ATTENTION: PLEASE READ BEFORE CONTINUING!

I'd just like to mention I changed the very end of the last chapter to mellow Link's attitude cause it got me stuck, I wasn't able to write anymore. It should be the very last few lines.

However, if you just read the last chapter and are continuing on from there, welcome! You don't know what the original was but it ended with a sort of salty boi.

Either way you came, you made it to the second chapter so thank you! It took me awhile because finals got in the way and like I said above I got absolutely stuck. But luckily I was able to finally get it out and overall I like how it turned out. So hopefully you

Enjoy!

(Also, thanks to all the people who followed and favorited, and I was very surprised to see a previous viewer come back and review as well, I really appreciate it.)


His house seemed different to me now. Rather than residing in a dreamlike state, it was real. When I reached out to touch the ladder, Link gave me an odd look from the other side of his horse.

I retracted my hand before he could question me.

We'd been procrastinating actually setting out by not talking to each other. Instead we meandered around, aimlessly finding the footholds for each next step. Maybe it was that I wasn't prepared, neither mentally nor physically, for any fight we'd face, and thus he was lost in thought at what to do with me. However, Link had assured that I wouldn't have to fight anything for awhile. All that chatter about what I could do and what we needed all faded into a thick anxiety. It wrapped the grass around my toes and didn't let me move.

But Link pressed his horse towards me, hiding behind a shroud of silence that covered any emotion. "Ready?" he asked. It was simple and plain.

As I took my gaze off of the ladder I stared up at the horse, Epona. Her mane was a snowy white that was dirtied by battle and the reflection of her red coat. Although I reached almost eye level to her, she remained above me, looking down. Link appeared beside her, holding onto her reigns.

"What's wrong? Haven't you ever seen a horse before?" he tilted his head at me.

Epona bobbed her snout up and down and Link's answer displayed itself then when I immediately jumped back like she was going to charge at me. I guess the expression on my face was priceless as well because a laugh drained out of his mouth, slow and quiet, growing louder just like the steps that had brought him to finding me.

"No, I haven't." I sighed deeply, calming my heart to stop beating so hard as he consoled his own laughter for a few moments.

An occasional chuckle still escaped the longer he watched my dismal frown, but he managed to stay composed enough to finally speak. "Alright," he started, "alright…I'll help you out." He lifted himself into the saddle and pointed down at a loop where his foot had been, "Put your foot in the stirrup, I'll pull you up, and once you're high enough just swing your other leg over."

"Impossible, no." I crossed my arms, trying to mask my nerves with some stubborn resolve.

"Come on, I don't have all day." he complained, then sarcastically added, "Adventure awaits."

"Adventure," I mused quietly. The adventure had already happened, that being coming here, that was it, I wasn't brave enough to face another. I was barely brave enough to look up in time to see Link had outstretched his hand to me, patiently watching as I thought to only myself and didn't speak.

On top of the saddle he was almost intimidating, yet he reached for me and through him something in me melted slowly. Gingerly, I saw my own hand leave my side to greet his. He held on tightly. A deep breath eliminated the buzz clouding my ability to move, and I moved, reluctantly. My legs cried heavily as I put my foot up into the stirrup, pain shooting up to my thighs.

I sunk back down quickly, "Ow."

"You can do it."

I tried again, ignoring every weakened muscle until I was nearly there and threw myself the rest of the way. Letting go of Link's hand, I tried to back myself up from him to be as far away as possible, but the more I moved the more the ground threatened to grab me. Finally submitting to the greater fear, I fell in closely behind him and hesitantly settled my hands on his shoulders. A part of me wanted to wrap my arms around his torso, but his shield remained in the way and I was too afraid to ask him to remove it.

The first step and each step afterwards were like small nightmares that played with my nerves. I couldn't comprehend my own fear in those moments, why everything made me leap. A small voice poked back out at me and it was then I realized I'd shut my eyes.

It asked again, louder, "Are you alright?"

I opened my lids, gazing out at a chasm that ended in nothing but endless fog. Hooves hit wood, but although this scene should have terrified me, I found myself breathing and speaking. "I'm...fine." I rested my chin on the back of my hand, "I think."

Epona sped up again.

"Nevermind." My head flew back and I gripped him tighter.

"Are you always like this?" Link attempted a glance back at me as we flitted by a forest. In the distance I could see the land rise up sharply.

"Yeah...I probably should've mentioned that." I murmured.

Ahead of us opened up a clearing and a beach, then I saw the water of a spring. It ran by leisurely, boasting its opaque waters and small falls before we could get past it. I tried to look back but it was gone from sight.

"Probably," he agreed, "but it's okay."

We continued on like that, never reaching a full gallop, but making quick progress through the woods. Every once and awhile he would ask me a question about myself and I would answer, never asking in return. Things like small hobbies, where I was from. I laid them all out simply. I played flute, went to school, I explained that most people around me were well off so that the peculiarity of my life might just seem like one big luxury for the rich.

The trees continued on further than the game had allowed them. We should've already been in the field, but we were still under a full canopy of leaves. I was watching the branches wave and the underbrush reach out into the path when a clearing finally opened up. On the other side was a ramshackle cabin, a fire popping outside with a pot laid over it.

As I looked straight ahead I could see the trees thinning. Each movement forward brought more and more of the large expanse into view. It was like the world was opening up to me, showing me its beauty and begging me to stay. My body was nearly draped over Link's as I leaned forward with widened eyes.

Far in the distance was the castle, grand and high in a blackened and twilight curtain. A veil fell over half the field and the lower to the ground it got, the darker it became. Separating us was nothing but fields and trees, hills and cliffs, but in sight I could see it. I felt my arm begin to move outward to reach for it, but I stopped it, letting it rest.

Link paid the view no mind as we took a turn westward and continued on like the castle wasn't there.

"It's even prettier than I expected." I remarked.

"What?" Link looked at the curtain of Twilight, "That thing?"

"Everything." Despite everything, I lost all panic. My hair bounced behind me and the small breeze that caught around us sang me a song. The warmth of the sun guided my tongue out of its place, allowing me a peace as I began asking questions. The first one, I'll never forget, "Why'd you let me come along?"

Link hesitated, shrugging his shoulders carefully, "I guess you seemed innocent enough to me."

"Innocent? That doesn't mean I can fight, like you said I would have to anyway. Aren't I in over my head?" I paused, trying to lean a way that I could see his face. When I thought I might have leaned over enough, we passed underneath a tree and his expression was undecipherable in shadow as I retreated back, "So, why'd you really let me?"

"I-I don't know, I'll tell you later."

Later? What was later? Where would the story lead us...later? I sighed, entertaining myself with the ground. Ahead of us were the mountains now, but I was too deep in thought. What was later? Each memory seemed to me unharmful, maybe I was just dumb.

But then I remembered.

"What the-" Link gasped.

My head shot up and caught the tail end of something rushing through a gate. I heard myself, barely having registered my lips moving, "Colin." So gentle, yet Link tensed up immediately.

"What?!" his voice quivered.

"Colin!"

I found myself doomed in a split second. The previous waves of his voice crashed into the rocks at shore. Gravely, he yelled, "Hiyah," and we took off in a sprint. There wasn't any time to process my terror, so I threw my arms around his neck. Although I tugged him back, he didn't complain.

The grand field was disrupted by rock and cliff until a small town leapt out from the mountain. We'd caught up to the creatures just barely in time to see them disappear behind a corner, but rather than press on, he abruptly stopped Epona. She flew up on her hind legs, neighing loudly as I choked Link and quieting as she dropped back down. Not even a second afterward my arms were being torn off.

"Get off," Link threw my hands back and glared at me.

I rubbed my palm where his nail dug too deep, "Wha-what?"

"I said, get off!" he pleaded with me urgently, but my mind still had yet to process anything correctly, it was too busy shooting adrenaline everywhere.

"I-I," I took a deep breath of the coarse air, above us the sun cried out with its last dying rays. With it, it was taking me too. I lost myself for far too long and with an exasperated look from Link, the horse galloped underneath us again.

The town blurred beside us. We were a bullet set out to kill and as everything went by I felt my body enter flesh once again. It was like I came back from an absence, only to be greeted with chaos.

"Link?"

"What?!"

"I change my mind. Let me off." I wrapped my arms around his torso, pressing myself against his shield as I shut my eyes.

"It's a little too late." I could hear the malice in his voice, but then softly, "If you can reach my pouch quickly, there should be a knife in there. It isn't much, but it's enough." he shifted his arms, reaching up and towards his back on his left side, "Oh, and everything in there is small, feel around carefully."

I inhaled a hard scent of Link's sweat, opening my eyes to the sight of nothing but the massive expanse of field, obstructed only by a chasm. Looking up, the unsheathing of a sword rung high while my hand left its hold and searched without looking for the first pouch. Upon the horizon was a gang of bulblins riding boars, in the middle was a large one, the "King," atop a blue pig.

We were racing, but each action registered slowly, the unhooking of the clasp, my hand slipping in. At the bottom I felt the tiniest prick and poked it up. In my hand arose a small blade all the while Epona slowed to a stop and Link lowered his sword. Between us and them was distance enough to shoot a thousand arrows accurately, yet no one moved.

A pole. Tied to it was a boy, dangling lifelessly. In the dying sunset there was a breeze that carried the rope's end. Link yelled out at it, "What the hell is this? Who are you with?!"

The leader of the group brought a horn to his lips and blew into it. In unison, his underlings charged while he turned away. As the King himself began to ride off, Link shouted once more, urging Epona to run even while we were engulfed on all sides by bulblins.

My left arm held tightly onto him, my right holding out the knife without any idea what to do with it. Some had bows, others held simple blades, and one got too close and captured a sword straight through its chest. Most of me remained composed, however my eyes widened as I watched the blood stained sword be torn out. The bulblin's lifeless body slumped to the ground as the boar still ran.

While we continued to gain ground ahead of the hoard, I gripped the knife harder, restricting my breath so it wouldn't pant in Link's ear. "Um," I whispered, "Why'd you let me come along again?"

Link gritted his teeth, pressing Epona ever faster and my heart nearly to burst, "What kind of question is that?! I don't know, you seemed to know something!" The blue boar grew larger on the horizon, scampering along slow enough to catch up to. "You know anything right now?!"

I offered what I could in a half laughing, flustered sentence, "Um, well, you're gonna like...play a game of chicken with him on Eldin Bridge. It'll be...uh…" I thought for a moment, "It's gonna be zesty."

Link huffed, "It's gonna be what?!" he pulled to the right, culling tension up into his sword, eyeing him, the King whose skin was an acidic green with clothes as savagely torn as his demeanor.

I breathed in as the sword pulled back, leaning away from Link's left. It sliced into the King's muscle, flinging blood past us. Above towered the pole, fiercely wobbling with every gallop. A club arose in front of us and Epona began to slow to avoid the swing. That was all it took for the King to speed away and for his hoard to barely lick our heels once more.

Link flicked the reigns harder in a vain attempt to push Epona, but she was far too exhausted from the burst before. Scattered around us, he looked for another bulblin to poke off its beast. The knife was still gripped into my fist, getting slippery with sweat. I swallowed hard as a bulblin squealed somewhere to my left, the sound of a sword leaving flesh following afterwards.

We broke away again, but I wasn't watching for the King, if he grew closer, if Link was readying his sword again. All I heard was its grunt, all I felt was the knife in my hand. I could tell that we'd fallen back again when a blob of brown and green figures obstructed the grass. They were blurry caricatures, thrashing and shouting all around us. Link began swinging, threatening to elbow me at any moment. I was losing the grip on the knife slowly, but I couldn't bring myself to let it go.

In the cacophony, one of the bulblins stood out from the fog. Its arm was back, pulled on a bow string with an arrow aimed right at Link's head. I watched Link do nothing, attention stuck to the right where he was deflecting a rally of blows with his sword. When I looked back, its hand released the arrow.

The knife slid out of my fingers as I reached out in earnest for the arrow. Link's eyes switched over to our side, widening. Something gripped my arm, I felt it, but I couldn't see it. It numbed my limb, drawing out all feeling through my palm. In between us erupted a red pane, clear, thin. The arrow struck it, plinking off but not without cracking the surface.

I panted as it faded from the air and a hot sensation overtook the numb from before.

Link shook his head, leaning forward as we surged away from the bulblins. I remained still, reaching out for nothing, repeating in my mind, "It wasn't me." Sense came back in time and my palm lied itself on his shoulder. His muscles were rigid. As the wind enveloped us, strands of my hair tangled around each other, flicking past my ears. The king came up on our left again, steering away just not fast enough for a sword to strike down across his back.

A cry grated out of his throat and he peered back at us. Epona valiantly kept pace, galloping directly behind as we bulleted across the field and towards a long stone bridge. It hovered over the chasm, the bottom but darkness. Crumpling up the fabric of his tunic, I gritted my teeth and uttered to Link, "This is it."

His eyes ridiculed me, "What should I do?"

"I don't know...Get Colin safe first?"

Link thought briefly, "Can I try something crazy?"

I nodded meekly as he sheathed his sword, "I'll grab that pole thing, you cut it down, quickly. Willing to give it a shot?"

I shook my head.

We were lead through pathways of ruined columns that lead up to the archway of the Bridge of Eldin. The sun painted the stone a deep orange on the other side, however the front was cast in shadow. It passed over us, depriving a warmth until we slowed to a stop at its threshold. The King kept on.

"That was you back there, right?" Link studied him across the bridge.

"No, dingus." I released his tunic, adjusting the hem of my sleeves gingerly.

"Dingus? I see, this one's an insult." he scowled, "You know more than you're letting on."

The King turned his boar.

I clamped down on his shoulders again. "I really don't. And even if that was me, it was an accident. I can't recreate that." Link didn't seem to hear me, "You're being an idiot risking this, you know that, right?!"

"Right."

Epona broke into a gallop. The sword still sat in its sheath.

"Link!" I pleaded, but on the other side, the boar had already started running as well. I cast a look behind us, searching for maybe an escape, but where we'd entered was now crowded by the hoard. They sneered and cheered wildly, raising spears and clubs. One fired a flaming arrow into the air, whooping.

My eyes went narrow and I looked forward. Our collision course was just barely met. I knew the King had too much pride to dodge out of the way, so despite Link's stubborn sense, we would have to veer first. Yet Link wasn't moving.

The clip of hooves surged with the thumping of my heart, closer and closer. Stone, steed, flesh, then air. Epona was on the verge of sticking herself into the boar's horns before her reigns were tugged right. The King's body flashed past us, an up close account of dirt and grim layered over saggy skin. It was all a flicker in a mist.

Link reached and gripped the pole, waiting to throw out his other hand if I reacted in time. My mind didn't, however, it hadn't even prepared, I'd distracted myself to assure that. The next second he'd let go and kept riding on to the other end of the bridge. When the exit was but an inch away to pass, he pulled back hard and Epona rose up on her hind legs. The new silence of the air soothed the buzzing violence in my head, but it didn't persist.

"You're not even going to try?" he complained, turning us around.

"I'm sorry, I got distracted…"

Link sighed, "I'll give you one more chance if you want it." A hand rested on his hilt, "So?"

"Why not just knock him off of the boar?" I questioned, slouching.

"If that's what you want to do." Link cocked his head at the King, "I don't know how much longer he'll wait."

"This is your fight!" I straightened, "Stop testing me!"

He grunted, pulling out his sword from its sheath as Epona charged, "Don't know why I trusted you anyways."

I locked my eyes forward, waiting for the moment when we dodged. Maybe if this was a dream I could knock us off and wake up. Maybe, if this was but a dream, I'd already have woken up. As we raced down the middle I didn't know what my decision was, whether I would ruin it all, in some way, or whether I would try, somehow, to save it.

The same sensation danced across both of my limbs as I drew out some essence within me. There was an energy flowing there, through my bloodstream, an energy I wasn't familiar with, but with one look, had shown up. My arms were growing number, my hand tense while holding back something. Our approach came up against each other. Head to head.

Link cast right, coming across with a slice through the King's arm. I directed my palm at him, releasing the tension to a wave of green lightning that enveloped him sporadically, but did little to cast him off like I'd hoped.

We went back again, turning without any conversation and sprinting once more as he slid his sword away in exchange for a shield. The King came up, Link veered right, the moment of all colliding into one, he abruptly pulled in closer after avoiding, driving his shield up into the King's chest.

He lost his balance, shifting slightly out, then slipping all at once off with the saddle that glided to the other side. Obstructed by his steed, and Link, I couldn't see what had happened, but had heard the thump of him hitting the ground and nothing more. Once the boar had cleared away, there was no one left.

The brief reprise was broken by Epona's movements once again, beginning toward the boar before it got away with Colin. Link changed weapons, bumping me not so delicately with his shield. Not even a sorry followed suite.

I didn't care, there were much more pressing issues. We were running straight towards the hoard that blocked the entryway. Nothing seemed to be stopping Link, he just kept on. When we caught up to the boar, he sliced down the pole, catching it in both hands, but not bringing it down. We still didn't stop either. But now, I was seeing why.

Around the opening the hoard was quickly dispersing out of our way, picking off, one by one. Their images were blurry browns as we broke through them, and left them behind. They didn't chase after us, they ran away.

As we beat on, Link struggled to lower the pole and reach the reigns with a sword in one of his grasps. I reached out, holding around it with both hands. He dropped it with his left, settling half the weight to me which I struggled to hold. The grass turned to stone, the stone turned to cliffs, and we were spiraling through the town once more. Houses and abandoned storefronts glided by, left behind at the sight of the lake. Epona slowed down, galloping, trotting, and walking slowly to a stop.

Hands free, Link grabbed the pole back from me and jumped off. By the lake's shore was a group of kids and a man. They all looked at Link anxiously. When he reached them and lowered the pole in their midst they all crowded around Colin, watching as he loosened the rope and propped up his head.

The kid didn't come to for a couple minutes and the air was filled with a roar of excitement, worry, and question. One question, although quiet, met my ears like it was louder than the rest. "Who's the girl?" It had come from the smallest one, Malo. His clothes reached past his feet and his eyes were a deep brown, I could tell because he stared right at me.

I don't think Link answered that one. At least because the little blonde freckled girl had enthusiastically gushed over if he had any new scars from the fight directly over Malo. He replied a "No," I heard that much.

The sun was quickly setting over the lake. It'd already draped most of the town into shade, but this one spot remained untouched. I itched to slip out of the saddle and possibly halfway across town, so my hands held Epona's mane and I swung myself off. When my feet hit ground, my legs throbbed.

The lake had gone silent. I didn't walk over or even look, but as a small voice spoke, "Link…" I knew Colin had woken up. Their voices were gentle from there. Floating on the breeze like leaves in fall.

I listened to every word as I stood there, I drank them in, staring at nothing but my feet until they just stopped. They'd followed in a party, disappearing behind a creaky door. A hope that Link had left me crept into my head. Ultimately, it was crushed by a pair of boots and a hand.

"Hey, thanks." Link inched his hand closer, "I'm sorry, I should've let you off." he laughed, waiting one more second before dropping it to his side. "You, uh...you in there?"

I shook my head, "Too much."

"I was thinking of gathering some food for later. You want to walk? I can stop talking."

"Why aren't you with them? With your cousin?" I held my arms tight to my chest.

Link shifted uncomfortably in his boots, "I can't just leave you standing here. They'll have dinner later anyway, I can see them then." he stepped to the side, "Come on, I'll walk you to the inn." As he passed by me, I finally looked up at him. He began leading Epona on.

Somberly, I followed him. He reverted to the promise of silence, not speaking, not glancing, praying I was behind him.

"Why'd you let me come along?"

His whole body stuttered, "Goddesses, you scared me."

I stepped up beside him, peering him down, "I want an answer this time."

An exasperated sigh heaved out of his chest, afterwards was nothing. Lips twisting, fingers tapping, he finally let out an answer, "I figured if you weren't entirely crazy maybe I could use you. And I guess I trusted you enough." he shrugged, "Selfish reasons."

I leaned down to his eye level, "And now?"

Obnoxious, that was what I was, "Still selfish. Unless...you want to make a deal?"

I scowled at him, "Depends."

"You help me, I'll help you."

"I don't know if you noticed, but what I did 'back there?' I can't control that. Can't you get some other witch?" my back straightened, "Plus I don't want to be your weapon even if I figure this out. I want to get home."

"Magic isn't as common as you think it is." he spat, "I can't just find a witch, and even if I did they'd probably be an enemy." We stopped in front of a building with a porch, part of the left side was left in splinters. He looked at me, "What's your deal anyway?"

"I want to go home, is that too much to ask? I thought you were nice."

"I have bigger issues that need to be addressed," he scoffed, "If your stories are correct, you should already know that."

Link wasn't wrong, saving Hyrule was a far greater cause than getting my selfish ass home. Nonetheless I was angry, having gone through the day and in the end getting picked off didn't sit well. "You said magic isn't common, so any enemy would want to get their hands on me, whether I turned out valuable or not." his stiff resolve softened, "By your selfish logic, I'd be an important asset to keep around, wouldn't I?" I sighed, "Please."

He crossed his arms, "Well I," turning away, he grumbled, "I see your point."

"Sorry," I mumbled as Link tied Epona's reigns to the porch, "I'm sorry."

He glared at me, "You didn't have that power before?"

I thought he'd already found that out, but it didn't matter either way, maybe he was bringing something up. "No."

There was a long pause where he stared at me intently. Judging from his twisted lips, he knew something and was figuring whether to hold it back or not. "Midna warned about these creatures."

"Oh yeah?" I coaxed, blood pumping in my ears suddenly.

"She said they were dangerous, that if I ever found someone with golden blood, to kill them immediately." he recalled, putting up a wall of fire between us.

An anxious laugh slid by my lips, "My blood's red, I've gotten enough scratches from my cats to know that." I avoided the fact that I had only recently gotten the power, avoided that my blood might be golden now, rather than before.

Link evaded it as well, "Weird… Well, I'm gonna go get some provisions for our trip up Death Mountain. I'll make sure to get you shoes. You okay waiting in there?"

I nodded.

"See ya later then." It was like he played with the fire in his last dying look, a threat that should I cross him, I would get burned.

He ran off back in the direction we came, toward the large cement house. Not knowing what else to do I climbed the broken steps and slid inside the door. In the lobby was a couple tossed over tables and chairs. I sat in the closest set that wasn't knocked over and marveled at the room. All around, the floor was torn up, broken dishes scattered by the kitchen and a lantern nearby by lit the whole area dimly. It looked like a cleaning was attempted, but not nearly finished.

I shut my eyes at it all, exhausted enough to lay my head down on my arms too. There was too much. Too many people, too much destruction in one room. Way too much Link, more than I could handle. But now I was alone, in my mind.

I didn't want it, oddly enough. It was terrifying to be alone after everything and in a place like this where creatures could be lurking anywhere. I wanted to be home of course, I wanted to talk to someone like I was discussing this all as a bad dream. Maybe I could start, "Earlier? Yeah earlier, this weird thing happened where I threw up like, a shield? Thing? I don't know what it was but guess what! This hottie totally hates my guts and wants to actually kill me."

"Stupid." I muttered, I'd never talk like that.

I opened my eyes. In front of me was my hand, resting there, waiting to be used. My blood pulsed, gathering up, flowing and building tension. When it was numb enough, I relaxed. Out of my fingers danced a blue crackling light that diminished immediately. I didn't try again after that, too afraid of what it was.

Instead I fell asleep and woke up to a plate of food and someone shaking my shoulder. "Hungry?" Link's voice lifted me from my nap.

I shook my head as my stomach churned.

"Alright, there's beds upstairs, come up whenever." he hesitated, "I'm sorry about earlier."

I waited for him to leave before taking a bite of the food. It was bland, some kind of meat, but I finished it all and stood up. The stairs creaked, yet I jogged up each one reached the top, a small balcony. Peering down the hallway, I saw only one door open and as I approached I realized there was, in fact, no door at all. When I entered I found two beds, one occupied by a lump and the other vacant.

Plopping myself on the made up bed, I hesitantly slid under the covers and tried to shut my eyes. I knew I wouldn't sleep again, but I tried.

A few hours passed and I felt myself drifting, however, a shuffling across the room woke me out of that. It shifted out of bed, standing up and snatching something off the floor. A strange tone hummed off the walls, following it was an accented voice, speaking in a whisper, "Don't."

A sword slided from its sheath.

"Why not? You told me-" Link spoke quieter, but in the dead silence nothing escaped my ears. I pretended to sleep.

"I know what I said."

Steps crept closer to my bed, "And what if she's dangerous?"

"I don't think she would've revealed her powers if she was." the voice pressed on, "Honestly, Link, can't you show her some mercy? She saved your life."

He sighed loudly, "It was one dingy arrow." the sword slid back in, clanking loudly as he stomped back over to the other side of the room and dropped the sheath on the floor with a thud.

"That's it, who's a good boy?"

"Shut up," a body plunked back down on the other bed, shifting the covers.

I pushed myself up and looked over at the other side. Everything had settled back to its original state, except I'd chosen the wrong moment to spring up, Link stared back at me.

"Uh," I blinked, wide eyed, "Were you talking to someone?"

"Uh," his voice strained itself, "Midna woke me up to talk about something." he sunk lower into the bed, "Go to back to sleep, we have to get up at dawn."

"Alrighty." I fell back down, ignoring the scent of dust that filled my nostrils and rolled over to the face the wall I would stare at until the first sight of dawn inched through the window.