The mailman's visit was the best part of their trip.
Sometimes he spoke to just one Link, sometimes to several, and very rarely, to all of them. And this was one of those times.
The small group had scattered across the clearing they were in, settling on the ground or against the trees, tearing the seals from envelopes and crumpling paper, impatient for news from home.
Warriors was the first to finish reading, the note being as short as always, and he took the opportunity to indulge his curiosity as to who his brothers-in-arms' correspondents might be.
His immediate neighbor being Wind, he was naturally designated as his first target. So he elbowed him to get his attention, his gossipy grin in place.
"Is your news good?"
"Yes, actually," he commented thoughtfully.
"And who's the author of this novel of a letter? Tetra, maybe?"
As he'd expected, Wind flushed slightly, but the youngest member of their team didn't look up from his letter.
"It's lucky we got our mail just in time!"
"In time for what?"
As expected, Wind dropped his news to look at him, interest shining in his eyes.
"Don't you know what day it is? It's Valentine's Day! What else do you think we owe this sudden avalanche of missives for? It's the only time we get so much reading done!"
A thought made its way into Wind's head, Warriors could see it in the grimace that creased his youthful face.
"You think so?"
"I'm sure. Tetra, then?"
"Yes."
This time, his blush was more pronounced, accompanied by that slightly shy smile typical of first loves.
"And what about you? Whose was it?"
"Artemis, my Zelda. But it's just a tease. We got into the habit when we were younger to annoy those around us and support each other during the war. We're just friends."
To illustrate his point, he presented him with his sovereign's little note, in which she had amused herself by writing a declaration so cheesy it was comical.
"Have you sent yours yet?"
"Yes, when the mailman gave me this one, I sent her my version, which is completely outside our usual communications. It's just a running joke."
Wind suddenly flashed his boyish grin as he turned to their colleagues.
"And... the others? Who do you think wrote them?"
"Oh, for some it's easy to guess."
Turning to the others too, Warriors pointed to the heroes he mentioned.
"Time, of course, is his wife Malon. He always makes the same face when she's mentioned, and even more so when he reads her letters."
Although they were whispering, the sailor's chuckles caught the attention of a few, but their glances didn't last long.
"Good old Sky, it's definitely his Zelda, no surprise there either."
The Goddess's Chosen one was also grinning with his stupid, enamored smile, the one he only wore when he was raving about the qualities of his lovely fiancée. At least he wasn't reading it out loud, that was something.
"And, Wild, I'd bet my life that it's that Zora prince. Just look at his eyes."
There were few subjects or situations that relaxed their friend so much, and his suitor was one of them. His lips were very slightly curved upwards, but it was his brow smooth of all worry and his clear gaze that best indicated his serene state.
"What about the others?"
Wind had nodded at all three observations, in agreement with his words. They both possessed this love of gossip and, obviously, what interested them was discovering the identity of the people who had written the other letters, of whose that had not been mentioned yet.
"We have two choices: ask directly or steal the mail. Both are risky, but what's that compared with the satisfaction of getting our answers?" sighed the soldier dramatically.
"Let's start with the safer way. There are far too many of us for a robbery to go off without a hitch", he laughed.
"We have a plan."
Their handshake was noticed by the more paranoid, but apart from an arched eyebrow from Legend, no one commented. Who knew how soon they'd be able to take a break from admiring their loved one's calligraphy? They could always take revenge another time.
Hyrule seemed to have finished. With a delighted look on his face, he was rummaging in his bag, no doubt looking for material to answer. He was the perfect choice, with a pleasant personality and a touch of naivety that shouldn't be a problem in the current situation.
"Any good news?" inquired Warriors, taking a seat next to him.
"Very good!"
"Wah! You've got two letters?" said Wind, leaning over his shoulder.
Far from being offended by this invasion of privacy, the hero seemed eager to share his good mood with them.
"These are from my Zeldas, Dawn and Aurora. It's difficult for us to exchange letters because of the state of the kingdom, so every little bit of news is bound to be positive, whatever the content!"
"You have two Zeldas?"
"Yes, it's a long story, but I do."
"Nothing romantic, then? How disappointing," complained the younger man, pushing more of his weight against his friend, slumping down.
"Sorry", he laughed. "But why these questions?"
They just shrugged, trying their best to look nonchalant. The last thing they wanted was to arouse suspicion – they'd barely started!
"Conversation. Some of them have practically been given a book to read, so we'll probably be staying put for a while yet."
They turned with one gesture to their comrades, spotting the many pages in their hands.
"I wonder who could have written so much to our favorite Veteran," said Warriors.
"Legend is a tenacious correspondent. He writes to no less than eight people, without fail. He must have received his replies."
"How do you know all this?"
Instead of answering, Hyrule just smiled mysteriously. He and his predecessor shared the same special relationship of mentor and mentee as Twilight and Wild or Time and Twilight. They had their secrets.
"Suddenly, it's not so juicy… I was expecting a passionate romance from all these pages, but it's just his regular mail. What a disappointment."
"I wouldn't be so sure, Sailor." He smiles.
The mention of this anomaly alerted the other two heroes, who immediately scrutinized the man concerned, who was indeed sporting a grin poorly hidden behind his long locks and letters.
"I want to know," complained the Hero of Winds miserably. "He's always sulking, it's intriguing..."
He was far from the only one to suffer from this greed, and the same knowing look crossed their eyes. Even Hyrule's!
"So, Legend, how's the news?" Warriors challenged him.
"What do you care?" he growled in reply.
His eyes remained riveted on the paper, so he couldn't see the pirate sneaking behind his back – unlike Time, who merely rolled his eyes – intent on stealing one of the pages or, at the very least, finding a name, a turn of phrase selling romantic feelings... Anything.
"Is it Ravio who calls you "my lil' rabbit"?" he asked in a clear voice.
"No, it's Marin", he replied distractedly. "He keeps calling me 'Mr. Hero'."
The cat was out of the bag, he realized it too late and couldn't deny it. Instead, he turned crimson to the tips of his ears and practically choked on the spot, mortified.
"Two people," Warriors whistled in admiration. "You don't do anything halfway!"
"Shut up", he squeaked. "Forget the whole thing and get lost,"
"You'd enjoy that too much and you'd miss me."
Instead of answering, Legend picked up his things and climbed the same tree as Wild, perching on a nearby branch to resume his reading, redder than his tunic. The survivalist raised his head for a moment as he passed, raising an eyebrow, then turned back to his letter, uninterested. The Zora lettering was complex to decipher.
Proud enough of themselves, the two roublards chuckled at their success. Hyrule rubbed the back of his neck with embarrassment and amusement, a little ashamed to have passively participated in this nonsense, but at the same time...
"Captain, I never thought I'd see you stoop to such childishness," commented Time as he straightened up.
He stretched for a long time, not even glancing at the offenders.
It was one thing to be a killjoy, but it was all a question of balance. Reprimanding them now would be a waste of time; he'd lecture them later.
"Well, that leaves Four and Twilight," Wind whispered, moving closer to his elder brother. "Who's next?"
"The Rancher. There's sure to be more to dig up, given what he's already told us."
This time, they didn't even bother to be discreet, their friend being so deeply immersed in his reading, from the very first word, that he seemed lost in his own world, having reacted to none of the previous incidents.
Taking him by surprise, Warriors snatched the letter from his hand and held it out at arm's length in an attempt to put it out of his reach, despite the few centimeters that separated them.
"Well, well, who could it be from? Your Zelda? No, I don't see her signature... Maybe that friend you sometimes mention... Ilia, I think."
He turned over the sheets, trying to find a signature, anything that would allow him to recognize the sender.
"Or maybe that princess who broke your heart? What did she look like, again? Tall... Redhead..."
Twilight struggled to reclaim his property, grabbing the troublemaker by the collar to bend him over and gain the few centimeters he lacked to do so. All around them, their comrades were either watching them or immersed in their reading, indifferent to what they were doing.
Squabbles were common among their ranks, after all. As long as they didn't end in bloodshed or tears (or a spilled dinner), they tended to let it go. Or participate. It was also good to turn things around and get out of the hero's straitjacket, to become ordinary citizens again.
"Ha ha! Found it!"
The victory cry surprised many and enraged the Goddesses' Chosen Hero all the more, who increased his efforts, uninterested in sharing something as intimate as the name of his heart's chosen one.
The distance between his eyes and the signature made it difficult for the knight to see, and he squinted to decipher the refined initials with their many curls.
"... Jehd? Shad? Wait, isn't that the guy? The archivist?
"Yes!" exclaimed Hyrule. "Twilight introduced him to us last time."
Taking advantage of the surprise, he managed to snatch the letter out of Warriors' hands and establish a safe distance between them, holding the paper to his heart, on the verge of baring his teeth and growling.
"Oh, why'd you take it so hard? There's no secrets in a family!"
"Not only, yes, there are secrets in a family, but it's also up to me to decide what I share and what I don't. And Shad's off-limits. Hands off."
"Loosen your collar, Shepherd, I'm only joking. I'm not interested in any of your partners and have no intention of intruding on your intimacy. I thought you knew me better than that!"
While the two argued, the rest of the group gathered around, watching the show, until a detail caught Wind's trained eye. He snuck up behind the Captain's back, making sure neither of them spotted him, caught his target and hurried away, pushing caution to the point of taking cover behind the other heroes.
"Hey, Wars!" he finally called out. "Who's Volga?"
Twilight completely forgotten, the hero of Warriors set off in pursuit of their cadet, ranting about his disastrous pocket-picking habits, to the mockery of their audience.
"So, Shad?" teased Time when his descendant joined him, looking grumpy.
"So, Shad. Any problems?"
"Nothing", he assured him. "I just find it amusing that, lacking my nose, you've inherited my inclination for redheads."
He left him after a shrug, giving him time to process his joke, putting some safe distance between himself and the next man before being chased back.
And, in the midst of this commotion, Four carefully put away Dot's flowery letter, his Zelda, his eyes shifting from green to violet as a roll of paper emerged from his shadow, held by a gray hand with varnished nails. Their fingers caressed as he retrieved it, blowing a kiss in his direction.