A/N

James Birsong: Thank you! Glad you liked them!

Thanks for reading everyone!


Sheik sat in the back of the ambulance, hand gripping the handle by his seat as they swerved through town.

He couldn't stop staring at Shadow.

The paramedics were working on him, trading places as they performed CPR, so far without success.

In another ambulance, he knew, his mother was with Midna, and in another, Ganondorf, and yet another, Link, and finally, Vio, and he knew Blue was with him. An army of emergency vehicles, all headed to the same place.

He couldn't blink.

What happened? What . . . Happened?

The shock was beginning to wear off as he processed the last hour.

Just a few hours ago, they'd been joking together, Shadow had called him "prince."

When they reached the Hyrule General Hospital, the paramedics didn't even look at Sheik, didn't wait for him. They had asked him everything that had happened on the way. They knew everything Sheik did. They transferred Shadow's gurney to the ground and rushed him inside.

Sheik hobbled inside after them, but they were long gone when the doors swung shut behind him.

They swung open again, and there went another gurney, this one with a big man on it.

Ganondorf.

A nurse caught hold of Sheik. "Hey, this isn't the best place for you, why don't you come with me?"

Sheik shook his head. "No. I'm waiting for my friends."

The doors swung open, and another gurney, with Midna laying unconscious on it, and his mother.

"Baby, are you alright?!" Mrs. Harkinian shouted when she saw Sheik's blood-stained pants, stepping away from Midna.

"I'm fine, Mama, it's not my blood." They hugged. "How's Midna?"

"They say she'll live. Come with me."

"I'm waiting for Link," Sheik said. "He shouldn't be alone."

"Dear Goddesses!" his mother cried, helpless. She stroked his hair, then he felt her nod. "Okay." She kissed his head and looked into his eyes. "Are you sure you're alright?"

Sheik nodded. "I'm the only one not injured." He tried not to sound bitter.

It didn't seem fair.

Everyone else got to fight really hard, but here he was, unscathed.

What a cruel joke, he thought as his mother rushed to catch up with Midna's nurses.

It didn't take long for Link's gurney to burst through the doors next, although he was actually still awake. "OW!" he yelled as his gurney bounced over the threshold roughly. Sheik jumped next to the running nurses and took Link's hand. "Link! I'm here."

Somehow, Link managed a grin. "I'm good, just, you know, super broken. You look awful."

Sheik chuckled, surprising himself.

"Where's Shadow?" Link asked, and Sheik didn't know what to tell him.

Link's face fell. "What about the others?"

"Midna will live, Ganondorf I don't know, Vio . . ."

"Vio?"

"I just don't know!"

Link squeezed his hand. "Hey, Sheik, look at me."

He did.

"It's going to be alright, okay? We're going to be alright."

Sheik tried to swallow, not wanting Link to see him cry right now. "How are YOU the one saying this to me?"

Link grinned. "I've had practice." His voice was tight, Sheik was finally calm enough to notice. He knew Link couldn't be nearly as okay as he pretended to be. Shadow was his brother. If Shadow died, that would be the third family member Link had lost in a year.

No way was he okay.

Somehow, having someone to take care of boosted Sheik, and he told Link, "I'm gonna stay as long as they let me, okay? You're not alone."

"Okay. Thanks Sheik."

Link hadn't even argued.

Yeah, he needs me.

Sheik stayed with Link until Granny arrived to take his place. Link headed to an MRI and Sheik went to find the waiting room outside where Shadow was.


Sheik walked into the waiting room. Blue, Red, and Green sat on the couch across the room. Blue was in the middle, one arm around Red sitting next to him, the other over Green, who was crying softly in his lap. Blue stared blankly at the wall opposite with red rimmed eyes.

They looked like the world was crashing down on them.

Sheik caught Red staring, not right at him, but somewhere below him.

His jeans.

His knees were still covered in Vio's blood.

Sheik blushed and hurried to a different part of the room where a divider blocked him from view. I wonder if a nurse would mind giving me some scrubs or something. Hell, I'll take a hospital gown over this . . .

"Zel!"

He looked up in time to find Nabooru crashing into him, wrapping her arms around his neck. Sheik hugged her back tightly, grateful for a warm body, for anybody.

"Are you okay?!" Nabooru asked.

"I'll be fine," Sheik said shakily. "I'm not hurt."

"I'm so glad." Nabooru sounded like she was crying. "I'm SO glad! Where's Link?"

"He's got broken ribs, but he's gonna be fine, too."

"Thank the Goddess . . ."

"Midna's going to be okay, too," Sheik said into Nabooru's shoulder.

"What the hell happened. They're saying it was an attack. Was there a bomb?"

Sheik's frown deepened. That's right. No one knew what happened yet. Neither did he. "Not really," he said, getting a splitting headache.

"Okay, I'm just glad you're okay."

"Can we stay like this?" he asked.

Nabooru's answer was to pull him tighter. "Of course."

Malon stood looking at the TV, her back to them.

"Hey," Sheik called.

Malon turned to look at him. Her eyes were wide like a deer's.

Sheik hadn't actually spent much time with Midna's new girlfriend, but right now it didn't matter. He held out an arm to her, gesturing with a hand.

She came unsteadily, then joined the hug, throwing an arm around both of them. Sheik pulled her in tightly.

"Nabooru, I love you," said Sheik.

"I love you too . . . Sheik."

"Malon, I don't know you very well, but I love you, too, okay?"

Malon nodded. "I love . . . I love all of ya!" She started to cry.

The waiting room door opened, and a doctor came in. Sheik watched her walk to the foster family huddling together on the other side of the divider. She looked over them one by one, then said, "I'm sorry, where are your parents?"

Blue removed himself from the others to stand, straightening his shirt as he did. "I'm their legal guardian," he said.

The doctor wasn't able to quite keep her composure.

Bad news? Sheik wondered.

"Okay," the doctor said, staring at her clipboard to hide her thoughts. "Is there . . . Is there anyone you can call? To be here with you?"

Blue shook his head. "What is this about? Is this about Felix?"

Felix? Sheik thought, before remembering that Red, Blue, Green, and Vio weren't their real names.

The doctor nodded, still sympathetic, but resigned. Sheik could tell she wished there was someone here more mature, someone for Blue and the others to fall back on. Sheik didn't know how Blue found the strength to stand, after seeing Vio like that.

If that had been his mom, or his dad . . .

"Can we go somewhere private?" The doctor's tone made it clear that Green and Red were not to be included.

Blue nodded, waved to the others comfortingly, and followed the doctor out.

Sheik thought to pull his phone out and call Groose, but realized his phone was probably still on the stadium, broken. "Hey, Nabs? Can I use your phone?"

"Oh!" she cried, pulling away. "Groose is with your mom and dad. I got a text right before you came. They're in the other waiting room, in the burn unit. That's where . . ."

Midna.

He heard Malon gasp. "Burn unit?! What the hell happened?"

"Let's go," Sheik said. "Let's go together. Mama can talk about it." He really didn't feel capable.

They walked down the hall, hand in hand, Sheik in the middle. He was grateful. If he didn't have their hands gripping his as tightly as he held theirs, he knew he'd be a giant puddle on the floor. It stopped him from trembling.

When they reached the burn unit waiting room, Sheik found his parents hugging, and he had to stop and blink for a second. It was the first time he'd seen them be close in what seemed like months.

Johannes released his wife as soon as Sheik opened the door. "Sweetheart!" He pulled Sheik into the tightest hug, dislodging him from his friends.

Finally, Sheik sobbed. He cried against his father's chest, which wasn't something he ever really realized he'd want, or could miss. "Dad, I'm so scared!"

"You're alright," Johannes was saying, mostly to himself. "You're alright." His arms tightened, his hands patting him all over, to tell himself that Sheik really was there.

Grizzelda came around and hugged Sheik from behind, and he found himself in a parent sandwich.

"Link is hurt, Shadow's hurt, Midna's hurt, everybody's hurt, hurt, except for me! I didn't do enough." He opened his eyes. "I wasn't brave enough."

"Sheik," Nabooru said.

"That's not true," his mother said. "And you know it. It wasn't just Shadow who closed that portal."

"But I could've—I should've—"

"Shh."

Sheik scrunched his eyes shut again. Then opened them again. He straightened slightly. "Is Groose here?" His voice had risen a few notches, not as depressed as it had been.

His parents moved just slightly enough so he could see Groose standing by, looking altogether left out, a look of intense worry etched across his face.

Sheik grinned at him. "I'm fine, Groose!"

Groose wasted no time in rushing in to hug him, too. "I'm sorry," he said. "I couldn't protect you. In the fog, no one could move, or do anything. I helped everyone get out."

Sheik pulled away slightly and kissed his cheek. "Then that makes you a hero, too!" He smiled and laid his head against Groose's chest.

Groose just stared ahead in a daze, holding Sheik lightly.

"Um," Malon broke in shakily. "Mrs. Harkinian?"

Nabooru gestured with their interlocked hands. "She's friends with Midna."

A look of understanding crossed Grizzelda's face and she smiled warmly. "Don't worry, everything will be fine. She's not in any danger. They are cleaning her wounds, and she'll be able to have visitors soon!"

Malon blinked several times, then nodded dumbly.

"Ma'am," Nabooru asked, shakily, "if you don't mind . . . What happened?"

Grizzelda went over everything piece by piece while the two girls listened.

Still in Groose's arms, Sheik was thinking about Shadow. When Granny had arrived, her first order of business had been to tell the nurses that she was his grandmother, and they told her everything. They told her they were fighting to keep his heart working, but that it looked grim. Sheik knew that with Demise's death, whatever part of his heart that had been keeping Shadow alive had died, as well. He was trying not to think about it, occupying himself by hugging everyone he loved that he could. He couldn't think about Shadow dying. He struggled to find something else to focus on, when it came to him suddenly. "Does anyone know about Ganondorf?" Shadow would want to know his dad was alright.

Mrs. Harkinian gasped. "Oh my goodness! Where would he even be?"

"General care?"

Nabooru's phone buzzed in her back pocket, and she pulled it out quickly and answered it. "Hello, Granny? . . . WHAT? No way!" Everyone looked at her. "It's Shadow. They . . . Are you SERIOUS? Everyone, they . . . Uh-huh . . . Uh-huh." She looked shocked, in an elated, but disbelieving sort of way. Then a grin split across her face. "They have a heart! They have a heart for Shadow! He's going into surgery in ten minutes!"

Sheik pulled away from Groose and joined everyone else crowding around Nabooru. "They have a heart? There's a donor? A donor?!"

"Yes!"

Sheik grabbed her phone. "Granny, are you serious?" He started to cry again. "Is this real? Is Shadow really going to be okay? Is he—is he—"

Granny was crying on the other end.

He knew there were still a ton of things in Shadow's way. A heart surgery was nothing to sneeze at, and his body might reject the donor heart after everything.

But it's a chance! A chance!


The sun was just beginning to set when they arrived back home. Granny parked the car in the driveway instead of the garage, since it would be easier for Link to get through the front door than the garage door. Nabooru kept her hands on his arm and back to steady him as he hobbled up the sidewalk.

The doctors had decided he would heal enough on his own after all.

"Man, all those painful tests just to be told I can do it on my own," Link joked. The doctors had been worried that his ribs were so fractured he may need plates and screws to keep them together while they healed, but he didn't, and it turns out these days they don't even put you in a cast because that constricts your airflow and can give you pneumonia.

So they really did just send him home.

"Easy, watch your step," Nabooru said, not finding anything funny as they reached the single cement step to the low porch.

As soon as the door opened, a high pitched voice yelled, "LINK! LINK! LINK!"

"Aryll! . . . Aryll! Aryll!" Link said tiredly. Even speaking hurt, what the crap . . .

For once, he was happy his sister hated hugs. He didn't have to explain he couldn't handle a hug right now.

He couldn't handle anything.

Granny went whisking into the kitchen. "The doctor said you should eat, Link! I'll make something for you."

"Something soft and easy," Link asked. "Please," he added, deciding being polite was worth the pain of speaking.

"Ice cream?"

"Oh, please, yes."

He was only able to eat a few bites, honestly. His stomach was in horrific knots, but he smiled and said thank you.

Nabooru helped him up the stairs to his room so he could lie down. She led him to his bed, where he sat gingerly, trying to keep his chest as rigid as possible, then drew his legs up and slowly lay down on his back.

Silence fell between them, and Link found himself thinking of Shadow, still in surgery at the hospital.

"So," Nabooru interrupted his thoughts with a tentative smile. "Saved all of Hyrule, huh?"

Link, glad for the distraction, grinned proudly, resisting the urge to add a prideful chuckle to it—that would make his ribs situation worse.

"Wow . . . I guess you really are a hero," she added bashfully.

Link sobered. "Vio was the real hero," he said, looking at her with a serious expression.

She nodded.

Then, he smiled again. "Sheik was pretty awesome, too. And Shadow . . ." His face broke, becoming tight, as fear flashed in his eyes. He glanced at Shadow's bed, across from his, then quickly looked away, staring at the ceiling, fighting the swelling emotions threatening to drown him.

"Link?" Nabooru took his hand gently and laid it in both of hers. She tried to imagine staying alone in this room, with Shadow's stuff everywhere, while worrying about Shadow in the hospital. "Would you like me to stay tonight?"

Swallowing, Link nodded jerkily.

"Okay, I will. Don't worry, I will."

Link turned his face from her, to the wall, covering it with a hand. He'd only ever cried in front of Sheik, and that had been once, barely.

Nabooru leaned in a little. "It's okay, Link. You can cry in front of me."

"It hurts to cry," he admitted, still hiding from her, and it was true. Breathing hurt, coughing hurt, speaking hurt.

"Well you can hold my hand as tight as you want—OW! Okay, maybe not that hard."

"I'm sorry, but you said—"

"No, no, it's alright!"

She held his hand silently and let him collect himself.

"It's just . . ." he began. He turned his head to glance at her, eyes red, but not threatening to cry anymore. "I've been making plans again. When Mom and Dad . . . I stopped for a while. I didn't want to think about the future, or holidays, or anything." He looked at her again. "But I started again. You know, like maybe we'd go to the same college, Shadow and me. He's helping me with Aryll, and we hang out all the time, just him and me. We'll have lots of family reunions together, I kept thinking of him being there at Thanksgivings and Christmases." He chest suddenly jolted in pain. He waited for it to subside. "Finding Shadow was the best thing that ever happened to me. It wasn't the same as getting my parents back, but it was just as good, you know? A long lost brother, are you kidding me?" A sob escaped him, like a cough. He set his head back against the pillow. "I've felt this . . . loss since I can remember, but I didn't realize it was there until I met Shadow and it was gone. It's like I knew he was missing." He looked over at Shadow's bed again. "I've gotten so used to him being here." He choked a couple times, then said. "I was so scared to lose him today. I'm still so scared, Nabs, what if it doesn't work?!"

Nabooru patted his hand, swallowing the lump in her own throat. "The doctor said his new heart is a perfect match." She nodded, forcing herself to sound certain. "He's going to be fine. I know it."

Link nodded. He glanced away, embarrassed. After a minute, he said, "Thanks for letting me . . . get that all out."

"It's nothing to feel embarrassed about," Nabooru said, finding herself smiling, and needing to wipe tears from her own eyes. "You love your brother. There's nothing embarrassing about that."

He looked at her. "There isn't, is there?"

She shook her head. "You know . . . you don't have to do this all alone."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean this. You're always talking about everything you have to do. You have to take care of Aryll, you have to take care of Granny—I know you don't tell her everything—and now you feel responsible for Shadow, too. I'm telling you, it's okay to rely on other people, too, you know? I'm here." She leaned forward again. "You don't have to be the only one who carries the world, Link. It's okay to share it, to let it out, to be overwhelmed, to ask for help, and I wish you'd ask for help more often. Like right now. I'm really happy you opened up to me. I'm really happy you . . . showed this side of you to me."

Link's mouth was slightly ajar, looking at her with some kind of awe and disbelief.

Nabooru smirked a little playfully. "What, don't believe me?" She tilted her head sassily. "Well, I'm here, aren't I? And you're a mess. And I'm holding your hand anyways. I'm not running away, and I'm not asking for your help. I don't HAVE to do this, but I want to."

She heard Link's breath catch, and she cut herself off, to spare Link any further feelings of helplessness. She hadn't meant to draw attention to it. He glanced away from her, at the ceiling again. Or maybe he's just trying to avoid feeling like his chest is going to implode.

"I-I'm just saying," she finished, hunching her shoulders slightly and sinking her head into them, staring at a corner of the bed. She braved a glance at Link after a while.

A single tear had fallen from his eyes, his chin trembling, and she could tell he was holding in sobs.

But he wasn't hiding behind a hand this time.

She reached forward and brushed the tear stain from his face, and he leaned into her palm, his face contorting in anguish. "Oh, Link, it'll be okay. It'll be okay, I promise!" She kissed his hand, patting it gently. "I'm here. I'm here, okay? You're not alone . . ."


Mrs. Harkinian barely noticed anything passing by outside the car. She kept glancing behind her seat, into the back. Sheik was laying across all the seats, eyes closed fast. When she wasn't lost in thought or glancing at Sheik, she was glancing at her husband.

At this point . . . It seemed strange to call him that. They hadn't actually slept in the same room or had a serious conversation in months.

Johannes parked the car in the garage, and as he unbuckled, Mrs. Harkinian tightened her folded arms, hugging herself, and said, "Johannes, I need to talk."

Johannes let go of the car door he'd been about to open and settled back in his chair. "Yes. What is it, Grizzy?"

She gave a humorless chuckle. He hadn't called her that since they were in college. "We almost lost our son out there."

"Our daughter."

Her voice caught in her throat. Why was he correcting her? She didn't want to argue about Sheik, certainly not with him in the back seat. She had completely forgotten about this, calling him Sheik was just habit, now. It hadn't occurred to her that Johannes would object, or even that he thought differently. She smiled to herself. To think, just a few months ago, I didn't even know what being trans was! "Are you still hung up about that?" She thought for sure that'd be the end of it, and they could talk about something else.

"It's confirmed," Johannes said, certain, even slightly excited. "She's the Princess of Destiny. You and I both know there's never been a prince of destiny."

She couldn't believe her ears. "THAT is what you're thinking about?! Not, dear goddess, I almost lost my child, but whether or not he's a girl?!"

"Grizzelda," he chided loudly at her cursing, before catching himself with a glance at Sheik's sleeping form. He leaned toward his wife. "It's embarrassing! Look what it's done to our name."

"How is this about your name?" She was shaking with anger, but was too exhausted for it. Mostly, she was incredulous. She couldn't stop thinking of the children, helplessly watching them be battered and broken by Demise while she could barely move, not having a piece of the Triforce to protect her. Midna, unconscious in her arms, Sheik screaming at her in pain as Demise tried to rip out his soul, Shadow writhing on the ground, Link being beaten in front of her eyes. She hadn't seen what happened to Vio, but she knew it was horrible. They'd just been at the hospital, all of them. Children in the hospital! Sheik was broken and terrified, and so was she. But he wanted to think about this?!

Didn't Johannes see how much she needed him right now? How much they both needed him? It didn't matter, she felt disbelief, so hurt. Right now she couldn't even look at him. She used to be able to go to him. "Who are you anymore, Johannes Harkinian Hyrule?"

She opened the door and left the car. I think you should move back in, she'd been meaning to say. Sheik loves you, and so do I. How could she say any of that now?

"Grizzelda—" Johannes reached for her too late, then unbuckled and left the car as well.

In the back seat, Sheik pretended to still be asleep, but tears leaked under his eyelids. He sobbed quietly.


Malon sat in the waiting room, crying. She crumpled tissues in her lap. She was the only one who hadn't gone home. There wasn't really a home to go to. She'd lied to everyone else, saying she was fine, was headed home, and no, didn't need a ride. Ingo would be pissed at her for not being at the bar tonight, but she didn't care.

The most important girl in the world to her was in a hospital room, and she couldn't even poke her head in.

The Twili representatives had arrived an hour ago. Malon knew Midna kept her sexuality hidden from her council members. If they found out she was dating not only a girl, but a Hylian girl, it would upset the political balance, and the Twilight Princess didn't need more imbalance.

She hated it.

She wanted to be in that room, holding Midna's hand, telling her it would all be okay. Instead, she was here, all alone, with nowhere to go.

Midna was fine, she knew. There wouldn't be much, if any, scarring. It seemed that Triforce thing had spared her most of the worst damage.

But now the council knew about the Triforce she held. They know she used it, but they don't know how she got it, she told herself. There can't possibly be any suspicions that she's secretly working for Hyrule. There can't be!

The only other real friend she had, Shadow, was in surgery, or maybe he was done. She didn't know. She didn't know who to ask or if it was even okay to ask. They kept their friendship on the down low, for reasons.

She stood up, with nothing better to do. Plus, that nurse was beginning to look concerned, and she didn't want to be asked any questions.

Time to switch waiting rooms again.

She went to the ICU one, making her way slowly. It's not like she needed to hurry. When she got there, she saw someone she didn't know, but that she recognized anyway.

Ganondorf.

She burst through the glass doors. "Mr. Dragmire!"

Ganondorf looked up in alarm, thinking it was a nurse coming with urgent news, but then saw it was just a girl.

"Sorry," she said, with an apologetic look. She held out a hand. "I'm Malon, I'm a friend of Shadow's."

"Oh," he said in surprise, and shook her hand. "Thank you for coming."

She clasped her hands in front of her. Does he not want to be alone, either? Gosh he looks awful. His face was a mottled mess, more purple and blue and covered in butterfly bandages than anything else, and there were bandages on his arms, she imagined there were more under the scrubs he wore. Likely his clothes had been thrown away, maybe covered in dirt, blood, and—and—"I'm glad to see you're doing well, sir," she said. "Shadow sure wouldn't like if his dad was a goner, you know?"

"Thank you, Malon . . . Isn't your father named Talon?"

Her heart skipped a beat. That's right. Dad used to work for Ganondorf's business, but he knows him by name? "Yeah, that's right."

"It's a shame what happened to him. I always thought they pinned too much on him. He was just doing his job."

She blushed. She'd never expected Ganondorf, of all people, to say that about her dad. "You really think so?" she asked.

He raised an eyebrow at her. "Of course I do." He rolled his eyes. "Fat lot I can do about it, though. I'll be in the slammer again myself in a few days." He glowered off somewhere beyond the room, and Malon turned to see security standing there.

Making sure Ganondorf stayed put.

As if he'd go anywhere without Shadow, Malon thought. She didn't have the best opinion of cops these days.

She sat in the seat next to Ganondorf—right next to him. He was a big man, so she really only got three quarters of a seat, but she sat there anyway, leaning against him. "Do you mind if I stay here?"

"Of course," he said, a little surprised, but not unwelcoming. "Stay as long as you like."

They sat in silence for a while. Ganondorf, not knowing what else to do, slowly put his arm around her. He didn't know why she was here alone, or what drove her to sit by him, but it was obvious she had been crying and needed some attention. Malon felt comforted feeling the heat of another person, a grownup, even if it was Ganondorf. Then, suddenly, Ganondorf said, "Your father."

Malon broke out of whatever thoughts she'd been stuck on to look up at him. "Hm?"

"He got out today."

Her brain froze. ". . . What?"

"He told me. In prison."

Ganondorf and her dad knew each other in prison? They talked? She blinked up at him wonderingly.

He smiled. "He was very excited to see you."

No one knew when her dad was getting out. But Ganondorf knew? Her dad had told him? Malon slowly, like moving through water, pulled out her phone. There were several missed calls, from her home landline, from the bar.

She'd assumed they were all from Ingo.

She dialed her home, praying her dad wasn't at the bar, because she didn't want Ingo to pick up instead.

Someone picked up. "Yello?"

Her voice caught. They didn't have caller ID. He had no idea, no idea.

"Yellllllo?"

If she didn't speak up, he'd assume it was a wrong number or spam. She managed a huge gasp of air, then said, "DAD!"

There was a pause on the other end, then, "Mal? Malon, is that you?"

She nodded, forgetting her dad couldn't see. She wiped tears out of her eyes. "I'm so sorry, I thought it was Uncle Ingo calling, I didn't know you got out today!"

"Oh, it's alright, honey bun, I was just waiting to see you. I can't wait to see you. Why aren't you at home? It's pretty late, isn't it?" His voice was so fast, so insistent. "Where've you been all day? Hanging out with friends?" He was trying to make conversation, trying to keep it light.

He had no idea. "I missed you so much!" she sobbed.

"I miss you too, and I want to see you, angel. Where are you?"

"I'm . . . I'm at the hospital."

"WHAT?!"

"It's not me, it's . . . it's my friends, Dad. They're really hurt, and I'm scared, and I'm," she glanced to her left, pausing her crying as she remembered in shock, "and I'm here with Mr. Ganondorf."

"WHAAAAAT?!"

She laughed. She missed her dad's voice, and his nervous outbursts. They were so ridiculous, but they made her feel better, and honestly, this time, it wasn't ridiculous at all. "Dad, you'll never believe everything that's happened to me." She hiccupped. "It's been so hard!"

"Why didn't you call Ingo?!" He assumed she was just talking today. "Does he know?"

She didn't say anything.

"Malon?"

"Please just come."

"Which hospital you at, angel, I'll get there fast as lightning!"

"Be careful, Dad, you just got out . . ."

"I ain't driving on no suspended license! I'll get a cab, don't worry, angel. Don't you worry!" He sounded very confident, which wasn't like her dad at all, but it made her feel better anyways.

"I'm at Hyrule General."

"Okay, angel, listen, I gotta hang up, okay? Just for a second, so I can call a cab, but I'll call you right back, okay?"

She nodded again. "Okay. Dad, I love you."

"Oh, I love you too, Malon, I love you, too. Three . . . two . . . one . . ."

They hung up together.

Malon wiped her eyes and couldn't stop staring at her phone, waiting for him to call back. It felt like ages.

Finally, it rang. "Dad?"

"It's me, Mally."

"Oh, yay!" She sniffed.

"Tell me everything, ace."

So she did.


A/N About time we got some decent parental figures in this story! shrug