Apple Merchant [BOTW!Link X Isekai!Reader]

Apple Merchant [BOTW!Link x Isekai!Reader]

In which Isekai!Reader becomes a merchant, and unintentionally Link's benefactor.

Even more self-indulgent trash. The usual.

TW: Nothing worth mentioning.

Disclaimer: Don't own The Legend of Zelda franchise.

---

Being transported into a video game was not as dramatic as the media had led you to believe. For one, there was no bright, all encompassing light nor the feeling of a thousand worlds ripping themselves asunder. Instead, you had taken one step out of your door and crossed the threshold into an endless field of tall grass.

Panic should have taken hold by that point, but it didn't. You'd later learn it was just postponed by the shock of it all. At the time though, you'd simply taken stock of the situation, scanned the horizon for civilization and started in on the first plumes of smoke you found in the distance.

You'd been lucky. So incredibly lucky it had been a village that you'd landed near and not something more sinister. That you had decided against going near the waterfall or towards the forested area where a clear path was etched into the hillside.

You hadn't known that yet though. Instead, you'd taken the most direct route and hiked up the steep grassy slope heading towards the plumes.

Near the top you'd taken a short break beside an apple tree, admiring the perfect shape of the fruit hidden throughout it's low hanging branches. How large they were, and how brightly colored.

You'd taken one, struggling to pull it from it's stem. You were surprised by just how heavy it was when it finally did give way; more akin to holding a watermelon then an apple and as large as a grapefruit.

It was strange, but you figured it was just a variety of apple you were not familiar with, or perhaps you were heading towards a farm that was working on a new type of apple for the market.

You decided to save this one for later, in case the place you were heading didn't have resturants or take card payments. The surrounding land looked pretty rural, so you wouldn't be all that surprised if they didn't.

As soon as you'd thought it though, the apple disappeared. No light or sound or anything to indicate the unnatural occurrence, just popped out of existence.

It should have startled you, and it did, but you didn't panic. Not yet. That would come later. Right then, it was almost like you were dreaming.

In the top left corner of your vision a flicker of red came into existence. A simple line of words ended in an explanation point that pinged at your subconscious.

[New Item!]

And you'd thought, 'What a strange dream.'

---

Four years later, and you knew this was most certainly not a dream. The panic had passed, the initial pain of loss and separation had eased. The confusion of a new language and culture had settled into smooth integration.

The easy acceptance of the Hateno people helped a great deal with that.

Honestly, it helped that the population was as small as it was. While some cultures would shun outsiders upon contact, the scarcity of new blood had made your arrival quite the welcome event. Even if you were a human.

Perhaps even because you were a human. It was hard to tell sometimes. Your round ears were equal parts admired and awkwardly avoided in polite conversation.

You tried not to think about it too much.

The bottom line was that you had been transmigrated into Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Your head now contained the equivalent of the Sheikah slate and the differences in product quality here and your world was, to put it frankly, wacked. The metabolism and durability of the region's residents was even more so.

The apple you had picked up the first day had lasted you two days. Each bite was equivalent to eating two apples. Eating a whole apple was enough to make you sick. You'd watched a hyrulian child munch down three of them with no issues, and then ask for dinner.

Your conclusion; Magic. Hyrule was very similar to your own world, but the addition of magic had fundamentally altered the biological makeup of it's inhabitants.

It wasn't a difficult conclusion to come to. Hell, one of the farmers had even given you a brief rundown on the magic quality in the soil once, explaining the emergence of Hearty foodstuffs. It was an eye opener for sure, though a welcome one.

However, things got complicated in your case. The addition of gamer like attributes seemed to alter the world around you to an alarming degree. Nothing too noticeable thankfully, but still noteworthy.

Things you picked or put in your inventory had a way of coming back within a few days. This, you'd learned, was not the norm. A harvested field stayed harvested until it was replanted. A picked apple stayed gone until a new one grew from another bud.

Things did not just reappear after enough time away from them. Hyrule did not have that type of magic, though it would seem you did. Which, honestly, was fine by you. It helped you make a living at the beginning.

Food, you found, was a precious commodity. The game made it seem easily accessible, but in reality it was a hit or miss depending on the season. Late spring through early fall was bountiful, but the rest of the year was downright miserable.

People here lived on what could be grown locally. When things stopped growing, people started struggling.

Not to say most residents starved, but the cost of a bale of wheat went up drastically in the winter. Nevermind the cost of fresh fruit, meat or anything not pickled or preserved.

The game never showed this side to Hyrule. The part where these magical people with their high metabolisms suffered during the lean winter months. How they worked and saved all year just to break even through the cold season.

Winter might have been the time of hardship, but it was your golden goose. It was how you made a living, how you came out ahead.

Anything stored within your mindslate stayed perfectly preserved, untouched by time nor the effects of decomposition. And added to your unusual effect on the world, it allowed you to amass a literal shit ton of resources.

At first you'd make daily trips around the village gathering enough materials to ensure a place at the inn every night. Anything would do. Wheat, crickets, apples, the occasional fish, even fairies.

(Strange that one, how your mindslate just stored living beings like that. They were the one thing you didn't mess with. Just let them sit in there, as far from your mind as possible.)

You cut grass with your rusty sword, hacked down small trees with your equally cheap and rusted ax, roamed the nearby woods for mushrooms, beetles or lizards. Occasionally, you'd even find a more unusual item. Like a sword or shield just laying in the grass.

You'd try not to think of how it got there.

You gathered resources for a living, and the shop owners came to know you as the Apple Merchant. It was sweet actually, and it seemed to endear you to some of the residents.

Perhaps they appreciated that you were trying to make a life for yourself among them, not just begging for handouts. Or maybe it was pity for the foreign human who didn't know hyrulian common well. Hard to tell.

When winter came that first year, is when you realized the full breath of your situational advantage.

One year. That's all it took. One year to become one of the wealthiest people in the village.

And they didn't even realize it.

A bundle of carrots purchased cheaply during the height of harvest season sold for five times that amount in the winter. A bundle of wheat, nearly seven. And meat was something else entirely. Rare enough during the warm season, it became worth its weight in gold the moment winter set in and creatures ventured to warmer regions.

Winter was a literal Godsent.

And the next winter was even more profitable. Now armed with the foresight of experience, you planned your life around it. Bought overflow harvest in bulk, bought out traveling merchant's wares without a second glance.

You prepared, and you thrived. Your bare threat clothes became wool, your worn shoes became comfortable soft leather. You bought a horse, then three, a wagon. Hired guard detail.

Became a merchant. The Apple Merchant; written in clear hyrulian script across your wagon.

By the third year, you were in Lurelin, Kakariko, and every stable and small settlement in the southern reaches of Hyrule. Damn near made it to Gerudo too, before the logistics of such a trip set you back.

You made it though, on your forth year. Reaped the benefits of being a well stocked merchant in an inhospitable place like Gerudo desert. Never made it to Gerudo town though, but the outlier villages more than made up for that.

Life was good. It was profitable. You could even say you were happy.

Then it happened in the early spring of the fifth year. The Shiekah towers rose.

It was nothing that should have concerned you. Link had finally awoken from his 100 year slumber as he was meant to, and his story would continue on without you. Your paths would probably never cross. You were just one of the thousand's of merchants making a living all across Hyrule.

You were nobody in the grand scheme of things. You were someone completely removed from the big picture.

Until you weren't.

And it started with a missing apple.

---

Now I return to the shadows to rest.

Midnight Impulses [Chain + Healer!Reader]

Keeping your abilities hidden is difficult when the object of your attention is so close.

It keeps growing. Will the trash heap never end?

Masterlist

TW: None.

Disclaimer: Don't own The Legend of Zelda franchise. Linked Universe is the fan creation of jojo56830.

---

You stare up at the night sky with a pinched expression, something ominously similar to a pout pulling at your lips. The blankets are pulled up to your nose, and above the soft rim your eyes glare squinty-eyed at the man laying beside you.

In the light of the pit fire, you can see the way his shoulders and back are tense with pain and fitful sleep. The shine of his hair taunts you where it highlights the delicate curve of his ear, the soft pink of a bang an elegant curve contrasting the harsh shadows of the fire light.

His bare skin. If only you could touch his skin without waking him, even just the tips of your fingers. But he's always been cagey, especially when he's in so much pain. He'd snap awake before you could even pull your hand from your covers, and then he'd be awake and suspicious all night. Just like every night before.

Your fingers grip into the inside of your bedroll, jaw clenching, resisting the temptation to rush him while he's vulnerable and force your healing magic into his aching joints and creaking, burning bones.

It wouldn't take long. If you could get your whole hand onto his face or maybe an arm, the deed could be done in less than a minute. He'd struggle, yes, but his gauntlets are off and you could keep him pinned for a few precious seconds after he manages to escape the confines of his covers.

Just one minute of struggle, and it'll be done. Sure, he'll hate you more than ever and will most certainly never trust you again. But his arthritis and damaged body (so damaged, laden with so many old, untreated wounds it makes your heart ache) will be gone.

He'll be free of them all. The pain, the weakness, the insecurities and the memories. He'll finally be able to put all those hurts behind him and just live, free of the burdens his path forced upon him. Free to look forward to a future not overshadowed by the slow, inevitable breaking of his body.

Free of a future that sees him stripped of mobility and restful night by the time he's 30. If he even lives that long, damaged as he's been by the cruel hand of destiny.

It would be worth it. Just one moment of struggle. One final twist and ache of his bones as he fights against your hands and arms and full body grip, and then he'll be released from the bondage of everlasting degeneration. The agony of a body sacrified for the greater good.

Just one-

No. The thought is irrational and unfair to the man in question. It would also reveal your hand to the Chain, and you had no intention of putting yourself in that situation.

You'd learned your lesson. Even the kindest and most honorable of men can be brought low by the promise of life. The guarantee of no more brothers lost to the slow hand of time, and the knowledge that tomorrow will find you and all you love there to greet it.

Life is so precious. Who wouldn't be tempted to keep it forever by your side.

You envied Hyrule. For his strength and his cunning. For no shackles shall ever find his wrists, no tether will ever bind his arms and legs. No force on this plain of existence will ever break his spirit.

You are nothing like him. Not a hero. Not a fairy borne. Not a beloved brother of the many powerful men who came before him.

You are just yourself. Someone who got unlucky with their blessings.

You envied him, for your healing is nothing like his. It is slow and bone deep, poorly suited to the riggers of field wounds but inevitable in its power nonetheless.

In this world of fairies and potions and the blessing of Goddesses, the hand of death will not come in the blaze of battle. No. It will creep slow and steady into the very marrow of your bones. It will start with aches so deep no fairy light can reach them, with a cough so thin no potion can grasp it.

For many, death will not be by the sword, but by the bone deep memory of what it left behind.

If you could still the hand of fate, wouldn't you? Wouldn't they, whom fate has chosen so readily? Even if it cost just a sliver of thier humanity?

You never intended to find out if these men had it in them to pay that price. No need to tempt fate. Not with men like these, who live and die by such sacrifices.

The ear twitches in his sleep and so do your fingers, the shine of his ruffled hair like a siren's call to your eyes.

You suck in a sharp breath. The temptation flaring once more within you, pushing you forward like strong wind at your back. Calling you like the promise of cool water under the desert sun. Like the shelter of home as a thundering storm shakes the land.

It twitches again. The shine of hair.

'Fuck.'

---

"He's messing with them again." Twilight grumbled, arms crossed as he levels his most unimpressed stare at the Vet's back.

Time chuckled, stretching along the log at his back and savoring the smooth roll of muscles and bones unhindered by pain or aches. He couldn't wait to bring you home to Malon and let you work your magic. His beloved wife had even planned out their sleeping arrangements to encourage your helpful nature.

"If Legend wants to drag this out, let him be. He's the only one suffering from it." He smiled then, more of a grin than anything. "And it's cute." The older man admitted impishly, leaning fully back against the log he'd been stretching over in a boneless sprawl.

Twilight wanted to say something back, but honestly couldn't deny any of it. Especially not when Legend rolled over and let his hand fall just inches from your bedroll. And your eyes widened and then narrowed, your mouth twisting into an obvious pout. How you whipped your back to him with a growl, hiding your face in the covers. Only to peek over your shoulder moments later to glare at the motionless hand with a single, leering eye.

Not when Warriors was hiding his face in Wind's sea-salt hair, trying to cover his amused grin and single cracked eye. Not with Wind's shoulders shaking with mirth, just barely hidden beneath Warrior's greater size.

Not with Hyrule smothering his laughter with both hands, back turned purposely to you so you wouldn't see. Not with Sky out like a light, breathing free and soft and unrestrained for the first time since they'd been forced onto this quest.

And not when Time looks so relaxed, spine arched freely like a man who'd not known the burden of the world pressing down on his shoulders. The effortless roll of his muscles a stark contrast to the painful twists of naught a week before.

"Fine." He eventually conceded, narrowing his eyes. "But if this keeps up for more than a week, game's over. They've not slept well in the last 3 days."

Time nodded, eye closing as he began to drift into a light, mediative doze. "Of course. We wouldn't want our shyest member to lose too much sleep over our brother's aches, now would we."

The heavily ringed finger twitched when you rolled back over to face Legend's back and began hesitantly reaching for it. You squawked at the unexpected movement and jerked back, hands flying to your mouth when you realized what you'd done.

Legend opened his eyes then, feigning sleepiness as he snapped. "What are you looking at, hah?"

You glared back. "Nothing!" Before turning your back to him once more and crossing your arms with an even deeper pout. Hunkering down in your covers.

Vet huffed, though an amused grin stole across his face the moment you looked away. "Weirdo." He snapped in a falsly waspish tone, his grin growing when you growled lowly under you breath.

Twilight looked at Time again. Frowning.

"Tomorrow. I'll talk to him." Time hummed in assurance, though he didn't bother to open his eye.

Twilight sighed again, and Time chuckled.

Near the fire, the shifting of covers, the reveal of a bare neck and another quiet gasp. The smothered giggles of Hyrule laying closest to them. The whisper of Warrior's trying to keep Wind from blowing their cover. Four returning from his watch, multi-colored eyes already rolling skyward with exasperation at the now very familiar sight.

'Yeah.' Twilight thought. 'You and me both.'

---

Return to the shadows.

Consider:

You died with a remarkable fortune and no heirs. You grant your wealth to two rivalling schools in the same city, under one condition: One of them must always keep your preserved skull. They may keep it on display (therefore attracting interest and potentially fame to the school) but that always raises the risk of students of the other school stealing it. The students and staff of the other school have not only the right, but the duty to do so at any opportunity. Nobody can be arrested for this unless they're caught breaking some other law.

Ideally, the students of the two schools keep stealing your skull, back and forth, forever. The culture of both of the schools is enriched by this activity, the students are too busy engaged in these harmless shenanigans to drift into worse habits and behaviours, and you get to be included in countless nonsensically frivolous heist operations whose sole purpose is to bring more fun into the world.

Breakdown [Isekai!Reader + Legend/Marin] [Part 2]

In which you learn that predators come in all sizes.

The indulgence continues.

PART: 1 / 2

TW: Choosing not to display warnings. Read at your own discretion.

Disclaimer: Don't own The Legend of Zelda franchise. Linked Universe is the fan creation of jojo56830.

---

You weren't aware of the world for a time. Occasionally, there was pain (agony. like coals under your skin, explosions bursting forth from your damned cells). Sometimes there was relief, the gentle warmth of something sweet and light swirling through your veins like honey. But mostly, it was just numb.

The first time your eyes cracked open you did not register anything beyond the unpleasant sting of light. Tears had rolled down your cheeks, burning all the way to the hairline at your ears. A gentle (so gentle, so careful) hand dabbed the salt lines away with a wet cloth, pressing delicately against your cracked lips afterwards to moisten them.

You didn't respond. The sensations meant very little to you. Your eyes closed after a time, but the light of consciousness had left them long before that.

You came too briefly but did not open your eyes. Pressure from too small (calloused) hands were wrapped around your motionless fingers, like delicate bird's bones against your skin. Almost fragile, but for the power that resided in the flesh.

You squeezed them as well as you could, giving little more than a twitch for your efforts. The hand understood though because it squeezed back fiercely.

Someone was talking, but the words and their meanings slipped by like water through grass.

Nothingness took you just as a tiny, bird's bones hand touched your cheek.

Your eyes opened again and it was dark. You stared unseeing into the shadows of the rafters for some time, quiet and listless.

You did not know where you were. You didn't care. You were just so very tired.

You close your eyes. You open them and there is pain. Light. Movement. Colors. Burning. Pain. Pain. Pain.

Bliss. Gone.

Numb.

You opened your eyes once more and light was just creeping in through half drawn curtains. Your eyes flickered to them as a light breeze pulled the fabric into a gentle flutter.

A warm hand touched your hair unexpectedly, tenderly easing it back from your forehead while another wiped sweat from your brow. It was enough to draw your attention and your hazy eyes instinctively met those hoovering above you.

"Good morning." Sky whispered quietly, voice warm and sweet beneath the tired tones blurred around the edges. His hand was still resting lightly in your hair, thumb caressing the curve of your forehead.

You stared uncomprehendingly at the man above you. You blinked as his thumb moved to tenderly caress under your eye. You hadn't noticed the quiet trail of tears running sluggishly down your cheeks.

You closed your eyes, comforted by his gentle touch. It'd been so, so long since anyone had touched you kindly.

You drifted off to a wet, cool cloth wiping off your face.

You jolted awake, scream silently caught behind your teeth. You clawed, clutched, tore at the blankets around you, writhing as hellfire consumed you.

A warm, calloused hand holds yours, the pressure of another larger body pressing themselves close draws your attention. Your eyes flicker desperately to the person cradling your head and shoulders.

It's Twilight, dressed in a plain off-white shirt and calling out for Hyrule with forced calm. He smells strongly of musk and dog, the firm bulk of his muscles tense under you as his chest expands with each breaths.

Traveler is upon you within moments, pressing glowing hands to your body without hesitation. His tired, tired eyes overflowing with compassion and tender, vulnerable love as he gazes upon your contorted face.

Bliss, so great you sobbed in relief as the light enters you skin. You hid your face into Twilight's collarbones, so very thankful when he didn't push you away. Instead he pulled you closer and whispered softly in your hair, his hand cupping the back of your head.

You cried yourself to sleep in his arms.

But not before catching sight of Legend, hands clenched white into either side of the doorframe, frustrated, heartbroken tears beading like pearls in his eyes.

---

When you finally came to true consciousness it was to Four, well, all around you. Red was laying beside you, tucked sleepily against your arm, Green was on your other side, face relaxed in sleep. Vio was in the chair at the head of the bed, reading. Blue was missing, but you figured he'd lost patience with the quiet at some point and left.

You were confused at first, unsure of what gave the colors the impression that you approved of this kind of closeness. You had never given any sort of indication that you wanted anything to do with them. You'd made sure of that.

Then it hit you. Marin. She must have made it though. She's alive. She made it. She's here, in the world. With Legend.

The thought almost pulled tears to your eyes, but you pushed them down. Now was not the time for that. It was time to run damage control and salvage the situation. You still couldn't afford to get attached, or let them get attached to you.

One day you were going to go home- you were- and they did not deserve the heartbreak of another broken bond. And honestly, neither did you. It just wasn't worth it. It wouldn't be fair.

You needed to think.

Of course they would feel indebted to you after that little stunt you pulled. Legend had probably lost his shit and attached himself to Marin the moment he got over his inevitable break from reality (poor, traumatized bastard). The chain would have put two and two together and realized you'd done them a favor.

The tricky part would be convincing them it hadn't been intentional. You and Marin hadn't talked much, so it shouldn't be impossible.

But thinking was just so hard. You were so tired (soul crushingly exhausted), and the lies and half-truths you strung together unraveled like frayed rope in your mind. You could barely remember what you'd said to Marin.

You hoped the boys hadn't heard you in the portal. More than the loss of any viable reason to keep them at a distance, the embarrassment at your loss of control was too much to bear. You wouldn't be able to look any of them in the eyes.

'They're mine? Really?' You'd probably sounded like a lunatic, completely unhinged. The though was enough to pull heat to your face.

"What are you thinking so hard about?" A quiet voice asked from beside the bed, and your mind stuttered to a stop.

Vio had put the book down in his lap at some point and was staring at you with cool disinterest. At least, it seemed that way, but you doubted that was the case. He had a sharp glint in his blue-lavender eyes that spoke of questions beyond the spoken.

You realized, quite suddenly, that you were in no condition to go head to head with Four's most intelligent component. He'd rip you open and suck the information right out of your head if you tried engaging him in any way.

Silence it was then. It was the only defense you had, and if you were lucky it would seem like your normal behavior, just exasperated by your condition.

You turned your head towards the window, staring out at the sliver of green peeking through the curtains. You heard a sigh, then shifting.

A small (bird-boned) hand was on your face then, gently but firmly turning your head away from the window to meet blue-lavender eyes. You expected exasperation, frustration, anger even. You got none of those.

He was amused, and deeply empathetic, as he said. "I'll give you some advice, because you've done one of my brothers a great service." He smiled, a small private thing flickering like a secret between you two. "And I know I can trust you."

Your stomach dropped. They heard. They knew.

"Let it happen. You're fate is already sealed." He hummed then, impish glee starting to surface in his eyes, his tone. "Did you think Legend would just let you slip away after what you did? The man's a hoarder by trade, and that includes people."

You were just staring at him with wide eyes, stunned by this turn of events.

A smirk teased at his lips, eyes sly and glinting as he took his hand from your face and leaned his cheek onto a fist instead. Smug. "Don't look so shocked. You played a good game, I'll admit, but you never stood a chance. The others just needed a reason to drag you into the fold, and you handed it to them quite spectacularly."

'Why? How? You were so careful.'

"Wind." You breathed, befuddled thoughts spinning with the realization.

Vio was grinning now, bright and amused and so unspeakably proud of his youngest brother. "He's a smart boy. Maybe as smart as me, in his own way. He's always been better with people."

You couldn't help the spark of admiration that rose within you at the younger boy's cleverness. Even if it was at your own expense.

"It's not nice to tease people when they're feeling sick, Vio!" A sweet voice piped up, and when your head snapped over to face it you found Red's pouting glare boring into Vio from over your chest. "Don't be mean!"

"Red's right, Vio." Green spoke up, eyes still closed and you got the impression he'd been awake the whole time, listening. "It's not nice to tease others while they can't defend themselves."

You could feel the strength of Vio's eye roll above your head, but was thoroughly distracted by Red snuggling closer to your side. You glanced down at his crown of fine blonde hair spilling across your shoulder, his cheek pressing into your arm. He was so warm and sweet, delicate like a baby bird fluffed trustingly at your side.

You didn't have the heart to move away. Then Vio's words rung through your head once more and you realized it wouldn't have mattered.

They knew. They'd heard. And you were too tired and scatterbrained to wiggle your way out of the trap you'd run headfirst into.

"Hey?" Green said, peeking an eye open to meet your gaze as you turned back to him. "You claimed Four, but you never claimed us." He hummed, much like Vio and just as amused. A smug grin had crept onto his lips. "Blue's gonna be upset when he finds out, you know."

Your breath caught audibly against your will, your heart thudded painfully against your ribcage. A cold sweat broke out across your back.

Fast as a snake, Red reached over you and punched Green in the arm with a loud, painful sounding thrack. "Stop that! No games! They're still recovering!"

The colors continued to bicker around you, Red curled into your side, head on your shoulder, Green's arm flush against yours. Vio had his book in his hands again but was only half paying attention to it as he slid in a sly comment or two, never really taking either side.

You stopped paying attention after a while, just too tired to care. Care that you'd been caught wrong-footed. Care that you'd been backed into a corner. Care that there was well and truly no turning back now, no backing out.

So you did the only thing you could.

You closed your eyes, and drifted into warm, thoughtless slumber and let everything just slip away.

One last moment of peace before the storm to come.

---

I must return to the shadows to rest.

Olive Tree Sonnet [Raffle Winner]

This was supposed to be a little drabble for four-eyed-nerd, who was chosen randomly during the Follower Raffle. But I'm a liar. So it's a whole damned oneshot instead. So much for promises.

Characters: Juniper (OC created by four-eyed-nerd, Warriors, Wild

Disclaimer: Don't own The Legend of Zelda franchise. Linked Universe is the fan creation of jojo56830.

---

Things have been strange with Wars lately.  Ever since they'd found out about Juniper's ancestry (and his unusually prevalent place within it), he'd been the most infuriating toss up of awkward avoidance and brooding cucco and Juniper was just about done with it. She respected him, truly she did, but for being so intelligent he sure had a way of putting his foot in his mouth.

Just because he was her grandfather (and wasn't that something) doesn't mean she wants to be his apprentice or some nonsense. He had his strengths and she had hers, and no amount of nitpicking or corrections was going to change that. She wasn't him.

At the time though, she hadn't known how to brooch the topic. Usually so willing to voice her grievances and set boundaries (her gerudo blood, perhaps? her hero's spirit?), it had caught herself off guard just how much his opinion mattered to her. Partially because of their revelation, yes, but also because of just how much she admired him.

He was just-

He was just so confident. Self-assured in a way she struggled to be, elegant and cultured too. Intelligent and frighteningly strong, well spoken and educated. Handsome and connected. Respected by the group (though he often bickered with Legend and Twilight). He even had Time's ear.

There was just so much to admire. So much to live up to, and she just-

She couldn't be him, no matter what he expected of her. The shoe didn't fit and she doubted it ever would. He might have been her grandfather, but they were not woven from the same cloth.

So here she was (fresh out of a tense argument with that very man) hiding behind some outcropping of boulders with Wild (like some sulking teenager) while Time talked Wars down. Scratching pictures and anxiety fueled nonsense into the aged stone only did so much though, so she began picking at her split ends with dust covered fingers instead.

A hand grabbed at her wrist, pulling it away from her now tangled, dirty hair. She yanked her wrist out of their grasp without thought.

"For fuck's sake! It's just damn hair!" Juniper snapped in frustration, turning to the interloper with a tense frown.

Wild just leveled her with an unimpressed stare as he pulled his hand away from where it'd been hoovering, but the downward angle of his ears gave away his hurt. As did the slight tensing of his shoulders.

She immediately felt regret for her loss of patience. All the progress they've made, and this is what starts the backwards slide.

Hell no.

"Look, Wild. I'm sorry. I'm just really fucking tense. I didn't mean to snap at you like that." Juniper apologized, struggling to keep eye contact while he looked so- betrayed.

At her words though he softened, nodding in acceptance before pointing at her doodles. The curious upward flick of his ears was like a balm on her heart.

"It's Wars...slipping on a banana." Wild snorted, eyes alight with mischief (and promise). "Hey! I was mad, okay? It's not like I actually want him to fall on his ass."

"Not even a little, huh?" A familiar voice spoke from behind them, startling the pair. Wild had nearly reached for a weapon, but thankfully caught himself.

Juniper looked up at Wars, wanting to fade away into the rocks behind her but also too upset still to think of backing down. Though she also wanted things to be okay between them, and less awkward. Honestly, she was just a mess right now.

War's eyes flickered to Wild's for a moment, assessing. Surprisingly, he seemed to find what he needed in the way Wild frowned, dug his boots into the grass below and crossed his arms impatiently. Protective as always.

"No need to get testy, Wild. I'm not going to ask you to leave." Wild snorted, as though amused Wars thought he'd have abided by the order even if it had been given.

"Wild." Juniper said, grateful for her friend's unflinching support, but also not wanting to be the cause of bad blood between the men. Wild was just too damned loyal sometimes.

Wild side-eyed his red haired friend unhappily, but backed down, leaning against the boulders behind them. Still watching like a silent predator, but willing to take the support role for this one.

An awkward moment of silence.

"I wanted-"

"What do you-"

Silence again. Warriors cleared his throat, readjusting his scarf in a practiced motion, body language far too relaxed for the way his eyes wavered with uncertainty.

Even his fidgiting was smooth and elegant. It was so unfair.

"I wanted to apologize for my behavior recently." He began, face very carefully passive. "I have been- unfairly strict with you, Juniper."

Juniper felt almost- shocked maybe? Validated? She wasn't sure, but her heart ached as Wars continued.

"I- I know I wasn't there in your life. You have no reason to listen to me, and I know I've overstepped my place as your comman- comrade multiple times now. I know that, and I'll make no excuses for myself. It was my own selfishness that led to where we are now." He paused, pointedly not looking at Wild who was watching him like a coiled snake.

"I'm sorry, Juniper. You're your own person and I have no right to criticize you for who you've become." Juniper felt her heart flutter, relieved and touched and suddenly, unexpectantly, sad. "I'll do my utmost to remember that."

Silence once more. Awkward as it's ever been between the both of them. Wild's eyes flicked between the two, just as awkward in this stilted atmosphere.

Wars nodded his head, suddenly looking unsure now but trying to hide it with pleasantries. "That's all I wanted to say. Thank you for your time." Then he turned to leave, ears red and lower face tucked into his scarf.

"Wars. Wait." The red haired woman said, voice fighting passed the swell of her throat.

The man paused midstep, turning back to her. He was composed now, quick on the recovery as ever.

Wild looked to her too, curious and confused.

"I'm sorry too." The unreadable passivity of War's face was unnerving (it always had been), but Juniper pushed through. "Not everything you've tried to teach me has been unreasonable. Actually, most of it has been damned helpful." Juniper went for her hair again, but remembered how Wild disliked when she damaged it.

The woman took a moment to gather herself, and Warriors was kind enough to let her. Even if now he still looked a little lost. Maybe a little hopeful too. "I don't want you to stop teaching me things." That was the last thing Juniper wanted. "I just- don't want to constantly feel like I've failed you." She looked down, unsure of how to continue.

Arms were around her then, warm and strong but also so incredibly tender. It was almost enough to pull a sob from her.

"You've never failed me, Juniper." Wars said, with such strong conviction in his voice it made the woman's eyes sting. "I'm sorry I made you feel that way." She lost the fight to maintain her composure, hiding her face in his scarf.

"I'm proud of who you've become." She sobbed harder and he held her tighter, speaking into her hair. "I'm glad you were born. I'm so blessed to have met you."

Wild quietly slipped away then, certain now that things would be alright between them. Eventually.

They just needed time.

---

I must now return to the shadows to rest again.

Breakdown [Isekai!Reader + Legend/Marin]

In which Isekai!Reader has a breakdown and then proceeds to break reality.

This fic is purely for my own satisfaction as I've yet to find this particular topic explored and I have a mighty need. I've taken liberties. This is self-indulgent trash.

TW: Choosing not to display warnings. Read at your own discretion.

Disclaimer: Don't own The Legend of Zelda franchise. Linked Universe is the fan creation of jojo56830.

---

You'd tried not to get close. From the moment you were tossed through the portal (conveniently right at the Chain's feet), you did everything possible to prevent either side from growing unnecessarily attached.

Didn't stop them from strong arming you into joining them though. As an abnormality from the portal, it was in their best interest to keep you close and monitored. Which was fair, so despite your misgivings you went along peacefully.

Though you made sure to let them know where you stood in all this.

You weren't cruel, per say, but you made sure to keep your distance and openly expressed your disinterest in opening up to them. You just wanted to find a way home, and for the most part they did their best to respect that.

Most of them anyway. Wind was an absolute menace. The boy was relentless in trying to wiggle his way into your good graces, always trying to include you in all his little side-quests and jokes.

It would be cute, honestly, if you didn't know he was trying to pump you for information. Clever, using the kid, if you didn't already know who these men were.

(If you're going to try to act friendly with the target Wind, remember to disarm yourself of obvious weaponry before approaching. Silly boy.)

You'd put money on Warriors having orchestrated most of the interactions between you and the youngest. You may not have as advanced senses as them, but you're not blind. It's obvious Wind is reporting to Warriors and Time the nights Wind takes extra pains to interact with you.

(Not that there was much to report. You stuck to your story. Came from a more futuristic world, don't know why you're here, the Heroes of Hyrule are just stories- myths- where your from. You don't know much about them. Yes, you have some secrets. No, they're not harmful to their merry little band. Pot, meet kettle. You'll show them yours if they show you theirs. No? Okay then. Last you checked, they forced you into their group. "Have a good night Time, I appreciate everything you guys do for me. Goodnight Warriors, Legend, Four. Sleep well.")

For being such powerful, experienced heroes, they're not always the brightest. Must be the influence of their Tri-force alinment. It takes a special type of person to do what they do afterall. YOU certainly wouldn't.

But you degress.

Yes, you did everything within your power to keep yourself separate from them without making them your enemies. Slept away from the group, tried (and sometimes failed) to percure your own food. Refused any gifts, money or luxuries offered to you that did not directly involve your continued well-being.

Hell, you even took to cutting grass in your spare time, just so you had something to offer up with you inevitably needed thier assistance. And wasn't that a shock, to find rupees just laying around in the grass. Money literally grow in plants here.

Mind blown.

("No Wind. You found that one, so it's yours. Thank you for the thought though.")

Overall, you thought you'd done an excellent job of it. They- usually- kept to their part of the camp, you stuck to yours (lonely though it was). You rarely talked to them unless strictly necessary or Wind managed to back you into a metaphoric corner. During travel you watched the world go by, acting as another silent pair of eyes.

You thought you'd managed to keep yourself in check.

What a fool you were. To ever think you could keep yourself from loving these kind, selfless, traumatized, courageous goofballs. How shortsighted, to think you would ever be able to stay impartial to their plight, to their pain.

When the divines cast a hook, you took it with both hands and didn't let go.

You're such a damned idiot.

It'd been one hell of a ride to get to the point of no return. Somehow, you'd stumbled though a second portal just as you and the chain had finished exiting the first. Literally, just walked out the first, moved 5 feet away from Legend (your portal crossing partner that time) and promptly stepped into another portal that'd opened right in front of you.

You'd heard Sky's alarmed shout, the beginnings of Wild's bellow, saw Legend try to make a grab at you from the fading entryway. You witnessed Legend flinch back in shock as a wisp of light pulled from his hand and disappeared into the portal. Saw him fall to his knees, seemingly crumbled in pain.

And then you were gone.

You fell onto warm sand, blinded by bright, warm sunlight directly in your eyes. The smell and taste of salt was so strong you can almost feel it coating your insides.

The sea, you quickly realize. Your back hurts from being tossed from the portal, but you're so, so thankful you landed on dry land and not somewhere in the middle of the ocean. A little pain is worth not succumbing to exhaustion and drowning after a desperate, futile struggle.

You laid there for a moment, shocked and grateful and shivering from adrenaline.

You noticed the portal didn't disappear, and none of the chain came charging through to save you either. You watched it for a while, taking deep breaths to calm your heart and waiting for something to happen.

Should you try to go back through? Why is the sound it makes so damn irritating?

"Are you alright?" A lilting voice asks unexpectantly, startling you from where you're sprawled on the sand. "Oh! Sorry! Didn't mean to scare you!"

It didn't click at first who this woman was. Long, beautiful red-blond hair, freckled, sun-kissed skin and a little red flower swaying in the sea breeze above her head. A sweet but sad smile, with just a hint of grief in her soulful dark eyes.

You were surprised she didn't notice the portal. You wondered why.

"My name's Marin. What's yours."

It should have clicked.

"It's..."

It didn't.

You broke your own rule, unwittingly though it may have been. Don't interact unnecessarily. Don't get involved. Don't put yourself in a position to get attached. Don't think about it too hard.

Don't. Get. Emotionally. Invested.

"Oh! What a lovely name! I wish we'd have met before-" Her eyes flickered sidewards, and it was then you noticed the biggest egg you'd ever seen on top of a volcanic mountain peak. Just there. A nightmare wrapped up in a pretty bow, waiting for someone to open it.

And he did.

It started to break right before your eyes. Light seeping out through the cracks and pouring down the volcano and into the surrounding land. It was not how you remember this going down, but you knew (without a doubt) what this was and what was happening.

The shock must have been evident on your face because she started talking again, soothingly, though her voice cracked with emotion.

You barely heard her, eyes fixated on the sight of a mountain slowly starting to disintegrate. On the sounds of screams in the distance. Of little shapes moving away from the light, like roaches across the mountainside.

Your eyes flickered to the portal, still there, waiting, emitting the most horrendous noise. A long dark corridor stretching out into a vast nothingness.

The sceams continued. Some cut off suddenly. It was a small island, and the mountain tall. It let their voices carry into the lands below.

Your body was cold. Your skin numb and prickling.

You noticed Marin still talking. Her eyes frightened, though she was trying not to show it.

She was trying to distract herself, you realized. "We should go to the village. Say goodbye. I'll-I'll introduce you to my father. You can be part of our family. No one deserves to- to without having a f-family."

You looked at her. Eyes wide open. Throat tight. Heart beating. Mind numb.

That was where she should have been right now, wasn't it. But she wasn't because she was talking to you. She was too far away to reach it.

(She was never meant to reach it.)

She knew that. You could see it in her eyes.

This world could not be this cruel. It couldn't. It just couldn't.

She looked to you with such sad eyes. Wet with unshed tears. So very aware.

No.

She reached out for your hand.

No.

Her fingers cradled yours, warm and soft.

No.

She tugged you slightly, inching closer. Other arm stretching, stretching. Embracing.

No.

Her skin was warm, like sunshine. She smelt of sweet fruit and clean sweat. Her heart was thundering.

No.

It was warmer still where she hid her face in your shoulder. Wet. Damning.

And then a whisper. The flutter of lips.

A secret, breathed like a confession.

"I'm sorry Link. I wish I could have lived for you."

You bent.

You twisted.

You ached.

"Marin. If you had the chance to survive this, no matter how slim, would you take it. Even if it meant giving up everything? Even if it meant having to live with the pain."

She stared at you, bewildered. And then-

Clarity.

"You're like Link. Aren't you?"

"Yes."

Her expression shifted. Beneath the sheen of tears, a fire ignited in her dark eyes. Hope, so strong it scorched the world.

It burned you too. That unyeilding will to survive.

"Take me to him." Her eyes softened, but were no less determined for it. Instead, her resolve set like obsidian. "So we may grief the loss of our family together."

Hook, set. Bait, taken.

Now.

Pull.

---

It was agony. From the moment you grabbed Marin's hand and attempted to enter the portal, it felt as though your entire bloodstream was on fire. Like being unmade and reforged all at once, originating from where your hand connected with hers.

You wanted to pull away, but you didn't. She wouldn't have let you either way. Her grip was an iron vice. Deceptively strong.

She didn't even flinch despite the sweat you could see gathering on her brow, the way her jaw clenched. Her entire body was covered in goosebumps, the hairs on her arms standing on end.

You couldn't imagine what she must be experiencing, if the feeling of her hand alone was enough to arrest your breathing.

You took another step forward. She matched it. It was like walking through wet sand, sticky and unyielding, but not impossible.

You moved one step at a time, slow and steady. Open mouthed panting, sweat running down your faces and soaking your hair, plastering it to your scalps. Your skin was flushed from exertion and you guys hadn't moved more than a few paces.

You weren't even out of sight of the entryway when the light was suddenly ripped away from behind. Leaving nothing but a yawning void.

Marin stumbled, as though her strings had been cut, and you followed. Your entire body was molten lava, bones scorched to nothing.

Someone was screaming. Or maybe you both were. You couldn't tell. Marin was gripping your hand with all her might and you gripped right back. The point of contact felt melted into her skin, like you were a part of her.

Or she was part of you.

Eventually, you felt her start to rise, pulling you with her. You couldn't see, but you knew she still had that fire searing in her eyes. No amount of tear stains could hide her will to live.

She took a step forward, and you followed her into the dark. One, two, three, four....

Time lost it's meaning. You'd long since lost count of the steps you two stumbled through together.

It was getting harder. Each step forward seemed to add another weight to your shoulders. It hurt to breath, it hurt to blink. You stopped opening your eyes a while ago. Your skin felt blistered and cracked.

You and Marin had tried talking, but it wore on her too heavily. She was gasping for air even more desperately than you were, breaths raw and ragged.

More time passed. Each step got harder. You were stumbling more than you were walking.

You were sure your nose was bleeding. You could taste the iron in your mouth, where liquid dripped over your upper lip. You couldn't feel your face.

Then Marin threw up. Fell to her knees and just kept puking and puking, struggling for precious air, whole body convulsing. You reach down blindly with your other hand to try to get her hair out of the way.

You overshot and your hand ended up in the spray (it was perfectly smooth like water, not at all natural). It felt like liquid metal across your skin, ripping a scream from your throat.

The smell of burning flesh hit your senses as you curled around your arm, the limb pulsing under you.

You could feel tension building in your body, heavy and foreboding.

Marin was crying. She was shaking. She retched again.

She clutched your hand like a lifeline, desperation corded into every muscle in her fingers. You squeezed back with everything you had, reassurance you were still there in the total darkness.

The tension snapped.

Then her hand went limp, only your grip keeping her from fully slumping to the ground. Dead weight.

"Marin?" You rasped, voice shaking with pain and shock. "Marin?"

She didn't respond. She didn't move. Her limp body slumped against your side, like a branding rod searing through your clothes.

Your heart raced in panic and it gave you the strength needed to pull your still burning arm from beneath you and feel for her pulse.

You found it. Faint. So faint it was a mere whisper, but there.

Ahead of you, an endless void. Behind you, the gapping maw of nonexistence. Nothing in all directions but the limp body leaned against your leg. The sound of the portal just kept growing louder, like metal scraping in your ear.

Your body was so heavy. Your skin seemingly peeled back and exposed, burning against the agony of existence.

You broke.

You shattered.

You felt.

"It doesn't get to be this way." You panted, eyes open, seeing nothing and stinging like hornets. "No. You don't get to do that."

Emotion rose like a tidalwave within you, boiling under the surface of your skin. You turned your eyes up, casting your gaze into the void there.

"You don't get to do that to them. You don't get to keep hurting them like this. They're not toys. They're real."

You swallowed thickly.

"They're real."

The emotion boiled over. The dam broke. Everything else was lost to the Rage.

"YOU!" You screamed, voice shrill, hot liquid falling from your lips as something stretched and burst. "Don't! Get! To! Keep! Hurting! Them! You don't get to do that! They're people! They're real people with real feelings and pain, Goddamnit!"

You were lost to that rage. The feeling that had haunted your every waking moment since the moment you fell through that first portal. Since first you realized where you were.

From the moment you realized who they were and what that meant.

"You don't get to take anything else from them! You hear me! Not a single. Damned. Thing. More!" You spat. "I will not allow it! I! Reject! It!"

You hauled Marin forward inch by agonizing inch with strength you should not have, using spite that ran so deep it tore at peices of your soul.

You weren't even looking forward anymore (what need have you to know when the torment ends, when you're never going to stop. not until death takes you). Instead, you'd braced your feet firmly and started hauling yourself backwards, back arched so far you were nearly sitting.

"I will not let you keep hurting them for your entertainment!" You screeched, not caring how it hurt. Not caring how spit and snot and blood ran down your chin. How sweat soaked straight through your clothes, stinging against the aching rawness of your skin.

You pulled, both hands latched onto Marin's one. The universe pulled back, trying to take this precious being from your grasp. Your progress was halted.

You snapped.

"FUCK YOU! FUCK YOU NITENDO. FUCK YOU GAME PEOPLE. FUCK YOU PLAYERS! AND FUCK ME TOO! FUCK ME FOR EVERYTHING I EVER DID TO HURT YOU! FUCK EVERYONE WHO EVER HURT YOU FOR FUN!"

You screamed then, rasping, tearing and wordless. Just kept screaming and pulling against the universe. Against the pain. Against the unfairness of it all.

The universe pulled again and you snarled like a beast, grip so tight on Marin's wrist you felt something cracking. She felt like Hellfire under your hands.

It only enraged you more.

"You don't get to have her! You don't get to hurt him anymore! You don't get to hurt any of them! They're mine now! You! Don't! Have! The! Right! THEY'RE MINE!"

A choked rasp, iron flooding your throat as the nosebleed gets worse.

"Marin is mine! Legend is mine! Hyrule is mine! Wind is mine! Warriors, Sky, Four are mine! Time and Twilight are mine! Wild is mine!"

Another step back, an inch gained.

Again, and again, and again.

"I'm going to take back everything you stole from them!" You howl into the void, uncaring of how absolutely broken your voice had become. "The moment you let your guard down, I'm taking everything! You. HEAR! ME!"

"I'M TAKING EVERY-"

The universe let go and you fell.

...and Marin fell with you.

Suddenly, there was gentle light filtered through leaves, cool spring air and the faint call of birdsong. No endless darkness or scorching magma in your veins or the infernal screech of portal magic in your ear. Just bliss.

And then your body reminded you that it was not fine.

Your muscles seized, tightening in painful reminder of the strain you had put them through. Your skin stung like sandpaper burn from head to toe, your lungs ached so fiercely it drew tears to your eyes.

Eyes tightly closed and teeth gritted, you curled around the limp body sprawled at your side, limbs intermingled as your body spasmed through the pain.

Then, there were hands on you and you cried out in agony.

Someone shushed you, soundly oddly choked and quiet as another pair of hands gently tried to move you. Then several.

You refused. Arms tightening around the precious being trapped in your embrace. You fought with what little strength you had left, sobbing as the hands managed to pry you loose.

You wailed in dispair.

Someone sobbed with you.

You finally succumbed to your body's desperate demands to escape the pain. You drifted away to the feeling of gentle arms cradling you close, of soft whispers in your hair.

Finally, peace found you. If only for a time.

---

Perhaps there will be a part two. Maybe even venture into yandere territory. Who knows.

I must return to the shadows once more to recharge.