Chapter 8 (Age 15)

Link sat up with a start at the light, but incessant, tapping on his door. He turned to Pipit, who was groggily rubbing his eyes and sitting up in just as much surprise and confusion. Link slid off the bed and adjusted his shirt before going to open the door. When he did, he was ill prepared for the body that crashed into him.

Zelda threw her arms around him and held him tight. Link instinctively returned her embrace, and hurriedly closed the door. Already, he could hear her breathing rapidly, too fast for any normal person. Her body shook in his arms, every muscle spasming at a rate that caused her to lose full control. He walked backwards to his bed so that Zelda had a place to sit if she needed it. Her legs had to be shaking, but it was the sheer force of her tightly wrapped arms that held her up.

"Zelda? What's wrong? What happened?" Link repeated again and again. But Zelda seemed to be in a trance, unhearing and unresponsive.

Link turned to Pipit again, though the other boy was just as clueless as to what to do. Link was about to tell Pipit to get Zelda's father, for fear that something was truly and physically wrong with her when she let out the shakiest of breaths.

"You're alive."

Link had to process that those were her words. "I'm… yes?"

She shook her head. "I watched you… die. I held you. Your blood was on my arms."

His head was groggy, and the panic on her face took a solid moment to sink in. "It was just a dream," he said, trying to be comforting. "You're fine."

"No," Zelda said, pulling away. She held out her arm and there was a small patch of blood. "It was real! It happened. You were… we were… and then… ugh, I can't explain. Nothing seems real when the words come to me, but it happened. I felt everything. Physically, I felt everything. And it wasn't a dream." She stared at the blood on her arm, though it was hard to stay focused with her body shaking so hard.

Link had to admit, she was more shaken than he'd ever seen her. "Perhaps you had a bloody nose and your brain turned that into a dream?"

In the face of the insane claim she was making, that somehow the blood from a dead body who was actually alive from a dream had gotten on her arm, she nodded slowly. "That might be possible." But her entire body fought the logic. It screamed at her saying she was right.

"Do you want to tell me what happened?" Link asked gently, grabbing her by the wrist. Her fingers brushed against his skin several times, reveling in the warmth, the life that was in them, before mimicking his gesture and grabbing his other wrist. She could feel his pulse, his living, breathing heartbeat.

She looked over at Pipit, who was watching on with concern. "I'm sorry to have bothered you both. I didn't even really realize it was late. No, I don't need to talk about it."

Link glanced back at Pipit as well before Link grabbed the long blanket off his bed and folded it over his arm. "I'm going out." He looked at Zelda with a deliberate expression. "Care to join?"

Zelda smiled and nodded, pulling down the sleeves of her long sweater and hugging her arms comfortingly close to herself.

Link grabbed a loose, long-sleeved sweater off the end of his bed and pulled it over his head. He turned back to Pipit. "Cover for me?"

Pipit was still watching Zelda with concern. Though everyone had snuck into each other's rooms at night to hang out, he'd never seen Zelda burst in, shaken to the core. "Yeah, of course. Go."

Link turned to Zelda, grabbing her arms so her attention was on him rather than in her own mind. He grinned, his easy smile calmed Zelda somewhat. He gestured first to the window, then to the door. "Do we go the easy way, or the hard way?"

Zelda chuckled, feeling enough air to finally take a breath and looked around. "I think we took the window last time and it was awful, so let's try the hard way this time."

Pipit said, laid his head back down. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Zelda turned to go, and Link caught Pipit's eye one last time, a look of concern passing between both of them.

Link and Zelda crept to the door and cracked it open an inch, peeking out to make sure there were no stragglers roaming the halls. When they were sure it was clear, they both snuck out and closed the door quietly behind them. The stairs were the hardest part of sneaking out. Some of them had a habit of creaking rather loudly.

Link wrapped the blanket over his head to crudely disguise himself, and they both took their time, taking each step with deliberate precision. Link knew that he had to be careful. There were punishments for any boy on the girls floor after dark unless someone needed an instructor. With the instructors close enough to hear anything that might go on on the second floor, it was often impossible to sneak around the floor. The girls didn't have such limitations with the first floor. It was hard to enforce the strict policy when all of the instructors were not on that level, and the kitchen had to remain open at all times for anyone needing a late-night snack. But the downstairs door was locked with a newer lock and the door creaked like a warning bell whenever it was opened. The door upstairs was old but still maintained properly, and it was easily picked from the inside and the outside.

Careful to avoid the worst areas of the squeaky floor, they made it to the door. Zelda was the master locksmith of the two. Link was the kind of person who needed a key, or a locked door would remain locked forever… even if his life depended on it.

Zelda got them outside quickly, and they closed the door. Zelda locked it again so there wouldn't be suspicion when the instructors unlocked everything in the morning. She had no intention of going back to sleep in there tonight. Not when closing her eyes meant there was a chance she'd dream of that again.

Once the air hit their faces, Link pulled the blanket off and turned to Zelda. She looked as ghostly pale as she had in his room, her eyes already unfocused.

"What happened?" Link tried again.

Zelda shook her head. "I'll tell you when we sit down."

Link didn't press her, but he could see that she was still shaking. She hurried over to the stairway and rushed up the steps toward the statue of the Goddess, Hylia. Though they preferred their place by the water, this was where they could go for privacy. A small space behind the Goddess Statue offered that and a magnificent, unobstructed view of the sky.

Link sat down and leaned back against the statue, and Zelda joined beside him, so close that there was no space between their arms. But that's what Zelda needed: to be constantly aware that Link was here and alive. Link threw the blanket over both their laps and waited.

It took some time, but Zelda finally let out a long breath. "Have you ever had a dream so real that you were convinced it was true?"

Link nodded but didn't want to risk interrupting her.

She continued. "It wasn't even close to that, Link. In nightmares, I feel frightened, but that's all. I can't feel anything physically. I wake up, breathe a few times and maybe have a walk around the Academy. Then I can go back to sleep because I realized that it was just a dream. But this wasn't like that.

"I was someplace strange, not on Skyloft or an island. That was another odd thing. I rarely dream about places that I haven't seen before. There were trees everywhere. I mean, Link, you can't even imagine how many trees there were. Skyloft might be the biggest island, but this place… it went on forever. But you and I were there together. It was strange… we didn't look the same as we do.

"We were running as fast as we could. All around us were… creatures. I don't know what they were. They were worse than Skytails. They had legs and arms, all of them carried swords and shields. They were dressed in armor that covered their bodies, and you couldn't see their faces. But there was something about them that wasn't Hylian. They weren't people.

"All of a sudden, I felt myself get caught, my feet off the ground and a golden magical barrier of some kind encased me. I was terrified, and mind you, I can feel everything that's happening to me while I'm asleep. I couldn't move, and you ran over to me, banging against the glass, screaming my name. I couldn't hear you. I couldn't hear anything inside that thing. You wouldn't leave, no matter my pleas, and the horde of creatures came upon us. I was lifted out of the way, floating above the ground like a Loftwing that didn't need to flap its wings, but just high enough that I could still see you amidst the mass of creatures.

"You fought, and bodies began to pile up around you until there was hardly any room to maneuver. You had taken small hits, but they piled up and you were bleeding a lot. Then, the attack stopped. Everyone backed off and cleared a path. You made your way back to me, but a man… no, a tall monster with evil eyes strode and flaming red hair came toward us and took out a sword of his own. He was familiar, and I was so afraid. It was like he'd personally haunted my nightmares and my waking thoughts.

"The two of you clashed head to head. The fight itself was incredible. You were like the stories describe the Hero of Old, a warrior fit to protect the Goddess. Then, that man-creature sliced his sword across your stomach and up your chest just as quickly. I could feel myself screaming. I'm shocked no one in the Academy heard it because my throat hurts now. The thing prepared to swing at your head. You rolled out of the way, clutching your bleeding wounds and gravely injured him. It was enough to break the creature's magical seal on me and I fell from the sky onto the ground. It enraged him more than anything, that you'd injured him and released me. He slashed his sword across your chest once again, but this time, you fell back, blood coming from your mouth.

"I ran towards you with everything I had in me to get to you. A great warmth filled me, and I grabbed you just as his sword came down to deliver the final blow. I did something and there was a flash, and when I blinked, you and I were no longer at the feet of that man, but somewhere else. We were by a stream and you were soaked in your own blood. When I was sure that the man had gone, I grabbed you and pushed against your awful wounds, trying to stop the bleeding. It didn't work, and you grabbed my hand to stop me. But you were so weak. You were dying.

"I didn't want to stop. You were breathing so hard, so loudly. Every breath was a struggle, like taking in air was the hardest thing you've ever done. The sounds you made… they broke my heart. I held you and you stared at me until your eyes glazed over and your head lolled to the side. You were gone."

Zelda wiped some of the tears off her cheek as she turned to Link. She'd become acutely aware of how much she was crying and covered her mouth to stifle her sob. No, this hadn't been a dream. But what else could it have been?

He looked concerned for her. What could he do but reassure her that it had only happened in her dream? She was looking at him, searching for the blood that she could see clearly in her mind as if she'd just woken up. He put his arm around her, the only thing he figured might offer her some comfort. Words clearly weren't going to do much.

Once Zelda had calmed down a bit, she cleared her throat and continued. "Then, when I opened my eyes, I was in my room. I could still feel where you'd been, and my hands were covered in blood, but my chest still hurt, and I was crying. You were gone. And it didn't feel like a dream. It felt more real than I feel sitting here right now. But everything looked normal, so I had to see if you were still alive." She paused and chuckled humorlessly to herself. "It sounds ridiculous when I say it out loud. Of course, it couldn't have happened."

Link pulled her closer and took her hand and shook his head. "It's not that crazy. Your father once told me something while trying to get me to ride a Loftwing. He told me that the mind is the most powerful tool our body has, and the things that happen inside can be just as painful as physical pain."

Zelda snorted. "Of course, he said that. He sounds like a book sometimes."

"He's not wrong."

Zelda leaned closer against Link's shoulder. "No, he isn't wrong. But if you ever find yourself in a situation where you're facing some demonic creature straight out of a Goddess' nightmare, I'll ask that you remove yourself from it, please."

Link laughed and leaned his head on hers. "Noted."

"I'm so tired," Zelda yawned.

Link closed his eyes and hummed in agreement.

"When was the last time we stayed out here all night?"

She could feel Link shrug. "A year ago, I'd say."

She didn't have the energy to respond, and she could tell Link was tired as well. She let her eyes close, her mind drifted to sleep, and she had no more dreams that night. At least, none that were as were nightmares.

Link could feel his tired bones begging him to sleep, but he couldn't. He had to at least give Zelda a head start. Her nightmare… it was something you'd read about in a book. And the way she kept saying she could feel the dream… no, he couldn't sleep until he was sure that she'd drifted off peacefully.

It wasn't the first time that they'd snuck outside of the Academy for the night. He tried to think back to the last time. He couldn't be sure, but he thought it was the day he'd ridden the Loftwing, or perhaps the night after. Both of them had been shaken by the ordeal, and neither wanted to go to sleep. They'd spent the night under the tree by the pond and woken up shivering and sore, but they hadn't regretted it.

Link tried to shift himself over a bit; his arm was pinned to the statue and behind Zelda. He was starting to lose circulation, and that would really wake her up.

Working carefully and slowly, Link pulled Zelda closer to him and was able to lower them to the ground, where his arm was not nearly as sore. Laying down, he stared at the stars and felt Zelda stirr, though she didn't wake. He was at a loss. What else could he do?

But his eyes were burning now, and he had to close them. It didn't take long for him to drift off to sleep.

And he began to dream.

Trees. Goddess, there were trees everywhere. So many he couldn't see the Sky. But it was dark, and the trees offered even more shadows to lurk in. He had to stay alert.

That's when the rush of noise hit him. He wasn't alone. Far from it. The sounds of clashing metal rang around him, echoing through the echoes of the trees. A battle raged all around him, fires lit up the trees that he had so admired. And these… creatures were roaming about, screaming, hissing… and one came right for him.

He raised his sword instinctively, but it was something more than that. It wasn't just an instinct. It was a practiced skill, something he knew he didn't have. Why would he? What monster would Link ever need to fight? These things are out of a book. Zelda had riddled his mind with thoughts of demonic creatures in armor, and now, he too was dreaming of them. The mutant lizard creature fell at Link's feet and he quickly stepped over it, moving further into the woods. Every few steps, he was met by another monster that he quickly felled before moving faster and faster, a drive pushing him on with more speed than he would normally muster.

There were fewer and fewer monsters as he moved, like the battle was moving behind him, though he didn't truly know how far the chaos extended.

He finally breached a clearing. Guards stood along the perimeter, greeting him as though he was expected. Though they tensed as he burst through the trees, they quickly returned to their careful vigilance.

He moved slower, but still with a hurried purpose. He neared a halt when he reached a group, bent at the knees, heads bowed.

Link pulled at something around his neck: a long red scarf. He tugged it off, needing to feel the air on his sweaty skin. But he nearly dropped it as he looked at the figure they were bowing to.

"Zelda?" he asked, though he could almost feel his mouth say a different name.

She turned, her blue eyes lighting up as she met his. Her hair was nearly to the ground, long, cascading down her back like the flowing white dress she wore. The only color on her garment was a long gold piece that stretched along the low neck of her dress. A small circlet of loose metal hung so the red rubies rested just over her choppy bangs.

"Link!" she breathed in relief. "You made it."

"As did you," he said, kneeling in a low bow. She made her way over to him, uncaring that her pristine white dress dragged through the mud. When she neared, she rested her hand on his cheek, raising his head for him. "Now, let's finish this. Is the area clear?"

He shook his head. "They're everywhere. There is no safe path."

Zelda took a breath. "Can you do it?"

He nodded once, sure, confident, easy. Things Link would never associate with himself.

Zelda lowered herself so she too was kneeling in the muck. "I've been at war with him for far too long. It ends today. Brave Knight, I must ask you one more time… are you willing to risk your life for this?"

He rested his hand over hers. "As willing as you are."

She smiled and pressed her soft lips against his. It was brief, tender, but urgent. And she pulled away far too soon for either of their liking. "Don't say it. Don't say anything."

"You either," he said with a warning look, finally standing. He wrapped the scarf back around his neck and shook out his sore shoulders, ready for round… was it four? Only this time, the creatures wouldn't stand a chance. Not when he had the most precious thing in his life with him.

Zelda turned to the people, the wind whipping the dress around, forming an ethereal aura around her. "Wait for the signal. You will all make it to safety. I promise you that. I will keep you safe. I will raise you up. And you will not fall."

Link gingerly reached out to touch her, gripping his sword tighter in his hand. "It's time to face him."

She nodded, looking towards the sealed grove of trees that would lead them back to face the demon himself. "This time, we face him together."

Link woke up with a start, turning to see Zelda resting in the crook of his arm. And he could feel her hand on his arm still… but her hands were pressed lightly against his chest. He could feel her soft lips on his, and the harsh whip of wind as he'd rushed through the forest. His neck was clammy, as if hidden by a scarf.

He turned back to Zelda. She was peaceful. There was no need to wake her and tell her that he might understand. The more he thought about it, the more he realized that it was unlikely he did understand. She'd planted her dream in his mind. That was all.

That was all.

A/N: I had initially wanted to write a Hylia/Hero fic as part of a trilogy with this story, but I don't really see it happening at this time, so this chapter was really my way of making sure I got at least one scene from that potentially doomed fic in! And despite there being a vision in the past chapters, it also keeps this fic "canon" with my others where they can see glimpses of their past lives, though these two don't really know it. Also, I might change the chapter names because it keeps stressing me out saying 8. Chapter 7 all because of that prologue. Not that that probably bothers anyone but me.

Reviews: James Birdsong: Thank you! ZeldaBrowser: Thank you! I really like Skyward. It gets a lot of hate, but I think it's a pretty good game. That one warlock: I'm so sorry I missed your comment last time! I'm sorry to say I have no idea who or what shaxx is, but I'm feeling like I'm probably deprived of something here haha! Skyward Sword is a good game! If they EVER port it to a newer system, you should give it a playthrough. But thank you! I hope you're doing alright during these *ahem* lovely times as well!