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1- Bitter fates
(Verse 1: Legend becomes a sword spirit less than willingly, never meets the chain, remembering his former life with a little hero at his side.)
When it finally dawns on him fully, it makes him want to laugh hysterically until he's left with nothing to do but scream. The cruel twists of fate crushing him in its cold grip, far greater a prison than his metal vessel could ever hope to be. A great cosmic joke.
In the end he does neither, remaining in silence, the last thing he wants to do is risk disturbing his young charge.
Keeping an extra eye out as the boy sneaks through yet another dark and dreary forest. Light footed to avoid the attention of the monsters brimming in the shadows.
Watching the boy in green.
In hindsight it’s obvious he's let denial play a part in avoiding the truth. What a fool he's been.
Little by little the pieces slooted into place.
A child in green named Link.
A courageous spirit housed in a bleeding heart.
A burning need to help.
…
A call to action.
The former hero now knows that before him stands his successor. Another to shoulder the burden of fate on too young shoulders.
And trapped in a sword, the other that was once called Link is centuries too late to do anything about it as a cycle begins anew.
2- Enduring
(Verse 2: Legend becomes a Sword Spirit…semi willingly? Post Chain, the forces of time shows it unwieldy hand)
Staring at the hauntingly familiar sword laid out onto the altar he's been wrestled to his knees in front of it all finally clicks.
Link–...no– Legend, suddenly sees the future spool out in front of him. Centuries ahead leading into decline (ringing of failure, failure, failure–) and a soul that's become deeply precious to him.
He could try to fight, but what then? He's already taken out dozens trying to escape, more will just keep coming to replace the fallen. Of course if he's to die regardless he could go out fighting to the last. He knows now though, that what's in store for him is not quite death. In all the ways that it matters; it's worse.
….if he won or died trying, who then, would be there for the little hero in a declining future. A boy who confessed to a deep loneliness before meeting his companion. Who the boy so clearly adored even if Legend could not hear most of their conversations. Would his absence lead to splitting timelines? Past adventures, old and new, had certainly made him wary of messing with such forces. Knew of its devastating side effects.
Suddenly he realizes why the spirit within the sword had never told Hyrule who he truly was. Why he had not tried to prevent this from coming to pass. He knows his successor, there is no chance he would have been able to keep his silence had he known what was to transpire in his past. Would have looked for an alternative, consequences be damned.
Legend, however, is not about to risk Hyrule's future.
Closing his eyes Legend sends out a silent apology to Fable and Ravio, pleads to the uncaring fates they'll find closure and move on.
He lets resignation wash over him, resistance turning performative. Just because he accepts his fate doesn't mean he's going to let these bastards have the satisfaction of thinking he's submitting to their whims. He'll spit and curse all the way to the end.
A show, for appearances sake, but already exhaustion looms like a shroud now that he's mentally preparing to face the oncoming ritual.
He'll endure it, this and the coming centuries. Not for the corrupt nobles demanding his eternal service, but for Hyrule. Hyrule and the fragile future ahead.
At least he can take comfort in the fact he will see his brothers again someday.
3- On your own terms.
(Verse 3: Legend learns of his fate ahead of time. Deciding to become a sword spirit on his own terms)
By the time the signs of unrest in the courts had reared its ugly head and the inklings of a ritual plot taking shape, Legend had already had plenty of time to come to terms with his predicament and subsequently get to plotting.
Some things fate may demand, that doesn't mean he can't go about it on his own terms however.
As he goes over his last preparations a part of himself grimly wonders whether or not the first iteration of this loop had ever had the time to say his farewells.
If the rite goes right there might be a chance he'll be able to keep some contact with those closest to him, but 7 adventures has not left Legend in the habit of leaving things up to chance.
“Are you sure? There's really no other way….” His sister had asked a dozen times over.
“I'm certain,...I'm sorry, but I am not about to risk being wrong about this, if not this then everything else points to something worse. Like this I can at least do it on my own terms.” He can't look her in the eye, staring holes into the dusty tome carrying acient rituals instead.
His conviction had been set, and she understood that. That didn't make it any easier for either of them unfortunately. They are both deeply stubborn people after all.
So many times over have the fact been hammered over his head that fate is unheeding, that for everything he's done there's things that cannot be prevented. Failures spelled out in a ruined land, poisoned soil, polluted rivers and a haunted people, a vanishing island, never ending quests fighting the same foe over and over and over again-
Ganon will rise again, another Hero will have to defeat him. Regardless of what Legend does then and now.
What he can do, however, is to lend a helping hand. Make a lonely kid a little less lonely.
The evidence of what just a little support can do has long been made after all.
There is also the cowardly part of him that he is deeply ashamed of. That is just so goddess damned tired of constantly fighting fate. The tiny part of himself that is looking forward to just accepting what will come and snatching whatever rest he can get from it.
Ravio keeps his hand in a death grip during the whole lead up, Legend lets him have the comfort without complaint for once, and a repressed part of himself can admit to finding it comforting too. There's tears building in Fables's eyes as she reads out the incantations, she remains steadfast regardless, the sight will haunt him in the long years after, even as he is deeply grateful for his sister's strength. Both of them he shares a crushing embrace with before the end. He doesn't think he could have ever done this without them. Soon though there's no more room for stalling. The bindings are in place, the spell ready to be unleashed, this time around aided by divine power instead of a curse.
As agreed on beforehand his sister is the one to finish it. Drawing the finely crafted sword, not too divergent from the first, but carefully worked over by Legend's own hands and re-enchanted by Ravio. An immense credit to her composure, Fable's hands only shake a little as she drives the end of the sword into Legend's chest.
It's a sign that their improved ritual went correctly, that it does not hurt. No blood well forth, only a golden light gradually spreading out over Legend’s frame for every inch the sword sinks deeper.
Legend refuses to look away during the entire process. Commiting every possible last look to memory. Until the world fades in an abrupt flash of light.
The Hero Of Legend vanishes, the sword all that remains. In time to be hidden carefully in a spot a cautious young child will one day stumble across. A reunion waiting in increments.