A/N: Previous disclaimers apply.
Again, many thanks to gamegirl07 for beta-reading this chapter.
Enjoy!
The Ghost Beside Me
Chapter 6: White Signs
"Well, judging by the looks of it, the stable is very much intact on the inside." Mayor Bo observed.
"You're right, but outside the place… that is another story." Fado said with a hint of despondency in his voice, "I should have known better; I would have repaired the roof long ago before this kind of thing happened in the first place."
"Achoo!"
"Worry not Fado, I will buy some good-quality panels from Hyrule's traders by the end of the week. I am sure that the others in the village will help you out with the task."
"Thank you, Mayor Bo. I appreciate it."
-Cough cough-
"What about the goats?" The Mayor pointed at the animals.
"They're still a little shocked, and I can understand them." Fado said as he softly patted one of the goats on the head.
-Sniff sniff-
"No one got injured?" Mayor Bo asked.
-Cough cough cough-
"Not a single one. They're good and healthy. Only one is showing signs of illness, but nothing that a good elixir cannot cure," Fado answered.
"Aah-ah… aaa-chooo!"
Fado and Mayor Bo turned their heads at the same time when the loud and insisting background sounds startled them and could not be ignored any longer. They looked at Link in the far wall of the stable, who was supposed to be feeding one of the ranch's many goats. The older men watched as Link cupped his hands over his mouth and nose in an attempt to muffle another sneeze. They pretended to ignored it, but his sneezing fits were more constant with each passing minutes.
Link looked at the two men with the corner of an eye; his hands were still cupped over his mouth as another sneeze came out of his system. After a quick look, he wiped out his hands against his shirt fabric and continued to feed the goat as if nothing had ever happen.
As much as he tried not to sneeze or cough in front of his superiors, he found himself doing either one of them. They always came without warning and gave him no time to stifle them inside his system. If it wasn't the sneezing, it was the coughing. And when it wasn't any of the previous things, he would pass the day sniffing any watery secretions that threatened to run down his nose. The worst part of it was that with each sneeze and cough, his head throbbed painfully. The throbbing lasted a second or two after the sneeze, but it was enough to steal away his concentration from any task in front of him.
Link tried very hard to conceal his discomfort from others, but this time it was too evident what was happening to him.
"Speaking of illnesses…" Mayor Bo muttered.
"Yea, he is as stubborn as he can be." Fado added. "I'll talk to him to take the day off."
"Don't worry, I'll do it." The Mayor offered. "Meanwhile, go outside and see if the backside has any damaged."
"Yes sir," Fado obeyed him and immediately went outside.
Mayor Bo approached Link, which was now scratching his nose with the back of his hand.
"Hey son," Bo greeted.
"Yes Mayor?" Link said hoarsely, looking up at the Mayor Bo frowned at Link's appearance. His eyes were a little puffy, red and watery. The tip of his nose was red and raw because of the excessive scratching.
"Are you okay." Mayor Bo observed.
"Yes, I'm alright." Link answered but it did not sound very convincing.
"Kid, you don't look so good today."
Link sniffed scratched his nose again.
"And certainly you don't sound any good either."
Link thought of an excuse before replying. "Eh, perhaps it's the hay around here. It got into me today. But seriously, I feel fine."
Mayor Bo raised an eyebrow. "In all the years you've been working in the ranch, it was today that you noticed you have allergies?"
"It must be," Link nodded.
"And especially today, the day after you spent half of the storm outdoors and soaking yourself entirely?"
Link did not reply that time.
"Link, I don't need to ask you to know that you are not feeling well." The Mayor said. "You cannot hide your sickness to everybody."
"I needed to be here, I had to make sure that the fix held up the entire storm." The younger man said. He sniffed. "Besides, Fado may need some help with the goats."
"The goats will be tended and the stable will be repaired, but you don't need to stress yourself to the limit in that condition."
"I can manage… Ah-achoo!!" Link could not finish his sentence. He closed his eyes shut until the head throb ceased. He groaned at the pain and discomfort it caused.
"Link, you are not supposed be working while you are sick. If fact, you are not supposed to be out of your bed in the first place." Mayor Bo said. "Now go back to your house, take your medicinal herbs and have some rest. You need it."
Link sighed. "Okay."
Defeated, Link dropped the hay he had in his hand and exited the stable.
Who was he kidding? He looked and felt beat up. He knew it since the moment he woke up that morning. He spent too much time under the rain and another amount of time with wet clothes on. It should not surprise him that the exposure to the bad weather ended in him being sick with a cold.
He expected the day after the storm to be gray and damp. But it was not that way. The day was sunny and warm. The sun was brilliant and hung over the blue sky and not a single cloud was on the sun's way. It completely contrasted the weather from the day before.
The storm lasted until late at night. He spent all that time in Bo and Ilia's house. He changed his wet clothes for the change of clothes that Ilia offered. Knowing that it belonged to a younger Bo in the past, he expected them to be extremely loose over his frame. But to his surprise, the clothes fit him fine; barely one size bigger to him. The thought that the chubby Mayor Bo he knew was as slim as he was at a time made him want to laugh his guts out.
Not having much to do in a rainy night, Link, Ilia and Bo spent the night talking and telling jokes to each other. Both Ilia and Link listened to the Mayor's stories about his childhood and some of the misadventure he endured before becoming Ordon Village's head chief. Link enjoyed his storytelling; they kept his mind imagining how the village looked years ago.
Some hours later, the rain decreased its intensity little by little until it stopped completely. Although the storm was over, Link had to wait until the river's level and velocity reached a safe level so he could be able to pass through with no problem. He assumed that once he reached his home and warmed himself up good enough, there would be no major problems the next day.
It had not been enough.
Now he was on his way home again. He spotted no people outside their houses. Without the village's children playing and cheering throughout the village, the way home was rather silent; only the occasional chirping of birds added some sound to the ghastly environment. Since the earth and ground was made a big puddle of mud and dirt, there was no point in roaming around; they would end up with their feet dirty and catching a cold. Just like him. There was a point when he lost count of how many times he succumbed to sneezing. Not only his head hurt when he did it, now his entire face was achy; his mouth, his cheekbones, even his teeth began to resent. In one occasion, he sneezed with so much force that it was a miracle that his nose hadn't fell off his face yet.
He reached his house when he felt his throat was beginning to bother him. His nose already itched, so why did his throat have to itch as well? He hurriedly climbed the ladder and entered his house. Once inside, the first thing he thought about was his bed. It looked so inviting and his head pleaded to be laid down in some comfy pillows. He almost succumbed to the temptation, but before that, he needed to treat himself.
He searched for a potion or any medicinal herbs he may have stored somewhere in his house. After searching in the shelves, he found a bottle of some red concoction and some herbs that were rolled up in a small towel. More than half of the red potion was gone and he was sure it was as old as time, but he had nothing else at hand so he would need to improvise. He knew that it would not be as effective as in the previous times he used it (if he actually used it; he did not remembered when was the last time he got sick), but if it could only help him sleep though the night then it was enough for him. He boiled the brown herbs with water and poured a little in a cup. Then he added a little of the red potion in the herb tea.
He winced when he tasted it. It did not smell bad, but tasted awfully bitter. He longed for the sweet tea that Ilia served him the night before. With another sip of the tea, the itching in his nose and throat were controlled, and his congestion was almost gone; he could even breathe better than a minute ago. He sighed in relief. His little experiment paid off and he was satisfied with the results, but not with the taste.
After forcing down the last drop of the bitter tea, he went to his bed. He threw the blanket over his body, closed his eyes and concentrated on getting better rather than in any nightmare he might have.
Soft white light was filtering through his window when he woke up. It was not the kind of light that blinded the eyes or burned the tree leaves. Instead it was relaxing and somehow beautiful. He got out of bed fully awaken; there was no need to stretch or to rub his eyes. He felt good. In fact, he had never felt so good in quite a long time.
He walked away from the bed. He made the steps automatically and in perfect tempo, allowing his feet to guide the rest of his body to any place they may find in the way. He did not care where he was going. Something in his guts were telling him not to worry about anything; his feet would find the way. So he did. He ignored everything around that could catch his attention and followed the invisible path his feet and mind were following.
He was not thinking about anything. He kept his eyes fixed to the front, hypnotized by the unseen rope that kept pulling him towards no place new.
He reached his house's small foyer when he stopped. As soon as his bare feet stopped walking, so did his blank thoughts. His world seemed to stop as he looked at the figure in front of him. The figure was slightly taller than him and was as still as a stone statue. Perhaps it was a stranger in his house, but not to him. The light green cloak that covered the body entirely, the hood over her eyes, her hands showing through the cloak's long sleeves… Her hands…
He did not know her. Yet, he'd seen her before.
"It's you," Link said to the woman in front of him. It had to be her she had to be the lady from the ranch, safe and sound after the grueling storm that fell over her. The mysterious woman that appeared and disappeared from his eyes in a short amount of time was there, as close to him as his emotions allowed him. Immediately, he wanted to know more about her. He wanted to see her face, her ever elusive face, the place she came from, her family. Did she have a family? He wanted to know. He wanted to know everything. "It's really you." He echoed with some excitement.
The lady gave him a faint smile; her thin lips were the only thing visible because the hood covered most of her face. She did not say anything to confirm the young man's suspicions. Instead, she turned around and headed to the door.
Link's expression faded. She was going away without articulating a single word, without letting him know who she really was. He was afraid that he would not have another encounter with her. He could not allow her to leave. Not yet. He wanted to stop her, but he was unable to move. His body moved unconsciously mere seconds before, and now it would not follow his command. It was like being nailed to the floor. He felt desperate, he wanted to scream. Maybe he was losing his mind.
"Don't go," Link pleaded not moving from his spot.
The cloaked woman opened the door and took a step outside. The door remained opened.
"Where are you going?" He asked to her in a low voice.
Slowly, she turned her head so she could see him over her shoulder. Her faint smile never left her lips even after she turned around. Although he could see most of the side of her face, the shadow formed by the hood over her head made it hard to focus on details. Her eyes were hidden from viewing properly.
"Who are you?" Link whispered.
"It is beautiful outside," The lady said in a tone and manner that Link knew he heard before, but did not remember when or where.
She turned her head and broke any eye contact he had on her face. In that moment, an invisible wind closed the door with extreme force. It thundered against the door frame and made the whole house to tremble over its foundation. The sound the door made was loud, too loud for Link's ears to endure. The deafening sound made him cry out in sudden terror, and his gut reacted painfully inside him.
It did not give him time to cover his ears and it was more than enough to wake him up again…
Link gasped when he felt an uncomfortable spasm hit his belly. It woke him up instantly. There was some ringing in his ears that was gone as soon as he heard it. He grabbed his belly hoping that the spasm would cease quickly, but he had no time for that. A coughing fit hit his throat and lungs again and with that, the headache he had before dozing off came back. He regained control of his breathing half a minute later. He felt dizzy, his nose was clogged and his throat was sore. Even the air that he breathed in was a source of great discomfort in his throat. He felt unusually cold, what made him think that some mild fever had set in his system.
Just what I needed…
Although he felt lightheaded, he was sure his head would not fall off his shoulders. He got up from bed groggily, a little surprised at how bad he felt. He knew it was the consequences of his overexposure to the weather, but as well as with the weather, too little time passed between the exposure and his illness.
Once he got up, he spotted something on the floor. Droplets of water were scattered all over the floor. He scratched his head; his feet felt cold but were dry, and he didn't remember having his feet wet the last time he got home. Even if they were, he would have cleaned it up right away.
He kneeled down to inspect the water on the floor after rubbing his runny nose. He wiggled an index finger playfully on one of the biggest droplet without disturbing the border. He thought that he must have been bored or had his mind been too cloudy at the moment because he began to search for a suitable shape to match the group of droplets that covered a great part of his house wooden floor.
Link smiled to himself when he decided that the first group resembled a bare footprint, a left one. Then he eyed the next group about a foot away from the first and, coincidentally, it also resembled a footprint. A right one.
Too much coincidence, he thought. Frowning, he stood up slowly and eyes all the groups of puddles at once. He felt some kind of chill inside his stomach when he realized that the rest of the puddles also resembled footprints. It was like the images formed in his mind and then transfigured outside in the real world. The trail started near his bed and led up to the front door. They were not close to each other; they were apart by some inches, as if walking away from the bed and heading for the door. He was sure that his imagination had been running wild for the last few days, but that time was different. Somebody had been in his house while he slept. Or perhaps it was something worst.
Someone was following him.
Hesitantly, he lifted a foot and put it over the footprint. The droplets were cold and sent some chills through his nerves. When he pressed his foot under it, he almost gasped. It was a perfect match to his own foot, all the water remained under his heel and none splat away. Two's a coincidence, but three was something else. He stepped over the next footprint making a step forward. Again it was a perfect match. It did not make sense. It was highly improbable, but it could have been some moment that, in his troubled sleep, he would have woke up and walked around the place aimlessly. But even if he did, it did not explain the water all over the place. It was disturbing.
Link followed the footprints with cautious steps; one foot over a print and so on, each print identical to the young man's heels. He felt entranced by them, and he knew that it had to lead him somewhere, so he did not hesitate in following them. He did not recall walking in that direction, but strangely enough, he had made those steps some time ago. Or someplace else.
He made the steps automatically and in perfect tempo, letting his feet to guide the rest of his body to anyplace they may find in the way…
As he walked, his dream tried to make a full blast return to his head. He dismissed the memory, for his mind was racing and his heart was pounding rapidly. He came to a stop when the footprint trail stopped. He was face by his house door. He was not sure if opening it was a good idea, but he had to. Maybe at the other side of the door lied his answers; the answers to questions that were either irrational or did not existed yet. Slowly, he put a hand on the door handle. He remembered his little scene in the cellar when he had some visions when he tried to open the old armoire doors. But that did not happen this time. Embracing himself to whoever he may find outside, he breathed deeply and closed his eyes. He opened the door in one quick motion.
A blast of cold air hit him right in his face, making goosebumps run through Link's skin. The cold breeze nourished his headache and made his feet to crumble. He straightened up, rubbing his shoulders with his hands to warm them up a little. He kept his eyes closed; he was afraid that if he opened them too soon they would freeze like ice blocks.
There was a presence roaming around the air. It moved softly and was strong in the air. Link could almost smell it. Suddenly he had the urge to extend his hands and try to touch it, but he held his hands in place and desisted to do such a thing. He breathed in courage and determination before opening his eyes. Whoever was there – whether it was the lady from his visions or the phantom of his nightmares – he was going to face it.
A second later, he opened his eyes. He blinked twice to assure himself that his mind was not playing any kind of mystical tricks. Nobody was with him or close to him. In fact, he was alone on his house porch. Nevertheless, the scenery in front of him was enough to cause his jaw to draw open and to forget his congested lungs.
Snow - seas of white snow covered the ground to the point that not a single mount of dirt or rock was visible. The snowflakes cumulated on the trees leaves and fell off gently over more snow at the trees' feet. The sky was white with clouds, but enough sun rays filtered through them to announce that daylight was on. He looked down and noticed that his feet unconsciously swept away some cumulated snow from the porch.
Link felt completely lost in time and space. Such a heavy snow fell over the place and he had not even notice it? How long does it take to fill a field with snow? It reminded him of the storm last night; it came swift and without any warning. Perhaps it was the same with the snow. It was strange that the weather kept changing so fast. It almost scared him.
But amidst the erratic weather, Link was amazed by what he was seeing. To see tons of snow piled up all around his place was something he did not see every day. In fact, he'd never seen Ordon Village covered in snow. It was the first time. He looked around the place petrified in place. His feelings were mixing again. The nightmares, the visions, and the weather scared him to a point. But when he looked at the white horizon in front of him, he could not help but to admire everything around him. It was… beautiful.
"It is beautiful outside…"
He recalled the lady's words in his dreams. She said that while looking outside. But it was a dream. Did he really meet that woman last night? The thought that he could no longer separate his dream from reality was enough to make him worry. He was afraid he was starting to lose his mind.
"Aa-choo!" The sneezing and the pain that thundered once more inside his skull was enough to convince him that he was living a real life. He entered his house, searching for a winter coat and headed to the village. His next dose of medicine would have to wait until later that day.
Walking through snow was a little difficult. The snow depth reached past his ankles, and if the heavy feeling in his body was bothersome, making the steps was taking the energy he needed to keep on his feet. It was quite cold. He put his coat's hood over his head to protect his head and ears from freezing and hugged the coat as close to his skin as possible to keep it warm.
But his surroundings did not fail to impress him ever more. Everything was covered in snow: the grass, the crops, the trees, even the roofs of every house in sight were covered in snow; it looked like they had been painted that color. Even the small river that passed through the village was frozen. Some men were paddling snow off their houses entrances. In the distance, he could see the children playing in the snow. Link watched as small Talo and Colin – heavily clothed against the cold – were throwing snowball to each other. The little girl Beth was lying on her back over the cold snow, waving her arms and legs and disturbing the perfect layered snow. Hard working men on one side, and little children playing not too far from them. Link smiled.
Eventually he reached Uli and Rusl's house. He saw Rusl paddling the excess snow that fell around the porch with a shovel. He was so entranced in his task that he didn't notice the young man's arrival.
"Hey Rusl," Link said.
"Good morning Link." Rusl greeted and smiled as he looked up. "I didn't notice you were here."
"I have quiet shoes." Link joked.
They both laughed.
"Can I help you with that?" The younger man pointed to the shovel in the older man's hand. "You look tired and I can help you finish removing the snow."
"Don't worry about it. I'm almost over here. But thanks for your offer, son."
"It's okay."
Rusl resumed his task of paddling some snow, but a second later he stopped and looked at Link quizzically. "Besides, young man…" Rusl started.
Link looked at him.
"I have the understanding that you should not be out of bed in the first place." Rusl's cheery façade grew a little serious.
Link was caught off guard. He thought he could dissimulate his illness from the others, but it was useless if everybody already knew about it. Gods, words ran fast in the small village. "Um – well that was yesterday. But I woke up fine today, really. The cold is not even affecting me a bit." He lied to him, but his words sounded quite natural despite the obvious soreness in his throat and the uncomfortable itch in his nose.
Not resisting another second, he scratched his nose and managed to suppress a cough. Either way, Rusl noticed.
"Link, you cannot lie to me. You look bit up"
To that last line, he did not answer. He was right, he knew him too much.
"Come on Link, sit down."
Both men sat down tiredly in the porch, Rusl for weariness, Link for sickness. They sighed in relief as they found some support for their bodies. Rusl shared some pleasantries with his young pupil as the watched the half iced-over place.
"Whew, heavy rain and heavy snow in less than three days… that is quite a record. It seems that the nature spirits are running wild around the province." Rusl commented while looking at the scene in front of him. "I haven't seen snow in quite a time, and in such quantity."
"You have seen snow before?" Link asked full of curiosity.
"It snowed sometimes while I lived back in Hyrule Castle Town. But it is not the first time it snow in Ordon Village."
"Really? When was the first time it snow in Ordon?"
"It was many years ago. I remembered it as if it was yesterday."
"And how was it?"
"Not much different from today, I can say." He paused. He looked like he was trying to remember something specific. "It snowed after the passing of a good friend of mine."
"Surely it was the spirits' way to mourn over your friend." Link added after a moment.
"Perhaps it was. I never thought of it that way." Rusl said.
"It is just a thought." Link shrugged.
There was a small pause.
"It was exactly three days after her passing."
Her passing? Link thought. He surely was not talking about Uli. But still, he said "her".
"Oh," the young man said. "And who was her?" That question surprised him completely. What did he just ask that? Why would he want to know about that person?
"She was a good friend of mine," Rusl said. "But she was Uli's best friend. The best she'd ever had."
"Adryll was my best friend…" Uli's words echoed painfully in his ears.
Despite the cold weather, his blood ran colder through his veins. He felt his hands were starting to sweat. He made a superhuman effort not to show his growing stress to his mentor.
"And… what was her name?" Link pressed, wanting and not wanting to know at the same time.
Please, don't mention her. He pleaded silently. He repeated it over and over again like a litany to the gods.
Please, don't mention her.
Please, don't mention her.
Please, don't mention her.
"Her name was Adryll." Rusl said blankly.
No…
"That good friend was your mother."
TBC...
A/N: What, are you lost or something in this story? I can help you out and start tying up some loose ends in the next chapter. But it's all up to you. You know the drill...