Archive of Our Own

Wild shook off the feeling of light magic as he exited the portal. Yep, that was definitely one of Hylia’s. Even though the portals created by their mysterious foe and their divine benefactor looked exactly the same, they felt completely different. Wild didn’t have as good a sense for magic as Hyrule or First, or Time or Legend, but he could tell the difference between light and dark easily enough. The dark ones made him feel sick, like there was a weight in his stomach, and his skin crawled as if he was coated in slime. Meanwhile, Hylia’s portals energized him and the light magic within lightly brushed against his body, encouraging him forward and soothing in its caress.  

As he waited for the rest of the Chain to follow behind him, Wild scanned the area, both for threats and familiarity. He found neither.

The sea stretched as far as he could see, little waves rolling just shy of where he stood. The sand beneath his boots was damp, the tide must be going out. There was the shadow of a towering rock formation on the horizon, but otherwise nothing of note in or above the water, besides circling sea birds. Walking a few paces away from the portal, he found that the small beach was tucked up against a tall cliff that would give even him trouble to climb. To the east, the sand ended abruptly, consumed by the ocean, but to the west, Wild could make out another small beach, separated from this one by a small body of water that they could easily wade through. There seemed to be a path leading away from the beach to the north, into a lightly forested area. The place reminded him of the beaches east of Lurelin Village, but he didn’t have to get out the Purah Pad and watch the device scan fruitlessly for a signal to know this wasn’t his era.

Behind him, the portal let out an eery rippling noise as two more members of the Chain walked through. Warriors and Four materialised out of the swirling vortex, pausing to take in the scene like Wild did.

“What took you guys so long?” asked Wild strolling back over to them. “I thought you were right behind me!”

“We were.” replied Warriors, hefting his travel pack over his shoulder, “Not all of us can fit everything we own in a slab of Sheikah technology.”

“Oh. Whoops.” Maybe he shouldn’t have run through as soon as the portal had flared to life on the edge of their camp.

Four shrugged, Wild already forgiven, “Everyone else should be through in a moment.”

On cue, the portal’s surface rippled again and, pair by pair, the rest of the Chain stepped out. As soon as the last of them were through, the rift disappeared in a shower of golden sparks, leaving no trace it was ever there.

Upon confirming everyone’s status, Time called out, “Does anyone recognise the area?”

Wind rushed up to the waterline, his telescope in hand. “Don’t think it’s mine. I don’t recognise those rock formations. Or this island. We might not even be on an island at all.”

“It would be pretty soon to return to your era, too.” Sky added. “We haven’t discovered any coastlines on the Surface yet, so let’s hope it’s not my era.”

“Hyrule is usually pretty landlocked throughout the eras.” Legend observed, pulling out a few rolled up maps. The collector had been adamant about buying a map in every new era they visited. “There are the oceans to the east and south, but Hyrule’s borders rarely stretch that far. Wind’s, Wild’s and Hyrule’s are the only real candidates, unless Hylia took us to another kingdom.”

“Not mine!” Wild piped up, waving his unresponsive map.

“I don’t think it’s mine…” Hyrule closed his eyes and crouched down to place a hand flat on the sand, gauging the magic within the earth and the air. “The magic feels more alive. There’s no sign of damage, recent or ancient. It feels… new.”

“So, we’re early in the timeline…” Sky mused aloud. “First, does your Hyrule have a coastline?”

First frowned as he scanned the area. “Yes. Before the war. When I say that Hyrule was destroyed, I mean it.” He gestured vaguely at the azure sea. “Forests were burned, the earth was rendered asunder, and the seas boiled. If this was my era, this sea would be a vast desert.”

“I think the magic would be affected by such a disaster.” Hyrule added. “So… could that mean we’re in an era before yours?”

“It’s possible… It is not as if Hyrule did not exist before that conflict. In fact…” First turned west, squinting in the bright sunlight. “Wind. Can you spy anything in this direction?”

Wind raced over to First’s side, hastily scanning the horizon. “Sure! What am I looking for?”

“A fishing village. A series of wooden docks, with houseboats anchored and tied down to it. Keep a lookout for Zora too. If I’m right, you could see both river and sea Zora.”

“Uhh…” Wind looked sheepishly up at their eldest. “There’s a difference?”

First looked briefly confused before realising his error. “Oh, of course, the Zora evolved into the Rito by your era.”

“I mean…” Twilight started, sounding a touch embarrassed. “He’s not the only one. I’ve only seen one type of Zora before.”

First hummed to himself. “And yet, I have seen both types since we began travelling together. River Zora look closest to those seen in Legend and Hyrule’s times; they’re stouter, mostly green, and have brightly coloured frilled fins. Sea Zora have builds closer to hylian proportions, adapted to swifter swimming, and more pastel colours, usually something close to blue. Like Wild’s Zora.”

“What?” Wild cut in. “But… my Zora are freshwater? Zora’s Domain is in the mountains and is the source of all of Hyrule’s rivers!”

First sighed, “That is one of the many mysteries that have arose from this adventure…

Time added his thoughts. “Wild’s Zora seem like the same kind as my time’s and I have encountered them both in freshwater and saltwater. My guess is that they can survive in both and have been moving between the two depending on other factors in each era.”

“Well, while you were solving that mystery, I think I spotted the village!” Wind piped up, handing the telescope to First so he could confirm.

“So, we’re in First’s era, before the war broke out?” Warriors asked, looking to his older brother.

“Not quite…” With a nod to himself, he gave the telescope back to Wind. “That’s Seesyde Village, as I thought. By the looks of it, I would hardly call this my era. That honour goes to a hero I once fought beside.”

There was a moment of silence before all hell broke loose.

“There’s another hero!?”

~*~

First was being infuriatingly vague as he led the Chain across the new Hyrule. He refused to say anything more about the hero, treating the situation like a game that he refused to lose. By the time they made it to Seesyde Village, all they knew was that First had fought alongside this hero so long ago, that none of the villagers would recognise him (and he had only given them that information out of necessity). The only thing he let slip was that the most likely place to find this mystery hero would be at Hyrule Castle, which was a half a day’s trek west, to the centre of the kingdom.

Seesyde Village was a quaint little community, the people welcoming, and the fishing village was just the right amount of quiet. True to First’s word, there were a few Zora of both types hanging around, as at home here as they were in their respective villages. As Legend began his search for someone, anyone, who’d be willing to sell him a map, First pointed Wild in the direction of the local shop to stock up the Purah Pad with ingredients.

When asked for the best place to find potions, First just laughed and led the rest of the Chain to a stall on the sand owned by a deku scrub. Apparently, smoothies outclassed potions in every way in this era. With Wild’s new stock of era-specific ingredients and surprisingly few rupees, the Chain was stocked up and ready to go. Perhaps the best part about buying smoothies over potions was that the smoothie shop provided the jars, meaning that the Links could save their empty bottles for fairies and whatever else they found useful. With their satchels full of sugary sweet smoothies, coming in a range of bright colours, tasty flavours and boasting a combination of useful effects, the heroes spent another hour in the village, trying to gather more information about the hero, determined to beat First at his own game.

Not a single person recognised First, though he did get a few odd looks, like people were trying to place his face. The one time a hero asked about it, the lady told Four that First reminded her of someone, but he was far too old to be him. Legend and Wild, on the other hand, couldn’t escape being mistaken for ‘Link’. Villagers cited Wild’s navy hooded cloak, saying that the local hero wore one just like it, but the embroidery on the back was a different pattern. If Legend heard one more comment about how he’d look identical to ‘Link’, if it weren’t for the pink streak in his hair, he was going to hurt something. Upon Warriors asking about this ‘Link’, the kindly old sailor they were talking to went on a tangent about how Link and ‘another brave hero’ had saved the citizens of Hyrule from the local monster population more times than any of them could count and how they had fixed the local rift problem. Apparently, he had personally sailed ‘Link’ east, out of Hyrule, a few years ago, to go and travel beyond the kingdom’s borders.

Once they were out of sight of the village, First confirmed that anyone talking about Link, was referring to his teenage self. From the sounds of it, Hylia had dropped them in the period of time where he had left Hyrule for a few decades, though he quickly returned to the guessing game and wouldn’t tell them any more details.

He led them through a small pass between two cliffs, sidestepping the bright red sand crabs and the pockets of shallow water. Eventually, sand became a dirt path cutting through lush grass and the Chain followed it at a leisurely pace, occasionally slashing at the weak Ropes that tried to sink their fangs into their ankles and the crows that divebombed them, aiming for their wallets. Despite the high monster population, they were more of a nuisance than anything. Apparently, this was normal for this era. The Chain didn’t hesitate to eliminate every monster they came across, hoping to make travelling between the various settlements easier for ordinary citizens.

Despite this, they were making excellent time. The sun was only just starting to set as the heroes exited the narrow pass. Released from the tight quarters, they could spy the familiar spires of Hyrule Castle rising above the sparse trees. By First’s estimate, they would reach Castle Town long before dark.

Just as they were passing by Lake Hylia, the Chain heard a woman scream and the howling of wolves. There was no discussion, no communication, the heroes instantly sprinted south-west towards the sound, especially as the roar of triumphant monsters joined the cacophony of noise. As the Chain made it to a stone bridge, they found their target.

Monsters – clearly bokoblins, moblins and darknuts, even though only one of their number had seen this era’s enemies before – scrambled to climb up onto a ledge where a woman was cowering in fear. There were so many monsters. What should have been a nice field spotted with the occasional tree was so filled with beasts, the horde appeared as a single writhing mass. A figure, cloaked in a blue hood, had placed themselves between the woman and the monsters, sword and shield in hand. They had their hands full with using their shield to block the spears and boomerangs being thrown at them and seemed unable to find an opening to attack back.

However, the most confusing thing about the scene were the wolves. A pure white wolfos and two smaller grey wolfos were in the middle of the horde, attacking the monsters instead of the hylians. One of the grey wolves pounced on a club-wielding bokoblin, sending it sprawling across the grass in a splatter of black blood, before a blue moblin wielding a sword and shield swiped at the canine. With a pained whimper, the grey wolfos disappeared in a flurry of golden triangles. In response, the white wolfos leapt backwards, away from the fight, before bellowing a summoning howl that had the wolves of the Chain’s ears twitching. Another grey wolfos appeared in a puff of white smoke and fearlessly leapt back into the fray.

“Attack anything that doesn’t have a golden shimmer to it! They’re allies!” commanded First as he drew the Goddess Sword and raced ahead. Now that he mentioned it, the three wolfos did have a subtle golden glow to them and the white wolfos had four golden triangles floating above its head.

First leapt over a group of stout bokoblins, putting himself in the middle of the horde, then drove the tip of his sword into the earth, the ancient words for Deku’s Garden on his tongue. The earth shook as thorny vines erupted from the ground and ensnared the monsters in a wide radius around the demigod. Most were stopped in their tracks, others lost their weapons as boomerangs flew past their owners and disappeared into the undergrowth, unable to be caught with how the vines constricted their limbs. Hyrule, Legend and Time sprinted ahead of the others, weaving between the bound beasts until they were spread far apart from each other. Thunder cracked, Din’s Fire exploded, and the Aether medallion sparked, devastating the battlefield and taking down three large chunks of monsters. The rest of the Chain, used to this manoeuvre, raced into battle, Warriors and Wild in the lead with their expertise in crowd control combat, slicing through the helpless monsters as First cast his spell again and the enemies struggled to break free.

It was surprisingly easy to fight alongside the usually hostile creatures. The wolfos moved in tandem with the heroes, darting in to take advantage of any openings while rarely getting underfoot. It only got more obvious when Time, Twilight and Wild switched from swords to claws, the divine beasts working alongside the tamed monsters like they were all one big pack.

Eventually, the Chain spotted the figure from before joining them on the battlefield. Up close, the similarities between the newcomer’s cloak and Wild’s were unmistakeable. The Chain came to the same conclusion; this was hero First and the townsfolk had told them about. The potential hero of courage was about Legend’s height, but they weaved between the heroes and the enemies with Four’s grace, the warrior clearly used to fighting alongside allies. Their swordsmanship was disciplined, the style reminiscent of a royal knight, but the occasional fumble here or there spoke not of a lack of skill, but of a lack of experience. It soon became clear that the sword and shield was not their primary weapon.

The white wolfos was struck down after a poorly timed pounce, the grey wolves disappearing into golden triangles along with it. The figure immediately ran for cover, First instinctively moving to shield them from an eager darknut. The newcomer sheathed the weapons beneath their cloak before pulling out a staff that radiated light magic. The rod was turquoise at the base while the rest of it was a glittering gold. The staff appeared to be made of two rods twisted together, tightly at the base and unravelling at the top in an elegant cage-like design. Within this cage was a flickering image, that of the white wolfos. Six glowing triangles, so similar to the Triforce it was uncanny, trailed from the top of the staff, following its every movement like they were threaded together by invisible string.

With a quick flick downwards, four of the triangles disappeared and the white wolfos was summoned into existence once more. It howled for it’s pack then the three dove in once again. The hero flicked the staff sideways, the image in the staff scrolling to the left and being replaced by another monster, a bright green lizalfos. They brought the staff back to a neutral position then flicked downwards once more, using the last two triangles to summon the lance-wielding lizard, which immediately skewered an unsuspecting bokoblin. Satisfied with their loyal companions, the newcomer returned the staff to their back, retrieved their sword and shield, and returned to the fight.

Between all eleven heroes and their four monstrous allies, it wasn’t long before the last monster fell.

Satisfied that the area was clear of hostiles, the new hero quickly scrambled back up the ledge, checking on the woman. She appeared unharmed and quickly excused herself, saying that she didn’t want to keep the Great Fairy waiting. None of the heroes had the chance to inquire further before the lady sprinted in the direction of the lake.

“You’re welcome!” Legend shouted after her, sarcastically. “We only took down an army to save you. A thank you would’ve been nice.”

“She’s as scatterbrained as ever.” First spoke up. “Don’t mind her; not even the rifts stopped her from trying to find that fairy fountain. I doubt she would’ve even noticed the monsters if they hadn’t been between her and the lake…”

A flash of light halted all conversation. The new hero had raised the golden staff, which was now sparkling brighter than ever and with a swish, all the tame monsters burst into triangles, six returning to floating around the head of the staff.

With a charming smile, Warriors turned to their newest member. “Looks like we won’t have to go to the castle after all! You wouldn’t happen to be the local hero, would you?”

“Who is asking?” The voice beneath the hood was rather feminine, polite and refined. There was also an undercurrent of suspicion. “I don’t believe we have met. I think I would recognise a band of fighters as large as yours with such… distinctive garb.”

Warriors didn’t seem phased by her tone. “My name is Link-”

Until he was cut off, “Yes, you are certainly trying to be, aren’t you?” the new hero sounded rather irritated, the staff glowed threateningly. “I must admit, you share a passing resemblance, and your skill with a blade is nothing to scoff at, but you are but a cheap imitation of Link. A green tunic alone does not a hero make! Did you really expect to fool me!?”

First stepped in, raising his hands in a placating gesture. “No one’s trying to fool anyone, Priestess.”

Immediately, the ‘Priestess’ pointed the staff at him. “How do you know that title? Only the royal court know of the prophecy!”

“And one other person.” First continued for her, “The other hero mentioned in said prophecy.”

“But that can’t be, he would never tell-!”

“He told no one.”

The Chain could almost sense the glare beneath the hood. “Give me a straight answer, imposter!”

With a little smirk on his face, First replied, “Alright, then.” Then he snapped his fingers.

The effect was immediate. The illusions and charms keeping First’s godly presence shrouded splintered apart. His markings glowed fiercely, and many members of the Chain could sense magic radiating from him; not light, nor dark, but neutral pure power. The hero flinched backwards with a small gasp but also lowered her staff. Then, they pulled the hood back.

The heroes barely had any time to register the long golden hair tied into a ponytail, the pink and white clothes reminiscent of the dresses worn by the princesses of Hyrule, but with practical trousers instead of a skirt, or the gold diadem she wore, before the priestess snapped her own fingers and her presence bloomed. Her eyes radiated a golden glow and sparked with very familiar light magic. Sweeping iridescent purple markings reminiscent of feathers and wings appeared around her eyes and swirled up to the tips of her pointed ears. It was clear that the hero of this era was far more than just the princess of this land.

“Your magic… Link! It really is you!” Surprise still coloured her tone, despite the echoing effect.

First chuckled, “What gave me away?”

“I am not dignifying that with a response.” She sighed, before stomping up to him and poking him lightly with the staff. “Now conceal yourself, before unsavoury forces sense your presence!”

“You first.”

The princess smirked back at him, “Touché.”

As one, the two cast their spells and looked ordinary once more – well, as ordinary as a princess and a hero can look, at least.

“I’m flattered you’re so defensive over me, but a warm welcome would’ve been nice.” First teased.

The princess exclaimed, “You can’t fault me for not recognising you! Link, when did you get so old!? Does our aging start speeding up after a certain point or-?!”

First’s smile dropped as soon as she started panicking, and he responded seriously. “This isn’t a demigod aging thing. I’m time travelling right now; I’m from the future. Your version of myself is still overseas as far as I know.”

Her distress immediately evaporated. “Oh. That makes more sense.” She briefly glanced at the other Links, most of which were still in a state of shock from the earlier exchange. “Don’t tell me they are all versions of yourself from across time!”

“That’s-!” First started, then paused as he thought over his words. “-more accurate than it sounds. It’s complicated, but we should have this conversation somewhere more private.”

“Right. Of course.” She looked disappointed before quickly steeling her expression. “Then, let us be off to the castle.” She walked past the Links, waving for them to follow her.

First pointedly cleared his throat.

She quickly spun on her heel, “What is it?”

“Would you mind introducing yourself to my companions, at least?” he asked politely, then dramatically exclaimed, “To think! Me – a mere peasant! – having to remind her royal highness of her manners! For shame!”

She rolled her eyes at him, a tiny quirk of her lips betraying her amusement. “Ah, yes. How could I forget? It is not as if you were hurrying me along, no, my lack of decorum is my own fault.” She replied sarcastically. The princess turned to the rest of the Chain, returning to her polite tone. “If we were inside the castle, I would regale you with all of the titles my people insist on referring to me with,” She pulled her hood back up, but left it further back than it had been previously so that the Links could still see her face.

“But since you are friends of Link, and we are outside the walls of Castle Town, you may simply call me Zelda.”

~*~

By the time they arrived at the gate to the walled Castle Town, the sun had fully set. The soldiers seemed to be on high alert, but one word from Zelda and all eleven of them were let through without a fuss. It was clear that the citizens of Castle Town adored their princess. The moment Zelda took off her hood, excitable children rushed up to her to welcome her back and hear stories of her latest battles. In their haste, the kids didn’t seem to notice the Chain until Zelda got to the part in her story where they had appeared. Like a switch had been flipped, the kids started weaving between the Links asking questions and marvelling at their armour and weapons. Eavesdropping adults dropped their suspicious scowls upon their princess declaring that her companions were formidable warriors who helped her fight off the largest horde of monsters she had ever seen. The Chain noticed that she made no mention of their borderline-hostile post-battle chat, instead saying that they had offered to help defend Hyrule for the foreseeable future.

After excusing herself with the reason that she had to introduce her new friends to the King, Zelda led them into the castle itself. Every surface was made of pristine light grey stone, the floor tiles cut into diamond patterns and polished to perfection. A crimson carpet cut through the monochrome, guiding the group straight to the throne room.

The throne room was more than large enough for the Chain to gather inside with room to spare and at the far end, atop a raised dais and just in front of the throne, were three people having an intense discussion. The king paced back and forth, running a hand through his bushy white beard as he thought. A tan man with silver armour, a yellow cape and a grey tunic with turquoise accents stood to the king’s right and a woman with bright red glasses, blue poofy hair and a purple robe stood to his left.

As soon as the king spotted Zelda, a loving smile crossed his face. “My dear Zelda, you have returned! I am glad to see you once again return to us unharmed.” Zelda rushed up to him and the two embraced for a moment. They released each other quicky, the picture of professionalism, and the king’s eyes flicked over the Links, “And who are these fine young men you have brought with you?”

“They have yet to tell me in full, as we decided it would be safer to wait until we had privacy. However, I can assure you that Link – the real Link, not an imposter – is among them.”

“That would be me.” First stepped forward. “And before you say anything; yes, I know I look much older than I did the last time I graced these halls, but I will explain that in a moment. I believe proper introductions are in order?”

The woman squinted suspiciously at the Chain. “While I would usually demand an explanation for such a claim, I trust in her highness’ judgement. I am Minister Lefte, and my colleague over there is General Wright.” The knight gave them a nod of acknowledgement. “And your names are?”

“Link.” First replied simply. “All of our names are Link; thus, we have nicknames for each other. I ask that you call me First, otherwise this will get confusing quite fast.” He quickly rattled off the Chain’s nicknames, having each of the Links step forward as he did so. Once he was done, he continued, “We are all heroes from across time, far into Hyrule’s future. Some time after the era I hail from, a cycle is set in motion; evil rises up to threaten Hyrule, and a princess and a hero emerge to stop the darkness. We heroes share a spirit and a similar soul, and we have now been brought together by the Goddesses to fight an evil that can traverse time itself.”

Zelda hummed to herself, “So that is what you meant earlier… I will admit, I was not expecting reincarnation to be the answer to your cryptic words. And that horde of monsters… It was like nothing we had ever seen before; we thought it was an omen, a sign that Demise had begun to wage his war for the Prime Energy- The Triforce, I mean. Was that the evil that can traverse time, the darkness you have been hunting?”

“You’re as observant as always, your highness.” First replied.

Warriors took over for him. “The shadow we are hunting has been creating large groups of monsters that have black blood. These monsters are stronger and smarter than their usual ilk. The group we fought together had this dark blood.”

“Then I have to thank you for your assistance earlier. That fight could have ended much worse without your assistance-”

“Your highness! You cannot believe something so ridiculous so easily!” General Wright interrupted. “These claims are absurd, and he has no proof! How do we know this man is really our Link!? If he turns out to be an imposter-!”

“General Wright.” The king’s voice silenced his subordinate. “I’m sure that Zelda has her reasons for trusting these heroes. Don’t you, dear?”

Zelda nodded at her father. “Of course I do!” she turned back to First. “Lin- First. Could you demonstrate for us, please?”

“Gladly-”

He was interrupted by Sky, who stepped in between First and the court with a worried look in his eyes. “Should you really be revealing that here? I thought you kept your… parentage a secret until the Majora incident.”

“I did.” First reassured him, placing a hand on his son’s shoulder. “But certain people are privy to the secret, such as this era’s royal court, since they are so close to another of my kind.”

Wind gasped, ran up to First, and in a voice that would’ve been a whisper if not for his excitement, he said “So Zelda’s really another demigod!?”

The court reeled back in shock, some more obviously than others. Zelda however, only let out an exasperated sigh. “So, you told them?”

First raised an eyebrow at her, “Even if I didn’t, you weren’t exactly subtle, earlier.” A smile crept back onto his face as he released the illusions on himself, showing the court his markings in all their glory. “And what did you expect? You know my father’s domain; I would never lie to family.”

Recovering from her shock, Minister Lefte chimed in, “That still does not explain why you are suddenly so much older than you should be.”

He cast his illusions again, only showing the court his true appearance for a moment, “Right. That. I did say we all were heroes from across time, didn’t I? That means I am too. The version of me from this era is still overseas. I have travelled back from about… I’d estimate over one hundred years in the future. I am still your Link, just from the future.”

Zelda replied, “I want to hear more about this, later.”

Four spoke up, “We have a lot to catch you up on, but we’ll have plenty of time on the road to do that.”

General Wright exploded. “You seriously intend to take her highness with you on this-!?”

“I’m going.” Zelda shut him down, her resolve as strong as steel. “This shadow must not be left to roam free and do whatever it pleases. If it truly is traversing through time, it could wreak havoc on the timeline. It could become as dangerous as Null. I will not stand aside while my kingdom is in danger!” A pleading note entered her voice. “Wright, what was the point in training me if, when the next crisis threatens Hyrule, you do not let me protect my kingdom?”

“Well- I-!” the general spluttered, his stance deflating as he realised he couldn’t persuade her. It was clear his aggressive attitude came from concern for the princess.

It was then the king spoke up, “Brave heroes, are you here to accept my daughter into your fold?”

First nodded, “Usually, when we step through a portal left for us by a goddess into an era we have never been to before, the intent is to recruit the hero of that era.” He turned to Zelda “I’m sure Hylia wouldn’t send us here if she didn’t intend on you coming with us.”

“Mother sent you here!?” Zelda exclaimed. “Then the situation is even more pressing than I thought!”

“Indeed.” The king agreed, his voice dire. “I will send for whatever supplies you need, and do not be afraid to request for any additional aid. As long as this darkness threatens the kingdom, consider Hyrule Castle a second home. The night is upon us, rest as long as you can heroes.”

 “I’ll show them to the guest rooms in my wing of the castle. I have my own packing to do.” Zelda decided, stepping off the raised dais and gesturing for the heroes to follow her once again.

They didn’t. It took the heroes a moment to convey why. Legend shouted, flabbergasted “Hylia is your mom!?”

~*~

“-And then that’s when we met Artemis, Warriors’ Zelda. She’s so badass! I fought in the War of Eras with her, and she was really good with that rapier of hers and her light arrows, and her dominion rod, and I let her borrow the Wind Waker once and I never thought I could use it in combat, but you should’ve seen her! One swish with that thing and she’d send her enemies flying!” Wind babbled on, pulling out the Wind Waker and brandishing it like a sword to demonstrate his point. A light breeze flowed through Zelda’s bedroom due to his movements, rustling the leaves of the small tree potted in the corner of the room and the curtains strung along her windows and bed.

While the rest of the Chain had gone with Impa down to the kitchens and the royal apothecary for travel rations and medical supplies, Wind, First, and Time had stayed with Zelda, opting to get to know the newest member of the Chain. So far, First and Time hadn’t gotten a word in since the princess had asked how the Chain had met, and the two didn’t have the heart to interrupt their little brother.

Zelda’s room was clean and well-kept, as expected of a princess. It had the same light grey colour scheme as the rest of the castle, but touches of colour and personal keepsakes made the room feel cosy. A plushie of a white horse with a golden mane sat on a chest of white wooden drawers, next to two delicate white pots that the Links had to restrain themselves from breaking. Her bed was dressed in silky turquoise sheets and the floor was covered with multiple soft rugs, magenta on top of red on top of pastel pink. A blond kitten rubbed up against Zelda’s legs, welcoming her home, before padding over to the Links, approaching them more cautiously but still begging them for pets. Zelda had collected her things on her bed to then put into her travelling bag, which was enchanted with the same magic as the Links’ item pouches to hold far more than logically possible.

“As much as I like Artemis, she’s got nothing on Tetra – that’s my Zelda by the way – she’s a pirate and she’s got her cutlass and her revolver- Wait, we’re really far in the past, you probably don’t know what a gun is. It’s like a crossbow but better! Anyway, she’s the captain of our group of pirates and we sail the Great Sea together, she’s cool! She’s the coolest Zelda! …Apart from you, of course!” Wind continued. “…And maybe Lullaby. Uh, Time? She’s the one that started the Sheik thing, right?”

“She did.” Time replied simply.

“Yeah so, she’s basically a ninja, like Impa! Though I guess that makes Artemis cooler than Lullaby cus she can be a badass ninja and a kickass princess! Still not as cool as Tetra though!”

Zelda neatly folded a spare blue dress and placed it in her bag, “They sound incredible. I would love to meet them! However…” she turned to the Links, “I must ask; how many Zeldas are there if you had to give all of them nicknames like yourselves?”

Time cut in before Wind could, “Just as the hero of courage is always named Link, the princess bearing the Triforce of Wisdom is always named Zelda. I believe in some eras there’s even a decree that all princesses of Hyrule must be named Zelda. So, we each have a Zelda; some of us even have multiple!”

“That’s… a lot of names to memorize.” Zelda replied faintly.

First laughed, “Doesn’t that little golden triangle make you smarter than everyone else? Memorizing a few names should be a breeze!”

Zelda rolled her eyes at him and with mock seriousness said, “I preferred you when you couldn’t talk.”

First clutched at his chest like he was in pain and dramatically spluttered, “Ah! You wound me! This is it! I’m dying!” He flopped onto Time, clutching his brother’s shoulder desperately. “Time! Tell the others… I… loved… them!”

Unmoved by First’s dying words, Time deadpanned, “Not if you paid me.” He had to stifle his laughter as First slid down to the floor.

“I see you haven’t matured any in those one-hundred years between us.” Zelda returned, a smile creeping onto her lips.

First snapped back to his previously upright posture. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Right.” As if the whole joke hadn’t happened, she returned to the previous subject. “So, does this mean that I need a nickname? How did you choose them?”

“Duh! Of course you need a nickname!” Wind shouted in excitement.

“We usually base our names off our hero titles, and then we base our Zelda’s off of our own to avoid confusion. If we don’t know our titles, the spirit of the Master Sword, Fi, can tell you if Sky presents you the blade. But… While you’re most definitely a hero, you’re not a Link – or a better way to put it – you probably don’t have the Hero’s Spirit, you and I predate the Hero’s Spirit, in fact.” First explained. “Sky already knew my title, The First Hero, so I don’t know whether Fi would recognise either of us.”

Time hummed in contemplation, “Isn’t your sword the previous form of the Master Sword? If Sky’s version of the blade can recognise all future heroes, perhaps the Goddess Sword can recognise you and Zelda?”

First shook his head. “Fi isn’t part of the Goddess Sword yet. From what Sun told Sky; Fi wasn’t created until after the sky islands ascended.” He crouched down by their pile of equipment they’d made by the bedroom door, moving his version of the Hylian Shield aside to pick up the sheathed blade and held it out to Time to examine. There was a moment of hesitation before Time took the blade. Carefully, he turned it over in his hands and examined it with his magic. “The Goddess Sword is hardly an ordinary blade; devised by the knowledge of the Gods of the Forge, crafted by the hands of their apprentice and imbued with the aura of two of the Golden Three’s Champions, but it does not contain a sword spirit. The portal took me before all that, right after I managed to seal away-”

He cut himself off, glancing over at Zelda who was listening intently. First coughed awkwardly. “I… probably shouldn’t be telling you anything about my era. The less you know of your future, the better.”

Zelda nodded agreeably, “That is most likely for the best. I’m not listening!” she made a point of crossing the room to her vanity, gathering up some of the items strewn across the wooden surface and beckoning Wind to continue his story.

Wind jumped at the chance to continue. “So anyway! Moments after we meet Artemis, one of her knights comes in and says a portal has appeared for us, so we have to move on. We thought, surely, that the Chain was complete by that point, there were nine of us and we’d all been gathered in Warriors’ era, so we were probably done collecting Links, right? Wrong! We go through the portal and none of us recognise the Hyrule we’re in. We appear just north of this massive tent with a wooden horse head on top and apparently that’s what stables in the Era of the Wild look like. We start asking around the stable, trying to figure out where we are and what we’re supposed to be doing on this quest, when we hear this ferocious roaring way off in the distance! And being the heroes we are, we can’t just ignore that, so we start making our way south towards all the noise-”

Even once Zelda was fully distracted, First didn’t continue his thought. He kept staring at her, an undecipherable emotion in his eyes. Time raised an eyebrow at him. “You’re not just concerned about time paradoxes, are you?”

First sighed, “No. I’m not.” He finally dragged his gaze back to meet Time’s. He opened his mouth to say something else, but at that moment, chattering echoed from outside the door, down the corridor connecting the bedrooms in the royal wing. Those boys were as loud as ever. After a moment, First said, “Let’s talk about this later. I don’t want to be overheard.”

While he wasn’t satisfied with shelving this conversation, Time accepted it with a nod, instead stepping outside to invite the rest of the boys into Zelda’s bedroom.

By the time the Chain had settled around the room, Wind was still regaling Zelda with his story.

“-Then a green light shines a little bit away from the flames and it gets bigger and bigger and bigger! Before we know it, this light has taken the form of a dragon! But then the dragon stops glowing so we can’t see it anymore. You better believe we’re sprinting across those plains, trying to get there before something happens! But we’re still too far away when we hear more roaring and suddenly the red flames do some sort of crazy arc through the air and fall out of sight! The night is deathly quiet once again… We barely slow down until we reach this massive bridge spanning Lake Hylia, and… nothing’s wrong. There are no monsters anywhere, and certainly no dragons. We decided to cross the bridge and scope out the area. As we’re crossing, suddenly the bridge lights up! Someone had planted a magic flower that lit up the area and we see someone sitting, waiting for us, at the centre of the bridge. And that’s when we met Wild! We didn’t know it at the time though, cus he has these assassins trying to kill him called the Yiga Clan that can disguise themselves, so his Hyrule is really cautious when it comes to strangers. Kinda like yours actually! What’s with that anyway?”

“I’m quite curious about that myself.” Four spoke up, a purple glint in his eyes, “I understand not trusting every stranger you meet, but apparently only Wild and Legend resemble the First you know. Why did you automatically assume we were imposters, rather than a group of fighters that happened to share some features with him?”

Zelda paused in her packing, a sheepish expression on her face. “Ah, that’s… Well, it’s to do with something that happened during my journey.” She glanced at First and Time. “I am allowed to talk about my adventure, right?”

Sky answered, easily guessing where her question was coming from, “Yes. We only try to avoid sharing each other’s futures, to prevent changing what has already happened. Anything else that you’re comfortable sharing is perfectly safe.”

“Right. Good to know.” Zelda reached down to where she had left her equipment next to the bed, retrieving the golden staff and showing it to the Chain. “This is the Tri-Rod. It was my weapon of choice for the majority of my journey and a gift from a dear friend of mine. You saw me use it to summon copies, or echoes, of monsters I have defeated to fight in my stead. Well, my enemy could do something similar. It could create echoes of any monster, animal, object or person that fell into the rifts it spread across Hyrule. At multiple points, this enemy of mine used this power to replace someone important and use that imposter to manipulate others, in ways that could’ve been catastrophic if they weren’t discovered as quickly as they were. Ever since, we’ve been cautious, perhaps even paranoid, of something similar happening again. We believe we utterly destroyed the source of the rifts, but if it wasn’t destroyed as thoroughly as we hope, the resurgence of imposters would be one of the first signs of its return. I apologise for how I treated you before.”

“There’s nothing to apologise for. It’s only natural for you to be cautious after an experience like that.” Warriors forgave.

Legend sidled up to Zelda, an insatiable curiosity shining in the collector’s eyes as he scanned the staff. “How does it work? Can you copy anything with it? What are the limits? Could you copy our items with it? What about potions? What about one-of-a-kind items like the Master Sword? What about copying us!?”

Zelda thought for a moment. “I can copy most objects, as long as they are shimmering when the Tri-rod is near them. For monsters, I have to defeat them first and they’ll leave behind a glimmer that I can echo. The catch is that every echo I make requires a shard of Tri’s power.” She tapped one of the golden triangles trailing after the staff, “I only have six in total, and the more powerful the monster, or the more magic contained within the object I try to copy, the more shards are used. Items like weapons, tools and potions tend to have too much magic within them, so I can’t echo them. As for copying other people…” she trailed off.

“She can copy us very well actually!” First spoke up, a smirk on his face. “Are you still using Swordfighter Form, or have you outgrown it by now?”

At the other heroes’ confused looks, Echo let Legend hold the Tri-rod for a moment and pulled out her sword. It was a pristine short sword, with a sky-blue hilt, two swirls of steel making up the guard. “Not as much as I used to. General Wright is a great teacher, so I know a lot more about swordplay now; I don’t have to rely on magic anymore to use the Sword of Might. Still, it’s useful if I have underestimated my enemies and need to get out of a sticky situation. I’m sure one day I’ll be able to retire Swordfighter Form entirely, but today is not that day.”

First clarified for the other heroes. “The Sword of Might was my first magical weapon. Apparently when someone like me wields a sword like that for a long time, an impression of my mind and magic is left in the blade. Zelda can tap into that magic, copying my muscle memory and physical fitness, essentially transforming her into an echo of me. We call it Swordfighter Form.”

“That’s so cool! Can we see!?” Wild begged, using his best puppy-dog eyes on Zelda.

“Not tonight…” Zelda responded hesitantly, “It takes quite a bit of magical energy to maintain, so I wish to save myself the exhaustion. How about I use it the next time we fight? Is that agreeable?”

“Oh, yeah that’s fine! No pressure!” Wild backpedalled sheepishly.

“Thank you.” Zelda replied with a soothing smile. “To be perfectly honest, while learning to use a weapon is useful, I much prefer using magic over weaponry. My echoes simply feel more natural for me to use.”

Before anyone could comment, Wind suddenly shouted, “That’s it! Echo!” as the others looked at him in confusion, he clarified, “Her nickname. So that we don’t confuse her with the other Zeldas.”

“Well, ‘Echo’? What do you think?” tried First.

She smiled, twiring a lock of loose hair around her finger as she thought. “Echo… I like it! Alright, then, you may all call me Echo!”

~*~

Late that night, First found himself unable to sleep and slipped out of the room he was sharing with the other adult Links. Lost in his head, he let his muscle memory guide him up onto the battlements surrounding Castle Town. The guards stationed for the night watch left him alone, either sensing his need to be alone or acting on the advice of General Wright to treat him the same as they would his teenage self. He leaned on one of the parapets, watching the moat float lazily along. This was a place he had frequented when he occasionally stayed in the castle after he and Echo had saved Hyrule together. Something about standing high above the city, watching over everyone as they soundly slept was soothing for him and helped calm his racing thoughts. Maybe it was how the darkness coated him like a blanket, hiding him from friend and foe alike, save for the glow of the occasional torch and the light of the moon and stars. No matter the reason, First found himself there now, but for once, his thoughts would not calm.

“Still thinking about earlier?” First would’ve been startled by Time’s voice, if he hadn’t sensed the other’s magic as he approached.

First hummed in confirmation. “Now that the thought has entered my mind it won’t get out. It’s a little hard to sleep when my brain won’t stop whirling.”

“Been there. Not fun.” Time agreed, joining him in leaning on the parapets, facing the town rather than the fields beyond. “So, what is it? Anything I can help with?”

“You’re probably the best person I could talk to about this…” First chuckled, but there was no humour in the sound. “Time, we all were brought together to defeat the shadow and his black-blooded monsters, but… do you think we can use this opportunity to- To change the fates of those who didn’t deserve the ones they were dealt?”

Time was afraid that this topic would come up eventually. It was inevitable really. The ten of them – eleven now – could do so much with this opportunity; meeting those they never could’ve otherwise, gather knowledge of things that had faded into history or had not happened yet, they could change history. There was a reason the Chain was so paranoid about causing time paradoxes; this whole adventure was a time paradox. Honestly, Time was surprised he hadn’t been asked this earlier.

“You know what happened when I tried to change the fate of my Hyrule…” First flinched. That conversation clearly still weighed on his mind, as it did for Time, and possibly the rest of the Chain as well.

That night had started innocently enough, the Chain trying to figure out where each Link was in the timeline, only to discover the true consequences of Time’s first adventure and the three timelines that sprang from it. How two timelines, one where he had failed, and another he had unknowingly abandoned, had continued, dooming two versions of the kingdom he was trying to save and forcing such hardship on two of his three successors. Time’s only solace was that the War of Eras had stopped the timelines from spiralling out of control. The captain’s knowledge had been invaluable during that discussion, and his information had a stamp of approval from Lana, the Guardian of Time herself.

Apparently, Warriors’ era took place at the end of the timeline Time was now living his life to the fullest in (dubbed by the captain as the Child Timeline). Thanks to Cia sending out portals across the Eras of Sky, Time and Twilight, and pulling chunks of the land into the Era of Warriors, the timeline had been damaged, the threads of time twisted together. Warriors, Artemis and Lana had been forced to wish on the full majesty of the Triforce, multiple times, in order to undo the damage. Except… the Triforce had done its job a little too well. When Lana had resumed her duties, she had immediately been flabbergasted at seeing the three timelines converge into one at the exact moment the three of them had wished upon the Triforce.

Her theory was that by the three of them wishing for “time to return to normal”, they had inadvertently wished for the erasure of the split timelines. The problem was that since three hearts filled with light had used the wish and erasing the other timelines would have essentially killed millions of people, something those hearts would’ve been heavily against, the Triforce left the three timelines as they were and merely joined them together at the present. The last Warriors had heard from Lana, the time sorceress was researching the recent history of the three timelines, trying to figure out what exactly had been changed to allow the Fallen and Adult timelines to flow seamlessly into the Child timeline.

But the Triforce wish hadn’t solved everything. Wind’s Hyrule had still been drowned by the gods. Legend and Hyrule’s kingdoms had still been plagued by an everlasting evil, reviving Ganon at every opportunity and poisoning the land. Their histories had been preserved; it was only the ending that changed. While the two timelines would eventually end in Warriors’ era, in a healthier Hyrule, that era was still recovering from the War of Eras; it was hardly an improvement.

As much as the thought sunk his heart and turned his gut to ice, Time couldn’t let something like the timeline split he caused happen again. Regardless of how many lives could be saved by preventing some tragedies, without knowing what events would follow, using the time portals to change what was already set in stone was simply too risky.

And yet… he couldn’t completely dismiss First’s idea without hearing what exactly he wanted to change. “Whose fate are you trying to change?”

“It’s mine, isn’t it?” a voice interrupted. “First, you’re not subtle.”

Time jumped, stumbling away from the wall, his hand flying to a weapon that wasn’t there. To him, the ‘voice’ had sounded like the screech of a large bird. First barely reacted, as a shining beacon flew out from one of the nearby trees and landed where Time had just been leaning. As the pair’s eyes adjusted to the bright light in the near darkness, they found themselves staring at a large owl with golden feathers.

“That was a bit dramatic, Echo.” First commented dryly, merely glancing at the shining bird.

The light radiating from the owl pulled back, wrapping around the bird in golden ribbons before dissipating entirely, revealing Echo sitting on the stone wall. She raised an eyebrow at her Link. “Do not try and change the subject. What happens to me? What are you trying to prevent?”

“You know I can’t tell you that.”

“You were about to tell Time.”

“Because he’s our time travel expert and your future is his past, he can’t change it.”

“Not yet.”

First sighed, “No. Not yet…” He returned his gaze to the moat below, effectively ending the conversation.

Echo’s expression crumpled, her indignation turning into sadness and fear. She slid off the stone wall and padded over to Time, who was still processing the past minute. “I apologise for startling you. I intended on having a late-night flight to clear my head, but… you can’t really blame me for eavesdropping.”

“No, I can’t.” Time sighed. Desperate to dispel the tension in the air, he asked, “I did not realise you too had the Beast’s Soul. I thought only those with the Hero’s Spirit had it?”

“On the contrary, I find it strange that most of you have it. To my understanding, only a handful of you are demigods.” Her gaze lingered on the marks on Time’s face. Right, they hadn’t quite gotten around to telling her about how many of the heroes were related by blood. “The gods each have an animal avatar that they can transform into, and the ability is passed from parent to child.”

First spoke up, “Warriors and I both inherited our forms from Papa, and then Sky probably got it through me. Sky must have passed it onto the rest of you through the Hero’s Spirit.”

There was a moment of silence as Time and Echo both thought over First’s words. It certainly made sense. Then Echo suddenly shouted, “Did I hear that correctly!? Warriors inherited- And if you are all named Link- First! Is Warriors-!?”

A little smirk crossed First’s face as he turned to face the others. “Yep. I found him! Turns out being sent on a mission to stop a time-travelling menace makes it easy to find long-lost little brothers sent to the far-flung future for their own safety.”

Echo’s face scrunched up in confusion, “And what about you, Time? Are you not the secret third sibling?”

“I’m adopted.” He answered. “I’m hylian. Mostly. I’m honestly not sure. The Lost Woods aren’t known for leaving the children who stumble into it untouched.”

“I believe it.” First cut in. “even if you don’t have a bit of forest spirit in you, Papa’s power definitely had an effect on your blood. Last I checked, the bonds between us confused us for half-siblings.”

Time stared at First like he had grown another head. “It did?”

“I’m not surprised you didn’t notice; you were a little preoccupied with Twi and Wild. The blood bond between us should be black, or at the very least, red or a dark shade of orange for a very distant relation. It was navy blue. Sky-blue is the colour of full siblings, navy-blue for half-siblings.”

“Fascinating…” Echo breathed, listening with rapt attention. “Your father certainly is capable of such a thing, given his domain.”

“I can bet he’s also to blame for how so many of us heroes are related.” First laughed. “Apparently being the reincarnation of the God of Familial Love’s grandson comes with a few side effects.”

“Hold a moment-” Echo stomped over to First and tugged at his sleeve until he made eye contact with her. “Is Sky your son!?”

First merely smiled at her.

“Answer the question!”

“Maybe…”

Echo let out a frustrated noise, “How young did you father him!? There can’t be more than ten years between you!”

“You should see Time with Twi and Wild!”

“What-!?” she spun towards Time, a look of utter disbelief on her face, before quickly rounding on First again, “No, stop trying to change the subject! Answer the question!”

“It’s the opposite actually.” First answered, still with that infuriatingly smug smirk.

“How!?”

“Time travel.”

It surprised Time how comfortable their eldest was in teasing his old friend. Echo looked ready to strangle him. Time decided to put her out of her misery. “In his era, Sky hasn’t been born yet. In fact, he won’t be born for at least a few more centuries, most likely. We only know about their connection from a slip-up from Kishin and Sky confirming it himself, since his version of First raised him. Something similar is happening with me, Twilight and Wild; they are the future versions of my sons.”

“Oh… right.” She flushed red, embarrassed. “That makes much more sense-” All of a sudden, the embarrassment was replaced with anger again. “Wait! You know your own future! You absolute hypocrite! How come you’re allowed to know about future events and I’m not!?”

First’s expression of mirth suddenly collapsed into utter devastation, “That’s different! I have no reason to change the future knowing that Sky’s my son! You have every reason to prevent your death-!”

He immediately slapped his hand over his mouth, but he couldn’t stop himself in time. With a single word, the air stilled and filled with dread. The tension was palpable.

“So… That’s what you meant by a fate she didn’t deserve…” Time murmured, daring to break the silence.

His comment seemed to be the trigger for First to find his voice again, “I shouldn’t have said that!”

“I beg to differ!” Echo spoke up, her voice cracking in distress. “Were you really intending on keeping this from me!?”

“Why do you think I was talking to Time about this!?” First shot back. “I want to prevent it! I do! But changing the future has consequences; I can’t risk doing anything until I can figure out how to save you without changing history! And you simply knowing about your future could be enough to change it!”

“Will it?” Echo’s entire demeanour changed, the girl went from panicking to calmly composed in a matter of moments, a thoughtful look on her face. “Just because I know the future, that doesn’t mean I will act on the knowledge. In fact, knowing the future might help me fulfil it. Or the knowledge could help me fulfil what must happen while I find a way to spare my life.” She nodded to herself, determination extinguishing any remaining doubt. “Tell me everything you know, down to the most insignificant detail. Then I will decide what I do with that knowledge.”

Time hated to suggest it, but it had to be said. “How can we be certain you will use the knowledge correctly? The instinct to protect oneself is powerful. How can we be certain you will prioritise the greater good?”

“I will.” Echo stood firm, tense as a bowstring, meeting Time’s stern gaze like she was facing down a lynel unarmed. “I know what is at stake. If it turns out I cannot change anything without dire consequences – if it comes down to me or the millions of innocent lives that will be affected – I will choose them.”

“How can we be sure-?”

“Because heroes always do.” First interrupted Time. “You know us; given the choice, we always choose self-sacrifice. Echo may not have the Hero’s Spirit, but she’s a hero in all the ways that matter.”

“Thank you, First.” She relaxed ever so slightly, relief lightening her tone.

“But I need you to promise me something in return.” First said, seriously. He waited for Echo’s hesitant nod before continuing. “I need you to use that amazing brain of yours and figure out how to survive. Explore every option. Do whatever it takes. Save everyone, but don’t forget about yourself either… While I fear what could happen to the timeline if something goes wrong, I fear all of this being for nothing more.”

With a small smile, Echo promised, “I swear. Our efforts will not go to waste.”

“Alright…”

While the air still had a spark of tension, it was nowhere near as charged as it had been. First turned back to the parapet, leaning against it and watching the water flow below. Time and Echo flanked either side of him, Time leaning against the wall, while Echo perched herself on top of it. Both of them pricked up their ears as First relayed Echo’s future to them.

“Let’s start with catching everyone up to the present. Time, there’s a reason my teenage self isn’t in Hyrule at the moment. At the end of Echo’s journey, the two of us had to use the Triforce, known as the Prime Energy back then, to destroy our enemy. But doing so led us to a few revelations. The first was that the Triforce was not safe where it had been enshrined. Despite all the precautions the Golden Three and their champions had used to protect it, a single cunning plan could surpass all of their efforts. The second was that Kishin and Hylia saw this incident as a precursor to Demise’s war. Now that he knew how easily the Triforce could be obtained, it was only a matter of time until he made his move. So, they did the only thing they could think of; stall for time.”

Echo held up her hand and a golden glow emanated from it for a single moment; the Triforce of Wisdom. “First and I volunteered to safeguard the pieces that had chosen us. The gods cannot hold onto the pieces the same way mortals can, and since the two of us had already been chosen by it, it didn’t seem suspicious for us to claim our pieces again. I cannot leave Hyrule without drawing unnecessary attention, so my role was to stay here and train to protect myself better.”

“And my role was to leave with Papa, supposedly under the guise of finding a new sanctuary for the Triforce of Courage, but really to just keep it out of Demise’s reach.” First finished for her.

Time hummed under his breath. “I see… Not an ideal plan, but better than allowing the gods to wage war against each other.” He tapped the back of First’s left hand. “Do you still possess it?”

“No. I gave it up fairly recently, right before my final battle against Demise.” First answered, before returning to the story. “That’s where we are up to now. This tactic goes on for just shy of a century. I’m not sure what exactly triggered the start of the war; perhaps Demise realised Hylia and Kishin’s excuses for us guarding the Triforce were just reasons to keep it away from him, or maybe he had simply gathered all of his strength. Regardless, he met Hylia’s forces head on, west of Hyrule’s border.”

“Is this where you were told to lead Hyrule’s people away from the fighting?” Time asked, remembering that night around the campfire.

“Yes. Papa had to go and help Hylia fight Demise directly and tasked me with warning Hyrule of the war.” He recapped for Echo’s benefit. “But the Goddess Majora anticipated this and worked with Demise to remove Kishin from the war, obtain a tool for their side to abuse, and maybe even the Triforce of Courage. Remember that I hadn’t been home in decades. Only one person in the royal court could have recognised me on sight alone. That is why Papa had given me the golden pauldron, to prove a connection to him without exposing what I was. And Majora used that to her advantage. By the time I arrived at Hyrule Castle, she had already replaced the king’s most trusted advisor, and the only person who knew who I was.”

“Majora replaced me?!” Echo exclaimed.

“Hold a moment,” Time interrupted. “Why do you keep calling her an advisor, if you’ve been referring to Echo? Shouldn’t she have been queen by that point?”

“I can answer this one.” Echo jumped in. “Semi-immortality has complications in the line of succession. I decided long ago that I will not become queen until there is no one else who can fill the position. It doesn’t seem fair for me to rule for however long I’ll live; it could be for millennia for all we know! My father had other children with his mortal wife, they have been the ones on the throne and will continue to be so until there are none of them left.”

“So, does that mean the current king isn’t your biological father?” Time asked curiously.

“You catch on quick!” Echo praised. “Don’t forget; while I look seventeen, I recently had my one-hundred-and-seventy-third birthday. The man I call father is technically the grandson of my half-sister, but he’s the one who has cared for me throughout my teenage years, so he’s my father in that sense.”

“Right…” Time felt like his brain imploded for a moment there, trying to comprehend this family tree. He decided to just let it go. “So, the advisor that Majora impersonated was Echo.” He prompted First.

“Precisely. Considering who Echo is, maybe it’s a bit more understandable why they took Majora’s lies so seriously and why they locked me away.” First confirmed.

“So Majora killed me, so that her deception could not be uncovered, correct?” Echo asked, resigned. “I always thought my death would be… that there would be more meaning behind it.”

“There was. Trust me on that.” First reassured her. When he continued, there was an uncertain note in his voice. “Take my next words with a grain of salt, however, as I was not there to witness what happened next. After all, I spent four years rotting away in Hyrule’s dungeons, after Majora had used me as bait to trap my father. My only solace is that Majora did not tell her followers that I possessed the Triforce of Courage, so when Papa managed to turn the tables and trap her in turn, they only took the masks the two gods had become, leaving me with the Triforce.

“When I was released, I took Kishin’s place in the war, commanding troops and gods alike alongside Hylia. But by that time, Echo… you were nowhere to be found. Naturally, I was worried, both because you were my friend and because the last I was aware, you still had the Triforce of Wisdom. I asked everyone I could think to ask about you, but no one would give me a straight answer, too clouded by grief. The only true answer I got was from Hylia and… she was a mother mourning her daughter. I didn’t dare push her for answers she was unable to give. All I got was that you had fallen in battle, but not before you had left the piece you possessed in a place you and your mother had devised beforehand; the maze beneath her temple that by Sky’s era is known as Sky Keep.

“But I do know a little more about your fate than that. You see, by my era, Suthorn Village, to the south of here, becomes a bustling city and one of the closest settlements to the Temple of Hylia. It became a secondary base of operations besides Castle Town, and I spent much time there in between battles. When I returned to Hyrule after travelling the world, I had sailed over the southern seas and passed through Suthorn Town on my way to Castle Town, astounded by the growth it had underwent. When I returned after being sealed away, one thing had drastically changed in the four years since I had seen it last. There was a memorial in the centre of town, a statue of ‘The Priestess of Light’, who had singlehandedly saved the town, but who had sacrificed her life in the process. Those people mourned both a hero and their princess.”

First sighed, “I’m afraid that’s all I know.”

“That’s not a lot to go off of.” Echo mumbled, frustrated.

“There has to be a way to find out more about what happened.” Time started pacing along the battlements.

“I hope so…” First didn’t sound too hopeful. “There’s something else that’s been bothering me since we got here. It might be related.”

“Well, go on then!” Echo hurried him along.

“Its Hylia’s portals. I have been wondering since the start of this adventure why we were all taken from the times we were. Some of us, like Time, Twilight and Warriors were taken years after their adventures. Then there’s Wind and Hyrule, who barely had a month of respite since their last quest. The only one of us who seemed to have a concrete reason for when they were taken was me. Without Hylia sending me to Sky, I would have died. She couldn’t have taken me even a minute before that, or I wouldn’t have been able to defeat Demise. But now, she has taken us to this era, presumably to recruit you. Why not send us to a point in the future where you’re more experienced? Why not save you the way she saved me?”

“Isn’t it because of the monsters?” Echo suggested. “If the evil we’re chasing can send monsters to any era, then the heroes of those times are going to step up and fight them. Surely, she’s just sending those heroes to help in other eras. Think of it this way; the monsters we fought off today needed to be slain by someone and I wasn’t capable of taking on such a large horde by myself. Hylia sent you all to this time to help with those monsters and recruit me in the process.”

First grimaced, “While true, I… I can’t explain it. I have a sinking feeling that there’s more to it than that. I can’t help but think it’s because the words carved into that monument were literal; that the safety of Suthorn Town had depended on your sacrifice, that Hylia couldn’t save you.”

Time stopped pacing. “Well, if that’s the case, then maybe we’re already on our way to fulfilling Hylia’s rescue plan.”

Echo and First turned to face him, utterly confused. “What are you talking about?” Echo asked.

“Think about it; Hylia couldn’t save you, her daughter. Then, the shadow starts endangering the timeline and she needs to help her heroes traverse time to save everyone. She sees an opportunity. She knows how we always try to save everyone. When we aren’t using the Shadow’s portals, we always use hers, she can choose where, or rather when we go. She couldn’t save you then, but by bringing us to you, almost a century before your death, she has given us the opportunity to tell you your fate and has given you the more than enough time to figure out how to change your future yourself.”

“So… You’re saying there’s a chance!” There was so much relief in her voice.

Time smiled at her as the mood finally started to lift. “I’m saying that your mother has given us a chance, and it would be a shame to squander it.”

First suddenly groaned "We're going to have to explain this to the others, aren't we? We need to stop having important conversations without everyone present; I am sick of repeating myself!"

Time laughed openly, "Its a small price to pay for the chance to save our new sister, don't you think?"

Echo giggled to herself, "We've barely known each other a day! Isn't it a bit soon to call me that?"

"There's no fighting it, Echo." a smile finally returned to First's face as a wave of hope swept across the battlements. "Welcome to the Chain."