Never before had my thoughts on anything changed as rapidly as when the scalpel pierced through my skin. One second prior, I'd been terrified at the thought of my inescapable death.

I welcomed it, now—more than welcomed it. I'd have gratefully accepted eternal nothingness if it meant I would be freed of the agonizing pain that erupted further with every inch the scalpel dragged down my chest.

Eyes clenched, I silently screamed and involuntarily thrashed what little I could against my restraints. He had barely started, and it was already unbearable. I couldn't handle however much longer this would go on for. Soundlessly, I begged, pleaded, for Mr. Rider to put me out of my misery already.

At the sound of the door whizzing open and quick footfalls entering the room, the fiery line in my chest stopped growing as Mr. Rider paused and groaned. Not even fifteen seconds had passed since he began to cut me, and the scalpel had only made it to the end of my sternum.

"Should've locked the damn door," Mr. Rider grumbled. "Get out. Now. I already told you to go home and I won't tell you again."

It should have been obvious from those few words, but with my mind all scrambled from the pain I was in, I didn't realize who he was talking to until I forced my eyes open and saw him. My heart felt like it could jump out of the cut in my chest.

Momentarily forgetting I couldn't speak, I tried to call to him. 'Zi?!'

He was panting and sweating and he looked more nervous than I had ever seen him be. My magic pouch was in his hands, and he was shaking so much I thought he might drop it.

"I changed my mind. I can't let you do this." Walking further into the room, Zi's uneasy expression morphed, coming to be confident and determined. "I won't let you do this, Dad."

Mr. Rider's response was toneless, apathetic, clearly not believing that Zi posed any threat to his plans at all. "You're not going to stop me. Synthia, get him out."

Before Synthia could take one step toward him, Zi ripped my pouch open. "Save her!"

What flew out of my pouch grew to full their full sizes in the air. Overcome with euphoria, a noiseless sob escaped me at the sight of them.

"What the hell are they?" Mr. Rider said.

They were my saviors—Ooccoo and her son.

"Don't worry, Vanna!" Ooccoo yelled.

"They can—?! What are they doing?!" Mr. Rider shouted.

Ooccoo and Ooccoo Jr. had both started to fly in circles around the ceiling, making the weird babbling noises I'd come to know as the cues that they were about to warp. As my vision faded to black, Mr. Rider's distraught voice faded away, too.

The first thing I noticed upon my vision coming back wasn't the ceiling above me; it was how absolutely freezing I was. I was shivering almost immediately. I knew I had to be back in the Yeti's mansion, but I could hardly feel any relief at all, and it wasn't only because I was cold. The happiness that came with realizing I was being saved had already dwindled away, and I was left shaken by what had happened. I felt just as scared, frustrated, humiliated, and even as defeated as I felt laying there on what was going to be my deathbed.

The next thing I noticed as I slowly sat up was that we were behind the shelf in the kitchen where Ooccoo and Ooccoo Jr. had been trapped in pots, and after that I noticed that Ooccoo and her son hadn't warped only the three of us back—Rade was there, too. After grabbing one of the quilts made from Yeto's shed fur that had been thrown atop a crate, I picked Rade up and thoroughly cocooned us in it. Right away, I was much warmer, though the freezing floorboards against my skin were enough to keep me shivering still.

I was disappointed when I realized they had left Zi behind. Though I was still seething at what he had done ... he had also tried to set things right. He saved my life.

And I couldn't imagine the hell Mr. Rider had to be unleashing on him for it.

'Oocc—' I stopped, a hand going up to my throat under the quilt. There was still no sound coming out when I tried to talk, even though I was no longer hooked up to Mr. Rider's computer.

Ooccoo tilted her head. "Are you all right? Well, aside from that cut on your chest..."

Someone heard her and started to stomp over from the other side of the kitchen. Rade growled and managed to escape our quilt cocoon—but as soon as he saw Yeto in front of us, he yelped and ran to hide behind me.

"It you, uh! How you get back here?! Friends made sad when you go! And—uh! You bring dinner?!"

Ooccoo clucked and hid behind me like Rade.

Pointing to my throat, I shook my head and mouthed, 'I can't talk.'

"No voice, uh?" Yeto said. "Dinner! Talk for girl!"

"I am not dinner!" Ooccoo said.

"Chickens is dinner!"

'No, she isn't,' I mouthed. 'She's not food.'

"She ... not ... stewed?" Yeto said. "I fix that, uh."

'She is friend. Not food. Friend.'

Yeto stared at my lips blankly, obviously not getting it. I reached my arms out of the quilt and turned to grab Ooccoo, and then I hugged her close to me.

'Friend. See?'

"Yes, yes, we're friends!" Ooccoo said. "My son and I saved her! You can't eat us!"

Yeto hummed, eyes going from me to her. Worry started to build up in me. We weren't even safe, yet; it wasn't the time for a conversation, especially not one as stupid as this. I knew Mr. Rider would be coming back to search for me at any moment.

Yeto finally sighed. "Okay... I not eat it, uh."

I put Ooccoo back on the floor next to me, then pointed at Yeto and moved my finger back the way he came.

"What, uh? You want soup?" he asked.

I shook my head. 'Go,' I mouthed.

"No?"

I shook my head again. 'Go. Back. Over. There.'

"I believe she's telling you to go back," Ooccoo said for me.

I nodded.

"Bring back soup, uh?"

'No!'

"Do not bring back soup," Ooccoo said.

"Okay, uh. Your friends in sitting room, uh. They going to be happy you back. I go get you nice soup for happy time, uh!"

Yeto went into the main part of the kitchen, and once he was gone, I pushed some of the crates around in front of us for cover. I held my finger up to my lips before mouthing at Ooccoo and her son to not say anything. We needed to be as quiet as possible so that when Mr. Rider would inevitably come back, he wouldn't know we were hiding. I didn't think it was safe to go out to Link yet if he was in the sitting room, even though I was intensely eager to; there was nowhere to hide there. I had to hope that Yeto wouldn't unintentionally out our hiding spot and that Rade wouldn't make any noise.

A minute later, I heard a door open, and I held my breath.

"Where is she?" Mr. Rider nearly growled.

"She? Uh, I no see she. Don't know she," Yeto said.

"I mean the girl! The one you just helped me find not half an hour ago, idiot. I know she had to have come back to this place!"

"No, uh, no she. Still don't know she."

"Don't play stupid with me. You know who the girl with red hair is," Mr. Rider spoke slowly, as if to a toddler.

"Uh... No. Only know orange hair girl, uh."

"'Orange hair girl' is who I'm talking about, you buffoon."

"But her hair not red, uh. It orange."

"Yes, her hair isn't literally red. You still know damn well what I meant. Where did she go? I know she came back here!"

"She not come back, uh. I tell you if she did. I help you before, uh, remember? And sad green boy out with Yeto wife would go bye with girl if she come back, uh. He not want her by self. Girl could be lot of places, uh, but she not here."

Mr. Rider groaned loudly and muttered a virtually incomprehensible string of curse words before demanding NEVA take him back to his office in Ridertech.

"Whoa, uh! He gone!" Yeto said.

The tension inside me began to wash away with those words, and I thanked whatever was looking over me for him not checking behind the shelf. It was impossible to know how long it would last, but I was safe. I tried my best to not think about my new knowledge that Yeto had helped Mr. Rider find me, to just be grateful he had led him away from me now.

Yeto came back over and pushed all the crates out of the way. "You go see friends now!"

He didn't give me the chance to stand up and walk to them on my own; he roughly picked me up and cradled me in one of his giant arms and stomped off with me, ignoring the warning bark and growl from Rade.

My heart raced faster with every step he took toward the sitting room. Someone who I'd genuinely believed I would never see again was just a door away.

As Yeto pushed the door open, he loudly exclaimed, "Look who back, uh!"

Sitting on the rug by the fireplace across from Yeta were Link and Midna. I only saw the blanket-wrapped Midna enough to note the surprise on her face before I locked eyes with Link and everything else blurred to the background. His quickly blinking eyes were wide and lips parted in a hesitant half-grin. He said my name like a question, and I mouthed his back.

Link stood up as Yeto and I approached him, and he grabbed me from Yeto's arm. He settled back to the floor, sitting me up between his legs and moving his arms around my back. "Vanna, what happened? How'd you—"

Impulses taking over, I abruptly leaned forward and pressed my lips to his. His mouth opened in a gasp, and the feel of his lips moving against mine made me become all the more desperate. My arms snaked up through the bottom of the quilt to clutch the fabric at his sides as I pushed myself against him with urgency, melting into him. My lips met his again and again and again, and no matter how many times they did, I never got enough.

Nothing else in the world mattered to me—until someone made a vomiting noise.

I pulled back, lips tingling and panting for breath. Link's lips were parted and puffy, and reddened along with his cheeks and ears. His eyes, while still wide with shock, looked slightly dazed. It took me a second to break my own eyes away from them to look at the culprit of the retching sound. Rade and Midna were sitting beside us, her with her little nose scrunched up.

I couldn't even be mad at her for long. Trying to keep the quilt draping over and covering my body, I reached out and grabbed her out of the blanket she was in with one arm, and I pulled her into a tight hug.

"I'm glad you're not dead and all," Midna said, words strained from how close I was holding her, "but if you smooch me, I will vomit."

I took that as a challenge, moving her away enough to plant a wet kiss on her cheek. She faked another gag, and I laughed noiselessly. She sat atop my curled-up legs when I let her go, and wrapped her blanket around herself again. Nervously, I looked back at Link.

All of the shock was gone from his face, replaced with concern. His hand that he had moved from my back when I grabbed Midna went up to touch my cheek, wiping at the tears that were continuing to flow slowly. Though I was still on his lap, I was suddenly aching to be as close to him as possible again—and also feeling too embarrassed by what I'd done to look him in the eyes for longer—so I snuggled up to his chest and buried my face in the crook of his neck. He rested his cheek atop my head and rubbed circles on my back through the quilt.

"...Really, what happened?" he asked, voice gentle but slightly frantic. "How did you...? Did you two bring her back?"

"Yes, we did!" Ooccoo said. I hadn't noticed she and her son had followed me and Yeto into the sitting room—not that I'd noticed much else at all after seeing Link.

"Thank you," Link said sincerely.

"It was the least we could do for all those times she's saved us from pots."

Link sighed and moved a hand to the back of my head. "So, they saved you, but... What else happened while you were gone? Why did that puppy follow you here?"

I pulled back so he could see my face, and I mouthed, 'I can't speak.'

His brows furrowed. "You ... can't speak?" I shook my head, and his eyes widened again. "Why?"

I opened my mouth, then rolled my eyes back and huffed. How was I supposed to tell him why I couldn't speak when I couldn't speak?

His face fell when he realized. "Oh."

There was a scratchy pitter-patter before Ooccoo appeared in my peripheral. "I can read her lips well. Tell me what you want to say, and I'll speak for you."

I was deliberate as I mouthed my words to her, trying to ensure she caught everything. Ooccoo recited it perfectly: "Mr. Rider disabled my voice function so I couldn't scream while being taken apart."

Link's expression went from shocked to angered to horrified, before settling back on concerned. "He didn't get to do anything else before Ooccoo brought you back, did he?" he softly asked.

I leaned back a little more, and carefully spread the quilt just enough to show the long cut down the middle of my chest and nothing more. Link grimaced at the sight. I became uncomfortable with him looking at it, so I tightened the quilt around myself and nestled up to him again.

"...You really can't make any noise at all?" Midna asked, voice stuffy and thick.

I shook my head.

"It's okay," Link said. "We'll... We'll figure something out."

"If Ooccoo's not around to speak for you, you can still communicate with gestures. It'll be like when Link's a..." Midna trailed off, and after a few seconds taking in quick breaths, she let out a sneeze. "Ugh... You know."

That wasn't reassuring at all, not to mention that it was wrong. At least Link could make noises to indicate things as a wolf, even if he couldn't say them outright. I wouldn't even be able to scream for help if I needed to.

But I knew it wasn't entirely hopeless, however hopeless it may have felt. If I had managed to reprogram myself without even being conscious that I had done so, then there had to be a possibility of me being able to turn my voice on again. Mr. Rider had even made a quip about me potentially being able to.

"So, Ooccoo," Link said, "what happened?"

"Well, you'll have to have me speak for Vanna if you want the full story, because I was in the dark for most of it. I heard screaming, and then it felt like somebody threw Vanna's pouch to the ground. A few minutes later, a young man picked it up and opened it. He said his dad was about to kill Vanna, and he asked us if we would warp her and her dog back to Hyrule and leave him behind. We got to her just in the nick of time and warped her and the dog here as the boy asked."

I didn't think I could ever forgive him, but it was still touching to hear that Zi had specifically requested for them to bring my dog along—though perhaps not much forethought had gone into that decision, because we'd have to figure out what to do with him while searching for the mirror shards—and I was back to worrying about him by the end of Ooccoo's account. He could have asked them to take him, but instead he'd chosen to stay back and face the consequences his father would surely inflict upon him.

"Wait, Zi got you to save her?" Midna asked. "After he helped kidnap her?"

"He felt terribly guilty, and he couldn't bear to let his father go through with murdering her," Ooccoo said.

After that, I tried my hardest to tune out everything. I didn't want to think about Zi, I didn't want to think about Mr. Rider, I didn't want to think about how close I'd been to being murdered—I didn't want to think about any of it.

I focused on the heat that radiated from Link, the feel of his neck against my face, the soothing circles he was still rubbing on my back through the quilt, the sound of his even breaths, the comforting weight of Midna and Rade on my lap... And above all, I focused on the fact that I was alive.

Awareness I hadn't noticed I'd lost crept back to me, bringing with it recognition that I was cold, and I curled up further for warmth. Suddenly, I recalled what had happened and realized I was no longer cuddled up to Link, and panic shot through me.

I opened my eyes, and I gasped. Yeto was right in front of me, buggy eyes staring into mine. After I got over the initial shock, the sight of him calmed me, because it meant I was still alive and in Snowpeak. Looking away from him, I found that Link was nowhere to be seen, along with Midna and Yeta. I was on the couch, Ooccoo and Ooccoo Jr. were by the fire, and I felt rather than saw that Rade was cuddled up to me under one of the blankets that had been layered atop me.

"Good morning!" Yeto said so loud I shuddered. "You fall asleep, uh. Wife remember where key to bedroom is, and friends ask me to watch you while she bring them to mirror, uh. Boy not want to leave you, but, uh, small girl say you be fine with me and chicken friends."

I was surprised I had actually fallen asleep, but I supposed it was a testament to how safe I felt in Link's arms that I was able to.

Link. Remembering what I'd done, I buried my burning face into a pillow. We would have to acknowledge that it had happened at some point. At least, with me being rendered mute for the foreseeable future, it would probably have to be put off for a while. I would have time to accept the oncoming rejection that was necessary for him to give me, and time to formulate my apology.

Assuming I even made it long enough to talk to him about it. Mr. Rider had said my backup battery was running low, but he hadn't specified how long I could last with what charge I had. Once I was out, that was it. I had no way to recharge myself in Hyrule. My only hope was that Zi would come back for me and bring a charger with him. If he didn't...

"So, uh, you want soup?" Yeto asked.

His voice startled me out of my reverie. I opened my mouth to speak, but then I remembered, and I shut it and shook my head.

I sat up slowly while trying to untangle my limbs in the blankets. Rade harrumphed, displeased that my movement forced him out of them. I kept one quilt around myself and went to go sit by the fire. Rade trailed after me and jumped onto my lap. He was trembling, but I didn't know if it was because of the cold, his fear of Yeto, him simply being a Chihuahua, or some combination of the three.

As the minutes passed in silence, my mind replaying all the events of my whirlwind of a day, Yeto began to grow fidgety. Finally, I tilted my head toward him and raised an eyebrow.

"...Bedroom ... not that far, uh," he said. "I worry for wife. Maybe something wrong...?"

Oh. I'd seen the hysteria in Yeta's eyes when I'd simply mentioned us taking the mirror. Of course it wouldn't be as simple as her leading Link to the mirror and handing it over. This was, for all intents and purposes, a dungeon—and dungeons had bosses.

And this dungeon's boss was named Blizzeta.

I stumbled trying to hurry to my feet with the quilt, nearly tumbling into the fire. One of Yeto's hands steadied me and helped me up.

'We have to go to them!' I tried to say.

If he could not read my lips, he could certainly read my body language. Understanding what I meant this once, he scooped me up and dashed out the door. Rade whined, and before the door closed behind us, I looked over Yeto's shoulder and threw Ooccoo a look that hopefully told her to keep an eye on him while I was gone. I didn't know what exactly we were going to do—I had no weapons, and Yeto might be opposed attacking his wife even if she was possessed by some demonic mirror—but we couldn't just lounge in the sitting room and wait.

It was night outside now, and the lack of sun in combination with the wind the whipping past us as Yeto ran made it impossibly colder. I curled up in his arm and buried my face into his fur. When he suddenly barged into the bedroom door, I didn't even have the time to turn my head back around to look at the scene before he tossed me and I landed in a heap on the floor.

"Yeta!" he yelled.

Adjusting the quilt around me and sitting up on my knees, I watched him run to her. She was laying on the floor on the other side of the large frosty bedroom, Link leaning over her and Midna floating at his side. Yeto shoved Link out of his way so harshly that he fell over, and he crouched where Link had been. I stood, careful not to trip over the quilt, and began to walk over to them.

"Yeta?" Yeto repeated, softer this time.

She let out a tiny moan. "Uh... What ... happen?"

Link pushed himself to his feet and took a step toward her. "You—"

"Shh," Yeto stopped him. He picked up his wife, cradling her in his arms. "Nothing happen, uh. You just dreaming."

"But... I thought..." She gasped. "Yeto! Mirror you gave... So beauty, uh... Where...?"

Yeto shook his head. "Forget mirror, Yeta... Look in reflection of Yeto's eyes. There true beauty! Who need mirror?"

"My love, uh!"

From behind, I'd thought he'd hugged her closer and leaned his head down to kiss her, but when I made it next to them, I saw that only their noses were touching. Both of their eyes closed, they seemed oblivious to anything else—including Link, Midna, and I standing next to them. The love flowing out of them was almost palpable.

I felt like I was intruding on their moment, so I turned away. Apparently feeling the same, Midna dove into my shadow.

Link placed an arm around my back, and we started to walk to the door. "Are you ready to get out of here?" he asked quietly.

Looking at him, I nodded, but then shook my head. 'Rade.'

"Wasn't gonna leave your dog behind, if that's what you're tryna say," he said with a little grin. "How does goin' to Ordon for a while sound? I know it's ... an obvious place for you to be, but you'll be safe wherever we go this time."

I nodded again. I doubted there was a better place for me to think, to process everything that had happened, than the quaint, lush forest village; I hardly cared that it was an obvious place to look for me, because if they still managed to find me even in a mansion nestled miles into dangerous snowy mountains, they could find me anywhere. Being found wasn't my problem—being caught was.

But I would not get caught. Whenever he would eventually find me, I wouldn't try to run again, wouldn't try to hide. He might have been taller than me, faster than me, stronger than me ... but his physical advantages would mean nothing if he had a sword in his chest.

"Want me to carry you back to Rade since you don't got shoes on?" Link offered as we approached the door.

It took me a second to come out of my imagination and comprehend what he'd said. I shook my head. Remembering how I'd stabbed Zi made me remember also that I'd dropped my sword afterward in my attempt to flee as fast as I could—I wanted to go to the room below and grab it before leaving, along with some of the other weaponry I'd seen down there. Since my bow was gone, discarded of in Mr. Rider's office a universe away, I would get something else to make up for not having it. I would be prepared.

Link followed me to the room below unquestioningly. The splattered blood on the ground was the only evidence of what had happened. Two of the items I'd specifically wanted to get were gone, and I used my head to gesture to where they had been.

"Your sword and that ball and chain? I came down here when Yeta told me where to find the key, and I got them both," Link explained. "They're in my pouch."

After nodding yet again—I was already getting sick of that being one of my only ways of communicating things—I squeezed between the bars and walked up to a rack with an assortment of weapons and shields. I looked back at Link. His lips were offset in a frown, but he squeezed between the bars to come to me anyway. Using my head again, I pointed out what I wanted. Link pocketed the axe, spear, and shield, and he sighed.

"Vanna... I'll take whatever you want if it makes you feel safer, but I meant what I said. You'll be safe wherever you go. I won't let this happen again."

His commitment was moving, as it always was—but any actions he would take to ensure my safety would be superfluous.

I wouldn't let this happen again.

WHEW. I'm so happy to have finally posted these last two chapters after sitting on them for so long! And happy to have finally gotten that first kiss in there ... like four years and 170,000 words in, ha. Hope nobody is too upset with me for ending the last chapter on a cliffhanger when the one before it was also a cliffhanger—I live for the suspense. We're on to greener pastures now, though! For a while. Perhaps.