Chapter 13: Pain

In Soren's Eyes

My lungs felt clouded and the world seemed to have five layers that were all inched over a little more than the last.

I could feel somebody laying me down into water but everything was swirling and fuzzy.

"In Tellius, we have staffs that can heal any kind of wound…we could take her there, let her rest and heal and then we'll bring her back," Almedha offered shakily.

"I…" I gasped, "I have to…stay with…Charm…"

I could feel my eye lids dropping and see the world go dark as I quickly lost control over the situation.

"Promise you'll bring her back," Link nearly begged before everything seemed to stop.

I wasn't sure how much time passed but every so often I'd wake up to a bright setting, heat radiating off a solid surface around me and my whole world shaking and bumping and moving.

"She's starting to wake up," a voice would say but the rest was mumbling before I went back to the blackness.

When I finally truly woke up I found myself lying in a bed.

"Where am I?" I asked nobody in particular.

I looked around to see I was in a dusty, beaten up, old mattress in a tiny dull room. A tiny window was on one wall, allowing me the knowledge that it was night time and a couple standard decorations gave me the impression that I was in a pub room.

I could hear some obnoxious laughter from some woman outside the door.

"I'm sorry handsome but I need to check on my sister," she giggled as she opened the door.

The person to walk in was the princess Pelleas, wearing the shortest, most revealing, inappropriate dress I could imagine a princess ever coming near, reeking of alcohol.

"Oh you're awake," she giggled before a small hiccup stole her voice.

"You've been out for weeks," Almedha told me as she walked into the door frame.

"Where are we?" I asked as I tried to push myself up.

"We're in Daein," Almedha answered as she helped me sit up, "We'll be in Goldoa in a couple of weeks."

"Why are we going to Goldoa?" I asked angrily as I glared at the ignorant woman.

"Well I assumed that since we're already in Tellius, you'd at least want to truly meet your family," Almedha told me as the corner of her mouth twitched nervously.

"I've already told you," I began, "You are not my mother, Pelleas is not my sister, and none of you are in any way my family. My only family is Link and our daughter."

"And your new baby," Pelleas giggled behind Almedha.

"What are you talking about?" I asked as I felt my heart begin to race.

"When we got you to a priest to heal you, he told us that you're with child," Almedha told me as she tried to smile at me, "I'm meeting my baby for the first time and she already has her own babies."

"I'm not your baby you crazy old hag!" I shouted, not having time to control my reaction or analyze my situation.

The look on her face was enough for me to feel satisfaction but then Charm's face flashed into my mind. What if I end up being stuck here and Charm grows up without me? Would she yell the same hurtful things at me?

"You must forgive me," I sighed deeply, "You were never in my life and we hardly share any resemblance to one another."

Her sad expression remained for the most part but she slightly lightened it.

"Well we've already informed your uncle and grandfather that you'll be visiting," Almedha told me as she fiddled her thumbs while she sat down at the foot of the bed, "That boy really loves you."

I raised an eyebrow while I tried to figure out who she was talking about.

"Link, was it?" she asked me, not waiting for an answer, "He made me swear to bring you back. When our carriage arrived, he spent such a long time making every little thing as comfortable as possible for you."

"You'd be able to get me back to him sooner if we didn't go to Goldoa," I muttered, still hating the idea of being stuck around a bunch of Laguz; sub-humans.

"We need you darling," Almedha sighed, "I need you."

"How about I go check on dinner?" Pelleas hick upped.

"Thank you," Almedha told her as she nodded. Once Pelleas was gone, Almedha turned her body to fully face me and pulled my hands into hers.

"What do you mean 'you need me'?" I asked, not wanting so be so cruel as to snatch my hands away from her.

"You're a smart girl, you're educated, you've seen the world," Almedha started, "You've seen Goldoa."

I nodded my head, hoping she'd get to the point.

"You know Goldoa is isolated," she sighed, "Isolated to the point that your grandfather refused to get involved in the last war, even though he knew how quickly we could've ended it."

"Maybe not," I told her, remembering defeating the dragons while we were in the tower of the goddess, "Just our small group defeated you."

"Well if we had joined your side, we could've," she admitted, "But I worry there might be another war. If there is, the Goldoan people need to understand that we need to do our part and help end it. We need to break down our wall so that we can work to be closer to peace; to equality."

"How would I be able to help with this goal of yours?" I asked, hardly remembering she's holding my hand, focusing on the fact that I need to get back into Hyrule before it affects the baby I just found out about.

"If the Goldoan people can accept you, somebody that is half of themselves, I believe it will move them closer to accepting Beorc," she explained, "Will you help us?"

I looked deep into her eyes and saw the same light that had once shinned in Ike's eyes; when he was innocent and didn't understand how cruel people were.

Then I thought back to my wedding day; he had turned into something worse. I didn't want to join Almedha and have this backfire on me.

"I need to be back in Hyrule before the baby arrives," I told her as a feeling of faintness started to take control.

I put my hand on my head, trying to grip the pain in my head as if it'd actually relieve the pain.

"How about you lay down?" Almedha asked as she stood up, "We can discuss this later."

"Just don't take us any further until we truly talk this over," I told her as she helped me lay down.

I felt so weak; so tired; so helpless and alone.

I had been put back into my nightmare land and I wasn't sure if there was a way out but I needed to find one. Another little person needed me now, and this time I know how badly.

My eyes began to close as the door shut behind Almedha and I feel into a deep sleep.