#tower troubles

“No sleep! Battle!” She yelled and Link found himself rubbing the side of his head ruefully before he shifted and threw her off him. She tumbled to the grass and rolled with another flurry of mad giggles as he sat up fully.

“You little witch, fine! Where is my sword?” He said before he threw himself on top of her and started to fight for her wooden play sword. She let out another shrill laugh and worked her tiny feet under him and kicked. He felt the air being shoved out of him again and he fell dramatically to the side, clutching his chest in mock hurt.

“Oh I am wounded! My own sister, she has slain me! Now I must sleep!” He cried, throwing his arm over his eyes and smiling at the way she let out a plaintiff “noooooooo” and poked him with her own sword.

“Mooooooom! Link won’t play!” She whined, throwing her voice across the yard and he could have sworn he heard his mother let out a tired sigh, and could practically feel her roll her eyes at her daughter’s antics.

“I would play if I had my sword!” He added in a stage whisper eliciting another jab to his side.

“Mooooooom! Where is Link’s sword so he will play with me!” She yelled and he heard her foot stamp against the soft grass.

“I think your father put it in the shed, go have a look,” Their mother called back and before the whole sentence was out he could hear his sister rushing away to go collect it. Link lifted his arm away from his eyes and basked in the dappled light of the day. He was loathed to sit up and do things, but it had been a while since he got to spend any time with his sister. A large part of him missed their mock fights. He let out a sigh and slowly got to his feet and stretched as he looked out the village. Cuccos roamed the fields of the small farm lands eating small bugs as the farmers tended the land. Another warm breeze ruffled his hair and made the crops wave and dance before he turned and trotted over to his mother as she lifted a blanket to hang on the line.

He grabbed the other end and helped throw it over the thin rope and pinned it in place so the wind wouldn’t carry it away. His mother smiled at him and ruffled his hair and laughed at the blades of grass that fell away from his hair.

“You’re a great brother and son, you know that?” She sighed and heat filled his cheeks at the praise. Her bright green eyes twinkled at him and he felt the urge to throw his arms around her like he did when he was very young. Instead he rubbed the back of his head and shuffled his feet and muttered a soft ‘thanks’. She shook her head and without hesitation pulled him into a tight hug as she continued to run her fingers through his hair.

“Oh my lovely boy, my brave knight. Oh how I love you,” She sighed into his hair and he felt a shiver run down his spine. He didn’t know why but he had a feeling building up in his chest. It was odd, it was almost like regret but deeper than that. If he didn’t know better he could have mistaken it for loss. But he hadn’t lost anything, not that he was aware of anyway but still he found himself clutching her just a bit tighter.

The wind blew again just a bit harder and the way it breezed between the hills almost made it sound like a laugh. He tilted his head a bit, cocking his ear to the side to try to catch the sound but it faded as quickly as the breeze had begun.

“Liiiiiink! I found it!” He heard his sister calling out to him and he reluctantly pulled away from his mother, and her soft smile worked to dispel the lingering feeling of ache in his heart. Everything was fine, he was fine, his family was happy and alive and well.

Alive?

Why did that thought cross his mind? It was fine. Fine. Fine. Fine. Still the anxiety clung like a weight. Even as he took up his wooden sword, even as he chased his sister to the center of the yard, even as his mother’s fond laugh chased after them, even as they laughed and made sloppy swipes at each other. It was fine. Everything was fine.

His breath hitched in his chest and for a moment he thought he was about to break into a sob, until a heavy and calloused hand ruffled his hair with a forceful but kind shake. He found himself blinking away the heavy feelings, letting his eyes focus on the vibrant blue of his father’s eyes.

“Are you just gonna stare at those potatoes or are you gonna take some? They are pretty good if I do say so myself,” His father said with a hardy laugh and Link felt a blush rush up his face. He grabbed the wooden bowl and scooped some of the potatoes out onto his plate. Dinner looked amazing and his mouth watered with anticipation.

“That’s my boy!” He exclaimed as he patted Link soundly on the back.

“It’s good to see that the protective guard hasn’t damped your appetite.” His father said as he shoveled some of his own food into his mouth.

“Such an honor to protect the princess! Tell me how is it going?” His mother asked excitedly and he swore he could see her eyes sparkling. He suppressed a snort and chewed thoughtfully before he gave his answer.

“Well she sure is a free spirit I’ll give her that. I swear she’s just as bad as… As, uh,” He started but found that he was starting to lose his train of thought. Something in the shadows had caught his eye and he found himself squinting at it, trying to figure out what it could be.

“Well if you’re talking about free spiritedness you should have no problems considering you manage your sister handily,” his mother said, a tinkling laugh mixing merrily with her words. He let out a slightly strained laugh of his own and nodded ignoring the scorned look his sister shot towards their mother.

“Uh a-anyway, I can tell she doesn’t want me around, I don’t know if I offended her or something, I hope not.” He said distractedly, his eyes still darting to the corner of the room. He heard someone ask a question and he shook his head and turned his attention back to the topic at hand.

Early morning sun made him blink and he let out a long yawn and stretched as he thought about which path would be quickest to get to the edge of the forests that lined the outside of Hateno. A hard smack to his back had him wincing and he offered a glare to his father who was chortling at the look.

“Are you ready to go, son?” He asked and as hard as he tried he couldn’t stay mad at him.

“Just about. I’m waiting for mom and…” Link blinked hard, his mind drawing a blank as he tried to remember his sister’s name. What was her name? He dropped his eyes to his boots and looked at the fresh morning dew soaking into the leather. Something was not right here. Why can’t he remember her name? The wind blew in the distance and now he could hear a voice drifting on the breeze. It was a laugh and he was suddenly alert, his body tense as he walked forward and began scanning the landscape. He turned and he saw how everything seemed to have frozen around him. He brought his hand to the hilt of the sword on his back, drawing it out as he observed the strange scene. His father had his head back in mid laugh, his arm raised in mid gesture as if he was about to slap his back again.

What was going on? A flash of pain shot through his skull and he clutched at his head as the sound of laughter grew louder. He fell to his knees, curling in on himself as more pain began to spread down the left side of his body. He gasped and twitched on the ground and he could see the hazy morning sunlight turning to black ash and darkness all around him. The master sword laid battered and practically shattered next to him. Through the spreading agony he lifted his head and there before him stood a shadow. It looked familiar, but not. It had long hair and extensive scars on its body. It bent down and a wide bright white smile grew across its face before it spoke in words that seemed shattered and fused all at the same time.

“A glimpse of your future.” It said simply before all at once the world stuttered and shifted and he was once again standing next to his father by his small home in Hateno. Tears flooded his eyes and he felt himself sway on the spot as his dad sighed and handed him a wrapped parcel.

“Alas, all good things must come to an end eh, son? Now off with you! The princess will be waiting and you don’t want to lose her before she has a chance to lose you herself.” He laughed and patted his horse. Link stared at his father in mute horror, his mind still processing what he had seen, what he had felt. He only managed the barest of a nod and gripped the reins of his horse before clambering up on top. He didn’t dare look back at his home, didn’t dare turn his eyes away from the looming castle before him, too terrified that he would see whatever vision he had just witnessed a second time. He could hear his family bidding him farewell and something told him it would be the last time he would ever see them again.

******

Sky groaned as a dim light filtered in between his eyelashes and he carefully opened them. A swathe of dusky red was above him, and it was familiar but the sight wasn’t connecting in his mind. His body ached especially around his waist and he struggled to come up with the reason as to why in his current mostly dazed state, but once again drew a blank. He let his eyes drift close once again, wherever he was it was quiet and he was laying on something soft and for some reason that information nagged at him. An artificial fog came to rest on his thoughts, whispered soothing words, encouraging him back to sleep.

He cursed the fog that clung to him, struggled against it and lifted a hand to rub at his forehead but could only manage to lift his arm so far before it flopped back down on his stomach. The pain that stampeded through his nerve endings when his hand smacked against his stomach had him jolting. That only snowballed as the sudden movement triggered a ripple effect that only grew in intensity. Every shift, every small twitch that his core muscles made had tears welling in his eyes and a pathetic whimper escaping his throat.

He forced himself to stop moving, willed his sporadic twitches to slow just so he could breathe. There was one good thing that came from the pain though, the artificial fog that had once settled around him dissipated like mist on a pond, leaving his mind suddenly clearer. His eyes flew open and he looked around with a new perspective. He was in the bed that Wild had occupied not moments ago but now Wild was gone, leaving him all alone in a vast room. He struggled to think back, to remember what had happened to get him in this bed but the last thing he could remember was helping Wild out of bed and then nothing. Which begged the question of how long he was lying here. He couldn’t be certain but what he did know was that he was alone now and that knowledge was very worrying. Not only for Wild’s well being but what that meant for him. Was he going to be left alone? Or was this just another trick to catch him unawares? Yet another damnable trap?

Either way he had to do something, he wasn’t just going to remain here in this damned bed. Mind made up he scrunched up his face with effort and practically clawed his way to a seated position and had to wait until his breath returned to him. He had never wanted a red potion more in his life. But seeing as that was about as likely to happen as a lightning bolt striking him, he would just have to make due. He let out a warbled sigh and rubbed at his eyes, tired, he was so damn tired.

“Come on Sky, you gotta get moving, you can do this,” He said to himself, mentally psyching himself up to move his leg to hang over the bed. It seemed like a monumental effort, and he could have laughed if it wasn’t so frustrating. There was a soft clink on the table next to him and he froze. He moved his hands away from his eyes very slowly and peered over to the table and he could have sworn that his heart froze in chest. There on the table was a small tin. He blinked at it, positively sure that it wasn’t there before. He sat there staring at it for what must have been an age, unsure what it was and struggling to see the trap. Although it looked awfully familiar. Swallowing hard he bit back a moan of pain and leaned over and grabbed the small tin off the side table. It was oddly heavy, and it was a struggle to force the lid off but when he did he felt his mouth drop open. A red potion, there was a Hylia blessed potion inside. HIs mouth fell open, and he blinked in astonishment.

“Hello? What is this…What on Earth… How?” He whispered to himself as he touched the cork of the bottle, just to prove to himself that he wasn’t hallucinating.

“Am I about to be struck by lightning or something?” He asked the room after a beat, but there was no answer. There wasn’t even the feeling of another living soul in the room besides himself. He didn’t understand, he was absolutely baffled and extremely suspicious all at the same time. But as hard as he tried he couldn’t see how this would be a trap. Dark was clever and cruel to be sure but this just wasn’t his style. Especially not here, in the center of his domain. He tapped on the side of the tin for a second or two before deciding to take it at face value. It was a potion, he was hurting and all he had to do was somehow get the bottle out of the tin and he would be golden.

He attacked the bottle with a renewed vigor, and slowly began to prise the bottle free from the tin. The tin itself made an ominous creaking noise as he worked the bottle free and more than once he was sure he was about to break the bottle. But after one final tug the tin was sent flying to the end of the bed, scattering leaves and leaving him with an intact bottle in his hands. He looked at the dried leaves curiously, as he tugged the cork out of the bottle and began to down the liquid inside. They looked a lot like tea leaves, but he couldn’t be sure. It was odd to say the least. When he finished off the last of the potion he set the bottle down and plucked one of the leaves off the bed and examined it. It was a deep emerald color with an odd sheen of deep purple that flashed in the light as he turned it over. He felt his brows knit together, and he gave the leaf a light sniff. It smelled earthy and warm, almost like it was a spice that Wild might have in his slate but he was sure that he had never seen Wild use anything like it before.

He continued to study the object while he felt some life return to his limbs and the pain began to ebb away. He knew this leaf, he was sure of it but he couldn’t place where. Slowly making sure he didn’t crush any of them he pulled himself forwards and began scooping them up and placing them back in the slightly warped tin. He felt his arms shaking from pure relief as the pain bled away from him, the feeling making him practically giddy. He hadn’t felt this good in ages. He replaced the lid after a bit of toying with the misshapen metal and took a good look at it hoping for more of a clue of who the owner was.

It was a small tin, the metal bent and dented in some places with a very faded pattern etched into it. He drew it closer to his eye and after a moment made out what looked like the Goddess Hylia on it. Her hands spread wide with a symbol of the triforce held out in front of her, her face a gentle smile with a halo drawn around her flowing hair. A memory tickled at the back of his mind and he grasped for it. Yes this was familiar, he could practically see the hands stowing the object away in a bag around a dim fire; could almost smell the tea that was made out of the leaves because of course they were tea leaves but still the memory of seeing it still flitted out of his mind whenever he tried to put a face to the hands. He pursed his lips, tapped his finger on the side of the old tin before he slowly sat back and placed the tin on the bedside table where he had found it letting the memories simmer away in the back of his mind for now. He had other pressing matters to deal with.

Dark had left him alone, which could mean he was expecting him to stay asleep longer, or he was… Sky shuddered, he was probably with Wild and if that was the case then he needed to act on his newfound freedom while he still had it. Moving quickly he reached a hand under the pillow and rummaged around the cool underside until his fingertips landed on something hard and thin. He smiled and withdrew the carving blade that Dark had so thoughtfully given him. A vindictive glee filled him as he studied the soft glint in the torch light. It wasn’t much but he was finally armed and that knowledge helped relax a bit of the anxious nerves in his heart.

Sky looked down at his socked feet, and let out a little huff of annoyance. He really did hope Dark didn’t take his boots, he liked that pair. He peered over the side of the bed hesitantly, and scouted for his wayward boots, it didn’t take long to find them in their unordered heap on the floor and he let out a relieved sigh before he leaned over, scooped them up and returned to the top of the bed. In a matter of seconds he stuffed his feet inside them and stowed the knife away in between his sock and boot.

Now was the big test to see if he truly was alone. There was a big chance that when his feet touched the ground it would alert Dark to him being mobile. But, it wasn’t like he could get anything done by sitting on the bed and there was only one way to truly find out. He hopped off the side of the bed in one fluid movement and held his breath, and nothing happened. He raised an eyebrow, and glanced around the room. After a minute and nothing he cautiously crossed the large room and made his way to the door. He could feel an excited bubbling in his stomach when the knob turned and he was let out into the hallway proper. Still nothing stirred and the excited bubbling was slowly turning sour. Where was Dark? If he wasn’t here then…

He shook his head, that line of thinking wasn’t going to help and worried contemplation would just be a waste of time.

Something in his gut made him look down the hall, it was like a faint call in the back of his head pulling him to start his search that way. With nothing else to go on he started down the hall, pausing at each turn to wait to see where he should go next. Left, left, right, straight followed by two more rights, by the heavens how large was this place? He passed through so many corridors he swore he had walked a mile until he finally reached a large set of double doors. A wave of what he could only assume was magic flowed from the crack in the doorway and he felt nausea climbing up his throat. He recognized that magic, recognized the pull that was calling him forwards. Dark. He fought it off the best he could, shook his head to clear it and slowly wrapped a hand around the door.

He peeked around the solid wood of the door and saw a lavish dining hall, or that’s what he thought it was anyways, it was much too dark and swollen with shadows to be sure. He squinted into the dark, letting his eyes adjust to the shadows, it was as if they were moving and it made Sky’s skin prickle.

It took a minute but when the scene finally came into focus he found himself grabbing at the knife in his boot. There was a large table sat in the center of the room with finely carved chairs lining either side. Food was piled high on it but it was as if it had been sitting there for weeks. The smell of rot filled his nose and he fought back a gag. But that wasn’t what had him grabbing for his blade, no, that honor belonged to the sight of Dark looming high above Wild, nothing more than a shadow with bright glowing eyes like orbs. Tendrils of shadows wrapped around Wild, laced through his hair, up and around his throat and kept his head tilted back. His eyes were half lidded and fluttering, his chest rising and falling shallowly as he breathed, punctuated with an occasional twitch.

Sky recognized the expression on Wild’s face, he was seeing something, a memory more than likely and that knowledge had him boiling. A memory of his own rose to the surface, a late night by the fire while Wild recovered from a memory. His eyes had looked haunted and he told him how draining recovering memories could be. Then he told him that while he wanted to know more, was almost desperate for them, he was scared of what would be uncovered.

“What if I remember my family? I know I had one. I must have. By Hylia’s grace Sky, I have never been more curious and terrified of what lurks in the haze in my head.” He had said, and Sky remembered the way his eyes had looked sunken and tired. He shook himself, looked back at the tall shadow that was Dark as he continued to loom. Enough of this.

Sky flipped the knife into the air and caught it deftly, blade side resting against his wrist as he considered the roiling shadows on the floor. If he was fast he could rush in, dodge the tendrils that writhed on the ground and end Dark before he knew what hit him. A weak gasp came from the room before him and he started to move in, mind made up.

A hand grabbed his arm before he made it two steps into the room and he felt himself being dragged back into the hallway. He sucked in a breath, heart thumping in his chest as a hand clamped down on his mouth. He struggled and lashed out with his carving knife, ready to cut whatever had him to shreds and a quiet, very familiar string of curses had him stop cold.