Chapter Four
December 20th 2010
Year of Farore's Wind
Soldier's Log: Ike
Day 367
Oh Ashera, where do I begin?
We carried Link in after the skirmish, but he wouldn't wake up. No matter how hard I slapped that jerk, he just refused to freaking wake up! At first, we thought he was dead. I'm pretty sure Marth got ready to piss his pants or something. Luckily for us (and Marth's pants), the head doctor said that there is some hope left for him.
… Alright, I know, I know. I sound too insensitive or whatever. But this is war. You're going to lose your buddies. Hell, I lost my sister to this stupid war… but that doesn't mean we should just sit around moping over what was lost. Besides, she's in a much better place now… right?
Yeah, I'm still pretty ticked over how we're supposed to stay over for the holidays. I have a family- a huge one- to feed. I have a girl at home too. It'd be nice to be able to spend some time with them after so long… heck, I'm actually half tempted to pack my things and jump on the next plane outta here.
I haven't received a letter from Crimea in so long… I should probably be worried or something, but my family's strong. They can handle whatever's thrown at them. And I know for a fact that Titania can take care of those guys no problem.
Here's the thing. According to Pit (sorry kid, but Captain or not, you'll always be that guy that we used to get tipsy with back in MilitaryAcademy), we're here for a very important reason. That reason being is that it falls on us to continue fighting this war. If we stay and are able to somehow negotiate something with Tabuu, then the war will be over a lot faster. Well, I guess that's a pretty good reason, considering that I'm sick and tired of this place. For once in my lifetime, I'd like to have a proper shower…
But we're losing almost as many men as the Primids are. And since we're fighting on the Primids' home turf, there's always the possibility that numbers will overrun us. I'm losing friends left and right. We've already lost that Roy guy and that Pichu kid. But what I'm asking right now is… who's next? Marth? Link? Mario? Luigi? Me?
Alright, don't you dare tell anyone, but I'm scared. If I die out here, alone, then who the Hell is going to tell the others? How are they going to take it? Well, alright, so Shinon might not give a shit… and Boyd might just shrug… and Gatrie might go flirt with some tree in a skirt… but the others would care. Mia won't ever be the same again if another one of the 'famous' Greil Mercenaries was lost to this war. It's been going on for years now and it might go on a heck lot longer if we don't hurry up with the peace talk already. And frankly, I'm getting downright sick of having to bury at least one of my fellow soldiers after ever single battle…
The longer we hesitate to bring an end to all of this, the more people will get killed, the more children will be tortured, and the more women will be defiled. We're here to end the war and that's what our main focus should be. Yeah, we should always stop to mourn our losses now and then, but then we have to move on.
He who hesitates is lost.
The one thing he could see at the moment was darkness. It was a vast open field of nothing but pure darkness. It was darker than the deepest cave, colder than the bottom of any sea in the world. Every so often, faces would swim out in front of him. There was Ike, Marth, Pit, Mario, and all of his other buddies in the regiment. All of them were contorted with worry and… disappointment…? The more he wandered in this place, the more he became aware of another fact.
He was in pain. He was in pure, nerve ripping, undeniable pain. Every nerve in his body was slowly being skinned from him, his flesh was bubbling and curdling under the sheer weight of the pain. A warm liquid snaked its way all over his body…
He was dying…
A soft and musical sound pierced through the darkness surrounding him. For a moment, he tried to force himself out of this place, thinking that if he simply got out of here, he would be back at Ordon village. He would be able to farm and herd goats again, just like his father had wanted him to.
Right before he left for the glory of the military…
Regret washed through him like a tidal wave. It was because of him that his family would now starve. His father had wanted him to either stay and continue farming or move to Hyrule Castle Town where he could get a job and provide for himself and the family. But, rather than adhere to his father's wishes, he had merely run off and joined the military. Back then, he only thought of the honor, the glory he would receive as the famous Brawl Regiment beat every enemy they faced to a pulp. He had hoped to come home with honors, to be promoted immediately to a high ranking position and to finally prove that even a poor, not- very- educated farm boy like him could do something great…
Who was he kidding?
He felt liquid on his lips, suspended on what felt like an ice cold basin of steel. Someone was trying to force a foul smelling substance into his mouth. Reflexively, his jaw clenched shut. If this was poison, then there was no way he was allowing it to enter his system. If he was to die today then at least he would die by the bullet of an AK- 47.
"Come on… drink up…" the voice was sweet, musical. Faint and confused though he was, he could tell that it belonged to a woman. There was just the slightest burr of a familiar sounding accent behind it. "You won't be able to recover properly if you don't take this… please, drink…"
Something in him betrayed him. There was something almost familiar with this voice. For a moment, an image of his homeland, the quiet village of Ordon, in the faraway Kingdom of Hyrule flashed through his mind. He opened his lips and allowed the bitter tasting liquid to trickle down his throat. He swallowed reflexively.
"Good… your stimuli seems to be in order," the voice tinkled. Now the accent was more pronounced as his senses began coming back to him. It reminded him slightly of the type of accent of one born in the Lynaryu Province of Hyrule. Unlike in the Ordon Province, the Lynarians spoke a more refined and softer version of the Hylian tongue.
Link attempted to open his eyes, but found that when he did, everything was a huge blur. There were colors everywhere. For a moment, he thought perhaps someone had decided to slip something funny into his drink again. Then he mentally shook his head.
There had been no such thing as a drinking party last night.
Last night… he didn't remember a thing. In spite of his distorted vision, he was able to tell that it was morning just from the small amount of light filtering through the windows. He was also aware that he was on a bed. Not the sort of beds that the soldiers slept on, but the type that would be found in the infirmary. As his vision began to clear, his memories came back to him sharp as a two edged sword. He remembered the battle, the millions of fallen soldiers around him, the unexpected pain and pressure in his chest as he readied his gun for one final shot. A smile touched his face as he realized it.
He was alive.
"Excellent. Smiling helps… think positive. It'll speed your recovery," he sensed a trace of a smile in the woman's voice as well. "I don't suppose you'd like any more of this medicine, would you? How about some water instead? Soup, maybe?"
He had to answer her. He knew he had to answer her. Summoning up whatever strength he had been given, he opened his mouth. The only noise he managed was a croak. A light laugh met him and this time, he felt the rounded rim of a cup being pressed to his lips.
He drank.
As he drank, his vision cleared. He saw a rather attractive pale heart shaped face and large blue eyes. A woman's face. Long blonde locks fell onto her shoulders like a shining waterfall and her smile warmed him on the inside as he gazed at it. There were heavy bags under her eyes from days of overwork and though she seemed not to notice, her hand shook slightly with the effort of holding the heavy steel cup to his lips. Despite that, she carried the bearing of a woman of class.
Link blinked and coughed on his water, splattering some on the woman before him. Unlike most women, who naturally recoiled at the sight of spitting men, this one simply smiled graciously and dabbed at his face with a small napkin.
"Well, I see your reflexes are still there," she laughed. She finished cleaning up him before proceeding to wipe herself off. "Good thing too. I don't know how angry General Ganondorf would be if yet another one of his soldiers couldn't go into battle because they forgot how to drink water or something."
Link remained silent, only giving her a slightly quizzical look. There was something familiar about this woman, but he couldn't really pinpoint it. Not only was her accent familiar to him, but her face as well.
"I know you're probably anxious to go and see the other soldiers or something," the woman went on as she began cleaning up a number of bottles of medicine on a tray. "But we don't want to risk making your wound any worse. I really have to say, you were quite lucky. If that shot moved even a centimeter up, down, right, or left, it would have killed you…" she trailed off, her eyes moist.
Link reached up to his chest and felt a heavily bandaged part just a few centimeters from the very center of his right lung. A tiny jolt of pain from that particular spot told him that it was there were the bullet hit. As he pressed there, a small stain of red appeared on the neat white linen. Link looked up at her and noticed her expression, concern for her washing through him. He finally found his voice.
"Something… wrong…?"
She looked up at him. "Oh… no, nothing… there's nothing wrong…" she gave him a small smile. "Well… get some rest… if you get enough, you'll be up on your feet soon enough…" with a ghost of that smile that warmed him earlier, she left.
Link sighed and looked around. He had been in the infirmary of this regiment many times, but he had never been truly used to seeing so many soldiers either screaming in agony or dying. In fact, he took the time now to check each of the beds, making sure that his friends had made it through safely.
Most of the beds were occupied by the other soldiers of the Brawl Regiment who only needed to have slight bullet wounds or bruises treated. Others were being treated for one of the diseases that was usually spread around the camp. But there was one bed in particular that caught Link's eye…
Mario was lying down upon the pillows on the bed next to his, his face whiter than snow. There was a shrunken and enfeebled look to him, as if someone had simply decided to take a pin and drain all the blood out of his body. A disgustingly huge red stain was quickly spreading all over the covers.
He was barely breathing…
"I see you are well…" the Italian's weak voice cut through Link's thoughts. Caught by surprise, the Hylian flinched and nearly upended a water jug sitting on the nightstand next to him. A thin sliver of a chuckle escaped Mario's lips before quickly descending into a cough. Daisy, the Head Nurse, ran over to make sure he was alright, but Mario gently waved her away.
"I… I see you're…" Link trailed off. He couldn't bring himself to lie nor speak the truth of Mario's condition.
Mario's laugh soon turned into a hacking cough. "I know I'm dying, Link. There's no need to pretend I'm not."
A lump formed in the Hylian's throat. Though it was true that death was a commonplace thing in times of war, that didn't mean that it didn't hurt him when someone he had come to know and like as a friend was fading away before him. To him, Mario had come to represent the true grit all soldiers should have. He was strong and merciless when he needed to be, yet gentle and kind when he wanted to be. Though he would never be able to rise above a mere lieutenant, he carried a sense of triumph that few soldiers possessed. No matter what, if you worked under Mario's command, you would feel victorious.
Link had never seen him look so defeated.
"I…"
"And now you're trying to assure me that I'll be fine, aren't you?" Mario gave him a weak chuckle.
Link slowly shook his head. "No sir… I would n-"
"I'm on my deathbed now, Link," Mario said quietly. From his position, Link could see the lieutenant's great blue eyes moisten at the thought. Mario probably had someone back home as well, Link realized, probably a wife and kids at the very least. And now he was leaving them behind.
Link reached out and gripped his commander's hand. Already, he could feel the fingers growing ice cold. "Mario… I-"
"Are you still afraid, Link…?" Mario asked, his look reminiscent. Link was caught off guard by this question and for a moment, he could only sit and stare.
"Sorry… I… I don't know what you're talking about…"
"You told me yourself just before that battle," Mario continued. He turned his head slightly to meet Link in the eyes. "You said so yourself… you were afraid of dying alone… forgotten…"
The wound on Link's chest stung slightly as Mario's words. Yes, Link remembered now. He remembered how afraid he was and how he couldn't believe he was still alive. He remembered the fear before that very battle, how he had seen the writhing fingers of Death ready to come take him. And yet, he still couldn't believe he had made it out alive.
"… Yes…"
Mario weakly shook his head. Link could tell that the movement was costly for him, as he seemed to sink deeper into himself when he was done. "You… you should stop being so afraid, Link…" a thin smile curled upon Mario's lips. "No matter what happens… you'll always be remembered by someone in this world… whether it be your family… your friends…" a single tear rolled down his cheek. "The love of your life…"
"S-Sir…" Link choked, trying to fight back his own tears. This was it. Mario's time was up. Death had come for him and was now beckoning for the lieutenant to come with him to the world beyond. Mario would be leaving everything he had known behind to venture forward.
Link would never speak with him again.
"I can only hope that… that my counsel was wise, Link…" Mario's voice was just barely above the tiniest of whispers. "That… that if you learned a thing from me… if you remember anything about me… that you will at least carry what I have tried to tell you all this time in your heart…"
Link felt his left hand, the one that was holding Mario's hand, tremble as he nodded. "I-I-I… y-yes…" liquid was starting to overflow in his eyes.
Mario's thin smile widened. "Thank you… and… one more thing…"
Link leaned in closer to hear. Despite his great hearing, the lieutenant's voice was quickly fading into a croak. "Yes… Mario…?"
"T-Tell… Peachy… t-tell my wife…" he felt the other man's pulse starting to fade. "T-Tell her… I will l-love her… until… the end… of time…"
December 20th 2010
Year of Farore's Wind
Soldier's Log: Link
Day 367
I used to read about how people would look like they were sleeping peacefully when they died.
Today, I learned that in reality, they don't look like they're sleeping.
They just look dead.