It was late at night, and most Hylians were asleep in their beds. The raindrops pattered softly at their windows, like a soft beckoning for someone, anyone to come to them.
Link was facing his own beckoning. In his sleep, he tossed and turned, though sleep came easy to him. That was not the problem. It was the dream that found him… THAT was his problem.
He could SEE her…
Zelda frantically beat at the battered door, and despite her force it did not give. Her hair was knotted and frayed, her dress torn into so many pieces, like a thrown-away old rag. Her frame was dangerously thin, threatening to show bones and every gaping, bleeding wound she had. The stone rubble around her gave her very little room to work with, soaking up her frantic sobs and desperate screams. Her voice echoed out into the raining night, crying out the words that had plagued him since the dream began.
"HELP ME, I'M BURIED ALIVE!"
The last shriek she gave finally freed him from his dream, causing him to sit up abruptly in bed. Sweat stuck to him despite the chill of night, and his eyes were wide and frantic already. He could still hear her. He could still see the way her face contorted in pain, and how every time her fist met the door, she left blood behind. The open wounds on her delicate yet maimed hands…
Link swung himself out of bed, blindly running for his weapons though his eyes had not yet adjusted to the dark. He hit his feet on various pieces of furniture, and banged his elbows on a few tables. He even heard a sharp crack at one point, and felt sharp pain.
But her visage still haunted him. Oh how he screamed every time he heard her scream in his mind, lifting his head to the skies like a wolf howling to the moon above! Animalistic, he grasped onto his sword and his shield, barely sparing time to put on even shoes and a cloak before rushing outside, into the softly calling rain.
He ran in the direction of the old castle. Yes! That's where she was! It had to be! He was so sure of it; he'd recognize those doors anywhere. He ignored paths and even ran through streams to make a straight line to his destination, only swerving for cliffs or trees. It wasn't far!
"HELP ME, I'M BURIED ALIVE!"
Her shrieks grew in both frequency and intensity the closer he got. Upon seeing the crumbling stone castle come into view, barely lit in the night, he could hear her fists pounding against the broken door. That damnable door! She was so close!
He meant to call out to her, to comfort her, yet all he could do was scream. Scream like he himself was trapped inside, pounding his fists at those broken doors.
Her cries suddenly fell silent upon actually running up to the front doors of the otherwise abandoned castle. His breath quickened, both from running and fear. He felt his heart pounding so hard, it physically pained him just to stand. Was she still alive? Was he too late? With another scream, he began frantically pulling at the doors himself. But they were stuck and rusty, and would not give easily. Still, he pulled and pulled, until his arms were sore and in agony. Hours he pulled, until finally, one o the doors swung wide open! Despite his lack of breath, he wasted no time running inside…
…Where was she?
It was pitifully dark, he could barely see. He had to rely on what little light was being let in; it was all he had. He stepped slowly, carefully. This room was small, after all. Well, it had BECOME small, ever since the castle fell.
…That memory, and the slight sensation of something poking his boot, snapped him back to reality.
He looked down slowly, afraid of seeing THAT again. For the fifth time this year alone, his own mind had a frenzy, and here he was… Yet he knew he would have the same dream if he DIDN'T look, and so look he did.
Down at her skeletal body, long since picked clean by scavengers and bugs. Her tarnished crown, her torn royal dress… there were a few rotting bits of flesh left over on her, browned with age and clinging to her bones.
Zelda had fallen silent so long ago.
Yet he knew he would hear it again… the voice of the maiden he failed to save…
HELP ME, I'M BURIED ALIVE!
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.
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Author's Notes: I'm a sadist, ain't I?
Well, as you might or might not know, I actually don't like zelink that much. This concept just came to me so suddenly and vividly, and I knew it wouldn't work with too many other pairings, so…I did it. And I'm not ashamed. I wanted to portray a sense of madness, and horrifying clarity at the end.
Loosely based off the song "Lost" by Within Temptation.
Read, review, and leave a comment telling me what a bitch I am for writing this.