A/N: This is the first LoZ fic I ever wrote seriously. It actually was started about three years ago and has been finished on and off after having survived through three hiatuses and a serious consideration of scrapping. But I decided to give it another chance, and am actually quite pleased with the results. Rated PG-13 for violence and Link's surprisingly dirty mouth; warnings include angst, sadness, violence, Link/Zelda pairing (no citrus), and alternate realities. The timeline I'm basing things on is a quasi-alternate-reality of my own creation: I base most if not all of my Zelda fanfiction on the idea that all the deeds done and chronicled in the Zelda games (with the exception of the Wind Waker for obvious reasons) were the deeds of one brave young lad chosen by Destiny and the three Goddesses as the Hero of Time, the Legendary Hero. Oh. And I don't own Linky (more's the pity) or Zelda or any of the game's other characters. They are copyrighted to Miyamoto Shigeru-san and Nintendo, the lucky bastards. I own, however, sole copyright of each and every one of my original characters. Steal them and I will hunt you down and break your elbows. Remember: A vague threat is no one's friend. And also, this act is where things kind of get silly. Just keep in mind that most o the time while I was writing this I was in high school and that I've improved dramatically since almost four years ago, AND I had no idea what I was doing when I did start it. So if it seems a little far-fetched...deal with it. xp
-Act II-
-Dimensional Refugees-
3
Kate wandered into the young John Doe's room and stopped short. He hadn't noticed her come in and was still staring blankly out the window. That wasn't what stopped Kate. She gaped openly at his face…or, more accurately, the side of his head. For poking out from under his long, sandy-blonde hair, were long, gracefully tapered ears that reminded Kate briefly of either Vulcans, or elves from some fantasy novel, or some otherworldly…being.
She shook it off and cleared her throat unobtrusively.
Blinking, a bit startled, the nameless patient jerked himself from his thoughts and turned to look at her. Kate smiled, and was immediately rewarded when his face softened as he recognized her. "Hello," he murmured, turning back to his silent vigil over the outdoors.
She frowned. This was not going to be easy. "Hi," she replied.
Determined not to leave without hearing his entire life's story, Kate planted herself firmly in a chair beside the bed. He turned back, surprised. Then, his face became thoughtful. "I, uhm, never really got to thank you," he said quietly, "for saving my life, I mean."
She waved him off, a pleasant grin on her face. Her green eyes sparkled with warmth. "Forget about it," she said casually. "It's what I do."
He smiled, and it seemed to light up his whole face. "Well," he said, "thank you anyway. Were it not for your intervention, I would have been a dead man."
The matter-of-fact way he said it made Kate shudder inwardly. "Was it that bad?"
He gave her a grave, unblinking stare that she couldn't seem to hold for long. "Worse," he corrected.
There was just something so brutally honest, so tragic, about his whole demeanor that sent Kate's maternal instincts racing to the surface. She saw before her a youth whose bearing indicated a life full of trial, fury, a passion for justice, and overwhelming sorrow. She also sensed great rage and hate that were pent up just below the surface, and suddenly she knew, with great clarity, that she would have to step very careful to keep him from exploding. She took a deep breath. "What's your name, son?" she asked quietly.
"Link," he replied, just as quiet.
There was a lot going on inside him, Kate realized, and he was not entirely sure how to deal with it. Even years later, she would not know why she didn't ask him for a last name. Something just…told her it wouldn't do any good; that he didn't have one. So she let it be. Retrieving his medical charts from the hook at end of the bed, she prepared to write down his information as she got it. Contrary to what she'd assumed, he was responding quite well to her. "Where are you from?"
"Kokiri Forest," he said plainly.
There was a loud, echoing thud as the other shoe dropped somewhere in Kate's mind.
"Say again?" she blurted.
Link's face began to change into an expression of fear as he repeated himself. "Kokiri Forest, in Hyrule." His eyes widened as Kate stared at him blankly. "And you have absolutely no idea what I'm talking about, do you?"
Kate could do naught but shake her head, a helpless smile on her face.
His eyes hardened suddenly. "I know what you're thinking," he said, dreadfully quiet, "but I'm not crazy. I know where I come from, and it most definitely isn't here. I am not crazy."
His tone was so filled with anger and resentment that Kate physically drew back from him, a little frightened by the sudden outpouring of emotion. "Okay," she said, trying to placate him before he did anything she'd regret, "all right. I'm sorry," she added, not really sure what she was apologizing for, but saying it anyway. She grinned at him. "Look, I don't know where either of those places are that you're talking about, so why don't you tell me about yourself so I can get some idea of what happened to you?"
He searched her face carefully for a moment, as if he were trying to ascertain her motives. Finally, he sighed. "I can't."
"You afraid I'm not gonna believe you?" Kate laughed.
"No," he said. "It's just…I…I can't."
"Look, you can tell me."
"I-" he started, then shook his head. "I come from a place where a man fights his own battles. My honor prevents me from involving an innocent in my problems. I…it wouldn't be right."
"Just tell me," Kate insisted.
Link shook his head obstinately.
"My, my," she said, "we're sure stubborn today, aren't we?" she said it with the same amount of emotion she'd use to notice a stain on a shirt.
He stared at her.
"The way I see it, is you can tell me now, or we can sit here and stare at each other for a few hours, and then you can tell me, because, either way, I'm not leaving until I hear your full story. What you are referring to as honor, I call stubborn male pride."
He glared at her, then turned away, his brow furrowed in an angry frown.
She decided then to turn to a different question in the hopes of easing his mind. "How old are you?" she asked conversationally. "Eighteen?"
He laughed shortly. "Hardly. I'm twenty-four as of two weeks ago," he informed her with a bitter, ironic note in his voice.
Kate felt a new surge of sympathy for the quiet young man. To be separated from one's home in the first place was one thing, but spending one's birthday while healing from an assault in a hospital in a strange place…with no one around one knew…Kate frowned. She thought she began to understand a little of the emotional storms within him.
"I…" he stared, then smiled. "I never got to hear…your name," he mumbled.
"Kate Madison," she smiled warmly. "Nice to meet you."
He smiled. "Kate?" he said quietly after a few moments of silence.
"What?"
"I think…I can tell you my story now."
"Good," she said encouragingly.
"But you have to promise," he added, "not to say anything until I'm done."
She pursed her lips suspiciously.
"Please," he begged.
She nodded after a minute's thought. "All right."
-Act II-
-Dimensional Refugees-
3
Kate wandered into the young John Doe's room and stopped short. He hadn't noticed her come in and was still staring blankly out the window. That wasn't what stopped Kate. She gaped openly at his face…or, more accurately, the side of his head. For poking out from under his long, sandy-blonde hair, were long, gracefully tapered ears that reminded Kate briefly of either Vulcans, or elves from some fantasy novel, or some otherworldly…being.
She shook it off and cleared her throat unobtrusively.
Blinking, a bit startled, the nameless patient jerked himself from his thoughts and turned to look at her. Kate smiled, and was immediately rewarded when his face softened as he recognized her. "Hello," he murmured, turning back to his silent vigil over the outdoors.
She frowned. This was not going to be easy. "Hi," she replied.
Determined not to leave without hearing his entire life's story, Kate planted herself firmly in a chair beside the bed. He turned back, surprised. Then, his face became thoughtful. "I, uhm, never really got to thank you," he said quietly, "for saving my life, I mean."
She waved him off, a pleasant grin on her face. Her green eyes sparkled with warmth. "Forget about it," she said casually. "It's what I do."
He smiled, and it seemed to light up his whole face. "Well," he said, "thank you anyway. Were it not for your intervention, I would have been a dead man."
The matter-of-fact way he said it made Kate shudder inwardly. "Was it that bad?"
He gave her a grave, unblinking stare that she couldn't seem to hold for long. "Worse," he corrected.
There was just something so brutally honest, so tragic, about his whole demeanor that sent Kate's maternal instincts racing to the surface. She saw before her a youth whose bearing indicated a life full of trial, fury, a passion for justice, and overwhelming sorrow. She also sensed great rage and hate that were pent up just below the surface, and suddenly she knew, with great clarity, that she would have to step very careful to keep him from exploding. She took a deep breath. "What's your name, son?" she asked quietly.
"Link," he replied, just as quiet.
There was a lot going on inside him, Kate realized, and he was not entirely sure how to deal with it. Even years later, she would not know why she didn't ask him for a last name. Something just…told her it wouldn't do any good; that he didn't have one. So she let it be. Retrieving his medical charts from the hook at end of the bed, she prepared to write down his information as she got it. Contrary to what she'd assumed, he was responding quite well to her. "Where are you from?"
"Kokiri Forest," he said plainly.
There was a loud, echoing thud as the other shoe dropped somewhere in Kate's mind.
"Say again?" she blurted.
Link's face began to change into an expression of fear as he repeated himself. "Kokiri Forest, in Hyrule." His eyes widened as Kate stared at him blankly. "And you have absolutely no idea what I'm talking about, do you?"
Kate could do naught but shake her head, a helpless smile on her face.
His eyes hardened suddenly. "I know what you're thinking," he said, dreadfully quiet, "but I'm not crazy. I know where I come from, and it most definitely isn't here. I am not crazy."
His tone was so filled with anger and resentment that Kate physically drew back from him, a little frightened by the sudden outpouring of emotion. "Okay," she said, trying to placate him before he did anything she'd regret, "all right. I'm sorry," she added, not really sure what she was apologizing for, but saying it anyway. She grinned at him. "Look, I don't know where either of those places are that you're talking about, so why don't you tell me about yourself so I can get some idea of what happened to you?"
He searched her face carefully for a moment, as if he were trying to ascertain her motives. Finally, he sighed. "I can't."
"You afraid I'm not gonna believe you?" Kate laughed.
"No," he said. "It's just…I…I can't."
"Look, you can tell me."
"I-" he started, then shook his head. "I come from a place where a man fights his own battles. My honor prevents me from involving an innocent in my problems. I…it wouldn't be right."
"Just tell me," Kate insisted.
Link shook his head obstinately.
"My, my," she said, "we're sure stubborn today, aren't we?" she said it with the same amount of emotion she'd use to notice a stain on a shirt.
He stared at her.
"The way I see it, is you can tell me now, or we can sit here and stare at each other for a few hours, and then you can tell me, because, either way, I'm not leaving until I hear your full story. What you are referring to as honor, I call stubborn male pride."
He glared at her, then turned away, his brow furrowed in an angry frown.
She decided then to turn to a different question in the hopes of easing his mind. "How old are you?" she asked conversationally. "Eighteen?"
He laughed shortly. "Hardly. I'm twenty-four as of two weeks ago," he informed her with a bitter, ironic note in his voice.
Kate felt a new surge of sympathy for the quiet young man. To be separated from one's home in the first place was one thing, but spending one's birthday while healing from an assault in a hospital in a strange place…with no one around one knew…Kate frowned. She thought she began to understand a little of the emotional storms within him.
"I…" he stared, then smiled. "I never got to hear…your name," he mumbled.
"Kate Madison," she smiled warmly. "Nice to meet you."
He smiled. "Kate?" he said quietly after a few moments of silence.
"What?"
"I think…I can tell you my story now."
"Good," she said encouragingly.
"But you have to promise," he added, "not to say anything until I'm done."
She pursed her lips suspiciously.
"Please," he begged.
She nodded after a minute's thought. "All right."