Chapter Text
Link had been nine years, two months and thirteen days old when he had that strange dream, the one where a young girl had called to him to save her.
Of course, he went to go and save her. He may have been young (but he was old, he was nine years, two months and thirteen days old, and that was practically all grown up!) but his uncle had taught him well. Link had been taught to treat all women with the utter most respect, and if one of them needed his help, then he was going to give as much help to the mysterious girl of his dreams.
It took some searching, some looking and a lot more sneaking, before he found the entrance to the sewer system. He had jumped into the used water without a second thought, because he was already soaked from the pouring rain outside, and he was already going to be in a whole heap of trouble with his uncle when he got back home, hopefully with the girl calling out to him in his dreams safe and sound. However, the fact that his clothes were dirty with sewer water was not going to change the fact that he was probably going to be grounded for the rest of his life for the act he was pulling.
‘But it’s gonna be worth it,’ he told himself. ‘All the troubles gonna be worth it when the girl smiles at him and thanks him for doing so much to go and save her from the big bad evil person.’
The sewers are dark and creepy, but Link was not afraid. There was a lantern in his hand and bravery in his heart, and with those two things he would be able to go into the unknown with the knowledge that he would return back home safely.
It’s not long before the end of the corridor was in sight where it made a sharp turn to the left. Just before it slumped was the shape of a body.
The dark shadow was almost enough to stop Link in his tracks. He was young, sure, but even he at nine years, two months and thirteen days, was old enough to link a slumping shape of a body and the smell of blood, though hard to tell through the overpowering odour of waste, to the idea of death. The body was still moving though, still breathing, so maybe there was still some hope left for the man, but as Link got closer and closer, the man’s breathing became less and less, until Link was right on top of the ma- of his uncle, and the breath that his uncle was breathing were barely enough to make paper move.
His uncle’s dying words were not ones of love, of promises that the future will be better, or of meeting in a better world. Instead they were instructions on how to use a sword, requests to finish his tasks, and an unfinished sentence that asks more questions than it answers.
Years later, Link would think about these final words, and wondered what would have been different of his uncle had left him with love instead of an adventure.
Link had been nine years, three months and a day when he first entered the Dark World.
Sure, Link was terrified. After everything that had just happened to him, losing his uncle, being told to do this, that and everything else by an old guy he had never met before and the Princess (the Princess, the Princess Zelda, the one that Link had always wanted to meet, though, not like this, never like this) who both decided that they were going to send him all over the country to find some medal looking things so that he would be able to lift the Master Sword, being terrified had become a new constant for him.
This took it to whole other level though.
He was a rabbit.
A pink rabbit, if he had to be specific. He assumed that it was because of his (perfectly natural and not at all girly) pink hair, which, sure, made as much sense as travelling to another world that was parallel to his own. Link wrinkled his nose in distaste of the new situation as well as the new set of smells that bombarded him.
Then, he sneezed.
The violent action causing him to jump back, and unlike when he jumped in his Hylian form, he went flying through the sky, and quickly coming back down again to the earth, his rabbit body knowing exactly how to act to stop him from hurting himself in the floor. The action caused Link’s head to rush with adrenaline and he let out a small laugh in response.
That had been fun.
So Link jumped again.
And again.
And again.
Not even two minutes later, he was jumping as high as he could measuring himself around the large rocks and racing to another rock when he managed to jump higher the over the rock formation.
It was only when he bumped into another being, complaining about the shape of their body and how they wish they had the golden power to turn themselves back into their Hylian form that Link remembered the situation around him.
Right. Time to get back to the task on hand. Getting back to his human form so that he could complete the Tower of Hera so then he could go and get the Master Sword. He didn’t have time to be playing or messing around. He was nine years, three months and a day old, and it was about time he started acting like it.
He wasn’t quite sure what exactly a Master Sword was exactly, there was nothing wrong with the sword that his uncle had given him after all, but if that’s what they thought he should do then he should probably do it, after all, Princess Zelda was rumoured to be a descendant of the Goddess Hylia herself, a Princess with the Blood of the Goddess. His uncle had told him that it had been a lie, one to make everyone worship the ground that the royal family walked on, the pessimist that he was, but Link couldn’t help but feel like he was breathing fresh air when he had been in the presence of the Princess, so that had to count for something right?
Link's not sure when he started mistrusting the adults that surrounded him in his life, but this is the first time he acknowledges it.
Link had been nine years, eleven months and twenty-seven days old when he finally, finally, finished his quest. He had protected the people of Hyrule, killed Ganon and saved the Princess. That’s what he had been asked to do, and he had done it. It had costed him a lot, even at the age of nine years, eleven months and twenty-seven days, he knew that he would never be the same person he had been before this adventure.
Along the way he had picked up a lot of things, some of them were unusual to see on a child of his age he was sure. The experience with a sword and shield, his newfound knowledge on magic and monsters and the uncomfortable paranoia that sat heavy on his shoulders, always telling him to look behind him, just in case.
“Doesn’t this feel just a bit… too easy?” Link had asked her as they walked away from her father’s room [that could have been his uncle it should have been his uncle whywasn’tithisuncle???], both still covered in grime from the final battle
“What makes you say that?” Zelda snapped at him. “We poured blood, sweat and tears into sealing Ganon away for good, none of that had been easy, you of all people should know. Now, I suggest you return the Master Sword back to its pedestal in the Lost Woods. We have no use for it now.”
Link watched her walk away, but he couldn’t find the motivation to do as she said. He sank to the floor instead, leaning back against rough cobblestone as tears began to streak down his face. He tried to fiddle with the triangles on the back of his hand, only one of them was now shaded. After he Triforce of Wisdom had gone to Zelda, and the Triforce of Power had disappeared. The Princess had told him to forget about it, for that was how to Goddesses intended for the Triforce of Power to work.
Link was suddenly reminded of a story that his uncle had told him, before he would go to bed, one of the previous incarnations of the Hero, the fabled Hero of Time.
The Fallen Hero, as he was sometimes called.
The Hero, who had done everything that the princess had told him to, fought and won every battle he was placed in, solved every puzzle he was shoved into, with no help except with a small fairy companion.
The Fallen Hero had done everything correctly, but Ganon had been cunning and entered the sacred realm just after the Hero, and contaminated everything he touched while there, creating the Dark World that Link had come to know.
Link had done everything correctly too. He had sealed Ganon away with the help of the Princess, just like he was supposed to.
They had won.
So why did it feel like they had fallen into a trap?
Link had been ten years, a month and three days old when he fully learned his lesson: Adults were not to be trusted.
“Where have you been Link?” Asked the shopkeeper as Link paid for some clothes, after all, his green tunic from before had been rendered almost completely unusable during the fight with Ganon.
“I’ve been saving Princess Zelda.” Link said seriously, puffing his chest up in pride, because while he thought that the adventure wasn’t over [there was no way it was going to be that easy to kill the biggest bad that every lived], it was still something he should be proud about, and brag about.
“Sure you have kid,” Looking back, Link can see the doubt rolling off the merchant, but Link had only been ten years, a month and three days old at that point in time and certainly not educated enough in the art of reading people and understanding sarcasm, but in the years to come it will be a skill that he would use on the daily. But he hadn’t seen the doubt rolling off the person, and thus, continued on his way.
-x-
“Link! Why must you carry that sword with you everywhere?” A solder asked when Link walked though the entrance of Kakariko. He was still weary of the soldiers, he wasn’t going to forget that they had been happy to fight him on his adventure, but this one had always been kind to him before.
“Just in case a monster attacks!” Link replied happily, and though he never wishes for a monster to attack, an instance to show off everything he had learned in the past year was something that Link was eager to
“Now, now, why don’t you leave that for those who are qualified.” Link giggled along with the laughing man, because he knew he was qualified. If Link had been the boy he was in three years time, he would have shown the man how qualified he was before laughing, but this Link was innocent to the cruelty of adults then.
-x-
But, soon enough, it became clear to Link that no one believed that Link was the Hero Incarnate.
“Look Link, we’ve put up with this fantasy of yours for long enough, but you can’t be telling the other kids these lies!” A housewife said, throwing her potato into a bowl of water to turn around to Link pointing her spoon at him in a way that had Link knowing he was about to get told off.
He didn’t get what he had done wrong.
He was only answering her questions about what he had been up to since his uncle’s death.
“What lies?” He asked, dropping his carrot into the pot in front of him. A quick turn of his head showed that his sword was just out of reach, but he was sure he could get to it before she attacked him.
Why would she be attacking him? She was just a housewife.
“The lies about you running off and killing monsters and defeating Ganon!” She yelled, moving her spoon with every syllable, and the words echoed around them loudly, reminding Link of how small the room was, how close she was, how far away his sword was.
“But it’s true-”
“We know you haven’t taken the death of your uncle well-”
“Maybe not but he told me to-”
“But that doesn’t give you an excuse to be lying to everyone about where you’ve been and what you’ve done.
“You’re not listening to me!” Link finally screamed, but the woman just rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, spoon still clutched in hand.
“Why of course I’m not listening to you Link, no one listens to a liar, now, stop these lies before we do something serious about it, do you understand me?” She asked sternly, his eyes looking over every part of his body, daring him to disagree.
Link stayed silent.
They didn’t believe him.
All of that hard work to save them and the Princess, to make sure Hyrule was safe from Ganon’s grasp, and they didn’t believe him.
“Do you understand me Link.”
“Yes Ma’am.” Link whispered, suddenly feeling rather numb.
“Good. Now, drop that silly sword and shield at your house and come straight back. Dinner will be finished soon but I’m not going to be putting something up for you if you dawdle.” She lightly tapped her stop on top of Link’s head, sending Link on his way.
He couldn’t get out of there fast enough.
In fact, if not for the emotional distress he had found himself in, he would have prided himself in his speed he got home. He would have rewarded himself for the new record, maybe by buying himself a treat he hadn’t had in a while or by letting himself get off training the next day, but he was too angry, so angry in fact that when he decided to kick the door shut behind himself, and then kicked the thick wood again for good measure. He didn’t feel the pain that surely should have been there.
Why didn’t they believe him?
He knew he was young, he was only ten years, a month and three days old, but surely that was old enough for people to know that he wasn’t making the stories up for fun? He even had the injuries to prove it! How else would he have gotten them?
What did he do wrong?
Because it was surely him that was the problem, when everyone believed that he was the person who was wrong. But he had done what he was told to do, what he had been raised as. He never told a lie (unless it was to a Bad Person because it meant that you could stop them from doing Bad Things back), he hadn’t cheated, he hadn’t hit or fought to hurt anyone, as far as he could tell.
Maybe you should run away Link?
The thought comes out of nowhere, and if he was in any other mindset, he would have been suspicious of it. Something about it was no right, something about it alerted an instinct that hadn’t flared up since his final fight with Ganon. But, at the same time…
Maybe he should run away…
It should have been a stupid decision, because running away will not fix anything, he knew this, but the idea of getting as much land between the himself and the people who didn’t believe anything he said made him feel like everything would be fixed by it.
And anyways, he was only ten years, a month and three days old. People of that age demographic were known for their stupid mistakes.
It doesn’t take him long to pack. He’ll only need his sword and shield (both with his name on because they were his and his alone), a couple of outfits and whatever food he had in his house. He had never heard of Labrynna before, but he was sure it was nice at this time of year.
And maybe, just maybe, he’ll talk to the people in the new places he’ll visit, he’ll tell them his tale, and they would believe him.
(Spoiler alert. They don’t.)
Link didn’t know how old he was when he washed up on Koholint and met Marin.
He remembered being ten years four months and eleven days old and learning that he had made a mistake in leaving Hyrule, learning that the thought of running away had not been a thought of his own, but by the time he had learned this starling fact he was already on his second adventure helping Nayru.
The other villagers around him seem to ignore his travels as he wondered from town to town, solving puzzles and time travelling. They don’t question seeing the same boy in three different time periods.
They call him a liar when he called himself the Hero of Legend, a title whispered on Impa’s lips when they had been introduced.
He remembered being ten years, ten months and twenty-nine days when Nayru is save, and she asked him a final favour, to check on her sister Din.
He knew he shouldn’t have done it, he needed to go back to Hyrule, he knew something bad was going to happen there, he needed to warn someone-
But it would be rude of you to leave without fulfilling your request, isn’t it Link? You can’t let the only person who believes in you down Link.
So, he agreed.
He remembered being eleven years and eight days old and kicking himself for falling for the same trick twice, landing himself in another quest that no one but Din would believe would take place.
He remembered being eleven years, six months and nineteen days old and deciding to take the fastest route back to Hyrule, over the sea rather than passing through the land.
Clearly that was a bad idea.
He didn’t know how old he was when he washed up on Koholint Island and met Marin.
He had tried to work it out, but Marin had frowned at him when he had asked for the date and said that they’ve never needed to keep track of time on the island like that before. That should have been the first warning sign, the lack of date to track on the beautiful island.
The second sign should have been the fact that everyone believed him when he hinted about his previous adventures. In fact, they were curious and asked as many questions as possible, asking about each and every scar he had and whether he had fought this monster or encountered that monster.
But the damage had already been done, and it took Link far too long to be comfortable with the questions and answer them correctly, and by the time he felt comfortable to talk about everything that had happened it was already too late.
Marin had told him the importance of opening up for people.
The only person who he ever wanted to open up to wasn’t real.
Link didn’t know how old he was when he opened his eyes, but he knew for a fact that he hadn’t aged a day while on Koholint Island.
Link learned that he was twelve years, a month and two days old when he got back to Hyurle.
Seven months lost to sea, and three years lost to ‘adventuring’.
Twelve years, a month and two days is young, so young, but old enough to know that he had wasted his childhood on something that no one would believe.
Link had been twelve years, two months and seven days old when got his blacksmith apprenticeship, and he is nearly silent.
But this silence seemed to be preferred by the other villagers, after all, if he’s not speaking then he’s not lying about his ‘adventures’. There’s still the pitying looks that they send him as he shops for food, the look of worries as he walked around with a sword for a delivery, and the other children have begun to tease him. He heard the whispers about how unfortunate it was that he was still mourning the loss of his uncle, and how sinful it was of him to not to turn up to the weekly worship of the Goddess Hylia.
(Hylia could go fuck herself. She could make his life as hard and horrible as possible for all he cared, she’s already made it unbearable as it was.)
But it’s okay, because if he stays up until unholy hours staring at the ceiling when he’s supposed to be sleeping, if he spends whole afternoons just ranting to the Picori, something he knew he should be too old to see now, if he burns all of his equipment and promising himself that he would never, ever, go on an adventure, then that was nobody’s bloody business to be poking their nose into.
He almost convinced himself that he would be able to live a life of a lie.
Link had been twelve years, two months and twenty-five days when the life he had created came to a halt before crumbing away into nothing.
Link had been on a wild goose chase for the last twenty hours, no time to rest as he travelled from one side of Hyrule to another trying to figure out what was going on, taking note of every missing person, ignoring the looks that everyone else sent him, the jokes that came his way about his adventure.
Link stayed silent to these people. He didn’t need these people. He didn’t need their help; he didn’t need their approval.
He had never been a great liar, even to himself. Maybe that why being called a liar hurt so much.
And then he met Ravio.
He had been strange to Link, and Link had met a lot of strange people. He wore a mask and a bunny hood and decided to set up a shop in his uncle’s house.
“You’ll need these equipment for your adventure, right Mister Hero!” Link turned quickly to Ravio. It was strange, to have someone call him a ‘Hero’. Foreign.
“Mister Hero… Are you… Okay?”
“No.”
That was the first thing he had said in months.
-x-
The adventure continues, there are fights with monsters, people to talk to, mysteries to solve.
But every time he comes close to dying and stumbled into his house, Ravio was always there to help him get back to full heath.
He could get used to that.
-x-
Link had been twelve years, eleven months and ten days old when he sealed Ganon again.
Link and Zelda had looked at each other. There were more things that they needed to do, fix the situation with Lorule, but that would come later. First, they shared a look. They both knew that the seal would hold this time.
They both knew however, that the seal would not last forever.
Link refused to put the sword back. Not yet.
Link had been twelve years, eleven months and twenty-eight days when Ravio suggested he go on a ‘holiday’ of a sort.
“No.”
“And why not Mister Hero?” Ravio asked, and Link smiled at the nickname. It was a stupid name, and they both knew that Ravio using that name caused glares but Link found it too validating to tell him to stop.
“Because something bad will happen and then I will be dragged into another ‘adventure’ and I do not want to have to use both hands to count how many adventures I’ve been on.”
“But Hytopia hasn’t been known for they’re dangerous activities. They’re more concerned about fashion, so concerned about it in fact that I doubt you’ll have time to even have an adventure between all the conversations about the importance of different stitching to use on a blouse.”
They both knew the reason why Ravio wanted Link to leave.
Link had slowly been going out less and less. He visited the Princess when she demanded it, but he couldn’t stand being in her godly presence. The villagers were talking and talking loudly, especially after he had given up his apprenticeship with a feeble excuse. He had been growing quieter and was beginning to fall back into that deafening silence that he lived in before Ravio had come into his life.
Link had relented eventually. Ravio was right. This wasn’t healthy.
Of course, Link had been correct in his assumption. He had his sixth adventure in Hytopia, but this time he had two companions. This time, he had fun, with people who believe him to be a hero and believe his stories of his past adventures. He had stories that he would tell people that seemed unrelated to adventuring.
Link grew a dislike to pants. After wearing so many dresses, pants felt to… confining.
He can’t wait to tell Ravio that he had an opinion that was nothing to do with adventuring.
Things were getting better.
Link was thirteen years, four months and seven days when he arrived back in Hyrule.
Ravio isn’t there to greet him.
Link tried not think about it too hard. Ravio’s things were still in his house after all, with the exception of the hammer and the bombs, but…
Link couldn’t help but worry.
Worry about Ravio was in danger, especially where Link couldn’t help him. Worry that Ravio was dead in a ditch somewhere all because Link needed a break.
He probably left him. That was it. Ravio may know the truth about the adventuring and know that Link would never lie about his adventures, but Link would never blame him if Ravio came to his senses and decided that Link wasn’t worth the time nor the effort.
And, well, there’s no one else to talk to anymore. Even the Picori have left him.
Link was thirteen years, four months and twenty-nine days old when Ravio falls out a black portal and into his arms.
Link wasn’t ashamed to say he cried. A lot.
Ravio apologised of course, he said that he had hoped that he would be back before Link came home, but time travelling was always a fickle thing, Link had first-hand experience with that. So they sit while Ravio explained what had happened during the ‘War of Eras’ as it had been called apparently, and Link sits there in silence as Ravio talks of battles with tens of thousands of monsters and heroes from different eras.
He talked of a Hero of Warriors, a strong leader whose own arrogance was almost his downfall. A Hero of Wind, who smiled at each of them and eluded to facts that he shouldn’t know but said he couldn’t talk where he got the information, since it would mess with the timeline according to him. A Hero of Time, who succeed his task against Ganon, and lived on in a different timeline.
Link stayed silent throughout, merely listening to the words and thinking of what he’s being told.
Does Ravio call them Mister Hero too? Does Ravio look at those heroes and think about how much better and better put together they are compared the Hero of Legend? Does Ravio wish that he got to stay with one of them instead of coming back to Link’s small house of secrets and silence?
“Link… Please talk to me?” When did he stop talking about his adventure, Link wondered. It took Ravio wiping at his face
“I don’t know what to say.” Link’s voice is almost unrecognizable to himself. Croaky and quiet, breaking slightly at the end. Link isn’t surprised at the condition of his voice. He hadn’t spoken in twenty-two days.
Link was thirteen years, eight months and eighteen days old when he overheard rumours about strange, unrecognisable monsters that were stronger than they’re supposed to be.
Things had been getting better in the past four months. Ravio would talk about the darker things that happened during the war, and Link talked about the darker parts of his adventures, the nitty gritty bits he hated and knew that no one else would believe.
Marin had been right. It was healthy to talk to someone about these things.
Link had been getting out more too, helping Ravio with his business. Of course, people didn’t want magical weapons, but Link had a huge amount of rings he was happy to sell and Ravio was surprisingly good at making pretty jewellery, especially with Link giving him a hand with the limited blacksmithing he knew.
And the bartender of the milk bar in Kakariko was a big fan, happy to splurge for his wife on a regular basis.
“Now boy, if I hadn’t known you’re age I would serve you!” The bartender said in good humour before continuing on with a speech that Link heard every time dropped by with a new package, something that Link was sure he could recite word by word now.
It’s during this speech that Link overheard the two men sitting next to Link.
“They look so strange, taller than a normal moblin that’s for sure!”
“I’ve heard that they’re stronger than normal monsters.”
“I’ve heard that they’ve been sent by the Goddess herself!”
“Are you off your mind? They can’t be-”
“Best not be getting ideas boy,” Link turned back to the bartender, who noticed that he hadn’t been listening to the usual speech.
“Excuse me?” Link spat out, crossing his arms. The bartender rolled his eyes.
“Look,” the bartender lowered his voice to a whisper, as if that wasn’t suspicious. “I know you believe those delusions-”
“Delusions!?”
“-About you being a hero, but it aint healthy and you aint got nothing to prove to any of us. You don’t need to lie about-”
“I wasn’t lying.” Link’s voice rose. He was aware that the bar had gone silent.
“Now now Link, how many times have we told you-”
“Oh fuck off.” Link picked up the payment off the bar and walked out, making sure to slam the door loudly behind him.
If Ravio thought he was going back there within the next month then he had another thing coming.
But… Monsters coming out of dark portals, that they didn’t recognise? Strange, but something that Ravio had come into contact before… maybe they could just… investigate it.
Link knew what this was going to turn into.
Soon he was going to have to start using his toes to count his adventures too.
Link was thirteen years, eight months and twenty-two days old when he and Ravio found the dark portal.
Ravio was quick to confirm that it was defiantly nothing to with the War of Eras. Link came to a decision ten minutes later.
“Do you have to go?” Ravio snapped at him while Link packed, throwing in random rings, the fire rod, the ice rod, moonstones, potions and empty bottles and a change of clothes.
“No one else is going to figure out the influx of monsters and the weird portal.”
“Never mind that, haven’t you done enough for the country?”
“Oh and who do you recommend we send instead? One of the knights? You of all people know how incompetent they are. One sign of dark magic they’ll either piss their pants and come back with their tails between their legs or join the one making the portal, because, y’know, that’s what happens every single time something like this happens!” Link hated fighting with Ravio, because he knew where he came from.
He always seemed to cry when they argued. Link hated it. He was such a crybaby.
“But why do you have to be the person to do it? What are you trying to prove to them?” Ravio pointed out of the door and Link wanted to throw a full-on tantrum. He didn’t get it! Surely out of everyone he would get it!
“It’s not about that-”
“Oh cut the bull-”
“Uh… We’re not interrupting… are we?” The pair quickly turned towards the two people who had entered, dressed strangely, one with face tattoos and the other with a bad case of bed hair, both heavly armed in a way that Link’s instincts roaring.
They were clearly dangerous men.
“Yes.”
“No.” Link turned to Ravio, a snarl etched onto his face. “There’s nothing you can do to stop me.”
“Oh really?”
“Wait, are you packing your bag?” Link turned back to the strangers.
“I’m sorry, who are you?”
“Oh- uh- I’m Li- Sky. You can call me Sky. This is Twilight. We’re looking for the hero to help with-”
“Let me guess, weird dark portals have been appearing in everyone’s Hyrule and now we have to join together to save all of time and space?” Link asked, crossing his arms, Ravio groaning behind him.
“Actually yeah.” The pair said as they looked at each other.
“What gave it away?” The so dubbed Twilight asked, rightfully suspicious.
“You mean other than the weird dark portal that appeared in the woods behind my house a few nights ago and refuses to go away? Along with monsters that I’ve never seen before? Surprisingly enough, this isn’t the first time that this has happened to one of us.” At this Link threw a dark look over to Ravio, who only rolled his eyes.
“That was completely different?”
“Oh really? Pray to the bitch named Hylia and explain to me how this is different from then?” Link went silent for a second, looking at the two strangers before looking back at Ravio. “I’m not going to have a choice about going Bunny, you know how these things work.”
“I know.” Ravio said, before going to Link and giving him a strong hug. “Stay safe.”
“I will.”
And with that, Link became Legend and joined the rest of the group of Heroes.
Legend was thirteen years old, nine months and a day when he learned that everyone else in the group believed him to be at least five years older than his actual age.
The group was now up to nine, the newest addition to the group being a nervous boy that had been dubbed Hyrule. An unfortunate name, in Legend’s opinion, but he was in no place to talk. It was always feasible that a parent would be dumb enough to call their child after a country.
But Legend?
No one would call their child Legend.
They were sat at another campsite in Hyrule’s world, a desolate little place, not that Legend would ever say that aloud, after all, the Dark World had been worse. The thing about the group was that they insisted on learning about each other and, ugh, bonding. Legend would have been happy enough to just get on with the mission so he could get back home as soon as possible, but there was no progress that they could make at night and it wasn’t like he could pretend to be sleeping.
He was well-aware of his inability to lie.
“How old were you when you went on your first adventure then?” Warriors, the soldier that Ravio had apparently worked with, turned to him, and Legend frowned.
“Nine.”
“That’s pretty young.” Time said, but Legend was not going to take judgement from a man who went through the same trauma as him. The man himself may not talk about it, but one of the many reasons why people had been put off with the idea of a pink haired nine year old running around ‘playing hero’ was because the last time that had happened the world had almost ended.
“Wow, that must have been a long time ago now.” Twilight said.
“It sure feels like it.” It was almost five years now, and that wasn’t the longest time in the world, even though it was over a third of his lifetime. Legend noticed the frown at Hyrule, but before the brown-haired boy could speak Wind spoke up.
“Well duh. A decade is a long time to be adventuring.” A decade… they thought he was nineteen? Sure, people had told him before he looked older than he was, an ongoing joke from the adults at the milk bar and something he and Ravio had laughed about, for they wouldn’t have been taken as seriously by strangers if they didn’t at least pretended to be older than they were.
But these heroes around him, even Wind, believed him to be older than he was…
He didn’t know whether to take that as a compliment or to feel deeply insulted.
“I can’t imagine being on an adventure for that long, the year that it took to complete mine was long enough, thanks.” Twilight put his hands up in a mock surrender, only for Warriors to punch him in the arm in good humour. They had heard countless times from the older man that the war had been three years long, and it had continued long after Ganon had died.
“You get strangely used to it after the second adventure or so. Hyrule in danger again? Well it's a good thing that I already had that scheduled in the tasks I need to complete today.” Four said completely deadpan, causing a laugh out of most of the group, except for Legend.
Legend was thirteen years old, nine months and a day old, and believed to be over nineteen.
Well, he wasn’t going to be the one to tell them.