Chapter Ten
Link's POV
I couldn't believe it. We had been out in the field all day, and not a single thing happened. The sun had gone down hours ago, and Marth and I were still at our post; we had been there since the sun rose. I knew I had heard correctly--he did say the assault would be that day. But why wasn't anything happening?
I hear Marth sigh next to me. "Link?"
I turned to my partner with low eyes, the way they had been for the past few hours. "I think I know what you're gonna say."
"I think you do, too," he closed his eyes and raised his eyebrows. "Something's not right about this. I don't trust it."
"Why do you think they haven't attacked?"
"I'm not sure," he exhaled again. "Well, Ganondorf's obviously aware that Roy is gone, so maybe he thought he would have told the rest of us."
"Maybe there wasn't going to be any attack at all," I groaned. "Maybe he was just trying to get Roy into submission. But that's not like him; I've never seen him bluff before."
"Well, whatever the reason, I don't think anything's going to happen."
I let out a sigh. "You're probably right," I turned my eyes to the sky, taking advantage of the view nonetheless.
My partner cleared his throat, then went on. "Well... Since we're out here alone anyway, can I talk to you?"
"Of course," I turned to him, giving him my attention. "What's on your mind?"
"It's about Roy..." he seemed slightly nervous. I just nodded my head once, trying not to put any pressure on him. "See, when you and I split up, and I got him out... Something happened that night."
I raised an eyebrow, not entirely sure what he meant. "Go on."
He looked down before continuing. "Well... I'm sure you remember the way I was acting that morning... That was because I was thinking about him. The problem was... I didn't know in what way I was really thinking of him..."
"Marth," I interrupted him, starting to get an idea of what he might have been saying. "Are you trying to tell me that you and Roy..." I raised my hands palm-up, trying to find a way to gesture what I didn't want to say directly.
"If you're trying to say what I think you are... Yes," he lowered his head again, looking embarrassed. "You're not bothered by that... Are you?"
I exhaled deeply, taking in the situation. I didn't know what to tell him; I never thought I'd hear that my two best friends were a couple. I didn't know how I was supposed to react. I didn't even know how I honestly was reacting. "Well..." I let out an awkward laugh. "I'm not sure what to tell you, Marth. I mean, I guess I don't really have a problem with it... But it is a little weird."
"I can understand that you feel that way. But we talked about it last night, and I was kind of left with the task of telling you," he half laughed.
"I just want you to know that this doesn't make a difference on my opinion of either one of you, all right?"
He nodded twice, then looked up at the sky. "You know, Mushroom Kingdom looks much more peaceful at night."
I turned my attention up as he did. Thinking his words over, I recalled some of the horrid events we had witnessed over the past couple of months. Looking into that sky, it was hard to believe that it all took place there. "I know what you mean."
__ __ __
At a guess, it seemed to be around 4:00 AM, and it would be light in about two hours. Marth and I were met by Roy and Zelda, who had a position not far from our own. We were all exhausted, so we agreed that three of us would sleep while the other stayed awake and on guard. I was the one left to protect the others while they slept. I had gotten plenty of rest the day I arrived back at camp; I was still a bit weary from my ambush in the woods, but that never stopped me before.
According to Marth, Roy hadn't slept well the night before. I remembered being awoken to his voice, but he assured me he was all right. Without another questioning thought, I went back to sleep. I wasn't aware enough to know that he was lying. Even while I stood guard, he had more trouble getting to sleep than the others, and even as I studied the patterns through the branches above me, he was restless while he slept.
I heard an abrupt gasp and turned my attention to the source. Roy twisted onto his back and pulled himself onto his hands, panting. He darted his head from side to side, apparently taking in the scenery and realizing where he was. I knew not to say anything to him until he calmed down a bit, for it seemed that he had awaken from a nightmare. Once his breathing slowed to a slightly calmer pace, I reached a hand out to touch his shoulder. He jumped slightly, but then turned to see it was only me.
"Hey, are you all right?" I whispered, trying to put a comforting tone in my voice.
He looked at my face for a few moments, then lowered his head, brushing a stray strand of auburn hair from his eyes. "I... Don't know," he quavered.
"Well... Do you want to talk to me?"
He lifted his view to me once again, and his expression went weak. I was trying to let him know that he could trust me, and it seemed to be working. He closed his eyes and turned his head forward. "I had this dream last night... I was in the woods in pitch black. I could hardly see anything around me, and I couldn't find my way out. Then I got this feeling... I couldn't determine what it was until I found myself face-to-face with Ganondorf," his voice broke saying that name, and he let out a shaking sigh. "And just now, I had the same dream, only it was longer... When it started, I was running through the woods, trying to avoid something. I have no idea what it was, but it was enough to put me in such a state of panic. It eventually led into the first one, and it proceeded the same from there," his head dropped down, and I felt his body shaking under my hand.
I took his words into my mind and tried to make sense of it. However, I couldn't entirely do so, because I wasn't the one who experienced it. "What do you think it means?"
"I don't know..." he sighed, "And I'm not entirely sure that I want to find out."
As I observed his troubled expression, I felt an aching come over me. It was bad enough to see my friend fall victim to my nemesis, and seeing how it tortured him even then... It tore through me. It hurt to see him like that, and it hurt even more to know that there was nothing I could do.
I pat him on the shoulder once before removing my hand. "You know, you still have about two hours before you have to get up. And REM usually doesn't occur until after you've been asleep for a while. Get some more rest in before the night's over, okay? You need it."
He nodded his head and did his best to settle back down. "All right, I'll try. Thanks, Link."
I smiled weakly and kept my eyes on him until he stopped stirring, then turned my view back to the sky.
Link's POV
I couldn't believe it. We had been out in the field all day, and not a single thing happened. The sun had gone down hours ago, and Marth and I were still at our post; we had been there since the sun rose. I knew I had heard correctly--he did say the assault would be that day. But why wasn't anything happening?
I hear Marth sigh next to me. "Link?"
I turned to my partner with low eyes, the way they had been for the past few hours. "I think I know what you're gonna say."
"I think you do, too," he closed his eyes and raised his eyebrows. "Something's not right about this. I don't trust it."
"Why do you think they haven't attacked?"
"I'm not sure," he exhaled again. "Well, Ganondorf's obviously aware that Roy is gone, so maybe he thought he would have told the rest of us."
"Maybe there wasn't going to be any attack at all," I groaned. "Maybe he was just trying to get Roy into submission. But that's not like him; I've never seen him bluff before."
"Well, whatever the reason, I don't think anything's going to happen."
I let out a sigh. "You're probably right," I turned my eyes to the sky, taking advantage of the view nonetheless.
My partner cleared his throat, then went on. "Well... Since we're out here alone anyway, can I talk to you?"
"Of course," I turned to him, giving him my attention. "What's on your mind?"
"It's about Roy..." he seemed slightly nervous. I just nodded my head once, trying not to put any pressure on him. "See, when you and I split up, and I got him out... Something happened that night."
I raised an eyebrow, not entirely sure what he meant. "Go on."
He looked down before continuing. "Well... I'm sure you remember the way I was acting that morning... That was because I was thinking about him. The problem was... I didn't know in what way I was really thinking of him..."
"Marth," I interrupted him, starting to get an idea of what he might have been saying. "Are you trying to tell me that you and Roy..." I raised my hands palm-up, trying to find a way to gesture what I didn't want to say directly.
"If you're trying to say what I think you are... Yes," he lowered his head again, looking embarrassed. "You're not bothered by that... Are you?"
I exhaled deeply, taking in the situation. I didn't know what to tell him; I never thought I'd hear that my two best friends were a couple. I didn't know how I was supposed to react. I didn't even know how I honestly was reacting. "Well..." I let out an awkward laugh. "I'm not sure what to tell you, Marth. I mean, I guess I don't really have a problem with it... But it is a little weird."
"I can understand that you feel that way. But we talked about it last night, and I was kind of left with the task of telling you," he half laughed.
"I just want you to know that this doesn't make a difference on my opinion of either one of you, all right?"
He nodded twice, then looked up at the sky. "You know, Mushroom Kingdom looks much more peaceful at night."
I turned my attention up as he did. Thinking his words over, I recalled some of the horrid events we had witnessed over the past couple of months. Looking into that sky, it was hard to believe that it all took place there. "I know what you mean."
__ __ __
At a guess, it seemed to be around 4:00 AM, and it would be light in about two hours. Marth and I were met by Roy and Zelda, who had a position not far from our own. We were all exhausted, so we agreed that three of us would sleep while the other stayed awake and on guard. I was the one left to protect the others while they slept. I had gotten plenty of rest the day I arrived back at camp; I was still a bit weary from my ambush in the woods, but that never stopped me before.
According to Marth, Roy hadn't slept well the night before. I remembered being awoken to his voice, but he assured me he was all right. Without another questioning thought, I went back to sleep. I wasn't aware enough to know that he was lying. Even while I stood guard, he had more trouble getting to sleep than the others, and even as I studied the patterns through the branches above me, he was restless while he slept.
I heard an abrupt gasp and turned my attention to the source. Roy twisted onto his back and pulled himself onto his hands, panting. He darted his head from side to side, apparently taking in the scenery and realizing where he was. I knew not to say anything to him until he calmed down a bit, for it seemed that he had awaken from a nightmare. Once his breathing slowed to a slightly calmer pace, I reached a hand out to touch his shoulder. He jumped slightly, but then turned to see it was only me.
"Hey, are you all right?" I whispered, trying to put a comforting tone in my voice.
He looked at my face for a few moments, then lowered his head, brushing a stray strand of auburn hair from his eyes. "I... Don't know," he quavered.
"Well... Do you want to talk to me?"
He lifted his view to me once again, and his expression went weak. I was trying to let him know that he could trust me, and it seemed to be working. He closed his eyes and turned his head forward. "I had this dream last night... I was in the woods in pitch black. I could hardly see anything around me, and I couldn't find my way out. Then I got this feeling... I couldn't determine what it was until I found myself face-to-face with Ganondorf," his voice broke saying that name, and he let out a shaking sigh. "And just now, I had the same dream, only it was longer... When it started, I was running through the woods, trying to avoid something. I have no idea what it was, but it was enough to put me in such a state of panic. It eventually led into the first one, and it proceeded the same from there," his head dropped down, and I felt his body shaking under my hand.
I took his words into my mind and tried to make sense of it. However, I couldn't entirely do so, because I wasn't the one who experienced it. "What do you think it means?"
"I don't know..." he sighed, "And I'm not entirely sure that I want to find out."
As I observed his troubled expression, I felt an aching come over me. It was bad enough to see my friend fall victim to my nemesis, and seeing how it tortured him even then... It tore through me. It hurt to see him like that, and it hurt even more to know that there was nothing I could do.
I pat him on the shoulder once before removing my hand. "You know, you still have about two hours before you have to get up. And REM usually doesn't occur until after you've been asleep for a while. Get some more rest in before the night's over, okay? You need it."
He nodded his head and did his best to settle back down. "All right, I'll try. Thanks, Link."
I smiled weakly and kept my eyes on him until he stopped stirring, then turned my view back to the sky.