"I... uh..." He swallowed nervously as another man—taller with a scar over one eye and strange markings on his face—moved the other's hand out of the way.

"That's enough, Legend." He reprimanded. "Sorry about him. We just didn't expect you to suddenly appear in our camp, was all." He gestured to the small camp where four other people were watching the spectacle.

There was a tall guy with a white cloth wrapped around his shoulders and some gaudy purple sword with a winged guard. He had a gentle face and looked like he wouldn't survive a week in Hyrule on his own. His eyes were too trusting.

There was also a knight—that put him on edge. He was in full armor, though admittedly different than the other knights Faron had seen. While he was on good terms with the castle knights, the smaller knights who watched over the towns and villages would often attack him if he wasn't disguised. Though this one was rather handsome in a way that screamed city-boy, so he was probably safe.

The third one looked like a country kid. He, like the one-eyed man, had strange markings on his face and sharp blue eyes. He wore a wolf pelt around his shoulders and Faron had the feeling that he'd survive just fine out on his own. He also projected a warm vibe that seemed to instinctively draw people in, but had a strong aura of dark magic that put Faron on edge.

Finally, there was a... child? He was incredibly short and wore a tunic with four main colors that looked both high-quality and like a home-done patchwork. He wore a sword on his back that pulsed with a quiet magic and the guy was practically saturated in the stuff. He was particularly intriguing because his magic was sectioned off into four different, distinct pusles; almost like...

"My name is Time. What's your name?" The scarred man asked. He was tall and undoubtedly the leader, here. His magic felt a lot like a fairy's, and Faron had to wonder if he had fae blood, too.

"I go by Faron." He answered carefully, pulling himself to his feet and standing defensively. He would be ready to run if they made a move—no way he could fight so many armed men.

"Hey, it's okay. We aren't going to attack you. I'm sorry about Legend, he can be a bit jumpy at times. My name is Sky." The gentle one said. "Where did you come from?"

"I came from Hyrule. There was this portal that popped up, and—" He abruptly looked around, remembering how Navi was flung away. "My friend. She got separated from me in the portal. Have you seen a fairy around here?"

"A fairy?" Time blinked. "We haven't, but we can keep an eye out for her."

"Hold on, we're not just seriously letting this stranger travel with us, are we?!" Legend asked, glaring at Time. Faron couldn't help but agree with that. If he was in their position, he would certainly be more wary about a stranger just dropping out of a random portal.

"Wait a minute." The short kid frowned. "You said you were from Hyrule, but I've never seen you around before. What's your Hyrule like?"

"I tend to stay away from people." Faron answered carefully. "Where are we, anyways?" He'd never seen a forest look so alive before. It thrummed with an ancient magic so strong it was almost intoxicating.

"We're in the Minish Woods of Hyrule." The kid answered. "Call me Four, by the way."

Faron blinked at the unusual name as the information registered. "Minish Woods? I've traveled all over Hyrule and never once heard of such a place." He frowned.

The others shared a look. "Tell me, what is your Hyrule like?" Time asked.

"My Hyrule?" Faron questioned with a frown. He shook his head. Obviously that portal had done more than just spit him out at a different location. These people didn't feel overly bad, and so long as they didn't know about his name or Triforce, he should be safe. "It's a war-torn land covered in monsters." He answered after a moment. "I'm actually a traveler from a different land, but I've been in Hyrule for several years." Not many people knew that Link was from another land, so that'd just throw them off his trail even more. After all, the Eyes of Ganon were everywhere. "It's one of the most dangerous lands I know of. Mostly covered with barren wastelands, there's a few forests but none of them are as lush or full of life as this one."

"I think I understand now." The man with the wolf pelt sighed. "My name is Twilight, by the way. That's Warriors." He gestured to the knight.

"We're heroes who've been traveling across space and time fighting an infection that's made monsters exponentially more powerful." Sky sighed. "And from the sounds of it, you've been dragged from a different Hyrule."

"W-wait." He felt his heart speed up at the thought. "Does that mean I'm not even in my own time anymore?!"

"More than likely. And from what we know, we may have two different timelines going on, so it's possible that you're not in your home timeline either." Warriors crossed his arms as he leaned back against the tree.

"My... my friend. She was flung away during the..." Was Navi even in this time with him?!

"We'll find her." Time reassured. "Like I said, we've been traveling often. I'm sure if you stick with us, we'll land back in your Hyrule eventually."

He wanted to argue, but honestly his odds of survival were best with this strange group of self-proclaimed heroes. "Fine." He finally sighed.

"Great!" Four grinned. "We're in my Hyrule, by the way."

He nodded before glancing around. The others had gone back to their previous tasks, and he wasn't sure what he should do. Legend kept sending him small looks of distrust, which oddly enough put him a bit more at ease. At least one of these guys had common sense.

"Hey, can you cook, by chance?" Twilight asked as he looked up from where he was preparing the fish.

"Uh..." Faron took a moment to recall the fact that Navi banned him from the cooking pot after the second attempt. Even with her directions, he managed to blow them up. "Not really, no."

"Well, you can't be that bad." Twilight laughed. "Come on, give it a go. I'll help you."

"Like you can cook any better!" Warriors laughed.

"At least I can make grilled fish." Twilight smirked.

"I really don't think..." Faron tried to back out, but Legend shot him a look.

"What, you really don't think you can outdo grilled fish?"

There was a challenge in that gaze, and Faron sighed. He wasn't getting out of this, was he? "Just don't say I didn't warn you..."

About twenty minutes later showed the group with half-filled bowls of a greyish unidentifiable substance.

"What... the fuck is this?" Legend stared at the bowl he was handed. "It's moving."

"I told you I was a terrible cook." Faron sighed, face burning in shame.

"'Can't be that bad', huh?" Warriors shot Twilight a look.

"Well, it's nutritious, at least?" Time attempted to smile as he took a bite.

"I won't be offended if you throw it out, Twilight made fish anyways." Faron stated quickly, and many in the group sighed in relief. Faron, however, kept a hold of his rather full bowl.

"Uh... are you really going to eat that?" Four pointed at Faron's bowl in disbelief.

"Yeah. I eat this all the time back home. It's nutritious and packed with protein. I've gotten used to the taste over the years, but it's not for everyone." He took a bite to prove a point, the familiar bland, grainy, semi-sticky texture was familiar and reminded him of his little cavern. And Navi.

Sky turned a little green and went back to his fish.

"We should all turn in early." Time stated, having set down his now empty bowl. Faron didn't say it, but it made him feel happy to know that at least one person ate his food without complaint. He really had tried.

"Yeah. I'll take first watch." Warriors stretched as he finished his fish.

The only person who'd eaten the gunk that Faron had made was Time. Everybody else ate the fish. But that was fine, he hadn't made much. There'd been barely enough for one full bowl and six half-full bowls. He still bemoaned the waste of food, though. He really wished he had a way to keep it.

Everyone migrated towards their bedrolls and Faron—always one to be prepared—pulled out some thick blankets from his pack. He settled down against the trunk of a tree, far enough away from the group so as not to infringe on their space, but close enough to remain within the acceptable circle of protection. Legend seemed satisfied, but Sky frowned.

"Why're you all the way over there?"

"I'm not part of your group." He stated. "I'm an outsider that you don't know. I have no idea why you're so trusting, but it's only right if I sleep a fair distance away." It should've been common sense. He left the fact that he trusted them about as much as Legend trusted him out.

"Well, at least someone has common sense." Legend huffed, and Faron snorted. They caught each other's eye for a moment and a silent understanding passed between them. Toleration was okay, but trust was something they'd need to earn.

With that said, he curled up into the smallest ball he could and fell into a light sleep.