Alright guys, we're back in the viewpoint of Zelda. Here are some more words for you to devour!
Sidenote-I had a few people message and leave notes about the Triforce appearing on Link's right hand. Believe it or not, it is intentional. Keep reading to find out why!
I love you guys already picking up on the small details like that! You are all fantastic! Here is chapter thirteen for all of you lovely folk.
Stay classy, and you know what to do.
[ZELDA]
I attend my classes like nothing is going on. I spend most of my time with Link in the hospital wing. It has been three days sincen he has been admitted, and with the red potion from Fledge and my healing magic, it looks like he will be out by tomorrow.
Thank goodness.
I'm just glad I got to him when I did. Who knows where he would be if I didn't? The nurse said it was a sheer miracle he woke up as soon as he did, even with the help of magic. If he had stayed unconscious for much longer, he would have gone into a vegetative state and officially would have been declared as comatose.
I'm just glad he's okay, to be honest. Glad he is alive.
And it is reassuring. Mainly because it makes me not feel insane. Like I'm not simply making this up, that Ghirahim is truly after my life, and that he will risk near everything to get it. I shiver. One would think by now I am used to threats like this. No, one cannot comprehend the fear of a threat on their lives without experiencing it for themselves. It truly is terrifying.
As I make my way down the corridor, with my giant school bag slung over my shoulder, I shiver from fear, my mind turning back to the endless circular track it started on a couple nights ago. What if Ghirahim is simply biding his time? What if he does have the means to attack, and then some, but is waiting for the best moment? What if he is right behind me as I think and grabbing out to snuff my life? I turn on the spot, my hair falling over my shoulder, glancing at the faces in the hall behind me. Some were confused, but others didn't pay me much attention. I don't see anything out of the ordinary. I heave a sigh, tucking my hair behind my ear, and close my eyes in the middle of the hallway. I look up to the window where the light is pouring into the hallway of crowded students, stopping in the middle and letting the rays warm my cold body.
I smile. I haven't genuinely smiled, outside of hanging out with Link and my other friends whom I have deemed untainted, in a long time. Simply being happy being me. That hasn't happened in years. My insecurities are washed away by my friends here at Sky, and I simply love them till death.
I hear the bell ring once signifying the five minute warning to get to class. I re-grip the shoulder pad of my bag and start walking at a brisk pace to get to my academic courses.
Finally. Class just let out. The entire time I felt as if multiple pairs of eyes bore straight into me. As if Ghirahim was watching. I brought a sweatshirt with me in my bag, and even when I pulled it on, it still wasn't enough to douse out the cold fear.
As fast as I can, I pack my bag and run out the door, slinging it over my shoulder. Luckily, I slip away unnoticed and start walking to the hospital wing. I walk fast so I don't get caught alone by the headmaster. As I pull around the last corner before the hospital wing, I hear hushed voices. I lean against the wall and stay silent. I cast a concealment spell to, hopefully, eliminate my presence off of their radars.
"What about the girl?" Owlan whispers.
"She is fine," I hear a snakelike voice hiss. My blood runs cold. Ghirahim. "She's walking right into my trap, don't you worry. Your job is to worry about the boy. Make sure they get separated. His Triforce piece has awakened. Hers is taking a bit longer. Keep an eye on her, though. We can't have her waking hers, too."
I clutch to the wall behind me. Ghirahim begins walking, his shoes making a clacking noise against the wood floors. My frozen hands feel numb as I sidle toward the nearest crevice in the wall to hide. I duck into the crevice just in time as Ghirahim rounds the corner and continues on down the hallway. I sigh, relieved. I wait until Owlan moves, but I don't hear him walking away. Rather, I hear him open the door to the hospital wing and close it softly.
Oh, no.
I sprint for the door, opening it, and find Owlan at the opening of Link's curtained-off section. I look to the check-in station and find no one working the desk.
What a convenient time for a lunch break, staff.
I close the door quietly behind me and begin sneaking up on him, building magic in my hand.
"Link," Owlan says with distain. "You, son, are gaining far too much knowledge too fast. I'm afraid we will have to terminate your further education here in a timely fashion." Behind his back, I see a needle. He plays with the plunger to make sure the needle is clear so the liquid can make a quick escape down the narrow tube. I begin to panic. Looking around the room, I find a chair. Lifting it up and coming up behind Owlan, I smash it against his head using magic behind the swing to give it extra force, throwing him to his knees, and remove the needle from his hand. He falls limp down to the floor with a hard thud. I don't envy the nasty headache he is going to have when he wakes up. I utter a few words and the magic sets to work. I walk over to Link who stares wide eyed between Owlan and me. Thank goodness Link is currently the only patient in the wing. I shrug, holding up the needle and placing it on the endtable.
"He was going to inject you with this," I begin.
"So you hit him over the head with a chair?" Link quirks an eyebrow.
"Yes," I say as if it is the most obvious thing in the world.
He squints his eyes, examining me. He sits up in his bed, hands in his lap and a pillow behind him for support. He breaks his gaze and smiles.
"Yep. I'm keeping you," he laughs. I laugh with him, a warm feeling growing inside me. "So what were the words you were just saying? Was it a spell?"
"Yeah," I nod, sitting on his bed, grabbing his hand. He squeezes my hand in thanks. "Conveniently enough we just learned it today in class. It's called 'Eternal Sleep'. Though, contrary to the name, it doesn't last forever—unfortunate—but long enough for our purposes," I give him a quick kiss on the forehead and stand up again, pacing the room, focused. We need a plan.
"Link," I begin, but he grabs my hand mid-swing to silence me. I must have quite the look on my face because his eyes are full of concern for me. I soften my expression and sit down again. He rubs heat into my back.
"Link," I start again, softer, "I overheard Owlan and Ghirahim out in the hallway just before coming in here," I drop off, my fear coming back. He wraps his arm around me and pulls me to him. I don't hesitate.
"He knows we are here," Link concludes. I nod. He turns his head to plant a kiss to the top of mine. I close my eyes, taking in his scent. Pine trees, fresh wind, and the lemongrass soap he uses invade my sense of smell. It calms my nerves a bit.
"We need a plan. We have to get out of here," I think aloud, not entirely on board with a train of thought.
"Zel," he says quietly, "what were they talking about?"
I open my eyes and take in his features. His strong jaw, dirty blonde hair, brilliant blue-green eyes, his soft lips. I place my head in the crook of his neck and wrap my arms around him.
"They were planning how to get rid of us," I say softly.
"Get rid of us. As in—" he encourages me to continue.
I gulp. My hands suddenly clammy and my body gradually dropping in temperature.
"Six feet under. What else?" I whisper. The tears begin to fall and I have no control over them. Link stills after the initial shock of a threat on his life, but after a moment, begins to rock us back and forth.
What did I do to deserve him? I brought him into this mess and he is willing to take it up with me, stick it out to the end. Make sure I am safe.
I know I like him, and that feeling is growing, but he is so much more to me than just a boyfriend. To me, Link is irreplaceable. I cherish him, desire his happiness, and overall love every little bit about him—including his flaws. I honestly cannot believe he even likes me back. He begins humming the song he played on the ocarina that night at the eternal waterfall. It instantly soothes me.
I don't know how long we sit there, but after a while Link looks up and stalls his humming. Coming out of my grief, I look up to see our friends at the curtains. I instantly shoot out a probing wave of magic to detect any sign of Ghirahim, but I find nothing. Smiling, I begin to get off the bed and stand, but am confused when I see their shocked faces.
Then I remember.
"What happened?" Karane exclaims. "Professor!" She begins to kneel down to help him, but I cut her off.
"Karane! No!" I catch her just in time. Anyone under the 'Eternal Sleep' spell, if they are touched, can cause the person who touched them to be cast under the spell, too.
"Guys," Link begins, "we have a situation. It's best to start from the beginning, but it is going to take a while to explain. Have a seat?" They continue to stand at the curtains unsure of what to make of all this. Fledge is the first to step over Owlan's still form and take a seat. I smile. Pipit and Karane join after a moment's wordless debate.
We start from the beginning, reviewing some of the information they already knew about how Ghirahim was after me in the past and the security measures at the school. We gave them all the information we found out since then about how Ghirahim infiltrated the school and the minds of the faculty. Karane's face pales and she leans into Pipit. He wraps an arm protectively around her.
Yeah, they are definitely dating.
I mentally reprimand myself and stay on topic. Link describes everything as it is, no watering down anything. As he begins explaining what happened at the Lumpy Pumpkin, Karane eyes me suspiciously wordlessly assaulting me with questions of what happened between me and Link. I shrug, mouthing 'later', and bring her back to the explanation. When Link finished, Fledge was the first to speak.
"So you guys need to leave here unnoticed," he squeaks. Link and I nod.
"Yes," I chime in, "I was about to tell him a plan I am working out, and actually," I ponder, "this works perfectly." I clap my hands in front of me and divulge.
"Here is my plan. Link rides to the surface after being released from hospital later on today, bringing along my token for vanishing. He could be 'recruiting' for the school. Once evening comes around, I vanish to the surface with him. You guys stay here and keep an eye out for any suspicious activity revolving around the staff. Particularly Owlan, here," I gesture his direction. Everyone seems to think it is a good idea. Link squeezes my hand reassuringly. Wordlessly, we decide to roll with it.
"Fledge," I turn to him, "how are your magical communication skills coming along?"
"They're improving," he says quietly, unsure of his potential. I smile.
"He's getting loads better," Link chimes in. "We've tested it out nearly every night over the past semester. He can hold the spell for a long enough time that we will need to touch base with each other," Link leans back on his pillow. "We can keep in touch that way. See what is going on here and how Ghirahim is moving. We'll have the advantage. We might not be able to tell you much of what is going on down on the surface, we can't risk it, unfortunately."
"So," Pipit chimes in, "tonight?"
We all glance around the room at each other. I can't believe all my friends would want to help out like this. By putting their lives on the line. For me and Link. I smile.
"Tonight," I confirm.
Link was cleared from hospital about two hours after our meeting. I use magic to lift Owlan to a nearby bed making it seem as if he was napping to escape suspicion. I reconstruct the chair and set it where it was.
Sometimes, I really love magic.
I am in Karane's room, packing a light bag of things I will need with me on the surface. Toiletries, some books, and a few scrolls for studying magic. Link already has my token and is making his way down to the surface. I try not to think about being all alone with Link for a while until this thing smoothes over. Karane gives me significant glances, which I shrug off with a goodnatured playful punch to her arm. At least I thought it was playful, she seemed to be building a bruise on her arm. I smile.
Link and I agreed to meet in the meadow. Where this all began. Where I saw him land and check up on Kai. Where he saw me in my regular hang out spot.
Where I wondered which direction my life was heading.
Yeah, back in the good old days where my life was significantly safer than it is now. I shake my head.
"No?" Karane asks me, pulling me out of my reverie.
"What?" I ask, confused.
"I asked you if you are planning on introducing Link to your family."
"Oh," I blush. "Maybe down the road when a killer isn't after my life?" I say like it's an everyday occurrence. Which for me, it kind of is.
Wow, my life is depressing.
"Probably for the best," she concedes. I finish packing my bag and set it on my lap, waiting for five-o-clock to roll around. It was half past four. What are we going to do for a half hour?
Turns out Karane knows how to pass the time.
"So, Zel, do you think down the road you're going to marry Link?"
"What?" I squeal. She laughs.
"You're nervous, which means you want to." She gives me a pointed look. I blush.
I haven't really thought about after all this. I'm also only sixteen. Not quite ready for marriage, believe it or not. I would like to be married someday, but not right away.
"Maybe," I say, mainly to stop her continuing the conversation. When she starts squealing and making sounds instead of coherent sentences, I know I succeeded in getting her to stop talking about it to me. I love her to death, but can't really talk about something that might not happen. I feel sad, but can't hold out to hope.
The clock slowly ticks away. I lie on my bed and wait until the little hand points at the five. As the clock continues in its endless cycle, I look out the window at the setting sun. Beams of burnt orange and yellow lights stream through the window and onto the wall behind it engulfing the room in warm flames. I hear Karane sigh from her bed and turn to look at her.
"I'm going to miss rooming with you, Zel," she says.
"Me, too," I agree. "If you guys need any help, let Fledge know and he can send a message to us."
"Will do. Pipit is also working on his magic. Unfortunately, there isn't a single trace of it inside me."
"Well," I say, "that can give you an opportunity to hang out with him more. I'm sure he would like that, if you helped him with it." I look at the clock. Two minutes.
"I don't know anything about it, though," she admits.
"That's okay," I admit, "really, a lot of magic is learned by emotional support. Just be there for him and help him in any way you can. Solving riddles with him or simply giving him encouragement." I set my hand on her shoulder. She smiles and gives me a hug.
"Good luck," she says quietly.
"You, too." I say. "Remember, don't trust anyone other than our group of friends. Fledge will send out probing pulses regularly to make sure no one is possessed."
She stays quiet.
"I'm scared. I don't have magic, how can I sense if Fledge is really Fledge. Or Pipit—" She cuts off.
"They'll be fine. Fledge is the best with these kinds of spells anyway, better than Link, even," she looks up to meet my gaze. "Don't tell Link I said that, though," I laugh. She laughs, too. I look at the clock and it reads five.
Finally.
"Well, I've gotta go. Will you be okay?"
"Yeah, I'll just spend my time with Pipit and Fledge. No problem. They'll look out for me," she smiles. I smile back.
"Go," she almost yells after staying there for a bit. I smile again, gathering the magic in me to transport myself to the token. I release it and feel the familiar sensation of pulling, then solidifying into my body again. I look around and find myself in the meadow. The ruined building surrounding us with overgrowing vines. I look up at the sky and see the last of the sunset over the grove, smiling.
I turn in a circle to find Link, when I see him off in the distance, I start running to him. Then slow down realizing that he is asleep, resting against Kai and positioned spread eagle. I laugh to myself. I notice that Kai, too, is sleeping. I sit down next to Link and lean against his shoulder to watch the sun set beyond the tree tops. The stars just begin to come out when I feel Link stir next to me. I look over as he is just waking up. I give him a peck on the cheek and he is instantly awake. Noticing the lack of sun, he looks around confused.
"Um," he begins, rubbing the back of his head. I laugh.
"Well, good morning, sleepy head," I laugh again. He laughs, too, waking Kai behind us. Kai stands up and, suddenly without the support behind us we both fall backward on our backs. Kai simply walks away to something more interesting as Link and I remain on the ground. As the last of our laughter is exhausted, Link takes my hand and laces our fingers together. After a while of basking in silence, Link is the first to break it.
"Zel," he whispers, "we should head out. I'm about to fall asleep."
"Yeah, my house is a bit of a ways away. Can Kai fly right now?"
Link stays silent beside me.
"Shoot," he says softly, "didn't think of that one. We had better get walking."
"Actually," I sit bolt upright, a plan forming in my head. Whatever I can do to not make me walk all the way back to my house, I will. "Do you have your ocarina on you, Link?"
"Yeah," he says skeptically, unsure of where I am going. He finds his bag and pulls it out to hand to me. I bring it to my mouth and play the familiar tune of pastures and countryside folk.
"Nice song," Link says, "but how will that help us?"
"Well," I begin, "my horse is trained to respond to that song no matter where it is played. As long as it is on a magical ocarina, or a regular ocarina and the player has magic, it will cast its notes far and wide to summon my trusty steed. The trainers of the ranch here on the surface, Lon Lon, took great care that this horse was trained specially for me. I tend to get lost if I leave my horse behind to go explore a new patch in the woods."
"That's pretty cool," Link admits. "What is your horse's name?" He asks. I hear a distant familiar whinny and smile.
"It's Epona."