Chapter Text
A normal, spring day.
That's what it was supposed to be, anyway. That's how it started.
It was about halfway through the spring season. Link had returned a bit worse for wear after his last and final adventure about two years prior but he was doing alright now.
The orchard was flowering, the bees were buzzing, the air was warm.
For once, Link could actually say he was happy.
For the first time since he was nine he can slow down and relax, living in peace and safety for an extended period of time. There're no monsters to fight. No monsters other than Sheerow, at least. The wards Link put up were doing their job.
Zelda had been wonderful in ensuring he was left alone. Ravio was always there to make sure he wasn't. Hilda was always checking in, making sure he was doing alright, stopping by to have tea whenever she could.
Life was good.
Link had gone outside to weed the flowerbeds where he'd planted hibiscus several years ago after escaping Koholint and defeating Twinrova. They weren't blooming, not yet anyway.
Ravio was inside baking something. He'd been learning from the blacksmith's wife in his free time and wanted to make something nice. He always wanted to do nice things for Link.
It took him a while to realize Ravio's kindness was genuine. Really, that made him appreciate everything he does that much more.
Of course, every is going to come crashing down when Link least expects it. Naturally, that was expected.
He feels it before he sees it. A dark energy tearing its way into existence behind him.
Link gets to watch as a dark, triangular portal appears.
He sighs, pushing on his knee to stand. Nothing comes out of the portal. It doesn't do anything. It just seems to be waiting.
And wait it shall.
He practically slams the door behind him when he goes back into the house. Ravio doesn't say anything about it from the kitchen as he storms upstairs to their shared bedroom.
He changes quickly, pulling on his green under-tunic, red over-tunic, and forgoing pants as usual in favor of shorts. He puts on his blue hat, pegasus boots, belt. His pack is grabbed from where he'd left it in the corner, already packed just in case. The Master Sword and his shield are slung over a shoulder and onto his back. He's putting on his favorite magical rings and medallions when Ravio knocks quietly, nervously, on the wooden doorframe.
"Is everything alright, Bunny?"
Link just sighs, rolling his eyes affectionately at the pet name. "I know you at least felt the portal outside. I think the answer is pretty obvious, Rav."
He's quiet for a moment as Link puts on the last few rings.
"Do you have to go?"
"I wish I didn't have to but I probably don't have a choice!" He runs a hand down his face. "At least the portal isn't inherently malicious."
"What are you going to do about it?"
"Something stupid."
"Link."
"What?! Nothing bad happened when I just jumped through Lorule's portal!"
"That was different!"
"I'll be safe."
"All the times I've had to stitch you up say otherwise!"
Link sighs and they're both quiet for a moment. Ravio moves closer, threading his fingers between Link's. He doesn't look up, instead choosing to stare down at their interlocked hands. He's the one to break the silence, though.
"I just- I don't want you to go."
"I know. I don't want to go. Gut feeling." He gives his husband's hand a gentle squeeze.
Ravio squeezes his hand back. He looks up after a moment, teary green eyes meeting steely violet ones. Gently, Link reaches out with his free hand to tuck a strand of black hair behind Ravio's ear and the merchant leans into the touch.
"I'll try my best to be safe, I promise."
"That's all I ask."
Their foreheads gently thunk together and Link closes his eyes, enjoying the closeness. He isn't one for physical touch, but Ravio is the exception in a lot of things.
"I love you," his husband whispers.
"I love you," he signs back with one hand, those three words being the hardest to say aloud.
They stand there, holding each other for a while before they finally make it back downstairs. From their spot in the kitchen, he eyes the portal warily.
It hasn't moved or done anything. Yet.
"You know how to take care of the house, right?"
"Mhm!"
"And you'll tell Zelda where I've gone? About what's happening?"
"Of course! I wouldn't leave our dear queen to worry."
"Maybe you should have her send a gardener over to take care of my trees. I know you don't know how."
"Wh- hey!"
"Make sure to send me a letter once I go through. Tell me what the portal does. Monitor it. If anything seems dangerous, abandon the house."
"I will. You don't have to worry, Bunny." He wraps an arm around Link's waist before kissing him on the cheek. "I don't have the title of coward for nothing. Make sure you write back, okay?"
"I will."
"I'll miss you."
He blinks, throat closing up. He can't voice that he'll miss Ravio too. The words just won't work. So he nods, signing a quick, one-handed "Miss you too."
Goodbyes always hurt. He doesn't want to say goodbye. It's part of the reason he didn't go see Zelda.
He takes a deep breath in, steeling himself. In the back of his mind he prays to Loria and the golden three that Hyrule will survive until he comes back from whatever mess Hylia has thrown his way this time.
"See you."
"See you," Ravio parrots back.
Link turns, giving his husband a quick kiss on the cheek, or rather the side of his face since he wasn't aiming very hard, before he leaves the house. He lets the door remain open behind him and tries to ignore Ravio watching him go from the doorway.
He could turn around, ignore the issue. But he does that enough already.
And he gets the feeling this portal doesn't like to be ignored.
He stands before it, the sun high in the sky now and tipping over the other side. Before he can change his mind, he steps into the swirling darkness that spontaneously appeared in his yard.
It was a normal day.
Then it wasn't.
Whatever the portal does, it feels like falling. Free falling in the void. He can't tell if his eyes are open or of his eyes are closed. Dark magic swirls around him, pulling him somewhere. It doesn't bite, though, not like he expected it to.
Eventually, his feet hit the ground and his legs buckle. He puts out his arms to brace for impact as his knees hit the ground in a way he'll definitely feel later. His hands hit the ground soon after, sending a painful jolt up into his shoulders.
The portal didn't feel all that dissimilar to traveling to Lorule. The magic of it all, anyway.
He takes a quick moment to adjust and fight back the nausea before he opens his eyes. When he does open his eyes, they are immediately assaulted by the fucking sun, but he can't do anything about that.
While his eyes get used to the mass amounts of light being beamed into them, he listens to his surroundings.
Leaves rustle and branches smack as the breeze moves through the trees. So he's likely in a forest somewhere. He's in a patch of dirt and it sounds like there's maybe a long gap between the trees. Some kind of path or road? He hears breathing around him and it sounds like other people. Someone nearby groans and he can hear them roll over.
At the sound of footsteps, he looks up, immediately ten times more on guard when he sees a Hylian knight with a blue cape.
While clearly an actual knight and an important person with the way he stands, he isn't wearing a uniform Link recognizes.
A glance around tells him what he'd guessed before. He's in a forest on a dirt road that seems to be semi-frequently traveled. There're eight others around, seven of them disoriented and on the ground. One of them reeks of unfamiliar dark magic.
He stands, hand quickly on the handle of his sword. He starts to unsheathe it when the knight takes a step back, eyes wide in alarm and hands up in a placating gesture.
"Whoa whoa whoa! I'm not gonna hurt you! You can let go of the sword."
The knight has an unfamiliar accent too.
He narrows his eyes as he draws the Master Sword anyway. He doesn't attack the guy, though. After a moment, the knight exhales, relaxing slightly.
Link might not be fond of knights, but he's less fond of murdering the, supposed, innocent.
One of the people off to Link's right sits up. In his peripheral, he can see that it's a child. Clearly a little kid. Link would know if it was someone using magic to pretend. Keeping his eyes on the knight, he moves over slowly and helps the kid up.
"Thanks."
He just hums in response.
Everyone else slowly comes to their senses. The lanky one with the dirtiest blond hair out of all of them rushes over to where someone's curled up groaning on the ground. The one cloaked in dark magic very intently observes the surrounding woods. A guy with a white cape or cloak of some kind mutters a "What...?" that trails off in unfinished thought. The dude with the worst scarring Link has ever seen seems completely chill, looking at the forest as if contemplating where to explore next.
Thankfully, Link doesn't remain the center of everyone's attention for long. The knight clears his throat, bringing everyone's attention to him.
"I can tell you aren't from around here. You all seem a bit lost and... jumpy." Link just scowls at him, grip on his sword tightening. The knight seems to notice that, though. Interesting. "Allow me to introduce myself! I am Captain Link of the royal guard and hero of Hyrule. It's a pleasure to meet you all."
...
What?
"Interesting. I also happen to be the hero of Hyrule." A tall man Link didn't notice before steps forward. He stands importantly, covered in plate mail with a massive sword strapped to his back. The markings on his face are interesting, as is the scar over one eye.
He looks like a knight too.
"My name just so happens to also be Link."
"Whoa! Me too!" The kid cheers.
Slowly and uncertainly, everyone else chimes in.
They're all named Link.
Loria below what is going on?
He tries his best to not let his confusion show. They might all have the same name but that doesn't mean they can be trusted. A scowl and a glare at anyone who gets too close will do nicely.
"Strange... This is just a shot in the dark but raise your hand if you're a hero or have been on a quest of some kind," the old man in the plate mail says before slowly raising his hand.
Gradually everyone else follows his lead.
The knight groans, dragging a hand down his face. "Not again..."
"Not again?" the dirtiest blonde questions. The guy he'd been helping looks better now, at least.
"Yes, again. A while ago we had a spell cast to call heroes from across Hyrule's history to help us fight a war. They all returned to their own times once the war ended but I fear this is a similar situation."
The kid looks excited. He opens his mouth to speak only to be interrupted by the dark magic guy.
"So you summoned people again?"
"No! No. I was investigating reports of strange monster activity in the area when I saw you all get dumped out of some... dark, portals. I was contemplating what to do when this one," he gestures with one hand to Link, "pulled his sword on me."
All eyes turn to him. "And I'd happily stab all of you with it."
"So... you think we're somewhere else in time?" The guy with the white cape turns everyone's attention to the captain. Link gets a few cautious glances and one of two of them take a step away.
"That is certainly a possibility," plate mail guy muses thoughtfully.
The captain just shrugs. "Well if it helps the current year is..."
Time travel. Not a new concept but definitely not an old one. Link's done his fair share of time travel. Not recommended.
If he's in a different time though... Why is he here? What's so wrong with this place that supposedly the gods pulled eight other heroes from across time?
"Why are we here?"
"Pardon?" the captain questions, stepping forward after having been most likely interrupted. Link takes a step back but sheathes his sword. He crosses his arms and leans back nonchalantly.
"Assuming the gods brought us here," the captain scoffs and rolls his eyes but otherwise let's Link speak, "something has to be seriously wrong with this place to warrant bringing over eight heroes."
"Are you insinuating something is wrong with my Hyrule?"
"I'm not saying anything is right with it."
The captain opens his mouth to speak, clearly upset that someone would dare to insult the home he worked so hard to protect. The perfectly calm and collected captain act breaks and anger seeps through the cracks.
The man with the dark magic steps between them both. "Don't start fighting. There's more important matters. Captain, you said you were investigating some monsters?"
The captain takes a deep breath in and the "perfectly in control" facade fixes itself.
"Yes. The locals have reported strange, stronger than typical monsters in the area."
"And they sent a captain out? Just a captain? Why not regular soldiers? Unless the monsters of your era are that bad..." The short one finally speaks up, eyes a deep violet as he theorizes. The way he's standing tells Link he's a knight too despite not looking the part.
"Typically, yes. But considering how many we lost in the war and... Well if we're dealing with stronger-than-usual monsters, I am the most qualified."
Link snorts. He spoke as if all his men are incompetent.
"Considering they're Hyrule's knights I'm not surprised they had to send a captain to deal with some monsters."
The short one looks at Link, offended. The captain just sighs and doesn't deny the accusation.
He meant it.
The captain's men are incompetent.
He laughs at that, earning a few less than nice looks from the others. The captain just rolls his eyes.
"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up."
He takes a deep breath, pretending to wipe a tear from his eye. "Ohh don't worry, mine aren't all that competent either."
"Regardless on the competency of the knights, captain, would you like some extra help?" Plate mail man steps forward and reigns in the group. He has a strong leader energy about him. Something tells Link that he's gonna end up being the one in charge.
The captain surveys the group, looking over the kid, the short one, and the lanky one with concern. "I don't know... I wouldn't want anyone getting hurt."
The kid squawks in indignation at the insinuation. "I can fight! I can take care of myself just fine! I've sailed a boat by myself before! Through a storm! AND I defeated Ganon all on my own!"
Link ruffles the kids hair, causing him to squawk in surprise. "Calm down, sailor. You wouldn't be here if you couldn't hold your own."
The captain thinks for a moment before sighing. "If you all want to come with, feel free to do so."
"Wonderful. Is anyone opposed to helping out?" The defacto leader turns to the rest of the group and no one raises their hand or speaks up. He raises an eyebrow in surprise.
The one littered with scars nudges Link with his elbow. He turns to him with a scowl, taking a step back only to be mildly surprised when the hero starts signing.
It takes him a moment, considering how different it is from his Hylian Sign, but one of the things Link prides himself on is learning languages.
"You're not going to object? I figured you'd be the least on board."
"Yeah well it's a lead that'll get me home faster. It's not like I want to be stuck with all of you."
He tries his best to look upset at the situation. In a sense he is. But it's not because of the people he's with. Sure, he's wary of four of them, and definitely will not be letting his guard down, but they haven't given him a reason to outright hate them.
They don't need to know that, though.
Scars' eyes widen before he shrugs and walks away to rejoin the rest of the group. Just in time as the captain speaks up.
"Alright then. Follow me everyone."
Everyone falls into step behind the captain. The kid easily runs up to walk beside him, chatting happily away like old friends. Scars and the dark one are next in the marching order. Then is the short one, the lanky one, and the one with the white cape. They fall into easy conversation as well.
Link takes up the rear. He's not turning his back to any of them. He refuses to take that risk.
They haven't earned his trust yet.
Plate mail slows to walk beside him, much to Link's annoyance.
"Can't keep up with everyone else, old man?"
"No. Just figured I'd keep an eye out." His eyes crinkle at the corners in a smile at the accidental joke. Link is not amused. "Some of the others seem like they'd be a bit prone to wandering off. Don't want anyone to get lost in a strange Hyrule."
He hums. It's a fair assumption to make. Scars looked like he was going to wander off earlier before the captain introduced himself. Maybe he'd already done a bit of exploring.
Regardless, Link doesn't care. If he gets himself killed then it's his own fault.
Their conversation stops there. Link doesn't say anything and neither does the guy walking beside him. He does make sure to put a bit more distance between them, though.
He's uncomfortably within grabbing distance.
Later that night when they're all sat around the fire, the scarred hero having pulled a pot out of his magical brick and is now cooking something, the kid speaks up in a pirate accent that's much thicker than when he spoke before.
"So! We're all named Link. And I've been doing a bit of thinking. We don't want things to get all confusin' now."
"Oh! Are we gonna give each other nicknames?!" the lanky kid asks excitedly.
"Aye! An' ta perfect place is around a fire, tellin' stories. Sharin' about ourselves. Now, who's gonna go first?"
The stories ended up being pretty tame. Not even stories most of the time. They're mostly just little tidbits of information. The basics of everyone's personality.
Plate mail was fittingly dubbed Old Man. The captain is Captain. Scars is Cook considering that's what he was doing while this was all happening and hadn't said a word otherwise. Shorty is Smithy. The kid is Sailor. The lanky kid is Traveler. The one with the dark magic was named Rancher. And the one with the cape is Sky considering he only talked about his Hyrule and how it's barely even a settlement on the ground yet and how they came from the Sky Islands.
He talked for a while.
And, of course, Link was dubbed Collector. Or, in the Captain's case, Hoarder.
Naturally this happened because everyone found out how many magic items he keeps in his bag. Of course, they don't know about everything, but they know he has enough for the nickname "Collector" to be reasonable.
Before they could make a game out of the contents of his bag, he'd just rolled his eyes and found somewhere to take watch in a tree, denying dinner.
He didn't watch Cook prepare it. And he's not going to get much -if any- sleep tonight either, not with eight strangers, especially considering three of them are probably knights.
Settling down in the crook between two branches, he got comfortable before pulling out a note he'd gotten earlier. It'd been delivered by Sheerow incredibly discreetly.
With a smile, he began to read over his husband's neat handwriting.
"Dearest Hero,
As per your request, I'm writing you a letter. I hope Sheerow can get it to you.
The portal disappeared completely about five minutes after you went through. There were no traces left over and no changes. Nothing came out. Nothing went in.
As for Zelda, I told her about where you've gone. She wasn't happy but she understands. You should probably write her a letter soon as well. She's promised to help in any way she can and we spent quite a few hours searching the library for anything similar. I'll head to Lorule tomorrow to check Hilda's library as well. We'll let you know if we find anything.
The donuts I made this morning were okay. I think they would've tasted better had you been there. Zelda seemed to like them, at least.
I hope you haven't already gotten yourself into trouble, or worse, injured. Don't be reckless.
I love you and I miss you already.
Your darling husband,
Ravio"
With a smile, Link pulled out paper and a pen and began to write his reply.