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The dungeon smelled metallic, like old blood and damp stone. Faint light from a tiny barred window gave the whole room a bluish tint. As far as dungeons went, Legend rated this one a solid five out of ten. Very average. The two locks on the door was overkill in his opinion, Legend was chained up on the other side of the cell anyway. Not for long, legend thought as he snuck two small pins from the hem of his sleeve.
Most people would probably say it's unhealthy to keep 3 different pairs of lock picks on your person at all times, but most people weren't part of an adventure across the timeline. A timeline that seemed to have no consistent record of what was and wasn't lawful.
Really, how was Legend supposed to know that the town the portal had dumped him in did not allow weapons within its walls. Not that he would have handed all his gear in if he’d known, but still.
Legend tried not to sigh as he fiddled with the two pins behind his back. While he would never admit it to the sailors face, Wind was definitely the best at lock picking. Damn it, he could barely move his hands enough to reach the padlock round his wrists, never mind get the right angles without being able to see anything.
The guards had caught on quickly that legend wasn't a typical welcome traveler, what with his sword obviously strapped on his back. It was quite funny watching the horror dawn on their faces as they realised just how many weapons and combat-related items he had. But it stopped being funny when he was informed his punishment was a life sentence to the dungeons.
Something like this was probably long overdue, there had been many close calls. Wild swearing loudly in a tavern in four’s era had seen them quickly removed, not to mention the Incident involving a passing traveler and a hand gesture from Warriors in Twilight’s era. (Legend and Wind had ribbed him mercilessly for that for at least two weeks after.) None of them ever really succeeded at fitting in when they entered new towns and villages. A group of nine heavily armed travelers seemed to always be a rare sight, and it was impossible to guess what the customs of an unknown era would be.
Even within the group there had been plenty of misunderstandings, especially when they were first getting to know each other. It seemed the definition of politeness fluctuated greatly over time. The worst misunderstanding award probably went to Time and Sky. Time had shot a bird for extra rations when Wild’s slate had started to run low. Needless to say, Sky was appalled. A rather tense discussion about dietary preferences had followed, a convenient time for legend to slip in his dislike for rabbit meat without too much attention.
It was a bad sign to Legend that he was undisturbed as he worked on the cuffs around his wrist. While he appreciated the freedom to curse at the annoyingly impressive construction, it likely meant the portal had split the chain up over a long distance this time. All the chain, except Wild, kept their swords sheathed somewhere in easy reach. The fact that Legend remained alone suggested to him that none of the others had been dropped within the town as he had. Great. They had yet to develop a regroup plan beyond ‘find civilization and wait for wolfie to sniff you out, or Sky to use dowsing.’
While it was possible someone else could have outran the guards, Legend doubted it. The town was built in a style similar to Warrior’s era, all built up with confusing winding roads, and the place was practically crawling with guards.
Admittedly, Legend hadn’t done a very good job trying to get away himself. He ran himself straight into a dead end and had lashed out with his fire rod to try to maintain some distance. This had been a mistake as it alerted almost every guard in the area. He hadn’t lasted long after that. Luckily, he hadn’t been particularly injured, this seemed to be a peaceful time. The guards were exceptionally polite by his standards as they stripped him of all his belongings. (which was why he was so shocked when he was read his beyond harsh sentence.)
So, Legend deduced that it was highly unlikely any of the chain had been dumped in the same town and hadn’t also been immediately apprehended too.
Good, he thought to himself, as the cuffs finally clicked open and-
Slam
Legend was wrong.
The door at the end of the hall loudly cut off his train of thought as it was thrown open. Legend scrambled to hold onto the cuffs before they clattered to the floor and announced his escape plan before it had even begun. He watched a short figure get frog marched into the cell opposite his. He held his breath as they got closer but the guards hardly spared him a glance as they pushed their new prisoner into the cell.
Hyrule hit the floor hard when the guards shoved him in, catching himself awkwardly on one shoulder. Slowly, he shifted, rolling onto his side with a muffled grunt, he was likely sore from the fall.
Instead of staying there, he eased his arms out from underneath him and tucked them carefully in front of his chest, wrists angled awkwardly so the cuffs rested on his old leather belt as he sat up. He then crossed one leg over the other in a way that made Legend’s hips ache just to look at.
He raised an eyebrow as he watched him. Odd way to sit.
He waited until the guards left, then until the cell door slammed shut behind them and the echo of their boots faded up the stairs, for good measure. Only then did he allow himself to shift, his free hands still pressed not-so-subtly between himself and the wall behind him. Then he smirked, eyes flicking to his predecessor.
“Fancy seeing you here. You hurt?”
“Just my pride,” Hyrule muttered, as he shifted back to lean against the stone wall behind him “I lasted longer than you out there, didn't I?”
Legend pretended to be upset by the blatant call out before showing off his free hands.
“Big talk from someone who has yet to master the art of the pick.”
“Oh thank the goddess,” Hyrule breathed, Shoulders losing some of their tension as Legend stood up and started working on the first of the two locks on his cell door. “I saw some of your stuff when they took me in, I was worried they got all of it.”
“Ha,” Legend chuckled, “I bet the Shadow himself couldn’t find all my hidden surprises, never mind these lousy guards. But hey, How did you last that long out there? We stick out like a sore thumb”
Hyrule looked a little sheepish as he admitted “Climbed the roof of the church. Was great until I realised there was no way down without going through their little army. I tried to stall as long as I could”
Legend threw his head back laughing at that, but stopped short when he noticed Hyrule wince, just slightly, as the sound echoed off the stone and metal. He hesitated.
“...You sure you’re alright?” he asked, half a beat too late to make it sound casual.
Hyrule just offered him a grin, lazy and lopsided. “You laugh like a dying horse.”
They fell into an almost comfortable silence as legend worked. He wished, not for the first time, that he was faster at this. Veteran or not, he was more of a jack-of-all-trades, good at a lot, but not great at any one thing. He saw a lot on his adventures but rarely got the chance to practice specific skills long term.
Finally Legend heard the satisfying click of the first lock, and felt it loosen under his hands, he looked back toward Hyrule, just in time to catch him grimacing at the bars in front of him.
“Hey, one more down. Only four more locks to go until we can get out of here”
“You're slow,” Hyrule teased weakly, voice thinner than usual. But, he snickered good naturally at Legend, and smiled again. Legend rolled his eyes.
“Yeah, yeah. Careful or I might leave you here.”
Hyrule huffed a laugh, but it sounded more like a sigh. His head thudded softly against the wall behind him. Legend glanced over again, caught between focusing on the next lock and checking in with Hyrule.
“What’s up?”
“I’m alright,” Hyrule said quickly, eyes closed now. “Just... tired.”
Tired? Getting thrown in a dungeon wasn’t exactly a spa day, but he had seemed fine before. Perhaps he had used too much magic again, Legend had to hold back what would be his 6th lecture about the dangers of magic exhaustion. Now was not the time. He got back to work.
Within a few minutes he had the second lock down, he whispered a short thanks to whatever deity had guided his hand that time. It certainly wasn't his own skill. Well, most likely a bit of rare luck. He moved to ease the cell door open silently. The hinges shrieked.
He froze.
No guards came running.
He let out a slow breath.
He turned to make some snide remark about how incompetent they must be, but stopped short. Hyrule was still sitting with his eyes closed, brow furrowed, and, most concerning, his breathing had gone shallow.
Legend ducked low, keeping to the shadows in case any guards were outside the door at the end of the hallway, and crossed the distance between the two cells. He could just about reach Hyrule’s boot through the bars. He shook it violently.
“Hey... HEY!” Hyrule stirred. His eyes blinked open slowly, glassy in the dim light.
“Seriously, what in Farore’s name is going on with you?”
Hyrule turned toward the sound of his voice, and as he did, his arm shifted and fell limply into his lap. The reaction was immediate. He jolted upright with a hiss of pain, expression tightening. No more pretending. Legend’s stomach dropped at the sight. Hyrule seemed unable to keep up the ‘I’m ok’ act. Which was particularly worrying, Even in the Chain, Hyrule had a ridiculous pain tolerance. If he wasn’t hiding it anymore, it was bad. Legend’s gaze dropped to the cuffs. The skin under them looked wrong. Angry red, almost blistered.
“What the hell? Your wrists, Hyrule, those burns weren’t there a minute ago!”
Hyrule’s mouth opened, then closed. He looked faintly guilty. Then he tried to brush it off again.
“It’s just the.. the metal in the cuffs. I’m fine.” Hyrule let his head fall forward for a second before catching himself and leaning back against the wall.
“You’re not fine.” Legend’s voice was sharp now, concern sinking into something heavy and twisting deep in his gut. “This isn’t normal. Is this magic? A curse? What the hell is it?”
Hyrule didn't meet his eyes as he finally responded
“It's the iron.” Iron? What did iron have to do with anything?
…
Oh.
Oh shit.
Suddenly Hyrule’s unique talent to cast magic without an object to channel through was starting to make a lot more sense.
“Ok. That's ok. Don't worry, I’ll take them off as soon as I get in there.”
Legend racked his brains on all he knew about fae biology as he got back to picking the locks fast as his stiff fingers would allow. He wouldn't allow his rising fear to shake his hands, he had to keep it together to get Hyrule out. Fable was always reading academic studies from the University, sometimes on biology, like ‘The inner workings of the Fae kind.’ That sounded rather helpful right about now. Unfortunately, legend only really listened when she told him about the paper on identifying monster weak spots.
“It’s not just the cuffs,” Hyrule whispered, voice barely audible now. “This whole room is full of it.”
Legend’s eyes darted around. He hadn’t noticed before. The hinges, door handles and, most importantly, all the metal bars within the room were made of a shining, reflective iron alloy.
“Okay,” he muttered, standing up. “Enough screwing around. Time to break these locks and get the fuck out of here.”
———————————————————
The fight out of the dungeons and through the town was a blur. There’d been arson. Bombs. A whole lot of big, flashy magic that Legend knew wasn’t strictly necessary. But no one was around to call him out, and honestly, the excuse to let go of some of his anger on the people that had hurt Hyrule had been too tempting. Those bastards deserved it anyway. That dungeon had clearly been built to weaken fae prisoners. What a bunch of tyrants, no civilians were allowed weapons but the guard had a whole armoury at their disposal to use on whoever they deemed necessary? Legend felt like he’d done the town a favour.
Thankfully, they didn’t seem to notice they’d caught a new fae, despite the iron cuffs, they seemed to treat both heroes like typical criminals.
It was hard to tamp down his curiosity, Hyrule was fae? He certainly didn’t look it. Legend had a thousand questions bubbling under the surface. Like, how the hell had he hidden it this well for this long? How had no one in the chain noticed? Most importantly, What else could hurt him?
He told himself it was about identifying when Hyrule might be a liability.
But who was he kidding? He was just as soft as they all accused
He looked down at the kid leaning against him, half-draped over his shoulders as they stumbled through the forest together. Hyrule’s grip on the fabric of his tunic was loose. His eyes were half-lidded, breath shallow and quick. His skin felt too warm, even for a fever. Legend kept his arm tight around Hyrule’s waist. Part of him worried it was the only thing keeping the kid upright.
“Alright, we can stop here,” Legend muttered. “You need a blue potion.”
He sat Hyrule down gently in the grass, rummaging through his pack with practiced speed. It seemed they had left the guards behind but Legend knew they wouldn't just let the pair walk away after that stunt. They would have to get moving fast once Hyrule was back on his feet. He found the vial and handed it over, only to just catch it as it slipped right through Hyrule’s fingers.
“Srry,” Hyrule slurred.
“It’s okay, I got it.” Legend steadied the bottle, holding it up for Hyrule to drink in slow sips.
The familiar magic shimmered faintly as it worked through his system. Health and magic restoration. Legend was glad he had one on hand, he wasn't sure if it was a magic issue or a physical reaction, better to try both at once. At least this way Hyrule didn't have to choke down two of the vile tasting concoctions.
Legend let out a breath.
“Okay. Let's get out of here.”
He stood and offered a hand. Hyrule took it and tried to pull himself up but before he could get upright his eyes rolled back in his head as his knees buckled. Legend barely caught him, lowering them both back down and moving so Hyrule lent his weight against him.
“What-? Hey. Hey, no no,” He gave Hyrule’s face a sharp slap.
“Stay awake!” This didn’t make sense. Blue potions were supposed to work instantly. Why hadn’t it worked?
“Lege?” Hyrule tried to shift in Legend’s hold.
“Lege- Help,” Legend tried to rub his hand down Hyrule’s back in what he hoped was a soothing gesture. He couldn't pretend it didn’t feel like a knife twisting in his chest to see Hyrule so helpless. Hyrule was as strong as any of the other heroes, Legend had never seen him so defenceless before.
“I’m going to help, but you’ve gotta tell me how ‘Rule.”
But Hyrule only shook his head weakly. His breathing grew more frantic. He lifted a hand and pushed weakly at Legend’s arm, trying to pull away, but as soon as he tried to stand, he pitched forward again. Legend again had to scramble to catch him, trying his best to keep them both upright. His teeth clenched as pressure flared hot in his leg. He shifted awkwardly to take more of Hyrule’s weight off it.
“No.. NO!” Hyrule continued to struggle in his hold “Get ‘f me! Legend Help!”
“Hey, hey, it is me, it’s Legend,” he said quickly. “You’re safe, I swear.” But Hyrule didn’t respond. His head lolled forward again, breath ragged and shallow. The fight seemed to leave him all at once, like a puppet with its strings cut.
Somehow, he got him upright again, one arm slung around his shoulders, the other dragging behind. Legend wasn’t sure how conscious he was, but he was able to put one foot in front of the other, and that was all he needed.
They pushed deeper into the woods.
Every step sent sharp pain lancing up Legend’s side. He gritted his teeth. He hadn’t noticed how bad it was at first through the adrenaline rush. but now that they were clear of the town, it was getting harder to ignore. The pain in his leg had been manageable until it wasn't.
It had happened during the escape, one of the guards had tried to grab his magic bag out of his hands as Legend was raiding the armory. In the following scuffle a bomb had shaken loose. The resulting explosion had taken out a convenient chunk of an exterior wall and brought down a storm of stone. He’d thrown himself in front of Hyrule.
The rubble had simply caught his leg on the way down.
He didn’t have time to worry about it then. Still didn’t. Hyrule was getting worse by the second.
At first, through the escape, the kid had managed to keep pace. He even fired off a few spells at the guards during their chaotic dash through the town. But he’d declined quickly, becoming less coordinated, slurring his words, swaying dangerously with every step. Now, Legend was half-carrying him.
He didn’t even know where they were going. Just away.
Then Hyrule sagged again, his weight dragging Legend off balance. They both went down hard as Legend tried to put weight on his bad side again.
Legend gasped, pain lancing through his leg so sharply his vision flared white at the edges. For a moment, the world tilted, his heartbeat thundered in his ears, breath caught too high in his chest. He blinked hard, forcing the haze back, but his hands still trembled where they held Hyrule, both of them sprawled across the forest floor. He’d fallen at a bad angle, the injury worsening when he threw himself between Hyrule and the ground.
Gritting his teeth, he forced himself upright. Hyrule’s breath still only came in short gasps. Legend turned him onto his side, shook him gently.
“Hey. Hey! Come on, open your eyes. Don’t, don’t fall asleep. You hear me?”
“Hyrule, please,” he said, voice cracking. “Please wake up.”
No response.
Legend felt like the world had gone silent around him. Just his heartbeat, thunderous in his ears.
He looked back, smoke still curled up from the wreckage of the dungeon in the town. Were they following? Had they seen which way he’d gone? Would they come after them? What if they caught them again? What if they put Hyrule back in that cell? How long would he last this time?
Legend couldn’t breathe.
He tried to get to his feet but his leg buckled. The pain was white-hot, blinding. He collapsed back down, gasping.
No. Not now. He couldn’t-
His chest squeezed tight. He couldn’t get enough air. His vision blurred.
Don’t panic. You can’t panic. Hyrule needed him. That should have been enough. But that only made it worse. His hands shook as he pressed them to his temples. He couldn’t fix this. He couldn’t fix any of it.
What was the point of six adventures if none of that experience gave him a clue what to do now. His breath came faster, it felt like his throat was closing up. He grabbed his bag from the forest floor and yanked it into his lap, hands scrabbling at the clasps. His fingers wouldn’t work properly. Still stiff.
He didn’t even know what he was looking for. Despite organising it just days ago, the compartments blurred together, nothing felt useful, it could have been empty for all he cared, if a blue potion didn’t work what would?
“Come on, come on- argh- fuck. Fuck. Fuck it.”
He turned the whole bag upside down, spilling the contents across the grass. elemental rods clattered, potion bottles rolled, small rings scattered into the dirt. There had to be something here. There had to be. But his vision was dimming, narrowing at the edges, black creeping in like ink bleeding across a page. His pulse roared in his ears. All he could hear was his own ragged breathing.
The forest blurred. His hands wouldn’t stop trembling. His heart thudded painfully hard in his chest, then again. And again. Like it was trying to escape.
Everything felt like it was slipping sideways. The panic was winning.
Then-
A hand grabbed his wrist.
Legend jolted, a sharp, instinctive flinch, but the hold was firm, grounding. A voice followed, low and steady, cutting through the static.
“Legend. You have to calm down.”
He didn’t register the words at first. Couldn’t. Couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t think. Hyrule was still hurt. Hyrule could die and he was useless-
“Legend. It’ll be okay. Just breathe.”
The hand guided his own, pressing it flat against something warm and solid. A chest. A heartbeat. Slow, steady. Inhale. Exhale.
Legend squeezed his eyes shut. Forced his lungs to mimic the movement. One breath after another. His chest still ached, but the air started to move. Slowly, the darkness at the edges of his vision began to recede. His hands still trembled, but not violently. The noise in his head quieted, just enough.
He opened his eyes.
And flinched back again. Because Time was kneeling in front of him. When had he gotten there? Time’s face was serious, but not angry. Just focused. Steady.
“Back with me?” he asked gently.
Legend could barely manage a nod. Time was here. He was here. When did that happen? How long had he been sitting there like that? How long had he-
His breath hitched again.
Hyrule.
He twisted around quickly, eyes locking on the figure still crumpled in the grass. Warriors was crouched beside him now, one hand against Hyrule’s shoulder, the other hovering near his pulse. His expression was sharp, but Legend could see the worry hidden underneath.
“He’s not dying on our watch,” Warriors said firmly. Then his gaze snapped to Legend. “Can you tell us what happened?”
———————————————————
Hyrule might have made a pitiful groaning sound as he woke. He wasn’t sure. His head was aching like he got jumped by 10 moblins. Perhaps he did, he couldn’t quite seem to remember. Usually that would scare him but at the moment he felt… safe.
When he finally managed to pull his heavy eyelids open, the light levels were low, and the forest was quiet. There was only the crackling of the campfire. He was tucked in blankets he didn’t remember ever getting out of his pouch, and someone was curled up beside him, asleep.
Legend.
His brows were furrowed, even in sleep, one hand still loosely curled toward Hyrule’s arm like he’d fallen asleep holding his hand. Or maybe his wrist. Usually legend wasn't so open with physical affection like this. Across the fire, Warriors noticed he was awake and moved over swifty from where he sat to help Hyrule sit up.
“…Hey,” Hyrule croaked.
“Hey,” Warriors said softly. “You scared the hell out of him.”
Hyrule looked back at Legend, and something tugged in his chest. It was coming back to him slowly, being trapped in that iron cage and feeling his health slowly deteriorating. It was always scary knowing his enemies could weaken him so easily, this time it wasn't even on purpose.
It was strange though, Hyrule frowned. He could barely recall being dragged out of the town by Legend but not more beyond that. How had he known how to help?
“Do you need any more sugar?” Warriors asked casually, his tone deceptively innocent. Hyrule whipped his head around to look at him, and Warriors leveled him with a flat stare.
“No lying. Do you need more?” Hyrule paused to actually consider the question. He looked inwards to feel his magic reserves, they felt alright now, not good by any means, but within safe ranges. He opened his eyes, planning to refuse, to see Warriors holding out a small candy. He smiled, knowing he was about to be caught in a lie and took it, too exhausted to consider the effort of refusing.
It was clear then what happened, They knew now. The whole chain. No more hiding.
Hyrule had expected that realization to shake him, but instead, he found that it didn’t bother him as much as he thought it would. He was… surprisingly okay with it.
“You should go back to sleep.” Hyrule was already nodding off where he sat before Warriors finished his sentence.
As he settled back into the blankets, Legend murmured something softly in his sleep and shifted a little closer. Hyrule smiled, just a little.