【 O F A N O T H E R L I F E 】
Softness. Warmth.
Those were the first thoughts that came to your mind. Slowly, your [e/c] eyes fluttered open. The sight before you was blurry, a mesh of colours that melted into one another.
"Wha-?" You tried to say, but your voice came out painfully raspy.
That's when you realized that your throat felt like it was on fire. The back of your mouth was terribly itchy. It reminded you briefly of that time you had spent wandering around in Gerudo Desert without any water. It was so hot... Everything felt like it was burning... And there was no drop of water in sight.
It wasn't just your throat that was burning. The rest of your body suddenly felt a little too warm. You struggled weakly. All of a sudden, you felt like you were being suffocated by the softness tucked around you. You kicked and flailed your arms around weakly. Somehow, through your pathetic struggles, you managed to throw the blankets off your sweating body.
"[Y/N]!"
Your ears twitched at the sound of your name. You automatically turned your head towards the direction of the voice. You squinted your eyes; your vision still seemed to have trouble focusing. But you managed to make out a green-coloured silhouette standing not too far away.
"Link...?" You called out hoarsely. "Is that you?"
"Hey there," Link's voice replied back softly as he began to close the distance between you two.
You narrowed your eyes, an attempt to sharpen your vision.
"Link? I can't really see anything too well."
Now perched on the side of your bed, you could somewhat see him more clearly. A worried expression, accompanied by a frown, was painted across his voice.
"Don't move too much. You've got a nasty fever." Link replied quietly while carefully placing his barehand against your feverish forehead. "The healer said you should be okay in a few days."
"Oh," you muttered back. "That explains why my head hurts so bad. What about my eyes?"
"They'll get better, I promise."
His words brought instant relief. You sighed before relaxing into the softness once more. You heard Link chuckle lightly as he gently brushed a couple of stands from your sweaty forehead. Then you heard him shuffle around. Curious, you peeked open an eye, only to see him snatch the blanket off the ground.
"No-" you began to protest.
The Hero of Time didn't listen. In one swift motion, you found yourself beneath the smouldering piece of fabric.
"Don't," Link said, almost in warning as he struggled to keep you from pushing the blanket away again. "You need to sweat it out."
"That doesn't make any sense..." You grumbled, but then you suddenly shivered, causing your breath to hitch. Realizing he was right, you grudgingly snuggled into the fabric, all while trying to hide your embarrassed face.
Link didn't seem to mind. Instead, he reached out and began to caress the crown of your head. Despite your feverish state, you felt a pleasant tingle crawl down your spine. You sighed, suddenly feeling exhausted.
"You know? I had the strangest dream."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah," you replied, suddenly becoming all too aware at how your eyelids suddenly felt heavy and your mind began to grow hazy. You chose to ignore it, however, because you wanted to talk to your hero. "We were at a festival together. You finally agreed to come with me, and it made me so very happy!"
Link's expression suddenly fell, but you didn't notice.
"And then we met Princess Zelda. But I can't seem to remember the rest..."
Link sighed before pulling, retracting his hand. He became quiet for a couple of long seconds, making you wonder if you said anything wrong. Before you were able to ask him, however, he quietly muttered, "[Y/N], that wasn't a dream."
"... What?"
Instinctively, you moved to sit up. Link, however, was faster. He caught you by the shoulders, his grip tight. You could instantly tell that your rash behaviour caused him to become upset, so when he began to lower you back down into the bed, you let him.
"I lost you at one point," Link began to explain. "Some knights found you passed out in an alleyway. They think you must've slipped and bumped your head."
Link paused then in favor of gently running his fingers through your hair, all while being mindful to avoid a certain area of your scalp.
"Oh..." You mutter. "Does that mean-?"
Link nodded, confirming your suspicions. You felt your stomach drop at the realization.
"Princess Zelda allowed us to stay in the castle for the time being. Her hospitality is really something..."
You remained quiet, not really in the mood to talk anymore. Again, Link didn't seem to notice.
"Rest now. Princess Zelda has invited me to lunch, so I'll come to visit you later."
Your heart was beginning to hurt more than your head. All too soon, Link began to pull away. Trying to be as quiet as possible, he rose from the edge of your bed before heading towards the door.
You felt your lower lip began to quiver. You didn't want him to go. You wanted to reach out, grab him and ask him to stay with you.
"Please don't leave me."
You're not too sure where this courage came from - perhaps it was the fever?
His footsteps come to a halt, and you held your breath in anticipation.
This wasn't the first time you had gotten sick upon meeting Link. There was that time in Water Temple when you fell terribly ill. Link had to taken you all the way back to Kakariko Village and nursed you back to health himself.
He had never left your side.
He had promised to always be there with you. He promised to always stay by your side, just like you had done for him.
"I'm sorry." His reply caused your blood to run cold, your world shattering around you. "I'll come to see you later."
【 P R E S E N T L Y 】
"[Y/N]...?"
Your eyes slowly fluttered open at the sound of the soft, gentle voice. The first thing you noticed is how awfully bumpy things seem to be. Your body was being rattled slightly, your head rolling back against something awfully comfortable.
Or rather - was it someone?
"Shad?!"
You sprang up in shock before scrambling backward until your back hit a random wooden crate. Confused, you quickly gave your surroundings a quick once-over. It seemed like you were in a spacious caravan with crates of various kinds of fruit spilling over the edge.
Oh, that's right.
You and Shad had left Hyrule Castle Town last night. Without any means of travel, the two of you had sought help to reach your next destination. Luckily, a friend of your father's was in town. While your father dealt in antiquities, this friend was a fruit merchant. He was kind enough to allow you guys passage in the back of his caravan in exchange for your protection against monsters. Thankfully it seemed like Hyrule Field was quite tame these days. You weren't quite sure if it was due to the defeat of the Twili or because of the season. Either way, you hadn't expected to have fallen asleep.
When was the last time you had slept?
Heat instantly crept up your face when you realized your head had been resting on Shad's thigh.
He chuckled awkwardly before politely greeting you. "G-Good morning [Y/N]."
"Oh, Gods." You quickly covered your face with your hands in embarrassment. "I'm so sorry Shad! I didn't think I was- I mean, I didn't mean to-" You stumbled over your words before dropping your head. "That was so incredibly rude of me... I'm so sorry. Is there any way you could ever forgive me?"
"Oh...!" Shad began to wave his hands frantically before him as if dismissing your apology. "P-Please don't worry about it! It's really okay!"
You lowered your hands into your lap, peeking at him carefully from the corner of your eyes. "B-But..."
"I-It's fine." He grinned sheepishly before pushing his glasses up his nose.
Cute, you couldn't help but think.
"You seemed really tired, so I really didn't mind! If anything, I'm just as equally guilty..." The tone of his voice gradually became apologetic as he continued to speak, "I should've woken you, but you just seemed so relaxed. So I..."
That's when you realized the look in his eyes. The way they seemed to sparkle as they focused on you. They seem to regard you with such sweetness, kindness, and warmth. It caused something to shift inside of you; it was a feeling you told yourself you'd never feel again.
You felt yourself beginning to smile before you laughed. Shad gave you a semi-surprised, semi-curious look.
"Thank you," you showed him a very genuine smile. "For taking such good care of me, that is."
Shad seemed to relax at your words. The blush began to fade away, his skin returning to a golden-honey colour. "You don't have to thank me, [Y/N]. It's a pleasure."
Thump.
You felt your heart leaped at his sweet, genuine words. It was so strange. How did this man manage to make you feel so thrilled?
You were created for someone else, weren't you? The very reason why you existed was to be with that other person. But... But he never wanted you, and you were supposed to be okay with that.
You never were. You always wanted him. Perhaps it was a flaw in the Gods' design. Perhaps they failed in making you a helpless romantic who was okay with getting her heart shredded life after life. Perhaps your soul was defective because at this moment, right here and now, your heart was beginning to move on.
You were finally able to take the first step forward.
You felt free. You were no longer tied down to him or this destiny of yours.
You were free to give your heart to someone else - someone who will actually take good care of you. Someone who will stay by your side.
Someone who wasn't Link.