Chapter Text
Link…
Link…
Open your eyes, Link…
Link!
At once, Link awoke with a gasp. He whipped his head around, gauging his surroundings. Where am I? Am I safe? Where's my sw-
A snap of fingers brought him out of his frantic thoughts. Zelda stood in front of him, her robe almost seeming to sparkle in the moonlight that filtered through the castle windows. Link looked down and saw he was in his nightshirt and pants. As he felt the fabric — a reminder of what is real — a clearing of Zelda's throat brought him back once more.
"... You were sleepwalking again."
As he went to reply, he found his throat dry and his voice sore. "A-again?" He ran his fingers through his hair.
"That's the fifth time this week… and it's only Tuesday. I'm seriously considering tying you to the bed at this point," She laughed and nudged him, trying to lighten up the mood. He seemed more concerned than relieved at the lighthearted gesture. She cleared her throat and took him by the hand. "Do… you want to talk about what's going on? Have you been feeling alright?"
Link shook his head and looked at his hand in hers. After a moment of silence. "... Can we… go somewhere else… to talk about this?" Though the hallway was empty, the wide open space was suffocating. It felt like eyes were everywhere, watching him. He came back to when Zelda squeezed his hand. He realized she'd been talking and he missed it. She took him by the hand and led him to her room. The soft light from the candles danced on the pinks and whites in the room, leaving it feeling comfortable. Safe. She sat down on her bed, rather large at that, and patted the spot next to her. Link obliged and sat.
She felt his forehead with the back of her hand. The cooling touch was comforting, almost taking the stress with it. "How are you feeling?"
"I… don't know. I'm feeling… a lot? But at the same time nothing. It's… confusing."
Zelda shook her head. "No no, I understand what you mean." She offered her hand, and Link took it with a squeeze. "I'm here. I'm listening. You're safe, alright?"
Link couldn't help but give a slight smile as he nodded. "Thanks, Zel… I, um… I think I've been having nightmares? But I'm not sure. It's… not the same feeling as after the ones we — I used to get. It's not full of fear. I just wake up… sad and angry and lonely. Like something’s tearing me up inside." He shifted slightly. Zelda simply nodded, letting him know that he was still here. Still listening. "... I miss them. I know they're still here, in a sense. But… it's not really the same?"
"I can't pretend to know what that must be like, having parts of yourself torn apart, given free will and individuality, then putting them back together. But I do know that it must be hard. For you and them. I…" she could barely stifle a yawn, much to her embarrassment, "I do feel like something good is on the horizon… perhaps soon you'll be able to get a good night's rest once more." And here's hoping I can, too, were words left unspoken.
Link nodded, glum but with a bit more hope in his heart than before. "I'm glad to hear. I should let you rest, though… I know you've been waking up a lot because of me."
She wanted to say, It's no problem , or, Technically, it was the guards that woke me up, but all she could muster was a smile that reached her tired eyes. "You should get some rest, too. I'll make sure you can sleep in and postpone your duties till after lunch, okay?"
He gave a nod, a slight yawn escaped his lips. He squeezed her hand once more and lifted himself from the bed and towards the exit.
"Get some sleep, dork."
"Rest well, nerd." He gave a half-hearted childish raspberry as he looked back from the door. She laughed, and waved him off. As the door clicked behind him, she was left in silence that soon gave way to a peaceful slumber.
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Oh my goddesses… Link… Links, wake up.
An eye cracked open, only to be bombarded with light from the great blue sky above. A groan came from him, followed shortly after by a yawn from another, a grunt, and a whimper begging for 5 more minutes. That got his attention. As Link looked around, he saw Zelda, his father, two other guards, and most surprising of all, 3 more versions of him.
He was in the Four Sword Sanctuary once more, and the sword was drawn.