Homeward Bound | Legend of Zelda

Chapter 1 - Same Fight, Different Century

Blue is all he can see when he first wakes. The water.

Then red. The scars.

And, finally, green. The eyes smiling uncertainly at him, and the hand reaching out.

He blinks. His muscles burn when he tries to move, almost every joint stiff from who knows what. His head was swimming with thoughts unfamiliar to him, names that he didn't recognise and an all-consuming sense of wrong.

"Hey, no, don't push yourself too much." A voice breaks the silence, something more soothing than the sound of his own rasped breathing.

His eyes flick to the side as hands grip his shoulders, taking away the strain of sitting up by himself. He could barely feel their touch, but whether was due his own numbness he wasn't certain. Something in his chest squirmed, like he was missing something astoundingly obvious, yet nothing came to mind.

His gaze finally finds the stranger's face again. There was no flicker of recognition, but they way they checked him over, hands moving tenderly down his arms and to his hands, helping him to his feet; it was obvious that they knew him.

"That's it. Take it easy." There was the voice again, ringing off the walls like the tinkling of a bell. "That's it."

After fumbling around the pool for a moment, his feet slipping in the basin and hands loosely gripping the one's offered to him, he stepped over the edge to the bitterly cold ground on the other side. He could feel a shiver wrack his body, fine hairs standing on end to try to keep him warm.

"There we go." The stranger spoke again, this time with a hint of relief in their voice. "I'm glad you're on your feet. It's a promising start." They rattled on. He was only vaguely aware of their eyes tracing up and down his body, hands moving carefully across his chest and stomach. His sight turned hazy again, like a cloud descending upon his senses and the sudden urge to sleep washed over him.

He made to sit down, only briefly wondering whether the pool was still an option, but the hands hooked under his arms. "Wait, no, don't sit down. We need you upright. Your circulation needs to get used to being stood up again. We can't afford any complications to your recovery." The words bounced off him like a ball to a bat, nothing sinking in and staying long enough for him to form a response.

Another shiver had his arms and legs trembling uncomfortably. He had the sudden urge to climb back into the water and hide there forever, away from the unbearable sense of foreboding that settled upon his shoulders the moment he left the safety of the bath.

"W- Where?" His throat scratched painfully with the word, head pulsing with pain at the mere thought of trying to speak again.

"The Great Plateau." The stranger said, their green eyes flicking from him towards a pedestal in the corner of the room. "You were resting here for a while. You seem to be in perfect health." They offered him an encouraging smile. "Your body just needs time to wake up."

He weakly nodded, the fogginess in his mind beginning to fade. The walls surrounding them became clearer and more defined. Patterns twisting and turning in achingly familiar designs, and the glow of the luminescent overhang of the ceiling looming ominously from above. It was daunting, being in a place that felt familiar yet looked entirely foreign. He sucked in a breath, almost able to taste the dust that clung to the air.

He rolled his shoulders, joints creaking in protest, but beginning to loosen from their intense stiffness.

"Excellent." The stranger smiled, more confident this time. "Keep your muscles moving, get the blood flowing again. Don't over do it, take it slow." The cool hands moved away from his body and he found himself standing without any support. Determination surged through him from an unknown source, and he took a step forwards. It was wobbly, but the ones following grew easier with the practice. "You're doing great!"