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“Well it’s nice to have you in the area again kid, even if your companions are a bunch of weirdos.”
Being dumped through a portal from Skyloft and rolling out onto the grasses east of the Dueling Peaks certainly has its ups and downs, Wild reckoned - flattening his hair with a bashful chuckle. He followed Kensa’s line of sight to where Hyrule and Wind were curiously prodding and poking at the Ha Dahamar shrine.
Wild watched as the traveller slipped in the shallows and went sprawling beside the Sheikah pedestal, tearing raucous laughter from the sailor as he went down.
He wasn’t sure whether the long-dissipated monk below would be rolling in his metaphorical tomb or not. He quickly apologised for their conduct.
Kensa waved it off. “No worries kid, it’s nice having a lively bunch around for once. Are you headed for Kakariko or Hateno? Pruce’s Wednesday sale is on again tomorrow.”
“We haven’t decided yet.” Wild glanced into the stable, where Twilight and Four were sharing out ryebread rolls for lunch. Something suddenly occurred to him, and he turned back to Kensa.
“What’s the date today, actually?” He asked, plastering an innocent smile on his face. “We lost track of time somewhere between Koukot and the Big Twin.”
“Geez kid, you were over in Gerudo Canyon this time of year? It was the summer solstice just last Monday!”
“Something like that,” Wild said, distracted as he ran through the mental maths in his head. “That’d make it a couple days before July… Oh! Thank you Kensa!”
The stablehand chuckled, shaking his head fondly with a parting goodbye and a demand they stay safe. With a wave of his own, Wild found himself racing through the canopied entrance of the stable and jogging over to the heroes sat around for lunch.
“Guys!” He called, bouncing slightly in his excitement. “I just found out what the date is - the Kakariko lights festival is very soon! I’m sure we haven’t missed it yet.”
Recognition lit up on Time’s face, a curious amusement breaking out slowly. “That’s the Sheikah’s traditional celebration you told me about, right?” The man leant forward, trying to get a better look at the light outside the tent. “It’s barely past midday. Do we have time to get there before sundown if we leave soon?”
After assuring them it wasn’t even half a day’s walk away, the nine of them settled on the walk to Kakariko easily enough. With a glimpse of the midday glare overtop Dueling Peaks, they packed up and set off again along the trail.
Wild was unreasonably excited. The odd festival was always wonderful to get stuck into, but they weren’t exactly frequent given how small the remaining populations were.
And he’d never had people to share them with before.
It wasn’t the same as simply warping nearby and offering to help, as he had done in years past. The nine of them were together, travelling across time and space as one. The idea of sharing the most vibrant part of his culture with them painted a permanent grin on his face that the others kept commenting on.
“Damn, this must be some light show.” Legend said, rolling his eyes when Wild perked up further.
“It’s only small.” He admitted, anxiously recalling the scale of the Skyloftian festival they’d gotten lost in. Hylia, what if he’d hyped it up too much? He’d hate for them to be underwhelmed.
“I like small,” Four sidled up to them, smiling easily. “Suits me just fine.”
“Yeah no shit, four-foot nothing.”
Wild fell back to let them bicker, keeping half an eye on the trail through the mountains. He’d been preyed upon by one too many Yiga near here to fully enjoy the view.
Someone jogged forward to fall into step beside him, Master Sword clanking against Sky’s shield as he trotted over. He seemed interested in the tradition’s origin.
Impa had told him a little of its history a few years ago, explaining it was a celebration of deep gratitude. The Sheikah’s safety had been successfully guarded and upheld in spite of being cast out for their advancements. It dated back centuries, and Wild relayed as much to Sky.
“It’s nice to know that festivals in spirit with my own still persist,” Sky said softly, hand clasped behind his back. “The Light festival is about appreciating our gifts, too.”
Guilt gripped Wild’s stomach with horrid ferocity then. How rude it must have been, for him to drag Time away from the event and insist on sitting it out. He hadn’t considered at the time how disrespectful that might have been, but the realisation hit him now with the force of a boulder.
They were walking to Kakariko - to the festival he’d championed right in his friend’s face.
He felt horribly selfish.
“Sky, Hylia above - about the Light festival, it didn’t occur to me...” He stuttered, hands twisting nervously. Sky just seemed confused, eyes glancing back and forth as he tried to parse what was wrong all of a sudden. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t even take part… and-”
“Hey, hey.” Softly, Sky shushed him, bringing a comforting hand to Wild’s elbow that he didn’t deserve. “You’ve no need to apologise.”
“But I-”
“You appreciated the festivities, didn’t you?” Sky cut in with a firm smile. Like it was just obvious to him. Like it made perfect sense. “You enjoyed the atmosphere? Stayed nearby?”
Wild nodded, glancing up to Time’s back a little ways in front of them.
“Then that’s all I could ask for.” Sky stated plainly, patting his arm a couple times before breathing a short laugh. “It’d be a little wrong of me to force you into the thick of things, for a number of reasons really. Same goes for Time, I suppose.”
The deeper meaning to his words went by unsaid, but not unnoticed by either of them. They both spared a moment to look to their leader then, trudging up the mountain trail beside Wind and Warriors. The Biggoron Sword at his back weighed heavy on Wild’s mind.
How conflicted he’d been, returning the Master Sword to Sky when they first met. His reluctance hadn’t even stemmed from distrust, as it so often did - there was something more to it.
After all the sword had done to him - after everything it had cost him (friends, family and time, his mind supplied unhelpfully, making his heart hurt ), he’d still mourned its perfect balance.
Wild had poured hours into restoring the blade to its former glory, had shed blood, sweat and tears for it at the Deku Tree’s feet. And he still loathed it to some degree.
He could only imagine what Time had to go through at its mercy. He refused to touch it.
“Yeah,” He breathed, turning back to Sky with a weak smile. “The festival was really pretty, by the way. I’d never seen so much colour in one place before.”
“Right?” Sky looked excited once more, tearing his gaze away from the head of their pack. “I can’t wait to see these lights though. Do you think it’ll be a clear night? I wonder how many lanterns we’ll get to see.”
o~O~o
“Master Link!”
As promised, their band of nine crested the winding slope up to Kakariko only a few hours into the afternoon, clear skies and rustling trees greeting them at the village windcharms.
Alongside the desperate shout of a young woman.
All nine heads turned, searching in the direction it had come from. Wild jogged ahead a little, rounding the corner into the village and greeting a sheikah girl with great enthusiasm.
“Paya! How’s Impa?”
The rest of the heroes watched as she came storming over, harried and frantic. In all her whirlwind anxiety, she seemed to have forgotten to be stunned by the sight of nine heavily-armed men in the village entrance - opting to wave a book in Wild’s face.
“An absolute terror, as always.” She grumbled, flushing a little when Wild pulled her into a one-armed hug and nosily prodded at her book. “It’s a nightmare, and she refuses to do more than tell me to relax with a wicked grin.”
“Sounds about right,” Wild laughed. “Can’t be that bad, though? I’m sure we’ve all dealt with worse.”
“Don’t hold your breath, hero.” She griped, finally registering his uncharacteristically large travelling group and asking after them, uncertain.
“They’re willing to help?” Paya perked up, the hopeful look in her eyes slightly sharpened by something desperate running too close to the surface.
When Wild shrugged the question to the others and received a volley of nods, Paya fell back into a flurry of action. “Oh thank goodness.” She began rattling off a list of preparations. “The kids haven’t finished painting their lanterns, the reeds near Mellie and Olkin’s house are still blocking the stream, and the cuckoos need rounding up again.”
Time sidled up beside Wild, clapping him on the shoulder. “Sounds like a job for us, cub. It’s lovely to meet you, ma’am. We’d be happy to help after leaving our belongings with your innkeeper.”
Wild was struggling to breathe as he held back a spluttering laugh. Paya always did get easily embarrassed, but she was gradually progressing from beet red to crimson the longer Time spent kindly addressing her.
Mercifully, Twilight got the hint, skidding over to steer his mentor away.
Time looked bewildered - totally oblivious - and it was a testament to Ollie’s professionalism that he didn’t stare too much at Wind and Legend. The veteran was wheezing as Wind wiped away hysterical tears, their spluttering only increasing as Time continued to look perplexed.
“Oh come on, what did I miss?”
Legend gulped down lungfuls of air. “Bet’s off, guys. No prizes for guessing who asked who.” He announced.
“Absolutely.” Warriors chortled.
o~O~o
“I can’t believe you boys were betting on that!”
Wild actually stopped what he was doing to turn and stare at Time, totally flat. The cuckoos he had propped under each arm seemed just as incredulous, somehow.
“Point taken,” He grumbled, crouching down to grab another cuckoo before it could flap out of reach. “Don’t know why I’m surprised.”
He couldn’t have suppressed a bashful smile of his own at Wild’s gleeful cackles.
With the last bird safely shut away in their yard, and a firm talking-to for Cado courtesy of their cook, the pair strolled back up the village path to hunt down the others. It didn’t take long. They could hear the trio by the stream before they saw them.
“Oh I’ll get you for that!”
“No! I surrender! Holy shit-”
They seemed to have stumbled upon a... murder? Hyrule was eyeing his companions warily, clearly worried for their sanity. Four was waist-deep in the little village stream, absolutely drenched in water with what looked like a birds nest of pondweed tangled through his hair. He seemed to be trying to dunk Wind under the current, a little too determined. They both froze when Time called out, hand on hip and brows furrowed.
Four looked about as sheepish as it was possible to be. Wind looked like a drowned rat.
“You done?” Time taunted, reaching down to pluck a reed free from Four’s hair. The boys scrambled away from eachother, quickly resuming their attempts to hack the plantlife free and chuck it onto the grassy bank. Time did not miss the way their sailor drew a finger across his throat when Four was next looking, a wicked grin in place.
Wild was already knee-deep himself, trying to unclog a wad of leaves tangled around Olkin’s watermill. “Hope the others are getting along okay.” He remarked, cheering victoriously when the grass pulled free with a satisfying squelch.
“Let’s just hope none of them resorted to attempted homicide.”
o~O~o
If Time had been caught off guard by Four and Wind’s impromptu stream-wrestling, that had been nothing compared to what greeted them in the village’s main building.
Wild had led the four of them up the long staircase with a happy greeting to the man stood guard, and pushed through into the main room. The younger Sheikah woman named Paya told them prior that the village elder, Impa, was supervising the children in painting the remainder of the festival’s lanterns.
Legend, Twilight and Sky had been wrangled into helping them all, and the second they crossed the threshold, Wild whipped out his slate’s camera faster than lightning.
The three heroes were scattered around the room amongst the children, all from various settlements across the kingdom according to Wild.
Twilight was sat cross-legged in the middle, carefully guiding four kids through rinsing their brush between colours and waiting for each one to dry before going over it again. A girl Wild greeted as ‘Cottla’ was perched in his protege’s lap, a mess of colour excitedly splashed across her lantern and both their faces. Twilight didn’t seem to care, smudging the paint with the back of his hand and a hearty laugh when he noticed them entering.
Sky was off to one side with Cottla’s older sister, a Hateno boy and two young Rito, painting a lantern of his own in demonstration. The children at his side were surprisingly focused, following the hero’s gentle, delicate lead as he swirled intricate patterns across the paper frame.
Legend’s group was a sight to behold. The veteran was crouched down by some of the youngest kids, praising the toddlers as they happily babbled at him.
“Damn, kiddo.” He said, inspecting a nondescript splodge of yellow one of the Hateno boys was pointing out to him. “I love the way you’ve complimented it to the purple squiggles. Really abstract.”
He glanced up at the sound of the doors opening, reduced to sticking his tongue out at Wild’s camera in the presence of children. “Look at this,” He said, gently taking one of the children’s lanterns and getting paint all over his hands as he held it up. “Bloody brilliant, you should consider a career in art, kid. Have your parents ever discussed with you the merits of pursuing a creatively-focused passion like this?”
The toddler just gabbled at him happily, smearing more paint across his knee. It was as ludicrous as it was endearing, reducing them all to disbelieving giggles.
“Who knew the grand grump was so good with kids?” Wind snickered.
“Who said I wasn’t, jackass?”
From her cushioned perch at the back of the room, Impa cackled. Twilight and Sky looked scandalised. “Legend! Language!”
The veteran just grinned down at the kid by his knee, smirking. “Eh, they don’t have a clue what I’m saying, do you?”
When the boy tried to parrot his words back to him not ten minutes later, Wild fumbled for his camera again to capture Legend’s priceless expression.
o~O~o
“I think we’re ready,” Paya breathed, hugging her notebook to her chest nervously. “I think everything’s done.”
Wild nodded to her around a mouthful of veggie riceball, gulping it down. “Glad we could help curb your panic.”
Come evening, there were more people clustered around the little stream than Wild had ever seen in the village at once. Children ran up and down the path while their parents sat perched on the house porches, exchanging regional home-cooked food and drinks. The nine heroes were scattered amongst the crowd, situated at different points in groups.
Wild could see Hyrule and Four swishing their feet around in the stream by Olkin’s pumpkin watermill, Twilight and Sky taking it in turns to swing the children around in circles, and Warriors and Wind up at the very top of the little waterfall, helping to situate all the decorated lanterns.
A few minutes before things kicked off properly Paya gave Wild her heartfelt thanks before disappearing off to prepare the ceremony, and Time appeared overtop the village’s incline with Legend at his side, taking the newly-vacated spot and handing him a bowl of something wonderfully fragrant.
“A Rito woman passed it out,” Legend explained, digging in. “Salmon risotto, its fucking delicious.”
Wild tucked in himself. It was so lovely to see so many people from distant settlements in the village for the festivities. It wasn’t exactly easy for the countryfolk of his era to safely traverse cross-country, but having the kids here with their guardians made a world of difference - even if it was just one brave family or two from each corner of the kingdom. Cottla and Koko had spent the day surrounded by children their age. It made his spirits soar.
“Look, cub.” Time interrupted his train of thought, nudging him gently. “It's starting.”
They all turned away from Lantern Lake and the main building to stare at the little waterfall at the top of the village. Perched at the very top, beside a spritely young Rito man, was Wind. The sailor looked to be in his element, carefully lighting the first lantern and letting it drop into the current at the top of the waterfall.
A chorus of ‘ooh’s and ‘ahh’s rose from the crowd below as the small, brightly-coloured paper frame seemed to glide over the edge and float down towards the stream below, its descent slowed by the warm rising air inside. It was swiftly followed by several more as the waterfall duo were put through their paces, and the fiery glow of the multicoloured beacons gradually lit up the star-splashed night sky.
At the very top of the village, Warriors was encouraging the children to make a game out of wafting any stray lanterns back towards the water of the little stream. The paper frames drifted steadily down the current, under bridges and around twisting meanders and turns. His companions’ eyes all shone as they drank in the view, Twilight and Sky ushering everyone closer down by the firelight-dappled goddess statue where the lanterns were coming to rest.
Wild did a terrible job of trying to surreptitiously scrub his eyes dry. His chest swelled with emotion as the heroes on either side of him leant closer, putting supportive pressure on him.
“You bloody sap.” Legend said with a fond eyeroll.
“T-Thanks guys,” He sniffled, watery smile following the stunning light show. “I can’t believe I got to share this with you.”
It was Time’s turn to smile at him, a hand at his shoulder. “Cub, the pleasure was all ours.”