'Something smells wonderful,' Link thought as he sniffed the air. Like cooked meat, smoky and juicy. He felt stiff and broken and strange, but at least his nose worked. Link opened his blue eyes and brought his smarting hand up for inspection. A furry paw came into view instead of his hand. He barked in surprise. Gray fur poked out beneath stark white bandages.
'Where am I? Why am I a wolf again?'
"Good, you're awake." Link yelped as a male Twili in a teal lab coat stabbed him in the neck with a syringe.
"That should help ease the pain," the Twili said. Link didn't agree with the healer. His pain seemed to be amplified now.
"Give it time. It will get better," the healer said. It was almost as though he had read Link's thoughts. How could he have done that? Could he read minds?
"No, Link. It was just a lucky guess," came Midna's voice from behind him. Link shifted his head, only to find the back of a dark leather couch.
"How you feeling, hero?" Although Midna asked playfully there was concern in her voice.
"Woof," He was fine, no, great. She was there. He could hear her without being stuck inside some horrible dream. He tried to move so he could see her as well and hopefully get a better view of the room, but just the small movement of turning his head sent pain shooting everywhere.
"I'll take that as a general no." She walked into his view and he caught her gentle teasing smile.
"I have some food, though it will be easier for you to eat if you are in human form, silly." How was he supposed to not be a wolf? It wasn't like he consciously decided when to be a wolf and when not to. Right? He'd never been able to before and that was when he had been well and not in pain. He knew how to switch back and forth when he had the Master Sword and the Shadow Crystal, but at the moment he had neither.
"Hmm. Good point." Midna waved her hand a few times. Teal coils wrapped tightly around Link's wolf form. He yelped in pain.
"Sorry," Midna muttered. Yet she kept at it, weaving a complicated spell, mouthing words to a forgotten language. Her hands danced to a rhythm no one could hear. She'd closed her stunning red eyes and was swaying slightly. Link's fur began to morph into skin and his limbs lengthened. It was times like these he was glad that when he switched between wolf and human, he had his clothes again.
"Woof, ow." Midna stopped and the blue coils disappeared.
"Better," she said, opening her starlight red eyes and nodding.
"Wow, my queen. That was amazing," the Twili healer said, staring awe struck at Midna. Link stared at her awe struck as well. She was pretty. Her orange hair was pulled up into a messy bun and a tiara of tarnished silver adored her head. Her plain black buttoned shirt was tied with a knot at her stomach and her blue skirt went down past her knees. A black cape drifted behind her, the hood down and rested crumpled on her back. The inside of her cape was a bright teal. A smile upturned the corners of her lips. She was more than pretty.
"You look beautiful," Link told her, blushing slightly.
"And you look horrible. Eee hee!" Midna laughed. She wasn't wrong. Bandages wrapped across his chest, left shoulder and right leg, some of the white fabric tinted red. His hands were all scratched up. Same with his arms and any other bit of skin he could see. A scratch surrounded by purple bruises ran down his right cheek. He felt terrible. There was no way he would tell Midna that though.
"Probably looks worse than it is." He tried a shrug and attempted to hide a grimace. Maybe she hadn't seen it? He stared up at the ceiling, pretending she wouldn't see through his lie.
Midna sighed and shook her head before she spoke again. "Here is some food. You don't have to worry about it being weird or anything. It's the most Hylian like food we Twilis eat."
Link nodded and tried not to grimace in pain from the simple movement. Midna laughed as she set a plate down on a nearby table. Link could just see the charred brown of cooked meat. It smelled heavenly and Link's stomach gave a happy twirl at the thought of not remaining starving. Skipping breakfast had been a horrible idea.
"Open your mouth, Link," Midna told him, holding a fork piled with meat.
"I can feed myself," he protested.
"Yeah right," she scoffed, shoving the food into his mouth.
"Hey!" He complained but chewed obediently. The meat tasted off. It wasn't like the cucco meat he was used to, or even goat meat he'd had on celebrations. It was thick and rich, yet soft and disappeared in his mouth. He swallowed and his mouth burned from the heat. It was like a flame had been lit in his throat.
"Ahh!" He screamed and gasped for breath as the heat worsened.
"Yummy right?" Midna chuckled and walked out of Link view.
"I forgot you Hylians don't spice your food. I'll go get you some water." She stopped and turned back around.
"Healer, you can go now. I'll call if you are needed again."
"Yes Queen." With a slight frown the healer left through a large metal door at the other end of the room. It closed with a loud bang.
"I'll be back in a second." Midna said, before leaving as well. There was another loud bang as she closed a door behind her. Link was alone. Left behind in the... Well he wasn't really sure where he was. He'd been fighting that light demon monster, losing horribly, then... The next thing he could remember clearly was pain and more pain. And Midna. He couldn't remember much more. He had no idea how he arrived in the Twilight Realm, assuming that's where he was. He had to be there, it made even less sense for Midna and the Twili healer to both be in the Light Realm. How could he possibly be in the Twilight Realm though? It wasn't possible...
Tears rolled down his face as he realized what must be happening. This was just another horrible dream, or some evil curse. He had never woken up last morning, never fought that light monster, never lost badly to that light monster and woken up here, in the Twilight Realm. Or, possibly worse, possibly better, he had woken up that morning and had fought the light monster. But he'd lost. He'd failed. He'd died. That meant this was the Goddesses letting him say goodbye before he passed on. It was all some cruel twist of fate, either way he looked at it.
"I'm back!" Midna called out as the door slammed behind her.
"It's not that hot is it?" she asked, noticing the tears on his face.
"What?" He'd forgotten the flames licking the sides of his mouth. Now that he had remembered, it was almost like they had gotten worse.
"Here." She brought a stone cup to his mouth and tipped it. The liquid was purple and cold. It tasted like water and it melted the heat instantly.
"Sorry, I forgot what food was like in the Light Realm. Probably because it was so bad." She laughed and gracefully sat down in a grand chair across from Link. He sighed and she stopped her laughing to stare at him.
"What's wrong with you? Where is your comeback about how the food almost killed you? How about a comment on how you wish you were back home chasing your girlfriend again? Or a hasty explanation of what brought you here, shared in as little words as possible?"
"I miss you Midna. Even if this is just a dream, I miss you," Link muttered in response.
"That's Queen Midna to you... Wait, Link, this isn't a dream. I'm really here!" She seemed nervous.
"Maybe." He was suddenly very sleepy. Was it possible to be sleepy in a dream? Link didn't care. As long as his dreams were more like this one, then he'd never regret falling asleep. But maybe being sleepy in a dream supported his dead and the Goddesses granting his dying wish theory more?
"Link!? What's wrong? Please answer me! Was it something the healer gave you? Link!?" She was adorable when she was upset. He wanted to tell her so, but he couldn't form the words. He was so tired. Link closed his eyes, images of a frantic Midna quickly replaced by Princess Zelda.
"Link. I don't know where you are, but Hyrule Castle needs your help!" Princess Zelda was running somewhere. Or perhaps she was running from somewhere? Her Brown hair billowed out behind her and her shoes clacked against the stone floor. It looked like she was outside, somewhere in Castle Town.
"The castle is under attack. A monster is trying to break through the walls. I've never seen anything like it before, I need to search the ancient texts for it... The town needs your help! I think I'll be able to lure the monster away, perhaps as far as the bridge of Hylia. But I'll need you to finish it... Please, meet me there." There was a loud roar that shook the streets. Princess Zelda quickly caught her balance and continued running, drawing her long golden sword.
"Help us." She disappeared, all Link could see was darkness.
"Wake up Link! Please wake up!"