A/N: Hi! This is my first venture into the Linked Universe fandom (LU by Jojo, check it out! Their work is amazing!!). This story will be slow updating, and I apologize for any OOCness. Big shoutout to the LU Discord, which is full of amazing people who are awesome and encouraging! Love you guys!! :)

Also, my username on Discord for the LU is Hero of the Deathly Loneliness.

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"Are you kidding me?!" Legend scowled at his bowl of... something. "I can't even identify this!"

"Just be quiet and eat." Time shot him a glare. Though he didn't want to eat this slop any more than Legend did, Sky had tried his hardest tonight. One would think that with eight different Links, one of them would know how to cook beyond 'roast it over fire until it's hot'. The best any of them could honestly do was roasted fish—and that got tiring after the thirtieth time. Even still, Time thought fish sounded a lot better than whatever this purple gelatinous substance was.

Was it moving? Time was fairly sure that nothing that went into the soup was supposed to be alive. He shoveled half of it down before discreetly dumping the rest into Twilight's bowl—receiving a horrified and betrayed look from his protégé—which he promptly ignored.

He could eat an apple or something later. If whatever he just consumed didn't crawl its way back up first.

To be fair, even Sky looked a bit perturbed by his own cooking, so Time didn't feel as bad about secretly dumping it out.

The eight of them had been traveling together for about four months, now, and the portals were taking longer and longer to show up—maybe one every month or so. He was both grateful that they weren't constantly moving from one person's Hyrule to the next, and disappointed that he wouldn't be seeing Malon anytime soon. On the other hand, when he finally did get to go back to his own Hyrule, he'd likely have weeks with his wife—and her delicious home cooking.

Which he dearly missed right about now.

"Uh... guys?" Wind piped up. "Do you hear that?"

Time strained his hearing. For a moment, nothing sounded particularly out of place. Crickets chirped, the fire crackled, a monster cried out in pain as blades clashed—wait. "Someone's being attacked." He stated suddenly.

Instantly, there was a weapon in every hand as camp was quickly abandoned—anything of importance was kept on their person.

They expected to find some civilian or knight fighting a monster or two. Some of them were preparing to find bodies. But they found none of those things. What they found instead was a cloaked figure wielding a wicked looking blade, with an old wooden shield on their right arm fighting against six Lizalfos. Oh, make that four—the stranger pulled a daring backflip before rushing in and taking out two of them with unreal speed.

Twilight knocked an arrow and hit one of the farther ones in the arm, drawing its attention. The stranger startled, barely bringing their shield up in time to block a spear. The shield shattered into hundreds of pieces, much to Time's horror. Several splinters embedded themselves in the stranger's arm, but they seemed to pay it no mind—as if such a thing was common.

They tapped a strange glowing rectangular device on their hip, even as they lashed out at one Lizalfos. A quick shine of blue light showed a second blade in the stranger's other hand as they smoothly switched to full-on attack mode.

They fought dangerously—ferociously, like an animal. The Lizalfos they fought had black blood—from what Time could see. The fact that this stranger took out at least two black-blooded monsters alone and was only mildly injured spoke volumes of their skill.

In a matter of minutes, the battlefield was cleared of monsters. For a moment, all anyone could do was awkwardly stand there—socializing wasn't exactly any Link's strong suit.

"Are you okay? Oh! Your arm!" Sky made a step towards the hooded figure, who took a hasty step back. Their posture was wary and unsure. They let the cloak fall over their arm, hiding the injury from view. It didn't escape Time's notice that the stranger was still armed. "Hey, now. It's okay, we aren't going to hurt you. We heard the fighting and came to help."

The stranger tapped on their device and their second weapon vanished in tendrils of blue light. They cautiously sheathed the one weapon, keeping a healthy distance likely in case of an attack.

'Who are you?' They signed. Time mentally thanked himself for ensuring that all of them were at least moderately proficient in sign. Better safe than sorry, in the unfortunately likely case someone got injured and couldn't speak.

"My name is Sky. That's Time, Twilight, and Legend. Over there's Hyrule and Wind, and that's Warriors and Four. We're travelers, just like you."

If the stranger found their names odd, they didn't say anything. For a moment, it looked like they weren't going to reply. 'Link.'

Several of them shifted at the name. Was this another one of them? But why? They were in Twilight's Hyrule right now, and when each of them joined, they'd been picked up from their home Hyrules.

"Tell me, Link, do you recognize this sword?" Sky asked, carefully pulling out the Master Sword. Link started badly, reaching a shaky hand out towards it for a moment before snatching it back, as if remembering that it wasn't his.

Time still caught the faintest glow on the back of his hand. "We can explain back at the camp, while we tend to that arm of yours." Time spoke up. Link tensed, ready to run at the drop of a hat.

That worried Time. Sure they all had their triggers and personal issues—and Hylia knows that Legend was more than leery when they first met—but none of them had been this wary. Nobody had been this skittish, as to think to run away even after seeing the Master Sword. Then again, this Link was probably torn suddenly from his own time and thrust into Twilight's Hyrule with no warning or explanation. It was no wonder he was so paranoid.

He caught sight of unbelievably bright cerulean blue eyes beneath the hood that matched his equally blue tunic. They shone with an almost child-like curiosity, despite the wariness that lingered there.

'I'm only coming for the explanation.' He finally signed, and Time gave an internal sigh of relief. Obviously, this was another Hero of Courage, and if he ran off Time had no doubts that Hylia would make them find him before they could continue their journey. He did not want a repeat of their mad manhunt for Hyrule.

The walk back to camp was quiet, but tense. Before long, the comforting glow of their campfire came into view, along with the hastily (and gratefully) abandoned bowls of dinner.

Link eyed the bowls with what Time was sure was disgust. 'Do I want to know?'

"Dinner." Wind answered with a grimace.

Link nodded, accepting the answer as Hyrule came back with medical supplies and a potion. "We need to get those splinters out before a potion can take effect.

Link just shook his head as he sat on a log and started to casually pick out the splinters.

"You shouldn't do that! You could make it worse!" Hyrule quietly reprimanded, but Link was already done. He gave him a flat look that somehow conveyed mild irritation. "Fine." Hyrule huffed.

Time saw the glimmer of amusement in Link's eyes. "As for that explanation..." He looked over at Sky. He was much better at explaining this stuff anyways.

"So... here's the basics of it." Sky started, sitting across from their newest member. "My nickname is Sky, but my real name is also Link. All of us are Link. We're all Heroes who hold the Spirit of Courage from different timelines. Hylia brought us together for some reason, and now she's brought you to us, too." He paused to let Link take it in and ask questions if he wanted to. His hand twitched, but ultimately remained still. "I'm the oldest—technically. I forged the Master Sword. The spirit inside is named Fi, and she gave us all our titles, which is where we get our nicknames from. These monsters have been appearing all across Hyrule—all of our Hyrules—with black blood and unreal strength and vitality. Like those monsters you fought earlier."

Link stared at Sky for a moment. 'A strange black portal appeared out of nowhere and sucked me in. Next thing I knew, I was here, in this forest. I've been here for a day and a half.' He paused. 'So this really isn't my Hyrule?'

"It's mine." Twilight spoke up. "I'm the Hero of Twilight, but you can call me Twilight." He smiled. "We're in the Faron Woods."

Link looked off towards the light in the distance. 'What's that glow?'

"That's Castle Town. It's so big, you can see its glow from miles away." Twilight grinned.

'So why am I here?' Link asked, looking back at Sky. 'Surely, with eight heroes, any enemy is doomed?'

"Hylia brought you to us. That means we need you. You're a hero just like we are—it's in your blood. You hold the Hero's Spirit, too." Sky smiled. "So? What do you say? Will you join us on our journey to save Hyrule?"

Link stared at each of them in turn. Time could see the conflict in his eyes. He understood that hesitation—this Link's journey couldn't have been easy (none of their journeys were easy).

"Sometimes, one more comrade can make all the difference in a battle." Warriors spoke up. Link's gaze locked on to him for a moment. Time watched as the newcomer's gaze hardened in determination.

'I can't promise I'll be of much help, but I'll do what I can. If you'll have me.' Link signed, and several people smiled.

Sky held the Master Sword out to Link. "Go on—Fi will tell us your nickname."

Link hesitated. Time recognized that look in his eye, to an extent. He didn't want the Master Sword. He understood the weight that came with that blade and wanted nothing to do with it.

Link took the sword nonetheless, flinching a bit as if he expected some kind of repercussion. To their shock, the glow of the sword dimmed greatly, until it was merely a weak shimmer. Several old cracks and chips appeared on the blade, and the hilt lost its luster. Chunks were missing from the edges, and even the winged guard on the sword was badly damaged. The sword looked ancient in the hands of this new Link. He hastily handed it back to a shocked Sky with a quick apology in sign.

"No, don't be sorry—give me a sec, and I'll see what happened." Sky reassured as the blade instantly brightened in his hands. Cracks mended and colors brightened until it looked like the same blade Time himself had pulled from the pedestal all those years ago. After a few tense moments, Sky relaxed with a smile. "I see. You're from very far into the future. It's nothing you did wrong—Fi says the sword's just lost a lot of power over time. You're from several thousand years ahead of any of us."

"Woah! Several thousand?!" Wind bounced happily.

Link startled. 'So... I didn't damage it?'

"Damage?! No! Fi wants to apologize—she says she's grown very weak and weary in your time, and wasn't able to serve you as well as she should have."

Link seemed to hesitate for a moment. 'So it's not because I'm unworthy?'

Sky recoiled as if he was slapped. Time felt similarly. For as many insecurities as they all had between them, none of them had ever felt unworthy of the Master Sword—not even Four, who'd never wielded it before their journey together. The fact that this new Link felt unworthy bothered them all more than they'd like to admit. What kind of journey had he had to make him think that?

"Of course you're worthy." Sky stated after coming out of his momentary shock. "Fi calls you her master, same as the rest of us. If she didn't think you were worthy, then she wouldn't have let you pull her in the first place." He smiled softly. "Nor would she have bestowed a title upon you. It's nice to meet you, Hero of the Wild."

Hero of the Wild, huh? Time wondered if it had anything to do with his unconventional fighting style they saw earlier. It certainly was wild enough. He thought he saw a glimpse of a smile beneath the cloak as the newly dubbed Wild's shoulders relaxed.

"So... what's with the hood?" Wind asked, adding a pout. Time resisted the urge to snort—he was pulling the child card and Wild wouldn't realize it until he got to know Wind better.

'It makes me feel safer.' Wild answered after a moment.

"But you're safe here." Wind tilted his head. Time was about to reprimand him to leave the newest Link alone, when Wild signed to Wind again.

'It's just...' He sighed and shook his head. 'I suppose you'll see it eventually.'

Wild hesitated a moment before reaching up and dropping the hood. The first thing Time noticed was his hair. It was an eye-catching sun kissed blond that shone in what little light there was. It was also the longest by far of all of theirs, pulled up into a high ponytail with two bits left out to frame either side of his face. Even pulled back, his hair still reached halfway down his back. He wondered for a moment how he'd gotten it all into the hood.

Then Time saw his face.

He tried not to stare, but it was fairly hard not to. They all had their share of physical scars—it was a given considering their lives—but Wild's was something else. They looked like burn scars. They covered the entire left side of his face—even his ear!—and vanished down the neck of his sky blue tunic.

After he looked past the scars, Time felt sick. He was young. Maybe sixteen? He was a child, there was no need for such scarring on a kid! He cursed Hylia in his mind.

"Wow! Did it hurt?" Wind asked, tactless as ever. Hyrule shot Wind a look, but Wild smiled softly.

'Yeah, it did. But I'm okay, now.' Wild reassured the youngest as he pulled out his strange tablet.

"What's that?" Hyrule asked.

'It's called a Sheikah Slate—it's ancient Sheikah technology. I can store all kinds of things in here, including supplies, food, and weapons.' Wild explained. Now that they could see his expressions, Time realized he was very animated. He smiled a lot and had an easygoing air about him.

He wondered if he was physically unable to speak due to the scarring on his neck.

Wild swiped a finger across the surface of the device, and the images changed. He tapped something and a few ingredients formed in his hand via the same tendrils of blue light he produced the weapons from. Useful.

He then turned towards the fire and set up a cooking pot. Time's stomach dropped—he wasn't sure if he could handle another bout of that... sludge.

"Oh, it's okay—we've already eaten!" Warriors quickly spoke up.

Wild shot the leftovers an unimpressed look. 'I insist—as a thank you for treating my injuries earlier.' Before anyone else could protest, he poured milk into the pot along with a few other things that Time wasn't sure he could name. He thought he saw some kind of herbs go in, but he wasn't the best at botany.

After several minutes—and wary glances casted at one another at the horrific thought of another nightmarish dish—a mouth-watering aroma floated around them, making several stomachs—Sky's included—grumble greedily.

"Do you think he can actually cook?" Four whispered to Legend.

"I won't believe it until I taste it." Legend muttered back, his mouth set in a thin line.

Wild sent Legend a sly smirk and portioned out a small amount into a dish. 'Go on, give it a taste test.'

Legend hesitantly took the bowl, eyeing the creamy lumpy substance with distrust, despite the smell. Everyone leaned in as Legend finally tilted the bowl, taking a very tiny sip.

He pulled away, looking at it with shock. For a moment, Time thought it might've been that bad, until Legend greedily slurped the rest of it, eyeing the pot like it was made of golden rupees.

"He can cook." Legend said numbly. The words echoed amongst the others like ripples on a still lake.

'You mean none of you can cook?' Wild asked, shock evident on his face as he passed out full bowls to the others.

Time took one careful spoonful of the stew. Goddesses, it was almost better than his wife's cooking! He found his muscles relaxing as the heat from the broth spread throughout his body, warming him. His eyes fluttered shut in pure bliss, and in that moment, nothing existed but that damn bowl of stew.

"We're keeping him." Twilight stated without room for argument (not that anyone would argue after tasting the stew).

"WE CAN FINALLY EAT FOOD AGAIN!" Wind cried in joy.

'You guys are taking this too far.' Wild tried to reason, but Time shot him a look.

"That," he gestured to the bowls of... was one of their dinners crawling away? Did Sky accidentally create a freaking Chuchu out of dinner?! What the hell was in that?! He took a moment to regain his composure (managing to do so better than the others who silently watched the blob sneak into the forest.) "That's what we've been eating for the last four months." He finally finished.

Wild stared at them incredulously. 'From now on, I'm taking over cooking duty. If I don't I fear for your lives.'

Warriors nodded sagely. "So do we."

Time took a moment to study Wild as he conversed animatedly with Warriors and Hyrule about something. He'd been rightly cautious from the start about this strange group of eight highly trained warriors jumping to help him in a fight, but he calmed down relatively quickly.

He was somewhat relieved to see that glimmer of wariness in the kid's eye. He was being friendly, but he wasn't being open. He was being honest, but Time noticed that he stated nothing personal. The only things they knew about him was that he was from very far into the future, badly scarred, a fantastic cook, thought himself unworthy of the Master Sword (that deeply bothered Time), and was The Hero of the Wild.

In retrospect, it was very little information. Wild was already fitting in nicely, despite the fact that his defenses were up. Time had to commend him—he was very good at redirection. By presenting an open and carefree personality, the others completely forgot the typical journey-story pestering that greeted a new face.

Wild seemed like a very private individual. Time could respect that, so he let it be. So long as nothing came back and bit them in the ass, he was fine with Wild keeping to himself.

Twilight, in particular, seemed quite protective of their newest addition. Time idly wondered if it was the scars or the age. He knew Twilight was a sucker for children (even the older ones).

"What's your Hyrule like?" Wind asked eagerly.

Wild thought for a moment. 'I'm not sure how to describe it to you—I don't have any other Hyrules to compare it to. Once I see some of yours, I'll let you know.'

"Like I said earlier, we're in my Hyrule right now." Twilight spoke up. "We were heading towards Castle Town when you dropped in." He chuckled a bit.

'I'd love to see it!' Wild grinned, perking up like a child.

"You should!" Wind bounced, equally excited. "It's so colorful! There are so many people and shops and things to do!"

'What's your Hyrule like, Wind?'

"Oh! My Hyrule is all under the sea! I'm a pirate, and I sail a really big ship!" He grinned before going off on a tangent of his world.

Time smiled. "All right, guys. I think that's enough. We should get some rest, it's getting late."

"Aww! Five more minutes?" Wind pleaded.

"No." Time sent him a stern look. "I'm taking first watch. Twi, you'll take second, and Warriors will take third. Wild, we'll start incorporating you into the watch schedule soon, so enjoy the rest while you can." He warned, and the newcomer just gave him a confident smirk and a thumbs up.

The others all settled into their bedrolls, and Wild... Wild climbed a tree. "Isn't that uncomfortable?" Warriors asked.

'I always sleep like this when I'm on the road. It makes it harder for enemies to sneak up on me.'

Time wondered why he and whoever went on his journey with him didn't just keep watch like they did, but he figured it wasn't his place to ask. Besides, perhaps Wild only had the Master Sword to accompany him, like Sky. A sword couldn't exactly keep watch for him. Especially if she was as old in Wild's time as Sky said.

He shook the thought as he settled in for his watch, listening to the sounds of eight others falling asleep. Time smiled softly to himself. He may hate Hylia, but he was grateful that she gave him this family, even if it is only temporary. And he'd make damn sure Wild became a part of it.