My blood turned cold in my veins, and breathing became a consciously controlled function. Body frozen, my hands squeezed the book to my chest for support. I should have made a run for it as soon as I felt the difference in the air. I should have gotten as far away as my legs could possibly carry me, rather than mimic a statue, all the while wasting precious seconds that could save my life. I felt my heart jumping everywhere at once. It was in my ears, my head, and throbbing in my throat. I found it hard to swallow, and wondered if I would faint.
Despite my current trepidation, I was surprised to have not been approached or attacked yet. By now, I should be dead. Then again, time seemed to be ticking by slowly. Seconds to minutes, minutes to hours, but logic told me it couldn't have been more than a mere ten seconds. The light that bounced off the earthen walls faded, and my vision turned dull in the fading light of the sky. Yet another incessant second more wasted before I could will myself out of whatever terror-struck trance I'd fallen into.
This was unexpected. Why was I not dead already? I had thought monsters to be more barbaric, to jump at the chance to kill anything in motion, without hesitation. At least, that's what everyone believed. Perhaps this wasn't like the rest of the forest dwelling creatures of the night? Was it something entirely unknown? The idea that it may be the kind of predator that stalked its prey sent a shiver down my spine. To think that they might actually have that level of intelligence was horrifying, to say the least. I didn't want to face it, and I didn't want to run. I refused to give it that sickening satisfaction.
Turning on my heel, I attempted to prepare myself for the worst. As my vision blurred for that split second, the silence suddenly pervaded my thoughts. My eyes fell on an outline in the spring, and every nerve in my body jolted before my brain could catch up. That wasn't a monster. In fact, there were no monsters in sight. If anything, the figure appeared to be very…human. I was sprinting towards the spring's bubbling waters before I could even consciously tell my body to do so, my gaze locked on the strong back that floated above the surface. My book had been left fallen amidst the grass.
The water was remarkably warmer than usual as my feet splashed through the shallow shore. My progress slowed to a sluggish pace as I forced my way into the waist-deep waters of the spring, wading my way towards the body in a panicky mess. The sight of the body forced my brow to furrow with anxiety, leaving creases so deep that it actually left a dull ache in my forehead.
Just a couple more feet.
I pushed forward, half swimming, half leaping. As I'd expected, it was a man. I reached out towards him, yet my hand stilled in uncertainty. Could monsters trick a person with their appearance? After all, I hadn't seen the drowned boy when I entered Faron Spring not two minutes before, and now here he was!
No. I had to stop this constant fear. This was a man. A living man. Or so I hoped.
Without any more delay, I grasped the male's shoulders and turned him over with quite a bit of fumbling effort. He didn't gasp for air. He wasn't breathing. His body was rigid, and, when I touched his cheek, he felt terribly cold despite the warm water he soaked in. My eyes widened in horror for a newfound reason. Was he dead?
With little sanity left I hastily placed my ear against his chest, my thoughts too jumbled to think of an easier way to check for a pulse. My eyes screwed shut as I listened carefully, praying to whatever god or goddess, just to hear a thump.
I felt stone cold from the silence, until a low noise caught in my ears. It was a light, fluttering thing. The sound was weak, but it was there. Relief flooded me. Perhaps the goddesses had pulled through, for once. I realized all too late that I needed to get him out of the spring. It should have been one of the first things I'd done, and seconds wasted away that could save whatever heartbeat was left in this poor man's chest. Frustrated with myself, and scared for his life, I sloppily slid my arms under his shoulders and pulled back against the force of the water. The effort it took to finally get him to the shoreline left me slightly discerned, as I knew time was key when it came to reviving someone.
"Oh, goddess no," I breathed, realizing that I would be the one needing to do the reviving bit. It had been quite some time since I was taught the technique, and I didn't trust myself not to break a rib, or something else of vital importance. Shifting on my knees, the sandy grains dug into my skin as I bent over the man's seemingly lifeless frame. I cupped his chin to open his mouth as my free hand pinched his other airway.
Okay, just a matter of inhale to exhale. A deep breathe in and I ducked down to press my open mouth against his. I moved back, inhaling a second gasp before repeating the process. As I'd already known and feared, he showed zero reaction to this. My breathing hitched in paranoia of the next move. I never was able to successfully perform the second portion.
Sitting up straight, my hands slid from his face towards his chest. They shook in my vision as I placed them appropriately, locking my arms. After an attempt at mental preparation, I glanced down in surprise when something warm hit the back of my hand. I realized with slight exasperation that I was crying. Squeezing my eyes shut, causing more liquid to roll down my cheeks, I readied myself. Yet something strange occurred. Rather than my hands doing the work, it seemed the chest rose to meet them instead. The loud gasp for air was processed in my mind seconds afterwards. Eyes shooting open, my head whipped over to stare down at the man's face.
Somehow, he was breathing. I'd done nothing, and he was breathing. He was alive! I hadn't felt such immense gratitude for life in a long, long time. Placing my hand delicately on his shoulder, I shook him slightly. No response. I shook harder once more, but none of the telltale signs of a man regaining consciousness appeared. So that gasp had only been a reflexive impulse. Something was very wrong, and he needed to see a doctor immediately. Perhaps I could get him to Dr. Shaddo, Ordon's only doctor. A risky move, but he would be the only hope if this so happen to be life threatening. I began to push myself to my feet, calculating how long it would take me to get him there. I knew that the trip through the forest, back to Ordon, could be travelled in less than twenty minutes if I ran. However, I wouldn't be alone, and I surely wouldn't be running. Perhaps forty-five minutes in total if I was quick enough.
A slight breeze began to pick up, combing right through my being. I shuddered violently, my wet clothes being brought to my attention. I glanced down towards the man at my feet, and realized it wouldn't be so simple. The night brought cool air which turned frigid when damp. Not only that, but it brought them as well. I craned my neck, glaring daggers at the sky where a sun was no longer present. The warm and fiery colors of sundown were giving into the cooler hues of twilight. Something or another would kill him, whether I made it back or not. So, I was left with my own ultimatum. I could attempt to haul him back to Ordon on my own, making the trip three times as long, and could possibly result in being stranded out in the forest after nightfall, ultimately risking the death of us both. Or I could save myself, and leave him here to get picked off by whatever demon found him. I felt the bile rise in my throat, and moved to bend down at his side.
It took some good deal of effort to pull him into a sitting position, and I can't stress the screaming of my muscles once I finally managed his body into a standing—rather, slumping— stance. I had always thought of myself as a fit girl. Intensive laborious work was my day job, and I often helped Rada with his unruly goats from time to time. Now I wondered if I'd been lazy with my work all this time, seeing as how I was already out of breath with no progress to show for it. Ashamed with my lack of stamina, I pushed on with a grunt, shifting the heavy body against my side. Wrapping the man's arm around my shoulder, I in turn wrapped my arm around his waist. He wasn't a large man. Muscular, yes, but nothing in comparison to most Ordonian men. Thank the goddesses, because I'd have really left him for dead if he was that bulky.
With one large heave, I dragged my feet, tugging him along with me. I took another step, and another, soon falling into a rhythm. Heave, tug, breath, repeat. Once I'd picked up the pattern, I found it easier to move, less strenuous to hold his weight, and my progress was slowly growing. Soon, the bubbling of Faron Spring grew softer, and the sky darkened. Time seemed to be speeding up, though, while my pace and strength withered. It came to a point that I had to stop for break. I leaned over, letting the male slip out of my grip. Propped up against a tree, he slid into a slumped posture. I, too, pressed my weary body against a sturdy tree, and slid down to meet the ground. Feeling the sudden chill, I wrapped an arm around my body. My shawl had been lost and forgotten earlier at the spring, and it wouldn't have done me much good now anyway.
Despite the coolness, perspiration still stuck to my skin, and I wiped some sweat from my brow. With glazed eyes, I took in my surroundings, then the book in my lap. At least I hadn't abandoned this. I was still in Faron, but the path had become winding and narrow. I knew the forest well, and so I found comfort in the fact that I was already half way there. If I was right – I searched the trees, scanning the trunks of each one until my eyes narrowed in on one not more than ten feet away. I saw the carved marks that Cole and I had scratched into the tree as children. Relief allowed me a moment's breath. The bridge was close, and after that I would be in Ordona Province. Was this not a suicide mission after all? The impending doom didn't seem so impending anymore.
It was then that I heard it. It was distant and low, hushed by the constant breeze that rustled the tree branches above my head. Yet I'd still heard it clearly. The sound was something that made your heart drop, and caused your stomach to churn. It was guttural, almost like a growl, but not smooth enough to be called even that. Night had fallen, and they were officially prowling in the open now. They could have been miles away, or only a short distance from where I sat. I felt panicked, and I couldn't think; I needed to calm down.
So I rolled my head over to stare at the only living soul with me. His cheek was pressed against the rough bark, and his chin rested atop his shoulder. His body shook; something I had been too absorbed in my own thoughts to realize earlier. In contradiction to this, sweat beaded along his brow, and his breathing had become slightly irregular. His face seemed scrunched up in pain. This suffering appearance hit me hard, and made some sort of protective impulse bubble up. Maybe it was some sort of motherly instinct I didn't know I had, but it seemed surprisingly strong as I continued to study that pitiful expression. I reached up a hand, pushing damp blond bangs back from his face as a frown settled on my lips. I needed to start moving, to get us back to Ordon.
"Everything will be okay. I won't leave you," I spoke softly, wary of making too much noise. Something compelled me to introduce myself, despite his unconscious state, "My name's Zelda. Remember that, okay? You can tell me your name once you wake up." Despite how crazy I felt to be talking to him like this, it comforted me somehow to say those things. As if it was guaranteed that we would make it to Ordon, and he would wake up soon. After that, I was quick to get moving once more. The bridge was just around a curve in the path. As I was crossing it into Ordona Province, a disharmony of monstrous howls sounded, muffled in the distance, but I felt less worried about them now. Rarely did a monster enter so close to Ordon. Although I refused to stop even after I passed Ordon Spring, because even if monster sightings were rare, they were not completely unheard of. If they knew something defenseless was out in these woods with them, I'm sure they wouldn't hesitate to stroll on up even to Ordon's gates. With all the myths and unknowns of those demons, I feared the possibility that they could smell weakness, even. I wouldn't risk anything.
The sky grew drearily dark, and I stumbled blindly with the man's body close for many minutes more. The energy had once more been drained from me, and I felt the need to sit again. My shoulders ached, my back screamed, and my lungs hurt with every sharp intake of cold air. My physical state was groaning at me, demanded that I rest, but I kept pushing myself further. My exhaustion muddled my thoughts, and sweat blinded my vision. I had almost missed it when the first flicker of lights appeared, bouncing off the trees. Ordon! Oh, thank Nayru for all that was holy! I had never been happier coming back to my home village than in this moment.
Cole found me first. He'd been at his usual post by the gates. I'd been surprised to see he hadn't closed them, because it was far past the time that they were to be sealed shut, as dictated by Dominus. I briefly remembered feeling relieved, and seeing his expression aghast with horror. I thought I had smiled, but all I saw after that was the ground coming closer. Everything turned to black.
Fog coated my every thought, and already forgotten dreams still floated about. There was a noise at my side. It was a heart wrenching sound; like sobbing. As I started to feel more focused, I could hear low murmurs around me, along with some hushed sighs. A squeak of a chair, and the water running momentarily somewhere close. The softness under my body, and a warm cover. My left hand was numb. Why? The sobbing was loud in my ear, painfully so.
I tried to open my eyes quickly, but found them sluggish, unwilling to crack open more than half way. I forced them to, and peeked around. I was in my humble abode, on the cot that always sat in the corner close to the bathroom. Cole sat in the old, creaky chair that had been gathering dust at the foot of the cot. His eyes widened when my gaze fell upon him. I was confused, but knew for some reason that I would dread the announcement of my conscious state. I made one last sweep of the room. Belle was kneeling next to me, my hand in her death grip as she made a mess of snot all over the place. Who had let the emotional pregnant girl in here? Really, not smart. Sord was sipping a glass of water by the sink, looking very tired. His wife, Opella whispered in hushed tones with Ulina; both wore worried expressions. The last person in the room was none other than Dominus. He sneered at me, but before I could even have the chance to feel utter disgust, and anger towards whoever had let him into my home, Cole jumped up from his seat.
"She's awake!"
Belle's head whipped up so fast that I swore just looking at the motion gave me whiplash, "Oh, hun! I thought of all the terrible somethings when Cole came rushing you into the village!" For a pregnant woman, she sure was fast to crash all her weight on me in a crushing hug. Cole realized quickly that I was dying, and came to pry her off. Thank the goddesses for that. The other Ordonian women came rushing to my side, but Sord stayed to the kitchen, a look of pure relief shining in his eyes.
"Give her some space to breathe, Belle!" Cole insisted, and I slowly sat up. Many protests came at me all at once when I threw my legs off the bed. My head pounded. Pushing my feet hard against the sturdy wooden floor, I put a palm to my forehead, pushing my bangs up in the process, and wondered why everyone was intruding on my home at…I glanced out the window to find it was clearly the dead of night.
"What…" I croaked, trying again once I cleared my throat, "What happened?" Silence fell over them all, and I insisted with a harsher tone now, "What happened?"
Cole was the first to speak, as usual, "You don't remember? I was about to close the gates—" he shot a look at Dominus, who was glaring at me, "and you came stumbling up. It was pretty late for anyone to still be out in the forest, but there you came, wandering up and passing out right outside the gates," He told his story with a very exasperated, disbelieving tone, "Of course, I get you back in before closing the gates, and—" I cut him off on that note.
"I think I know the rest." I said, before my face fell. That's when I had a moment of déjà vu. The scene popped up in my head; Cole's face as he stood at the gates, and then blackness. In the next few seconds I was flooded with images of this evening, and I finally remembered the events prior to Cole's little retelling.
"The man!" I exclaimed suddenly, startling every single one of them. I looked up at them with wide, possibly wild eyes, "Where is he?" I began to futilely twist back and forth, scanning the room for any sight of him.
"Zelda? Zelda!" I stopped my frantic searching to stare up at Cole, "You mean the man you brought to the gate?" He questioned, and I nodded passionately. He seemed to become uncomfortable, and shot another glance at Dominus. A wretched smile fell upon that man's equally wretched face. "We…had to leave him. You know the rules." Cole became downcast, quiet, and he let his head fall. Not believing this falsity, I looked towards Belle. She refused to meet my eye. Opella, Ulina, and Sord all did the same. I was confused. They didn't honestly mean to tell me that they'd done it? They couldn't have left him out there! Silence fell over the room again, except Dominus didn't even seem capable of understanding the calamity of what they had done. He started his speech.
"Yes, now that's something I will speak to you about later, Ms. Harkin. As of now, I have stayed to wait until you awoke due to the urgent matter of the current issues at hand." He continued talking on and on about one thing or another that Cole and I had done wrong. I think there was something about docking our pay, and other punishments in the making, but I blocked it all out. My head was swimming. They had left him. I wouldn't let the same sin pass.
I jumped to my feet, feeling vertigo hit me hard the moment I was up. I lurched forward, and Ulina and Cole caught me carelessly. Everyone was shouting, but at least Dominus had shut his flapping jaws for once. Once my head sat steady, and my vision cleared, I wrangled myself from their hands despite the protests and ran towards the door. Flinging it open, my heart flying, I threw my body forward. Running barefoot through the village, I tripped and stumbled a lot. I could only remember one other time I'd ran this swiftly, or rather frantically, through the village before. And I tried to forget the aching memory.
The wind beat me back with unforgiving force. I could hear footsteps somewhere behind me, but I didn't stop. I don't know when I'd started to cry, but as my feet pounded against the hard earth, I could feel the droplets dripping down my chin, and flying off my cheeks. I was ten years old again, and I was running to beat life. A mission I knew I could never complete, but I kept running anyway. Cole was screaming my name, but most of it was lost in the wind. When I finally reached the locked gates, my momentum was impossible to slow in time. My body slammed into the bars, and I reached for them. There was no pain.
With an insane sort of haste, my eyes flittered about, searching the other side of the gate. That blond head of hair was nowhere to be found in the darkness of the clearing. I slid to my knees, my grip on the bars tightened as something horrible ripped out of my chest, tearing at my throat. The sob tore me apart, and I fell into a broken heap on the floor, my mind muddled. Gruesome images tortured my mind, and the pain he endured was immense, I was sure. A similar moment of pure devastation came to my mind and it was as clear as if it had happened yesterday, despite the memory being seven years old. I wondered about the same questions, and more, as I had the last time. Did he wake up to experience it all? Another sob cut through me.
A hand grabbed my arm gently, and I violently threw Cole away from me. He reached for me again, and I swung at him a few times. "Zelda!" I was shaking.
"I promised!" My words were jumbled between my cries, "I promised him! I promised her!"
Somehow or another, Cole had managed to lock me in his arms. I beat wildly at his chest, attempting to free myself from another human's touch, but his imprisoning hold grew stronger. After too long a struggle, I grew limp, my face pressed into his tear-soaked shoulder.
"I promised them…"
"Zelda…"
I balled my fists into Cole's dirty shirt as another sob raked my throat.
"Zelda." He demanded my attention. I shook my head furiously, my tears streaming down my face. "Zelda! Listen to me! He's alive. We didn't leave him."
A small, hiccup-like sound left my lips, and the shock from his words nearly stopped the ongoing flow of tears. I pulled away, and found that my restraints, Cole's arms, loosened to allow me that courtesy. I wiped at the wetness on my face, giving him a hard stare, one that demanded further explanation. I think I already understood, and my anger was beginning to wane.
"We couldn't leave him. But you know Dominus' rules. He doesn't allow outsiders, unless they are here for business. We had to leave him as a show for Dominus, but Dex and Dina came to get him as soon as everyone else went back to your house." I wanted to be angry, to stay angry, because that was just my default emotion for anything upsetting, but I felt overwhelmed with emotions far different from anger. My brow furrowed, and for a long moment we simply stared at one another.
"That evil, we also promised to never repeat it," Cole said wholeheartedly, and I was surprised to find that his eyes glistened with unshed tears. Sometimes I forgot that I wasn't the only one to suffer.
"Thank you," I should have said more, but I hoped Cole could understand how much gratitude went into those two simple words. He nodded, and something told me he did.
"Come on," he said as he got to his feet, brushing off his pants, "Let's go back to your house. We'll put on a little show. Once Dominus leaves after getting his fill of words in," He scowled, holding a hand out for me to take as he continued, "you can go to Dex and Dina's to see your sleeping prince." I glowered, disliking his nickname for the unconscious man, but took his hand nevertheless.
"Don't call him that!" I croaked in disgust, my throat still thick with tears. Cole laughed at that.
"No need to feel embarrassed, princess."
"Shut up," I growled. One moment he was sweet and dependable; how could he be such an annoying nuisance in the next?
"Oh, princess, be careful with your step," he paused as if he was thinking about something, "You're going to be aching later, I can assure you." I ignored the look of worry. Perhaps I would have thought his concern was nice if it wasn't for his smug face afterwards, and that goddess damned nickname.
"Shut up!"
We continued babbling like normal all the way back to my house. And he was right, as usual; I was aching. Yet it was a dull, bearable thing in comparison to everything else. On the walk back, they never left my mind, despite my easy bickering with Cole. I wondered if they were proud. I would like to think they were.
As I always promised, I'll find a way to make it right.