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zarvasace · 1 year

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salad of heroes

The most mediocre-effort Everyone Meets minific you will ever find. The Links are coming together! Wow! It's the beginning of an adventure and everyone is so stoked! (you can guess who's less enthusiastic)

Disability AU, 8421 words, AO3 link here. No particular warnings. Except for the fact that I didn't even read over this a second time.

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When the clear sound of portal magic rang out from behind Link, he sighed and covered his eyes for just a moment with his hand. Really? Again? Portals?

He whirled around when someone stepped out, right onto his bedroom floor.

The man stared at Link, his right eye hidden by a leather patch, his left wide and a familiar shade of bright blue. He wore light armor, though the design made the back of Link's neck prickle, as did the markings on the man's face, just under the eye patch.

"Link?" the man asked, his voice rapidly shifting from shock to surprise.

Link frowned. 'Do I know you?' he signed, hoping this man somehow knew the language.

The man's face crinkled in a reluctant smile. "It's been a while for me, yes, though not as long for you. I'm Mask." He added the sign name Link had given him to make it clear, a mixture of the signs for 'mask' and the letter L, since his name was also Link.

'Mask,' Link repeated, blinking in shock. 'You grew up.'

"I did. I have a wife and a farm." Mask looked proud of himself. "And before you ask, I don't know what that portal was. I didn't particularly want to leave, though I'm not too disappointed I came here. It's good to see you again."

'You, too. Your eye… your face and armor. What happened?' Link had some idea, but didn't really want to put the thought into words. This older Mask was strange. Familiar, but changed, and Link didn't really know how to react.

Mask winced and waved a hand. "Let's leave that for another time. I think I feel another portal coming, you might want to get your things."

With a reluctant nod, Link turned back to his bookshelf and put his book down. He'd been looking forward to that. Oh well.

Armor, a note, and one packed bag later, Link and Mask stood in front of another portal, identical to the last.

Mask held out his hand. "Let's not get lost."

Link nodded his agreement and took his hand. It was much larger than last time they'd gone through a portal, but familiar nonetheless. Together, they took a step into the blackened magic, leaving Warriors's castle behind for new vistas.

That new vista happened to be the edge of a small town in the forest, just outside a rough-hewn fence next to a sturdy tree. A young man with another rather familiar face, not to mention strange facial tattoos, stood on the other side of the fence, frozen with one of his hands on a goat's horn.

No, Link realized, his only hand.

"Who are you?" the young man asked in accented but understandable Hylian, taking a step back. His goat bleated but followed him. "Do I know you?" He directed the question towards Mask, looking over the armor.

"I… don't think so," Mask answered, shooting a glance at Link to double-check that neither of them had ever met the kid. Link shook his head.

"Well, who are you?"

Link winced, but decided to try the signing anyway. Maybe the kid knew it. 'My name is Link, I'm the general of the Hyrule Army.'

"No, you're not," the kid said, narrowing his eyes. At least he'd understood. "I know the general, and he's not you. Is this a joke?"

"What's your name?" Mask asked, and oddly enough, the kid relaxed a fraction.

"Link."

Link snorted. 'So is mine. And his. Are you a Sacred Hero of Light, by chance?'

The new Link still looked wary. "I'm the Hero of Twilight, yes."

'Then that's what we'll call you,' Link said. 'Twilight. I'm the Hero of Warriors, so I suppose my name is Warriors.'

"Warriors," the new Link tried. "That's a mouthful. I'll call ya Wars. And you?"

"I'm the Hero of Time." Mask sounded resigned. "I think we're on another time-traveling journey, gathering Heroes for some reason. You're probably meant to come along."

The newly dubbed Twilight looked them over. "You did just pop out of a portal. I guess I can believe you, maybe. Prepare for adventure, huh? I can do that."

He put away the goats and invited them into his house, which was built up on the sturdy tree, oddly enough. It was a cozy place, if a bit rustic for Link's taste. Warriors's taste. He winced. That was a mouthful.

"Not to pry," Twilight said from his loft. He glanced down at the two of them sitting awkwardly at his table and started to climb back down. "But why don't you talk, Wars? No judgment. I went through a period of mutism, myself, not that signing worked too well with just the one hand." That explained the fact that he knew sign language, even if it was still a bit confusing why it was the same sign language.

'My voice doesn't work very well,' Link—Warriors, he should remember that—signed so Twilight could see. 'It's easier this way.'

"I'll take your word for it." Twilight pulled a sword belt on over his shoulder and concluded with a backpack.

Mask, now Time, stood up. "May I ask about your arm?"

"Reindeer ate it," Twilight answered easily.

Warriors and Time exchanged an odd look.

"Sorry," Twilight said after a second, laughing. "I get that question a lot. I was born without it, as far as we can figure."

Time cracked a smile. "Then I'm sure you have a lot of ridiculous answers."

"Of course I do. So where are we going?"

Warriors shrugged. Before he could get the chance to say anything, though, he heard the sound of a portal to his left, near the front door. He sighed. 'We don't know.'

Twilight frowned out at the portal. "I'm a bit hesitant to leave. Monster attacks are increasing, and I'm one of the only ones who can do anything about them."

"I don't think we have a choice," Time told him. "Though… it is a bit of a coincidence that the same thing has been happening at my home."

'And mine,' Warriors said. 'More than coincidence, now.'

"Well," Twilight sighed, "maybe this will help that, then. How many more Links are there? I'm familiar with stories about the Hero of Men."

"As am I," Time agreed. "Perhaps he predates us both."

Twilight shifted on his feet, still staring at the portal. "I'm not familiar with the Hero of Time, though."

"Not all stories are meant to be passed on."

'That isn't ominous,' Warriors said, though he couldn't blame Time. 'I know of three or four others, at least.'

"Then I guess we just need to get going." Twilight nodded. "Meet these other Heroes."

Time held out a hand toward Twilight. "We've been holding hands. The portals are a little… disorienting."

Though he hesitated for a moment, Twilight nodded and took the hand. Warriors grabbed Time's other hand, and together they walked into the next portal.

The first thing Warriors registered was the wind chill. His scarf blew around his body, and he shivered against the wind. On Time's other side, Twilight let go and rubbed at his head.

"Disorienting? Yes. Ugh."

Warriors winced in silent apology and shielded his eyes with his hand to look around for their next Hero.

Sure enough, another sandy-haired young man faced away from them, tending to a small garden outside of a colorful building. He didn't seem to be bothered by the wind, despite it whipping his hair around.

"Hello?" Twilight called over the wind.

The new presumably-Link didn't look up.

Perhaps the wind was too loud. Warriors took a few steps forward and waved within the new kid's line of sight.

Three seconds later, Warriors found himself facing the bright blue sky with the kid on top of him, a dagger pressed to his neck. Hey. The kid was good. And not entirely a kid, he looked a bit older now that Warriors could see his face.

"I don't know you. Who are you?" he asked, his voice a little louder than it needed to be, with every consonant clear and precise.

Warriors couldn't respond with his arms trapped beneath the kid's weight. He sighed and mouthed the word instead. 'Link.'

"Yes, I'm Link. I asked who you are."

Twilight got up closer, and the new Link tensed, turning his way, but Twilight just spoke. "He's Link. And so am I. And so is he."

The new Link squinted at him. "Say that again."

"We're all Link. We're all Heroes, from across time, we think."

"Heroes," the new Link echoed. He thought for a moment, then got off of Warriors. "I hope you don't mind if I prove that claim."

"How do you plan on doing that?" Time asked, his arms folded.

The new Link looked them over. "Come with me." He turned to go.

Twilight offered his hand to Warriors, who took it to stand up. He rubbed at his neck.

'He's talented,' Warriors signed, and Twilight nodded his agreement.

The three of them followed the new Link around a few buildings and up to a cave. They hesitated, but let him lead them inside. It wasn't a very big cave, but was lit well with natural vents and shielded from the wind. The new Link went right up to the altar at the far end and picked up a sword. A very familiar sword. He turned to face them, blade gleaming.

"Okay, I believe you two, now," Twilight muttered. "That's the Master Sword." He wasn't the only one with a reaction. Time scowled, and Warriors looked at it with reverence and wariness.

The new Link waited a moment, looking them over with the sword in his hands. "She says you're actually Heroes. Hm. That isn't what I expected to find today." He lowered the sword and smiled. "In that case, it's nice to meet you. I'm Link, though you knew that, and I'm the Hero of the Sky."

"Then we'll call you Sky," Time said. "If that's amenable to you. We've been picking up nicknames according to our titles."

The newly named Sky frowned slightly. "I'm sorry, could you repeat that?"

It was the second time he'd asked for someone to say something again. Warriors raised a hand for attention and tried something else.

'Since we're all named Link, we've been picking nicknames that match our hero titles,' he signed. 'So yours is Sky.'

Sky brightened. "You know sign? That will make this go much more smoothly." He put the Master Sword back on the altar and signed, too. 'I can't hear very well.'

'Really? I don't speak very well, but I can hear. You do speak well, though.'

"Thank you." Sky signed as he spoke. "I've practiced a lot. I must admit I'm still confused, though—if you're all Heroes… are you from the surface? Are there other people out there?"

"We're from across time, actually," Time said. Warriors decided to interpret, and Sky smiled at him.

"Across time." Sky nodded. "Not the strangest thing to have happened to me, by far. This almost makes sense. So what are your nicknames?"

After a quick introduction, and the start of a few sign names based on first impressions, Sky picked up the Master Sword again. He took them to where he'd been working before, and left them outside so he could go pack.

Warriors listened to the slightly awkward conversation Twilight and Time struck up, but didn't contribute. He was a little busy thinking about the timeline—just how many Links could there be? He knew of at least two more, if he really did recognize Twilight and Sky's eras. At least two, possibly three, if the Hero of Men was someone new. Hopefully, the Master Sword would make it easier for them to convince anyone else that they were for real.

As soon as Sky returned, a smile on his face and the Master Sword on his back, another portal opened in front of the small group.

"Shall we?" Time asked, offering out his hands.

Warriors took one, Twilight took the other, and Sky took Warriors's other side with only a little confusion. And in they went to another portal.

This was going to be a long day, wasn't it?

The world warmed up quite a bit on the other side of the portal, and Warriors's boots hit the wood of a very small boat. Around them, the small dock on the beach looked abandoned.

The boat honestly barely fit the four of them. The five of them. This time, the kid in front of the portal watching them come through had sun-bleached blond hair and a sword already in his hand. When he saw Warriors, though, he dropped the sword and ran up.

Warriors shook off Time and Sky's hands to catch the kid in a hug, laughing. Man, he was heavier than before. That seemed to be a theme.

"Link! Hi! Hey, you didn't change a bit! How are you?" The sailor stepped back to let him use his hands.

'I'm fine. We're apparently gathering a bunch of Heroes from across time, wanna come with?'

"Of course I do! What great timing, too, I've been getting bored." Warriors kept up the interpreting so Sky could follow along.

Twilight interrupted. "Uh, how old are you, kid?"

The sailor turned on him with a glint in his eye. "Fourteen, and a Hero twice over, so shove whatever ideas you have about 'too young' overboard to drown, landlubber."

Warriors laughed again, and Twilight looked like he didn't know whether to be offended or not.

"Two adventures?" Sky asked. "Why two?"

The sailor shrugged and picked his sword back up to sheathe it. "World needed saving twice, I guess. Or… whatever that second one was. There were definitely ghosts."

"I had two, as well," Time said.

"Hold on." The sailor put his hands on his hips and looked Time over. "I know you."

Time almost smiled. "Everyone does, apparently."

"I don't," Sky said brightly.

"You're the kid! Holy—" The sailor pointed at him. "You had two adventures, and your face, and your stupid smile! You're him! You got old."

"I'm not old," Time protested. "Just older. You're still insufferable."

Twilight raised his hand to break it up. "Hey, kid, what's your Hero title? That's where we've been getting nicknames, we can't all be Link."

That successfully distracted the sailor. "I guess not. I'm the Hero of the Wind. What's yours? Hey, what happened to your arm?"

"I'm Twilight. And I ate too many lemons as a kid."

The sailor, Wind now, laughed and slung up a backpack. "Good one. I didn't eat enough lemons as a kid." He lifted up his left leg to showcase the leather and black-painted wood that extended past his knee. He hopped a few times to keep his balance before putting it down. "So who are the rest of you?"

"Sky, apparently."

'Warriors.'

Wind squinted at him. "I don't know that sign, it's been forever."

Sky helped out. "Warriors."

"That's a long name."

"Wars is a good nickname for the nickname," Twilight supplied.

Wind laughed. "And it's pretentious, just like him!"

'I'm right here,' Warriors pouted. He was getting attached to the name.

"Call me Time," said the last of them. "We don't know where we're going or how long it'll take, or even how many Heroes named Link there are. You still with us?"

Wind nodded resolutely. "Yep. There's a portal behind you."

"Of course there is," Twilight sighed. "They always seem to appear at the earliest moment we're ready. Time for another."

As had become practice, they grabbed each other's hands and abandoned this era for another.

Warriors knew of at least one more era, one more Hero, perhaps two… yet he doubted it was the only one they still had left.

The other end of this portal was actually nice. Late-afternoon sunlight filtered through the broad leaves of tall trees, and the air smelled sweet, with just a hint of sourness.

This Link sat on the ground by a row of pea vines, piling picked pea pods into the skirt of his tunic. He looked up at them, noticed the Master Sword on Sky's back, and sighed up at the sky.

"Really?" he yelled, loud enough to startle some birds from the trees and make Warriors jump. "I finally get to settle down, and you assign me more?"

Warriors exchanged a look with Time, a bit worried.

"Uh… hi," Wind tried. "Is your name Link, too? What are you the Hero of?"

The new Link dumped the peas into a bucket with more force than necessary. "Yes, I'm Link. Everything and nothing. What world-ending calamity is there this time?"

"We don't know," Time said. "You're not alone in your frustration, but I don't think there's much of a choice."

"Of course not," new Link muttered. He grabbed a cane laying on the ground that Warriors hadn't noticed and used it to push himself to standing. Then he grabbed the bucket of peas and turned to the house. "Come on. Who are all of you?"

Wind took it upon himself to introduce everyone. "I'm Wind, because I'm the Hero of Winds, and I lost my leg when a shark smelled my blood and ate it. That's Twilight, his arm disappeared into an interdimensional portal and he never found it." Twilight choked on laughter. "That one's Time, he's old, he ate too much grapefruit and lost his eye. And Warriors, but you can call him Wars, his voice sounds weird now so he doesn't talk." Warriors rolled his eyes and signed thank you as sarcastically as he could. "And finally, that's Sky, he, uh… he has the Master Sword."

"I noticed," new Link said. "That's the only reason you're not burnt steaks right now." He used his cane as support, but didn't lean on it as heavily as Warriors had expected.

Sky, who'd been following along with Warriors interpreting, spoke up. "I'm deaf."

"Ah, so that's why he's been signing the whole time." The new Link turned at the steps to the house to face them. "The goddesses really like their broken Heroes, huh?"

'Don't say that,' Warriors frowned, signing sharply. 'None of us are broken.'

"I am. Six adventures will do that to you."

"Six?" Twilight burst. "You're joking. We've just been on one or two. Is that an injury, then?" He gestured to the cane.

The new Link snorted. "Wow. Yeah, it's been six, and I thought I was done. And… no, it's not an injury. I just go through weeks where everything sucks, and every time, the normal gets a little worse. Just got off an episode yesterday, actually, so. Look, when we go in there, do not buy anything, it's all overpriced."

"What?" Sky asked aloud, a beat later.

"You'll see." Link opened the door and headed into the house. He set the bucket of peas on a table. "Come on in, I just gotta grab my stuff. Dumb adventuring stuff."

Although Warriors had an inkling of what he'd find in the front room, the volume really shocked him. Every available surface past the hallway that led to the kitchen had something on it. The sheer volume of stuff ranged from creepy-looking masks to bottles of milk to magic items with… yep, tiny purple bunny ears.

"Captain Hero!" a voice said, far too close for comfort.

Warriors let out a shocked noise and jumped.

"It is you!” said the short person next to him, wearing a long purple robe with his bunny-shaped hood pulled up. He, too, signed as he spoke, though his signs were messy. "Wow, to think, you came to visit me this time! And you brought friends! Still wearing your scarf, I see, very chic, I have some scarf pins over here you might like. Are you—"

'Ravio,' Warriors tried to interrupt the tirade.

"Does he just know everyone?" Twilight whispered to Time behind him. Time made an I-don't-know noise.

Ravio kept going, walking backwards farther into the room.

'Ravio!' Warriors signed again, yelling as best he could with sharp signs. Ravio finally stopped mid-sentence. 'That guy back there is the Hero you wouldn't stop talking about?'

"Oh, yes, he's very good at what he does, believe me. Six adventures, you know?"

"We heard," Sky said, with his voice and hands. "It's quite a lot. Are you Link's friend?"

"That's me, yep, Ravio at your service. I'm the proprietor of this shop and everything in it is for sale, only the most reasonable prices for the friends of Captain Hero."

"That's a Farore-damned lie!" The new Link—he still didn't have a nickname—limped into the room with a different outfit, sturdier boots, and a lot of jewelry. "Your prices are awful."

Ravio put a hand up to his chest for a moment. "You hurt my feelings. Of course you're all getting discounts!"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." The new Link shooed Wind away from one of the piles of jewelry. Warriors would bet that Wind had already taken some, dirty little pirate. "You have free run of this place while I'm gone, so don't trash it. And don't"—he got up close to Ravio—"let my garden die like last time."

"I'll do my very best," Ravio promised. "You have places to be."

"Wish I knew what those places were." The new Link stood straight in front of the group. Warriors noticed a weird patch of pink in his otherwise-blond hair. "People call me the Legendary Hero, which I guess makes my name Legend."

Warriors nudged Wind for his attention and signed in small gestures. 'And you called me pretentious.'

The new Link gave him a flat look. "Warriors, right? That's because you are."

'Me? Pretentious? You'll eat those words, jewelry boy.'

"Jewelry boy, wow, how creative. I'm truly insulted. Where do we go from here?"

Twilight pointed to behind Legend, where a portal swirled into existence. "That's how it's been happening."

Legend sighed, turned around, and marched right through the portal.

Wind grabbed Warriors's hand. "Wait up! Bye, Ravio!"

"Bye for now!"

Warriors snatched Sky's cape, Sky took Twilight's hand, and Time grabbed Twilight's furs. One by one, connected, they went through the new portal.

"Ugh, these portals are awful," Legend said on the other side. He clutched at his head.

"They're a bit disorienting, I admit," Sky said, "but they seem to affect us differently. I'm not getting headaches."

"Where's the new Link?" Wind asked, spinning around in a circle. They stood in a red canyon, wind whistling through, carrying heat. "Helloooooo?" he called, hands cupped around his mouth.

Time put a hand on Wind's shoulder. "We don't want to call undue attention, Wind."

'Honestly,' Warriors said, smiling briefly when Sky spoke his words so people could hear them, 'We might not need to worry about that. Every portal so far has led us right to the new Link, alone and with convenient timing.'

Legend grunted. "That's not suspicious at all."

"I assume it's the goddess's doing," Sky said mildly, looking around.

"My point still stands."

Warriors rolled his eyes and inspected the canyon. It was true that this portal didn't put them right in front of a Link, as has happened every other time. Maybe it was the end, and they'd gathered all of the Heroes. In that case, there would be a threat, something to fight, wouldn't there?

"I know this place," Twilight muttered. "The Link here is feral, and I mean that as both a good and a bad thing."

"Feral?" Time asked, an eyebrow raised.

A boy in a blue cape landed on Time's shoulders, knocking him onto his back and making everyone panic.

'Attacked again,' Warriors said, not really intending anybody to see, but Sky laughed.

'Sorry,' Sky signed.

'No harm done. Hopefully it'll be the same here.'

"How did you steal it?" the new Link asked with a growl, holding a glowing yellow spear dangerously close to Time's chest. His blue cape hid his head, but Warriors could see a good array of supplies held on his person, despite the odd lack of a pack.

Time raised his hands. "Steal what?"

"Don't play dumb. The Master Sword. How did you even survive the seal? Or the woods, for that matter?"

"We didn't steal the sword," Time said, trying to stay calm.

"I don't know if she could be stolen like that." Sky approached, his hands raised in peace. "We aren't a threat to you or the people here. We're being pulled through time to find a lot of other Heroes. You're a Hero, aren't you?"

The new Link paused, then nodded once. The spear pulled back a few inches, but Time didn't take the opening.

Sky hesitated. "If you said something, I didn't catch it. I don't hear very well, and I can't see your face with the hood."

After another second, the new Link took a hand off of his spear to yank his hood back around his neck. Warriors was first struck with the length of his hair, and how tangled it looked. He winced. Then he noticed the scarring across the Link's face, focused on the left side of his jaw. It was awful scarring.

"I didn't say anything," the new Link said. "I'm going to need proof that you aren't Yiga."

"Yiga?" Wind asked in confusion.

"Imposters," Twilight answered. That's right, he said he knew this Link, didn't he? Why wasn't there some kind of reunion? The new Link's eyes passed right over him, though Warriors thought he saw a hitch.

Legend groaned in exasperation. "Nayru's nose, I'm so done with this. Look, Link, the goddesses don't let you say no to these things. We're all Link, hooray, just get off of Time."

"That doesn't make sense," the new Link said, though he didn't seem too sure.

"There's only one thing that makes sense in this Farore-forsaken world, and that's that nothing makes sense. Get used to it."

Warriors sighed. 'Lay off of him, Legend. Is this what six adventures did to you? Made you jaded beyond belief?'

"You bet they did," Legend snapped back.

Twilight tried mediation next. He stepped in Warriors and Legend's lines of sight. "Look, we don't know how long this is going to take, and it's getting dark, apparently time moves the same no matter which era we're in. Sky, would you draw the sword?" He mimed the action, which Sky understood.

Carefully, and making eye contact with the new Link so as not to scare him, Sky pulled the Master Sword off his back and held it out flat. In his hands, and in the growing sunset, the blade glowed with an eerie, peaceful blue light. It lit Sky's face, and he smiled as he looked down at it.

Warriors remembered how the sword felt in his hands. Part of him wanted to run up and take it again, but he crossed his arms instead. Sky respected its power, that was clear. He was the ideal wielder at the moment, not Warriors.

"The blade only glows in the hands of a healthy Hero," Twilight said, and it appeared that the new Link knew that already. He nodded slowly and stepped off of Time, who sat up.

With the tense atmosphere dissolving, Wind perked up again. "So, what's your name? Link, obviously. We all are. I meant, what's your Hero title? Those are where we're getting our nicknames, since we can't all be Link. I'm Wind! That's Warriors, and Sky, and Twilight, and Time, and Legend. I think he's a bit of a jerk."

"Hey!"

The new Link smiled, just a little. It pulled higher on his right, opposite the scar. "It's not official or anything, but… I'm the Hero of the Wild."

"That makes sense," Wind said diplomatically, looking the now-Wild over.

"So what's going on?" Wild asked, keeping his spear out.

Warriors stepped forward so that Sky could see his interpreting better. 'We don't know. The portals are just dropping us off in front of Links who happen to also be Heroes.'

Thankfully, Wild understood him. How odd was it that all of them so far knew sign language? Sure, Warriors taught both Time and Wind at different points, and Sky was deaf, but… It was a mystery for Legend, Twilight, and Wild, now. It made things easier on him, but it still felt strange.

"That's… weird."

"You need to pack for a journey. Where do you keep your things?" Time asked.

Wild shook his head, hair flying. "On me. I have everything I need, though…" He unhooked a tablet-shaped item from his belt. It lit up with blue and orange light, and he poked the light. "I would have stocked up on more rice had I known I was going somewhere with… there are six of you."

"We have our own rations," Legend said, less grouchy than before.

"Rations?" Wild looked up and frowned. "While I'm around? Never. When else will I get the chance to show off my cooking skills?"

"You can cook?" Wind asked brightly.

"Yeahhhh…" Wild trailed off, his eyes lifted. "What's that?"

Warriors turned around, and Time sighed audibly.

"It's our next portal. Come on, everyone, grab onto each other."

Wild ended up on the end of the line between Time and Twilight, who smiled encouragingly down at him.

"The portals are a little rough, so hang tight."

"Rough?" Legend asked, caught between Warriors and Sky with his cane tucked into his belt. They headed into the portal single-file. "More like, these portals are a bit—"

His words were swallowed by the portal, and Warriors shook his head, towing Wind along behind him.

The next world was very, very dark. Warriors couldn't see a thing, but he could feel Legend drop to sit on the ground, and he could hear the portal brushing out of existence.

"Everyone made it through?" Time asked, lowering his voice. The way it echoed, the chill in the air… Warriors imagined this was a cave.

A small chorus of affirmative noises bounced around the room.

And an unfamiliar voice—well, more unfamiliar than the rest of these people—spoke back, young but firm. "Who are you? How did you find me?"

Legend snorted from his place on the floor. Despite Warriors trying to hold onto him, he ripped his hand away and, from the sounds of it, stood up. "Link, meet Link, Link, Link, Link, Link, Link, and Link. We're all Link. We're all Heroes. Why is it so Din-damned dark in here?"

A spot of glowing orange lit up the space, illuminating Legend's face first, then Sky and the rest of them. Sky let out a breath, hand over his heart, and turned around.

Standing in the dim light with an impressive ruby-and-silver sword in one hand and long staff in the other, the new Link had dirt on his face and rubbed into his clothes. Warriors could barely tell that his tunic was green. Despite the weapon, his posture was relaxing by the moment.

"Not like the darkness changes much," the new Link said. Warriors looked a little closer, realizing at the same time that Twilight did.

"You can't see," Twilight said aloud.

The new Link's face hardened. "Is that a problem? If you're looking for me, you think you would've known that already."

Legend, of all people, answered. "We're not from here. Of course it's not a problem, we're all messed up somehow. Short version because I don't want to be here all day: we're time traveling through portals, nobody knows why, we keep finding more Links. Who knows when it'll end. You're the latest, chances are you'll be yanked through the next portal, too.

"You can call me Legend. I've been on six adventures, and I can mostly walk most days because my body hates me. The feeling is mutual."

"Oh." The new Link blinked, then sheathed his sword at his side. "Nice to meet you, then. I think."

Behind Warriors, Wild pulled out a torch and lit it, brightening up the cave that much farther.

"Well?" Legend snapped into the silence. "Introduce yourselves, everyone, he has to know your voices."

"You can do that?" Wind asked in awe.

The new Link snorted. "I would be stupid if I didn't memorize voices. And monster sounds."

Warriors couldn't pretend to know what being blind was like, but he thought it would be very hard to live the kind of lifestyle this kid obviously did. How had he survived? He was either very skilled, or very lucky. Possibly both.

"My nickname is Sky," Sky said next. "I've been on one adventure, and I have the Master Sword." The name-drop didn't faze this new Link at all. Had he even heard of it? "I'm deaf, so if you need to talk to me… you don't happen to know sign language, do you?"

The new Link made a face, possibly one of confusion. "What is that?"

"A way of speaking without sounds, using hand gestures instead. If you need to talk to me, then, perhaps find someone else."

Warriors realized then that he'd never really be able to communicate with this Link. Not directly, anyway. He'd always need an interpreter. That was a little bit depressing, he was starting to get attached to all of these crazy people.

"Okay," the new Link agreed. "I can do that." He leaned against the wall.

"I'm Twilight. One adventure. I'm missing my right arm a bit below the shoulder."

The new Link turned his head slightly in Twilight's direction. "You have dark magic on you."

Twilight scowled, the markings on his forehead folding. "What? No, I don't."

"You do," the new Link insisted, though he didn't seem bothered. "But you're clearly still divinely blessed, so whatever it is, it's not a problem."

"I don't have dark magic," Twilight muttered, but Time took over.

"You can call me Time. I'm the oldest of you lot, so far. Two adventures, myself. My right eye is missing, but my left one works just fine."

"You're the one wearing armor," the new Link said.

"Yes. Good ears."

Wind went next, just as excited as he'd been the rest of the time. "I'm Wind! I think I'm the youngest so far! I got my left leg chewed up, but I have a wooden one now, and it's not hard to get around."

"Really? That's neat."

"It is so neat, I'm glad to be able to walk. I've had two adventures, maybe two and a half? Depends on how you read the second, it did all sort of happen in a dream, but I got a sword and Linebeck out of it, so…"

"A dream?" The new Link laughed. It was a nice sound. "That's weird."

"And I'm Wild. One… yeah, just one adventure, if you could call it that. I guess my thing is that I have some pretty heavy scarring on my side. It's not really an issue."

"What kinds of scars?" the new Link asked. At least he seemed to be getting comfortable with them. Warriors wondered when the next portal would open.

Wild shrugged, holding the torch high. "Burn scars. Sort of."

Warriors felt his heart beat a little faster—it was his turn, wasn't it? It seemed like it. He wasn't nervous, he just… thought his voice sounded awful, and didn't particularly like letting people hear it. Sky nodded at him, and Warriors knew that if he chose to sign, Sky would speak for him. It was nice, to know he had someone to do that if he needed it, and Sky's voice was very calming.

But, at the same time, if this Link relied on voices that much, he should at least know what Warriors sounded like. It wasn't a bad idea for the others to know, either, just in case.

Warriors sighed and opened his mouth. "Wa-arrio-rs." Stupid vowels. They took way too much air and never came out right. "Ta-alking i-is h-ha-ard."

The letter H was the worst. He wrinkled his nose and cleared his throat. His voice now always came out scratchy, broken, and a little painful.

"You can talk?" Wild asked in surprise, and Legend turned around to blink at Warriors, too. Sky smiled encouragingly.

"Ba-arely-y." Warriors frowned and switched back to sign only. He hoped that the way his face flamed wasn't visible in the dim, warm light. 'It can be painful. I don't do it often.'

Sky nodded. "He says it can hurt," he said aloud for the new Link's sake. "So he doesn't do it often. He uses sign language for the most part, which apparently everyone else knows already."

The new Link smiled, but a little sadly. "Don't strain yourself for me. That's everyone, isn't it? Seven other Links and Heroes, wow. Do you think there will be more?"

"Maybe," Sky said. "I know stories about one before me in time."

"I do, too," Time added.

"I guess we'll have to see." Legend paused. "Or not, whatever."

The new Link snorted. "All right. My turn. I guess… you can call me the Hero of Hyrule. That's a bit of a stupid name, though, isn't it?"

Legend shook his head. "Nah. We all have stupid names. That one is Warriors."

'Hey.'

"I'm Hyrule, then. I've saved two Zeldas, so I guess that gives me two adventures. I can see a bit of dark and light, and can tell where bits of magic are, but mostly I just use this." He wiggled his staff. "I think that's it?"

"Aaaand," Twilight sighed, "right on time, there's a portal. Will we get a break?"

"Maybe once we've gathered all the Links we need to." Time took Twilight's free hand, and they formed a chain again.

Wind took Warriors's hand, and Legend took Hyrule's at the end of the line.

"Portals are rough," Warriors heard Legend mutter to Hyrule. "You have more magic than I do, you might get sicker than me."

"Thanks for the warning," Hyrule whispered back.

And with that, the group of Links, now eight strong, passed through yet another portal—

—into chaos.

Wherever this was, it was rapidly becoming dark. Even where the sky was light, the large trees blocked it out. In the forest clearing that they emerged into, Warriors counted somewhere around a dozen monsters, ones he recognized as being from across time. Many of the Heroes had already picked up weapons to fight.

Behind him, it seemed like Legend's warning about portals and sickness was well-founded, as Hyrule immediately pulled away to run to the side and dry heave. He didn't look very good. Legend went to help him, meeting Warriors's eyes as he did. They nodded. Despite their differences, they both had experience, and they both knew the intended plan.

Warriors stood his ground in front of the pair, tugging out his sword in preparation. None of the monsters had come this way yet, but it was only a matter of time.

As usual, Wind fought like a whirlwind, using his size and maneuverability to his advantage. He was used to fighting with a group, which was more than could be said for the rest of them. Although they tried, Time more successfully than the others, they didn't work together very well. Warriors wanted to shout out orders for them, but his throat hurt already, and while shouting tended to come out clearer than normal speaking, they wouldn't even know how to follow the orders. So he stayed quiet and let the train wreck happen.

Out in the melee, one figure stood out—a kid who was somehow managing to use a sword in a wheelchair. It wasn't like any other wheelchair Warriors had ever seen, and when he caught a better glimpse of the kid, his face set into hard lines. This had to be their latest Link, with that blond hair and ferocity. And he couldn't walk.

Still, he seemed to be doing just fine. Better than most of the others, actually. It looked like a standard sword-and-shield stance, except the shield hand had been modified to push the wheelchair wheels around. He was doing a good job adapting to the others, though they didn't adapt very well to him.

There really weren't that many monsters, from Warriors's experience. He knew that Wind and Time, at least, were different, usually only finding monsters in packs of less than five or six. It seemed like most of the others were the same. It only took about a minute to clean up the group.

"Thanks for the help," the new Link said slowly, looking them all over in confusion. He did not put his sword away. "But can I ask where you're all headed? There aren't many travelers this way, especially not ones as prepared as you."

"Excuse us the rough first impression," Time said for all of them. "You're Link, aren't you?" He sheathed his large sword obviously. The others caught on and put their weapons away, too.

Warriors followed suit, glancing behind him for a moment. Hyrule looked all right, now, and so did Legend. They stood up together. It sounded like Legend was telling Hyrule what was happening in a low mutter. Warriors nodded at them, then joined the loose circle that was forming so he could interpret for Sky again. He was finding that he didn't mind that job.

"Who else would I be?" This wasn't working. The new Link was far more suspicious than he should be.

Wind apparently agreed. He interrupted Time by shoving him aside. "What the old man is trying to say is, welcome, new Link! We're all Links, Heroes, from across time apparently. We don't know where we're going or what we need to do. There are so many of us and you're the latest!"

"Heroes from across time?" the new Link repeated, visibly thinking as he looked up at all of them. "I suppose you look like it. That's a very faithful reproduction of the styles from the Skyloft era," he added, gesturing to Sky, "but why are you even here?"

"We're not sure," Twilight said. "But I don't know if there's any doubt you're one of us. The portals have been putting us right in front of the Hero of the era. Does the Master Sword ring any bells?" He gestured, and Sky took the cue to draw the sword and hold it out, as he'd done before. It lit up softly.

The new Link eyed the weapon. "That's the Master Sword?"

"Have you never used it?" Time asked. "I think we all have, at one point or another."

"I didn't," Hyrule piped up from behind Warriors, who turned to let him and Legend into the circle. "You mentioned it, Sky, but I didn't use it. I had other swords."

"So everyone used the Master Sword except for him and me?" The new Link sat back at their nods and shrugs, crossing his arms. "Hey, kid who didn't use it, either, what did you use instead?"

Warriors raised a silent eyebrow. Kid? New Link was too small to be more than ten or twelve, although he did act more mature.

Hyrule stood up a little straighter. "My nickname now is Hyrule, I guess, because I'm the Hero of Hyrule. The best sword I ever had is the Magic Sword." He pulled out the ruby-and-silver creation Warriors had noted earlier, and kept it pointing carefully up.

The new Link pushed himself forward a bit to look closer. "Wow. That's very intricate. The enchantments are surely nothing to scoff at."

"They're not," Hyrule said cheerfully, and Warriors almost shuddered. "What sword did you use on your adventure?"

"Adventures, plural. I had two. This is the Four Sword." He set it across his lap, and the golden hilt only highlighted the differences between it and the Master Sword still held by Sky.

That made both Time and Twilight perk up, just a little.

The new Link glanced over at them. "You've heard of it?"

"Only in stories," Time told him. "There's only one known wielder of the Four Sword, at least in my time."

Twilight nodded. "Mine, too. You're the Hero of Men, aren't you?"

"Yes. You have stories? Weird. But if you're all choosing nicknames based on titles, please don't make mine Men."

'What nickname do you want, then? You have one chance,' Warriors said with a small smile.

The new Link matched the smile, but his brows lowered. "I don't know sign language very well, I just began… teaching myself recently. How far apart are we in time? Do the signs really translate?"

Warriors shrugged. He didn't know.

"Either it's magic," Legend said, "or languages are ridiculously stable, unlike literally everything else. He asked what nickname you do want. You believe us about the time traveling, then?"

"It isn't the weirdest thing to have happened to me," the new Link said dryly, to understanding laughs and nods all around. "So sure. What are all of your nicknames, first?"

Due to the lopsided circle they stood in, everyone keeping watch over everyone's shoulders, they just introduced themselves in order—Time, Twilight, Wild still with some hesitation, Sky made sure to mention his deafness again, Wind said he lost his leg to a chu attack, Legend, Hyrule again, and Warriors, who got a translation from Sky.

When the metaphorical torch passed to him, the new Link put his Four Sword away, twisting over the back of the wheelchair. He turned back around. "On occasion, I've been called the Hero of the Four Sword, and that's probably the best of them. So I'll be Four."

"A number?" Wind asked incredulously.

"It's not like it's stranger than being called Time. Or Hyrule."

"You have a point."

"A new portal should be showing up about now," Time said, looking around. "They've been quick about it."

Everyone waited a few seconds, but no portal appeared.

"Are we done, then?" Sky asked.

Legend sighed and rubbed at his forehead. "There are nine of us, oh Din. How is that even going to work?"

'We need to figure out how to work together,' Warriors signed, with Sky echoing again. 'That fight just now was a mess.'

"Was it?" Twilight asked, genuinely confused.

"Teamwork is hard, but it's necessary," new Four told them seriously. "It's getting dark, though. Maybe we should find a place to set up camp."

Wild agreed. "This seems like a good spot. I can make the fire. And something to eat."

"Let's assume we're staying here for the time being, then," Time said, his voice carrying authority that Warriors knew hadn't been there however many years ago.

He smiled as Time gave out a few directions, getting people moving and setting things up. Nobody was quite comfortable with each other yet, though Warriors could see a few friendships forming already.

Wild pulled firewood and kindling out of nowhere, then a pot and food out of the same place. Twilight helped him chop up some vegetables, managing perfectly well with only the one hand, though he did things a little differently.

Legend and Hyrule took a lap around the clearing's perimeter, talking quietly. Although Warriors had worried somewhat about Hyrule's ability to get around, he was fine, sweeping his staff in front of him to feel out where rocks and trees were. At some point, he climbed a tree, picked off a bunch of leaves, and dropped back down to run his fingers over them.

Wind and Sky, at Time's direction, pulled over a few dead logs to use as seating. Wind went on about a giant octoroc, signing only most of the story. Sky looked lost, but amused nonetheless, and managed to ask a few half-relevant questions that sent Wind careening down into other rabbit holes.

"Captain," Time called from across camp, and Warriors turned right around. "Watches?"

Ah, good plan. Warriors nodded and dug in his bag for a notebook and a stub of pencil to do some familiar math. He sat down on one of the settled logs by the fire and began.

He was very glad Time took charge, actually. Time was very different from Warriors's memories of the bratty kid he had been, and though they were virtual strangers now, Warriors could still see Time's good heart. If he was being entirely honest, Warriors was a bit intimidated by this group. A few of them were kids, but they had an edge that screamed survival. Legend was young, too, but clearly wanted to do things his way. Twilight was independent, too, and Warriors wouldn't soon forget the way that Sky had attacked him on their first meeting. He'd only known most of them for an hour or two, at most. They didn't know him, they weren't soldiers. So while Warriors knew a lot about how to run a group, and how to deal with the logistics, he didn't know how to organize this group. He mentally thanked Time for taking the initiative.

Once bedrolls were arranged awkwardly around the fire, and once the smell of cooking food began to fill the air, the atmosphere relaxed. Hyrule sat by a log, weaving together the leaves into a pattern that looked just as interesting as it probably felt. He spoke with Twilight, who'd been banished from the cooking once it started to simmer. Wild wouldn't leave it alone, though, and answered Wind's questions about it with surprising patience. Legend criticized Warriors's watch plans, which was especially annoying because most of what he said was right, and they both knew it. Four got right into learning a few more signs from Sky, both of them sitting on blankets near the fire.

"Um, everyone?" Wild said, standing in the middle. He held a wooden spoon in his hand and seemed a bit nervous when all the attention moved to him. "I like food. I mean, I'd like it if you all liked the food, too. If you don't like something or are allergic to whatever, let me know, or I will find out another way. Um, anyway, all that to say, food! It's here! I don't have a lot of dishes, though…"

With a snort, Twilight got up to help him distribute the skewers and cups of rice. Warriors was pleasantly surprised by how good it smelled and tasted.

"Okay," Wind began once dinner was well underway. "So, the true story of how I lost my leg. It was a dark and stormy night…"