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For all his bravado and accomplishments, Link (or Wind for convenience’s sake) was not really used to walking for hours. A huge portion of his adventures had been spent at sea ,and while that had its own fair share of challenges, it also left Wind with significantly more experience on boat voyages than long (too long) hikes on still terrain. Pair that with the fact that this forest seemed to be unending, and you’d have a tired, cramping, cranky and complaining Wind.
That, and they were losing light. The woods were thick, the trees were tall, they had been walking for hours and they were losing light. They’d have to make camp soon, Wind knew that, but he didn’t know when and where they’d stop; so far no part of this forest seemed particularly welcoming, and it left him pondering their next move. Would they have to choose a spot and risk getting ambushed in the dead of night, or would they take the gamble of forgoing sleep entirely to try and reach the end of the forest, hoping to not get swarmed by monsters while dead on their feet?
Judging by the Old Man’s face, all serious and deep in thought, he’d been thinking about the same dilemma. It was a bit weird though, because, as far as Wind could remember, Time had never been this hesitant when faced with this kind of decisions. Doubly weird even, since this forest seemed to be somewhat familiar to him. Upon their arrival here, all of the Chain could somehow feel this wasn’t a Hyrule, or at least not one they recognised at all, and the Links looked at each other in confusion. All of them, except for Time. He had stayed frozen on the ground where he landed, looking in the far distance and staying silent, until a single word passed from his lips. Wind hadn’t heard it well, but it sounded a bit like “terminal”?
Undoubtedly, the Old Man had another secret to hide, among the multitude of things he’d never told any of them. And that was fine, they were not entitled to know everything about him, every other Link had their own mysteries kept close to their chest, Time wasn’t an exception. However, if the haunted look on his face when he looked around him meant they were in danger and he hadn’t told them, Wind wasn’t sure he was comfortable with being kept in the dark this time.
Speaking of dark, he’d noticed the sky turning to colder shades, the stars starting to show themselves. The one thing missing, strangely, was the moon. He was pretty sure that it was supposed to be in a waxing gibbous tonight, as he’d noticed the moon phases stayed consistent even with their unusual travels. They could be in Sky’s Hyrule one night and Legend’s the next, and yet the moon would stay in her phase, uncaring, unchanging. But not here. Here, there didn’t seem to be a moon. What had happened to it ?
It looked like he hadn’t been the only one to notice the lack of a bright satellite, as Wild and Hyrule were also looking towards the sky, unspoken questions on their lips. Forgetting to be discreet, Wind’s face whipped towards Time, who was thankfully turned towards the path, and hadn’t noticed Wind’s dramatic spin, fixated as he was on what was in front of him. And what was in front of him ?
Two beady but shining eyes, glowing a warm yellow under a big leafy hat, all this accompanied by the sound of a gentle flute, through which flowed a familiar sounding tune. The young sailor looked back at Time, who had snapped out of his trance and was now smiling wide. This smile wasn’t like the one he would give Wild after a good meal, or the smile he would give Twilight after a particularly successful sparring session. No, this smile looked like the one he had on his face when he spotted Lon Lon Ranch in the distance for the first time since their adventure had started. A smile you had when greeting an old friend, a smile you had when you could finally unwind after a straining task, an unbidden unapologetic smile.
Before any of them could start asking questions, the little shape barrelled towards their de facto leader, who kneeled and opened his arms in return. As soon as the little thing/child/who knew really got close enough, Time scooped him up and spun him around, letting out chuckles as the child (?) giggled and squealed in delight. After a few more spins and giggles, the little creature cried out for the Old Man to put him down, which he did, but not before ruffling his hat (hair?). Focusing on the woody little guy in front of him, Time ignored the stunned looks and baffled sputtering of his sword brothers, content to speak in a low tone to his friend(?).
From the few words Wind could make out amidst all the theories and gossip of the other links, this “kid” knew this forest like the back of his hand and could guide them to a place where they could rest, but Time would have to do something in exchange. Wind wasn’t able to hear exactly what was demanded thanks to Warriors and Twilight arguing in the background, but judging by the smile on the Old Man’s face, it wasn’t anything too bad.
Soon enough, Time stood up, the little creature introduced as just “Kid” on his shoulders, and they moved through the forest once more, this time with a much clearer goal in mind, thanks to their unexpected guide. Said guide was acting very childlike, grabbing onto Time’s hair to make him look somewhere specific, kicking his little legs to annoy the Old Man, and Wind could not help but wonder how long they’d known each other. While he didn’t know what species the little guy was-he hadn’t been there yet when the rest of the group met some-, he could infer a few things from the discussions around him.
First of all, he was not a unique creature, but a specimen of Skull Kids. Second of all, Skull children came from children that got lost and died in specific woods, or at least that was the common legend for their origins. Finally, this skull kid in particular was different to the ones Twilight, the only one other than Time that had them in his world, already knew, as he was non hostile. The whole group had met another trio of skull children, but none of them had been so attached to the Old Man, so really, this one must be special. How did he meet Time, and why were they both so close ? Apparently, skull children never really grew up, so it wouldn’t be a stretch to assume that they’d known each other for a while, but how long was a while, really ? Judging from Time’s face when seeing “Kid”, it had been a pretty long time since they’d seen each other…
And then came the obvious. How did they know each other when this was clearly not Time’s Hyrule? All those questions were starting to get on Wind’s nerves, so he decided to do what he did best. Snoop. So he walked up to Time and “Kid”, plastering on the most innocent and childlike face he had. Not one of his favorite façades, but a necessary one nonetheless. He looked up at “Kid”, and began his badgering. He knew he had to start small and slow, to not scare the kid off, and subsequently annoy the Old Man. So he expressed interest in “Kid”’s appearance, to give a good impression, but also because he found it genuinely cool.
The conversation quickly flowed, with “Kid” proudly taking the compliment and returning it while asking about Wind’s equipment, which the latter could brag about for hours. While he was genuinely enjoying himself, Wind did notice that Time was keeping close attention to the conversation. Was he being careful because of Wind’s questions ? Wind knew he had a curious streak, and while he was technically fishing for secrets just a little bit, he was a bit offended at the lack of trust, he wouldn’t be cruel to “Kid” or anything ? Looking a bit closer though, it became obvious that it wasn’t Wind’s questions he was cautious of, it was “Kid”’s answers.
Time looked a bit uncomfortable every time the topic seemed to stray to his former adventures, and would subtly change the subject by reminding “Kid” of a game they could play or a story he could tell. Now usually, the Old Man wasn’t one to actively hide too much of his life. He wouldn’t explicitly tell any of them, but if they managed to stumble upon the truth of his stories, he wouldn’t be opposed to giving them the full picture. So why not here ? The speculation was only going to get worse, and he must have known that, but here he was, still hiding behind smokescreens. What was it about this one adventure he didn’t want them to know ?
They soon arrived at a gorgeous clearing, with fireflies dancing amidst tall flowers and a stream running not too far away. It was as if they were in a different forest, one much more welcoming than the treacherous woods they’d spent so long in. This was almost idyllic in comparison. They quickly got started in setting up camp, rolling out bedrolls and arranging a cooking space, making it safe enough to prevent the surroundings from catching on fire. “Kid” was bouncing around, letting the Old Man take care of his part of the campsite. He was coming up to each and every Link, not really asking anything, just staring and giggling sometimes, with some odd remarks every now and then. Though, Wind did notice he tended to spend a bit more time with the younger looking members of the group, not outright avoiding Twilight and Warriors, but still straying a bit farther than he did with Four or Hyrule.
His comments and questions weren’t intrusive, Wind could tell he was mostly just curious, but they did raise some eyebrows. Sentences like “You seem old for a hero, heehee.” or “Where are your masks ?” had everyone a bit on edge and looking towards the Old Man for support. Said Link had (un)fortunately already gone towards the stream to wash up and clean his armor, leaving the rest of the chain with the curious “Kid”.
Wind found that a bit suspicious, as he had seemed very cautious when listening to “Kid”’s choice in words earlier, but he must have been tired, or needed to relax. Still, that left a lot of questions unanswered. Wind may be young, but he was far from stupid or naive. He could pick up on uncomfortable implications, and whatever story “Kid” and Time shared reeked of those. Why did “Kid” seem to have known Time during his childhood, but only talked about heroic adventures ? Surely if he was some kind of playmate, there were other things to reminisce about. And Wind had noticed both “Kid” and Time kept looking towards the sky, as if searching for the absent moon. Did that have anything to do with their history ?
Wind was sure to find out soon. He was already devising a plan to approach Time and make him spill at least a barebones story, at the very least.
When Time got back, Wild had already gotten started on dinner, and everyone was sitting somewhere in the makeshift camp, some sharpening their swords, others mending their clothes or simply just talking. “Kid” was watching Wild cook, both of them engrossed in a conversation about forest spirits ? Wind had taken advantage of the fact that everyone seemed busy and moved Time’s and his bedrolls further away from the group, to prepare for a more discreet conversation. He kept looking over to the half blind man and pondering. He rarely talked of his adventures, and Wind had chalked that up to him not wanting to share stories that were too personal, or details that were too gorey, and those could still be entirely true, but Wind could not shake the feeling that there was something about these adventures that went past these. Something that had to do with his unhidden dislike of the Master Sword, or with his secretiveness about his age. And that was what Wind was still stuck on. Time’s age.
Wind already knew that starting his adventure at 12 was young. He knew that he was supposed to be an exception, and no one was meant to carry a hero’s burden at such a young age. Hell, Time had been the one he’d leaned on when he felt inadequate or out of place because of this. But, putting all he’d learnt today into account, Wind came to a conclusion he wasn’t sure how to feel about. Time, the oldest among them, their leader, might have been younger than Wind was when he started.
Now, Wind was proud of his accomplishments, and he knew that if he had gone back in time, he would have made the same choices, his journeys, while dangerous and taxing, made him who he was, and he didn’t regret them.
But Time’s journeys… While he didn’t know what happened to the Old Man, he could certainly guess that some things left him shaken, or at the very least, unwilling to talk about them. The marks on his face were but one of many signs. How old was he when they happened ?
Soon enough, Wind got thrown out of this train of thought by Wild announcing dinner was ready. He quickly sat down and waited to be handed a bowl, but was surprised when the meal that was served smelled familiar. It was very reminiscent of his grandma’s soup, give or take a few spices missing or replaced. He looked up to Wild in shock, confused as to why they were having fish soup instead of something easier to make in the forest. Wild smiled at him and whispered that he’d noticed him looking uncharacteristically serious, and thought it’d be a good idea to try and cheer him up.
Wind flushed and thanked him, grinning back at him gratefully. The soup was delicious too, not quite how Grandma made it, but it had Wild’s touch, and that made it just as good.
Wind scarfed it down, asking for seconds and thirds, much to the delight of those around him. Time seemed to be amused as well, so that was a plus. The camaraderie and bond between this group was something Wind loved, and he was happy they were here at least.
“Kid” was sitting next to Time, not eating anything, but playing a little flute tune, which brought an air of festivities to the dinner, despite the predicament they were in a few hours ago. It was nice.
When dinner was over and everyone was ready to turn in, Time offered to take first watch, which was a great opportunity for Wind, who immediately called for second watch. He was sure to get a moment to speak with Time alone like this. He just had to wait a little bit for everyone to sleep, and he’d have it! Smiling to himself, he went to his bedroll and pretended to get ready for sleep.
He feigned sleep for about thirty minutes, looking at the stars and waiting for his companions to fall asleep, then carefully stood up and did his best to silently walk over to where Time was sitting. He took a seat beside him, and the Old Man did not ask him why he wasn’t sleeping. He looked like he was readying himself for the talk they were about to have. After a long moment of silence, Wind spoke up, quietly so as to not wake up the others.
“You were young, weren’t you?”
He was looking to the forest ahead.
“Yes, I was. Why ?”
Time’s voice was tranquil, as if the emotions he’d had on this topic were long subdued.
“I don’t know what you had to do, and what happened to you, but, for what it’s worth, I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry, you’re not the one that chose me, really, I should be saying the same thing to you.”
“You don’t have to, I made my choice, I don’t think you did.”
“But you didn’t have that much of a choice, did you ? None of us are to blame or to apologize, things just happened. We don’t have to like that they happened, Goddess knows I don’t, but what’s done is done, and all we can do is move forward.”
“Is that what you did, with Malon ? You moved forward ?”
“In a sense, but it doesn’t have to be like that for you. Sailing the seas can be, if you want.”
“... How did you know Kid ?”
“Well, he made some mistakes before, I helped fix them, and we became friends. Simple as that.”
“As if anything is ever simple for any of us!” Wind chuckled and looked up at the sky, moonless, but still beautiful.
“So he’s moving forward too, isn’t he ?”
“In his own way, he is.”
A comfortable silence seeped in, and Wind found himself leaning on Time more and more, eyelids drooping, breathing getting even. The last thing he remembered is an arm coming around him to hold him up, and then he dreamed of Outset Island, of his sister, his grandmother, Tetra and the pirates, and of them all waving goodbye to a red star that was passing through. And he was right there alongside them, waving.
He woke up the next morning, tucked in his bedroll, with a mug of warm milk next to him, and a secretive smile from Time.