Prologue
A bonfire. Pleasant laughter. Mother and Father.
Something is wrong. Why am I the only one who can feel it?
The fire is too big, and grows bigger. The laughter changes, becoming cruel and callous. There is a horn call off in the distance. Someone screams. I see their faces again, this time covered in blood.
I lurch awake in a cold sweat, gasping for breath. It takes me several minutes to remember where I am, lying on my bed while the moonlight falls across the quilt. Honestly, it takes a minute to remember who I am, and the realization sends me kicking my quilt off of my legs and running out of the bedroom, dashing down the hall to the door at the very end. I hesitate, suddenly uncertain of what I'd been about to do.
Then I hear the muffled sob on the other side of the door, and I no longer have time to be afraid.
His head snaps up as I step into the room, then he turns away just as quickly, his hand rising to wipe away the tears spilling down his cheeks. It's more by instinct than anything else that I find myself by his side, kneeling on the bed and pulling him into my arms so that he can hide his face against my shoulder. He stiffens, one hand rising to my arm as though to push it away, but then he hesitates, slowly relaxing against me, his grip shifting to hold me close, his other arm wrapping around my waist.
"It's okay," I whisper. "Whatever happened before, you're safe now. I promise. Nothing can hurt you here." His grip tightens, and I know that he doesn't quite believe me, but at least his breathing begins to settle, and the tears begin to slow.
"Would you like to talk about it?" I ask, but I'm not very hopeful. After all, he hasn't said a word to me, nor to anyone else, in two weeks since he woke up.
True to form, he shakes his head against my shoulder, but I'm glad that he doesn't pull away. I suppose that after days of silence and averted eyes, I sort of count this as a personal victory: on some level, he finds comfort in this. Comfort in me. "Okay. I won't force you. But whenever you're ready to talk, I'm here. You can trust me." I feel him hesitate, then nod slightly, acknowledging the words.
I hold him close for what feels like hours before a wide yawn takes me by surprise. I should probably head back to my room. Go to bed-
"Link."
"Hm?" I blink, pulling back slightly so that I can see his face.
"My name," he explains, glancing up at me with brilliant blue eyes. "It's Link."
A slow smile spreads across my face. "I'm happy to meet you, Link. My name is Ilia."
He smiles too, then. A sad, almost shy smile that's quickly hidden from my view as he presses his face against my shoulder once again, his other hand slipping from my arm and wrapping cautiously around my waist, holding me in place.
"Would you like me to stay with you tonight, Link?" I ask, stroking his soft, blond hair. He nods again, and I smile, settling my cheek against the top of his head.
"Okay, then. I'll stay."
Author's Note:
Hi everyone! Carrie Poppins here! So first, I just wanted to thank everyone for the super positive feedback that I've been getting from those who've read the pair of Miraculous Ladybug fanfics that I posted recently. This is my first time posting ANYTHING that I've written and I've been so overwhelmed by the support I've gotten. It's inspired me to keep on going! Rest assured, I do have some other Ladybug fics in the works, but I also wanted to branch into another idea that I had MANY years ago and never finished based around Legend of Zelda.
For those who aren't familiar with the Legend of Zelda universe, this story is going to be based in the Twilight Princess game (the first game I played of the franchise). It's more or less going to follow that plot line, however I intend to take LOTS of liberties with the characters, the lore, and the plot itself in order to make it more interesting, so if you can't handle that DON'T READ THIS FIC! If you can, sit back and enjoy the ride! I have no idea how long this is going to end up being, and I'm really going to try to post on a regular basis, but I am a university student, so there will be times of the year when I may have to put writing on hold.
Once again, thank you SO much for supporting me! If you have any suggestions for how to improve my style, any questions about my stories, or you would like me to read your own works, post in the reviews or send me a private message!
Carrie Poppins