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“You’re barely taller than the Master Sword!” Wind shrieked, causing the Skyloftian and the smithy to laugh. “I can’t believe it! Guys, Four’s finally four feet tall! Heh, what a coincidence!”
They’d had a peaceful few days while adventuring to Lon Lon Ranch. Previously, Legend teased the smith that the only reason why Four wielded his own sword was because the Master Sword was bigger than him and he wouldn’t be able to lift it. The chain seemed torn between supporting or opposing the idea, before Four decided to prove the theory false. He ran several tests to get accurate measurements to settle the debate. And based on Wind's sword, Four was exactly four feet tall---on the dot.
There isn’t such a thing as an ordinary hero. But between all 9 of them, each could agree that there was one particular hero who was a bit more odd. Not in a negative way, but in a sense that his nickname and hero title matched him…a little too well.
Warriors noticed some odd connections earlier but hadn't put much thought into it. Four's eyes were normally gray-ish eyes occasionally burst into one of four colors (green, violet, blue, and red) whenever he was feeling a strong emotion. The chain had unanimously agreed not to bother Four while he was ‘looking blue’, and not to talk about cute animals when Four’s irises became crimson unless you wanted to deal with an onslaught of happy tears.
So he just so happens to be four feet tall, have a tunic and eyes with four different colors...
Warriors just shook his head, smiling at Legend and Hyrule's playful giggles he watched from the campfire. Warriors was grateful that the chain was getting comfortable with each other. It felt strange, but welcome to watch his companions tease and laugh with each other like a beautifully chaotic, mismatched family of heroes.
“I haven’t grown much,” Four chuckled as he stepped away.
“Yeah, cause you’re still a kid,” Twilight reassured him. “But don’t worry–--eat yer vegetables an’ I’m sure you’ll—”
Four’s eyelid twitched, whipping around to face the rancher dead-on. “ What did you just call me?”
“A kid?” Twilight repeated, titling his head in confusion. “Uh, sorry. I just assumed—”
“Well, you assumed wrong!” Four yelled, charging at the rancher like a boar. “Of all the names—!”
“Wait, wait, Four!” Twilight shrieked as Four brutally assaulted the back of his knee caps and shins. “OW! Time, help, I—please—!”
It was then discovered that Four didn’t mind any height jokes, but call him a ‘kid’ and you were better off burying your own grave. Poor Twilight almost didn’t survive, and his shins were bruised for weeks.
_____
Four hated springtime. He hated flowers, he hated trees, hated the air —
“Bless you,” Sky said far too cheerfully as Four dove into the crook of his elbow once more.
1, 2, 3, 4.
He cringed at the disgusting amount of snot. “Ugh. When's the next portal?”
Wind, who also had been suffering from the pollen, sighed with his miserable, wet and red, swollen eyes. “I don’t know. I hope soon.”
“We have red potions,” Wild commented from Epona’s side as he ‘sneakily’ fed her extra apples. He happily ignored the rancher's glare. “And I might have elixirs that could help.”
“They won’t work,” Four whined with a sniff. “It’s—”
He hesitated before sneezing 8 times in one breath, his heartbeat pounding in his skull. Right when Four thought he’d finally met a treaty with his allergies, he sneezed four times in a row, wonderingly blearily if he’d ever be able to breathe normally again.
Legend had been annoyed at the two young hero’s whining since this morning. He scowled. “You act like you sneeze for multiple people. Keep it down, would you?”
Four burst into laughter—too quickly, and too loudly. At everyone else’s odd glances, Four coughed pathetically.
“Sorry, sorry, it’s just–” Four swiped at his face to hide his smile. “I’ve heard that before. It’s funny. That’s all.”
Legend did not seem to believe him. “Um…whatever you say, Four.”
____
“My Link is 16 years old.”
Warriors’ did his best not to look surprised, sipping his tea in hopes that the cup shielded most of his expression.
Four’s grandfather offered to let them stay the night, and while it wasn’t ideal for 9 people, everyone made it work.
Grandpa smiled at the smithy, curled up with Wind and Twilight on their pillow fort in the living room. “Born on a leap year too. February 29th. I guess that means technically, he’s only four years old.”
Warriors accidentally sipped the tea too fast, and his throat burned at the sudden heat. Four has to know, right? There’s no way that’s just a coincidence. “Apologizes. Carry on.”
“He started really young,” Grandpa continued slowly, both with fondness and sorrow. “Since he was 12, I believe.”
So…been adventuring for four years, and he’s also four years old.
“That’s…certainly interesting,” Warriors continued, torn between wanting to laugh and cry.
_____
“Hey, Four?” Wind asked one bright summer day as they tread along the riverbed, pants pulled up to their calves and shoes discarded somewhere on the shore.
“Hmm?” Four hummed.
“Why do your eyes change color?” Wind blurted. “Uh—I guess you don’t have to answer. It’s just…I’ve seen that whenever you feel happy or sad, your eyes look more red, and when you're really angry, your eyes are blue—like when Twilight called you a…”
Four’s glare could make a man wish he’d been turned into stone. Wind trailed off, clearing his throat.
“They’re usually a greenish-hazel,” Wind described, “but while you read, your eyes turn purple.”
“Violet,” Four corrected. He had an odd expression on his face, one that Wind couldn’t quite read. It reminded him of Aryll when she brought home 3 seagulls on a random afternoon. “That’s a pretty good observation, sailor. I’m pretty sure the captain hasn’t found out.”
“Found out…about what?” Wind wondered.
Four hummed casually, but the devious smirk on his face said otherwise. He reached to draw his sword. “Can you keep a secret?”
____
“ Four ,” Warriors scolded, exasperated. “What happened?”
Four shrugged. Wind was practically catatonic by dinner and had avoided the smithy like the plague. Warriors frowned upon the smithy’s lack of explanation, and pulled him aside as Wind passed out on Twilight’s lap by nighttime.
Despite Twilight and Warrior’s persistence, Four was being annoyingly calm and unbothered by the situation. Twilight sighed in disappointment, running his fingers through the sailor’s loose blond curls.
Wind stirred, mumbling in his sleep: “So many…colors. Why colors? Why…four…?”
Warriors put as much anger into his glare as possible. Twilight practically steamed with rage.
“Like I said,” Four coughed. “Nothing happened.”
______
“A blue rupee,” Four cheered from the shed at Wild’s house. He had pots, so of course his nosy brothers decided to help redecorate while Wild cooked inside. “That’s five!”
“I guess we need to change your nickname,” Hyrule teased. “You keep finding blue rupees out of nowhere!”
“Five isn’t a bad nickname,” Four murmured thoughtfully. “Honestly, Five would be more accurate. It reminds me of the time I befriended my evil, shadow-self and we rode a dragon together while conquering Hyrule...” He sighed fondly, twirling his hair.
“...What.”
______
“Four, I swear to Hylia—”
“I didn’t do anything!” Four retorted immediately, stomping with the loudness of a baby elephant through the inn hallway. “Nothing that he wasn’t asking for!”
Warriors, who was cradling Twilight—completely in shock, face pale and mouth open in a silent prayer—groaned.
Wind sighed, patting the rancher on the arm. “Colors.”
Twilight shuddered. “Colors.”
______
It stumped him for months. Warriors couldn’t figure it out. Colors? He had no clues and nowhere to begin. Why was Four called Four? Why the Four Sword? What did it mean?
And suddenly, mid-battle—a fight that Warriors was definitely outnumbered in—he understood.
Within a flash of light, Four had split into…quadruplets? Each wore a different color.
Green, red, blue, and purple. Four…colors.
Warriors rolled his eyes so hard that it genuinely hurt. “ Four . You’re kidding me. Is this some kind of trick?”
The green one smiled as he slayed the final monster, letting the poof of purple swirl around the dusty dungeon. “No, it’s real. This is Red, Blue, and Vio.”
“Not Purple?” Warriors commented. He flinched when 8 angry eyes met his. “Calm down! I didn't think it was a sore subject. Can you blame me for being…confused”
“I appreciate your help,” Vio stated. He sounded most like Four when he was rambling about blacksmithing. “We couldn’t have done it without you.”
“I could’ve,” Blue huffed under his breath. “Give me a cup of coffee and I could take out a thousand.”
“Not the point,” The violet one sighed, as if this was a regular occurrence.
“May I ask how this…happened?” Warriors wondered tentatively.
“Quadruplets separated at birth,” Red sniffed. “Tragic.”
Vio deadpanned. “We’re demons. Figments of your imagination."
“We ate too much as a kid, and our bodies exploded into four different people,” Blue offered.
“Blue, Vio, and I are triplets, and the red one’s adopted,” Green said.
“The red one?” Red exclaimed, tears brimming in his eyes. “The red one? That’s it? Y-You’re so mean! What if I c-called you the Grass One?” He burst into tears.
Warriors stared at the ceiling, hoping it would collapse on them all. “Is this what…Wind and Twilight dealt with? You guys are the colors—-and Four? Are you the same person, or is this…?”
Green nodded. “Yes and no. It happened on our adventure—”
“It was a long adventure” Blue waved the other hero off. “Pulled a freaky sword, met our shadow-self, explored Hyrule and saved the world, yada yada. The main part is, when we tried to put away the sword, we got stuck like this. One guy when we’re together, but four emotions and personalities when we separate. We scared the living daylights out of Wild, Time, Wind, and Twilight. Oh! And before you ask any questions, we're totally fine! Well, Vio did side with Dark Link for a little bit, pretended to stab Green, Red's addicted to fire...Uh...But besides that, we’re perfectly fine!”
“...What.”