A small Author's Note here. These chapters will get longer in the future. Starting a story is difficult. and I'm doing so in short bursts. Thank you for understanding.

Voices rang through my head, but none of the words made sense to me.

I felt a cold sensation run across my face, and as my senses sharpened, the words began to break through my daze.

"...how long will you take care of him?"

"...until he can fend for himself."

It sounded like an argument. I tried to focus on it, as it was the only earthly thing that could fill my mind. Two women, at on odds, it seemed. I decided not to let them know I could hear. I don't think I was able to talk anyway.

"You should've just left him."

"Did you see the state that he was in? He wouldn't have lived. I didn't want that on my mind, and the fact that you would be okay with that is appalling."

I heard the other woman scoff, clearly unimpressed with her friend's act of kindness. I wanted to say thank you, but I was having trouble even opening my eyes. I began to wonder how long I had been there.

"It's been three days, you know."

I was guessing about three days.

"I know… but I can't just leave him."

"You're such a sap."

My strength was slowly returning to me, and my thoughts became clear and coherent. The pain had dulled. But my body still ached. I was surprised I was alive, but based on the fact that I wasn't drinking my own blood anymore, I guessed that the woman I was with was a decent healer. I'd run out of luck if this continued.

It wasn't up until a certain point when I realized what had actually happened. I might have been focused before, but the weight of reality came crashing back to me.

I had lost. The kingdom had fallen. Ganon most likely had the Triforce, and darkness is prevailing…

Heavy footsteps removed me from my mourning stupor. A new voice filled the room, a deep, demanding voice.

"You girls need to head to the square."

The healer woman was the first to respond.

"I'm watching the injured man we found, I've told everyone that I would be busy."

The man audibly sighed.

"We don't have time to wait on this boy to open his eyes. Leave him in the bed, throw him to the dogs, I don't care. We have responsibilities, Tara."

The sound of receding footsteps was the bringer of a long silence. The healer woman, her name supposedly being "Tara", sighed as well.

I had been saving my strength, and over the course of the last few minutes, I slowly gained my sensibilities. I opened my eyes, slightly. My vision was foggy and everything seemed distant, but I gathered my surroundings.

The bed I was placed in was in the far corner of a small hut. The structure of the building was thin, and had cloth tarps supported by wooden frames. Sunlight poured through holes in the design of the roof, and what appeared to be rain-water weighed down on indentions in the cloth. Tara, the healer woman, had stood up, and was speaking to her friend in a softer, less audible tone. She was turned from me, and I was unable to see her face.

No matter. I would try to thank her later.

She turned around sharply and looked at me as I quickly forced my eyes closed again. She let out another, more reluctant sigh, and walked over to the bed as her friend exited the hut. I heard her whisper in my ear.

"I'll be back. Rest well."

A voice called from outside the building.

"Tara! Let's go!"

The woman's steps fled from me, and when I was finally sure that I was alone, my eyes shot open. I pushed myself from the bed, and, despite the pain, managed to get my feet on the ground. The room was filled with morning dew, and the sun seemed to just be rising. I wondered how dedicated the healer woman had been to taking care of me.

Getting back on my feet was difficult, but manageable. Using nearby tables to steady myself, I was finally able to get a good look at myself.

My deepest wounds had turned to scars, and my cuts had turned to pink and red lines. The blood that had formerly soaked my entire body had been washed away. My tunic and pants had seemingly been removed, cleaned, and reapplied. That thought made me slightly embarrassed, but worrying about that now would be foolish.

The Master Sword had been cast away to a dark corner of the building, along with it's scabbard. I retrieved, scolded the woman in my head for treating it such a way, and placed it back around my torso. Having it there made me feel more like myself. The Ocarina of Time was close by, and I made sure to retrieve that as as well.

I grabbed my boots and belt, attaching the Ocarina to it, and decided to leave some of the less important items behind. I knew I would have to be quick. I wasn't sure where in Hyrule I was, but being alive gave me a new chance. With new-found energy, and a burning desire for revenge, I bursted through the door of the tent-like home and into the morning sun.

The view outside of that house let me know something very important.

This was not Hyrule.