"Link? Link where'd you go?" Navi said, zipping around the castle looking for the teen. It'd been five years since the blackout, and things were still dark in the city of Hyrule. They hadn't found a way to restore the magic power to the system, but they'd figured out a way to power small appliances. During that time Link had been training to become a castle soldier. At the moment Navi had no idea where the teenager was, "I swear this boy acts more like a child than a teenager... Always running off..." Navi said to herself, flitting about. She flew up to one of the guards, "Excuse me sir but have you seen Link?" The guard smiled, "He just went into town." "Okay! Thank you sir!" The fairy flew away, out of the castle and into the town. She searched around the town, asking different people if they'd seen him, with no luck, "Oh! Why does he have to run off all the time?!"
In the meantime, LInk was walking around the market, looking at the different things up for sale. He looked at the different fruits and vegetables up for sale, and in the different windows of some shops. Some people would greet him, and he would wave back and smile silently. Always silently. Ever since the blackout started he had been completely silent. He didn't speak to anyone, not even Zelda. Navi was the one to always figure out what he wanted to say. He admitted to himself that he should've gotten Navi before coming to town, that way communication wouldn't be so difficult. The blonde-haired teen walked up to a fruit stand, and looked at the apples inside of a barrel. He was startled slightly as the woman running the stand spoke up, "Hello there Link! See anything you like sweetie?" Link smiled and pointed at the apples, taking out his wallet. The woman chuckled, "How much would you like dear?" Link thought about it, then held up two fingers, "Alright sweetie two apples. That'll be five rupees." Link nodded and pulled a blue rupee out of his wallet, handing it to the woman. He picked up two apples and turned to leave, when he heard another voice speak up, "Call yourself a soldier... Why don't you speak? No one knows what ye want or what you're tryin' to say." Link turned to see an older man, glaring at him. The teen stared at the man for a while, and when he saw that Link was not going to respond, the man continued, "Even now you're just standin' there starin' at me. Speak! Ye can't stay silent forever!" "Leave him be gramps." The women from the stand snapped. She turned to apologize to Link, but the teen was already walking away. He was used to the old man's criticism many times when Link would go to the market he'd run into the man and get criticized for being mute. Some of the other trainees made fun of him too during his five years of training. Unfortunately for Link a few of those trainees made it to become soldiers just like he had.
Link continued walking through the town, heading back toward the castle with the apples. Meanwhile, Navi zipped about the town, searching for Link. She searched in all of the shops, and went to all of the restaurants knowing how the teen loved to eat. She went up to the woman at the fruit stand and asked, "Excuse me mis but have you seen Link?" The woman smiled and nodded, "He came here and bought apples from me a moment ago. I think he was heading back to the castle." "Oh! That boy! I wish he'd wait up for me before running off!" Navi fumed to herself. She turned back to the shopkeeper, "Thank you for the information miss. Goodbye!" "Goodbye little one. Tell Link not to worry his friend like that again." The woman replied, chuckling. Navi zipped away towards the castle, figuring that he'd gotten the apples to share with Zelda. He was a soldier now but he still spent most of his time with the princess. The guards watched her zoom into the castle, chuckling as they heard her grumbling. This seemed to be routine; Link would run off somewhere forgetting to get Navi first, and Navi would go searching for him and come grumbling back when she figured out where he was. None of the other soldiers could really blame her when she got frustrated. The only two who pretty much knew everything Link was thinking were Navi and Zelda. They'd be able to relay everything he wanted to say to them. That and the fact that he was such a curious teen that he'd wander away during guard duty to check out anything he thought was strange or was new to him.
At the moment Link was heading to the garden to meet up with Zelda, just as Navi had predicted. The teen walked into the garden, smiling when he saw Zelda there playing her harp. He walked up to her and waited until she noticed him to bother her. He loved hearing her play the harp anyway. He listened to the music and smiled as he did. The princess sang and played her harp until she finally noticed Link behind her. Smiling she held her harp at her side, "Hello Link." Link smiled and waved a little, holding an apple out to her, "Is that for me? Thank you Link!" The girl giggled and took the apple, "You didn't sneak this from the kitchen did you? No... You went out to the market without Navi again." Zelda smirked, raising an eyebrow. Link smiled nervously, scratching the back of his head. Zelda laughed a bit, "You know how worried she gets when you run off like that. You can be such a forgetful knight sometimes." Link nodded a little. He knew that he was wrong in not letting Navi know where he was going first, but he couldn't help that he forgot sometimes. Zelda giggled a bit and ruffled the teen's hair a bit, "You're such a dork. In a good way." She laughed and sat down, pulling Link down with her. The two sat together and ate their apples quietly. After a moment, Zelda got a small sad look on her face, "... Link..." Link blinked and looked at her, tilting his head slightly. Zelda paused then continued, "I... I wanted to know... Please would you... Would you at least speak to me..? If no one else just... Just to me..?" Link stared at Zelda for a while. He felt bad that he never talked to her anymore. She'd been his best friend since he came to the castle. He still remembered it clearly. He'd been struggling to break a fever for a few days, and had passed out entirely after a while. When he woke the first three people he saw were Zelda, the King, and Dimitri. Zelda stayed with him until he was well again, and Dimitri was allowed to become a trainee. Like Link he'd been the youngest trainee of his graduating class. Link and Zelda had almost always been together. And he remembered hat he had been quite the chatterbox. But ever since the day his brother disappeared, he'd been completely silent. He hesitated a little and opened his mouth, looking like he was going to say something, but ended up just looking away from Zelda and biting his lower lip. That normally happened when he wanted to speak. He would just end up staying silent. Zelda looked down sadly, then put on a small smile and hugged the teen, "It's alright Link... You don't need to say anything..." Link hugged her back, smiling a little.
"There you are!" Link flinched when he heard Navi, wincing when she bopped him in the head, "How many times do I have to tell you not to run off?!" Link rubbed the back of his head and gave Navi a nervous smile as Zelda giggled. Navi sighed a bit and hovered in front of Link, "Just don't do that again okay? You're way to curious for your own good." Link chuckled quietly and Zelda smiled wide, "There! You laughed!" She said, laughing and elbowing him. Navi giggled a little, "That's all he'll ever do with his voice. Laugh and grunt." Link made a face and crossed his arms, causing Navi and Zelda to laugh even more. The three of them stayed in the garden for a while until one of the soldiers called down to them from the wall, "Oy Link!" Link looked up at the soldier and stood up, "The captain wants to see you. Not sure what about." Link nodded and gave a thumbs up to say he understood, and turned to Navi, "We should get going to see what he wants. Bye Zelda." "Goodbye." Zelda replied smiling. Link walked off with Navi, turning and waving bye to Zelda as he went. He walked through the halls of the castle to the captains quarters. When they went inside the captain turned, "Ah, Link. I've been meaning to speak to you." Link walked up to the captain and the man gestured for the blonde to sit down, he himself sitting as well, "I've been meaning to ask this of you for a while now, and the king has been too... Tell me, have you been having nightmares lately?" Linked flinched a little at this. He nodded a bit, confirming what the captain asked of him. He had lately been getting a flurry of bad dreams, always involving a giant demon like creature. The captain nodded a little himself and looked at Navi, "Do you know what it is his nightmares are about?" "I'm afraid not sir." The fairy said in reply, "I can't see into his dreams. Only a dream-seer would be able to do that, and there haven't been any sign of them in ages. That kind of magic has all but been forgotten." The captain nodded a little and thought about it for a while before saying, "There is one person who may be able to help you... Do you know the old man in the market, Ichigo?" "You mean the one who keeps badgering Link about being mute... He's an mean old man how is he going to help?" "He is a dream-seer. One of the last in the land of Hyrule." Link bit his lower lip, not really wanting to talk to that man again. The captain saw the look on the teenager's face and smiled, "Don't worry about him Link. Just give him this letter and he'll help you." The man held a letter out to the blonde, who took it and nodded, standing up, "Once you know come and tell me." "We will sir. Goodbye." And with that, they left to find Ichigo.
As the two journeyed into town, Link thought about the nightmares he'd been having. Many times it started with him and Dimitri the day of the blackout, and ended with Link about to be attacked by a demon-like creature. But Link couldn't exactly remember the full details. He didn't want to either. His thoughts wandered to the King and the captain. Why did they want to know whether or not he was having nightmares? Did it have something to do with the blackout? Maybe Dimitri? Link had no idea. His thoughts were interrupted by Navi, "Link? You alright?" Link looked at her and nodded, giving the fairy a reassuring smile, "Alright. We're nearly there." Link nodded a bit and continued walking with Navi, spotting the old man sitting where he'd been earlier. He went over to Ichigo, and the man looked up at him, "Well, if it 'aint the soldier boy Link. What are you doin' here now lad?" He said, crossing his arms. Link held out the letter to Ichigo and the man tilted his head, "Eh? A letter?" He took the letter and read it, muttering the words to himself. After a moment he looked up at Link and said, "Come inside." He stood up and turned to the building he was in front of, and opened the door going inside. Link and Navi followed not far behind. The interior of the building wasn't much to look at. It was an ordinary house with a kitchen, living room, bedroom; the usual. Ichigo headed towards a back room, opening the door and going inside. Navi followed immediately, but Link hesitated before going in. He had a feeling he wouldn't like what would happen next. The room was dimly lit and had a single bed against the back wall, a chair next to it. Ichigo sat down in the chair and said, "Close the door would you?" Link nodded a bit and close the door, then walked over to Ichigo, "Lie down." Link hesitated and sat on the edge of the bed, lying down on it, "Alright. Now close your eyes. To be able to see your dreams you have to be asleep. Don't worry 'bout not being tired." Link was wide awake, but he could feel his eyelids getting heavier as he lay on the bed, to the point where he had to force himself to stay awake. Pretty soon he couldn't fight it any longer, and he fell asleep.
Link opened his eyes and looked around the pitch black area. He had the appearance of his ten year old self, and he was completely alone. Or so he thought. He listened carefully, and realized that there was a ticking noise, and he flinched when he heard a shout, "LINK GET OUT OF THERE!"
Link heard the explosions and felt the heat of the blasts, and he fell to the ground as if blown over. He clutched his head and let out a scream as explosions kept going. He was shaking and whimpering by the time they stopped. He looked up and saw Dimitri standing a ways away from him, struggling against chains and shouting words that Link could not hear, "How sad. The boy wishes to be with his brother. To protect him." Link flinched and scrambled to his feet, backing away from a cloaked figure next to him, "But nothing can protect you now hero chosen by the Goddesses. Neither you or the Spirit Maiden." Link backed away more and flinched as he heard roaring behind him.
When Link turned he saw a giant black monster. A demon. It seemed to be a huge lion type creature with horns. A black substance dripped from the creature's massive fangs. Link's head was screaming for him to run, but his legs wouldn't move. He wanted to scream but his voice wouldn't work either. The cloaked man laughed behind him as the demon stared at Link. Some of the black substance splashed onto his arm, and he let out a short strangled scream. It felt like acid eating at his skin. He held his arm close to his chest, whimpering and taking a few steps back. The demon roared and thrashed around, threatening to slam into Link with it's massive horns. Link braced himself for the impact, but was surprised when instead a barrier appeared around him. The boy looked up slowly to see the behemoth thrashing around still, trying to break the barrier around him. The man's laughter stopped, and Link turned to see a young boy wearing a Keaton Mask standing in between him and the man, facing away from Link. The boy seemed very familiar, but Link couldn't place a name.
The cloaked man growled, "It's you..." Link heard a laugh come from the boy, "What did you expect? I beat you once before. I'm hear to help the new hero keep you in your place." The boy crossed his arms and the man chuckled darkly, "Your hero is more like a scared child than a sacred hero." Link glared at the man, but being in the form of a child he couldn't do much but glare. The boy laughed again, "You think so eh? His journey is only just beginning. Now leave his dreams!" The man glared, "Fine. Treading in dreams is all I can do now, but you will see my full power boy. Be prepared." The man disappeared, but the demon remained, thrashing around and smashing it's horns against the barrier. Link flinched as the barrier cracked and shattered. He spun around and stared, wide-eyed, at the behemoth, and the boy turned to him quickly and ran in front of him to protect him, "Link! You need to wake up! Hurry! Wake up!" Link baked away from him and closed his eyes, trying to wake. No matter what he did though, he could not wake up, "Focus Link! He's trying to trap you in dreams! If you don't wake you'll be trapped here!" Link swallowed and closed his eyes again, blocking out everything around him. The scene slowly melted away, and the sound of the demon's frustrated roar rang in his ears and died away gradually until it was nothing more than a ring.
/Author's Note: Hey guys! Sorry about the long wait for Chapter 2! Went through a pretty long writer's block and was trying to do some research to get more of an idea of what elements from the games I can put into the fic. I'll try to update more often!\\