Work Text:
The Chain was no stranger to portals at this point.
But this one was different.
The swirling violet hue of the usual portals they encountered was instead green and blue, and when Time approached it, sword wielded, he recognized the vast lands of Wild’s Hyrule.
He lowered his weapon, shoulders sagging. Wild had been separated from the Chain nearly three months ago, torn away from them all. Time steeled himself, nodding curtly in determination before gesturing for the rest of them to follow him through the portal.
Hyrule was the second to realize what this place was. “Wild?” He called softly, head tilting. Sharp inhales and gasps of surprise echoed through the group at the realization.
“Are we finally gonna see him again?” Wind asked, hope shining through his voice.
“I’m not sure,” Time replied honestly. “Don’t get your hopes up.”
“Well.” Warriors grabbed their attention, pointing toward what seemed to be a settlement. “Why don’t we ask around?” Nods and murmurs of agreement followed, all eight of them wandering toward the settlement.
“Stand back!” An armed guard aimed his spear at them, expression tense. “I haven’t seen you lot around here before. State your business!” Time sheathed his sword, raising up his hands in a peaceful gesture. A couple others followed his lead, putting their weapons away.
“We’re looking for someone,” he explained. “Link.” Behind him, ears twitched at the sound of their names, otherwise keeping a neutral appearance.
The guard looked them over for a moment, squinting as he set the heel of his spear on the ground. “Link?” He repeated.
“Dirty blond hair, about yay high-” Twilight raised a hand close to his shoulder. “-blue eyes, probably a blue tunic as well.”
The guard nodded. “Sounds familiar. You can check the emergency shelter, right down that hole in the center, there.” He pointed toward the center of the structure, which had a ladder leading downwards into the ground. “Don’t you lot go causing any trouble around here, because we can and will kick you out.”
Time nodded calmly. “Thank you.” The Chain walked past the guard and into the settlement? base camp? Whatever it was. One by one, they climbed down the ladder into what the guard had called the “emergency shelter” and glanced around. It was small and sparsely populated, so it didn’t take long for them to spot a familiar figure.
“Wild!” Wind exclaimed, waving his hand as high in the air as he could reach, grinning widely. Wild stiffened and turned around, confusion written clear as day into his expression.
His gaze swept over the group, brows furrowing. Wild wore a hooded cape, the hood bunched behind his neck so the fabric flowed more freely around his shoulders. His hair had grown a bit, loosely tied back in a ponytail. He watched the group with disbelief, shaking his head. “What- how-?”
“A portal brought us here. I suppose that means it’s time for a reunion?” Warriors suggested, shrugging with a smile. Wild nodded slowly, taking a few steps toward his brothers before running the rest of the way, letting them envelop him in a group hug.
Wild laughed, grinning as he wrapped his arm around the closest person to him, which happened to be Sky. “I can’t believe you guys are really here!” He exclaimed, holding onto Sky as a small sob racked his body. “I wasn’t sure if I would ever see you again… it’s been so long…”
“It’s only been three months?” Four pointed out, frowning. “I mean, obviously we missed you a lot, but it’s not exactly the longest time…”
Wild shook his head. “It’s been five years for me,” he mumbled, grabbing a fistful of Sky’s soft sailcloth fabric before letting go and pulling away.
Their group hug mostly dissipated, each brother taking time to hug Wild separately. He usually wasn’t too fond of this much contact with others, but the occasion seemed to override that in his brain. It was only after hugging Legend that his joyful mood was stripped from him.
“What, five years and you can’t even bother to hug me properly?” The Vet remarked, smiling faintly underneath the layers of snark and sarcasm. Wild’s grin immediately dropped, and Legend narrowed his eyes in confusion.
“Cub…? Everything alright?” Twilight spoke softly, frowning.
Wild pressed his lips into a thin line, sighing. “Let’s just… let’s get out of here. I don’t want to cause a scene in the shelter,” he mumbled, glancing around at the curious faces that watched their reunion. “C’mon. Back up to the surface.” Wild quickly leaped up half the ladder, climbing the second half slowly. The rest of the Chain followed, confusion blurring through their happiness from being reunited with their lost brother. Wild led them beyond the walls protecting the settlement and out into Hyrule Field.
“Don’t worry; no Guardians remain out here,” he assured them. “It’s a lot safer around here now.”
“Castle Town?” Twilight questioned.
Wild shrugged. “No Guardians. It’s mostly safe, but…” He shuddered. “...We shouldn’t go there. Something… different hides there now.”
Warriors, Time, and Twilight exchanged glances, but didn’t say anything more on the matter. “Okay, Cub. What did you want to talk to us about?”
He wrinkled his nose. “Right. Well, I had a bit of an… incident, during my adventure…” Wild squeezed his eyes shut, grimacing. “It’s- well, I’ll just show you.” He used his left hand to sweep back the cape attached to his hood, revealing a bandaged stump where his right arm used to be. Wild kept his gaze trained on the ground as his brothers stared at him, dumbfounded.
“Wild… it’s not- is it really gone?” Sky whispered, shock and horror mixing with sorrow and pity in both his voice and facial expression.
“It’s gone,” he confirmed quietly.
“...Oh, Cub…” Twilight surged forward to gather Wild into his arms, being mindful of the stump. “I’m so sorry, I can’t even imagine…”
From the side, Legend looked pale. He stared at Wild, regret shining in his eyes. “Champion, I didn’t mean-”
“I know,” Wild hummed, glancing over Twilight’s shoulder to shoot a sad smile at Legend. “It’s okay. Trust me, I would’ve hugged you with both arms if I could.” Twilight squeezed him tighter, eyes glossy with tears. Half of them were still staring blankly or crying. Even Time seemed to be at a loss.
“So… that actually brings me to my next… announcement?” Twilight pulled away, choosing to lay a hand on Wild’s back instead. “Since I’ve lost my dominant hand, I can’t fight. Not well enough to keep up, anyway.”
“No…” Wind whispered, shaking his head as tears freely flowed from his eyes.
Wild smiled sadly. “I’m sorry. I would just be a liability. I don’t want to put anybody in danger.” He paused, a small thrum of hope pulsing through his veins before being put out again. “I’ve been training one-handed, and I’m getting better at it, but…” He shrugged. “I don’t think I’d be very good in real combat.”
“Wild…” Hyrule murmured sadly. His fingers twitched and sparked with energy but ultimately he knew his healing wasn’t strong enough to bring back an entire limb, especially if the skin had already healed over. While it was wrapped in bandages, it didn’t seem to cause Wild much physical pain at all, which suggested to Hyrule that this was not a new development.
“It’s okay,” Wild reassured. “I’m okay. Some of the researchers have been working on creating a new arm for me– they’re calling it a ‘prosthetic’,” he informed. He smiled weakly at the group. "I'm not sure if it'll be the same as my old arm, though."
“A new arm…?” Wind questioned, sniffling. “When? Would that mean you could fight again?” He scrubbed a sleeve across his cheeks, trying to dry some of the tears that had fallen.
Wild pressed his lips into a half-smile. “I don’t know,” he answered honestly. “They’ve been working on it for a while now, and I’d like to be able to fight like I used to again, but…” He shrugged, turning his head to the side with a sigh. “I might not be able to. A new arm would help me get a lot of my life back, but I’m not sure if it’ll be the same.”
Warriors nodded. “Flora’s a researcher, isn’t she? Has she been working on it?” He wondered.
The way Wild’s face twisted made him immediately regret asking.
“No.” His voice was barely louder than a whisper. Wild hung his head, closing his eyes before turning up to the sky, holding his fist to his chest. “Zel- Flora’s not…” He looked back at his brothers, grief and mourning mixing with guilt in his melancholy expression. “She’s… gone.”
Sky gasped, shaking his head. “Gone?” The rest of the Chain looked saddened and heavy with grief for their brother’s loss. Sky seemed like he was about to cry.
“Gone,” Wild repeated, confirming it. He blinked rapidly, taking a deep breath to steel himself. “She’s not… dead, exactly, but…” His gaze drifted back to the sky, seemingly searching for something in the clouds. “She’s not the same.”
“You don’t have to explain it if you don’t want to,” Time insisted, getting a few mutters from some of the more nosy members of the Chain.
“Yeah,” Twilight agreed, nodding. “We’re so sorry, Cub. You deserve so much better.”
Wild let out a short laugh, turning away from his family. “Do I, though?” He replied bitterly.
“Wild!”
“Don’t say that-”
“You do!”
Four, Hyrule, and Wind all spoke over each other, while Sky ran forward to capture Wild in a hug. The Champion stood stiffly for a moment as Sky held him, crying for his brother. Twilight thought for a moment before joining the hug, wrapping himself around Wild’s back and shoulders. Wind was next, then Hyrule, both crying. Wild’s breath hitched, wavering for a moment before he let out a sob, going limp in their arms as he broke down. Four, Warriors, and Time joined the group hug, and Legend followed as well, some of them crying and all offering their love and support for their brother.
“I’m s-” Wild’s voice broke on a quiet sob, sniffling for a moment. “I’m sorry.”
“You have nothing to apologize for,” Time insisted firmly. “None of this is your fault.”
“Yeah,” Twilight agreed. “You’re okay, Cub. You’re okay.”
The Champion inhaled shakily, closing his eyes as he leaned his head against Twilight. “...Yeah. I- I’m okay.”
“We’re here for you,” Four supplied helpfully.
Wind nodded. “No Link left behind.”
Wild chuckled, voice wobbling slightly. “Thanks. I’ve really missed you guys.”
“We’ve missed you too,” Sky murmured, smiling sadly. “I’m sorry we couldn’t be here for you.”
“You’re here now.” Wild sighed shakily, returning Sky’s smile. “And that’s what matters.” He held up his hand, staring at it with a frown. “Even if I’m not much use-”
“Wild.” Legend’s voice was sharp. “Don’t say that.”
The Champion chuckled self-deprecatingly. “And why shouldn’t I?” He challenged. “I can’t fight like this, at least not well enough to hold my own in battle. I can’t even use a bow. Let’s face it– I can’t come with you.”
“But…” Wind shook his head, frowning. “Wild…”
“I’m sorry.” Wild’s tone was rough, yet still wrapped apologetically as he glared down at where his right hand should be. “But I’d just hold you back. I’m not an adventurer anymore.”
Hyrule stepped forward, shaking his head. “But you are,” he insisted. “Sure, you’re missing an arm, but you’re still you. And the Wild I know is an adventurer, through and through.”
Wild gave the traveler a side eye, sighing. “But I can’t. Things are different now.”
“It’s going to be different,” Time agreed. “But it doesn’t mean everything has to change.” Wild eyed him warily, wrapping his arm around himself. “It’s hard, but you can learn to grow around it.”
The Champion narrowed his eyes. “And what if I can’t?”
“You already have,” Twilight pointed out. “Training left-handed is learning to grow around it. And if you get that new arm, the po- the proth- the pro-”
“Prosthetic,” Wild supplied.
The rancher nodded. “That. Wouldn’t that also be growing around it?”
Wild pressed his lips into a thin line, sighing. “...I guess.”
“I’d be happy to help you train,” Warriors offered.
“And I could take a look at the arm they’re making, see if I can help,” Four added.
Hyrule nodded. “I can help you cook!”
“NO!” Several of them exclaimed.
Legend patted the traveler’s shoulder. “We’ll find something else for you, ‘Rule,” he consoled. “I can help with cooking.”
Hyrule pouted for a second before turning back to Wild. “I could be your adventuring buddy again, if you want.”
The Champion let out a soft breath. “You guys don’t have to do any of that. You have a mission to complete.”
“So do you,” Twilight challenged. “You’re not getting out of it that easily.”
“Oh, so you think losing my arm was easy?” Twilight’s smile dropped as he immediately shook his head, ready to take it back. Wild laughed, grinning. “I’m just messing with you! I know what you mean.”
The rancher scoffed playfully. “You’re still just as much of a gremlin as I remember,” he commented, sighing. “It’s good to have you back, Cub.”
Wild hesitated. “It’s… good to be back,” he murmured.
“Will you come with us, then?” Wind questioned.
The Champion sighed, shrugging. “...I guess. Maybe.”