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English
Series:
Part 2 of Built on Trust
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RaeLynn's Epic Rec List, Four-centric fics
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Published:
2020-12-10
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3,107
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1/1
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969
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Winter Light

Summary:

Sky has never seen the fluffy white stuff before. The others decide that this means it's time for a snowball fight.

Work Text:

Sky takes his first step out of the latest portal and his feet sink into something white and crunchy. Instinct keeps him moving. He has to get out of the way so the others can come through behind him. His steps are slippery and uncertain, his feet punching through the white stuff with an odd, almost squeaking sound.

Twilight is close on his heels, the two of them the first through. He seems entirely unfazed by the field of white, his steps adjusting to the uncertain footing without apparent thought. 

This must be a Surface thing. Sky casts his gaze over a landscape of white, white, white. It stretches all the way to the distant trees, bright under a slightly overcast sky. Only the green and brown underside of trees and a few distant houses add color and form to the scene. The air is as biting cold as the nights on Skyloft can sometimes get, when the days are at their shortest. Sky breathes deep, the sense memory of cold wind on his face somehow making him expect it to come easily, but the air is as heavy as it always is on the Surface. 

The rest come through, singly and in pairs. Some of them have no trouble walking through the thick white fluff. Others seem as uncertain of their footing as Sky. 

“Oh!” Wind exclaims as he takes a step, slips, and manages to catch himself with outflung arms. “I know this! This is that stuff that’s on the Isle of Frost!” 

“Snow, Wind.” Legend casts a practiced eye over their surroundings, dismissing them when no immediate danger presents itself. He adjusted to the change in footing as seamlessly as Twilight. “It’s called snow.”

“Right! That!”

“Snow,” Sky murmurs to himself, committing the word to memory. It earns him a few darting glances, but no one comments.

“My Hyrule,” Four, one of the last through with Time, announces as soon as he sets eyes on his surroundings. The portal dissipates behind them. 

“I don’t remember your Hyrule having snow, Four.” 

“We haven’t been here in winter.”

“How far to the nearest town?” Warriors wants to know, ever the planning type. 

“Not far. We’re close to the forge, actually. This area is safe.”

Blue flares in Sky’s peripheral vision. A circlet materializes in Wild’s hand. He drops it over Wind’s head. “Oh!” Wind perks up, broad smile stretching even wider. “That’s warm!” Wild passes him a potion as well that Wind happily takes.

What Wind really needs are taller boots. The only one of them who might possibly have shoes that would fit him is Four, and Four’s current footwear isn’t any better suited for the white fluff than Wind’s. Wind ignores how the snow falls inside his shoes and clings to the hems of his pants as he runs ahead, kicking his feet through the loose drifts. The others spread out as well. Apparently no one is in any hurry. Hyrule leans down to touch the snow with hesitant fingers. Sky can’t hear what he and Legend are saying to each other. The snow almost seems to muffle sound, casting a quiet hush over the landscape only broken by their creaking footsteps. Watching Hyrule do it gives Sky the courage to lean down himself, running his fingers through the fluff. It’s cold, like touching a frosted window, and slightly wet. 

“Hey, Sky,” Four approaches him, now wearing a battered and comically over-large coat over his usual clothing. The coat clearly isn’t his. One of Wild’s, Sky assumes, watching the Champion approach Hyrule and Legend with a pair of gloves held out in offering. His usual blue tunic has been replaced by a warm-looking white ensemble. 

Four seems happy and relaxed. More than happy. There’s an almost playful glint in his eyes. “First time seeing snow?” There’s no judgement in his voice. 

“Yes. It’s like frost?” It’s cold like ice, but ice is solid. This isn’t. Frost is the closest other thing Sky can think to compare it to. 

Four nods. “In winter it falls from the sky like rain. If the air is cold enough it sticks, and you get this.” He makes an expansive gesture to indicate the white field stretching out before them. “It’s really pretty when it’s falling,” Four continues. “Maybe you’ll get to see that while we’re here. But it’s also-” and here Four’s happy expression morphs into something that’s downright mischievous “-pretty great for having fun.” He drops Sky a wink and bends down to scoop up a great big handful of the stuff. A few quick pressing, twisting motions and he’s holding a white ball. He shifts it into one hand, his head coming up. Sky follows the tracking of his eyes automatically and looks up just in time to see an explosion of white across Wind’s chest. 

A startled hush falls over the group. Wind’s expressive face cycles through several emotions in rapid succession. Surprise, then a blooming grin, and then a downright evil expression as he lunges to collect a handful of snow for himself. 

“Snowball fight!” Wild hollers. Sky’s head whips around as several of the others whoop. He finds himself catching eyes with Hyrule, who looks as bewildered as he feels.

“Come on, Sky!” Four laughs, already with another ball of snow - a snowball? - in his hands. He launches this one at Legend. Legend sees it coming and manages to duck away from it. 

Something smacks Sky’s shoulder. Sky’s head whips around to track where the snowy missile came from. Time is looking right at him, a teasing hint of a smile on his face. 

Time threw snow at him. 

“Hurry, Sky!” Four’s laugh is lighthearted and bright, as childish as Sky’s ever heard him. “He got you, you have to get him back! Like this!” Four scoops, and packs, and is soon holding another snowball that he launches at Time without hesitation. Time manages to deflect the shot that would have taken him right in the stomach. All around them, the rest of the group is laughing and yelling, diving and running and flinging snow at each other with abandon. The mood is infectious. Sky reaches down.

His fingers prickle and start to go numb as soon as he buries his hands in the fluffy whiteness. His first attempt at grabbing it just sends clumps of the fluff slipping out between his fingers. He takes a bigger handful, experimentally packing it together like Four did. He winds up with a loose, misshapen clump. At least it’s holding together. 

“Yes, like that!” Four is still packing and flinging snowballs at a truly impressive rate. His borrowed coat is dotted with white clumps in evidence of the others' retaliation. “Now pack more on and twist your hands like this to shape it.” Four demonstrates. Sky does as he’s told. The results do look much more round, like something that might actually hold together in the air. 

His first snowball. What a silly thing to be proud of. 

Sky looks around, carefully selecting his first target. Twilight is faced away from him, presenting Sky with his broad back. Sky winds up, throws. White splashes across the wolf pelt. Twilight ducks belatedly, twisting around to see who hit him before he’s distracted at being hit again from another direction. 

A kind of euphoria is bubbling up in Sky’s throat. He dives back to the ground for more ammunition, the numbness in his fingers entirely forgotten.

Four makes a tiny eeping sound at his side. Sky looks up just in time to see Time hit Four in a rush, lifting the smithy off his feet with one arm. The snowball in his other hand comes down on Four’s head. Time ducks down for another handful without letting go of Four. “Hit me below the belt, will you?”

“It was an accident!” Four is laughing too hard for his frantic squirming to be effective. “Sky! Sky, avenge me!”

Sky looks at the snow in his numb fingers, looks at Time watching him with a happy little smile curling up the edges of his mouth. Then he runs forward and slaps his snowball into the back of Time’s neck. 

Time straightens with a shout, his back arching. Some of the snow slips down the inside of his armor. His gleaming eye goes sharp and focused.

Sky may have miscalculated. The footing is still slick and unfamiliar. He can’t get out of the way fast enough when Time releases Four to tackle him instead. He’s outright laughing now, a big booming swell of sound as he takes Sky straight off his feet. His back hits a crunchy-wet snowdrift. They wrestle like children, rolling and grinding snow into each other’s hair and faces. Then Time brings them both back to their feet, still laughing. Sky scrabbles his fingers through his hair. Great clumps of snow dislodge themselves, some of it running down the back of his own neck so that Sky gets a taste of exactly what he did to Time. “Oh that’s cold!”

Time drops him a wink, packs a sloppy snowball with a few hurried motions, then turns around and nails Warriors right in the middle of the chest. 

For the next few minutes, Sky’s world narrows to ducking and throwing and dodging. His lungs burn but he hardly cares. He’s having far too much fun. 

Then the items come out, and things really start to get out of hand. 

A giant block of ice materializes in front of Wild, the snowball Hyrule just threw bouncing harmlessly off of it. 

That’s enough to open the floodgates, as if everyone was simply waiting for one of them to take their free-for-all to the next level. 

“Here, Hyrule!” Four calls, tossing what looks like a simple reed cane at the Traveler. Hyrule snatches it out of the air. He turns towards Wild with an evil grin, mimicking the underhanded sweeping motion that Four makes. Wild's feet go out from under him, dumping him on his head in a snowdrift. Around the clearing, items are coming out. Wind pulls out a small wand. A practiced flick sends a scything burst of air off the tip. It carves a deep grove in the snowbank in front of him. The wave of snow takes Twilight full in the face. Twilight’s hands dive towards his bag only for his chainmail to glow. He goes stumbling backwards, yanked off his feet and straight into another snowdrift. “Wild!” He hollers, flinging a boomerang as he claws his way back to his feet. A cyclone follows in its wake, kicking up snow.

A sudden burst of air rushes up the back of Sky’s neck. It catches his sailcloth, flipping it up and over his head, covering his face. He yelps, clawing at it. His backside is covered in snow. He manages to free his vision in time to see Warriors in a similar position, struggling to free his face of his own scarf. Four is grinning up at him, mouth of a jar still aimed in his direction. 

Recognition falls over Sky. He feels a smile settling on his face. Four’s expression takes an abrupt shift into uncertainty. 

“Two can play that game,” Sky tells him in a voice that is sugar sweet. His own gust bellows sends a blast of snow straight into Four’s face. It topples Four right off his feet. The smithy turns the tumble into a nimble roll and bolts away from Sky, laughing, his gust jar blowing snow at anyone and everyone as he goes. Sky gives chase. 

All around him, items and snow are flying. Legend gooses Warriors with his ice rod. “Warriors!” Wild calls. Sky has to duck as one of Wild’s ice rods goes sailing over his head. Warriors snatches it out of the air. He tosses Wild a sloppy salute and turns on Legend, swinging the rod in an underhand arc that sends ice racing across the surface of the snow and a billow of what must be freezing cold air up under the hem of Legend’s tunic. Legend jumps, yells something that Sky doesn’t catch. He’s too busy trying to dodge a whirlwind of snow from Twilight's boomerang. He isn’t successful. The cyclone sends him tumbling straight into another snowdrift. 

He struggles upright, trying to catch his breath. His lungs are burning, exhaustion cresting over him. He doesn’t want to stop yet, but he doesn’t think he can keep running around like this. This kind of fun takes a surprising amount of work. 

Still out in the thick of things, Four and Wind are competing to see just how much snow they can blast into each other's faces. Hyrule is still chasing Wild around the clearing with Four's cane, dodging the ice blocks Wild drops in his path. Legend and Warriors gang up on Twilight, ice rods against his gale boomerang. 

“Here, Sky.” Time appears at his side, offering him his hand. Sky takes it, expecting to be helped to his feet. He isn’t expecting Time to turn at the last moment, presenting Sky with his back and giving an extra yank of upward momentum. Sky follows the pull into a short leap, coming down on Time in a clumsy piggyback. “Try not to hit me with that thing,” Time orders, adjusting Sky’s legs to his liking. Sky isn’t all that much shorter than Time, and the man is still running around in full plate, but he doesn't seem to be thrown off in the least by the extra weight. 

“I’ll do my best,” Sky promises, breathless, fumbling to bring his bellows back into proper position one handed. He yelps, clinging as Time takes off in a headlong charge towards Warriors and Legend. He manages to bring the gust bellows to bear in time to send a billow of snow straight into their stupefied faces. 

- - -

The forge, when they finally reach it, is warm and inviting. Four’s grandfather lets them in without batting an eye at the large group of unexpected guests. They shed their armor and bags, hang their wet clothes up to dry, and squeeze into the small collection of couches and chairs in the modest main room. The house isn’t really big enough for this many visitors, but they make do.

Wild and Grandpa Smith disappear into the kitchen, saying something about warm drinks. Legend and Hyrule forego chairs in favor of the rug in front of the fireplace. Legend sprawls bonelessly across Hyrule’s lap, actively showing affection in a way he never would have back when they all first met. Twilight is next to them, legs crossed and posture lazy. Time pauses to drape a blanket over Legend’s legs before taking the last space on the couch where Wind and Warriors have landed. 

Sky takes the apple cider Wild hands to him with a grateful smile. The familiar fatigue of an active day settles into his bones, as he knew it would. He can feel his eyelids drooping as he brings his mug to his lips. He huddles into his sailcloth, seeking out the familiar warmth. It was worth it. Sky can’t remember the last time he participated in something so purely, childishly fun.

Four squeezes in next to him on the oversized chair, clutching a mug of warm milk. There's a content curve to his mouth as he watches them all get comfortable in his home. Four gives Sky a little nudge with his elbow. “You all right?”

“Mm-hm.” The warm mug leeches the last of the cold from his fingers, the crisp-sweet smell of the cider mixing pleasantly with woodsmoke from the fire. Sky blinks heavily.

“Tired?”

“Mm.”

He doesn’t want to sleep just yet. He’d rather bask in this feeling. Like Time and Malon’s ranch. Like being with Zelda. Home. It feels like home. 

He doesn’t realize he’s started to slouch over until Four catches him, his soft chuckle barely heard over the crackling fire. Four wedges himself more securely into Sky’s side, propping him up. It’s cozy, tucked into the corner of the chair with Four pressed up against him. 

“Pretty sure Legend’s already out cold,” Four murmurs behind the cover of his mug. “You won’t be the first to pass out this time.”

“Wind soon, too.” Their sailor has tipped over to rest his head on Time’s shoulder, his feet stretched all the way across Warriors lap and tucked into the space between Warriors’ leg and the arm of the couch. Warriors takes the empty mug out of his loosening fingers and Wind offers only a token protest. Sky meets Warriors’ eyes, sees his own content feeling reflected back at him. 

A large, calloused hand lands on Sky’s shoulder. Its partner comes to rest on Four’s. Grandpa Smith leans over the back of their chair, sturdy and smelling heavily of fire and metal. His beard tickles at Sky’s ear. “You boys are welcome to stay as long as you like, understand? No need to rush off.” His words are low, spoken to Four rather than loudly enough to break the sleepy hush that has fallen over the room. 

“Thanks, Grandpa.” Four tips his head back to smile up at his grandfather. 

“Thank you for allowing us to drop in unannounced,” Sky feels compelled to say. The hospitality of another’s home is not something he thinks he will ever take for granted. 

“My grandson being who he is, I’ve gotten used to expecting the unexpected.” Grandpa Smith pats his shoulder. “Link’s family is my family.” He casts a sweeping gaze across the room and, satisfied, removes himself back to the kitchen. 

Wild collapses onto the rug between Hyrule and Twilight, his head sharing Hyrule’s lap with Legend and his legs thrown over Twilight’s. Legend wakes up enough to offer a sleepy grumble. Sky can’t see Hyrule’s face but he can see the bright grin Wild offers in response to whatever expression he’s making. Twilight just rests his free hand on Wild’s ankle, sipping slowly at his honeyed milk. Warriors tugs a throw off the back of the couch to spread over Wind’s lap. Their youngest appears to be completely out as well. Time reaches up without moving his shoulder to run a hand through Wind’s hair. 

Sky ducks his head, keeping his voice low. “Your home is lovely, Four. And I don’t mean only the house.” 

Four leans into him just that little bit more. “I’m glad you think so. I’m pretty fond of it, myself.”

Sky smiles into his cider, watching his adopted family settle in each other’s company, and lets himself bask in the feeling of being utterly content.

 

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