. Twi, we need you to help hold him down. Legend, can you… calm him? Or something? He’s panicking, I think, but Dawn doesn’t want to sedate him unless we absolutely have to.”

“I'll do what I can, but without any idea for a basis it'll be more difficult,” Legend replied, already reaching for the power that welled inside, simply waiting for him to grasp it, and reached outside of himself. Champion's mind was a mess, lashing out in a storm, but underneath that… a blank slate. Hyrule had been right, the man truly had forgotten.

That was about to make things a lot more difficult.

“Nobody go in there for now - too many people and he'll feel like we're cornering him. Wait for my signal instead.”

Twilight and Hyrule looked at each other and nodded.

Confirmation given, Legend strengthened his mental shields, wrapping himself in a layer of indifference, and slipped through the door. Immediately, he was glad for the shields he had put up. Champion was lashing out wildly. The veteran studied him for a moment without moving any closer, waiting until the soldier saw him. The man was lashing out, sure, was it out of malice, no. He was scared and panicked.

Gently, Legend teased at his mind, reaching out with a soft touch to try and understand a bit more.

Champion was scared, scared of people who kept coming to him and telling him who he was supposed to be, saying he had to remember something. People coming at him with all sorts of instruments without telling him what they were for or why they were using them.

Oh boy.

The Veteran sighed, reaching out with a bit more of his power, threading a sense of calm and serenity into the poor man's mind.

He scuttled backward on the bed at the first brush of the stranger's mind; or, at least, as far backward as he could go, given the plethora of tubes and wires he was hooked up to. No, go away! Leave me alone!

The stranger barely blinked, unfazed by his emotions. He didn't move, didn't speak, just looked at him with deep violet eyes and a neutral expression.

Something eased inside him. This one wasn't holding an instrument, wasn't trying to hold him down or make him try to think, he was just… there. A calming presence, unfamiliar, but so was everyone else. Everything else. Including himself.

“Wh-” He coughed, trying to clear his throat. The man gestured to a cup next to the bed- it held a clear liquid- water?- and he studied it for a few seconds before picking up the cup and sipping at it. The dust in his throat cleared away and he tried again. “Who… who are you?”

“My name is Link, although I go by Legend a lot of the time. I would like to ask you a few questions, but I imagine you have a few for me too.” Legend spoke calmly, still threading that sense of calm into his projection, and slowly approached close enough to take a seat by the other’s bed  “There's no rush, though. Take a few deep breaths first.”

He did that, breathing in and out, focusing in a way that seemed right for some reason. It took a few minutes, but eventually his heart rate slowed and he nodded to Legend. “Okay. I think I'm ready now. Thank you.”

“Don't worry about it, “ Legend waved his thanks off. “My first question- do you know where you are?”

“I…” He shakes his head. “No? They said I was at the barracks, whatever that is, but I don’t recognize it.”

“That’s okay,” Legend assured him. Alright, no knowledge of where he was, so time to ask further back, or elsewhere. “Do you know who you are? It’s okay if you don’t, I just want to see if you remember.”

He tried, he really did, but nothing clicked. It scared him; he had a name, didn't he? The others were certainly calling him something, but that word didn't feel like him. “The other one called me Champ, but it doesn't sound right,” he said, frustrated. “It doesn't fit.”

“Then we won’t call you that,” Legend replied calmly, making a note and trying to remember what he knew about amnesia. After all of the times he’d stepped into squads, he’d learned some about various conditions, although amnesia was a rarer one. “Let’s see… Is Link okay? Or can you think of something else you want to be called instead?”

He frowned and thought for a moment. Link… worked. It resonated with something, something that actually felt like him. He nodded, feeling a little less… lost. “Yes, you can call me Link.”

“Alright then, Link,” Legend nodded. “What can you tell me about you? Again, it’s okay if there’s nothing that comes to mind.”

“Thinking is… hard.” Link tapped his head and grimaced when his fingertips met more bandages. It traced the edges, from the crown of his head, down his torso, where more covered horrific burns. “My memories… there's nothing. It's all blank. And everyone says they know me and I feel like I should know them and it's all wrong." The words came faster, and louder, as some of his frustration broke through the calm. “I don't even know what I fucking look like because they won't tell me!”

“You're blond,” Legend replies, because what else can he say? “You have long hair and I'm not entirely sure how tall you are compared to me but you're probably taller. Your eyes are blue, almost vividly so. You have some scars, sure, but they'll probably fade a lot as they heal. Your friends are scared, Link. None of you have dealt with this before and so you're all bumbling through it. It's okay that you don't remember, and it's okay if you remember later. You're not alone. Your friends are out there, scared and waiting to see you, whoever you are.”

Blond and blue-eyed. That was something, at least. And he was a soldier, or at least that's what they told him. Alright.

Link took a deep breath and nodded. “Okay. Um. Just one or two? Maybe the one that was just here? He felt…” Link shrugged. “I dunno, safer than the rest.”

“His name is Link too, but everybody’s been calling him Hyrule,” Legend knew instantly who the blond was thinking of, and rather than reach out emotionally to the man, the guide stood. Best to give Link a moment to process and he could let both Twilight and Hyrule know what’s going on. “I’ll send him in in a moment, then.”

Link nodded and settled back, one hand fidgeting with a cable.

Hyrule and Twilight paused their quiet conversation as the door opened. “How is he?” Hyrule asked worriedly. “I could… sort of feel you having to calm him down.”

“He's… alright, physically. Stressed. Complete retrograde amnesia, no sign so far of anterograde,” Legend sighs, meeting Hyrule's gaze for a brief second, noting Hyrule's words. That bore looking into, but later. “He says it's okay to call him Link, but he doesn't remember anybody, or who he used to be. He doesn't remember you guys, although he might remember something when you walk in. Amnesia is… tricky, and not everyone makes a complete recovery.”

Hyrule swore softly before translating for Twilight. “Retrograde means he can't remember anything before he woke up. Fuck, that has to be… can we see him?”

“One at a time,” Legend nodded. “He said you felt safest and asked for you, actually. Don't ask him to remember anything, don't assume anything is the same.”

Hyrule blinked at that, surprised, but nodded. “Alright. Twi, can you let the others know? Maybe see if we can send Four a message? I don’t know what kind of lockdown he's under, but I know he's probably worried about us.”

Twilight nodded and pulled out his slate. “I'll see what I can do.”

Hyrule took a breath and grasped the door handle. “Thanks, Legend.”

The guide nodded, letting Hyrule step inside, leaning against the wall and waiting for Twilight to finish his message. His own slate pinged, and he glanced at it - Twilight had included him in the group's message. “How did you find my name?” he asked simply, tucking it away again.

“I gave it to ‘im. Hope ye don't mind, nephew.” The new voice came from behind them, and Legend spun to see Malon walking down the corridor. “Hello Twi. How are ye holdin’ up, lad?”

Twilight brightened just a bit at Malon’s presence. “Well as can be expected, I suppose. Champ's- Link's- awake, but he doesn't remember anything or anyone or even his nickname.”

She winced. “Poor boy. Was that Hyrule that just went in?”

“Yes ma’am.”

“Other than that, he's healing well,” Legend says with a nod toward his aunt. “I didn't know you'd be here, Aunt Malon. It’s good to see you.”

“Good ta see ye too, Legend.” Legend squawked a bit as Malon pulled him in for a brief hug. “Saw Fable yesterday. She sends her love. And Ravio sent a package.”

Twilight cocked an eyebrow, but a shake of Malon's head kept his remarks silent. “Any word?” he asked instead.

“Not yet.” The redhead frowned. “Time's not the only one, though. One of the Twili guides went missing on a mission last week. Almost the exact same method, too.”

Legend scowled as Malon let him go, although she kept an arm around his shoulders. His expression wasn't aimed at her, but the new information at hand. “That's the start of a pattern. Something's up, here. Does anyone know?”

“Not yet. The Twili keep to themselves. They talk to us because of Twilight,” Malon said with a slight grin.

Legend raised an eyebrow and Twilight flushed a bit. “I'm, um. Sort of dating Midna?”

The guide stopped and looked up at Twilight, searching his expression for a moment for any hint that he was lying. There was none, and Legend was forced to try and fit this new information into his worldview.

“Yeah, it shocked the hell out of us too.” Wars strode down the hall, slate in hand. “Report. How is he?”

“Stable,” Legend replied automatically, most of his mind still focused on this new revelation. “For the moment, appears to have complete retrograde amnesia, but the medics might have more info regarding that and it may reverse. For the moment he seems to be more comfortable being referred to as ‘Link’ rather than his previous nickname or callsign.”

“Noted,” Warriors said stoically, then turned to Malon. “Ma'am. I'm…”

“Don't.” Malon shook her head firmly. “I hear enough of that at HQ. Find him, Wars. You're the best commando squad in the army, and you have connections no one else does. And I know for a fact that Legend here is no slouch in either puzzle solving or combat. If anyone is going to find Time it'll be the Chain.”

“If that's what our assignment is, we'll find him,” Legend replied, a subtle reminder that they weren’t exactly completely free to move on their own. “We'll bring him home.”

Malon gave her nephew a tight smile. “It is. Every one of your Zeldas requested it, as did the Twili contingent, Queen Hilda, and the Labrynnians. Pretty sure Holodrum will too when their rep gets back. Hytopia hasn't said anything formally, but Styla sent condolences and says hello.”

Twilight's and Warrior's eyes were wide and Malon huffed a laugh. “Every country in the Alliance owes you boys. Least they could do is help us get our own back.”

The guide blinked in surprise. That was… a lot. Well, at least they shouldn’t be lacking for resources. What else did he not know? "I’ll start going through the files on what we know so far. Warriors, would you assist in getting me up to speed?”

“I can do that. Twi, once Hyrule comes out, send the others in one at a time, no more than ten minutes each. If he starts getting agitated, pull everyone out and call us.”

“Yes sir.”

Wars nodded. “Miss Malon, could you get in touch with Flora? I think she'll take the news best if it comes from you.”

Malon nodded back. “She’s already here. And I plan to visit Four tonight.”

“Twilight, make sure none of them bring up the past - it'll be the most surefire way to agitate him,” Legend added to Warrior’s instructions, mind working furiously. Malon was able to visit Four despite the isolation - did they have history? How hadn't he known? “Call him Link. Maybe see if someone can bring something to help him pass the time, like cards or something.”

Twilight nodded and started typing on his slate, then looked up as more footsteps sounded in the hall. Wind and Sky darted around the corner, followed by three blond girls Legend vaguely recognized. They slowed at the sight of the group. Sky and the girls stopped, but Wind continued, crashing in Malon’s arms. The redhead let out a slight ‘oof’ but remained standing. “S’okay, child,” she murmured. “I reckon he’ll be right as rain in no time.”

A few tears escaped the boy as he nodded into her chest. “Any word?” he managed. “‘Bout Time?”

“Not yet. Wars and Legend have the reports. They’ll fill you in later, after you’ve had a chance to visit Link.” Malon looked up and gave the girls a soft, tired smile. “Flora, Aurora, Lullaby, this is Legend, my nephew and Four’s temporary replacement.”

“Hello,” one of them said, “I’m Lullaby. Time’s Zelda. Flora is Wild’s, and Aurora is one of Hyrule’s.”

“Dawn’s the other. Long story,” Aurora added with a smile of her own. “I’ve heard about you, Legend. I work with Fable often.”

Legend nodded to her; he remembered hearing about her from Fable. His sister tended to keep him updated on potential important players, although obviously their intel was either lacking or there were some things she couldn’t tell even him. Despite everything, he felt really out of the loop now, but smiled a bit at the others. “Nice to meet you all. Aunt Malon, we should catch up soon.”

Malon studied him for a moment, then nodded. “Breakfast tomorrow, unless something vital pops up. You’re involved in this now, which means there’s a lot ya need to know, and there’s not a lot of time to dawdle. I’m staying at the ranch for the time being.”

“Breakfast,” the veteran guide agreed with a nod. “I’ll see you there. Aurora, Lullaby, Flora, good to meet you. Hopefully next time it’s under better circumstances. Warriors, perhaps we should take this to your quarters. Perhaps you can finish that tour Twilight had intended on giving me.”

“I think that can be arranged. Ladies, Sky, Wind, I’ll leave you to it. I’ll stop by to visit Link later, once he’s had a chance to rest.” Warriors nodded at Twilight, who saluted, then started back down the way he’d come.

The captain sighed as he closed the door to his quarters and motioned Legend to a sofa set along one wall. “I imagine this is a lot to take in all at once,” he said, taking his own seat in an armchair with a slight wince. “You have questions. I'll answer what I can.”

“Your squad has connections,” Legend started off with; he’d wrestled on the way back with what questions to ask, but this was safest, and most connected to his work. “Not only connections, but they owe you. Twilight is courting the Twili Queen.”

“He is. Twi’s Ordonian, not Hylian. His village is basically right next to the Twili border,” Wars said. “Before he joined the army he was part of the resistance that helped Midna overthrow Zant and reclaim her throne. Her personal bodyguard, for most of it.”

Ordonian, huh? That had him raising an eyebrow. How old was Twilight? The resistance had won the battle a few years ago - how long had he been working as Midna’s bodyguard, and then part of the squad itself? How had he gotten to be her personal bodyguard?

The captain chuckled briefly as he watched the questions flow through violet eyes. “You’d be better off getting the story from him, if you can. I’ve only heard bits of it, and none of it’s in his official file. The Twili haven’t released the confidential reports for those years yet, and I doubt they ever will.”

“Noted,” Legend replied, writing a note to himself to follow that line of inquiry later, if possible. “On to another question, then. Why is Malon able to visit Four, despite no recorded connection and his isolation?”

“No recorded connection is the key phrase there. Malon holds… something of a unique position. Officially, she’s one of Lullaby’s advisors. In reality, she’s much, much more than that.” Wars gave him a small, wry smile. “Your aunt is one of the top intelligence agents in Hyrule, Lullaby’s main bodyguard, and very well trained in resisting a Guide’s influence. That’s how she met Time, actually. They helped stop an assassination attempt together.”

Legend, for once in his life, actually dropped his pen in surprise. Malon. Aunt Malon was not only not the ranchhand he had grown up knowing, but worked for Lullaby?

“You-Wait-How?” The blond couldn’t even form words for a moment as his brain lagged and then fought to catch up. “What?”

“I know.” The captain groaned sympathetically. “It took us forever to find all that out. All we knew is suddenly there’s this fiery woman invading our space and mothering everyone. Not that it wasn’t welcome, half the squad are orphans, but she knew everything about us and Time was just head over fucking heels in love with her. It was disgusting.”

“I’ll be honest, she had never mentioned you. Or any of this,” Legend said flatly. He couldn’t blame Malon, it was part of her job and there was plenty he’d never told her about, but it sort of just reinforced the idea that you couldn’t truly know a person sometimes. “Good thing, I suppose, in our profession.”

“She never exactly mentioned you either, so that’s fair. The circumstances suck, but at least she doesn’t have to keep that part of her life separate anymore.” Warriors sighed and leaned back. His right hand reached for a pen and he twirled it between scarred fingers. “What else would you like to know?”

“Any other connections I should be aware of? Whether personnel or diplomatic, I’d prefer to know if it will possibly be of use or affect our mission,” the blond watched the pen spin, ticking off boxes in his mind. “Especially anybody who might be able to help, or pose a particular threat.”

Warriors sat back and thought about that. “Let's see. We have the Zeldas, of course. They're spread throughout the militaries and governments. Wind knows about half the Island navy- he more or less grew up on the ocean. Sky's best friend is head of the Skyloft contingent. Champ-” The captain paused and sighed. “Link, was part of the Divine Beasts. And he was engaged to Mipha, the Zora champion. The Zora still consider him one of their own. Which reminds me, I need to contact Prince Sidon with an update.”

“Link has Zora major connections?” Legend raised an eyebrow, logging that connection.

“He does. The royal family is quite fond of him, actually.  Although, if he doesn't remember them, it may lead to some complications,” Warriors confirmed, then smirked. “I read your files, you know. How in Hylia's name did you find the time to become that well known in five separate countries?”

“If I had it my way, nobody would have known,” Legend shrugged, his cheeks turning the slightest bit red at the reminder. “All I did was what was needed; people insisted on spreading word about it.”

“They do that. It's almost like they want to honor the person who saved their lives,” Wars said lightly. “That's one of the reasons I think you'll fit so well here. Everything we do, individually or with the squad, is for that reason- it needs to be done, and no one else can. Or will. It's not always the sane thing, rarely the safe thing, occasionally not the politically wise thing, but it is the right thing.”

“You sound like Fable,” Legend groaned, even if it was mostly a facade. “Alright. You're a bunch of Lolia-damned heroes, I see.”

That drew a laugh from the captain. “That we are, Lege. It's a shite job, but someone has to do it.”

“Ain’t that the truth,” the guide sighed, looking over his list of questions. “So, any other connections I should know about? You know a few of mine already, I have a feeling.”

Warriors looked pained. “One. Two, I suppose. Lana and Cia. I…” He buried his face in one hand and muttered, “They’re both in love with me. I never reciprocated, turned them both down flat, but yeah. It's still a thing.”

Legend stared for a minute, mind slowly coming to terms with this latest bombshell. Lana and Cia, both Major mages on either side of the battlefield, in love with Warriors? He could understand not reciprocating, love shouldn't be based on status alone, but the sheer power those two held… it was a staggering amount of influence on both sides, not to mention their magic.

“I feel like I should ask how you've even met Cia, but it's you guys,” he eventually said.

“Thank you for that,” the captain responded dryly. “Not my favorite story, although you'll probably hear it somewhere along the line. Lana loves to talk.”

“As long as I get the important bits, I don't need the whole story,” he handwaved the rest. As long as he got the relevant parts, Warriors didn't have to explain anything he didn't want to. It wasn't Legend's job to know all of it. “Okay. You personally have major ties to some of the strongest players on both sides. Twilight is courting the Queen of the Twili. Link was engaged to a Zora princess. Malon knows everybody and everything. Anything else I should know about?”

“I think that's it.” A small smile flitted across Warrior's lips. “Oh. Four’s our ambassador to the Minish, and Hyrule to the fairies.”

That did it. Legend put his head in his hands, looking back up to Warriors after a moment with a tired expression,  “How is none of this in your files? Do any of you not have some important connection?”

The captain actually sat back and thought about that, ticking the names off on his fingers as he spoke. “Twilight, Link, me, Time, Four, Hyrule, you, Wind, Sky… no? Huh. I don't think any of us really thought about it before, it just sort of… happens. And I'm not terribly certain mine is a connection so much as a bloody nuisance.”

“You might as well tell me what Wind's is,” the shorter blond sighed,  sitting back up to take his notes.  “And in my opinion it is a connection, if not a useful one, but that's just my opinion.”

“Lord Admiral Daphnes Nohansen. Wind sailed on his son's ship before joining us. From what I understand they're still good friends. And yes, I know Nohansen's retired, but he still has a great deal of political pull.”

“Of course, let's complete the set, “ Legend muttered as he wrote. “Okay, and we all know someone named Zelda who has power as well?”

“We do.”

“It looks like when it comes to the mission, we shouldn't be lacking for resources,” Legend muttered, looking over the list. “If I think of any more questions on this topic, we can come back to it, but let's move on for now. How much of this is Four privy to? It would help to know how much experience you all have with him, and Guides in general, as a baseline. You’ve mentioned before that he has no bonded Sentinels?” That in itself wasn’t a good thing; Sentinels act as a way for Guides to regulate, to anchor them, but also to protect them. There was a tradeoff between the two, each working for the benefit of the other(s).

“Most, if not all. I’m never entirely sure just how much Four knows,” Warriors admitted. “He’s… unique. Something happened when he first joined the military; he won’t say what, but Time and I have our suspicions, and I know Dot- that’s Four’s Zelda- has been looking into it, but there’s only so much she can find out.”

“Unique?” Legend questioned, his gaze flitting up to meet Warriors’ for a moment. “What do you suspect?”

The captain ran a hand through his hair, clearly debating how much to say. “This is all speculation, mind you. But, last year, he had a nasty fever when a wound of his got infected. The medics brought it down fairly quickly, but he was… talking to himself? Not unusual, we’ve all fever-talked, but his… the speech style changed fairly rapidly, cadence, pitch, even vocabulary, and he was arguing with himself over something. I couldn’t really understand what he was saying; it was half in Picori, I think.”

Legend’s head shot up, a strange look in his eyes. “What year?”

“What?”

“What year did Four join up?” the guide asked, that look intensifying. It looked almost like… fear, Warriors thought.

“Um. Hold on.” Warriors rifled through his desk, eventually pulling out a thin folder. “Six years ago? Hylia, he was only fourteen.”

“Shit.” Legend snapped the notebook shut. “I need to go talk to him. Malon’s going to visit him tonight, right? Request permission to accompany her.”

Warriors blinked, but reached for his phone. Legend’s tone brooked no argument; there was something going on here, but he hadn’t expected the vet to get so serious so quickly. He knew something.

A quick press of buttons, and the phone was ringing. Both men stared at it until Malon picked up. “Yes?”

“When were you planning to visit Four?” Warriors asked.

“1700. I have a meeting with Dot just before then, so I’m heading for HQ in about an hour. Why?”

“Legend wants to go with you.”

There was silence for a moment. “Du hast es rausgefunden, oder?”

“Ja, zumindest etwas. Du wusstest das schon?”

“Natürlich, was glaubst du denn an wen sich Fable gewandt hat, um dich rauszuholen?“

“Of course,” Legend muttered. “We’ll be talking about this later.”

“I figured. Warriors, if it’s okay with you?”

“Yes. Just be back tomorrow night. I’ll let the others know you had an emergency.”

Legend leaned back in his chair, gaze on Warriors for a moment before it drifted away. “I'll meet you there. Do you think we'll have time to catch up?”

“Stay the night. There’s plenty of room at the ranch, we can still have that breakfast. Bring Ravio, if he can make it. I know it’s been a while since you’ve spent more than a few hours together. Oh, check that care package. It should be in your quarters by now.”

“We’ll be there. Thanks, Malon,” the guide replied.

Malon and Warriors added their goodbyes and Wars cut the connection. “Ravio?”

Legend blushed faintly. “My boyfriend. He’s Lorulean. One of Queen Hilda’s advisors. We met when I was stationed with their army for a few months.”

“Wait.” Warriors tilted his head. “Isn’t the Queen’s brother named Ravio?”

“He is.” Legend sighed. “I’d ask how you know that, they don’t exactly publicize the relationship, but…” He shrugged.

The captain chuckled. “And you were surprised by Twilight, Mr. I’m-a-prince-dating-a-prince. Well. That explains why Lorule threw in their two cents.”

“Well, that, and Lorule and the Twilight Realm have always been close allies,” Legend countered. “They share a very long border and there’s always been a lot of intermarriage, even in the upper classes. Besides,” he added with a thoughtful look. “It's exactly because of my position that I'm so surprised I haven't heard of most of this. I suppose I should spend more time here in Hyrule.”

“There is that. Well. I suppose I shouldn't keep you any longer. I'm going to send a few communiques and visit Link. The mess is well stocked if you decide you want anything before heading out; usually we take turns cooking, with the exception of Hyrule,” Warriors remarked, his face twisted into an odd expression.

Snapping his journal shut, Legend nodded and rose to his feet.

“Let us know if there are any developments,” the guide replied, tucking his journal away and pulling out his own phone. Time to let Ravio know to pack a bag.

Chapter Text

The package on Legend’s desk seemed innocuous enough. Indeed, had it been received the day before, he would have thought it nothing more than his boyfriend’s chocolate chip cookies and a hand knit scarf or two; for as busy as the man was, Ravio was surprisingly domestic.

Then again, so was he, and Legend wondered briefly if, when this posting was over, he could request a few months of leave to go tend his apples. It'd been a year since he's been home more than a few days, after all.

Now, he approached the box as one might a coiled viper, almost as if it would open and some other world-changing revelation would appear.

What actually waited in the box was fairly close; under the tin of cookies and red-and-blue sweater (both of which were stashed in a drawer) lay a manilla envelope. Legend picked it up and debated tossing it. A pair of stamped seals on the flap stopped him- he knew both of those seals, and the fact that it came from both the Twili and Lorulean intelligence agencies, along with Malon’s insistence that he check the package, stopped him.

Fuck it.

The swipe of a blade broke the seals.

A handful of photos fell from the envelope, all depicting the same person. Legend pulled a folder from it, then chucked the envelope onto the desk and opened the folder. The first couple of pages were standard- name, rank, a brief history of service. A good chunk of the file was redacted, but that was normal.

Breath left his lungs in a whoosh of air as he read the header on the last page. Hands trembling, he stuffed the photos and folder back in the envelope and jammed it into his bag.

Lolia-dammit, he was never going to truly escape that place, was he?

Four didn’t like this. Didn’t like that he’d been taken off the field because of an injury, away from his teammates at such a crucial time. He felt like he’d failed them; it was his job to keep everyone connected, everyone on the same page, and he’d failed to realize what was going on until everything was over.

Instead, Time had been- Four collapsed a hand over his mouth as his stomach wrenched, the wave of emotion causing his body to shudder and try to expel the bit of food he’d managed to eat.

Damn concussion.

The few people that had come to visit him had tried to dissuade him of that notion, to convince him that it hadn’t been his fault, but he’d seen it. His vision had been swimming, graying at the edges, but he’d seen it and now he couldn’t even try and help his squad.

His squad.

He’d tried to form bonds with them. He really had! Something kept him back, though. For some reason, he always got… scared. Four curled up, pulling his legs to his chest and wrapping his arms around them, staring at the wall. There wasn’t a whole lot to do here besides wait and think and dwell on what had happened.

Some time later, the door creaked as it opened, and Four looked up.

Malon smiled gently as she poked her head in. “Hey, Four. Mind if we visit for a bit?”

Malon.

Four mustered up a smile, letting his legs fall into a loose cross as he sat up a bit straighter. It was always nice to see her, even if it did take effort to try and rein himself in. Concussions always made things difficult, but for some reason control was a slippery thing this time around.

“It's nice to see you,” he replied, then frowned as her words caught up. “We?”

“Yeah.” Malon moved into the room. Legend followed and shut the door. “Someone asked to tag along.”

“Hope you don't mind,” Legend added. “There are… things we need to discuss.”

“Things?” The shorter guide asked, tilting his head questioningly as the two came in. He gestured toward the single seat that accompanied his bed, the only other furniture that was in the room. “I've already told them all I know about- about what happened.”

Legend took the chair, while Malon seemed content to stand aside and pretend to be engrossed in her phone. Legend sent her a grateful look. “That's not…” The older guide cleared his throat and fumbled with his bag for a second. “There's more going on here than you realize. Than anyone realizes.”

Setting his hands In his lap, Four frowned. That sounded… Bad. Very bad. if it wasn't about Time, though, what was this guy - Legend, a part of him reminded - referring to? And why was Malon here at the same time? “What do you mean?”

“It means,” Legend said, pulling an envelope out of the bag and glancing at Malon, who nodded, “that I know about the experiments. I know this, because they tried to do the same thing to me. I only got out because a certain well-placed family member intervened, although I wasn't aware of that until this afternoon.”

“Wait- free from- what?” Four asked, his hands fisting in the thin, standard issue blanket as his gaze searched the other's. Experiments? What experiments?

Four wasn't stupid; he'd had his suspicions. Recovery times that didn't make sense. Being kept away from everyone ‘for his own safety’. Waking up after battles alone and missing time. He knew there was more, but his head pounded as he tried to think.

“What are you talking about?”

Legend stared at him in disbelief, then violet eyes faded into sympathy- not pity, Four could feel the emotion emanating from him. “You don't even know, do you? Oh, Hylia, I'm so sorry. I thought…” The guide ran a hand down his face. “Okay. Goddesses, I hate doing this. Malon, if this goes wrong, you know how to pull us out, right?”

Malon gave him a look. “Are ya doing what I think you’re doing? Is that wise?”

“No, but it's all I got. We don't have the time or the luxury of me holding his hand through this.” Legend closed his eyes. “Honestly, if those fuckers did what I think they did, brute force might be the only way to stabilize it. Fable and I got ahold of the records after they shut the program down.”

Violet eyes opened once more, and a wave of regret, determination, and a trace of fear radiated from him. “Four. What you're going through isn't just a concussion. It's the result of someone tampering with your abilities. And, possibly, the beginning of a bond, but I'm not entirely sure of that.”

“What the fuck are you talking about?” Four asked with sudden uncharacteristic anger, eyes blazing cerulean as he leaned forward, before suddenly he was pulling back, eyes wide with crimson uncertainty and tears. “This isn't me. You… you said someone messed with me - with my abilities. How? Why?”

His fists, still clenched in the blanket, trembled for a different reason now, as his fear and uncertainty bled through the widening cracks in his shields. The shields he hadn't been able to fix, that gave under the slightest strain.

Legend opened his mouth to answer, but before he could Malon was there, engulfing Four in a warm hug. “Evil men,” she said quietly. “Ones who tried to force yer gift into somethin’ it shouldn't be. And I am so, so sorry I couldna get it shut down sooner, Four.”

The regret Four felt from Legend was stronger now, almost morphing into grief. He took a deep breath. “Six years ago, about the time you joined the military, there was a… split, for lack of a better term, in Command. A small faction wasn't happy with the lack of full-fledged Guides and Sentinels, so they decided to do something about it.”

The grief- that was definitely grief, now- intensified. “They took young Guide candidates and put them through… well. Torture is one word for it. I’m actually kind of glad you don't remember that part.”

The twenty-year-old sank into Malon's arms, trying desperately to pull himself together even as he couldn't help but take in Legend’s projected feelings. It was a bit hard to pull yourself together though, when you felt like soup someone was trying to keep in a colander, seeping through the holes with no way to stop it. Some part of him, no longer so deep and remorseful, latched onto Legend’s grief, matching it with unexpected empathy. Through some effort of will that came from some unrecognized part of himself, or maybe he just couldn't be bothered to identify it, Four lifted his hands, clutching Malon's shirt tightly as he trembled in her arms. His head ached and what scraps of his shield remained were in tatters.

“What did they do?” Four whispered, muffled from where he was pressed against the tall woman's chest.

Malon and Legend shared a look. “I won't give you all the details,” Legend said softly. “It's just nightmares you don't need. But the end result… it shattered us. They were trying to make Guides that could bond with more than two Sentinels. And it worked, sort of, on those of us who survived. But at a cost.”

He sat back, head resting against the back of the chair, and closed his eyes again. “I got out before they could break me completely, and it still took nearly a year for me to get my head back on straight. I can only imagine what it's been like for you.”

A small, wry, tired smile flitted onto his lips. “Tell me, Four. Does it ever feel like you have more than one person in your head? Like someone else is constantly fighting for control, and it's all you can do to hold on to what you think is your sanity?”

Four moved his head just enough that he could catch a glimpse of Legend’s face, momentarily shocked out of the grief and uncertainty he'd been drowning in. He'd… he'd put words to it. To the feeling that had been niggling at the back of his mind, why his control had been slipping more and more over time, why he forgot things people told him sometimes.

All too soon, he was back to being overwhelmed, although now it was a little less. Some part of him (was it truly a part of him, he wondered) nudged him to loosen his grip on Malon’s shirt, even if it was a difficult feat.

“How did you…”

“Because I've been there. Still sort of am, it never truly goes away, but I can… not control it, but we coexist now. Like I said, took me a while. But I didn't have help for most of it. You do, now. If you're willing to let me.”

“Where do we even start?” Four closed his eyes, relishing in the unwavering hold Malon had on him. He wouldn't be alone. Someone knew what was going on, and even if he didn't trust Legend (he couldn't, not yet, it was too early, But he was being honest, as far as he knew) Malon was here too. She wouldn't let anything happen to him.

The determination was back, pushing the grief off to the side. “Drop your shields and let me in.” A request, not a demand. “I need to see the extent of the damage, first.”

Four snorted. “I don't exactly have much left in the way of shields, but…” he took a deep breath, letting Malon’s arms squeeze him for a second, before he let it out and nodded. “Let's do this.”

He let go of his attempt to hold his shields altogether, knowing Malon could hold him through it all.

I'm in. The words were soft, a whisper in his mind. And then, Wow, it really is a mess in here. This might take a minute.

There was a sensation of footsteps, almost a feeling of someone rummaging around in his mind. It was going well, until…

An explosion of blue light, strong and bright, and Four opened his eyes as he heard Legend swearing.

“Sonofa… of course it's fucking blue. Why is it always blue? Fuck, that hurt. Bloody fucking protectiveness. I'm trying to help, you Dindamned bastard.”

Malon's voice. “Are you alright, Leg?”

“Yeah, fine, Auntie. Just Four’s protective instincts. By the way, I don't know where the nickname came from, but it's apt. There are definitely four presences there.”

Four presences? The guides’ brow furrowed as he looked over to Legend. “I have four people in my head now? Then who am I?”

Legend snorted. “Who is anyone? You're still you. The presences aren't other people, they're… fragments. Pieces of your personality given shape. And, for some reason, a fucking color that seems to hold true for everyone. Green is… sort of our base personality. It's the closest to who we were before all this shit. Blue is protection and, oddly enough, aggression. Very annoying combination. Red is emotion. He holds your empathy, your wonder, anything that can be viewed as childlike or innocent. And then there's purple. Logic and knowledge.”

Malon laughed. “Legend didn't get that one. He says it's because it's his base, I say his boyfriend stole it.”

“Malon, please don't bring Ravio into this.”

Four's lips twitched into some semblance of a smile and he thought for a moment, letting Legend’s words sink in. The fact that the other had gotten all of that in such a short amount of life time was impressive - he certainly had practice as a guide. Of course, maybe it was also the fact that Four had never let another Guide into his consciousness like that.

“You got a look… what now?”

“There are a couple of options. Now that you know about them, you can let them develop naturally. Given the choice, I'd recommend it. Unfortunately, that takes time we don't really have.” Legend brought one hand up to massage a temple. “Secondly, you do it the way I did, which, 0/10 do not recommend.”

Four tilted his head with a questioning raise of an eyebrow and Legend sighed. “Near death experience and a month long coma that put me in a dream state I really didn't want to leave. Then I woke up, eventually ended up in Hytopia, and discovered, hey, I can pilot two doppels now. Great. Still have no clue why they think fighting in a Lolia-damned totem is a good idea.”

“Well if we don't have time for the first option, but don't want to do the second, we don't exactly have much choice,” the shorter guide responded, thinking hard. “Unless you have a third option you haven't mentioned yet?”

“There is. Brute force. I go in and we force them to coalesce. It's probably going to hurt like hell, and might knock you out for a while, but you'd have some control and actually be able to get to work with them a hell of a lot sooner. Maybe enough to get you out of lockdown.”

“Force them? How are we sure that's not going to cause problems in the long run?” Four asked with concern, brow still furrowed.

Legend’s voice dropped to something distinctly more serious. “Four, your shields are basically nonexistent and your psyche is fractured. If this continues, not only are you not going to be able to go back to being a guide, you'll be leaving yourself open to something much worse. Those migraines? They’re not going to get better. I've seen the end result. Trust me, this is the best option we have right now.”

“How is brute forcing the issue going to make it any better, though?” Four challenged him. “You say they're not people, in here, but you haven't felt them the way I do. I may have a migraine, but now that I have some context… They've been nudging me, for a while now. Things I thought were random flashes of emotion or general weird thoughts… I don't know. They don't seem like mere fragments,” his anger bled out of him after his little rant and his cheeks turned red. “Sorry, sorry. I'm a mess right now. You have a better idea what's going on than I do.”

“If it helps, hon,” Malon said gently, “Ah’ve known Legend since he was but a lad barely even to mah knee. He won’ do yah no harm. I trust him.”

“I'm leaving this decision up to you,” Legend replied, unfazed by Four’s burst of anger. He'd expected it, given Blue’s response to Legend poking around. “But you do need to do something.”

Four sighed out a breath, trying to forcibly bring some measure of calm to the situation. “If we don't do something, I go nuclear, to put it bluntly?” Legend's nod had him closing his eyes, trying to think past the migraine and racing thoughts that slipped out of his fingers. “Right. We don't have time for option one, option two isn't exactly an option anyway, so three is really our only way to go. I'd say I want to know exactly what'll happen, but it's a little hard to tell, huh?”

“Or you'll subconsciously fight it,” Legend eyed him, his tone carefully neutral now. ‘Best to just let it happen, if you can. Ready?”

Four’s grip tightened on Malon’s shirt for just a second before he forcibly released it, curling his hands into fists instead and holding them to himself, pinning them between his body and the redhead's. “Do it.”

Legend glanced at Malon again. “I've got him. Do what ya have to.”

“Okay.” Legend reached into his bag and pulled out a vial of green liquid. “This is going to take a fuckton of magic. Give me this the instant I wake up. Okay. Going in.”

This time, he knew what to expect and threw up a shield just as Blue attacked. Not this time. Four, concentrate. I need you to visualize four spots. Flames, balls of light, whatever you wish, but one in each color. Red, blue, green, purple.

Four closed his eyes, concentrating. He wasn’t exactly sure what he was supposed to do, but visualization was a simple enough concept. What to envision, though, was harder, and he found himself drifting to his weapon, as he often did when he had free time. It was a simple enough sword, passed down from his grandfather, with an opal inlaid into the pommel, enchanted for durability and longevity.

Opal, with flecks of red, blue, violet, and green.

Imagining the gems in each color was easy, laid out beside each other, with flecks of deeper color within.

Gems and a sword. Fitting for a weaponsmith.

Legend’s presence swelled, coalescing into a hazy form. Not putting too much effort into that. Now comes the fun part.

Brace yourselves. This is probably gonna hurt.

Ghostly hands performed a complicated series of maneuvers, touching each stone in turn. As he did, the gems glowed brighter, and matching energy seemed to flow from all corners of the space. Graceful movements and words in a language Four didn't understand siphoned the energy into the gems.

The light grew, brighter and brighter, and if Legend had had a physical form he would've covered his eyes. He had a distant sense of Four, screaming, but pushed it from his concentration.

And then, the light exploded.

Legend had barely a split second to throw up a shield. He watched the lights fade into four distinct forms, replicas of Four, and gave an exhausted smile.

Hi. It's nice to meet you all.

The Four fragments fell to their knees against an invisible floor, leaning against each other as they looked around, confused and wary. Their emotions warred for a moment, a give and take that settled into an uneasy equilibrium.

Take your time. You're not used to being your own identities yet. That will take time, but you should settle eventually.

Settle-what-identities-who-being? The jumble of thoughts tumbled over itself, tied up with a few emotions (confusionapprehensionfear) as one of the copies of Four, clad in red, shakily stood, looking to Legend with not a small bit of fear, but also a hint of curiosity.

Hello, Red. I'm not surprised you're the first. You're Four’s emotions, I suspect. It's okay. I'm not here to hurt you.

One by one, the others stood, shaky but leaning on each other as they got used to having bodies. Green (Hello, fellow green), Blue (we meet again), and Purple (Violet. Let's go with Vio. Purple just sounds weird) regarded the intruder with varying degrees of concern and curiosity, each showing it to different degrees. Green looked mostly curious, but still wary. Blue straight up glared at the other guide, silently daring him to move closer. Vio was equally concerned and curious, gaze drifting between everyone as they took everything in. Legend regarded them back, drifting slightly closer to inspect his handiwork, when he noticed a mark on Violet's neck.

Shit, is that-?

Fuck. This explains a lot and nothing at all.

Why is that there????

Four, who are you bonded with? And why only one of you?

What? Vio blinked, looking at the others before focusing on Legend.

We didn't bond. We can't bond. Green said, seemingly reflexively as he frowned at them.

What's wrong? Red, who looked to Vio with wide eyes.

That's a bond mark, Legend said, drifting closer. Let me… oh, Hylia. I've seen that before. Where did I…

Legend stilled as the memory of a hastily-scanned photo hit him. Fuck.

Vio, does the name Shadow mean anything to you?

The Violet aspect of Four frowned, thinking hard, but nothing came to mind.

It sounds familiar, but I-we-Four doesn't know? How do we even address ourselves?

Collectively, I am Link or Legend. Aspect-wise, I am Epic-Myth-Lore. One is for public, one for private. Only a few know I have fragments. You can reveal it, or not. It is your decision.

Anyway, I think that's one of the reasons your gift is going haywire. Your bondmate is in danger, and it's reacting. Now that we know we can mitigate that.

Bondmate? Blue growled, crossing his arms over his chest. Oddly enough, it wasn't anger, but something more…deep-seated. Green laid a hand on his shoulder and he calmed a bit.

So you're saying we bonded to someone at some point in the past, forgot about it, and now they're in danger?

We have to do something, if we bonded to them, they have to be a good person, right? Red asked earnestly.

We forgot him though, and we don't know why. Vio reminded him. Legend mentioned experiments, earlier. If we've been subject to that for six years now, who knows what else is going on?

I aim to find out, Legend growled. Meanwhile, I need to go. I'm almost out of magic. Will you all be okay?

All four aspects looked between each other and then back to Legend, shrugging.

We'll figure it out, Green replied.

It seems to be our only course of action for the moment regardless, Vio added.

You're not wrong. Okay, I'm out. See you.

Legend let his ghostly form fade, and, suddenly, he was back in his own head and blinking open eyelids that like they'd been weighed down with rocks. “Potion, now,” he rasped as soon as he could form the words.

Malon nodded- or, he thinks she did, his vision was still blurry- and there was cool glass against his lips and the taste of grass and pepper. He drank, then coughed and grimaced. “Ugh. I hate those things.”

“Four- is he-” Malon asked, and the guide nodded.

“They're fine. The spell worked perfectly.” Legend sighed. “He might sleep for a while. It’ll be easier for the fragments to figure themselves out if they're not trying to process anything else.”

“Oh thank Hylia. He was screaming in pain for a solid minute, then passed out, and you were going gray… I thought something had gone wrong and I was losing both of you,” Malon said, relief and a trace of fear in her voice. “I was half a minute from pulling you out.”

“Sorry, Tante.” The potion was kicking in, but Legend was still exhausted. “Think they'll kick us out anytime soon?”

Malon laughed. “Nah. Ya got at least a couple of hours. Take a nap until Four wakes up.”

“Yes ma’am.” Legend crawled onto a corner of the bed, curled up, and promptly passed out. Malon got up long enough to locate a spare blanket and tucked it around her nephew, then laid a gentle kiss on his temple before settling herself back in the chair to wait.

Four woke slowly, warm and comfortable, until his bed moved and he was yanked to awareness, pushing himself up and instantly regretting it as a migraine pulsed at his temples. “Ow.”

“Easy, lad. Here.” Malon’s voice floated from beside him. She pressed two pills and a glass into his hands. “Pain meds and water.”

“Thanks,” he replied quietly, taking the pills with the ease of practice. Unfortunately once migraines started pills were usually ineffective, but it didn't hurt to try. “Did it work?”

“Legend says it did. I don’t know exactly what he did, just that you were in a great deal of pain and he passed out about two minutes after breaking contact.” Malon gestured to the other end of the bed, where Legend was still curled in a ball under his borrowed blanket. “It's been about three hours. How do you feel?”

Four leaned back against Malon as he took stock. He was still tired, but overall… he felt calmer. More stable than he had in a while even if he hadn't realized it. His shields had even started to recover during his impromptu nap.

“I'm still a bit tired but… what did he do? My shields are starting to come back and everything feels… better.”

“I'm… not entirely sure of the mechanics. It's something he learned during one of his postings; all I know is that it has something to do with the soul magic Hytopia uses for those automatons of theirs and it's not usually taught to outsiders. Let me wake him up- he can explain it better than I ever could.” Malon smiled down at Four, relieved, then moved over to where Legend was sleeping. “Link,” she said softly, “time to wake up, liebchen.”

Legend jerked awake, hand reaching for a knife that wasn't there before registering where he was. “Hello, tante. How long was I out?”

“About three hours. Four’s awake.”

“Oh good.” The guide sat up and stretched, popping sounds coming from his back. He smiled. “Your shields are back up. Good. I think you'll find they're a lot easier to maintain now that your mind isn't trying to tear itself apart.”

“They’re not quite to where they were, but they’re much improved,” Four admitted, feeling himself out and sitting up slowly. “I feel… a lot better, even with the migraine, which is definitely not the worst I’ve had. I thought things would be different, after all that.”

“Like I told your aspects, it'll take a little time. You should be able to talk to them as individuals eventually, once they're settled a bit more. Now I'm glad I learned that spell. Didn't ever think I'd ever have a reason to use it. It's illegal outside Hytopia.” Legend’s smile dropped. “How much do you remember?”

“I remember making the gems- opals, with different colors. Then you started doing… something, and after that it gets a bit fuzzy. I kind of remember there being more, me’s? It's really fuzzy though, all kinda jumbled.”

“Better than I expected,” Legend said. “Alright. In a nutshell, the spell pulled all the scattered bits of your aspects and gave them form. I could go into all the mechanics, but we have much bigger fish to fry. I made a discovery that might explain why Time was taken.”

“What do you mean?” Malon asked.

“Remember that missing Twili sentinel?” Malon nodded, confused. Legend pulled the envelope from his bag and extracted the photos. “Ravio's care package was his dossier. The sentinel, callsign Shadow, was also part of the program. He escaped, but not before being bonded to one of the other subjects. They just didn't know who.”

Legend pointed at the mark on Shadow's neck. “The other side doesn't have any bonded pairs because most guides refuse to work with them and the ones that do don't last long. I think this was a bid to change that.”

“Okay, wait, back up,” Four told him, holding up his hands. “Pretend you're talking to someone who's just had their brain rattled and is still in pain. Someone else was part of this experiment-project thing?”

“Yes. Most of them didn't survive.” The words were softer than Legend intended. “There were three- that I know of, anyway- that made it out more or less intact. You, me, and Shadow. And you're the only one that was there the entire time.”

“It took us far too long to get that shit shut down,” Malon added. “Fucking politicians.”

“Agreed. Anyway, when I was in your head I noticed something. This mark? Vio has a matching one.”

“Wait, one of the… people? In my head, has a bond mark?” Four asked incredulously. “And this Shadow is the missing Twili?”

“Exactly. I have a theory as to how it happened, but yes. And…” Legend glanced at Malon. “They weren’t trying to capture Time, Auntie. They were going for Four, for the other half of that pair. Time must have interfered somehow.”

Malon looked stricken but nodded. “That's something my fairy boy would do.”

“Who?” Four questioned, his gaze firmly on Legend. “If you know who tried to take me, we can get Time back. I don't care if they want me, but I'm not about to let them do something like this to him.”

“It wouldn't work. He's already a full Sentinel,” Malon mused. “Ganon?”

“Most likely. Which means we're gonna need everyone at full capacity. Including Link.” Legend winced. “By the way, Champion woke up. Full-fledged amnesia.”

“Damn, we're not having any luck,” Four slumped slightly. “That makes things more complicated, especially with our squad’s role in things. Flora already knows?”

“Yes, I brought her. He goes by Link now?” Malon replied.

“Yeah. He said Champion didn't feel right, but Link was okay. That's not unheard of; there have been any number of cases where someone has woken up from a coma with a completely different personality,” Legend said with a shrug. “From what I saw, he's more or less healed physically, although there's rather intensive scarring. It's best to just let the rest go naturally. If he remembers, fine. If not, you all learn to live with whoever he becomes, if he decides to stay. Command will give him that choice.”

“They better,” Four grumbled, “they owe us that at least. Hopefully I can meet him soon, if we're going to have to learn to work together quickly. Provided he stays, that is.”

“You will. Now that you're stable I'm pretty sure we can get you moved to barracks. Right, tante?”

Malon nodded. “I'll have Dot and Fable arrange it. They won't ask too many questions.”

“Better not,” Legend muttered. “Fable still owes me for Labrynnia.”

“I'll be sure to remind her, liebchen,” she replied with a chuckle. “Why don't you grab us drinks? I know you know where the mess is.”

“Yeah, yeah. I'll let you talk. What do you want, Four?”

The Guide blinked at Legend’s question before he answered. “Um, I don’t remember if there’s any of the iced tea Time had made, so just water or whatever you find is fine.”

“Got it. I'll be back.” Legend nodded to Malon, rose, and left the room.

“Okay, who the fuck exactly is this guy, Mal?” Four turned, looking at Malon. “You wouldn’t have let him in here if he had any bad intentions, but how the hell does he know so much? He helped, but…” He threw his hands up, struggling to articulate his confusion.

“Legend is… well, to start, he's my nephew,” Malon admitted. “The rest of the Chain already knows. And his name is Link.”

Four stared incredulously. “Yes, he has a Zelda. Fable's his twin sister,” she added. “He's a hero in his own right- this position has taken him quite literally everywhere, he's an accomplished mage, and he's dating the head of the Lorulean intelligence agency.”

“And he knows enough to do what he did, better than the ones who broke it in the first place?” he asked, more than a little scared yet impressed. “And now he’s helping our squad. Or was? Is he staying?”

“If I have anything to say about it, yes. He's wandered long enough,” Malon said seriously. “For now, though, he'll stick around. This is personal.”

Well, that was understandable, if Legend really was her and Time’s nephew. That would make them related to Fable, who had her own reputation. Then again, all of them did, so… “He’ll fit right in, won’t he?”

“He already is.” Malon glanced at the door with a soft smile. “We've been worried about him. Ravio's amazing, but they really don't get much time together, and the things he's been through…”

She shook her head and reached for the folder Legend had left on the bed. “While we're waiting, want to get a look at your bondmate?”

“That sounds so…” he made a face, even as he scooted closer to her. “Weird. It's true, but doesn't feel like it is, y'know? Why don't I have a mark if we really are bonded?”

Malon shrugged and opened the folder. “I wish I knew, lad. Although, it would have raised any number of questions, so maybe it was engineered that way? Honestly, I'm wondering if he remembers, and why he hasn't sought you out before- oh.”

It was unmistakable. The figure in the photo had purple hair, red eyes, and a bond mark figuring prominently on the lower part of his neck, but the resemblance… “He's your doppelganger,” Malon said. “Half Lolian, half Twili… yeah, that makes sense.”

“It’s like somebody tried using a different color palette on me,” Four says, surprised. “This is who I bonded with?”

“According to Legend, yes. Do you remember him at all?” Malon asked.

The guide stared at the picture for a moment, furrowing his brow, before he shook his head. “I don't know. I don't know, but if it's true that one… fragment of me can hold the bond, maybe it's holding the memories too?”

“It's possible.” The redhead shrugged. “This is more Dot’s area of expertise. Want to give her a call when we get back?”

“Definitely,” Four sighed. He was more than ready to get out of this place by now. “Do you think she'll be coming back here any time soon? They've had her stationed at that southern base for ages now.”

“I'll see if I can't wrangle a visit.”

The conversation was interrupted as a knock came from the door. Both Malon and Four turned curious glances; it was much too soon for Legend to get back.

It wasn't Legend. Instead, a doctor entered, eyes wide as he felt Four’s shields. “Sonofabitch was right,” he muttered under his breath, then shook his head and plastered a professional smile on his face. “Sergeant Smith,” he said tightly, “it has been formally requested that you be remanded to your squad and the care of your own medics. Given the, um, unexpected change in your status, I have no choice but to agree. Your paperwork will be completed and submitted to HQ within the half hour. I'll have an orderly bring your belongings.”

“Oh-uh-thank you, sir,” Four nodded, back straight as he looked to the doctor. That had been… fast. Normally to be released from medical, one had to be examined and cleared, powered folks especially, just to be cleared of any lingering effects. It was like they weren't even going to try pretending that he had a concussion anymore. The lack of any further examination made something twist in his gut, but he ignored it for now. There wasn't anything he could do about it now, and Malon would likely note the oddities too. As the doctor left, Four’s shoulders slumped and his migraine lightened a bit. “Well, at least we got some good news.”

“Aye. He's gotten better at that,” Malon replied, green eyes sparking. “Mein liebchen is a force of nature when he wants to be. He must have pulled the rank card.”

“Rank card?” Four asked before he thought better of it - he knew of Legend. Every Guide did, and now that the shorter man knew the man's family, too… “Nevermind.”

Malon laughed. “Yeah. Sometimes being connected to multiple royal families comes in handy. So, do you want to tell the Chain you're coming home, or shall we just surprise them tomorrow? I promised Legend a night at the ranch and breakfast. You're welcome to join, if you want.”

“As long as you don't mind if I take a nap in the car,” Four yawned, suddenly tired again. Then again, he'd been doing his very best to not let the migraine get in the way of things and his shields (and his mind) were still recovering from everything. “What time is it, anyway?”

“Late. 2200 or so? And yeah, I don't mind,” Malon chuckled. A nervous-looking orderly bothered them just long enough to drop off Four’s bags. “Get dressed. I have a feeling we'll be leaving momentarily.”

“Okay.” Four climbed off of the bed, going to dig through his bags as Malon left to give him some privacy. Before she opened the door, however, Four looked up and borrowed Wind's nickname for the red haired woman. “Thanks, Mamalon.”

“You're welcome, Mäuschen.”

Chapter Text

Legend blinked sleepily awake as a familiar voice permeated the room. “Rav?” he mumbled curiously. “Time izzit?”

“Hey bun. It's early, just before sunrise. Sorry I didn't get here earlier, Hilda had a half dozen things for me to do before I left,” Ravio said quietly.

“S'ok. Come here.” There was a sound of fabric hitting the floor- Ravio’s outer robe, probably- and then the Lolian was curled up under the blankets. “How'd you get in?”

“Malon’s up doing chores.”

“Ah.”

Ravio smiled. “Go back to sleep, Link.”

Legend shook his head and yawned. “Nope. I haven't seen you in two fucking months, not gonna waste a minute that you're here.”

“Sap. Wake me up in an hour and we'll make breakfast,” Ravio said. At Legend’s acquiescence he curled up and promptly fell asleep.

Legend held him, grateful for the moment of peace. If he was right, there weren't going to be many of those in the days to come.

Four woke with a start, remnants of whatever nightmare had woken him fading quickly in the soft light drifting into the room as he sat up and looked around, flinching at the twinge from his leg. He didn't recognise the room for a moment before the events of the day before clicked into place and he flopped back into the bed, hissing as his leg protested.

Right.

There was a lot to process, and he wasn't even sure where to start with a lot of it. Like, the Colors, as he'd decided to collectively call them, and where they'd come from. Hadn't Legend said he'd been through similar? Four was pretty sure he remembered that much. Okay. Find Legend at some point, but maybe breakfast first. Better to think on a full stomach than an empty one.

Someone knocked at the door. An unfamiliar voice followed the sound. “Four? Are you awake?”

Four frowned, propping himself up on his elbows as he looked toward the door, glad his bags had included pajamas. Whoever it was, they had to be someone vetted by Time and Malon, so they were likely safe enough. “Yes? Come in.”

The door opened and a person in a purple bunny hood of all things bounced in. “Good morning, Four! Link- er, Legend- sent me up to see if you needed help getting downstairs to the table. He would've come but he's in the middle of making tarts and doesn't dare leave them yet. And Miss Malon ran to the market for more apples and sugar.”

The Guide blinked, then pushed himself up to sitting. How had he gotten upstairs last night again? He didn't remember, but a vague feeling of embarrassment meant he could guess. They wouldn't have left him completely immobile, though, so - Four looked around, spotting some underarm crutches propped against the wall across the room. He hadn't ever used crutches before, but they couldn't be that hard, right? “If you can pass me those crutches,” the man asked, pointing, “I'll see if I can figure them out.”

The bunny head turned. “Oh, okay! We might have to adjust them, but that's simple enough.” He grabbed them and brought them to Four's bed. “I'm Ravio, by the way.”

“Nice to meet you, Ravio,” the guide said, taking the crutches and maneuvering himself to the edge of the bed. “Have you ever used crutches? Sounds like you know a bit about them.”

“Not personally, but Legend has a habit of coming home injured somehow. Usually it’s not his fault,” Ravio explained, one hand flailing a bit. “Just a side effect of getting posted into combat units.” He watched as Four stood. “Oh, those are definitely too tall. Let me…”

Ravio fiddled with the buttons for a moment, shrinking the crutches down to Four’s size. “Better. Okay. Try walking.”

“Okay…” Four stepped forward, trying to walk the same way he'd watched others do it. It was awkward, and the crutches dug into his underarms, but at least he was moving. “You said breakfast was downstairs?”

“It is. Here. Move them together and then swing forward. It’s annoying, I know. Legend complains every time he ends up with them,” Ravio said. “I’ll help you down the stairs. They’re tricky to navigate.”

Four let Ravio walk him though using crutches on stairs, keeping a tight stranglehold on his temper as it tried to flare, and thankfully they made it to the kitchen without incident. The guide slid gratefully into a seat as the other bounded up to Legend’s side, looking over what he was doing.

“Morning, Legend,” Four had greeted somewhat awkwardly. He wasn’t exactly sure where to go from here.

“Morning, Four,” Legend replied. “Good to see you up. Apple or berry?”

He opened his mouth to reply, and froze as two very distinct urges for either option arose. Processing it for a moment, he frowned and closed his mouth, tilting his head as he tried to pin them down. That was… odd. A side effect of yesterday? Usually if he wanted either option of a choice it wasn’t so… distinct. He shook himself, looking back up to Legend. Could he ask about it? Did Ravio know? “I guess one of each, if that’s okay?”

Legend gave him an understanding grin. “Got it. They're small enough two is doable.” He plated two tarts, one from each side of the tray, and brought them over. “I have tea, water, apple juice, cider, and milk. I'd suggest agreeing on one at a time, if you can.”

Four relaxed; Ravio knew enough he didn't have to try and hide it then. Well. That was one worry off of his mind, even if he hadn't quite realized it'd been there. “Mi-tea,” he started, screwing up his face and exhaling. “Is this going to be a thing for a while?”

“Oh yes.” The elder guide chuckled. “It took me forever to make up my mind about the little things. Combat’s a different story, once you get used to it. Sometimes one fragment will catch something you might have missed otherwise, so you'll have to learn to pay attention and react quickly. It's almost like having extra senses, which is something we're taught to deal with anyway, so it shouldn't be that hard for you to learn.”

Ravio nodded as he poured tea. “I was there for the worst of the aftermath, so I can help with questions if Link's busy. Do you want sugar, honey, or milk in your tea?”

Four went to answer, then hesitated as he was pulled in two different directions. Part of him wanted honey, but another wanted milk. Maybe he could compromise? It wasn’t exactly a life or death question, but maybe if he started off with easier questions he could get a handle on this. “Honey and milk?”

“Done.” Ravio added a dollop of honey and a generous splash of milk to the tea, stirred it, then brought it over and set it in front of Four. “See? You're getting the hang of this already.”

Legend seemed to sense Four’s inner confusion and took pity on him. “Right after I woke up from that coma I was sent to Lorule,” he explained. “That's where I met Ravio. He helped me while I was trying to get my head on straight.”

Ravio and Legend shared a glance, and the bunny nodded and pushed his hood back, revealing black hair and piercing green eyes set in Legend’s face. “You would have found out eventually,” Ravio said with a shrug. “Warriors and Malon know we're dating and that I'm Legend’s counterpart.”

Well that was all sorts of confusing. Four frowned, tilting his head as he thought. At least Ravio thought he was doing well, although there wasn't much evidence one way or another yet. “Counterpart?” Counterpart how?

Legend nodded. “Lorule is a… mirror, I guess, of Hyrule. They don't really advertise that fact, and there’s a reason most Lolians wear hoods when they visit. Some of us have counterparts, reverse copies of ourselves, although not everyone. Lorule's population is only a fraction of ours. Anyhow, Ravio's mine. Pretty sure Shadow is yours; you're nearly identical except for the coloring.”

“Huh,” Four's eyes narrowed. “Shadow- he was the one who… bonded with me? But not all of me?” His head suddenly pulsed and he held a hand to it, squinting as the light of the kitchen suddenly stabbed his eyes.

“Whoa, hey.” A shadow appeared in front of him, blocking most of the light. Ravio's voice came softly from the darkness. “Too much?”

Four grunted, letting his hand drop as the light went away and his head stopped pounding quite so much. “I-I don't know. Ow. It's like- I know that name but I don't.”

“Okay, yeah, no more infodumps,” Legend added, snorting quietly. “Don't force it. You're processing a lot right now. That can sit on the back burner until it becomes relevant.”

“Maybe I can…” Ravio murmured. “Four, will you let me try something?”

Four cracked open one eye, focusing on Ravio for just a second before he closed it. “Do what?” he questioned, wanting to know what was going on before he blindly allowed something.

“Ravio can do what I do, but from a sentinel's side,” Legend explained. “He can help ground you temporarily.”

“I thought bonding was-wait hold on-how does-” Four’s mouth snapped shut and he grimaced. Why was he thinking so much? Where were all of these coming from? The colors? Wasn’t it just supposed to be something less than this?

“I can't bond.” The words were gentle, but soft, almost surrounding him like a blanket. “It doesn't stick. I've tried.” There was a bit of sadness- grief? in the Lolian's voice. Ravio's emotions were locked down tight, but Four could sense there was a story there. “Let me help? It's not a permanent bond, I promise.”

In all of his time as a Guide, Four had never (knowingly) bonded - had never successfully had a Sentinel to ground himself. Would this help? Everything he knew about being a Guide said that it would - it was literally the function of a Sentinel to protect and ground their Guide. It would be cool to see for once what happened, but he didn’t know Ravio or Legend very well. They had helped though, why wouldn’t they help again? It might have been a trick, Malon was still away - but this was her house, she wouldn’t have left them alone if she didn’t trust them. His head pulsed again, crammed with more trains of thought than he could follow, and he simply nodded once.

Ravio let out a breath. Cool hands were placed on Four's temples as he concentrated.

“Come on, let me in… there.” A pained sigh left Ravio's lips. “He's even worse than you were, bun.”

“I'd had a couple of weeks already,” Legend pointed out. “Can you help?”

“I can,” Ravio asserted, then fell silent as the front door opened.

“I'll fill her in.”

“Thanks.”

Four’s emotions were like a tightly wrapped ball of yarn, writhing and moving, cords of different emotions and colors all wrapped up together. They were hard to tell apart. Ravio soothed them, gently untangling knots and letting the excess energy bleed through him. It wasn't easy, nor was it quick, although time’s passing was odd and he'd never had a good sense for it anyway.

The entire time he murmured words, soft ones and deep, in a language Four didn't know yet found strangely calming.

Four opened his eyes as hands, now warm to the touch, left his temples, and he blinked in surprise, sighing as the light didn’t stab his eyes quite so badly now, although not all the pain was gone. It was much improved, and Four could actually follow a train of thought again, so he’d take it. “How long is this going to take?”

Ravio smiled at him, a bit exhausted. “Probably a few months. Link took longer, but we've learned a few tricks since then. Like that spell he used on you. It's a closely guarded Hytopian secret. The only reason he was able to learn it was Princess Styla owed him a favor, and he knew it might come in handy one day.”

The smile dipped a bit. “It should go even faster if we manage to rescue your bondmate. That will allow your violet aspect to settle, which will take some of the strain off the others.”

“I know we said no info-dumping,” Four started, reaching for his tea, “but how much do we know about what's going to happen? I mean, mentally.” With his free hand, he gestured to his head, unhappy with the idea that they were venturing into unknown territory with nothing to do about it.

“Not as much as I'd like, to be honest,” Legend said sourly as he reentered the room, arms loaded with grocery bags. “You and I are unique cases. Hytopia's methods are the closest, but they have vastly different procedures for attaining splits, and theirs aren't usually done on guides or sentinels because of the volatility of our powers. And they're volunteers.” He put the bags on the counter and started pulling out various fruits. “Din's teeth, Malon, how many tarts am I making?”

Malon laughed. “Most of that is for later, Liebchen. The farmer's market just got their first harvest in. I couldn’t resist.”

Ravio chuckled as Legend grumbled. “I soothed the spike, for now. How long ‘til we leave?”

Legend paused. “You're coming with us?” he asked.

“Yes? Hilda asked me to, as her rep. And I missed you, bun.” Green eyes looked troubled. “Did-did you not want- Oh.”

The sentence was cut off as Legend buried his face in Ravio's shoulder and wrapped his arms around him. “Remind me to thank Hilda for the loan later.”

“Sure.”

Four's lips twitched up in a smile as he watched Legend and Ravio interact. He didn't know either one of them very well yet but they obviously cared about each other, which was good to see.

“Where are we going?” he asked curiously, not really wanting to break up the moment but not entirely sure what the plan was.

“Back to base. Warriors needs to know what I figured out, and your squad misses you,” Legend said. “The sooner we figure out where they're hiding Time and Shadow, the better.”

“What… are we going to tell them?” the guide asked, taking a sip of his tea and sighing gratefully.

“Something approximating the truth. You've recovered enough that you're no longer a danger to the squad, and it was decided that you'd be better off in familiar surroundings,” Legend replied with a huff of laughter. “Who actually did the deciding doesn't matter.”

Ravio sighed. “Bun, what did you do?”

“Does it matter?”

“Oi. What am I going to do with you?” The Lolian laughed and shook his head. “This won't end up on Fable's desk, will it?”

Legend scoffed. “Nah. She knows. I called her and pointed out it was a waste of resources holding a recovered Guide in lockdown. Once she got involved they couldn't come up with a good enough excuse to say otherwise.”

Four continued watching and sipping his tea, only barely blinking as a slight weight came to rest in his hair. It was… surprisingly fun to watch the two bicker? Discuss? Talk? He yawned, munching on his tarts as his eyes drooped. Malon dropped into the seat next to him and he leaned against her slightly. A minish climbed up the table leg, chittering quietly, and Four broke off a piece of tart to offer her. The redhead started stroking his hair and the minish took the piece, sitting by his plate, and everything was… nice.

Chapter Text

Legend palmed the bioscanner at the barracks door. It was later than he'd hoped to get back, nearly lunch, because it had taken a while for Four’s migraine to subside enough that travel wouldn't make him ill. The door swung open, and he sighed in relief as no one appeared.

Four glanced at the clock on the wall as he carefully made his way inside, not quite used to using his crutches yet.

“They’re probably figuring out something for lunch,” he told the others, glancing up to Legend. “So I’d check the canteen - without Champ here, I don’t know who’s been making food.”

Malon chuckled. “We should bring them the pastries. Legend’s a better baker than anyone here, including me.”

Legend blushed and grumbled, but shouldered one of the bags and marched toward the mess hall. Ravio picked up the other and followed him. Malon turned to Four. “Shall we?”

“Sure,” the Guide started after the pair, Malon keeping pace with him until they caught up with Legend and Ravio, who were waiting outside the door to the canteen. “They’re going to love you, by the way, for bringing them food, especially if they’re as good as the rest you made this morning.”

“Better. These are meat pies, not fruit,” Legend replied absently. He took a deep breath and grinned mischievously. “Wait here for a minute.”

Ravio facepalmed but chuckled. “Drama queen.”

“You know it.” The guide opened the door to a myriad of curious glances.

“Legend?”

“You're back!”

“How's Four?”

“Hi, I am, and he's fine. I brought you dorks food. Who likes cucco pot pie?” he replied, gesturing to the bag. “Made it fresh this morning.”

“Wait, you cook?” Hyrule asked. Legend nodded, his eyes watching Sky. The lieutenant's aura had changed, glowing a brilliant blue to his Guide’s senses. He is a sentinel. Huh.

Wind whooped and turned to Warriors. “Can we keep him, Captain?”

“You can’t just keep someone,” Twilight told the young one absently, watching Legend. “But, he was assigned to us, so he’s stuck until they reassign him.”

“Is Four going to be released soon?” Sky asked, worry creeping into his tone.

Legend’s gaze softened and he sent a beckoning thought toward Four. “Why don't you ask him yourself?”

Malon helpfully opened the door and let Four through, swinging on his crutches, and he looked up with a shy smile. “Hey guys.”

A chorus of “Four!” nearly knocked the young guide off his feet. A moment later he was lifted off his feet as Sky swept him into a giant hug. “You're safe. Oh thank Hylia.”

Malon patted the Skyloftian on the shoulder. “Easy. His leg's still healing.”

“Here, let me do something about that.” Hyrule shouldered his way forward and laid a glowing hand on Four’s leg. “Oh, that was a bad break. I can get it partway, at least. Enough to knock a couple of weeks off.”

Legend made his way to the tables at the back of the room and started unpacking the pies. He wasn’t jealous. Having Four back was a good thing. It would make it easier for everyone to heal, especially Sky, who apparently next on Four’s bond list.

He wasn't jealous that Four had a squad like that.

He wasn't. This is what he did.

He wasn't jealous, Lolia damn it.

But if he wasn't jealous…

Then why did the sight hurt so fucking much?

Four sighed gratefully, thanking Hyrule quietly, sinking into Sky's hug. Sky gave the best hugs, honestly, and it was nice to be held by one of his brothers. He suddenly found himself blinking back tears as Sky squeezed him gently and set him back down carefully, Warriors and Twilight making sure his crutches were under him securely before backing away. Normally he would feel a bit self conscious at their aid, but experience had gotten him used to accepting the others’ help. He ran a hand over his eyes, leaning on one crutch, and looked at everyone. “So, what did I miss?”

“Other than Cha- er, Link waking up, and the fact that Legend is apparently a badass, not much,” Wind said. “Flora and Aurora and Lullaby came by. They said Dot and Tetra are gonna visit next week.” The ensign bounced over and gave Four a quick hug. “We missed you. Sky's been even more anxious than usual.”

“Was it that obvious?” Sky asked plaintively.

“Yep.”

“Yes, but we all are,” Warriors said with a grin. “Good to see you again, miss Malon. And you must be Ravio. I'm Warriors. It's good to meet you.”

“Oh! Nice to meet you too. You know who I am?” Ravio squeaked.

“I do. Legend mentioned you during our briefing. You're welcome here whenever; Legend’s done a lot for this squad, despite being here less than two days. It's the least I can do.”

Ravio nodded, his expression hidden behind his hood. “Thank you, Captain.”

“It's no problem.” The acting leader clapped him lightly on the shoulder.

“Honestly, it's the least we can do,” Sky glanced over to Ravio before focusing again on Four, guiding him over to a seat with a hand on his back. He hadn't missed Four’s actions, but if he confronted the shorter guide in front of everyone he'd hide it away. “Legend, can I call you Lege? We should eat, thank you for bringing us food.” The Skyloftian’s words were quiet, earnest. He was very thankful to the man - in just a short time he had helped them significantly - but at the same time, a small part couldn't help but wonder if there would be a cost in the end.

Legend nodded. “Lege is fine,” he answered curtly. “You’re welcome. It’s been a while since I got a chance to bake.”

Ravio touched his arm. “Bun,” he murmured, and Legend sighed.

“Sorry, I’m fine. Just still tired from yesterday.”

The pair studied each other, a silent conversation, although how Legend could read Ravio under that ridiculous bunny hood was beyond Sky's comprehension. Finally the guide leaned into the other and closed his eyes. “Hylia, I need a nap.”

“Then go take one,” Warriors said. Legend opened his eyes and straightened up.

“Captain?”

“I'll make it an order if I have to,” the sentinel said. “You're still off duty until after dinner. Briefing at 2000. Until then, go get some rest, vet.”

Legend raised an eyebrow at the nickname but nodded. “Yes sir. Come on, Rav. I'll show you our quarters.”

“Ours?” Twilight asked.

“Yeah. We're dating. Problem?”

“Nah. But you can't make fun of my relationship,” Twi drawled.

Legend considered that. “Yeah, that's fair.”

Ravio stared at Twilight. “I know you,” he said. “Where… wait. You were at the coronation with Midna, weren't you.”

“Yep. Nice to see you again, Ravio.”

Legend grabbed Ravio's arm and pulled him out of the mess hall with a muttered “I am too tired for this.”

Sky watched them go. “I'm confused.”

“Me too,” Wind admitted.

“Ravio,” Twi explained. “As in, prince of Lorule. Midna’s his like, 3rd cousin or something. When Hilda took the throne a few years ago she got invited to the coronation, and I went as her consort.”

“Ah,” Wind said, then “That guy's a prince?”

“Yep. Then again, so is Legend.”

“Wait, what?”

Malon chuckled. “I'll explain it later. Eat before the food gets cold. Legend worked hard on those.”

“Yes ma’am,” the Chain chorused and dug in. The only bad thing, Malon mused, was that Time wasn't there. He loved Legend’s cucco pot pie, even though it'd been years since he'd had it.

Well, that, and that Legend wasn't in the room to hear the exclamations of pleasure from all assembled. She'd have to make sure to tell him later.

“So, let me get this straight,” Sky said later. “Legend is Fable’s brother and the son of the King and Queen.”

“Yes,” Malon nodded.

“And you’re his aunt.”

“I am.”

“On which side?” Four asked, and the redhead grinned.

“His mother’s.”

Four blinked. “So you’re a princess?”

Malon shook her head. “Not exactly. I renounced my title when the twins were born. Officially, I’m no longer a royal, which is more than fine with me. I hated that life. So does Legend, which is why he’s here in the Army instead of living in the palace with his sister.” She chuckled ruefully. “Well, that, and every time he’s sent to do a diplomatic mission he ends up caught in the weirdest messes. I’ve seen the reports. Every one of them reads like a fever dream.”

“One of them literally was a dream,” Legend said as he walked into the room, yawning widely. Nearly everyone turned to stare at him and he shrugged. “Dreamwalking is a thing. Not something I care to try again, but it happened.”

Twilight whistled. “You're lucky,” he said. “I know a couple of folks back home who tried that and never came back.”

“Yeah, well. Mental magic is sort of my specialty.” Legend made a face. “I kinda had to learn a few things and it just spiraled from there.”

“That's generally how it goes,” Warriors agreed.

“At this rate, what can't you do, vet?” Wind looked at the man with more than a bit of curiosity. “Since you've arrived, you've moved more than a few things along.”

“I just did what needed done,” Legend said with a small shrug, clearly embarrassed. “I mean, that's the job, isn't it?”

”Well, yeah, but in what, two days? You've helped with Champion. Brought Four back, when they told us it'd probably be weeks until he was cleared. You can cook,” Sky listed his points off on his fingertips as he spoke. “You admit to being able to do mental magic, which is complicated as hell if I remember correctly. So, thank you. For helping us out.”

The guide blushed. “You're welcome,” he said, before flapping a hand and attempting to retreat back down the hallway.

Ravio grabbed his shoulders and turned Legend back around. “Nope. You earned that, Bun. And you promised you'd sit and eat dinner with me.”

Legend glared but deflated and let himself be led. “...Fine.”

“Good.”

“While you're here, can I ask a question?” Sky leaned forward, his forearms on the table. He waited for Legend’s nod before he continued. “How did you get Four out already? Normally when he's out, there's nothing we can do but wait.” He didn't mention Four’s Guide abilities - He hated when anyone brought up just how often the medics pulled him for it, especially when it was particularly bad and people started whispering about how often and long he was gone.

“Oh, that.” There was a shadow in Legend’s violet eyes, the edges of which had turned a curious shade of blue. He closed them and shook himself. “Stabilization spell. I learned it on my travels. It only works in very specific situations; luckily, this was one of them. Four shouldn't have nearly as many issues in the future.”

“But what happened?” Wind frowned, leaning forward too and glancing between Four, who looked like he didn't want to be here, and Legend. “He's, y'know, basically my brother. If there's something we can do to help going forward, we want to know.”

Legend glanced at Four, who shook his head minutely. “Unfortunately, the details of the spell are classified, but I can tell you this. It's obvious that you're close, and that you all care about each other. I respect that.” And envy it, a corner of his mind said. He shushed it, or tried to. It didn’t listen. “Keep doing that. The next few weeks are going to be a bit rough as he relearns a few things. Just be there for him. If he feels like sharing details, that's up to him, and only if he's ready.”

Legend smiled slightly and turned back to Sky. “You were a little off, by the way. I can bake. If you want cooking,” he said, pointing at Ravio, “talk to that one. His lasagna is amazing.”

Wind was still frowning, but he sat after a glance at Four. He'd let it drop for now, if only because of how unhappy the other looked, but he'd ask later. Or maybe he'd just show Four some of the pictures Aryll had sent him from her latest trip. That usually made him smile.

“Twilight, you made dinner tonight, right?” Hyrule asked, looking up from the table. He'd been thinking about what Legend had said, but he tabled it for now. There would be time to think later.

“Yep. Just shepherd's pie and biscuits,” the Ordonian said. “Nothin’ fancy.”

Twilight glanced at Legend. “Just out of curiosity, Lege, did you know your hair's bright pink? It wasn't like that yesterday, was it?”

“Aw, fuck, really?” Legend cursed, grabbing a lock and pulling it around where he could see it, then sighed. “Yeah, it's pink. Fuck. That's gonna take forever to fade again.”

“But why is it pink?” Wind asked, and Legend scowled.

“It changes when I use too much magic.”

“What’s too much?” Hyrule asked curiously. “I’ve never seen an effect like that before.”

The scowl darkened, and Ravio laid his hand on Legend’s. They shared a glance, and the guide sighed again. “I’ve never exactly measured it, but in this case, full to basically tapped. I’m not entirely sure how long it took, time is kind of weird during that kind of thing, but it was what, maybe fifteen minutes?”

“Closer to ten, actually,” Malon corrected.

“Ten, then.”

Hyrule looked horrified. “You drained all of your magic on a single spell?” He looked around the table, getting mostly confused glances. “I keep forgetting you guys can’t sense magic like Four and I can,” he said, “but Legend has a lot. If that spell used all of it… most people wouldn’t even be able to cast it at all without possibly killing themselves.”

“Which is one of the reasons it’s highly classified,” Legend said with a nod. He shrugged as all eyes turned to him. “There are maybe four people in the world who know it, and the other three are the ones I learned it from. It’s not even written down anywhere. And it's not one I plan on ever using again, not if I can help it. Although, this was a special case. Most of the it's used within days, maybe weeks. Not years.”

Warriors frowned. What on earth had Legend done? Why had Four needed a spell that could’ve killed the man? “There’s quite a bit you’re not telling us,” he said slowly, not missing the grimace Legend gave at the words. “What are you holding back?”

The two guides shared a look, and Four nodded reluctantly. “Sir,” Legend replied, the blue in his eyes fading back to violet, “most of what is going on is classified. I have reached out to Impa for permission to disseminate the information anyway, as it affects the Chain directly. I doubt she'll refuse. For now, though, what I can say is that I have a theory as to why Time was taken.”

The group leaned forward, mirth suddenly absent and in its place singular focus.

“Report,” Warriors replied evenly, his gaze focused on the pink haired guide. “What you can. If you need a briefing to discuss the classified details, we can have one afterward.”

“You know how we can get Time back?” Wind leaned forward, eyes wide. “Well- an idea, at least?”

“The beginnings of one,” Legend admitted, straightening his posture to something more formal. “Time wasn’t the only one taken. There was a Twili sentinel, callsign Shadow, a few weeks ago. Ravio sent me his dossier yesterday. Normally, I wouldn’t have thought much of it, but there were two things that stood out and made me think there was a connection.”

“And what were those?” Warriors prompted.

“One I can’t speak to yet, not without clearance. Even I have to play by the rules.” The captain nodded. “The other is, well. He’s half Lolian.”

The words brought a soft oh from Twilight. Legend glanced at him and nodded, then at Ravio. “You want to tell them or shall I?”

The Lolian prince shrugged. “It was going to come out eventually,” he said. “The hood isn’t really meant to be worn all the time.” With that, he raised the rabbit hood and set it aside, then shook out his hair. “Lolia’s teeth, that’s better.”

“Hylia,” someone said. Legend thought it was Sky, although he couldn’t quite be sure. “You’re twins?”

“No,” Ravio said, shaking his head. “Counterparts. Every Lolian has a Hylian counterpart, although the same isn’t true in reverse. You have a much larger population, after all. We share features and birthdays. My sister, Hilda, is Fable’s counterpart as well.”

“It’s more than a little freaky at first,” Legend added, “but we’ve gotten used to it. Anyway, the point of this is that Shadow is, to put it bluntly, Four’s counterpart.”

Someone sucked in a breath. Someone else cursed, and Warriors glanced down thoughtfully. “Do any of the rest of us have counterparts?” he wondered aloud, and Ravio shrugged.

“I haven't met any, but that doesn’t mean they're not out there. I suppose we could have Midna and Hilda open an investigation, but that might also alert the other side that we know what they're up to. As it is, there's no reason to suspect that they know we know anything yet.”

“Is there any evidence that these doppelgangers of ours are in danger?” Sky asked, sitting forward and looking around. “We might be curious, but I don't think it should be a priority unless the situation calls for it.”

“On the other hand, do we have to ask through official channels?” Four asked with a tilt of his head. “If we're trying to be stealthy about it, a more natural method of inquiry such as asking through friends, family, or others we may know with possible knowledge already. It's not as if- Lolians, you had called them?- Lolians have a history of being a threat to national security, and while a secretive people, even given our group's makeup and previously established connections, Lolians are one group we have not encountered much, nor is much publicly known. Asking for information shouldnt raise too many eyebrows, as long as we avoid pushing too hard.”

Wind's eyes rose, surprised By Four's little speech, but he ran with it. “Yeah, we're almost all from different places, it makes sense what we know might not match up. And if anyone asks we can always just say that we met a Lolian informant and were curious.”

Legend cocked an eyebrow. 95% success rate, huh. “Alright. Rav and I can put some feelers out back home. Twilight can talk to Midna and some of the other Twili- there are enough mixed backgrounds out there that some of them might have ended up in the Realm, like Shadow. I don’t think they’re in danger if they do exist. Four’s a special case, but it can’t hurt to find out if they’re out there.”

Warriors nodded. “Sounds good. Sky, why don’t you grab Four a plate, and the rest of us can serve ourselves. Hyrule, is Link well enough to join us?”

The brunet nodded. “I think it’d be good for him to have something normal,” he said, rising. “I’ll ask if he wants to eat with us.”

“Good. Everyone, dig in.”

The next morning, Four woke up to a conversation right by his bed.

“I'm just saying, right now we're holding the team back and they know it. Even if they don't know the specifics, they know something's up.”

“While they might suspect there is still a secret hiding, given Legend’s dancing around the issue, I believe we'll be given at least a day or two before anyone inquires as to what is going on.”

“I don't know, but I think things are going to change, rapidly, from here.”

It was then that Four opened his eyes and realized that those voices weren't actually coming from his bedside. He sat up quickly, eyes wide, and only spent a moment getting himself presentable before he swung his legs over the side of the bed and grabbed the crutches resting against the wall.

“Oh hey, he's awake!”

“Good morning, Four.”

“Morning!”

“Sleeping beauty's finally awake.”

“Hey, uh, guys, I think we should give him a moment. He's probably just as surprised as we were.”

Four swung through the halls looking for Legend and very much trying not to pay attention to the voices in his head because, well, voices.

“And I'm telling you, sailing during a storm is a stupid idea. They really need to-” Legend looked up as a wave of panic careened into him. “Four? What is it?”

“When you said ‘soon’, I didn't think you meant this soon,” he blurted out, glancing over the rest of the room before his gaze returned to Legend. It was only Wind in here at the moment, anyway.

The guide looked confused for a moment before it hit him. “Wait. Are you sure you want to discuss this here? We can go back to your quarters,” Legend offered.

The blond swung over to a seat near the other two, ignoring Wind's confused looks. “Go ahead. I don't think I'll be able to hide this, so it's better if the others know.”

So far, he was steadfastly ignoring the chatter in the back of his mind, although it was a difficult task. Once he was comfortable sitting, he sighed and put his head on the table.

“Oookay,” Legend said, one eyebrow raising. “You can hear them already? Like, actually hear them as separate voices?”

“They all said good morning, well except the one that called me sleeping beauty,” Four replied, leaving his head on the table. “All four of them. They were having a full discussion when I woke up.”

“Well, shit.”

“Wait, what's going on?” Wind asked, wide-eyed. “Why is Four hearing voices? Isn't that usually a bad thing? Are you okay?”

“He will be,” Legend replied. “As to why, we should probably wait for the others. I really don't want to tell this story more than once or twice if I can help it. In the meantime, why don't you go get Four some tea. Milk and honey, Four?”

“Please and thank you,” the guide replied, head still on the table.

“Hey, we got that last time! Are we always going to get that?”

“Most likely, unless circumstances change and preferences start to be more prevalent.”

“Aren't you a walking thesaurus?”

“Better a thesaurus than a paleolithic Neanderthal.”

“Guys do we have to fight?”

Four sighed again and tilted his head to look at Wind. “So what were you guys talking about?”

Wind looked at Four, questions still in his eyes, but rolled with it as he rose to get the tea. “Sailing. Legend doesn't like it.”

“I used to like it just fine,” Legend countered. “Until I was stupid enough to ignore a storm warning and got myself shipwrecked. It's sheer luck I survived. Anyway, I have no objections to sailing in general, it's movies and TV shows making sailing during a major storm seem like nothing that irritates me.”

Wind shrugged and spooned sugar into a cup. “Okay, yeah I can see where that'd take the fun out of it. I don't have much of a problem with storms, though. Usually I can make them go away. Or at least quiet down enough they're not a problem.”

Legend stared at him. “Your nickname. Wind. That's your magic, isn't it?”

“Yep! I can control it, to a degree. Comes in handy sometimes.” A teabag and hot water from a spout on the coffee maker went into the cup. A dash of milk followed, and Wind set the cup and a spoon by Four’s head.

Legend snorted. “I bet.”

The man tilted his head again to look at the cup, not quite willing to make himself move since the tea wouldn't even be steeped yet. Instead, he just tried to focus on Legend and Wind's discussion instead of the bickering in his head.

“Oh, we should go sailing sometime.”

“Have you forgotten that we can barely swim?”

“There's life jackets! And we can probably go with someone else who can help us learn.”

“Perhaps once we have a better grasp on things.”

“It's not that bad! Maybe a bit crowded, but it's better than being lonely.”

Legend sent a wave of sympathy Four’s way. “Loud?” he asked.

“Incredibly,” he sighed, finally pulling his head up to drag the tea closer. “They like to talk, although I have no idea who's who.”

“You'll figure that out eventually. The one with the large vocabulary is probably Vio, the angry one is Blue, and the almost annoyingly happy one is Red.”

Wind blinked, looking like he was going to explode with curiosity, but he bit his lip and bounced on his heels. “Do you want me to grab the others for a meeting? This sounds like it's kinda important.”

Four waved a hand, letting Legend decide that for now considering he'd be doing most of the explanations, and picked up his tea. He took a sip, looked at it, and frowned.

“Wait that tasted like sugar - it's not fully dissolved yet.”

“Crunchy.”

“Blech that texture is gross.”

“The sludge sitting at the bottom of the cup is probably worse.”

“Honey is so much better.”

Legend watched the expressions on Four's face and chuckled. “Wind, that was sugar, not honey. I'll remake it. Go get everyone. Malon and Ravio should be back soon anyway.”

Wind nodded, crestfallen, and headed for the door.

“I wasn't gonna tell him,” Four told the other, still frowning. “He tried, at least, and considering he doesn't drink tea he got it mostly right at least.”

“I'll apologize later. Maybe turn it into a gentle lesson on attention to detail,” Legend said with a small frown of his own. “Sorry. Your aspects are extremely vocal, more so than mine ever were. Probably due to the method we used; it's always a little unpredictable. I do want to warn you, just because someone will probably mention it, but your eyes change color depending on who's talking.”

Four’s head tilted and he looked up at Legend, his eyes wide with surprise and a bit of anxiety. He'd always prided himself on having a fairly level head, at being able to reign in the others even when he himself wanted to join them when something looked fun. Was it dumb that something as simple as a magic side effect made him feel exposed? Speaking of feeling exposed, he checked his shields, like he should have done upon waking up. Not as good as they used to be, once upon a time, but so much better than they had been for a while. “This is probably going to be a long process, isn't it?”

“Probably. You're already doing better than I was, but, again, you have help.” The edges of Legend’s irises bled ever-so-slightly red. “Do you want me to remake the tea?”

Four shook his head, taking another sip of the tea before stirring it some more. “It's fine. Someone likes the crunchy part from the sugar,” he replied, making a face. “Are they each going to have their own preferences for everything? Like, I get some decisions where there's a few options, but for everything?”

The pink-haired guide raised a hand and wiggled it back and forth. “Not everything. It's mostly going to be things where you, as Four, don't really have a strong preference. For instance- say you absolutely despise spicy food. None of your aspects are going to develop a taste for it, because that preference existed before you were split. Fundamental likes and dislikes will stay. Other things, like what you might want on your toast that day? That's going to be more of a compromise, especially if you like all the options. You might find yourself eating a bit more than usual, and in some odd combinations, just to make everyone happy.”

He shrugged, then winced as his shoulder twinged. “Other, more ephemeral things? Hard to tell. Things like gender identity and sexuality might be a bit up in the air for a while. I saw that a lot in the Hytopian pilots. Not as a big a deal there; fashion is what you make it and no one really gave a shit who you did what with as long as you were stylish about it. Hylians tend to be a little less open about it, but no one who cares about you will judge.”

Ugh. Gender and sexuality. Four had never bothered to think much on those. It had just never really seemed something that had needed thought about, to him personally. Legend made it seem as though he was going to be doing a lot more thinking, though.

“Bleh. Okay. So going with your example. I loathe green peppers. None of them are going to start liking it, but as with the tea situation, they will have some preferences of their own. What happens if one develops a fondness for something but the others just can't stand it? Is that something that can happen?”

“Theoretically, yes, although it’s rare,” Legend replied. “They’re still you, after all, for all they have their own personalities. If it does- say, Red decides he likes a certain food but Blue doesn’t, what will likely happen is that Red will front for a while when the others go to sleep and indulge then. Which does happen on occasion; hell, I’ve done it. Myth- my Red- decided years ago he hates blueberries, so I have to wait until he’s asleep to eat them, or he complains for days.”

“Front?” Four asked, not entirely sure what the other meant, although his nerves settled a bit at Legend’s explanation of how preferences work.

“When an aspect takes over for a bit. Very common thing,” Legend answered, his eyes back to fully violet. “It's not a complete takeover in our case, not usually, more like one aspect is leading the conversation. But it can happen. Not something to worry about. You'll get used to it.”

Not something to worry about? Four's eyebrows rose as the voices in his head started chattering again. “Voices in my head I can get used to, eventually. I vaguely remember something about bonds to fragments of me, but aren't they still me? How do they ‘take over’ if they're a part of me?”

“It's… hard to explain. Everyone has… pieces, to their personality. Someone may be really gruff and standoffish to most people, but incredibly good with kids. Or a bookworm who goes and fights monsters for the fun of it. When we’re split, it takes those traits and amplifies them, then gives them a personality and an actual voice in our head.”

“Wait, so is it actually like ‘fronting’ or is it more… influencing, maybe?” Four mused, eyebrows still raised but more thoughtful than before. His eyes flashed violet. “Or perhaps simply tapping into that specific… aspect of myself more fully. I suppose I’ll have to think more on it. You… how are you going to explain this to the others?”

“Clinically, probably. I'm not going to go into the details of the program. None of you need those. The end result is enough,” Legend said flatly.

“Program?” Warriors asked, as he appeared in the doorway. The rest of the Chain, including Link, followed, getting tea or coffee and various breakfast items before settling in a rough circle around Four and Legend. “What program?”

Four blinked, his nerves spiking for a moment before he took a breath and let it out. Legend knew what was going on, and he'd done nothing but help, as conveniently as it had been timed. “Last night Legend mentioned Shadow, the Twili scout.”

“Yeah? He has something to do with this?” Twilight asked, and Legend nodded.

“Six years ago, the Hyrulean government decided it would be a good idea to take potential Guides and experiment on them,” he said bitterly. “For the record, my parents were opposed to this, but the Council did it anyway. It was led by a bastard named Agahnim. He was trying to ‘transcend the limits’ of the number of Sentinels a Guide could bond with.”

There was a crackle of energy in the air around Sky. “And Four was part of this?”

“He was. As were Shadow and I,“ Legend confirmed. “Malon got me out, Shadow escaped on his own, after ascending into full Sentinel instead.”

“That's a thing?” Wind asked.

“It's extraordinarily rare, but yes,” Legend confirmed. “Before someone asks, Four didn't remember any of this. He was the only survivor of the entire program.”

“I really don’t,” Four confirms, unhappy as he crosses his arms over his chest. “According to Legend, they haven’t completely stopped, either.” The voices in his head picked up at that, yelling over each other, and he winced.

“Wait what?!”

“He had mentioned the experiments and everything.”

“That doesn’t mean I have to like it!”

“Stop yelling, Four’s trying to help explain stuff!”

“Like you aren't raising your voice, oh glorious leader.”

“What the hell, who said I was trying to be the leader?”

“You're trying to tell us what to do!”

“Guys we're giving Four another migraine, stop yelling, please.”

“Four?” Sky asked as the guide winced and buried his head in his arms. “Are you okay?”

“Oh, for the love of…” Legend sighed, and closed his eyes, gift reaching out to evaluate Four. Can't hurt to try. “Sky? Put your hand on his shoulder and concentrate on that point of contact. Let's see if I'm right.”

“Legend,” Warriors said slowly as Sky complied, “are you doing what I think you’re doing?”

“It's already halfway done,” Legend said, opening his eyes. There was a ring of blue around them now, bright and fierce. “Sky's aura changed while I was gone. It's blue now. I'm just… okay.”

The blue faded back to violet. “Do any of you know how Hytopian doppels work?” he asked, seemingly apropos of nothing. “No? Okay. They use soul magic. Split the soul into two parts; one stays in the body, the other pilots a doppel in battle. The bodies aren't permanent, so there's no risk to the pilot unless the other side uses some sort of binding magic, which isn't pretty in all sorts of ways.”

Several shudders ran through the group. “Yeah. Anyway, that's what happened to us, basically. I have three extra fragments. Four has, well, four. They were the reason his control has been getting steadily worse. Essentially, they weren't fully formed and his psyche was cracking under the pressure.”

Most of the Chain looked confused. Hyrule, on the other hand, looked horrified. “You fixed it? That's what that spell was?”

“Yeah. Now, Four has extra voices in his head he's hearing for the first time, and they're apparently rather loud. It doesn't help that one of them is bonded. Two, if I'm right about Sky.”

Wind stood up, his hands on the table as he leaned forward. “Wait, so is he now Four extra people? What are their names? How can we help?”

“I imagine the first thing is learning what exactly is going on would help, “ Twilight replies as he leans forward, his eyes narrowed. “You called them aspects? Voices? What exactly does having these mean for us, both long and short term?”

“And how does this mean that Four can bond, now?” Hyrule added, attention split between Four, Sky, and Legend.

“He's always had a bond,” Legend said, answering the last question first. “With Shadow. He just didn't remember. Part of the experiment was trying to make guides that can have more than two bonds. It worked, in us. Technically, I could do three, Four can do four, one for each aspect. As to what they are, it's sort of hard to explain without experiencing it. We reference them by color, because that's how they appear to us. Red, Green, Blue, Violet. Emotion and introspection, base personality, protection and aggression, logic and knowledge. My green and violet are the same thing because logic is my base. Four’s more balanced, so he got all four.”

“So, wait, they’re based on personality aspects? You said it’s one’s soul - so how are you yourself still intact if that’s the case?” Warriors frowned, looking between them. “Or are ‘you’ now… one of the aspects?”

“If Four is now four pieces, how does ‘Four’ differ from the ‘base personality’ aspect? Or is it not that simple?” Hyrule asked, leaning forward.

“It's…complicated.” Legend made a face. “We're still us. It's just… you ever have a knock-down, drawn out argument with yourself? Or been really indecisive about something because you like all the options? It's like that, but more. I have a handle on it now. It's been a few years for me. But Four’s hearing those voices, really hearing them, for the first time. It's a lot.”

“Alright boys, that's enough.” The voice came from the door, and every eye turned to see Malon and Ravio standing in the doorway. “It's far too early for an interrogation. Let the poor lads have breakfast before you make them explain the unimaginable, okay?”

Wind hopped up, beelining to the fridge before he hesitated, then shrugged and pulled out some eggs. “Who wants some eggs? They shouldn't be that hard, right?”

A chorus of assent rose, followed by an almost timid Link joining Wind in the kitchen. ‘Can I help?’ he asked, hands flashing in hesitant sign. Talking was difficult, most days, his vocal cords not yet healed from the guardian’s attack. ‘I think… was I good at this, before?’

The sailor grinned. “Yeah, you were. Come on. We'll do eggs to order and toast. That's simple enough.”

‘Okay.’ The smile on Link's face stretched still-healing scars, but it was the first real one since he’d woken up. ‘I'll get the bread.’

Some time later, once everyone had a plate in front of them, Warriors broached the subject again.

“I apologize for bringing this up again, especially so soon, but I do have to ask… Four, is this going to affect you on the field?”

“I…” The guide sighed and glances at Legend, who nodded. “According to Legend, I might even be better. Partly because my shields are stabler than they have been in years, partly because each aspect can handle different things, so I can multitask better. Something to the effect of Red keeping track of people while Blue fights and Vio strategizes, or whatever they decide on. It might take a bit to get to that point, but that's just practice and figuring out who's voice is whose.”

“Which I can help with, to an extent,” Legend added. “By the way, I'd like to take a quick look later, if it’s okay. See which aspect Sky bonded with.”

Four nodded. Sky tilted his head. “Is that what that was?” he asked. “I mean, I could sort of feel him in my head, which was kind of odd, but it felt… I don't know. Right, I guess.”

“It's not the same as when Legend gets in my head, but… it's definitely calmer, in here,” Four tapped their head, looking much more relaxed than they had a few moments ago. “Sometime tonight, if you want to take a look, that's fine.”

Wind peered at Sky, eyes narrowed as he searched the other. “So you're bonded to Four? Where's your mark?”

Ravio and Legend shared a look. “It takes a little while to show,” Ravio said. “And it could be anywhere on the neck or torso.”

“Well that explains it,” Sky muttered. He stripped off his shirt and turned in his chair. On his shoulder, beneath a crimson loftwing tattoo, was an indistinct mark. “Sun noticed it the other day,” he explained. “I thought it was just a bruise from sparring, but it's been getting darker instead of fading. I can't quite tell what it is yet, though.”

“Give it a week,” Legend said. “The tattoo- unit insignia?”

“Yeah. Senior airman, Crimson wing. I usually handle transport on missions.”

“Good to know.”

Four frowned, relaxing a bit now that his head was clearer and everyone seemed to be taking this in stride, tea in front of him. So he had started bonding. With Sky. Before, Legend had said that it was aspect specific, in a way. The individual voices had calmed down, more indistinct and calm when they spoke, so he didn't pay them much attention. He was rather curious which aspect had bonded to the pilot, but asking might set them off again, so he didn't. The guide poked his eggs, made over medium so he could dip his toast into them. They had remembered, which brought a warm feeling to his chest and he found his frown relaxing as he picked up his toast.

The Chain devolved into chatter after that, with Sky telling a story from his latest date with Sun. Link asked the occasional question when someone he couldn’t quite remember was mentioned; Twilight filled him in in a quiet voice while Wind pulled up pictures on his slate.

At the head of the table, where Time usually sat, Malon watched as the red ring reappeared in Legend’s eyes. He and Ravio had a quiet conversation of their own in Lolian, one she could guess the gist of, and her heart ached at the wistfulness in her nephew’s voice.

You’re done running, liebchen, she thought. You’ve finally found a home, and I am going to make damned sure you get to stay in it, even if I have to get the goddesses themselves involved.

Across the room, green eyes rose to meet hers. Ravio studied her, then nodded once and went back to his conversation.