I'm Here——
written by Rightful Queen of the Dorks
Goddesses.
How much longer can I go on like this?
My heart's racing fast in my chest, I hear it pounding loudly in my ears. My breathing is ragged, and my lungs are burning. They're pleading for air fresher than what this dead, never-ending forest has to offer.
I've been running barefoot wearing nothing but my poor, now torn-up nightgown. After stepping on numerous leaves, twigs, and tree roots; my feet are now marred with cuts, blisters, and splotches of scarlet. The sight is not a pretty one.
In all honesty, I don't know how I'm doing it, but I'm somehow hanging on to consciousness—despite the agonizing pain that's coursing throughout my body.
I can't remember when I'd started running, but I do know why.
—I need to get away from it.
You may be thinking to yourself, 'What is it?'
Here's the thing—I don't know what it is. All I know is that it has an overwhelming, evil presence.
I didn't get a good look at the creature, but after seeing its bright yellow eyes; my body instinctively made a break for it. Next thing I know, it's charging after me.
It's like it wants something from me—I know what you're thinking, but I don't think it wants to eat me. It probably would have ripped me to shreds earlier if it wanted me for a snack.
But I'm nothing important.
Really, I'm not.
. . .
All of a sudden, the shaking of the ground and the sound of trees falling cease.
As I notice this, I slow down. I decide it's best to take my time to find my way out of here. My heartbeat reduces to a pace that is slower than when I was running, and I limp toward the direction I was heading to when the beast was following me.
'You're safe now,' I tell myself, 'nothing is going to hurt you.'
It's what I want myself to believe, but I know I'm wrong.
Something comes into contact with my back. Its force is strong, and I'm sent flying towards a tree. I scream in shock as my face crashes against the rough bark; I think I can hear my nose break with a sickening crack.
My ears are ringing, my vision is blurry, and I feel a pulsating sensation in my head. My body hits the ground like a lifeless doll, and it's hard for me to breathe. I struggle as I eventually push myself to rest on my knees. I cough and cough, only to see drops of crimson land on dead leaves.
Chills run down my spine when I hear the cackling of someone—someone who seems satisfied with seeing me suffer. I feel blood trickling down my face, and I turn my focus to where I heard the laughter come from, which is directly behind me.
—
I see a blurry figure of what I think is a man.
A Gerudo?
With a blade in hand, he comes closer to me.
No, no, No, NO.
I try to back away quickly, but my back meets the tree my face had bashed into.
"Leave me alone," is what I want to exclaim at him, but I can't seem to find the voice to project my demand.
Frozen in place from fear and pain, his free hand finds itself wrapped around my throat and I'm lifted up in the air, with my feet dangling. His grip is tight, and I'm clawing at his hand in desperation to break free. He stares at me, and he gives me a twisted grin. I look at his eyes... and they're yellow. Just like that beast!
"Your hero can't save you now," he says before he plunges the sword into my body.
. . .
Suddenly, I jolt up in bed, and I scream at the top of my lungs.
Seconds later as tears cascade down my cheeks, I check my surroundings. I'm in my room, and everything's fine.
It was just a dream, Zelda. It was just a dream.
"Are you okay?!" I hear, as Link barges inside with his baseball bat, ready to swing.
I wipe at my tears, send him a small smile, and reply, "It was just a nightmare, but... I'm fine now."
He lowers his bat, and places it against the wall. A frown etches on his lips and strides over to me, taking a seat on my bed. With a raised brow, he asks, "Do you... wanna talk about it?"
"If it's all right with you?"
"As long as I know that you're happy, anything is fine with me. I'm here for you, Zelda. Always."
Hearing him say that makes me so happy inside. Oh, Nayru. What did I do to deserve someone like him?
I envelop him in a firm hug, and I tell him my tale.
Author's Note|
You can think of the ending as whatever—friendship, romance?
Listening to a long playlist of songs released around 2008 and 2009 was really fun to do while writing this—even though they're all different from what this story's about. But screw it, I had a great time reminiscing about my favorite songs in the past. Y'know, Chris Brown, Rihanna, Ne-Yo, and all those other amazingly talented people? They were the best in my childhood. The songs in these past years... eh.
Happy New Year, though! And thank you for reading! If you have anything to constructively critic me on—go ahead! I really need to work on getting better with my writing.
I really hope they fix the review problem too...
— Mar / Rightful Queen of the Dorks