Work Text:
Sky hated middle watches.
They were boring, monotonous, and ruined whatever hopes of restful sleep he had been dreaming of. Of course he understood the necessity of them, but still, he couldn't help but mourn each time he was assigned one.
As usual Fi had nothing to say as he watched the small camp, though her mere presence, however faded, brought him a reassuring sense of calm. He swept his eyes over his sleeping companions. Four was already fast asleep, the days exhaustion hitting him the moment he woke Sky from his dream of Sun's bright smile.
Warriors was furthest from the dimming firelight, Wind tucked under one arm and Time's head resting on his stomach. His brilliant blue scarf was folded neatly by his head, the captain was snoring loudly. Sky smiled to himself as he watched Time's eye flutter open momentarily, as if woken from bad dream, before relaxing the moment he realized the captain was right there. The chosen wasn't sure how those two knew each-other, but it was obvious they had history.
Closer to the campfire Wild and Twilight were curled up together. The two had been nearly inseparable since they first met. Recognition sparking in both their eyes as they ran at each-other and devolved into an over apologetic hug. Twilight was always watching the younger members of the group, a habit he had picked up from growing up in Ordon and being assigned village babysitter. Though his tendency to herd people seemed to have much more to do with his occupation as goat herd. He held Wild close in his sleep, as if he was scared the teenager would disappear if he let him go. Wild didn't seem to mind, his face cushioned by a soft fur pelt.
Right next to the fire, boarding on a safety hazard were the last two members of the chain. Legend and Hyrule fell asleep the same way each night, back to back, both of them loosely holding the pommels of their respective swords. Hyrule was completely still in his sleep, the rise and fall of his chest being the only sign of life. Legend on the other hand, mumbled, a lot. It was always hard to make out what he was saying, sometimes the language switched halfway through a half enunciated sentence. At least he was quiet as he addressed people Sky had never heard of and hummed shakily to songs he didn't recognize.
Sky had been trying to track the lilting notes for the last few minutes, hoping for the song to begin to make sense enough to replicate on his harp. But the melody kept changing intermittently, as if the vet was cycling through songs.
So of course he noticed when the breathy singing faded away.
He turned his gaze back to where Legend was previously sleeping and found the man's eyes trained on the weakening flames. The embers danced in his stormy eyes and Sky made a note to add more firewood before his shift was over.
He didn't address Legend as he shifted into a sitting position and began to dig through his bag. He was never quite sure how to talk to the vet. The man had a sharp tongue and and sharper mind. His insults were always hard hitting and his bad attitude was one Sky in particular had grown to avoid. He didn't think Legend was truly a mean person at heart, but he was jaded and angry, refusing to show vulnerability and outright mocking those who did. Hyrule seemed to be an exception to that rule though, as the traveler had easily wormed his way into the vet's guarded heart.
It wasn't strange to see him up at night though, of all his companions, Legend was one of the most susceptible to insomnia and night terrors. It became strange though, when he pulled a cooking pan from his bag. And then a grate for it to rest on. And then ingredients: two large red apples, a small bottle of honey, another jar of some kind of brownish powder, and butter wrapped in cheese cloth.
"What are you doing?" He got up the nerve to ask as Legend put his pan over the fire and started to use a knife from under his pillow to chop the apples into cubes.
"What does it look like I'm doing?"
"Um, cooking something."
"See you aren't a complete dimwit, good for you."
Legend's tone was especially caustic, Sky would've been a lot more offended if it weren't for the deep shadows underneath the man's eyes. He looked awful.
"I didn't know you could cook." Sky tried for civility.
Legend rolled his eyes and started cutting up the second apple after throwing a hunk of butter into the pan.
"This barely counts, just a dessert. And no I'm not sharing, before you ask."
Sky held up his hands, "Alright then. Enjoy your apple thing."
Legend went back to ignoring him as he scraped the apple chunks into the pan and sprinkled in a healthy amount of the reddish-brown powder. The smell was heavenly though, like the apple pie they had eaten once back in Four's time.
He started humming again as he stirred the apples with his pillow knife. Sky had to take a moment and appreciate his voice, while it wasn't all that smooth, it was very melodic. He slid through notes beautifully and the rasp in his throat added a humanity to it. This time it actually was a song that sounded familiar, though it felt a bit backward. He couldn't put a finger on it, but it had a similar feel to the ballad of the Goddess. He didn't bring that up though, Legend didn't seem to be in the mood for words.
Sky kept watch quietly, deciding to leave Legend to his business, he was surprised when the vet cleared his throat and held something out to him a few minutes later. Sky rested Fi across his knees and took the wooden bowl and fork Legend was offering him. The smells coming from the browned apple chunks, drizzled in honey, were absolutely mouthwatering.
"I thought you weren't sharing?"
Legend scoffed and averted his eyes, his pink bangs obscuring his face in shadow.
"Changed my mind, is that a crime." He hunched over his own dessert and kept his eyes on the flames as he ate slowly.
"Well, thank you." He took a bite and nearly started drooling. The fruit was just the perfect mixture between crisp and soft, the honey was sweet and the other spice added the perfect aftertaste. "Where did you learn to make this? It's delicious."
"My uncle taught me," he answered quietly.
"Oh, you've never mentioned other family. What is he like?" Sky was curious about what kind of people Legend had in his life. If he had anyone looking out for him. In the one moon of knowing the man he had mentioned a roommate and a sister and refused to go into details.
Legend's face got a bit wistful as he looked at an apple piece on his fork. "He was a good man, used to run an apple orchard, I inherited it a few years back when the grave took him."
"Oh, vet I'm so sorry."
Legend waved him off with another scoff, though his heart didn't seem to be in it.
"Don't be, he'd already cheated death once. I can't say it was his time, but there's no use getting upset about it now."
Sky looked at the ground as he chewed another bite, not sure what to say. Legend didn't seem to be wanting comfort, but his eyes were sad.
"You're allowed to be upset about it, it sounds like you were close if he left stuff to you."
Legend opened his mouth like he was going to say something, but then his jaw clamped shut and he looked away. Eventually he muttered, "Your shift is almost over, let the captain sleep. I won't be getting any shuteye tonight anyway."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, just give me back my bowl first, they took forever to carve."
Sky tried for a friendly smile. "I didn't know you liked to carve."
"I don't. Now go to sleep, it's going to rain tomorrow so we'll need to pack up early and get to proper shelter."
"How do you know it's going to rain?"
Legend flashed him a tired grin, "I have my ways."
Sky wasn't sure what that meant, but he decided he didn't need to know right that moment. Legend finished his food, put away his dishes to presumably clean later, and took his spot on the log with his own version of The Master Sword in his lap.
Sky fell asleep not long after he curled up next to a sleeping Four, the raspy sounds of a song he didn't quite recognize lilting though the cool night air.