I do not know who am I, what I am, or where I am. The only thing that I do know for certain is that I must continue to run lest I meet a terrible fate. Now, for how long now I have been pursued, I can't recall, for there is no way in telling how much time has passed in all of this darkness. I woke up alone some time ago without having any clue or idea about anything... like not even knowing my own damned name! The only real, tangible thing I have now to cling on to is the fear that drives me onward through this hellhole towards some unknown destination. All around me there are shadows and dull, grey landscapes, as if all of the colours of the world have been sucked dry by some greedy deity, leaving nothing but an empty and bleak reality. I mean, I can't much remember what colours look like anyway, but something tells me from far deep within my mind that the dark skies above me and the monotone world I'm in is not where I ought to be. Though, now that I think about it, the fact that I know something about colours means that they must exist… but where? Or do they? Where are they? Where the hell am I? Though why I'm thinking about this all I have no fucking clue. Maybe it's just my rationality trying to bundle as much knowledge together in the attempt to keep my sanity from slipping, or maybe I've already lost my mind! Who knows! Because, I sure as hell don't know anymore and I can't fully decide if I really want to know. I know that I should keep running and find somewhere to hide far from here before they find me. I just need… need to catch my breath, for a short moment at least.
Collapsing behind a large and black rock with my chest heaving and my face dripping with sweat, I set my utterly confused and terrified head against the cold boulder and try for the moment to catch my breath... but it's not doing much good. I just can't slow down my heart and my paranoia keeps me from shutting my eyes any longer than a blink, but I suppose it's all for a good cause. Barely I was able to escape from those… things, whatever they are. My hands, they're shaking so badly that they're almost vibrating with nerves and my hat… well, if you can call this thing a hat because it looks more like a floppy, useless, black piece of material that sits on my head. Why am I even wearing this thing? It doesn't even cover my entire head! Oh well, back on my head you go floppy, floppy black hat! Well, the fact that my hat thing is greyish-black comes with little surprise, considering that my entire outfit consists of a fascinating black and grey palate. I mean… this world, wherever it is, has been completely leached of colour and why this bothers me so much I can't quite pinpoint. I just know, deep down… that it's wrong! I can feel it, right in the pit of my stomach I know that where I am is just… wrong.
With my back against the coldness of the large rock, I dare to take the moment to look around me at the landscape rather than fleetingly taking in obstacles to avoid as I ran. The trees around me are so gnarled, twisted, and lifeless, standing like frozen sentinels of misery and catastrophe in this world of shadows. Such lovely scenery; an ideal local for any holiday! The heavy sigh from my mouth fills the still air and slowly my breathing steadies while my mind registers the day's events thus far.
As I mentioned I woke up alone, though when I woke up it was from my own screaming from some dark nightmare that was filled with fire and ice; however, the moment my eyes snapped open to stare up at a nasty and angry sky my memory was erased, as was my identity. My entire body was aching and sore, filled with the echoes of strain and pain, yet my head was empty and devoid of everything. I had panicked, sitting up to hysterically to look around me and like a fool I continued to scream and shout in alarm. As I cried out, I frantically began to feel all over myself: my arms, my legs, my chest, and my face, to see if they were real because the cold thought that I might just disappear wouldn't vanish from my mind. My voice echoed across the grey landscape, filling it with noise and stirring the musty air with vibrations. It was during those frenzied first moments of my screaming that they heard me. I was such an idiot, I drew them to me, and I know that now. It was the first howl that had finally shut me up, freezing my mouth open, my tongue became a ghost and turned the blood in my veins into ice from fright.
"This is a dream! Just a dream… It's just a dream… Come on! Wake up! Come on… Oh fuck! What? No! What's my name? What… I… I can't remember! How can I forget my name! Where the hell am I? And…"
As much as I had wanted to just close my eyes and make everything go away, the growing echoes of the howling in the distance stilled my whispered words and quickened my heart rate double time. There was an instinctive feeling within me to not move, to remain where I was and hope that whatever beast was howling wouldn't find me, but I was in the middle of a wide expanse of rock and stone and was completely exposed. So, I began to run. The footfalls of my boots echoed across the rocks and against boulders and my gait sped up when I heard wicked growling and the scraping of racing claws at my back when my pursuers caught sight of my fleeing figure. My hurting body cried out with each step I took but the adrenaline and desperation in my veins smothered any further complaints for the time being. Dodging around boulders, sliding down into shallow ravines, leaping over crevices in the stone, I ran onwards while the creatures behind me never deterred from their frightened prey. At moments I dared to sneak a glance back and each time I did so, I wished I hadn't.
Not once did I truly catch a clear image of what exactly was chasing me, but I did get the impression of a four-legged creature with black fur and bared deadly teeth. Any further details I knew that I could live without knowing, for I did intend to keep on living as long as I was able... and don't get me wrong, I still do intend on living for a while. Steadily, the chase brought me from a barren, rocky environment to where these hauntingly dead trees stand as a poor substitute of a forest. The fact that such trees exist at first made me think that perhaps there had been a time when this land had been filled with life. This thought lasted only until I ran around one particular boulder and crashed into a fallen tree that I realized that these trees have never been alive, that the grey of this world has always ruled. Why? As soon as my hand came into contact with the tree the sickly grey bark crumbled into ashes with the slightest of pressure. Fake, dead, and dark, that's what these trees were. The only things remotely alive in this world so far were my only friends and me.
Speaking of which, how I managed to lose my four-legged friends was rather by fortunate accident. I had been running still, though the burning in my legs and lungs was becoming unbearable and I knew that it wouldn't be long before I collapsed with exhaustion. In front of me had been a fairly large rock that I was sure that I could jump over and stupidly I had dared to look back to see that the beasts were gaining on me. Alas, when I jumped the rock I didn't see that on the other side of it was a steep slope of give or take twenty or so feet. I fell hard, sliding most of the way down before tumbling the last few feet and landed on my back with a bone-jarring thud. My stupid, floppy-flop hat did nothing to protect my head from hitting a few rocks on the way down… good job, floppy hat! Through my agony, I managed to get up and limply jog to this big boulder and it would seem that my blunder has given those beasts the slip for the moment at least.
And that's my story up to this very moment and though it may not be long, it's all I have to hold onto, but…
"Is there truly a point to running when there is no hope in sight?"
My own words echoed with faint desperation and my lips go dry when only a howl in the near distance answers me. There seems to be no solace for the damned and doomed in this world and looking around this gorge I've found myself in, there appears to be little option of escape. True, I've managed to evade my pursuers but now I might be trapped and I'm running on little reserves of energy as it is. A wave of loneliness crashes against my senses and pulling up my knees to my chest, making myself a smaller speck of meaningless in the world, I gaze up at the tall walls of rock that encase me. There is a part of me that wants to get back on my feet and face those beasts, to take them head on and go down trying, but then again there's that small voice whispering in my ears that I need help.
"But even if I called out, no help will come… I'm on my own here."
Coldness takes hold of my mind, a quiet reserve, and my eyelids close in fear as another howl fills the air and echoes through the gorge. Wrapping my arms around my legs and resting my chin on my knee, I sigh one more time and all of my ambition evacuates my being. To be left alone to linger on my spiralling thoughts is a desire I find myself considering, to remain where I sit and to just let those dark beasts find me, to give up and give in. Who cares about a man with no name? What do I really have to live for? Are echoes of forgotten memories, pain in all of my limbs and a floppy, black hat worth further exhausting myself? Yes, that's it, the beasts want my hat… Perfect. These things are all I have as well as my fear, and hell yes I have enough of that to share, and the only things I know that I could possibly share it with are my howling, probably violent friends.
The growling was what caused my eyes to snap back open, it was so close that it cut through the air into my ears like sharpened knives. Icy cold panic sprang my body back into standing and I pressed my back against the boulder while with wide, frightened eyes I saw that three black beasts faced me, cornering me against the rock. Had I fallen asleep? Had time skipped? Or had these… these…. Wolves! How had they snuck up on me so easily? The tiniest sense of realization that the beasts were in fact wolves was enough to make my eyes blink and I took a gasp to refill my terrified lungs with what was probably one of my last breaths. Three pairs of angry, red eyes were all fixated on my pathetic, trapped self and I didn't even bother trying to look for a way to run because there were none. This was it, my time was up, and my marathon of fear might finally come to an end.
With the wolves poised before me, the largest one in the centre with the other two covering it flanks and my possibilities of escape, I was finally able to truly get a good look at the beasts. Each wolf had eyes the colour of burning embers that gave off a hot glow of fury and malevolence and their snapping jaws were slicked with sickly foam and spittle while their white and deadly fangs were licked by a tainted-coloured tongue, which slathered their maws with more drool. The inky black fur made my head hurt to look at too closely because, while the pelts appeared to be of long, shaggy and matted fur, when I tried focusing on them they appeared murky and viscous, as if the wolves were made up of polluted smoke and tar. Wait! My eyes widen and I stare into the lead wolf's eyes because... they're red! Colour! If I wasn't about to die I probably would be pretty shocked by the sight, for even a deadly red was welcomed in a world of shades.
My chest is heaving, my heart has become a petrified drum, and my entire body is trembling so much that it's probably a miracle that I'm still standing. I cannot look away from the centre wolf, even as it snaps its jaws, growling along with its pack, and with its ebony hackles on end it steps towards me and I know that I am about to die. Still, I raise my chin the slightest, narrow my eyes and set my mouth in a hard line; if I am about to die then I will do so with at least a scrap of dignity. The lead wolf stamps its paws in challenge before it crouched and lowered its head, readying for an attack. With a growled bark it lunges with fangs bared and finally, I brace myself for the end blow because this is it and there is no use fighting; I hold my last breath and a strange calm consumes me. I look away but not before my eyes lock with the charging wolf and I can see triumph in the beast. I press the side of my face against the smoothness of glass and dark laughter fills my ears as I die…
Wait.
Opening my eyes as laughter grows around me, my fingers slide across the seamless solid that I'm leaning against and with a gasp I jerk away in surprise. What used to a boulder has now turned into what looks to be a mirror, though I'm only able to comprehend this for about second before I jump back towards the mirror when I finally realize that the malicious mirth surrounding me is coming from the wolves themselves. Except now, the wolves aren't wolves anymore, but have been replaced with three identical figures that have all kept their red eyes but have now gained the ability to smile in apparent amusement of my fear and confusion. The wolf-turned-man who had lunged at me is standing not even a foot away and I shudder as he chuckles darkly when he watches me press myself against the mirror in a frail attempt to get as far away from him as I possibly can.
"Like a timid rabbit you have lead us on a most delicious chase, but we have finally caught up with you and... the game is over."
All of my fear, my shaking, my internal screaming and shock freeze when the figure speaks. With a blink I realize that he sounds so very familiar, yet my broken brain cannot piece together from where. The figure, with his twisted smirk, runs his fingers through his bangs and sets his other hand on his hip, taking on an air of such thick haughtiness I could choke.
"It is so truly nice to see you and how naughty of you to keep us waiting. It has been… so long, but I can tell from your stupid face that you are beyond confused, which I must say is rather satisfying."
Before I can react, his hand takes my chin and his nose touches mine and I'm wide-eyed once again from utter shock. I feel more than hear his tongue lick his lips and I become very aware just how close our bodies have become. I want to push him off, to get my personal space back, but with minimal effort, his other hand suddenly painful grips my wrist and twists it, forcing me around as I cry out with pain and he presses hard against my back, his groin intrusively thrusting against my backside, his face in my hair, and lips to my ear.
"Silly little boy… So blind when all you need to do is open your eyes to see the truth. Mm, your fear smells delightful, I must add..."
With a shove, the pressure from his body and vice grip of his hand vanishes and I cough, not having realized that I had been holding my breath the entire time. Taking a few unsteady steps back from the mirror, I take up my wrist to rub the ache in it whilst annoyance and slight violation edges into my expression. Just as I'm about to turn back around to face the psychotic bastard and punch him in the face I stop. Fuck… the guy was telling the truth, all I really did was open my eyes because now I could see, and what I saw was me, and me… and me two more times.
Standing there reflected in the mirror four times over was the same person. Except that three figures shared the same red eyes and were all smirking viciously while the fourth and closest to the mirror had blue eyes and a very bewildered expression. Reaching up to touch his face, I watched the figure with blue eyes take in his grey hair, dark skin, black hat, monotone tunic, greaves, and boots. That was a reason why the bastard sounded so familiar and why having him so close felt so wrong, because he was the same person as… me! We're all the same! My fingers come up the side of my face and I stare into my own eyes and seeing the blue within them, like two rare sapphires in a world of ash, makes me tremble a bit. Blue eyes... I have blue eyes... Why does knowing that make me want to cry?
"What the fuck… the fuck is going on?" I shout my question at the red-eyed bastard as I spin on my heel to face the trio of me, my hand still at my cheek in shock but my blue eyes are narrowed in fury, my earlier fear having been burned away and my pains forgotten momentarily. "Why the hell do you have my face? Who are you? What do you want with me?"
Another bout of dark laughter fills the canyon as the bastard in front of me cackles with hateful glee and sweeping his bangs from his eyes, he raises a brow at me and it makes me want to punch him all the more. "Well, isn't it obvious? We want you! We want your skin, your blood, your muscles and eyes, your tongue, face, and most of all… we want your heart and your soul. We want it all! We want you… brother!"
By sheer instinct I dodge with not a second to spare, for I narrowly miss savage teeth bearing down on my throat when my red-eyed twin suddenly transforms and attacks, smashing into the mirror and breaking it from my feint. Bolting forward, I slam my boot into one of my other doppelgänger blocking my way, catching him in the groin before I shoulder past and sprint deeper into the canyon. Within seconds, my story has come full circle for once again I find myself being chased with the sound of beastly growls and claws upon rock joining in my echoing footfalls. After being chased, cornered, partially molested, confronted by my red-eyed triplets and then told that I shall be torn apart and eaten, it would seem that I have found my second wind. Adrenaline has graced me with its presence once again and my legs are working hard to keep up my speed as I venture down the canyon floor. Around me the walls of the ravine are high and impassable and the canyon itself increasingly becomes more closed in to the point that the wolves behind me are forced to continue chasing in single file.
Rounding a corner, I blink when suddenly the rocks walls face away and within a few steps I am forced to skid to a stop with only a few inches to spare lest I want to fall off a cliff. Taking a fleeting look over the edge, I spin around to face my assailants, all of whom have joined each other's sides and are firmly blocking the only possible escape. Bending my knees to take up a fighting stance and balling my fists, I lower my eyes and glare at the trio of wolves as I inch my heels back until I feel that they're at the very edge. My breaths come out evenly and steadily, my heart beats surely and calmly, and with a firm resolve I stare down my would-be devourers and face my fate.
"Even though I have no fucking clue who I am, I know sure as hell that I'm nothing like you bastards!"
The lead wolf, growling and snarling furiously, charges forward but I jump back, my own smug smirk breaching my lips, and I fall. Spreading my arms wide, the wind is welcomed and I stare up at the grey sky the further into the unknown I descend into. Above, I hear over the howling of the wind comes the howling of infuriated wolves and I am able to make out the dark shape of a landmass suspended in the sky before clouds erase it from my view. An island in the sky… is that where I was? Since when do islands float? So if I am in the sky, where will I fall to? Or, have I just leapt on the very edge of the world and must now fall for all of eternity through empty space? Do I care either way? Becoming heavy-lidded, my adrenaline having been expended and my energy having been burnt, I discover that indeed I no longer care. I have escaped from the literal jaws of death and falling for an eternity or into an unknown abyss sounded very much like a better outcome.
I'm tired and keeping my eyes open is proving to be difficult against the wind and besides, this grey world holds no appeal to me. Closing my eyes, I descend into darkness so when I collide with the water, I feel nothing. One moment I am surrounded by air, the next it's water, but still I make no move to do nothing. With eyes closed, my arms float lifelessly around me as I drift through eternal darkness and sink lower into the silence of the black ocean. Am I drowning? Is this how I will die? Do I care yet?
The burning in my chest I ignore and I allow the coldness of the dark ocean to numb my body against the pain of dying. Surrounded by darkness a face suddenly appears in my drifting mind and my eyes snap open to the darkness. For a moment I flail my arms, attempting for the surface, but any notion of up or down has been swallowed by the obscurity and I become still again. Blinking underwater, the face of the woman that I see is hauntingly beautiful and painfully sad, it's a person I do not know but seeing the sadness in her features makes me frown; my fingers twitch weakly and my outstretched arm searches through the water for the sad woman in vain. Why do I care so much about this woman? How do I know her? How have I remembered her? Why do I feel like I'm letting her down, like I've broken a promise? Why does her sadness affect me so? Why does her sadness make me feel regret about dying? If I care about her but not myself, does that mean I consider her happiness more important than my life? So many questions I have, with only silence as an answer. I feel my eyes begin to close for the final time, my body having become numb from the cold and lack of oxygen and I hold onto the woman's image for as long as the darkness will allow me, my arm still above me reaching to her and to my last connections to life.
'Funny... her image, this woman... it's in colour... she's... beautiful...'
I am distantly aware how the water around me feels like it's becoming thicker, pressing against every square inch of my body, as if the darkness has manifested and congealed with the decision to swallow me up into oblivion. Just before my eyes close for good, rays of light and brightness sharply and suddenly cut through the black like swords of alabaster cutting through black tar. A beam of light finds my face and its stark contrast from the grey and black world that has been my entire existence was shock enough to coax me from the brink of death enough to peek open my eyes. A hand, shielded by the light and bearing a symbol of a trio of triangles, appears from above me and grips my outstretched hand. Great strength suddenly pulls me from my cradle of watery darkness and the ocean tugs at my body to remain, but the hand from the light is too strong and I am hauled up and out of the water before finally losing consciousness, at least I think I passed out...
"Link! Link! Come on now! Open your eyes! I refuse to lose you like this after searching for so long so open your eyes, you stubborn bastard!"
The voice, so familiar and so demanding, barrages against the darkness of my mind and my eyelids peek open before a wave of nausea attacks me from within and I turn over to begin coughing, gagging and heaving. I feel a strong and warm hand at my back, coaxing me to cough up all of the black liquid from my lungs and only when I finished hacking loudly do I begin to take notice of the warmth all of me, the wind through my hair, and the open brightness all around me. Turning over stiffly, being helped by the same warm hand from before, my weak eyes half-open to look up at a face beneath golden hair parted down the centre and a single blue eye, for the other was closed by a long scar. This man… this man of colour, is so familiar, and is looking down at me and he is smiling wide. I don't know what to think, what to do, or say until my mouth moves on its own accord.
"What did you call me?"
His bright and easy laughter dwarfs my weak question and I can only blink when he suddenly wraps his arms around me and takes me in close for a hug though, it takes me a second or two register the gesture as such. Looking over the man's armoured shoulder, I can see nothing but open space, a sky of shifting clouds or smoke that is oddly calming and like the man, distantly familiarly.
"Link! It is you! Oh, how I feared that I would be too late and I nearly was! Fear not, now, I shall return you. Thank the Goddesses that she summoned me to search for you when she did, your liege. Without her prayers I never would have known just how far into the darkness you had fallen. Fear not, my son, I shall bring you safely back to the world of the light!"
"What now? Who…?"
My questions come upon dry lips and the weakness in my body is disabling my ability to speak. The man gently holds me back so that his eye can meet mine again and his smile, seeing it for some reason makes me want to cry but I do not know why. I feel my face twist with confusion, fear, shock and above all relief, so when I feel fat tears stream down my face I pay them no heed and only frown when the man's expression softens. From this angle, I am able to see that the man is in fact some sort of warrior, for he is adored in ornate armour and a red cape I can see is billowing out behind him from the wind. Speaking of the wind, my fingertips hanging by my legs feel feathery softness and then I realize that they are feathers and the wind isn't actually wind but is simply the air movement caused by flight. We are flying… we are flying? Panic stirs my movements but the knight is quick to quiet me as I stare wide-eyed at the large, scarlet, with purple and yellow tipped wings flap confidently on either side of us that belongs to the large bird we are riding through the ethereal skies. Twisting my head around, I realize that I'm sitting backwards and my mouth falls open when the large yellow eye of the bird meets mine and the great bird's call fills the air and it's a musically pleasant sound but still, it makes me shake and I suddenly want to hide under the knight's cape.
This man and bird of colour make me feel nauseous, which is crazy because I had been wishing for the existence and proof of colour and life, yet here I am shaking with fear and wishing to be back amongst grey landscapes. I hold up my grey hands in a weak attempt to shield myself from the brilliance of the golden-haired man with his scarlet cape.
"I apologize if all of this is strange to you, Link, but there is little time for me to explain for I must return you to your body without delay. I can say, however, that I borrowed our mount from a friend, or rather our friend, who understood my urgency to find you. Only those who are worthy in the eyes of the Goddess, Hylia, may ride the Crimson Loftwing! I admit that I was honoured to be accepted..."
"Link? My body? Wh-what? Who the hell are you? What are you talking about? The fuck is a Loftwing?"
Staring up at the knight who was looking on ahead with determination, I watch him blink in what looks to be surprise. My gut twists when I see the knight's expression grow hard with some sort of realization and his one good eye narrows a bit as he looks at me; I flinch back and reach up to grip my black, floppy hat to save it from slipping off. Wordlessly, the knight abruptly takes my left hand with his and I jerk back against the bird's neck from the electric-like shock his hand gives off. I try desperately to shield my eyes from the brilliant golden glow of the symbol upon his hand, for such brightness makes my entire body shake and I instantly feel even more ill and the urge to flee increases in my tense, monotone body.
"Link! Link is your name, you are the Hero Chosen by the Gods, and you are the rightful bearer of the Triforce of Courage! Accept these truths and shed this darkness that surrounds your heart and entraps your memories! By the Goddesses, it is as I feared... you have been exposed too long to the Dark Realm and it has infested into your heart. We are nearly to the gate, just hang on!"
"Stop! Let go of me! It hurts! I don't know… I don't know what you're talking about! I think I'm…. I'm going to be sick! Let me go! Let me off this thing!"
I try to fight him off, to take back my hand and hide from the brightness of those golden triangles upon his hand but I can't, for he's too strong and the light it too bright. My vision begins to turn dark as the sickness and weakness within me intensifies. I can feel the wind shifting my hair, the strong beat of the bird's wings, and the knight trying to shake me awake but my eyes close and the last thing I hear is that name he keeps using, keeps calling me... my name? He said it was my name... Can it be true? Is my name actually...
"Link!"
/ / / / /
The man's lips parted slightly and his broken body took in a deep breath to break his sleep. With eyelids as heavy as stones, the Hylian struggled to open his eyes and blinking a few times he stared emptily at the scene in front of him. He can see that he's in a room that has all of its windows shuttered, so that the only light sources to illuminate the chamber are a few candles that are nearing the end of their lives and a fire that crackles in a large hearth at the side of the room. Blinking in the attempt to rid his bleary eyes from the presence of sleep-sand, the man twitched his fingers with the intention of rubbing his tired eyes but instead, discovered two things: neither did he think that he had the strength to even lift his hand and nor was his free to be able to do so even if it could. Confusion fluttered the man's eyelids and he looked at his commandeered right hand for it had been taken over by another, a more slender and soft hand that was not his. Slow to function, the man's eyes followed up the length of arm that was connected to the slender hand holding his and only then did his eyes finally open wide enough so that they could behold the figure who owned the slight hand.
The woman was beautiful, curled up in a comfy-looking chair that was situated at his bedside, and looking into her fair face the Hylian could see the tired circles darkening her eyes and the paleness in her skin from stress. She looked utterly exhausted yet still so pristine, regal, and composed even as she slept, her head resting against the back of the chair with her chin barely touching her left shoulder. Nothing adorned her long brunette hair, which had begun to fall from the braid that once held every silky strand of hair, though the state of her hair did little to obscure her natural beauty. The lady wore a simple dress of light lavender with a dark shawl abound her shoulders to fight off the touch of the winter's chill. Around the woman's neck the man could make out the chain of a necklace and when a flicker of light from the fireplace flashed across the chain, he glimpsed what looked to be the symbol with the three triangles before shadows hid the pendant from view once again. The man was staring, it was true, but it was the only thing he could do. His entire form was turned towards her, for he was resting on his right side. He could feel a mound of cushions supporting him so that he remained in the position. His left arm he couldn't feel at all, as if it were numb, and he couldn't move his fingers but such strange realities did not dwell for long in his mind because his world was focused on the sleeping woman beside him.
He knew her, he knew that he knew her, but her name was escaping him. He reckoned that that was probably because how cloudy his head felt, a feeling that was usually associated with drugs and oversleeping. If he could recognize that he'd been drugged and sleeping for some amount of time, then he could name this lady before him and identify why having her hold his hand made his heart flutter a bit. At the same time as he slightly adjusted his head on his pillow, putting a name to such a person made her no less or more beautiful and it did not help at all to explain why she looked so sad, so tired, so familiar… Once again the image of a face popped into the man's head and his brows shot up, though that only made his head itch as he became aware of the bandage upon his forehead, but with sudden realization he understood where he'd seen the woman's face before.
"The Dark Realm…" he muttered, but his lips froze when the lady stirred and shifted in her chair, her fingers tightening on his ever so slightly, and he watched her soft lips move out of sleep.
"Link…"
The single, soft-spoken word brought with it a sensation that felt very much like being thrown overboard off a ship into the ocean. In that moment, the man's entire world spun as memories, awareness, and knowledge stormed his foggy mind to the point that it hurt. Cringing as his identity returned to him, Link groaned aloud and he shut his eyes tight against remembering all of it at once: who he was, what he'd done, the pain he'd gone through, and the memory of what he could only classify as a dream of him being chased by black wolves and confronted by black copies of himself. It was too much, too much at one time, and in his desperation Link wretched his hand from the woman's to cradle his forehead, thus disturbing the lady from her slumber.
Continuing to groan and shut out the pain of his head, Link was startled when suddenly a pair of soft hands were at his head and he felt someone sit beside him on the bed. Opening his eyes as his hand was taken up by soft fingers, the Hylian knight gaped in awe and surprise at the lovely face of the sleeping woman who was now staring down at him with blue eyes of shock, relief, concern, worry, and happiness. When the lady's mouth became a soft smile Link felt his own lips twitch upwards in a weak attempt to follow suit.
"Zelda," he breathed, before his queen choked out a sob mixed with a relieved laughter and she brought his hand to her lips to gently kiss it and to hold his arm close and tenderly, her eyes never leaving his.
"Link… Oh, praise to all the Goddesses and I thank them for their guidance and aid! You have returned to me… to all of Hyrule! I feared… there was worry that you might never wake, but I never gave up hope and I have tried to be by your side as much as I have been able. I am so, so thankful and happy to see that you are awake. Oh, Link... you're okay."
"Zelda I… I don't know what to say… How, I mean, how…?"
"Quiet now, there will be time to explain, but now you must preserve your strength and heal." Zelda bit her lower lip and her eyes grew even more misty, before she went on quickly, "Would you like some water?"
Cut off by his queen's gentle words, Link's expression became torn as questions filled his mind while he heart hurt to see how distressed the Queen of Hyrule sounded. She fought hard to retain her smile and to wall off the cascade of tears the Link could see were hiding in the corners of her blue eyes. Sighing and licking his dry lips, the Hylian knight nodded for water and watched as Zelda gently set his hand back onto the bed and retrieved a bowl of water with a ladle sitting aside. When Link tried to sit up and reach for the water himself, Zelda softly eased him back before filling the ladle and a queen spooned water into her knight's mouth with practiced, calm hands. By the third ladle-full Link began to cough and water spilt down his chin but Zelda easily took up a rag and wiped his mouth, causing Link to blush and look up at her with surprised eyes.
"There's no need to look at me like that," she said gently with a small smile, as she set aside the bowl before facing him again. "As I said, I have been by your side as much as I have been able, to help take care of you where I could and to offer my prayers to the Goddesses for your well-being. How are you feeling?"
Link blinked when Zelda set her hand on his forehead, which only made him blush more and heard her comment about him being a little warm. "Zelda, how long have I been asleep for?"
His question made his queen momentarily pause, before she busied herself with making sure that his blankets were to her liking. "From the time when you first lost consciousness to now, it has been five full days with the sixth being only a couple of hours away." Zelda spoke evenly and with compliance, but it was clear that her words were slightly forced and tinged with sadness.
"Five days? I've been… By Nayru… Please, Zelda, you have to tell me what happened, what I've missed! Please… I need to know."
"Link, please listen to me. You're very weak and I don't want you to get too worked up and exhaust yourself. There will be time for all of that but until then, I should really be going to notify Renado that you've woken up and-"
"Zelda, please. I need… Tell me what has happened."
Catching Zelda's hand as she was about to get up, Link looked his queen in the eye with an expression of pleading and of desperation, while images of the Dark Realm and the laughter of his dark doppelgängers echoed through his mind. Zelda, her eyes widening, opened her mouth to say something but didn't, as conflict and indecision swept across her tired features. Link watched her glance over towards the door and for a moment he truly thought that she was going to follow through with her words and leave him, but he heard her sigh and she sat back down onto the bed, her eyes on his right hand and how it held hers. Even after five years of friendship and close trust, Link had always been careful not to get too close physically to his queen out of respect of their positions, for she was the queen and he was her knight. So during all that time, he had never actually so boldly taken hold of her hand before and it took a moment for the knight to glance at his hand before quickly releasing hers.
"All right, Link, I will answer your questions. But first, please tell me what is the last thing that you remember, so I know where I ought to begin at."
Sighing a bit with relief that Zelda agreed to stay with him, Link smiled and settled back into his pillows as he stirred his thoughts and while frowning a bit, he slowly began to recall scenes of blood, pain, and screaming. "I remember that you and I had been out riding and there was… something happened, something bad. There was… the arrow, yes! I remember now... the ambush." Even as he spoke and his memories settled in their correct order, the Hylian recalled being impaled by the black arrow and instinctively his right hand went to touch his left shoulder but pain froze his movement as well as Zelda's hand.
"Yes, we were attacked and you were hit by a black arrow. We made it here to the castle but then you lost consciousness so we brought you to the infirmary. You regained consciousness and were still awake when we removed the arrow but, tell me, do you remember anything after that?"
Link, biting his lip against the dulled pain in his heavily bandaged left shoulder, looked up at Zelda and tried his best to read her cautious and concerned expression. Narrowing his eyes he tried to remember, he truly did, and slowly his features began to soften with remembrance as pieces of what happened after the arrow was pulled from his body and the knight's expression hardened with his frown.
"I do remember, Zelda. I remember pain and the fire, how it burned all through my body and it was so… unbearable. No, it was more than that... it was death, or a fate worse than death, I remember that much." Link's voice had grown quiet because of what he did remember, he wished he hadn't, for the amount of pain and agony he had experienced he wouldn't even wish it upon any his enemies for it had been so great. There came a point though, in all of the fire and pain that his memory ended and he looked at Zelda and took in her face of sorrow. He considered the sudden urge to reach up and caress her cheek in the attempt to comfort her. He didn't, of course, and simply waited for her to gather herself until she answered.
"Yes, you were in such great pain, and Renado, Jerret, and Faris had a difficult time restraining you for you writhed so violently. As you might recall, there had been poison coating the arrow and of what sort of toxin it turned out to be, it came to our understanding that it was one of the purest evils. Link, you stopped breathing, a couple times actually, and it was only by the skill of Renado and the will of the Goddesses that you were revived, though the first time I truly thought…" Zelda paused to take a breath, to compose herself, and the sight hurt Link's chest so much that his breathing broke. "As I said, the poison was causing you to change and if I had not intervened with the Master Sword, I fear that you might have transformed into your beast form. Fortunately Renado was able to stabilize you, but just barely. You were suffering from extreme cold and we had a terrible time keeping you warm and Renado feared that you might develop hypothermia, which at the time made no sense."
"Yes, now I remember. When I was burning in pain you had said that I was cold, or someone did anyway..." the Hylian said slowly, absorbing all that Zelda was telling him. "But, what do you mean I was changing? Was the poison from the Twili?"
Such a thought stabbed Link's heart with a moment of betrayal and the face of Midna appeared in his mind, but he quickly pushed away such an idea. Still, what other substance held similar power to the Shadow Crystals and the Shadow Crystal Fog? Both had been created by Zant and had been able to transform Link into a wolf... But, Zant was dead and all connection to the Twilight Realm had been destroyed with the Mirror of Twilight. This Link knew to be true, for he had tried to find any other path if only to see Midna one last time. Still, to hear from Zelda that he had begun to transform was disturbing to say the least, for his time as a wolf was a secret of his that only Zelda knew. As troubling as this was, it still was difficult to even begin to try and comprehend that Midna, being the Princess of Twilight, might be behind the entire attack!
Fortunately, relief smothered his doubts when Zelda shook her head and pushed a hair behind her ear.
"No, it wasn't of Twili origin, though I'm afraid to admit it that there had been some supposition. Link, you must understand, that even though your condition had stabilized Renado made it clear that without the antidote to the poison, there had been no true way of knowing if you'd make it or not. I had all the medical records scoured and Renado and Dr. Borville spent hours arguing and discussing possible remedies but, the truth that we all had to face was the fact that giving you the wrong remedy could react with the poison in your body and kill you. There was almost no guarantee that you'd recover."
The queen's lower lip trembled and it took Link a moment or two to realize that this was probably the first time Zelda was probably admitting all of this aloud, maybe even to herself. Digging up all of the energy he could muster, Link silently raised his hand and aimed to smooth the back of his fingers against Zelda's quivering chin but he made it halfway before his arm gave out and his hand awkwardly landed on her thigh. Rather than react poorly to his offer of comfort, Zelda wordlessly took up her knight's hand and began to idly rub his fingers one at a time, a distraction for herself to collect her emotions and continue speaking.
"I didn't give up, Link, not on you. So, I saw it as a sign from the Goddesses that on the third day after you lost consciousnesses a messenger came from the Fence with a package from the Gerudo."
"The Gerudo?" Link couldn't help to interrupt, but hearing of the desert tribe was something he hadn't expected because over the past few years all contact between the Hyruleans and the Gerudo were curt words at the border of the Great Desert and Lake Hylia about needed supplies and through him of course. To hear that the Gerudo were involved roused an unsure frown in Link's features, which helped evaporate some of his blush as Zelda continued to massage his one usable hand. In addition, being Hyrule's ambassador to the Gerudo meant Link had some emotional connection to the tribe and having spent the last couple of years in their midst he had learned a fair amount about their culture.
"Yes," Zelda continued, pausing in her movements with Link's hand to simply fold hers over his. "I was told by the Fencemen that having heard of your condition and ailments, Nabila herself entered Lake Hylia to notify the attention of the guard and gave them explicit instructions to deliver a package and letter to no one but me. When the package arrived, there was some fear that it might be a trap. I trusted your words and council, Link, what you had told me of Nabila being an honourable woman, so I opened it without hesitation. Inside there contained three vials of green liquid and in her letter Nabila explained that the vials contained the antidote to your poison."
Disbelief and shock rocked Link to the core and he tried to sit up but both Zelda and the scream of complaint from his wounded shoulder settled the Hylian back into his pillowsl however, that didn't stop his words. "What? Are you serious! Ow, sonofa… I mean, really? The Gerudo? Nabila? She poisoned me? No! I won't believe it! I won't-"
"Link! Rest assured, neither Nabila nor any member of the Gerudo alive was responsible for the poison, this I am almost completely positive of."
"But… but you just said… then how? And, almost? What?"
"In her letter," Zelda continued with a firmer voice, silently telling Link to settle down as she fixed his blankets, "Nabila explained that she recognized your ailments. Word of the ambush had spread across all of Hyrule, including details of what occurred when the arrow was removed. Now, I am truly thankful that such gossip was uttered. Apparently, your symptoms were caused by a rare plant that is only found in remote regions of the desert, a plant the Gerudo call "Atishokull," or its translation, 'Death by Fire Within Ice'. It's one of the most dangerous poisons that can be procured and because of the extreme pain it can cause, it's only used as a death sentence to the most horrendous of offences committed by a member of the Gerudo. The use of the plant actually has been prohibited for over a century, this Nabila mentioned. How the Bokoblin came to have such a dangerous substance Nabila theorized that it came from a hidden store or from Ganondorf himself at some point, because it takes a full year to produce a large enough amount to kill a person. Once administered, it's almost sure death… Nabila made it clear in her words that even with the antidote, which the Gerudo seem to always keep on hand in case of emergencies, there is no guarantee that it will neutralize the affects of the Atishokull."
"So… then, I am alive… how?"
"You are alive because you are the Hero Chosen by the Gods, because you have the strength and courage of a true hero. Because the Three Goddesses would not abandon you, I would not abandon you and your friends would not leave you to such a horrible death and… perhaps there was a little bit of luck there as well."
The faintest of smiles appeared on Zelda's tender lips and Link returned it with a wide one of his own. Whatever the reasons were, he was alive and he would thank all those involved and responsible later. Until then, Zelda still had some explaining to do before he did anything including reveal to Zelda about him being in the so-called Dark Realm with no memory. "Yeah, that's it. I'm just lucky and like always, I just overslept as per usual." He tried for a short chuckle but laughing hurt too much so he ended up just cringing and smiling, though his plan still worked and the knight watched his friend smile truly. Licking his lips, Link asked, "So… It's been, what, two days since I was given the antidote? And what does 'Death by Fire Within Ice' even mean?"
"Yes, that is correct. It was terrible, as soon as you were given the antidote your heart rate dropped and you began to shake violently and you were… screaming. You kept yelling and sounded so terrified, but I could not make out what you were saying. Eventually, you quieted and your body temperature began to rise but you remained asleep until, well now. I had you moved from the infirmary into this room for more privacy. According to Nabila, the poison is entitled as such because of what it does to the body. You yourself can support great feelings of burning, yet in fact your body felt as cold as ice and there were points as I said that we feared you were suffering from hypothermia. From what we've theorized from the poison and having analyzed it, the toxin attacks the body's control over temperature and while the victim would be feeling great heat, they'd actually be freezing to death as their heart rate dropped."
"Well, all right," Link answered, trying not to flinch when Zelda told him about screaming in fear. "But what about the Bublins? And Nabila? She actually went into Lake Hylia? And are you all right? Oh, by Din, Zelda, are you okay? I'm sorry I couldn't have been there and forgive me for pushing you but… but-"
"Quiet, Link... please. You need to sit back or else you'll disturb your arm." Once again, the Hyrulean Queen had to gently push her knight back into his pillows and sweeping back his bangs, she smiled a bit wider into his worried eyes. "For starters, Link, there is nothing you should be apologizing for. If anything, the fault is all mine that you were hurt and have ended up the way you are. Now, please, don't try to argue." Just as her knight was about to disagree, Zelda set her hand tenderly upon his cheek for a moment before idly checking on his head bandage. "If it weren't for my suggestion of a ride, we never would have been ambushed. I admit, Link, that from the evidence, I had grown careless and became too predictable with my schedule, that's how the Bublins knew where to wait for us. It would seem, that even with all of my efforts to increase Hyrule's defences, we had fallen into another false sense of security and you were the who paid for my mistake... again."
Link listened quietly, though it was difficult to not interject and try to prove his queen wrong, as Zelda explained the events after he'd fallen unconscious. The Hyrulean Soldiers dispatched all remaining Bublins that they could find in the region and discovered another horde with another Dark Arrow in the Eldin Province hiding in the Upper River location, waiting to ambush Link and Zelda if they had taken that route. An attack had been inevitable and Zelda expressed her regret that it was because the Bublins had learned on which days she and Link normally went for a ride together. Talk of the attack had spread through Hyrule quickly and sentiments and prayers had flooded in from every corner of Hyrule, including from the Zora and especially from the Goron, who saw Link as their brother and it grieved them to hear that he was so close to death. Word also has spread of Nabila appearing in Lake Hylia, which in fact signified the first time a Gerudo had stepped onto Hyrulean soil outside of the desert since Ganondorf, a fact that did not fail to escape the thoughts of many citizens, particularly many members of the Seven Noble Families.
"I have been approached more than once these past few days by members of the Council who have expressed their concern pertaining to the Gerudo and I have been pressured to initiate an investigation to prove whether or not the tribe had anything to do with the attack at the West Gate."
"What? Zelda, that's utter bullshit! I will face the Council myself and prove that Nabila would never do anything to jeopardize their already fragile way of life in their desert! That's their homeland and it would literally kill them if they had to leave it again!"
"Yes, Link, I know that you know this being their ambassador but the council members, as well as some members of the Royal Guard, have argued how suspicious it appeared that Nabila had the antidote to such a rare and dangerous poison when it failed to kill you as quickly as it would have if the arrow had shot through you completely. They have said that an investigation could find out if the Gerudo have anymore Atishokull."
"You can't be honestly considering this! Are you seriously going to sit there and tell me that you believe those pompous, lazy, fat morons who call themselves 'nobles' over me? I have spent time with the Gerudo! I know what they're capable of and while they are skilled fighters, poisoning is beneath their honour because if they truly wanted to kill me, they'd do so with their swords!"
"Link! Please listen to me! I know all of this and especially now that you have awakened I have more reason to refute such action. I have been against it myself, I assure you, but when it concerns the safety of my people there's only so much resistance I can put up without tangible proof." Raising her brow to challenge her knight's expression of anger, disgust, and distress, Zelda stared Link down until he scoffed and settled back down though it was plain to see that his opinion of the noble class had yet to change. Zelda frowned a bit and looked aside."Perhaps I have said too much for one day, you only just regained consciousness. I don't want you to stress yourself-"
"With all due respect, Zelda, I'm glad you told me this because as much as laying in bed for a week sounds amazing, now I have a reason to hurry up and heal so I can return to my ambassadorial duties."
Hearing Zelda sigh, Link looked up to meet her eyes and once again he saw just how tired she was and he felt his own anger and ambitions soften. Almost six days he'd been near death it seemed and by the looks of it and what he had heard, Zelda hadn't slept much the entire time, choosing rather to remain near him because she felt that this was all of her fault. Guilt flooded the Hylian's expression and Link cleared his throat before saying softly, "Forgive me, I spoke out of turn. I can't imagine how trying these last few days must have been for you and I don't wish to cause you any more pain by acting brash. I'm just… I'm glad to see that you're all right, Zelda. If you had been the one who had gotten struck by that arrow, I…"
Unable to finish such a terrible sentence, Link sighed and weariness was beginning to seep into his features. He was tired, beyond tired, and his left shoulder was beginning to throb after being jostled too many times, but he still wanted to talk, to ask how the Fence was doing, how Epona was fairing, if the Bublins has been sighted at all since the attack and about ten other questions. He jsut wanted to keep talking so that this all remained real, that Zelda really was there with him and that he wasn't going to worry her ever again. Instead his thoughts were quieted when Zelda touched his cheek once more, smiling softly down at him meeting his tired eyes with her own.
"We shall talk more later, my knight, but for now I really must inform Renado that you re awake because now, we will be able to start giving you Red Potion to help you heal and to restore your energy."
"Oh, lovely…"
Link lightly chuckled and grimaced at the thought of consuming the infamous energy-restoring Red Potion with its amazing aftertaste that was a combination between chalk and overripe tomatoes, at least to Link anyway, and he rather didn't care too much for tomatoes even when they were ripe. With a yawn, the man watched through sleepy eyes as his queen and dear friend adjusted his blankets before she stood, her slight figure hugged by her lavender dress and she pulled her shawl more tightly around her shoulders. Zelda turned over her shoulder and gave him a smile while she began to make her way towards the door.
"Zelda?"
"Yes, Link?"
"Is there anything else that happened while I was out? Anything important that I should know about?"
The Queen of Hyrule blinked at her knight's question and if it weren't for the shadows of the room she knew that he would have either seen the slight blush in her cheeks or how her eyes narrowed slightly with guilt. Zelda did not like lying, in fact she preferred to avoid the act entirely, yet when she answered her smile remained on her lips and her voice came easy, "No, Link. Anything else can wait until after you've rested and are better. I shall return shortly with Renado."
As she reached the door of the room and exited, Zelda pressed her back against the door and sighed, her head dropping low though her eyes were wide with confusion and disbelief. She had lied, as indirect as it was, but she was well aware that the Council's decision concerning her marriage would be considered important and that Link would've wanted to hear about it. Yet, she hadn't told him and it was her reasons that confused her so. The truth was, she didn't feel the need to tell him and the most logical explanation she could think up was the fact that she knew that the news would upset him and he was already too excited about what she's already told him. Though why he'd be upset, she could only assume a few reasons but deep down Zelda knew that he would not approve, especially of the candidates of her engagement. However, as she began to walk down the corridor headed towards the library where Renado had set up a research station about the Atishokull, the Hyrulean monarch frowned when her thoughts fluttered over her upcoming engagement and she silently admitted that she could not come up with one true reason why she had not told Link.
In the end, Zelda concluded that she didn't tell him because she didn't want to and that was the most confusing thing of all. But, perhaps anyways, it was because with Link knowing, it made it all the more real to her.
