#rusl

Uli felt terrified and awed, confused and ecstatic. And she wasn't sure how Rusl would take the news. She knew he wouldn't react poorly, of course, but the reality of the situation was still sinking into her mind and heart. And how would Link react?

She couldn't stop her emotions when she began to cry, sheer joy and astonishment spilling over from the fullness of her heart. That was how Rusl found her when he came inside from the forge.

"Uli?" he asked, voice pitching up in concern as he quickly walked to her. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," she answered truthfully. How could anything be wrong at this moment, when everything felt so right? She couldn't even fathom how blessed she was, to be able to have a child gifted to her and to sew one together herself within her womb. "Nothing is wrong. It's..."

Rusl waited for her to explain, relaxing a little as he saw her smile. He reflected it a little hesitantly, tilting his head to the side. "Was it something with Link?"

Uli shook her head, laughing a little. "Link's going to have a little brother or sister."

Oh, what if it was a girl? Uli's mind raced with possibilities, but she could hardly voice them, so overjoyed as she was.

Rusl blinked, not quite understanding what she meant. "Are the goats at the ranch going to have kids? We're not adopting one, are we?"

Uli couldn't help the loud laughter that escaped her. Her husband was so silly sometimes. But honestly it wouldn't be surprising - Link loved animals so much he treated them as family anyway.

"No," she negated, giggling. "I... Rusl, I'm pregnant."

Rusl stared. Swallowed. Opened his mouth to speak. Shut it. Blinked.

And then his face lit up as his eyes widened, as if he took a few seconds to process what she'd said. "You're... really? You are?"

Uli's smile grew, even though it didn't feel possible, and she nodded.

Rusl's expression grew slowly, from a glowing excitement to radiant ecstasy as he laughed, as he put his hands on her shoulders, as he started to cry. "You're pregnant?"

"I'm pregnant," she repeated, laughter mixing with tears as Rusl gasped for air through his own emotions. "We're having a baby."

Rusl hiccuped an excited sob before dragging her into a hug, though it was the gentlest one that he'd ever given her. Uli melted into the embrace, filled with warmth and joy.

"Farore has blessed us so much," Uli whispered into her husband's shoulder as he cried.

She couldn't wait to tell Link. She couldn't wait to grow their little family.

Check on him, make sure he's alive, one thing at a time, he reminded himself. He was filled with a little dread, but he doubted the man could be killed that easily.

Rusl was indeed breathing, and Abel let out a breath of relief. He was honestly surprised how anxious he'd been for a moment - he supposed he had grown a little attached to the man. More importantly, though, he had to make sure he was able to move - Abel doubted he could carry him out of here.

The place still reeked of malice. It was lazily wafting in the air, but it didn't seem nearly as concentrated as it had before. Whatever had caused this hole must have dissipated it somewhat. Hopefully that meant Fierce was doing a little better too.

But what had happened?

Abel pat Rusl's cheek a little distractedly, looking around for any kind of clue to figure out how they went from investigating to waking up in front of a pit. Rusl groaned, eyebrows coming together as his hands came to his face.

Something... someone else had been down here, hadn't they? Abel glared into the dirt, trying to remember, but being knocked unconscious had erased some of his last moments awake.

Wait. Wait.

"Abel...?" Rusl slurred from behind his palms.

"I'm here," Abel said quietly. "Are you badly hurt? I don't see anything severe."

"I'm fine," Rusl replied, though he didn't move.

Abel slowly stood, testing his body a little to make sure he wouldn't get dizzy or anything. He felt pretty fine, honestly, though he was sure he probably had some form of head injury if he'd been knocked out.

Rusl finally sat himself up, opening his eyes. Staring at the pit, he muttered, "Ordona, what a mess."

"We can't continue, obviously," Abel sighed. "Let's head back to Fierce."

Rusl nodded, dusting himself off as he rose, and the pair slowly moved back up the path. They entered a large room with murals, and Abel vaguely remembered it, though he could hardly see. It had gotten so dark all of a sudden.

The men clawed and stumbled their way through the dark, following the scent of fresh air and the only path that seemed available to them. Eventually, daylight started to trickle in, and Abel felt a flare of hope.

As they finally exited, Rusl led the way back to where Fierce had been, both men worried for their friend.

They found a chasm instead.

Abel felt his blood run cold. It looked bottomless, like that pit he'd woken up in front of. What had happened?

"Surely, he must have just moved somewhere else, right?" Rusl muttered, rubbing his face again. Abel glanced at him, not entirely ready to grasp for hope as easily, but he was distracted when he saw how pale his friend was.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"I just feel a little off, that's all," Rusl answered. "But we need to find Fierce."

Yes, they did. But Rusl didn't look well at all. Abel had figured his uneven steps in that dungeon were due to the darkness, but perhaps not. Could he have a head injury? Was he bleeding somewhere Abel couldn't see?

There was a settlement nearby. Fierce could have gone there. But Fierce had been in no condition to move when they'd left, and his directive had been clear. If he'd gotten better at all, he would have joined them in fighting whoever was causing this.

Whoever was...

It couldn't be. It couldn't be. The princess was holding it at bay!

But when Abel looked in the direction of Hyrule Castle, all he saw was another chasm, before seeing water spilling into the ruins of the city. He looked up and saw...

And saw...

Was that the castle?!

Why was it floating in the sky?! What was going on?!

Rusl groaned, and Abel snapped his attention back to his friend.

"We need to find him," Rusl reiterated.

"You need to rest," Abel said sharply. "Something is wrong."

"I'll rest in the evening," Rusl argued.

"You're not usually one to turn down taking a break," Abel huffed.

"Fierce is missing," Rusl snapped, glaring at him. "We should at least see if there is a trail to even follow before we give up on the matter for the day."

Rusl was right, of course, but he looked to be in no condition to help. Abel glanced at a nearby settlement. The people there could have information. But he also wasn't keen on speaking to strangers. He had no idea where they even were - that item had sent them to a clearly very different Hyrule than his own.

But he refused to drag Rusl around Hyrule Field. His friend was better suited to dealing with people, but he didn't quite want to press much on to him.

He would have to make a decision, though.