Chapter Text
Time was extremely grateful that Wild had woken up while the others were out. The shock of having Wild wake up after such a horrifying ordeal was easier to process without the other heroes crowding and clamouring. It also gave Twilight some much needed time to compose himself; Time could tell he desperately needed it. If he was being completely honest, he needed it too.
Wild was still exhausted. That much was apparent from the way his eyelids drooped while he surveyed the room, as though he was doing his best to fight the pull of sleep. But on the whole, he didn’t seem to be in pain or in any major discomfort. The only thing that was notable was -
A quiet gurgling rumble disturbed the quiet of the room.
“Um,” Wild mumbled, cringing a little and subconsciously moving his hands to rest on his stomach. “Sorry…”
Twilight let out a little laugh - the lightest noise he’d made all week. Time didn’t realise just how much he had missed the sound until he heard it, and let his own little smile show on his face as he saw Twilight’s eyes crinkle and brighten.
“We’ll get you something to eat, cub,” Twilight said fondly, standing and stretching. “I’ll see if I can get something in before the others come back, but I know they’ll be dying to see you once they find out you’re awake. They might just kill me if I don’t tell them you’re awake.”
Wild smiled tiredly, closing his eyes with a content sigh.
“I’m looking forward to seeing th-”
Wild’s quiet reply was abruptly cut off when the door swung open, and the trample of several pairs of feet echoed down the corridor outside as the rest of the boys began to pile in. Wind and Hyrule crept in first, clearly doing their best to keep their footsteps light - but the sheer number of bodies walking into the room was making that virtually impossible. Wind made an exaggerated shushing motion to the people behind him, smacking Legend on the back of the head as he ducked past the sailor with a roll of his eyes.
“Twi! I beat Warriors in a spar!” Wind whisper-shouted, bouncing over to him with a mischievous expression on his face. “He totally ate it!”
“He only won because he almost throttled me,” Warriors complained, keeping his voice quiet as he sat down on the other side of the room. Legend nudged his shoulder playfully, tutting. “Those weren’t legal moves at all.”
“He almost strangled you with your own scarf. It was hilarious.”
“You should have seen me!” Wind exclaimed, draping himself over Twilight’s shoulder and sending a huge grin in Time’s direction. “He was begging for mercy-”
“I think you’re going to have to recreate the experience for us,” Twilight said with a laugh. Warriors groaned, flipping the end of his scarf to cover his face as he stubbornly avoided eye contact. “I really want to see that. I’ll give you five rupees if you can make the captain cry.”
“I’ll give you twenty,” Wild offered hoarsely from below them.
Wind shrieked.
“What the FUCK-”
All hell broke loose. Warriors fell off his chair and hit the floor with a startled “ooof!”, Hyrule squeaked, Sky slipped on his sailcloth, Four let out a similar sounding shriek to Wind - but more than one person threw themselves forward to peer down at Wild in disbelief.
“He’s awake? And you didn’t tell us?!”
“I was about to!” Twilight said, raising his hands in a mock surrender as several pairs of eyes turned to glare at him with varying expressions of betrayal. “I was just about to get him some food!”
“Oh, are you hungry?” Hyrule asked, poking his head out from behind Sky. “I can grab something for you!”
Wild’s stomach rumbling in response answered that question very easily. Hyrule grinned brightly, and turned to quickly leave the room.
“I’ll be quick!”
As the door clicked shut behind him, the excited chatter from the others started up again. No one saw as Hyrule almost skipped down the hallway, a joyous spring in his step.
Wild waking up was proof that things were looking up.
And just like that, things were normal again. It was as though a weight had been lifted - the tension built up over the days Wild had been gone had bled away from the group. Shoulders that were previously stiff were loosened. Laughs came easier, conversations flowed without the biting edge of underlying stress and sleep deprivation.
Wild was tired and quieter than his normal self, but still smiled at their jokes and looked content to be back. Clearly, it would take some time for everything to go back to their version of normal, but this was a giant step in the right direction.
“Are you sure you should be up and about already? Maybe we should give it a bit of time -”
“Twilight,” Warriors sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “I know it’s ingrained deep in your bones but could you try not to be a mother cucco for five whole minutes? He’s been medically cleared. Chill. You’re beginning to sound like Sky.”
“Um,” Sky said lightly, frowning at Warriors. “Excuse me?”
“Am I wrong?” Warriors asked drily. “Twi, he’s fine. Look at him, he’s not about to keel over.”
Several gazes flicked to Wild, who gave them a sheepish grin. Although he had indeed been medically cleared, he was still visibly fatigued and not at his best. The group were standing in the brightly lit corridor, several doors down from the recovery room Wild had been kept in, and one of Wild's hands was lightly touching the wall as he stood there. His slightly weaker demeanour and apparently affected balance was mildly concerning to several of them, not just Twilight, but no one had been able to say no when Wild had begged to be allowed to walk around.
"I'm good, really," Wild said quietly, shooting Twilight a little smile. There was no denying how much brighter he seemed now that he was up and about, and for that, many of them were more than happy to leave him be.
Even Twilight seemed to have had a weight lifted from his shoulders, already much more cheerful than he had been in the days previous. Despite the prominent bags still under his eyes, his smile was clear to everyone present.
“It’s good to see you up, my boy!” King Dorephan exclaimed once the group entered the throne room. He leaned forward, peering down at Wild. “I cannot tell you how relieved we are to have you back with us. Rest assured that the Yiga will pay for the crimes they have committed. Any crime against you, our most trusted friend, is a crime against the Zora themselves.”
“Yes, I concur!” Prince Sidon said, bringing his fist up to his chest in his signature move. “They will not get away with these transgressions. Tell me, my friend, how are you feeling now? Have you sufficiently recovered?”
Wild smiled, glancing around at the group and nodding.
“So much better, thank you,” Wild said. “I don’t think I’m in fighting shape, but… I’m so glad to be out of there.”
“We’re all happy to hear that,” King Dorephan said with a smile.
His expression became sombre.
“My boy, I don’t want to push you too soon,” he began gently, settling back on the throne and looking down at Wild pensively. “But we must ask you what happened, and where you were held. We cannot allow the Yiga time to retaliate, to try to plan their next moves. For all we know, you may be at risk still. Please, what is there you can tell us?”
A soft silence fell, all eyes in the room turning to Wild. He looked downcast, staring at the floor with a haunted look on his face.
“As much as I hate to agree, His Majesty is right,” Warriors responded quietly. “I wish we could just leave this alone for now, but we can’t let them reconvene. For all we know, they might be on their way here now to get you back. We’ve got to plan.”
Silence settled in the room as every pair of eyes turned to Wild. He swallowed, clasping his hands together, staring at the floor before drawing a steadying breath. Warriors felt a pang of sympathy for Wild; asking an abductee to explain their ordeal in graphic detail, so soon after their escape, definitely wasn’t ideal. But the situation necessitated it, as painful as it would be.
“I - I can do it,” Wild said quietly, gripping his hands tightly. He swallowed. “I… I don’t remember much of when they actually took me. They probably knocked me out, so it’s a bit hazy.”
“That’s understandable, Link,” King Dorephan said gently. “Can you remember anything about where you were held? Do you know where their current stronghold is?”
“When I left, it was dark,” Wild replied with a frown. “I remember climbing a ladder out of the base and coming out of some ruins, and I’m sure I saw a Sheikah tower pretty close by. I think I remember passing the south end of the Bridge of Hylia a short amount of time after I left. After that, I went around Lake Hylia, walked past the Dueling Peaks, and I think someone found me in the Lanayru Wetlands and brought me back.”
“Thank you, Link,” Sidon said. “We’ll be sure to consult a map - but this location you describe sounds rather like Lake Tower. The stronghold you were held at could potentially be in a cave close to Cora Lake, or in the surrounding areas.”
“We will have soldiers sent to those areas once we put together a full plan,” King Dorephan said firmly. “They will not be allowed to escape.”
“What about their numbers? Were you able to see how strong their forces currently are, and how many were in the area you were held?” Sidon asked.
Wild furrowed his brow in thought.
“It wasn’t busy at all,” he said thoughtfully. “I saw a handful come into my cell, but when I left, it was almost deserted. A handful of footsoldiers walking around, but nothing significant at all. It was pretty empty.”
“Did any of the soldiers give you any indication that there were other strongholds?” King Dorephan asked.
“I don’t think anyone mentioned anything,” Wild answered. “That place seemed big enough to hold a good crowd, so I’m not sure they’d even need another place to hide.”
“Thank you, Link,” King Dorephan said with a slight smile.
He paused, and a stilted silence fell.
“I wish I did not have to ask this,” he began sympathetically, and Wild winced. “But I must. Link, please tell us. Do you know why you were abducted? Is there a reason they kept you alive?”
“I expected them to kill me,” Wild murmured, and several of the other heroes grimaced. It wasn't an unexpected revelation, of course, not from what Wild had told them about the Yiga, but it was rattling nonetheless. “They kept me in a cell for most of it, and left me alone. I really didn’t expect it. The cell was underground I think, so I couldn’t see what was happening outside. For a while I thought they’d just left me there - it got so quiet and I thought they’d abandoned the base.”
He took a steadying breath.
“I don’t know how long I was in there before a few of them came in. They… well.”
Warriors knew what was coming. He’d heard retellings of interrogations before, and even experienced some himself during the war. But hearing this from Wild - still too young for this to have happened to him - hurt something deep in his soul. Wild was still a child. A Hero, yes, and an experienced fighter, but he was still barely into adulthood, and innocent. He did not deserve what Warriors knew was coming.
“A couple of the soldiers stayed and threw me around. I couldn’t exactly do anything with my hands tied behind me,” Wild said, turning his wrists in front of him and furrowing his brows as he examined his hands. “They did that every few hours until they got bored, I think. Sometimes it was for a couple of minutes. Sometimes it was a lot longer. It was really hard to tell. But it was regular enough that I couldn't sleep properly between their visits. It didn't feel like I could heal between the beatings.”
“By Ruto, they will pay,” Sidon hissed quietly, and several of the other heroes nodded in fervent agreement. Wild gave them all a small, grateful smile.
“Did they question you at all, or give you any reason for your capture?” King Dorephan asked.
Wild nodded, looking up at the King. He took a deep breath, steeling himself.
“They wanted me to tell them where to find the Princess, and how to subdue her. They’re after Zelda.”