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minty-mumbles · 2 years

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Honor in the Braids

Summary: Everyone keeps their hair long in Wild’s Hyrule. Everyone braids their hair in Wild’s Hyrule. Everyone except Wild.

Author Notes: This fic was heavily inspired by three other fics. Check out the end notes on AO3 for links. @bunnyambushed you asked if I could tag you in this when I finally posted this fic, so here you go! :)

CW: Emotional Self Harm/Implied Self Harm

(Read on AO3)

~~~

Link, now called Wild, ran his eyes appraisingly over his new companions’ hair, and promptly shoved all his assumptions into a tiny box in his mind labeled “cultural differences.”

He could tell that tiny box is going to get very full, very quickly.

But really. What a mess their hair is. The youngest’s was still crusted with sea salt, and the one with the pink streak in his hair was hiding a rat's nest under that hat of his. And wasn’t that pink streak interesting? Wild itched to ask how he had managed to dye his hair like you would dye clothing, but knew it wasn’t his place. He wondered if it symbolized anything.

At least the captain kept his hair sleek and well managed, but something told Wild that doing so was considered unusual.

Because surely it wasn’t possible for every single one of these heroes to be as dishonorable or disgraced as he was? Surely they had not all failed?

It made more sense to assume that hair simply wasn’t as important in their culture, and leave it at that.

~~~

“Your hair’s getting a bit long, even for me.” Four’s words were said in jest, nothing more than a light joking tone. Wild knew that. That didn’t mean it didn’t hurt. He could only hear the sting of the words, the hidden meaning of “You don’t deserve to wear your hair long. Look at what’s become of Hyrule, look at what happened to the people who were under your care. Do you think you deserve it?”

Wild knew there was no hidden meaning. Four was just teasing him. The smithy’s hair barely brushed his shoulders, and even that seemed to be considered long for men in the other heroes' eras. Of course, they would tease him for the oddity.

He did his best not to react, deliberately not looking up from his slate. He wasn’t actually reading anything or taking stock of his inventory, but if he pretended to not be interested in the conversation, maybe they would leave him alone. “Everyone keeps their hair long in my Hyrule. It’s normal.”

Wild could see Wind tilting his head like a confused puppy out of the corner of his eye. “Eh? Everybody? But what about your Zelda? You showed us a picture of her, and hers is short!”

Wild nodded. “Yes, Zelda keeps her hair very short. For personal reasons.” That managed to shut the conversation down quickly.

The group was fairly comfortable with each other at this point. They had shared many secrets with each other. (Wild especially didn’t like keeping information about his journey a secret. His skin already told a good portion of it without him even having to open his mouth.) However, that didn’t mean that the group didn’t value privacy. No one ever pushed for a story that someone didn’t want to tell.

~~~

“You know, I’m surprised that you can keep your hair so neat.”

Wild took a deep breath in, before turning to face the captain.

Cultural differences. He breathed out deeply. Cultural differences. He means no offense.

“What makes you say that?” If the captain saw through his thin attempts to keep his cool, he gave no indication of it.

“Your hero title is the Hero of the Wilds, and it shows. You really are quite the wild young man. I don’t think you bathe even once a week,” Here, he was met with an unamused stare from Wild. They called him Wild, but at least he was civilized enough not to comment on other people’s bathing habits. “Yet, you keep your hair so clean and you brush it every day, multiple times. Why?”

Sometimes, Wild cursed the Goddess for instilling curiosity into all her heroes, because he did not want to explain.

These heroes knew about his failures, and seemed not to judge him for them. But he did not want to explain how important hair was to him. He did not want to explain the stigma behind unbraided hair. He did not want to explain what Zelda was doing to herself by cropping her hair short. He did not want to explain how he just… didn’t want to braid his hair. Years of muscle memory from before the Calamity urged him to do so. But he just didn’t want to.

His hair was sacred, and he would honor himself, and his ancestors, and his goddess enough to keep it clean. But he didn’t want to keep it braided.

Would they understand?

Could they?

He stared at Warriors long enough that the Captain started to look uncomfortable as Wild tried to figure out what to say. He could just tell him the truth, let the words spill from his lips. But he didn’t want to do that either. Warriors wouldn’t understand. None of them would understand.

~~~

The heat of the fire made the already sweltering day even less tolerable. Sweat pricked on the back of his neck, and he wished he had pulled his hair back into a ponytail before he had started working. He was in the middle of peeling carrots, and his hands were stained orange, and were grimy from the leftover dirt on the vegetables. He wouldn’t dare touch his hair with the state his hands were in right now.

So he would just have to deal with it.

He hunched his shoulders, trying to keep his hair from spilling over his shoulders and into his work, but with every motion he made, more strands escaped. He growled slightly.

His annoyance did not go unnoticed.

When Wind approached him from behind, Wild wasn’t bothered. He trusted these men, and he knew Wind wasn’t going to do anything. If anything, Wind was probably going to throw himself across Wild’s back, sling his arms around his neck, dramatically ask if dinner was done yet- despite it very clearly not being done- and generally make a nuisance of himself.

The first touch that came on the top of Wild’s head, with Wind’s fingers carding through his hair, made Wild tense. Wind continued, as if Wild was not suddenly strung tighter than a taut bow string.

Wild forced his words out, suddenly hypervigilant of the presence at this back. “What are you doing, Wind?” The boy wouldn't go through this ruse just to prank him, right? Wild knew that. Of course Wind wouldn't do that.

The boy liked pranks as much as the next person, but everyone in the group knew how touchy Wild was about his hair, even if they didn’t know why. Wind wouldn’t do anything to it, no matter how much the group teased him about cutting his long hair.

Knowing that didn't let Wild to relax, though. He didn’t think anyone else had ever touched his hair. No one had dared. Not even Zelda. Should he be allowing this? It seemed too private. But, then, it was just Wind. Wind, who was all but a little brother to him.

Wind’s response was light and relaxed, no doubt deliberately so. Wild’s tense back would give away his unease to anyone looking at him. “I’m gonna braid your hair! I do it for Arryl all the time, so you don’t have to worry about me messing it up or getting it tangled!”

Wild’s breath barely left his body, and on autopilot, he heard himself responding. “Oh. I had never thought of braiding it…” Wind hummed in acknowledgement, and continued to chatter away about his sister, but Wild wasn’t listening.

He had, in fact, thought of braiding his hair. He had spent hours considering it. His fingers twitched every morning, desperate to perform the routine that he had become so familiar with before the Calamity. His fingers remembered the motions of making a knight’s braid intimately, even if his brain didn't know it. He did not doubt that if he let himself, he would be able to pull his hair back into a respectable form.

He had never let himself give in to the urge, though.

He brushed his hair every morning and night, and allowed himself a simple ponytail for practical reasons. But that was all he allowed himself.

His lack of embellishments marked his shame. He was nothing, no one. He had no part to speak of, no family to claim him. He had won no great battles, at least not in his eyes.

Even the youngest child had something - a braid that symbolized that they were a child, loved and protected, or their family’s plait.

No Wild, though. He had no family left, and certainly no family plait.

He really should have shorn himself for the shame he had brought on his family. He should have given himself the ultimate shame for the pain and suffering and destruction that he had allowed to befall the kingdom. Zelda herself had cut her hair short enough that it barely brushed her shoulders.

No one had seen her slip a small knife into her pocket the first time she was allowed to go for a walk alone after the Calamity was defeated. Paya had shrieked in horror when Zelda had returned, her hair as short as a child’s. Wild had come running at the yell, hand already gripping the hilt of his sword. He had expected monsters to have somehow found their way into Impa’s house. What he found was almost worse than what he expected.

Zelda had confided in him, much later. They had been sitting on the bank of a quick-moving stream, watching the remnants of Zelda’s once again freshly cut hair drift away. She cut it every few months, to keep the hair from reaching her shoulders.

She knew Impa disapproved, she said. She knew that Paya sometimes couldn’t look at her directly, hiding her horrified expression whenever Zelda returned from cutting her hair. She knew no one else understood, save Wild. She had given him a wobbly smile when she said that.

Her position as the last royal in Hyrule demanded that she keep it long enough to braid her hair in the crown style, she said. Otherwise she would have no hair. But she allowed herself no jewelry, not ribbons, or flowers. She allowed herself no other braids speaking of her triumphs or achievements.

The defeat of the Calamity came too late to save anyone. It was a pyrrhic victory at best. It deserved no celebration.

Wild felt the same. So he allowed himself no braids. He kept his hair long only out of respect for his predecessors. So as to not besmirch their legacy with a hero who had to shave his head, to spare the legacy of the hero that ultimate shame.

Now he comes to find out none of them had hair much longer than Zelda’s.

How ironic.

He’s shaken out of his thoughts by his hand mechanically reaching for the next carrot, only to find the pile gone. Wind seemed to have realized he wasn’t listening, and had fallen silent, concentrating on his task.

Wild remained crouched, letting Wind finish his work before he stood to tend to the pots boiling over the fire. His knife dangled loosely in his grip as he let the oh-so-unfamiliar-familiar movements of someone tugging on his hair lull him. The motions were so familiar, and something welled up in his mind. It was a familiar mental pressure that signaled a memory trying to break through. He hesitated for a moment, uncertain on whether he should shrug it off or let himself fall into it and discover a part of his past.

After a moment more, he gave in.

“Remember, sweetheart, your hair is your pride. Wear it long, and keep it clean. Keep your braids straight and even, and we’ll always be with you.” The voice was like honey, so close to his ears as calloused hands carded through his hair. Everything was warm. The hands, the voice, the fire burning low in front of him, and Link himself.

“Yes, Mama.”

The memory was short, and when he came back to the present, no one had even realized he had left at all. His hand shot up involuntarily to pat the top of his head. Wind made a disgruntled noise, but let him be. Wild’s fingers brushed experimentally against neat sections of hair.

Some weak, shivering part of Wild, hidden deep within himself, made him want to curl up and cry.

“Alright,” Wind declared after only a few more minutes. Wild wonders for a moment where Wind got the hair tie from, before remembering what the sailor had said about his sister. “It’s all done! Oh, wait-” Wild watched as the sailor scrambled over to Legend’s pack, and stole his mirror shield, lugging it back to Wild. Legend called out in protest, but his voice held no real anger and the veteran quickly turned back to his conversation with Time, so Wind paid him no mind. “Here! Look!”

Wild took the shield as it was thrust into his arms, and held it up automatically.

His hair was woven into a four-strand type of braid that was traditional for young preteen children. It was neatly done, for all the meaning of the braid itself didn’t serve him. None of his sideburns or front sections of his hair were let loose. All the strands of his hair were pulled back neatly. Nothing was left out of the braid for him to braid in victory braids or family plait.

It wasn’t a half-bad job, really. Wild wanted to laugh at the ill-fitting braid, but instead he smiled wobbly at Wind, handing back the shield. “Thank you.” Wind beams at him, and wanders back to return the shield to Legend. He’s pulled into a conversation with Warriors, and Wild is left alone.

Well, he’s not really alone. He has eight friends to keep him company, after all.

Would it ever make up for those he lost, he wondered?

~~~

The second time Wild tried to bring his companions to a town in his Hyrule, he ran into a bit of an issue.

The first time hadn’t been a big deal. They had been dropped at the entrance to Rito village. They had scared Muzli, the guard stationed there, half to death. Wild had apologized profusely to him for the abrupt entrance, and led the rest of the heroes to the inn for the night.

They had been swept away through another portal before they had time to make it to another village. Wild hadn't bothered to think of the state of his companions' hair then. Not when no one in Rito Village would think about it either. Most of the Rito probably wouldn’t even notice, and those who did would just think it strange. (The Rito, of course, did not follow the same traditions as Hylians did involving hair, as they didn’t have any.)

The second time, the portal dumped them right onto Kakariko Bridge. It was still early in the day, leaving them plenty of time to make it to Kakariko before the sunset, leaving them with no need to head to Dueling Peaks Stable for the night

They were halfway to the town before the realization struck Wild. There was absolutely no way he could take the others into the middle of the Sheikah town the way they looked.

The realization had him stopping in his tracks at the front of the group, mouth hanging open in shock at his own absentmindedness.

Hyrule, who had been trailing after him and chatting with Sky, bumped into him before he realized the Champion had stopped moving. “Wild? Why’d you stop?”

Wild buried his face in his hands, groaning slightly. By then, the rest of the heroes had caught up to them, and had noticed his distress. “I can't believe I forgot.” He offered by way of an explanation, although it wasn’t a very good one. It was true, though. He himself had been so shocked at their appearance when they had first met, he couldn’t believe he had become adjusted to it so quickly.

Going back to the stable wasn’t really an option either, and he really did need to speak to Impa. They would need to go to Kakariko, which meant…

“Does everyone have cloaks?“ There was a general murmur of agreement that they did, although they all sounded confused. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky, there was no reason for cloaks. Despite their confusion, Wild was able to relax for a moment.

Wild always wore his cloak around both Kakariko and Hateno, and more recently, Tarry Town. People knew who he was, knew of his refusal to braid his hair. Most were willing to overlook it- he was the hero, after all. He wore the cloak nonetheless, as he found it made people more at ease when they couldn’t see his unwoven locks.

All nine of them wearing cloaks when it wasn’t cold or raining would get them weird looks, but it would be better than not being let into the inn because they looked like a group of mercenaries, or cultists, or Yiga spies. They wouldn’t have the excuse of being the Hero for their appearance.

He was pulled out of his relieved thoughts by Wind’s voice. “Um, I don’t have a cloak. Why?” Wild stared at Wind, his mind running a mile an hour. The situation didn’t call for this much panic. He could just have the group stay put for a little bit, and run ahead to buy Wind a cloak at the store in Kakariko, but something about it made his heart stutter in his chest.

He knew his obvious agitation was making the other heroes uneasy. But Wild didn’t really know what to say. He didn’t know how to explain why it was important that they cover their hair, why Wild himself didn’t really need to. Would cloaks even be enough to hide their hair? Probably not. The front part of their hair would still hang out of the hood, and it would draw attention.

Wind tried again after receiving no reply. “My cloak ripped a little while ago. I was gonna buy a new one in the next town we visit. Why does it matter? It doesn’t look like it’s gonna rain.”

“You’ll need it to get into town. Here,” Wild was ushering them along the path before they could even protest. Just around the bend, there was a break in the tall cliffs alongside the path, leading to a small space that, a year ago, had belonged to a camp of bokoblins that had stolen Hetsu’s Maracas. The clearing was far enough off-road that it would keep them out of the sight of any possible travelers coming along the road. With only a few more words of explanation, he was gone, headed into town at a sprint.

~~~

“Thank you so much,” He said to the shopkeeper breathlessly. She had startled when he had come bursting into the shop, asking for a cloak several sizes too small for him, but she had complied easily.

He hesitates before he leaves, thinking of something else that he might need. Then he leaned back over the counter, voice dropping to be a little quieter for his next request.

~~~

The others had dispersed through the clearing while Wild was away. Hyrule and Time looked up from where they were sitting at the base of a tree when he passed, but Wild didn’t pay attention to them, slowing to a stop in front of where Legend and Wind were talking, brandishing the cloak he had bought. The one he had gotten was a lovely dark blue. It was made more for rain than to keep out the cold, but Wild had figured that would be more useful to the sailor in the long run.

“Here, put it on.”

Wind opened his mouth to protest or to question him, but must have seen something in Wild’s eyes that made him hesitate. He took the cloak, slinging it over his shoulder and fastening the clasp. Wild ran an inspecting eye over him. He had purposefully gotten one that would be a little too big for the sailor, making the hood fall in front of his face a bit. The cloak would probably need to be hemmed. Wind could grow into it and let down the hem as he needed to.

“Where’s your hair ties?” Wild questioned after he had satisfied himself.

“My pack,” Wind answered, already digging through his bag, “Why? Do you need some?”

“No, you do.” Wild replied, taking the hair ties from Wind, then gesturing for him to turn his head so Wild could get at his hair.

Wind frowned at him, as squiggly as always, and didn’t move. “Why would I need to use my hair ties? I only keep them for Arryl! My hair isn’t that long, and I’m not a girl, anyways!”

“Yeah,” Legend interjected from where he stood, arms crossed and frowning at Wild. His face was pinched, like he was staring at a puzzle he couldn’t solve. “What's all this about?”

Wild rubbed the back of his neck, sheepishly. He had gotten so caught up in his own head that he had sort of forgotten that the others would have no frame of reference to his actions. His actions would look strange to the others, especially when he’s been less than forthcoming with information about this, in the past and today. It made sense the others would be getting concerned. He had to tell them.

“Remember when I said it was normal for people in my Hyrule to keep their hair long?” Receiving nods, he continued. “Well, it’s more like everyone does. Everyone. All the time. People only cut their hair in extreme circumstances. Usually bad ones. Or you might get your hair cut as punishment for a crime. You guys really can’t go walking into a town like that, especially if you want to get into the inn or speak to Impa.”

“There's not a lot we can do about that,” Time interjected, having stood up from where he was sitting with Hyrule. “And besides that, it’s not our custom to keep our hair long, or braided.”

“I know,” Wild said, mentally pleading for them to understand. “I’m not saying you have to grow it out, but I mean it when I say you can’t walk into town like that. Especially a Sheikah town. You literally won’t be let in anywhere. The cloaks are to hide your hair length.”

“It’s that serious?” Wild heard Warriors quietly mutter to Twilight from where they had gravitated toward the conversation. Most of the others had joined now, and Wild tried not to shrink inwards at all the eyes on him.

Wild gestured again for Wind to turn, and the sailor finally complied, twisting his head to the side so Wild could get at the hair framing his face more easily. Wild went to work. He didn't even have to think about what braid to give him. A sailor’s braid was the obvious choice. As far as Wild remembered, he had never woven this braid himself, but he had seen it plenty of times in Lurelin, and it wasn’t that hard to recreate.

As he worked, Wind stared at him curiously out of the corner of his eye. “Okay, so the cloaks are to hide our hair, but what about these braids? Why do I have to have one?”

“You all do,” Wild plowed ahead, interrupting any protests. “Listen, it’s just for a little bit. The length of the hair isn’t the only important thing? They don’t mean anything bad, okay? The one I’m giving Wind means that he’s a sailor.” He drew away from, having finished and tied off Wind’s braid.

Wind reached up, feeling at his hair. “Wow, really? They have different meanings? That’s cool!”

Wild left him to his exploration and turned towards Legend, raising an eyebrow. Besides Wild and Four, Legend probably had the longest hair out of the group. Legend scowled, but nodded. Wild took hold of one of Legend’s sideburns- the one that was stained pink- and started his work. (Wild still wondered what caused the odd color, but refrained himself from asking at the moment.)

For Legend, Wild decided to give him a braid that signified magical powers. Zelda had worn it before the Calamity, Wild remembered. (She had always felt guilty for it, as she had never exhibited any magical power.) Wild himself had even worn it on occasion, before. His ability to slow time was not the most flashy power, but he still had it, so he had worn the braid occasionally. Legend was much more dedicated to channeling his magic through items and weapons, but he was still incredibly powerful. That was something to be celebrated.

“Why, though?” Legend asked “Why is it so important that we do this?”

The constant questions prickled at Wild’s skin. He didn't begrudge them for being curious. Wild was asking them to do something that was very out of the ordinary, at least to them. He understood they had questions. But it felt like the questions were making him tiptoe around a topic he really had no desire to speak with anyone about, much less the other heroes. He didn’t want them to know what he was doing.

Not that he was really doing anything. The opposite, really. That was kind of the point.

His hands stalled halfway through making Legend’s braid, as he tried to think of how to explain to someone who had no context to the practice of hair braiding. ”Is it sort of a religious thing? I think, at least…”

Wild sighed, frustrated. He figured he could just start from the beginning. “Not everyone keeps their hair as long as they possibly can. Some keep it a little shorter for practical reasons. Fighters, farmers, and other physical laborers. But everyone keeps it long enough to braid it. The braids tell others who you are. It’s your identity being shown for the world to see, a way to celebrate and be proud of who you are. Your family plait, braids for different professions, different ages, different roles that people play in society.’

“It’s not just your identity, also. There are braids for winning great victories in battle, or personal victories, for marriages, pretty much anything. People who don’t wear braids make others wary, because it’s a sign you don’t really belong anywhere. Having your hair cut as punishment is a sign that society has deemed you unfit to participate in the tradition.”

“But your Zelda cuts her hair short, doesn’t she?” Hyrule seemed to regret the question the moment he finished speaking, realizing it may be a sensitive topic.

Wild shook his head, frowning. “That’s none of your business.” No one protested how abruptly he shut down that line of questioning.

“So that’s why you have to keep the length of your hair hidden while you're in the village. Not only could they think you're criminals, but criminals aren’t the only people who have short hair. The Yiga, for one example, cut their hair short as a sign that they’ve severed ties with the goddess, and worship the Calamity.” The others stay silent at that explanation. They were all aware of the Yiga; Wild had told them as a precautionary measure the first time they had landed in his Hyrule. Needless to say it had not gone over well. It was still a bit of a touchy subject. Wild could understand. If any of the others were hunted by a cult of assassins, he wouldn’t be happy either.

“I’m weaving your hair because most people have their family plaits, at least, framing their faces. It’ll seem strange if you don’t and I don’t want people to have any reason to look closer.” Wild continued when no one said anything, finally realizing he had been staring at the half-done braid in his hand the whole time he had been speaking, and continued with that too. “You probably wouldn’t be kicked out if people saw- I wasn't the first time I wandered in, and my hair was atrocious,” Wild took a moment to grimace in embarrassment, before moving on, “But you won’t be able to speak to Impa, or go into any of the shops or the inn.”

Time spoke up, voice heavy with interest. “And you can't vouch for us?”

Wild shook his head vehemently. “No. The only reason people allow me to get away with it is because everyone knows I’m the hero. I sort of get a pass, and even then people treat me… differently.” (He definitely should not have said that. Several of the other heroes did not look happy about that.) “I really don’t want to explain that you have different cultural ideals about hair because you’ve time traveled, and I doubt anyone would believe me anyways.” Time nodded his assent, looking disappointed, but not surprised.

The next to speak was Legend. “You said it was religious practice, though. What’s that about?”

Wild considered for a moment. “Well, the practice itself isn’t really religious, but taking out your braids is seen as a very intimate thing. People do it when they’re at home, but also when they’re praying. It's a way to bare yourself in front of the gods. Hair in general is… sacred, in a way. It’s a very personal thing to let someone touch your hair, and unless you are unable to do so, the only person who should be cutting it is yourself.”

When no one else asked another question, Wild let himself relax for a moment, glad the interrogation was over. “So, that’s kind of the gist of it.” He let out a gusty sigh.

Well, no one, until- “What about you? Why don’t you wear braids?” It was Legend who asked, although WiId had no doubt the rest of them were thinking it. Of course Legend was the one to ask. He’d never been one to shy away from difficult topics

“I haven’t needed any until now. I’ll do mine after I do all of yours.” It was the truth, just not the whole truth. He still didn't technically need to. The Sheikah had grown used to his unbraided hair, but he knew he had to give himself one to appease the others. It wasn’t fair to ask them to adhere to his culture if he wasn’t even participating.

The other heroes weren’t stupid. They all knew there was more to it than that, more that he wasn’t telling them. But the excuse would get them off his back and give him a chance to think of what braid he would give himself to appease them. The rest of them dispersed slowly after that, sitting against the trunks of nearby trees, or going to admire the view from the seer drop-off nearby.

He allowed himself to become lost in thought.

Who even was he? Who could he claim to be? A knight? No, definitely not. He wasn’t a knight anymore. He served no one, much less any non-existent military or monarchy.

Could he claim to be a hero? Wild didn’t like to think so, but these venerated heroes of the past seem to have accepted him as one of them, and seemed to have absorbed him into their ranks.

Could he claim to be his parents’ child? Not anymore. He couldn’t even remember them, besides snippets. He didn’t know if he wanted to remember them. They were too far away for him to reach, trapped in the past he couldn’t ever go back to. It would only bring him pain. It would only bring him heartbreak.

What was he?

What was notable about himself that was solely his own, and not something gifted to him by his parents, by the king, by Hylia herself?

Anything that he used before the Calamity wasn’t applicable anymore. He had forgotten everything, everyone. He had rebuilt himself from the ground up, dragging himself up from a stumbling child to a sure-footed traveler.

He was no longer the skilled swordsman he was before. He had instead turned towards the bow, leaning into the long-range weapon that was more useful for keeping a single traveler alive in his Hyrule.

That was something he was. He was an archer. He had picked up a bow with only a vague idea of what it was, and taught himself how to use it. Missed shot after missed shot, bokoblin after bokoblin, he had perfected his craft, a symbol of his determination to reshape himself- not as a hero, but as Link.

He couldn’t call himself a hero, but he could call himself an archer.

By the time he had made his decision, he had worked through most of the others. He’s glad for the hair ties he asked the shopkeeper for. Wind’s couple of ties wouldn’t have been enough for all of them.

He had given Warriors and Sky a knight’s braid, of course. Time was given a farmer’s braid. He had seemed to appreciate it over something that represented his fighting skills, when Wild had told him what it represented. Twilight got the same.

Before Wild couldn’t move onto Hyrule, Twilight grasped him gently by the wrist. “Wild, we’re okay with doing this to blend into your Hyrule, but I just wanted to ask if you were alright with doing this. If this is a Sheikah custom, they shouldn’t be forcing it on you too. I think we’ve all noticed you're very particular about your hair. You never braid it, but now…” Twilight trailed off when he saw the look his words created on Wild’s face.

“No,” The denial was automatic, but as he fruitlessly tried to find the words. He finally settled on. “It’s a Hylian thing too.”

Twilight released his grip on Wilds wrist, seemingly assured he wouldn’t move away. His brows furrowed. “Then you…”

“I just don’t.” Wild settled on the simplest answer. The easiest one. It was true. He just didn’t. Did they really need to know why?

Twilight nodded slowly, “Alright. You’ve just been acting very…” His scowl deepened for a moment, although Wild knew his frustration probably wasn’t directed at him. The rancher ran his hand through his hair, sweeping back his bangs. “You can talk to any of us about this, you know that, right?” Wild could read between the lines of Twilight’s words. I’m gonna leave this alone for now, but I don’t believe you when you say you’re fine.

He nodded mutely, and Twilight moved away from him, quickly being replaced by Hyrule. Wild’s hands started moving through the traveler’s hair automatically, not paying attention to Hyrule's worried gaze on him.

~~~

“Oh, Link…” Paya’s voice was soft. It wasn’t quite pity; it was the opposite, really. There was a sort of awe in her voice that Wild couldn’t place. Paya reached a hand out towards his hair- towards the archer’s braid he had put in his hair- and Wild couldn’t stop himself from twitching away from her. Paya gave him that familiar nervous smile of hers, and let her hand drop.

“I think… um, I’m glad that- that you found- some people to travel with.” She nodded firmly at him, her own braid swayed with her movements. As far as Wild could remember, that particular braid meant that she was the heir to a noble family, which would demark her position as Impa’s heir. After a moment’s pause, she moved to continue past him to her grandmother’s house, tossing a significant look over her shoulder as she did.

~~~

Wild drew his fingers through his hair, carding out the single braid until his hair was straight again. His movements were slow and contemplative.

He knew one or more of the other heroes were probably watching him from where they sat by the fire, but he also knew that prayer was considered a private thing in most, if not all of their Hyrules, and they would turn away when they realized what he was doing.

He picked up the hair tie from where he had set it in his lap when he took it out, and placed it on the long, low table between the statue and him. The single tie looked pathetic on the table. It was big enough to have room for more adornments than Wild could imagine using. Even before- before the calamity, before his death- he had never had enough ornaments in his hair to fill a table like this.

For a moment, he wondered how he knew that, before a memory began to nudge at the back of his conciseness. This time he doesn't hesitate to allow it to overtake his mind.

His hands are practiced and steady as they swiftly remove his braids. One by one, the beads and ties holding them in place are removed and set on the gilded table in front of him.

First comes the main braid falling down his back that marks him as a knight. The blue ribbon and golden bead that declares him as a member of the royal guard are carefully removed and laid in front of him. Then the smaller braid that frames the left side of his face that marks him as a master swordsman.

He leaves that braid on the right side of his face that declares him to be his parent’s son to last, but when he has nothing else to do, he reluctantly unravels that one too, and carefully sets his family bead down on the table.

When he’s finished, he takes a moment to look at his beads and ties laid out on the table he kneels in front of. He’s never used a prayer table as ostentatious as this one before. It’s made of a dark ebony that looks even darker next to the bright golden inlays in the wood. The entire thing is intricately carved. The table is probably worth more than a month of his salary.

It’s nothing to the glamor of the rest of the cathedral, though. Gold glimmers everywhere, glinting in the midday sun that finds its way through the large stained glass windows behind the altar. The ceiling arches high over his head, gloriously painted with the story of Hylia descending to live among mortals during the time of the first chosen hero.

His breath sounds too loud in the large space. His heart beat rushing in his ears drowns out the sounds of shuffling and coughs from the nobles who sit in the pews behind where he and Zelda kneel. The King sits there too, and Link feels himself straighten up subconsciously at the thought of the King watching him.

Zelda takes much longer than him to finish unbraiding and brushing out her hair.

Her hair is longer than his. She is a princess, with more time in her day to spend on formalities such as brushing it and braiding it, and he is a knight who needs to keep his hair a slightly shorter length than most people. To do otherwise was simply asking for trouble on the battlefield. Not only that, but she has many more ornaments than he would ever need.

He knows the meaning of some of them, while others are a mystery to him. The one braid she’s working on right now has four beads woven into it. Each of the beads were gifted to her by the different tribes of Hyrule. One from the Gerudo, one from the Gorons, one from the Zora, and one from the Rito. They showed their support of the young princess, and symbolized their loyalty to her future reign.

Link feels slightly awkward waiting for her to finish. He’s not sure what to do while he waits, or where to look. It feels wrong to look at her while she unbraids her hair. It’s too vulnerable and intimate. Things like this should be kept for the privacy of your own home, or at the very least, your own bunk in the barracks, where the other recruits have the decency to look away. Not here in a cathedral with scores of people looking on. But then again, Zelda is a princess. She's been doing ceremonies like this her entire life. She’s probably more than used to it by now.

He lets his eye fall on the stony visage of Hylia that stares back down at him while he waits- it seems like the safest place to look- and tries to forget the many other stares burning into his back.

He shivered slightly when he snapped back to the present. It had cooled down significantly since he went under, and a brisk breeze was blowing against his chilled skin. This memory seemed to have lasted a bit longer than the first, for the air to have cooled off this much, but the sun had not yet set, so it couldn’t have been too long.

It was an odd feeling. He was once more in Hylia’s sight, bare and unlabeled. He was no longer Link, the warrior, the knight, the hero. He is no longer Link, his mother’s son. He is no longer Link, lover of the Zora princess. He is just Link, himself.

Somehow, he felt ten times as bare and open and vulnerable before the goddess here, in a small shrine within a small village, with a small audience- if anyone was watching him at all- then he did in that great cathedral, with seemingly half the world looking on.

This was not the first time he had prayed to Hylia, but it was the first time he had ever had use of the table in front of her shrine.

He does not know how spiritual he had been before he died. He doesn’t even know if he had ever prayed to the goddess of his own accord, and not as part of some ceremony. But then he had woken up in that tomb, somehow stumbled into the Temple on the Great Plateau, and found that statue of Hylia.

It was smaller than the one in his memory, less imposing, but somehow it seemed all the more holy for it. There had been a presence there that he had never felt before, but which seemed overwhelmingly familiar regardless. The face of the statue had been weathered away by a hundred years of rain and wind that seeped into the temple through the ruined walls and roof, but its hazy features had made him straighten up and run a self-conscious hand through his hair.

He hadn’t known why he had felt the urge at the time.

He hadn’t known why the ghost king had looked upon him with such surprise when he first laid eyes on the newly awakened hero.

Now, when he thinks back to his tangled hair, messy from a hundred years of sleep, and wet with the slippery liquid that had filled the Shrine, he cringes.

The ghost king had been kind enough to instruct him to bathe in one of the many shallow ponds on the Plateau. That had at least gotten rid of the clear goo from the shrine, which had still clung to him hours after he crawled his way out of his tomb. He had owned no comb to untangle and straighten his hair, and his fingers were of little use, not with all the knots, but his hair had at least been clean.

The cleanliness had not lasted long after he had gotten off the plateau. Wild didn’t even want to think about what he must have looked like when he wandered into Kakariko.

At the time, he hadn’t understood why Dorian had refused to let him up the stairs to Impa’s house.

Paya had been the one to get Dorain to let him up the stairs, insisting that he did in fact, need to speak to Impa, quite urgently, and she would be more than enough to protect her grandmother if need be.

He didn't doubt she would have been able to protect Impa. Paya was a shy girl, and remained flustered around him to this day, but she was the granddaughter to the leader of the last remnants of the Sheikah. The Sheikah were a warrior people, and Paya was not an exception. She was more than a match for him, most days. Back then, when he was still weak from the shrine, all skinny, and learning to provide for himself, and skittish of people in general, Wild had no doubt she would have been able to protect Impa had he had tried anything

Regardless, it was a miracle they had let him talk to Impa in the state he had been in.

Since then, he’d learned. Partly from his memories, and partly from the kindness of Dorain, Paya, Bolson, and others, he had learned why it was important to keep himself presentable, to brush his hair, and keep it clean, even if he refused to braid it.

He knew they disapproved of him wearing it unbraided.They thought he had done nothing to strip him of that right.

It didn’t matter what they thought. It was his hair. It was his choice.

He bowed his head over his single hair tie, and started his prayers.

~~~

Zelda found him later.

She approached only after he had finished praying, and had sat himself on the edge of the small island the goddess statue rested on. He had no doubt that she had already introduced herself to the other heroes in the meantime. Or rather, interrogated them. No doubt she was bursting with questions. He had tried to preemptively answer as many as he could them in the letter he had sent to her when the group had visited Rito Village, but he had no doubt she had come up with more.

When she sat down though, she didn’t interrogate him, instead sitting silently next to him. When he finally looked up from the water, he saw she wore a single pearl strung on a thin silver chain.

She was not wearing it as a necklace.

The chain was woven into her crown of hair, the pearl coming to rest in the middle of her forehead.

It wasn't a crown. Not really. But it was close enough. Everyone would know what it meant.

“Sidon gave it to me,” She admitted. “He asked me… if I would wear it. I said yes,” She rushed on with her words, as if she thought Wild was going to interrupt her. “He doesn't understand the true importance of wearing braids, but he understands a little about wearing crowns… about the weight of the kingdom resting on you. And he didn’t even ask me to grow my hair out, he only asked me to wear one pearl. Just one.”

She was breathless by the time she finished, and refused to look at Wild, like she was afraid he would tell her she wasn’t worthy of this. As if he would be angry with her for healing, when he himself didn’t know if he could bring himself to.

She was right. Sidon did not share the same traditions as the Hylians and the Sheikah. None of the Zora did. (How could they? None of them had hair. The Gorons, and the Rito were the same. The Gerudo as well. Although they did have hair, they didn’t share very many traditions and practices with Hylians.) Sidon did not understand the tradition. But he did understand the pressure of ruling, the seemingly insurmountable task that Zelda was facing alone. Sidon knew that part of Zelda’s struggles far more intimately than Wild could ever hope to.

Not knowing what he could say. Wild said nothing. He leaned against her, tucking his head into the crook of her neck. Soft strands of her hair tickled his nose. She didn’t push him away, allowing him to stay. Her eyes remained fixed on the ripping water in front of them, which gleamed in the very last rays of the settling sun. She didn’t even seem to be paying attention when her hand automatically lifted and settled itself in his thick locks.

Her hand carded through his hair slowly, working out non-existent tangles. She leaned away from him, and he let her, but instead of standing, or continuing to stare at the water, she turned to him, and motioned for him to face away from her.

He does.

Her fingers were practiced and sure as she worked with his hair. She’s had the duty of braiding her own hair since she was released from the calamity, and her fingers have grown much steadier since she began.

He knows what braid she gives him. He does not ask, and she does not say, but he knows. It is one he has never won before, even before the Calamity, when he had done nothing to earn it yet except draw a sacred sword.

He remains quiet, passive- which he realizes is very unlike himself- when Zelda reaches behind them, takes his hair tie from the prayer table. There's a moment of stillness between them, and neither of them break it, except to settle back together to ward off the evening chill. Wild’s sure they make an odd pair pressed together: a crownless princess with a pearl woven into her hair, and a disgraced knight with the hero’s braid in his hair.

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perereiii · 2 years

Text

loool procrastinating rn

ok you've heard of ledge&wars qpr and ledge&wars&four qpr now I present ledge&sky qpr

warriors' scarf frequently goes missing. the culprit is a touch starved ledge

wars sometimes wakes up to a panic attack bc of the war. he gets fatherly comfort from time (repaying the favour from the war if you want to look at it like that) and snuggles from sky

four n ledge toon stack. that's it that's the post

rule&wind&maybe ledge qpr <3

champion takes pictures of everything. excuse is purah is testing a new unlimited picture rune (bs answer but whatever. it's a deep rooted fear of losing his memories again and this helps him cope)

wars has a scarf for every colour plus one. ledge has taken,, a few. maybe more

rancher hums songs to himself. picked it up from time n now he can't stop

#lu headcanons #linked universe headcanons #linked universe #lu qpr #lu wind #lu legend #lu four #lu hyrule #lu sky #lu time #lu twilight #lu warriors #lu wild #linked universe au #raven rambles

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triforce-of-mischief · 10 months

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Missed You

Summary: Legend pays a much needed visit to Ravio, who is concerned for his partner's well-being.

Word count: 2390

AO3

Relationships: QPR Legend/Ravio

Reblogs > Likes!

The last few days had been nothing but one bad event after another. The group had been temporarily separated, Legend had suffered an injury, and they had no idea where the shadow had escaped to. When the next portal appeared, Legend was pretty sure that every single one of them was expecting the worst.

Which is why, when they stepped out and gathered around a field in front of a familiar castle, Legend allowed himself a triumphant yell.

“That’s my castle! I mean- Fable’s castle. Anyway, I know where we are!”

“Thank the spirits for that,” Twilight said. “Shall we head there, then?”

“My house is right down the road,” Legend pointed out. “Can’t we go there?”

“We don’t know how long we’ll be here,” Time said. “It would be smarter to talk to the princess first while we have the chance. If we get that done before the next portal arrives, I don’t see why we can’t visit your partner after.”

Legend let out an unfortunately incriminating squawk. “Ravio isn’t- I mean, he is, but- you- how-”

“Oh please, it was obvious from the time we first saw you together,” Sky laughed, giving the flustered vet a pat on the back. “You bickered more than Malon and the old man, but we all saw that look in your eyes.”

Legend gripped his skirts, denying his hands the urge to tug his hat over his ears. “Yeah, it took us a while to figure things out, and a lot of it’s happened in our letters since I left, but… that’s what we are.”

“Aw, vet, you’re adorable when you blush,” Wind said, giggling madly.

“You little-”

Sky held Legend back before he could lunge at the brat, and Time stepped between them.

“Maybe we should split up then,” their leader suggested. “Most of us can go to the castle while Legend and the rest go to his house. Sound good?”

All parties nodded and quickly set to work determining who would go where.

“I’d like to meet Fable,” Sky volunteered.

“Do I have to go to a castle?” Hyrule mumbled, and Legend waved him over.

“I want Wars with me,” Legend said. “Knights don’t have the best reputation here yet. It’ll be better for him to lay low.”

That was his only justification, of course. It wasn’t like it was because Legend felt the most comfortable around Warriors regarding his phobia. The incident from a few days ago was far from being fresh on Legend’s mind, and he definitely wasn’t thinking about a conversation with Ravio that he wouldn’t be able to avoid.

Nope.

A few minutes later, and with a rendezvous planned, Legend led his small group of heroes one way while Time and the rest followed the road in the opposite direction. Wild had opted to avoid the castle as well, so Legend had three other heroes trailing behind him.

“Remember: most of my stuff is magical, and most of that is dangerous. So don’t touch anything unless I give you permission.”

“That’s what you said last time,” Hyrule piped up.

“And you touched everything,” Legend said, deadpan. “You’re just lucky that you were only looking at maps while Wind almost cursed himself with a ring.”

“So this time we know what’s safe to touch,” Wild said.

“Nothing,” Legend growled, making sure that Wild’s cheeky grin faded a little. “If you mess anything up, I’ll make you walk to the castle and explain to Fable yourself.”

The group arrived at Legend’s house without further incident, and the others stood back to let Legend knock on the door. It was his house, of course, he had a key, but Ravio was a bit paranoid about thieves.

“It’s me!” Legend yelled. “And a few friends.”

They heard a muffled crash and a startled yelp. “Mister- oof- Mister Hero?!”

Legend took a step back just in time, letting the door whip past the space that his nose had been occupying a moment ago. A purple blur barreled into him, nearly knocking him over, and he felt Warriors’ hand steady him.

“One of these days I’m gonna be dead on my own doorstep,” Legend groaned, but he knew that the others could see his smile.

“I missed you so much,” Ravio said, and Sheerow chirped agreement from his shoulder.

“Missed you too, bun.” Legend matched the intensity of Ravio’s hug, taking a moment to simply enjoy the feeling of holding his partner close. So much had happened in the months they had been apart, but Legend was finally home. He loved adventuring and life on the road, but time spent away made reunions that much better.

“It’s nice to see you again, Ravio,” Warriors said, reminding them that they weren’t alone.

“Oh, of course!” Ravio exclaimed, pulling away from Legend a little so he could properly greet his guests. “It’s always a pleasure to see Mister Captain Hero Sir, and Mister Traveler Hero, and Mister Champion Hero!” The merchant stood on his tip-toes, peeking over Legend to glance over the rest of the yard. “Are your other friends not with you today?”

“The old man thought it best to visit with Fable,” Legend explained, nudging Ravio back down. “And I wanted to check on my house, so we split up.”

“Hmm… and I’m sure your plan has nothing to do with the fact that I’m living here?” Ravio teased, looping his arms around Legend’s shoulders and leaning in to nuzzle his nose. Ignoring his partner’s Ravi please, you’re embarrassing me, the merchant continued, “I suppose I can be persuaded to provide our lovely heroes with some good food! Free of charge, of course.” Legend gave him a look until he added, “And board, for as long as you need to stay. A- also free of charge.”

Hyrule piped up, “If you need rupees, I’m sure we can-”

“No, he’s just kidding,” Legend assured him. “Your rupees are safe, Roolie… I would watch your pockets though. Sheerow has a knack for nicking shiny things.”

Sheerow chittered indignantly.

“So are you gonna let us in, or are we camping out here?” Legend asked, just to see Ravio’s adorable pout.

“You never have any patience, Mister Hero!” Ravio scolded. “Yes, yes, come in already!”

Ravio released Legend, grabbing his hands to pull him into the house. Legend wasn’t prepared for the amount of force his partner used, causing the stitches in his shoulder to send a sharp ache down his arm. He stumbled through the doorway with a yelp, crashing into Ravio who had stopped just as suddenly.

“I’m fine!” Legend said as worry flashed across Ravio’s face. “Just didn’t know we were moving, that’s all.”

Ravio’s eyes flicked to the heroes behind them. He nodded and gave Legend a look before addressing them, his voice suddenly full of fake cheer. “Make yourselves at home, please! Link and I are going to have a quick chat.”

Legend was once again dragged along, though much gentler this time, through his house until Ravio was slamming his bedroom door behind them. The merchant whirled around, wringing his hands and looking Legend up and down. “Where are you hurt?”

“I’m fine, Ravi, really,” Legend tried. “We healed it as much as we could.”

“I won’t believe you until I see it,” Ravio said quietly, staring determinedly at Legend, who finally flinched and reached for his belt.

“Just… I don’t want you to freak out,” Legend explained, struggling to lift his arm properly. Ravio hurried to help, pulling his red outer tunic off and laying it neatly on the bed. “You’re squeamish about these things and I don’t want you to faint or anything.”

“I’m not going to faint, love,” Ravio assured him. “I’m a coward at heart, not faint of heart. Now, where is it?”

Legend sighed, pointing to his injured shoulder. Ravio stepped behind him, pushing the collar of his green tunic aside so he could see. Legend didn’t know exactly what the scar looked like- Four had offered to let him look in a mirror, but he had declined- but Ravio recognized it immediately.

“Stitches?” Ravio gasped, his finger tracing around them.

“Yeah,” Legend said, keeping still so Ravio could see. “Some lucky boko shot me with an arrow and we didn’t have any potions or fairies so we had to do it the dirty way.”

“Were- were you unconscious?”

“No… I only passed out after they finished. I felt everything.” He shivered, remembering how terrible it had felt, how much it had hurt.

“They… wait, who’s they? Who did this to you?” Ravio fixed Legend’s tunic back in place, turning the hero around to face him.

“Wars, Four and Rule… but it isn’t like you think, they didn’t hurt me,” Legend said, then corrected himself. “Well, I mean- they did, but they were… really good about it. I was bleeding pretty badly and Wars took the time to calm me down even a little. He talked me through it while Rule stayed close and Four took care of- of patching it up.”

“It sounds too good to be true,” Ravio breathed.

“I know. I still don’t understand why they were so nice to me, but it seems like Wars isn’t going to let this go quietly. We had a good talk after I woke up, and things are good with Rule and R- Four. Even though they all saw me acting absolutely pathetic and-”

“Oh no you don’t, we’re not doing that.” Careful of his shoulder, Ravio gathered Legend into a hug. “You are my amazing Mister Hero and I’ll never care how scared you are or what you’re afraid of.”

Legend melted into his partner’s embrace, fighting a losing battle to keep himself composed. “Thank you, bun…”

“I just wish I could’ve been there,” Ravio whispered. “I hate knowing that you’re alone and scared out there and not even Sheerow can reach you.”

Legend laughed softly. “Are you kidding? You know how bad you get, neither of us would’ve lasted ten seconds before Warriors would’ve actually had to pin us to the ground. I knew that you would be waiting for me when it was all over, and I was right, yeah?”

“True,” Ravio hummed. “But it’ll take a lot more than common sense to keep me from wanting to help my beloved in his moment of need.”

“You’re impossible…” Legend rested his chin on Ravio’s shoulder, surprising both of them with a wet sniffle.

Ravio tried to pull back and look at Legend, but was thwarted by his partner’s clinginess. “Link?”

“Jus’ missed you,” Legend mumbled.

“We already established that,” Ravio said gently. “Do you need to sit?”

Legend gave a noncommittal hum, content to just be close to Ravio. The merchant took that as a ‘yes’, however, and shuffled over to the bed with Legend still secure in his arms.

Ravio was warm and safe and home, and Legend was crying by the time Ravio eased them down. His partner knew not to pry, simply hugging Legend tight. This only made Legend even more emotional as he attempted to hide his tears and choke back sobs.

“M-missed you.”

Ravio shushed him. “I know, baby.”

Legend hiccupped. “Love you, Ravio.”

“I love you too, Link.” Ravio ran his fingers through Legend’s bangs, wandering up and lingering near the hero’s ear. “This ok?”

“Mhm, yes please.”

Ravio traced light patterns over Legend’s pointed ear, his fingers intermittently slipping behind to provide pleasant scratches to the soft skin there. Legend’s tears slowed as he snuggled into his partner’s comforting touch, and he may or may not have let a happy squeak slip out.

“When Four was working on my shoulder, you know what Wars talked about?” Legend murmured after a while.

“Do tell,” Ravio whispered back.

“He told me about you. He told me all about your habits and personality and skills…” Legend smiled to himself, remembering that small spark of light in the darkness. The happy memories that he had clung to in that moment of fear, now surrounding him in safety once more.

“How much he must have overstated! Only Ravio thinks so much of himself,” the merchant huffed.

“No, it was all true. And I think the world of you too,” Legend said. He hoped that his voice, tired from crying as it was, fully conveyed his sincerity.

“Goodness, Mister Hero… I don’t seem to recall you being quite this sappy during past returns,” Ravio mused, and was Legend imagining the tears in his voice?

“Yeah, well… I guess that’s what happens when something triggers my phobia,” Legend said, then whined when Ravio’s fingers momentarily paused behind his ear.

“That’s a new word,” Ravio said, resuming the gentle scratches.

“Oh, um, Four taught me about it… it’s a fear that’s so severe that it interferes with daily life, and encounters are… really bad. Me and you, we both have trypanophobia- a severe fear of-” even now he had to take a deep breath to prepare himself, “-a severe fear of needles.”

He felt Ravio flinch at the word, and gave him a coo of reassurance before continuing.

“It’s not something that can be cured or dealt with overnight, but Four and Wars claim that there’s a way to come to terms with it. It can take a really long time but they say that if somebody with trypanophobia has a good support system and learns coping techniques… then they’ll be able to face their fear in a healthy way.”

“And you want to try this?” Ravio guessed.

“I’ve been warned that it won’t be easy, but yeah, I do,” Legend said quietly. “Plus, it it works for me, maybe it’ll work for you too. I’ll make sure that you’ll know exactly what’s going to happen before you agree to it.”

“I’d be willing to give it a try… I just hope that it makes things easier for you. Out and about and facing your fears left and right… that’s not the life I want for my dearest bunny.”

“Ravi, you know how I feel about that nickname,” Legend groaned, hiding his grin in the crook of his partner’s neck. “So… do you want to talk to them? After dinner, maybe?”

“Sounds like a plan,” Ravio said, placing a gentle kiss on Legend’s hair. “We’ll get through this, love. Together.”

#linked universe #linkeduniverse #lu #linked universe legend #lu legend #linked universe ravio #lu ravio #legend/ravio #fable writes #overcome #recovering from a rude comment so if you say something nice i will owe you my life #once again this takes place after stitches; plz check ao3 for complete series order

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sleepy-the-loz-enthusiast · 2 months

Note

Sliding into your askbox for your modern AU gender and sexuality headcanons. Also wondering who will be dating who and if there will be any other types of relationships involved.

Hi ! I might've mentioned it before, but not in that much detail so here you go-

This may get a little long... content under the cut for convenience

- Time: Bisexual, gender apathetic but uses he/him pronouns since it's how everyone refers to him, married to Malon

- Warriors: Asexual, trans man, he/they, will eventually be in a qpr with Athena

- Twilight: Bisexual, cisgender, he/him, heavily crushing on Shad and previously dated Ilia

- Sky: Pansexual, demiboy, he/they, in a poly relationship with Groose and Sun

- Legend: Aroace, genderfluid, ask for pronouns first, was somewhat dating Marin then she died, in a qpr with Ravio

- Hyrule: Unlabelled, nonbinary, They/Them, has no real preference

- Wild: Pansexual, any pronouns, doesn't really understand the difference between platonic and romantic attraction or gender in general. Bro just exists

- Four: Gay, masculine leaning nonbinary, they/them, has an ex boyfriend that went missing (they've still not recovered)

- Wind: Questioning... everything

- Dusk: Lesbian, cisgender, she/her, married for political reasons but in love with Midna

- Lullaby/Sheik: Bisexual, bigender, she/her or he/him, currently single but is rumoured to have dated Time in the past

- Athena: Aroace, demigirl, she/they, too busy for that stuff, will eventually be in a qpr with Warriors

- Sun: Bisexual, cisgender, she/her, in a poly relationship with Sky and Groose

- Fable: Closeted lesbian, questioning gender, she/her??

- Flora: Questioning, cisgender, she/her, had a crush on Wild in the past

- Dawn: Aroace, demigirl, she/they, more interested in friendship than anything else for now

- Dot: Bisexual, nonbinary, they/them, has a girlfriend

- Tetra: Bisexual, cisgender, she/her, doesn't have time for romantic relationships but still feels attraction

- Malon: Bisexual, cisgender, she/her, married to Time

- Groose: Bisexual, cisgender, he/him, in a poly relationship with Sky and Sun, nobody believes he likes men

- Shad: Gay, demiboy, he/they, heavily crushing on Twilight

- Ashei: Lesbian, cisgender, she/her, dating Ilia

- Ilia: Bisexual, cisgender, she/her, dating and very much in love with Ashei

- Midna: Lesbian, demigirl, she/they, likes flirting with Dusk but her own feelings are undecided

Ravio: Gay, trans guy, he/him, in a qpr with Legend

Ganondorf: Straight cis man.

I probably missed a few characters but if I did please let me know and I hope you liked these !! Have a nice existence

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arecaceae175 · 1 year

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LU Gender and Sexuality Headcannons

These are what I default to for the Chain, but I genuinely love any amount/style of queerness for any of them 💞🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️

Time:

Agender. Not a single clue what gender is

Either he/him or xe/xem

He/him bc he doesn't have enough of a connection to any gender to correct people when they assume

Xe/xem because no gender present

Asexual, doesn’t care to name romantic identity bc Time only loves Malon

Twilight

Demiboy

He/they

Bisexual, biromantic

Sky

Bigender

He/she

Pansexual, panromantic, polyamorous

In a polyamorous relationship with Sun and Groose!

Wild

Trans man before the calamity

Genderfluid now

Pronouns change, usually the same set for a number of days at a time

Aro/ace lesbian

At least for now. Wild may explore their sexuality more later on, but starting from scratch after the Shrine didn't leave a lot of room for exploration

QPR with Flora

Wind

Probably cis? He thinks it fits well enough, at least for now

He/him

Questioning his sexuality

Probably asexual

He knows he likes Tetra, but isn't sure who else

Hyrule

Nonbinary

They/them or fae/faer

Aro/ace

Legend

Genderfluid

Prefers neopronouns

Usually presents fem

Biromantic, asexual

QPR with Ravio

Warriors

Trans man

He/him

Gay MLM, Grey-aromantic and grey-asexual

Four

Transfem

She/they

Queer, demisexual

#linked universe #lu wild #lu time #lu legend #lu warriors #lu twilight #lu hyrule #lu wind #lu sky #lu headcanon #lu headcanons #happy pride 🌈#the lu boyos #<- that tag is gender neutral 😂

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author-main · 1 year

Note

queer hcs for all the links. geender pronouns all the good stuff

Ooooouuuhh Hi I gotcha

Time: Any gender, any pronouns. Coming from the woods where their family were all genderless tree children, Time never understood why anyone would call them a boy but honestly doesn't care. Call Time whatever you want, just make sure they know you're talking to/about them. Sometimes Malon will call them her wife, and in turn Time will call her husband.

Time is asexual. And for most of their life they thought babies came from cabbages.

Twilight: He's a cis man, he/him. Can confirm that Shad was Twilight's pan awakening. He never thought much about dating growing up. His mind was... focused on not dying. But he supposed that, since all the married couples in Ordon were a man and a woman, that's what he wanted for himself. Maybe a little gender nonconforming?

I wouldn't say that's not what he truly wanted at one point. I think, if he did find a woman he loved, he'd still be happy. But he and Shad are already happy together, and he wouldn't trade him for the world. It's hard to explain. Maybe one day I'll write a little exchange between them about this.

Warriors: He or They, preferably they/them. No gender label. Doesn't make a big fuss about being called a man, but only because they're actively blocking you out. They will literally just not listen to you anymore.

I like to think the captain is pan/aro. Romance indifferent. They may ask about dating from time to time, but doesn't really care.

Legend: Trans man, he/him. Internally? Maybe a bit of a hopeless romantic before he met Ravio. He talks about Ravio like: "He's a pain but he's MY pain and if anyone makes fun of him I'll kill them."

Functional bisexual. Not as useless as Wild is when someone attractive walks by.

Sky: Cis man, he/him. He wears black lipstick and paints his nails black. He thinks he's all that and a bag of chips. Call him pretty and you're gonna get a very conceited "I know <3"

Demisexual. In all honesty I don't think he and Sun are that big on PDA. A few hugs and kisses here and there, but overall, maybe they aren't that touchy.

Hyrule: Masc Agender, he/they. He has no preference in either of those pronouns. I guess he wouldn't care too much if you called him "she", but he would get confused and not pick up that you're talking about him.

He's acearo. consider qpr hyrule+wild

Wild: For a long time, Wild's parents didn't know if they were male or female. Right now, in ALUW, Wild is a boy, and uses they/them pronouns.

They're a Bi disaster, Demiromantic nightmare. They think everybody is pretty. But the moment you recommend going out with somebody, they get this weird nasty feeling in this stomach.

Four: Cis boy, he/him. in ALUW, the colors are basically treated like the emotions in Inside Out, so they don't differ in pronouns or gender.

He's gay and likes bad boys.

Wind: Trans boy, he/him. I don't think much about Wind and his romantic interests. I feel like he's more interested in adventuring and caring for his family.

#author's ask box #aluw #author's hcs

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generalluxun · 8 months

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Pondering a Legend of Zelda TotK fanfic.

Firstly: I have nothing against Zelink. I think it is almost always top ship (Twilight is an exception)

TotK Zelink just gives me the biggest QPR vibes ever. They are deeply bonded, deeply committed, deeply in love, and not a single bit of it is actually romantic love. They had half a decade or so between BotW and TotK to develop their relationship, and they did, just not rantically.

I think it's kind of cool actually, mixes things up.

However it does leave open the idea of *other* ships!

Now my playthrough took a fin turn. I have always liked Gerudo town. Home of Ganon, cool look, big stabby ladies, it's a treat. So as soon as plot let me off the leash I went right there to see what was up.

My being under 'leveled' made the journey feel all the more adventuresome. It hadn't clicked howich time had passed. I expected little rambunctious Riju, a little sister full of fire and will. I got a sharp, level headed leader who stared me in the eyes.

The Wind Temple was fun, and I expected lile in BotW for that to be the end, but again I was wrong. Riju sent her avatar with me, a spirit-companion on my journey, cool.

This is where again my play choices impacted my experience. *Now* I explored. Now I wandered across Hyrule, not alone but with a companion running alongside me in my quest. She didn't talk, but neither does Link really, and most of TotK is spent in solitude, or would have been.

Riju was a great asset in combat, and her lighting came in handy many other ways. Rocks to break? Lightning arrow. Pitch black darkness? Activate her lightning corona and the way is lit for you. And there were just the times running along, seeing her running alongside and knowing link was not alone.

Riju became integral to my combat approach as I explored -I was still lacking in shrines- so much so that by the time I visited the other sages, it wasn't just Link gaining new companions, it was new companions joining *us*. Around my house Riju became known jokingly as 'Gerudo girlfriend.'

But as it became clear Zelda's interest in Link(and his in her) was not the standard shipping, the thought of 'why not?' Grew.

A fun headcanon tangent: Either Gerudo continue to grow well into adulthood, or Riju is a very short Gerudo. She's of 'standard' adulthood age, yet nowhere near the height of her fellows.

Why? Well, she met Link. Link, the strongest most capable warrior in all of Hyrule. Why bother getting any taller?

So all that as prelude to: writing Rilink? A Liju? A whatever fic, somewhat based on this idea.

Open up right after link leaves with the sage-avatar. At this point Riju might have a light crush on link(who doesn't?) but mostly it is just a great respect. Then one night she dreams. She dreams of running with Link, fighting alongside link, traveling with him, a wealth of experience in a night, but she is largely a passenger in the experience. Able to watch, but not influence events. This comes to a head when she sees Link gravely wounded by her side and cannot aid him. She wakes, and was it all a dream?

The powers of the sages are mysterious and the intricacies lost to time, no one can provide answers. However when next she sleeps she sees Link again, alive, bandages, but clearly wounded.

This kicks off a sequence lf her trying to push this vision/connection, slowly becoming able to influence her 'dreams' until she can speak, and at least, hold an exhausted and battered Link as he slumbers, slumped across her lap under the night sky in Necluda as rain fizzles off her lightning canopy above their heads.

The ship strikes me as fun because it in no way messes with the main arrangement of Link and Zelda. Riju has to remain in Gerudo town most of the time. She's not going to try tying Link down either. She respects Zelda and the bond between Knight and Queen too much. She will enjoy the time she can have with Link, both solid and via avatar. She will continue to rule her people. It will also be very convenient when the Chief does not need to go on a quest to find herself a voe.

So yeah, just brainstorming this out here.

#writing #fanfiction #the legend of zelda #totk #totk riju #totk link

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crazylittlejester · 3 days

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You've given permission to yap so yap I shall do

So I have a LU modern au and I've basically queered everyone into oblivion and instead of fighting literal monsters it's more like fighting the government where Ganonbitch is making everything go to shit but these guys are fighting against that

Them being all queer and neurodivergent is also important (and self indulgent) because it's queer and neurodivergent people who often suffer the most because of shitty governments

But people tend to prefer more character based things instead of the general story so I will ramble about that now

So Warriors is an asexual trans guy who's roommates with Twi the bi disaster and they're besties. They've got household chores evenly split, like Twi cooks because Wars burns soup (bless him) and keeps on track of what goes on and what they need, and Wars does the majority of the cleaning and shopping (they often go shopping together though) because those things are sensory nightmares for Twilight.

They're good help for eachother because though Cia hasn't happened yet, Wars still has some issues but Twi is a good hugger and very patient so he helps him through it. Twilight also has quite intense senory issues (like, sometimes it's worse than others and at its worst he will start crying if anyone so much as touches him or makes a little noise) and Wars will just braid his hair in silence as a way of grounding him.

When Cia happens, Twi and Time are Wars' main (only) source of emotional support and they basically keep him alive during his worst moments. Though, when Athena (hw Zelda) finds out, she also helps him and they eventually enter a qpr.

And also, unrelated but Sky, Groose, and Sun (sksw Zelda) are all dating, it started off as pretty rocky but they're good now. Sky suffers from chronic fatigue and asthma, but his partners are very understanding and help him through things.

I've got a story planned out (needs to be written and if you're curious that's a ramble and a half) where it's essentially the events of skyward sword but modern au and it's an introduction to Ghirahim and Fi and their significance as well as lays the foundations for the villains, their roles, etc.

Anyway, thank you for reading this semi coherent ramble and if you've got any questions please ask them !

WARS BURNS SOUP 😭 BLESS HIS HEART HES DOIN’ HIS BEST

Also this sounds super cool!!! Thanks for yappin about it :)

#jes talks #jes ask

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nitroish · 1 year

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I myself dont have much time to talk but. What are some silly headcanons you have for your favoritest blorbos? Do they have a favorite food? What are your hcs for their sexualities? Do they stim, and if so, how?

This could be zelda related or not whichever you prefer, im giving you a reason to ramble about whichever characters you like most :)

oh hell yeah lets go

im going to answer these with my legend in mind , so keep That in mind ! thank u thank u

under the cut . o7

legends favourite food is eggs on rice. a simple, easy to make meal! he only eats it A Singular Way as well oops - the way He cooks it. wild learns how to make it legends way [ its not all that hard of a feat to accomplish ] . he tries to change it up sometimes but legend absolutely notices every single time and refuses to eat it.

legend can cook but its mostly easy-to-make + overall cheap options that he can make in bulk / eat off of for awhile . goulash and curries. soups, breads, etc.

hes rly good w apples too tho, outside of those kinds of meals . his favourites are honeycrisp, and hes made or helped make wine , pies , jam , etc with the fruit in general :)

he has a damn sweet tooth and its impulsively indulged every time he passes a pastry shop or some shit. if there is an apple or cinnamon flavoured Anything he is going to try it [ not cinnamon roll, though ]

he is gay as shit !!! homosexual + somewhere under the ace spec but only thinks himself Loosely tied to the term [ he does not bother to find exactly where and i dont have much care to do that much searching either. ]

stims consist of many different things so here are some different kinds

hat fiddling, fiddling with things in general [ rings, hair, tunic, bag, blahblah ], waving weight from one foot to the other, tracing designs on things [ arm bracers, armour, swords, saddles, yadayada ], large exaggerated arm/hand movements, cracking bones [ <- stress stim ]

shine !! he will watch his rings or weapons shine in the sun, will move hands back and forth to watch the gleam of light move over the designs. he likes watching clouds move. he'll stare at the campfire for hours cos he likes to watch how the colours move.

humming, whistling [ usually random tunes he picked up from the others or towns ], clicking his tongue, mimicking accents [ NOT mocking . theres a difference . unless its twilight , then he mocks because its silly /lh ]. he likes to repeat words he hears tht r fun . yippee . . . conkcrete . . .

idk random things

warriors and legend are in a qpr [ duh ]

legend draws. wars writes.

system four my beloved

times good w magic spells. hes a quick learn, tho he doesnt rly use em

legend is more magic-able thn he lets on , understands spells and what they do / what words do that , but doesnt know how to use spells without conduits that Move the magic for him

they all know sign or are learning sign . legend doesnt like to teach, but he DOES stick around to help translate if need be

legend knows so many languages but this is common knowledge

legend has two dark world forms [ wolfos and rabbit ] <- the wolfos coloration is like a maned wolf

hyrule isnt very fond of bein in the fairy transformation , very overwhelming experience rly , but he Does enjoy the ability to sit on shoulders when he winds up in it

hyrule n legend make deez nuts jokes n warriors falls for them every time . warriors learns how to weaponize words to make his own jokes of the same caliber

twilight likes to collect bugs for agitha still . other eras have silly bugs and someone asks why hes hoarding all the damn glass bottles and when he carefully gets tghem out they each have a singular fucking bug in them

#hc tag #ask #anonymous

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hermitdrabbles56 · 2 years

Text

Featuring: MidLink, Twilight&Warriors qpr, hurt/comfort, blood loss, blood and injury, loopy talk, old and new memories

"Would you stop squirming and hold still you stupid wolf!" Midna chides as she tries to keep ahold of the Hylians arm.

That puppy like whine escapes him as he tries to stop fidgeting. Each little tug of the bandages pulling at the raw wounds as the imp carefully patches him up. The crackling fire illuminating her in a way that the monoton lighting of the twilight just doesn't seem to achieve. But here in the dead of night, beneath a starry moonless black sky. Surrounded by the tall grass of Hyrule field. The light dances off her in such a special way.

Despite how tired he is, how much every little movement hurts. Between cracked ribs, bruised limbs, and the deep gashes torn into his torso and various other places. Watching her methodically wrapping the bandages around his torn up arm ends up putting a small smile on his face.

"What's with the stupid look?" She mumbles with a small frown as she glances at him.

He smiles more, looking every bit like a dopey dog. "Y'er soft.."

A startled bawlk of confusion escapes her. "I'm what?!"

"Y'er soft.." He says with a tired little giggle. "Ya like t' think y're all cool an' mysterious but y're jus soft."

"I am not soft!"

"Yeah ye are, y're really jus, so soft. And ya care and y're sweet! Ya just act like a big grouch.."

"Oh gods blood loss makes you loopy. Did you really loose that much? Are you going to live?!"

Despite the little imps' concern Link couldn't help but smile even more. Giggles escaping him once again. It was nice to see how much she cared. Seeing the sweet under all of her sourness.

Things were getting more and more dangerous, the injuries were starting to pile up. The ability to keep potions on him more difficult, and the time to travel to springs and supply spots is getting less and less even with the portals.

At the start he'd bandage his wounds in silence and mend his armor when he couldn't sleep for fear of what could jump out of the shadows. Such a routine quickly became something that kept him sane, so he didn't even realize when she started helping. When she'd take over wrapping the bandages because his hands were shaking. Pulling thorns and teeth from his body and rubbing salves on his burns.

Rather than waking up curled up in the dirt beneath Epona's feet alone and cold. He'd find her curled up with him like a cat during the night, staying as long as possible before the light would chase her into his shadow.

"Oh, oh gods no don't do that! Put those back there's no need for any of your stupid human leaking! You're losing enough fluids as it is!" Midna frets with a forced tone of annoyance. Her small hands wiping at the damp streaks now covering his cheeks.

That's funny? When did he start crying. Another soft chuckle escapes him as he leans into her hands unintentionally. Large warm tears continuing to well up more and more. Truth be told he doesn't have the energy to try and stop them, but try he does, at least for her sake.

"What is with you! Seriously this shit spills out of you faster than blood.." Midna hisses though it's still far more concerned than annoyed.

"'M sorry…jus sometimes they jus, kinda come out ya know? Kinna hard t' stop em once they're goin." He manages with a weak but wet laugh.

"I do not know. I'm above them.." She huffs.

That thought just makes him sad, his smile falling a bit. He knows very much how often she feels emotions. That she bottles all of them up and turns them into anger and sarcasm.

Before he's really aware of what he's doing his arms are around her. Holding her close as he can without squeezing her too tightly, not that he has the strength to smother her with affection right now. Even so the surprised squeak he gets out of her is enough to get a choked giggle out of him.

"Link! What are you doing!" Midna squawks as she tries to wiggle out of his hold without hurting him further.

Link lets out another soft chuckle, resting his forehead on her small shoulder. "M' sorry…jus..j-jus 'member ya don't hafta be 'bove it all when yer with me…"

The little imps wiggling stills as she lets out a soft sigh. Her small hand gently patting the top of his head before her little fingers card through his hair a bit.

"Alright you stupid little wolf…" She murmurs with a surprising amount of gentleness as she rests her head against his. "Get some sleep….we'll get you somewhere safe in the morning…and I'll keep the monsters at bay for now.."

°•○•°

"Okay, okay buddy you're gonna be just fine..I just need you to calm down okay?" Warriors manages in as calm a tone as he can muster.

Blood seeps through the deep blue of the blonde's scarf as he presses it firmly against the ragged wound torn into Twilight's chest. Staining his nimble fingers a bright crimson.

"Mm..'s kinda hard when there's 'n adrenlin fairy flittin 'bout" Twilight slurs as his eyes travel around in a panick. Scanning the battlefield for signs of their friends.

They'd landed in Warriors Hyrule, dropped right in the middle of a battle. Time had been torn asunder again and it was sheer chaos, monsters from all of their worlds tearing through forces like paper. They'd gotten separated from one another pretty quickly.

"Adrenaline fairy? Is that what you said?" Warriors asks with the small bit of amused exasperation he manages to muster. That ever so faint bell like ring to his words soothing Twilight at least a bit. "Please dear farmer, tell me that isn't actually where you think adrenaline comes from?"

A pained but honest chuckle escapes the ranch hand as he lets his head plop back against the boulder holding him upright. "Makes sense don't it? 'S like a spell hits ya out of nowhere 'n doesn't ware off easy..mean we've…we've seen butterflies that can stave off..the cold….an frogs that k-keep yah wake…why not drenlin..fairies..?"

More giggles escape him as he continues to ramble on. Part of him just wishing his brother would stop looking at him like he's dying.

"Okay…okay big guy..whatever you say okay? Just uh…just use that fairy to keep awake okay? We'll get you a potion really soon here.." Warriors says with a nod, his melodic voice trembling slightly.

"Heyyy…hey 'm okay…I'll be okay..I've..I've had worse….I think..certainly felt worse. So 'm kay…okay..?" Twilight says as he presses his shaking hands over the Captains.

"Don't you dare start trying to comfort me." Warriors frowns with a shake of his head as he tries to make sure he's pressing as hard as he can against the wound.

"Ya look so sad tho..." Twilight says with that sad puppy dog whine as he lets his head drop forward slowly. Plopping his forehead against his brothers so he can properly see those fierce crystal blue eyes, that are maybe getting just a little blurry because of the bloodloss. "Don't be sad…no reason t' be sad…"

"I'm…I'm holding your skin together as you bleed out before my eyes! H-how…I'm..I'm watching my brother die and you expect me not to be sad!!" Wars croaks, that bell like sound rattling with a desperation the other doesn't like hearing.

"'M not dying…no sir..not me.." Twilight murmurs.

"Twi you're!-"

"Didja…did ya realize..how pretty yer voice is..?" Twilight interrupts without meaning to.

"What..?"

"Yer voice…sounds like magic..it's all strong an…an commanding….specially..when yer usin that outdoor voice….it sounds like music! Is…'s really hard t' be mad atcha sometimes..specially when yer bein….'noyin..cuz the…the bells sound so happy…"

Warriors cheeks flare a bright red as he tries to focus on the injury again. "Really?! Now is when you go on about something like that?! Now is not the time you stupid wolf!"

Twilight can't help the chuckles that rumble out of him no matter how much they hurt. Squeezing the Captains hands as the wobbly giggles keep coming.

"Oh my….all this time and blood loss still makes you loopy."

The sweet feminine voice stills his laughter. All of the air being torn from his lungs at once.

Warriors pulls his head away from his brother and looks towards the voice. Relief filling his composure. "Midna! Thank the goddesses..please, please tell me you have a health potion on you?!"

"I do..don't worry he'll be alright."

Twilight's eyes fill with tears as he watches the princess come into view. The ruler of twilight kneeling beside him with ease and grace, almost as if she hadn't been missing from his life all these years.

"Sweet wolf…did you miss me that much..?" She whispers softly as thin baby blue fingers begin to card through his hair.

"Yer…yer really here..?" He manages on a choked sob. Immediately leaning into her touch as heavily as he can.

"Yes you silly farm boy…I'm right here.." She murmurs as she carefully shifts closer to him. "Drink this for me okay..? You'll feel a little better…."

Carefully she gets him to drink down the sour red liquid. His pain slowly starting to eb away a bit with each passing second.

"It won't heal you all the way…but it'll be much better in a few minutes.." She whispers as she looks him over. "I've also got some bandages..so we're going to fix you up a bit alright?"

He manages a small nod, the tears still falling heavily as he does. Time passes in a blur after that as his brother, and the woman he misses so dearly, carefully get him undressed bandaged and redressed in an efficient fashion. Apparently he even passed out at one point during the process. Because when he wakes there's a small fire lighting the gloomy little area. He can hear and see that more of his brothers had found them. Piled together and sleeping soundly in a couple different cuddle piles.

He can feel Wars hanging onto him with a strong arm around his waist. That golden halo of hair telling him the Captains face is currently buried in his stomach, and he's at least calm enough that he's breathing evenly. He can also smell that it's Wild who's pressed up against his back in a tight little ball despite the fact he's nearly laying on him, but that's where his investigation stops. His eyes already beginning to water as he slowly looks up at the ethereal figure carding fingers through his hair again.

Midna has him held in her lap with a pillow, his cheek resting against her stomach as he gazes at her. Her hood is down, showing that shaggy spiky red hair of hers that she usually keeps hidden aside from her long flowing ponytail.

"You light dwellers and your emotions.." She whispers as she gently brushes away some of his tears. "Stop that now..you've lost enough fluids as it is…"

He sniffles a bit and nuzzles into her touch. Closing his eyes tightly for only a moment before opening them again, afraid that if he looks away for too long she'll disappear again.

"...It's okay..I'm here, and I'm not going anywhere for a while.." She whispers.

"...promise..?" He murmurs softly.

"I promise….so just sleep, Little Beasty…..I'll keep the monsters at bay for you.."

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