For the few readers who need this story. :) Remember, every individual is important, and it matters just as much that the one gets light as the many.
And thanks.
He still couldn't sleep. Outside it was still dark, though without the moon he couldn't estimate how soon dawn would come. The blackness, speckled with fewer stars than normal, unnerved him. What if some of the Twili were still wondering around? Would they attack the village? And what of this weakening boundary? And if Luna wasn't the moon spirit, why had she come around right when all this had begun to happen? But the question that haunted him most came with almond orange eyes with a mischievous glint.
Could Midna come through the gap as well, or vice versa?
With all these question swirling about his head along with his own self-loathing, sleep kept being shoved aside before it could take him completely. It seemed the more tired he got, the harder it became to fall asleep.
Insomnia sucked big time.
Grumbling in annoyance to himself he flung himself back on his back and pressed the balls of his hands into his eyes. Why wouldn't Fado take him seriously when he said he had a hard time sleeping? But no! The man insisted he was just trying to make excuses and that he was the same person he had been before the whole twilight fiasco. Before then he had slept in too. And Link could only furiously wonder why everyone saw him as though he had never left Ordon, never lived through hell, never killed Ganon, never left his best friend and...
A rush of air sounded, and for a brief moment he thought the door had fallen open. Then there came a soft 'whoompf' next to his bed. Something incredible soft brushed against his bare leg. Flinching in surprise, he sat up and turned.
Crouched at his bedside with her wings held out for balance was the strange, winged young woman he had named Luna. Her blue eyes twinkled despite the lack of light. In the cramped space of his loft she had a clumsy time getting her wings to fit, which had to be at least thirteen feet wide from tip to tip.
He quickly made sure his blanket was covering the important bits.
"L-Luna! You surprised me. Did you...did you fly up here?" Boy that was weird to say.
She nodded before cocking her head to the side and lifted her eyebrows in concern. He could almost read what she was saying, though her paper and pencil weren't nearby.
"What? You worried about me?"
Another nod. Then she mimicked sleeping and gave him a pointed look. He sighed.
"I just...I just have a hard time sleeping of late. It's nothing."
Her brow wrinkled nonetheless. Then, after tucking her wings back tightly, she reached out a tentative hand to him. They trembled as she gently pushed him, urging him to lie back down. Curious, he did as she insisted. When his head sat in the pillow once more, her fingers fluttered up to his face. He thought he saw the small stone on her head glow an iridescent, indistinct color before her soft fingertips brushed his eyelids closed. A peculiar, pleasant heaviness came over him.
"Wh--what are you...doing?" the last word came out a weak whisper. He couldn't have opened his eyes even if he wanted too. For a second a panic born of instinct came over him. He couldn't move! So tired, so...sleepy. But even as the panic rose, words were spoken—no, sung, for no voice could speak so heavenly—and calm as he hadn't known for years melted him. They could have been the words of a mother.
Hush, my boy. Hush. The night has nothing to fear.
With the ease of a babe he slipped into dreams of pleasant things: grass, soft horse hair, bright blue skies, and ever the sense of peace and safety. In them he ran without worrying about sore joints from sleepless nights of fighting. He didn't worry about sleeping or looking over his shoulder for signs of...what? He had never noticed how anxious he had become since returning home. Now he simply walked about, enjoying all he loved. Yet, wherever he went there was a flash of white out of the corner of his eyes. Each time he moved to look, but never caught what it was. He didn't fear, however. Somehow he knew, whatever it was, it was kind, soft, and protective.
Then, quite abruptly, he was looking at the dark underside of his eyelids. Someone was calling his name. Something warm and heavy pressed in on his side. Groaning a bit, he opened his eyes to meet the confused, though amused, face of the closest thing he had to a father: Rusl.
"So..." he said, the corner of his mouth twitching.
So what? A nano second later he knew exactly what and sat bolt upright, jostling a sleeping bundle of feathers besides him. She gave a squeak as she toppled off his bed.
"I-It's not what it looks like!" he said, not really sure what it would've looked like.
Rusl just smiled and offered a hand to the crumpled pile of Luna. She blinked up at him. Then at his hand. When she made no move to accept his help, he shrugged and brought it back to his hip.
"I never knew you to be quite the rascal."
Link could feel heat creeping up his neck. "It's nothing, I swear! I didn't even know she was in my bed!"
"Sure, sure."
"No really! Besides, it's not like we're...we're..."
He glanced down at his bare chest. Curse his affections for sleeping in his underwear. Looking at Luna only made his blush worst as he noticed that the unbuttoned nightgown had slipped down her shoulders overnight. He could see where her wings met her back and white downy turned into smooth skin.
"Aw man..." he said.
At this his guardian gave a bark of a laugh with his head thrown back. Luna's eyebrows pinched together in confusion. She probably didn't understand what was so funny. Feathers rustled and she eased a wing out around her like a blanket. This caught Rusl's attention and he stared at her.
"Now, you, young lady, are quite something." he crouched down to meet her eye with a kind smile. "What be your name?"
"Last night we decided her name would be Luna." he said, glad for the diversion of topic.
Rusl gave him an odd look. "Doesn't she have a name?"
"Nope. She can't talk or remember anything either. You're wasting your breath. Why are you in my house anyways?" then, he noticed the height of the sun and nearly chocked. "Din, how late did I sleep in? Fado's got to be furious!"
As Link moved to scramble out of bed still clutching his blanket around him, Fado stood quickly to block him. "Now hold on there, buddy. I told him to leave you alone today on purpose. I have something else for you."
"Huh?"
"Did you ever get the word that there was a summons for you?"
"A...summons? No..."
"I thought I sent Ilia your way—"
"Oh! That! She told me a message came for me, not a summons for...whose summoning me?"
Rusl rolled his eyes. "The princess, who else?"
"Oh! The princess is summoning me? Good crap, why?"
The older man shook his head in dismay and looked up at the ceiling. Link frowned.
"What?" he asked.
"Just get dressed, son. You were never too bright in the mornings."
In response to this, Link blinked blearily. "But...I don't know why she's summoning me."
"Of course not." Rusl looked back down at Luna. "Did you figure out what, um, where she's come from?"
"Uh uh." though bringing his attention back to the winged girl made him blush again. "Rusl, I'm serious, nothing happened."
He chuckled. "Don't worry, I was just teasing you. You're far too much of a romantic for something such as that."
"H-how do you know that? I've never even had a girlfriend before..." In his head the chant of the Sorens boys started playing in his head. The gayest of them all...bastards.
"I just know you."
"Sure you do. You're just mocking me again, aren't you?"
"Nope. Now get dressed. She's probably expecting you by nightfall."
"Nightfall!" his eyes flashed to the sun then back. "But that's impossible!"
"Then you better hurry up then, eh?"
At his rising stress Luna sat straighter and pressed her lips together into a thin line. She glared at the taller man as he left.