Chapter Text
Sickness and being sick is rare in The Great Sea. After the flood, most of the population drowned with it, including people with illness and disease. With the loss of normal colds and the flu, the people that survived grew weaker immune systems. When sickness did strike, it always led straight to death. The people were too weak for something that was as common as a cold. Medicine- not potions- was nonexistent; ingredients now gone because of the flood. Sickness spreads quickly, that's why people isolate any sickness or potentially sickness. Any dead of an illness was burned. That’s what happened to Link’s parents. They had spoken the old marriage vows, “in sickness and in health,” and they lived by it. When his father fell ill, his mother never left his side even with two crying children begging for their mother. They never said goodbye. Link would never admit it but he heard his grandma and the rest of the tribe talking about how his mother killed his father before killing herself. She gave his father a quick death, mercy from the slow and painful one and she followed knowing she was sick as well. They burned together. Sickness was a death to avoid. A slow, painful, merciless death that left the ill alone and the family hopeless.
Link hated sickness. Did everything he could to keep his sister as clean as possible, his grandmother healthy as she could so she could pass a peaceful death. He did everything he could to keep himself clean and healthy on his first and second adventure. Everything. He should have known that traveling through portals of different lands, places he didn’t know that he’d catch something. No matter how hard he tried.
Wind woke up hot. Too hot. His throat hurt and felt like he swallowed sand. His body ached with numbness. His vision was blurry and he couldn’t make out the shapes he saw. He saw a yellow circle come to his vision and it was when he realized how covered his ears were, like he was underwater. The yellow circle moved in his vision, the circle was familiar… Ciela…
“Ciela… at… you…?” The yellow circle moved closer. It was her. He felt horrible. He knew he was sick but he had enough energy to cry. He couldn’t tell if he was crying or not. He was just happy to see her again.
“Ever… though… I see you… gain… Ciela…” He was tired. Maybe he should sleep. She’ll be there when he wakes up.
——
It had been a normal morning, everyone was getting up and getting ready for another day of travel. It wasn’t till Four got up who noticed Wind’s condition. The pair slept next to each other and always wound up with one tangled to the other. Four woke up that morning to neither of them touching. He sat up and turned to Wind, noting his pale face with red cheeks, covered in sweat, and shallow breaths. Four let out a curse as he put the back of his hand on Wind’s sweaty forehead. It was like putting a hand in a burning fire. “Hyrule!” Four turned to the guy in question who looked confused but rushed over. Hyrule took one look at Wind and immediately got down next to him, putting a hand on Wind’s forehead feeling how hot it was. “He’s burning.”
Hyrule turned to the rest of the awake Chain. “Someone get a cloth with cold water!” He turned to Wind again, pulling the blankets away from Wind. Four was moving Wind’s hair away from his face when Wind woke up. His eyes were unfocused till they landed on Four. “Wind? You alright? Are you here with us?” Four asked before he noticed tears in Wind’s eyes. “Ciela… at… you…?” Four raised a brow and moved closer. “Ciela? No. Wind, it’s Four. You alright?”
“Ever… though… I see you… gain… Ciela…” Wind said again as he closed his eyes again. Four looked at Hyrule who was mentally taking notes of Wind’s symptoms. Wild came over putting the wet cloth on Wind’s forehead. Time approached with a worried look. “Is our sailor sick?” Hyrule nodded. “It’s bad… he’s boiling, sweating, disorienting, rough throat, unfocused…” Four pressed his fingers on Wind’s pulse. “His pulse is fast.” Time looked at Wind’s sick body with worry before nodding. “Well stay here for as long as we have to. There's a town two hours away, if you need anything, we’ll get it, traveler.” Hyrule nods. “For now let’s just keep watch of him… see if it’s a cold or something more.”
Around noon, Wild was making soup with Hyrule by his side. Everyone was off doing their own thing but stayed close to Wind, someone checking up on him every now and then. It was Twilight who heard Wind, heard how his breath had become more shallow and low. He kneeled next to the still unconscious Wind, putting his fingers on Wind’s pulse and noticing how slow it was. “Shit!” He turned to the rest. “His pulse dropped!” Hyrule rushed over, checking Wind’s temperature. “His temperature went up too. We're gonna have to take him to town.” Hyrule looked at Twilight who nodded and went to tell the rest. Hyrule lifted Wind slightly, patting his cheek to wake him up. “Wind… Sailor, you have to wake up, just for a bit while we travel.” Wind only groaned but didn’t wake up. “Sailor… Link… Link wake up please, just for a while”
Wind opened his eyes, still blurry with shapes and colors. His whole body was sore and he felt hot. Where was he? He looked at the brown haired individual with pretty ocean blue eyes… just like mama’s. She also had pretty brown hair. She was always jealous that he and Aryll got dad’s hair and eyes. She said she loved them too. Mama was the only one with pretty brown hair and the bluest of eyes.
“Mama…” It was barely a whisper but Hyrule heard it. “Mama” he looked at Wind in shock. “Wind I’m not- it’s Hyrule, stay awake for a while, ok?” The look in Wind’s eyes didn’t go away. “Ok mama… ok…”
When the chain was packed and ready to head to town, Wild led the way, Time moved to pick Wind up only to be denied. “No… mama… mama” he mumbled, half-lid eyes looking at Hyrule, one hand reaching out weakly to the traveler. “Don’t leave mama… mama…” That’s how Hyrule found himself carrying Wind on his back, telling Wind every now and then to stay awake which he did. Time stood next to Hyrule for when he got tired Time could carry Wind. The wind was as still as their wind was. Only his shallow breath and occasional hums when Hyrule keeps him awake. They feel into a rhythm of worry and silent air.
Till the air filled with a familiar song. An hour in their rhythm, they were jumped. A note too sharp for their little rhythm. A new song filled the air and there Wind laid on the ground as he heard people fight around him, a song he couldn’t join. He saw the song though, even when his vision was blurred, he saw the song.
That took him back to a time long ago. A small lad who saw what he heard- colors and patterns. He could replicate any sound perfectly with the patterns he saw. When he first saw his village play music, his world exploded with a song only he saw play- the patterns of each note, the colors the dance for the notes, and the shapes that paint a picture. When he’d gained the Windwaker, he loved it. He heard the songs, saw the songs, and now he conducted the songs hearing them once. In fighting, he conducted, played, and danced the songs of battle. He will always remember those colorful patterns that told a story. Even now, he sees that familiar song. The one where his brothers played their instruments while they danced along with the black bloods whose notes are sharp and cut forth.
The note of his name cut into the song like it was always there
When was the last time he saw a song play but never danced to it? A long time ago, I suppose.
He watched the song play, imagining the way the dance would play as he slipped into his dreams once more with his mother.
That mother was only Hyrule, the only one to stay out of the fighting as he failed to keep Wind awake. He knew illness, he knew how quick it could take someone. He felt useless holding the young boy like this. Holding a child so sick…
When the fighting died, the sun was gently reaching out to the ground. It was Warriors who said what they all thought, they had to stop for the night. They made a plan, Four and Hyrule would sleep next to Wind while Warriors, Twilight, and Time will take watch for the night.
During first watch, Wind’s condition didn’t change for better or worse. He stayed deep in slumber, shallow breaths, and sweat that never ended. But when it was Twilight's watch and as usual, he went out to check the perimeter. While out, Wind woke up, more conscious than he's been since sick this morning. He didn’t dream, but he remembered his parents and the grief there brought when they never spoke… he doesn’t remember the pattern of their names anymore. He couldn’t do that to Aryll again. He wouldn’t.
With the little strength he had, he sat up and crawled to his bag. With shaking hands he dug through and pulled his journal out. He looked at his trembling hands- his handwriting was never the best and this won’t help but he needs to get these letters out. For Aryll. For Tetra.
Fighting against the urge to sleep, fighting against the burning ache and his trembling hands, he moved his hand and started to write. Whatever happens to him after. Either dead or recovery. The only thing that matters is these two letters to the two most important people in his life. He knew germs lay on his things now but he trusted his brothers will at least copy his letter so Aryll and Tetra won’t get sick.
Oh how he’ll miss them…