Chapter Text
Legend woke up, and he knew… he knew he was in a dream. He’d never let himself forget what it felt like- what it was- what it meant.
He got up slowly, steeling himself for what he might see.
Anddd… nothing. It was quite dark.
Still, feeling around, he was surprised to find, he was lying on a cozy cot equipped with all his gear.
‘That’s… never happened before.’
He sat up and pulled out his lantern. Flinching when he noticed the creases and bends of his clothes and bag were damp. ‘That’s familiar at least.’ He thought with a trembling sigh.
As his eyes adjusted, he could see a cabin’s log walls beside him, a faint light coming from the bottom of the door to the room.
He warily got to his feet. His lantern’s light danced in response, reflecting off something near his blind spot. He jumped, placing his hand on his hilt- as his lantern swept behind him… only then did he make out the sleeping form of Wind, their sailor, lying on a cot on the other side of the room.
Putting on his boots, he quietly stepped over to Wind. Gently shaking him awake. Wind groggily stirred. Legend shushed him and gestured to their surroundings with his lantern. Wind’s eyes quickly grew sharp and aware, quietly rising out of the cot.
If Legend appreciated Wind’s trained stealth and vigilance before, he was doubly grateful for it now. Wind slipped on his own boots; the two grabbed their belongings with similar caution before leaving the room.
The next room appeared to be the main area of the house with a hearth-fire in the center of the wall that their room was attached to. Across from it was a wooden table with a couple of chairs and a couple of barrels and buckets scattered in the corners. One door on the opposite wall looked like it led outside by the snow gathering around the edges of it, and another door like theirs was on the wall just past the hearth. The only window was covered in ice.
Legend quickly stepped to the second room’s door and eased it open… nothing besides a single bed with disturbed blankets. With that, he sighed and spoke quietly to Wind.
“It appears we’re alone…”
His voice surprised him as it adjusted roughly to form the sounds… from disuse, the cold? How much time had passed?
Wind nodded, glancing from Legend to the door outside. He was rocking back and forth on his feet as he responded just as quietly- though his voice was not rough and crackling like Legend’s was.
“Yeahhh...” He paused before continuing, pointing to the dying embers in the fireplace, without even glancing at it. “For now, anyway.”
Legend repeatedly tapped the toe of his boot to the ground before nodding and heading to the door. He attempted to open it slowly, but a gale of the blizzard outside the cabin forced the door open, throwing him to the floor.
“Drat! Wind, help me with the door!”
Legend got up, bracing himself against the icy winds filling the cabin, and he scrambled to the other side of the doorway where Wind had already begun trying to push the door back in place. Their strength combined managed to get the door shut.
Wind fell to the floor dramatically- “Yikes!” before quickly picking himself off the increasingly cold floor. Exaggeratedly rubbing his arms for warmth.
“We’re gonna need to get the fire back up and running or this whole cabin’ll freeze!”
Legend chuckled breathlessly and huffed. His hands going from his hips to his head, his fingers lacing behind his skull.
“It would be better if we could figure out where we are. I’m not exactly planning on moving in. Besides, I’m hoping to get out of here before the cabin’s owner returns…”
Legend had hoped to discuss other options, but as he looked to Wind, he found that he was already busying himself dismantling buckets in the room to use as firewood. Legend had to grin at the sight of it. He dropped his arms and just watched for a moment before addressing him.
“Kid, that’s a waste of craftsmanship… and toilets if we are stuck here.”
Wind’s face twisted in comical disgust before looking at the limited number of buckets in the room and hanging his head in mock defeat.
Legend continued— “Look, we’ll accomplish both if we can. If there’s a good vantage point nearby, or if we’re lucky, a village of some kind… We’ll try getting a lay of the land first. If not, we focus on finding firewood. Also-”
He began, while reaching into his pack and pulling out his power bracelets that he only took off to sleep or bathe. Due to said fact, he hadn’t realized he wasn’t wearing them yet.
“Let’s be sure we have all our gear and equip ourselves before heading out.”
Wind had the audacity to laugh.
“That explains why the Hero of Legend was furled up like a sailcloth in a storm.”
Legend shot him a stony glare. Wind continued chuckling to himself undeterred, as he pulled out his own pair of Power Bracelets, which he also hadn’t had equipped, and put them on.
After they finished checking their equipment. Legend quickly opened the door with a show of ease and control… which was immediately ruined by the blizzard blowing his hat over his face. Legend recovered well, alternating to a slight bow; most wouldn’t have even noticed, but Wind, of course, chuckled quietly as they entered the storm.