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“This is Hyrule castle…” Wilds voice cut through tense silence, wavering slightly. Hyrule Castle, huh? Warriors pondered, glancing around the decaying room he found himself in. He could imagine what it had looked like in its prime, truthfully. He had spent enough time in the presence of royalty to assume. Beautiful, ornate paintings lined the walls, the figures depicted within them faded and unrecognizable. Dust lined the floors and various items scattered around- though none seemed disturbed. So- an inaccessible room, he assumed.
“I…don’t know where we are.” He heard Wild stammer out, and he turned his focus to his brother. “This is my Hyrule Castle, I know it... But I don’t know which part, I…I’ve never seen this before.”
“So you don’t know how to leave?” Warriors questioned, wincing as Wild flinched.
“My map, it doesn’t show this place very clearly.” He gazed down at his slate, grimacing. “I know we’re somewhere around the center of the castle but…” he shook his head, “I don’t know. The castle is massive, and a good amount of it was blocked off- even Zelda couldn’t get around safely.”
“Do you think the others may have entered areas like this?”
Wild paled, whirling to face Warriors. “If they did….thats bad news. I wouldn’t know how to get to them. At least not without blowing up walls, which could cause collapses.”
Warriors hummed, frowning.
“There is an exit in this room, though.” Wild pointed, and Warriors followed his movement. Sure enough, there was an exit, and not far. “The others might not be far, usually when portals separate us we’re in the same general area.” He huffed a little, seemingly an attempt at a little laugh. “Zelda and I have been debating coming back here. Maybe after this we could do so without worrying.”
They began walking towards the door, Wild leading the way. Warriors watched from behind as the younger wrung his hands together, gazing around the room.
“Do you recognize this place at all?”
“No,” Wild hummed, a hint of sorrow in his tone. “Perhaps it was a study of some kind.”
Warriors clapped his shoulder, offering a small grin. “Maybe you can take notes. You know, for Flora.”
Wild shook his head, with a small smile of his own. “I’m sure she remembers every detail of this palace. After all, it was our prison in a sense.”
Warriors smile dropped, though he kept his hand on the younger man’s shoulder for a moment more. He could understand the castle being a prison for Zelda, after all, she faced Ganon alone for a hundred years within these walls. But for Wild?
Either Wild didn’t notice the effect of his phrasing, or didn’t want to face it, as he continued forward, chattering about the current state of his Hyrule.
“She wants to rebuild” he spoke, his hands gesturing animatedly. “ I think it’s a wonderful idea. She’s wonderful like that. I want to help of course, so I suggested returning here. She….wasn’t keen on the idea at first. Too many memories, too many ghosts.” Warriors hummed, glancing around as they entered a long hallway. It was frozen in time, similar to the previous room. No looters or monsters had gotten to it, leaving it in the state it was the day the calamity struck. Wild stared forward as he continued, “ But I think there’s much we could gain from this place. Histories we cannot forget. When I put it that way…well she couldn’t disagree.” He giggled a little, bounding forward. “Not that I would ever make her come back here.” He added quickly, his smile dropping slightly. “This castle, it’s suffocating. But…I think it’s something we need to do. Face the past, together. Put it to rest.”
“That’s….incredibly wise.” Warriors stared at the other in fake shock, earning a slight smack.
“Hey, I can be wise! I’m wise all the time!”
He laughed, ignoring Wilds pouting. “Right…”
“Aw, dont be like that! Man, I thought you had my back!”
“Me?” Warriors squeaked, grinning. “I’m on your case more than Time is!”
Wild crossed his arms, facing away. “Yeah, but you’re a knight! So….we gotta stick together. Knights code, or whatever.”
Warriors chuckled, ruffling Wilds hair, causing the other to squawk.
“Right. Knights code.”
Wild stuck his tongue out at him, before slowing his pace. Turning, they both faced two large and imposing doors- doors that had not been opened in a century.
“Do you want to go in, or continue?” Warriors whispered, unsure of why he felt the need to lower his voice.
Wild stared at the doors in silent contemplation, before sucking in a deep breath.
“I don’t know. I don’t know where the others could possibly be, and I don’t know where these lead to.” Wild turned, worry in his gaze. “I want to find them as soon as possible, this area isn’t safe. The guardians here haven’t revived yet, but this castle is rotting away. Debris falls on workers in the more sound areas constantly…I imagine it’s worse in areas like these.”
He nodded, “I agree, it’s best to find them as soon as we can. We can peek in and see if anyone’s in here, and then continue on.”
Wild nodded in return, pushing forward to open the doors. Years of dirt and dust were pushed forward with the notion, sending the two into a coughing fit.
“G-guys.” Warriors coughed out as he pressed further into the room. “Anyone in here?” He tried again, voice growing steadier.
It was then, that the stench hit him- the foul scent of rot and decay. Sucking in a
breath, he gagged, nearly doubling over.
“What-“ he choked out, coughing.
Gazing up, through watery eyes he examined the room around him. Ornate counters filled the room, the walls lined with shelves and various utensils. The kitchen, he realized in shock. The kitchen, that was blocked off from being accessed by either Hylian or monsters, perfectly preserving it for a century. But not perfectly preserving the food left within it.
But after a hundred years, surely the scent of rot that strong could not have remained? He turned to face Wild, who was staring forward in horror.
“Wild-“ he choked out, coughing once more.
“I thought….” Wild started, before beginning to react to the scent himself.
Rushing forward, Warriors joined the other, offering him what little support he could. Honestly, he wasn’t faring any better himself.
“I thought,” Wild gasped, his voice strained. “That this was inaccessible...”
Warriors blood ran cold at that, his grip on Wild tightening. Slowly, he turned his head in the direction his brother had been facing before, before swiftly turning away.
Somehow, someone must have found a way into the abandoned portions of the castle. They seemingly had not been able to find an exit.
“This is all my…” he heard him mumble, though the thought wasn’t finished. Warriors could assume what the rest would have been.
“Don’t look again.” Warriors whispered, turning Wild away.
“I’ve seen bodies before Wars” Wild ground out, though he shook violently in the other’s grasp. Warriors knew this. He knew Wild had seen his fair share, he knew the other had been forced to kill. He was a knight- knights were bound to a life of death.
But this? This shook Warriors, and if it shook him, it was bound to shake Wild. This was not an enemy planning to take a loved one’s life- this was an innocent, most likely seeking shelter or riches in a land rampaged by malice.
“Let’s go, clearly they aren’t here.” He squeezed Wilds shoulder in reassurance, moving to stand, but paused. The shaking had subsided, Wild offering no response.
“Wild?” He asked, his heart jumping as Wild stared forward. “Wild?” He asked once more, his panic rising. He tapped his cheek gently, gaining no response.
A memory, he realized, burying his hands in his face. Now, of all places? More worrisome was what seemingly triggered it. Removing his hands, he steadied himself, and gently lowered Wild to the ground. There was no knowing how long this would last- Wild himself admitted sometimes they lasted hours, sometimes mere minutes. Covering his nose with his scarf, he sat next to his brother, trying to avoid the sight behind him, trying to breathe as best as he could.
He didn’t know how much time had passed when he finally heard a slight gasp, and the shoulder next to his began to quake.
“Wild.” He stared, reaching out. “Can you hear me?”
“Yeah.” His brother gasped out, eyes flickering around the room.
“What do you need?”
Wild shook his head quickly, hauling himself to his feet. Shaking his head again, he opened his mouth, before shutting it. Warriors followed suit, standing to face him.
“I…I’m alright. Let’s go, we need to find the others.”
It was Warriors turn to open his mouth, before quickly shutting it. Frowning, he nodded. If Wild didn’t want to talk about it, he wouldn’t press.
———————-
“This hallway seems familiar…” Wild hummed, the pace in his step increasing.
Warriors hummed, following behind him. He was relieved that Wilds attitude was seemingly improving, but his anxiety regarding the others only rose. It had been at least an hour at this point- how far could they be? Were they trapped? Did debris fall onto them? He shivered against his will, fastening his pace.
“Stop here.” Wild whispered, and Warriors obeyed, his heart jumping.
“What?” He whispered in return, grabbing the hilt of his sword.
“This room, let’s go in.”
“You could’ve lead with that.” He grumbled, but followed the other into a new room.
Similar to the first room they entered, it was preserved in time. Dark and cold, a lone bed sat in the corner, a toppled wardrobe next to it. Honestly, it was rather plain compared to what Warriors had seen before. No paintings hung on the wall, no fancy chairs waited to be used once more.
“This is my…” Wild mumbled, stepping towards the wardrobe. Warriors hesitantly watched as he crouched down and opened the top drawer with shaking hands.
“Wild I know this must be a lot, but…the others-“ Warriors started, kneeling down next to him.
When there was no response, he gently tapped his shoulder- and to his despair there was no response then.
“Wild.”
Shifting his position to see Wilds face, he let out a drawn out sigh. A memory then. Another one. Frowning, he gazed around the room. Had this ever happened before?
Usually Wilds memories seemed to be far apart- giving him enough time to recover.
Was it this place? It must have been. After all, Wild was a knight. He must have spent a majority of his time here- possibly even lived here.
“I’ll be here when you’re ready, Champ.” He muttered, situating himself in a more comfortable position. Though as the minutes passed, he grew more restless. He could be doing something- he could be searching for his lost comrades. A selfish thought, he knew. Wild needed him here, and it wasn’t like this was his choice. But was it truly selfish? The others could be dying, or afraid.
He sat on the cold floor gripping his sword, torn between one brother or seven.
A small gasp drew him out of his despair, and he quickly schooled his expression.
“You with me Wild?”
There was no response, though Wilds expression did change- from one of unnatural calm, to anguish.
“Wild.” He tried again, positioning himself in front of the other.
He frowned, placing his hand on Wilds cheek. “Can you tell me where we are?” He tried.
“My lodgings, sir.”
Warriors stifled, an “oh”, remaining focus on Wild. So this was the champions room- the castle was his home then.
“Wi-” he started, before being cut off by Wild suddenly slumping against him.
“Sorry.” He breathed out, before beginning to pushing himself upright. “Sorry Wars.”
“Hey, nothing to apologize for. Do you want to-“
“No.” Wild firmly stated, quickly looking away. “That shouldn’t happen again, it shouldn’t…I don’t know why it happened again.” He gazed at the floor, his nose scrunching. “Though I guess…I’ve never exactly tried to trigger multiple memories at once…the ones Zelda left were so far between….maybe…” he muttered, twirling his hands together. “No, it shouldn’t happen again.” He shook his head. “If they could be triggered so many times in a row, why wouldn’t they have in Mabe village, or even Castle Town?”
“If the castle was your home, maybe-“
“The castle was not my home.” He snapped, glaring at Wars, who raised his hands in surrender.
“Sorry. But… no. I lived here for some time, but it was not my home.”
“Right, sorry for assuming.”
Wild sighed, hauling himself to his feet, before offering a hand to Warriors- who accepted the help. “Don’t be sorry, it’s a fair assumption.” He turned, placing his hands on his hips. “We should keep moving. The castle is big, but it’s not that big. We should be able to find them soon.”
“And what do we do when we find them? Is there a way to safely leave this area without destroying the structure?”
Wild frowned, before looking at the slate once more. “Somehow, someone got in here.
That means there has to be a way- some sort of secret passage maybe. If only I could remember…”
Warriors clapped his shoulder, offering a reassuring smile. “We’ll figure it out. Surely if it exists we can find it.”
Wild shakily smiled in response, before hesitantly glancing around the room once more.
“Do you want to take anything from here? Who knows if you’ll be able to get back in soon, or at all.”
He paused, before shaking his head. “No, I…I already have everything I need.”
———
It turns out, Wild was incorrect about the memories.
Sitting on a dusty floor once more, Warriors gazed around an empty ballroom. It was magnificent, it must have been quite something when it was still in use. Maybe it was the lack of sleep or the quality of air within the castle, but he swore he occasionally saw figures twirling around, trapped in an eternal dance.
He shivered, turning to Wild- who was still in a memory.
This one was the longest one yet. When they had entered the ballroom, the light shining from the glass dome upon the ceiling was almost overwhelmingly bright. Now, it was beginning to dim, illuminating the room in a beautiful golden hue.
It was surreal in a way- it was beautiful, in a horribly eerie way. How many balls had been hosted in this room? How many Links and Zelda’s danced together in this space? Maybe not this exact room, no. But within these grounds- where previous castles stood.
He wrapped an arm around his brother, gazing up to the sky once more.
Maybe there was a way out in this room. It was odd, why build a ballroom with light only coming from the sky? Perhaps it had religious meaning- he had heard of churches doing similar things.
He wondered if the others were outside, watching the same sunset. Time was ticking, he realized, and his stomach dropped. He hoped they were safe.
“It’s beautiful in here.” Wild whispered from beside him.
This time, there was no gasp, or shaking, or alert him that Wild was back in the present- so when he spoke, Warriors nearly jumped a hundred feet.
“Sorry” he giggled, a hand flying to his mouth. “I didn’t think you would be that freaked out, Captain.”
Warriors glared at him, moving his arm away from the other. “I wasn’t freaked out.”
Wild hummed, gazing towards the sky. “If you say so…”
Warriors rolled his eyes, but couldn’t stop a small smile from forming. At least Wild seemed to be in better spirits this time around.
“You should have seen this place before.” He smiled, getting to his feet, and Warriors followed suit. Walking further into the room, he pointed to two toppled thrones that sat upon a small ledge.
“Zelda and her father used to sit there and observe the dances, unless of course, they participated.” Smiling, he turned to Warriors, “I was always behind her. I think I hated this room, actually. It was always so crowded, full of judging eyes and loud voices. Zelda hated it just as much as I, but…it was nice, sometimes. Being in here with people who weren’t judging, I mean.” He exhaled, twirling around slightly. “I think….”
He didn’t finish the thought, stopping himself short to stare at the toppled thrones once more.
Warriors stepped towards him, humming. “Next time you see her, you should dance with her again.”
Wild sucked in a breath, offering a meek, “yeah.”
They stood there, gazing at the ruined thrones for a moment more, before Wild snapped them out of their trance.
“Goddesses, it’s getting late, isn’t it? We should get going.”
He started to make his way towards the exit, but Warriors grabbed his wrist before he made it far.
“Wild, I hate to say this, but this is the third time this has happened. I know you have no control over this and I’m not trying to guilt you, but…it’s been five hours already. I
uh…” he cleared his throat. “I checked the slate.”
Wild gaped at him, his eyes widening it horror.
“Five?!” He exclaimed, rubbing the back of his neck with his free hand. “I didn’t…”
“It’s alright, it’s not your fault. But the next time-“
“It won’t happen again.” He cut Wars off, prying his wrist away. Warriors stared at him incredulously, and Wild offered a stern stare back.
“Really, I don’t know why I got so many at once. This has never happened, this has to have been the last.”
“And if it wasn’t?”
He breathed through his nose, turning towards the exit. “Then leave me. Come back for me once you’ve found the others. Or don’t- I can teleport out of here.”
Warriors startled at that, he had forgotten about the prospect of teleportation.
“Wait, why didn’t you propose that idea earlier?”
“I can’t teleport more than one person, we’ve been over this. Sure I could leave, but then you’re alone in an unfamiliar area.” He pulled out the slate, turning the map towards Warriors. “See, here it shows a dot. That’s us. We’re somewhere near the middle of the castle, an upper area. I most likely could find a way to locate you using this, but you would need the slate for that to work, and I need the slate to teleport out. I can’t leave pins within the castle for some reason, so I couldn’t mark where you are and come back for you. Don’t ask why, I’ve been bothering Purah about it forever. Anyways, I could just rely on my memory, but ah. I’m not to fond of that idea, not in a situation that’s potentially life threatening. So, teleportation is off the table.”
“Ah.” Warriors nodded, rubbing his neck. He should have known that.
Wild cleared his throat, putting the slate away once more. “If I have another memory, leave me and find the others. Best case scenario, you come back within a day. If you’re not back within a day, I will teleport out. If you guys made it out, you go to the castle town construction site and wait for me. If I get there and don’t find you, I’ll come back to the castle and find a way to get you all out.”
Warriors frowned, but had no chance to protest as Wild began to walk out of the room once more.
Logically, the plan worked. But there were flaws. Wild would be unprotected in a vulnerable state for who knows how long. No one knows how long his memories last- apparently once he was in one for six hours straight.
If Warriors did leave and find the others, they would be without their only member who at least had some idea of where they were going, or what would be safe to destroy.
It was a flawed plan, but the only other one Warriors had, he knew Wild would be
unhappy with.
He just had to hope there would be no more memories.
———
“Not the library, but maybe this was a separate study of some sort?” Wild wondered aloud, brushing dust away from several books that lined the shelves.
Warriors watched him in quiet contemplation, taking in the room. In honesty, it seemed like a war planning room. The books seemed slightly out of place, but they could be valuable tools, so he supposed it would make sense.
Most importantly though, the others were not in this room.
“Maybe we should continue on.” He spoke, startling Wild.
“Right. Sure, yeah.”
They stepped out of the room, entering a long hallway once more. They had taken several turns at this point, and Wild seemed further confused by their whereabouts, which wasn’t exactly comforting.
“I think we’re going to reach the end soon. There can’t be much more here, we’re bound to find an exit eventually. Unless this goes all the way down to a lower level…”
“How do you enter and exit?”
Wild grinned at him. “Well, usually I teleport to the shrine here, run around a bit, and then paraglide from the top of the Sanctum.” His smile faltered a bit as he continued on. “But the main entrance, I suppose would have been a gatehouse? I’m not sure. There must have been an entrance for staff. Your average citizen would have only been permitted to enter the sanctum, which you would walk to the top to reach.”
“Strange.” Warriors muttered, and the two fell into silence.
They walked a bit further, passing several large painting, before the silence became too silent. Wild had spent nearly their whole time talking about various things, while not in a memory. Not only was the lack of Wilds constant stream of conversation alarming, but his footsteps halted as well. Biting back a sigh, Warriors turned, to find
Wild standing still and staring forward once more.
What do I do? He wondered, panic rising. He was a captain, he was supposed to know the answer to these kinds of things.
He couldn’t leave Wild behind. Not when it was unnecessary- If the situation was not
dire enough , he would do whatever he could in his power to not leave his men behind.
But he couldn’t sit here and wait any longer. There were seven others somewhere in the castle, possibly injured, or at least at risk of injury. Guilt gnawed at him as he stared at Wild, for several reasons.
His other brothers were possibly waiting on them. Wild was the only one who could potentially get them out of here, and they all knew this.
And Wild had been stuck in his own mind for the greater part of the last seven hours. It had to be torture for him, yet he had been holding his own in an effort to locate the others. And here Warriors was, wondering what to do about him. Warriors didn’t want to rush him, he didn’t want to make him feel guilty for remembering, but there wasn’t much they could do any longer. They had to leave here, there was too much risk of collapses, and the air itself was most likely dangerous.
Sighing, he approached his brother, before hoisting him up over his shoulder.
“Sorry Wild.” He mumbled, before beginning to walk forward once more.
Eventually, he came upon another door, and he gently kicked it open. Dirt and dust assaulted him at once, but by now he was used to it. Which was most likely not good for his health.
This room was similar to Wild’s room, with a simple interior and a lack of expensive paintings. Most likely a servants room, or a guards room.
“Anyone in here?” He called out, though he knew the answer already. Sighing, he gazed around the room one more time, before stepping out.
“You know Wild, this is far different from my castle.” He flushed, quickly stammering out, “the layout! I mean the layout!”
He got no response, but continued on. “I’ve never seen anything like this. Really I think you have the most interestingly designed castle out of most of us. Though it sort of resembles Time and Twilights in a way. I wonder if it’s Twilights, just expanded upon?”
He hummed to himself, continuing on.
“I spent a lot of time in my castle, like you did.” He laughed breathlessly. “When I first saw it, I was amazed. I didn’t have much money, it’s why I join the army. To take care of my sister, to make sure she was fed. My paychecks all went to her. But that’s not the point, sorry. What I mean to say, is it was unlike anything I had ever seen. I didn’t know buildings could be so beautiful- like an artwork. It’s nice, seeing all of your castles. They remind me of home. I like yours, really.”
He held a stream of conversation for sometime, before resorting to silence once more.
Eventually the hallway ended, leading him into a large room, with a staircase leading down. He groaned- so Wild may have been right. Would this lead them to an exit near the moat? Perhaps a servants entrance. His mind wandered back to the kitchens. How had the man been able to get in here? There must have been a secret entrance of some sort that they had missed in their attempts to find the others. Maybe once they found them, they could return there to check. Most kitchens did have multiple entrances, used for faster transportation of food. He shivered at the thought of returning to that room though- he would continue on. Hopefully, there was an exit that would be possible to destroy on a lower level.
There was movement on his shoulder, and he lowered his gaze to Wild, who was squirming. The memory had been the shortest since they entered the castle, which was hopefully a good sign,
“It’s me, Wars, I moved you.” He spoke, before gently lowering him.
“Did you seriously carry me?” Wild gasped out, scrambling to his feet. His hair had started to fall out, and he quickly pulled it out and began redoing it, his face red.
“I didn’t have much of a choice.” Wars protested, though he did feel horrible.
“I told you to just leave me!”
“I wasn’t going to leave you alone in an unstable castle! Especially when there’s risk of monsters getting in!”
“This is inaccessible!”
“The body in the kitchen says otherwise.”
Wild stiffened, turning away.
They stood in tense silence, before Wild broke it by groaning into his hands.
“This is the worst!” He cried out, his face even redder than before. Warriors couldn’t tell if he was upset, embarrassed, or both, but his stomach felt like ice.
“I’m sorry Wild, really. But there’s seven other people missing right now, and-“
“I know.” Wild exhaled, facing up once more. When he noticed Warriors staring at him, he quickly turned.
“This room…”
“Again?” Warriors ground out, his tone sharper than he intended. He grit his teeth, it wasn’t Wilds fault. His anxiety was beginning to rise more, but now it was more so for Wild. He had sworn that his memories never did this. What effect would this have on him?
Shakily, Wild turned to face him, his eyes wide.
“This is so weird. I don’t know what’s happening, I….let me on your back, quick.”
Warriors startled, nodding quickly, kneeling down. He felt Wild get into his back, and he rose as he felt the others grip tighten. It was almost too tight, and he went to say so, before it promptly went slack.
“Wild?”
There was no response, once more.
Taking a shaky breath, Warriors stepped forward, his pace quickening. This wasn’t right. He had been focusing on the others this whole time, but now he should have been paying more attention to this.
Five memories so far.
Before today, Warriors had only ever seen Wild have three. They had been traveling together for nearly a year.
Maybe it was because they were in his Hyrule- but that couldn’t be right. Wild himself had said this never happened to him. It had to have been the castle itself then - which meant Warriors had to get him out.
——-
“Wild?” He whispered, now in another small room. After the first fifteen minutes of Wild being out, he had switched tactics, and begun shouting for the others. This of course, ran the risk of alerting enemies. He had to pray there were none here, as Wild insisted.
“Yes.” He head a muffled whisper, before he no longer felt Wilds head on his shoulder
“Do you want to get down.”
“….no.” He answer pitifully, and Warriors inhaled.
“You said this has never happened?”
“Never. Not even in places where it should have. These memories, they’re scattered too. It’s not like I’m remembering one big event right now, or even one time period. One moment I’m six years old, the next I’m sixteen.” He heard a shaky breath, and felt Wild shift. “Where are we?”
“I’m not-“
“The infirmary!”
Warriors stopped walking. It certainly did look like an infirmary, from what little he could see. Now that it was night, there was very little visibility, and he was relying on a single candle he held out.
“How did you…”
“I don’t know!” Wild wailed, before slumping once more.
“Wild?” He asked uselessly, he already knew he would get no reply.
Stepping out of the room, he sped down the hallway.
“Time!” He shouted, gazing around. There were two more rooms ahead, both he would have to enter and check. Both meant more time Wild was stuck in this castle, but both a chance at finding his other brothers.
“Guys!” He tried again, his heart lowering at the lack of reply.
“Please stop being so loud, Zelda.” Wild groaned, startling Warriors.
“Wh…Wild?” He exclaimed, pausing. It couldn’t have been more than ten minutes.
“What?” Wild replied, a hint of annoyance in his tone.
Warriors cleared his throat, walking forward into the first room. “You alright?”
He groaned, burying his head into Warriors shoulder. “Urbosa is gonna kill me. Maybe I should exile myself.”
“That doesn’t sound like a good plan” Warriors casually replied, his heart racing.
Where were the others? How did he get out of here?
“Wha….did I say that out loud?!”
“….Uh…yes?”
“Sorry for snapping at you…I….wait.”
Wild stiffened, before raising his head. “Warriors?! What the hell, why am I on your back? Put me down!”
Wars kept walking, peeking into the second room. No one appeared to be in there, but he still shouted for Time.
“Why are you yelling? And I said let me down!” He started to struggle, but Warriors tightened his grip around his leg.
“Wild, what do you remember? Stop trying to get down!” Warriors quickly spoke, hurrying down the hall.
“What? I….oh.” He stopped struggling, going still again.
“Champ?”
“Yeah, I remember. Sorry.”
“Don’t apologize.” He breathed out, his panic remaining. “We’re going to find them soon okay, and then we’ll get out of here. I swear.”
He felt Wild nod, and noticed the lack of protest at being carried, which fueled his desire to leave more. Wild was adamant on refusing help the majority of the time, and he was not keen to showing himself as vulnerable to the others. He wasn’t foolish, he knew when to take help. But he seemed to avoid it as much as possible.
“Time!” He shouted again, his voice rising.
“Time! Twilight! Sky!” Wild shouted after him.
“Time!” They shouted together, louder than before. To Warriors dismay, there was no response.
“Did you hear that?” Wild asked, leaning forward.
“What?” Warriors heart raised- did Time or someone else hear them?
“Tha…” Wild started, before turning his head.
“This leads to the servants quarters, I think there’s…” he didn’t finish the sentence, slumping against Warriors once more.
“Fuck!” Warriors exclaimed, gritting his teeth.
So they really weren’t any closer to the others, Wild must have heard something that wasn’t truly there.
But Wild had said they were approaching the servants quarters, which was good news. There must be an exit there, of some kind. Or it could lead to a part of the castle that was accessible. That must be what he was starting to say.
Rushing forward, he found more hallway. So the quarters must be a while off, he realized to his dismay. They had been in the castle for what he would assume was nearly nine hours at this point. Who knew what had happened to the others. Who knew if they were even in here, he realized with a jolt. He could be searching for people who weren’t even here, risking Wild for nothing.
He shivered. If he didn’t find them soon, he would have to leave, he realized. Wild wasn’t going to be able to take much more of this. Honestly, he didn’t know how he was holding on so well.
There was a muffled shout, and Warriors gasped.
“Time?” He shouted, louder this time.
Another shout, followed by another.
Heart racing, he dashed forward in the direction he believed to be the servants quarters.
“It’s been hours-“ he heard a muffled voice shout, and he grinned like a madman. He may not have heard it clearly, but he knew that voice anywhere. Legend.
“Have to find-!” He heard Legend shout, the entire sentence not heard.
“Legend!” He screamed, running as fast as he could with Wild on his back.
The shouting halted, but in place another voice rose, as he heard muffled sobs.
“Wild?” He spoke softer, slowing his pace.
“Get me out of here.”
His heart sank as he thought back to the beginning of the day, of Wild excitedly speaking of his wish to return to the castle with Zelda. Of the comparison to a prison.
“I’m going to Champ, just a little further okay? Legends here, I hear him. We’re almost there.”
Honestly, he wasn’t sure if they were almost there. Who knew if there would truly be a passage way out. But if the others were there, there would be more resources, more help in finding a way out. A little more hope.
His pace quickened once more as he made out a door in the distance. He heard Wild sniff once more, and his jog turned into a clumsy sprint.
Heaving, he approached the door. Carrying someone more than half your weight, one handed, while running, is not an easy task he decided.
“I’m opening the door!” He shouted, before roughly kicking it, revealing his seven disgruntled brothers on the other side.
Sky, who was hit by the door, gaped at him, his hand on the hilt of the master sword.
“Did you have to kick it in?” He asked, smiling wildly.
“Sorry.” Warriors grinned, walking forwards. “I did warn you.”
——
“So he’s relived seven memories? In the span of, what, nine or ten hours?” Time asked, concern etched on his face.
“Yeah. And he’s awake right now, so maybe…” Warriors started, gesturing with one hand. Time, Twilight, and Sky had all offered to carry Wild, but Warriors refused. They started this together. He would get him out of here. Besides, Wild seemed pretty adamant to not look up from Warriors shoulder, for whatever reason. Warriors was more than happy to offer him whatever small comfort he could
“He said something about this room though, leading me to believe there’s an exit within here. Its servants quarters, so there should be some kind of hidden passage.”
Legend nodded, waking towards a bookshelf.
“It’s behind here. We were debating going through when you came in.” He shot a nasty look at Four, who glared back. “Some people wanted to leave. I knew you guys were still in here.”
“There was a strong chance they were outside!” Four protested.
“Not this again.” Sky groaned, and Time coughed into his hand.
“It doesn’t matter now, we’re all together again and we can go through there together.” He glanced at Wild, before glancing at Warriors once more- a clear question. Warriors shrugged as best he could with an extra weight on his back.
“Wild, do you think you could help lead us out if we end up in a different, more accessible area of the castle?”
There was no response, and Times frown grew.
“Right, that’s alright. We’ll figure it out.”
Twilight glanced at Wild in concern, before approaching the shelf and tossing it to the ground, startling Legend who was beside it.
“Man, did you have to throw the thing?”
Twi rubbed the back of his head offering a small smile. “It uh, was in the way.”
Legend started at him for a moment, before shaking his head in disbelief.
“Now we can go in!” Twilight exclaimed, throwing up two thumbs.
They all stared at him, and his smile dropped. “Right, uh. I’ll…just go first…”
He started down the narrow passage, beckoning for the others to follow.
They each followed behind him one at a time, Warriors going in last so he would have more room to navigate with Wild, who appeared to be in another memory.
“How is he?” Time whispered from in front of him.
“Better than I would be. He was doing as well as one could do in that situation until a a little before I found you.”
Time sighed, his shoulders drooping. “Does he know why it’s happening?”
Warriors shook his head, before remembering Time couldn’t see him. “No. We could most likely ask Flora once we’re out, but…really I think it’s just this place.”
Time hummed, offering no further response.
They walked in tense silence, until Twilight shouted from the front.
“I see an exit!”
Warriors heart leapt , and everyone’s pace increased. There was a loud bang from ahead, most likely Twilight throwing another door, and natural light filled the tunnel. It was morning, Warriors noticed, and for the first time, exhaustion began to set in.
Emerging from the tunnel he found himself in a large room, surrounded by shelves of books. A library- the library. Wild had mentioned this place to him once, it was an accessible area. He grinned, letting out a laugh.
“See Wild, I told you we would get out!”
He felt a nod in his shoulder, and smiled.
“The wall.” Wild whispered, and he strained to hear him. “You can climb the ruined wall and we’ll be outside.”
“Will you be able to climb?” Warriors whispered back, beginning to walk towards the ruined wall, and the others began to follow his lead. Wild nodded once more, before sitting up.
“I can get down.” He spoke at a normal volume, his voice slightly shaking, though steadier than it had been in a while. “I’ve been here before, this isn’t new to me.”
Warriors knelt down, and Wild scrambled off. Warriors rose, stretching his back. He didn’t regret carrying Wild, but he was sure he would be sore later.
“We can climb out.” Wild repeated, determination and desperation written in his expression.
“Speeding towards the wall, he hurled himself up, ignoring the startled shouts from behind him. They watched in awe as the Champion rapidly scrambled up the wall, before hauling himself over face forward. There was a loud, “ooph!” Before silence filled the room once more.
“I’m…using a hookshot.” Time said after a while, and nearly everyone nodded in agreement.
One at a time they each hauled themselves over the wall, Twilight going first to confirm that Wild didn’t concuss himself.
When it was Warriors turn, he went as fast as he could, anxious to make sure his brother was alright. Though, he figured neither of them would really be alright after the night they had.
Hauling himself over the wall he scrambled down the other side, before landing on wobbly feet.
“Wild!” He exclaimed, running to the other who was sitting on the ground next to Twilight, his head buried in his hands. Twilight glanced at Warriors in worry, but offered a shaky smile and nod of thanks.
Dropping to his knees, he took Wilds hands in his own, staring at the young face before him. His heart sank at the sight of tears, but Wild let out a breathy laugh and grinned, and Warriors couldn’t help but laugh too.
“What a wild night.”
He laughed harder, ignoring tears of his own, and ruffled Wilds hair.
“
told you I would get you out of there. I don’t like breaking promises.”
“Thank you.” Wild gasped, his smile faltering.
Reaching out, he embraced Wild, and for the first time in hours the panic began to subside.
“Don’t thank me, you’re my brother. This is what brothers are for.” He whispered, the wind whisking around them. Shivering, he pulled his scarf closer to the two of them, before feeling another weight. Turning his gaze, he saw Twilight smiling down at them, his wolf pelt now covering Wilds head, and Warriors shoulder.
“Let’s go home Wild.”