Pieces of Time

Ch 14: Recovery

She was still in the darkness, consumed by it, drowning in it.

It was hard to breath, it was hard to think or feel anything except despair. She saw Kiden having his throat cut again and again. The visions grew more horrific the more times she was made to watch them.

She saw Link's throat being crushed under the pressure of Pallas's hands, as he grinned maddeningly down at him and then at her. She saw her family tied to stakes that were set aflame, she saw...she saw...she saw...

Kali jolted upright in bed, drenched in sweat and panting heavily. The sudden movement sent waves of pain through all of her body but she was too distracted.  She rapidly blinked away the nightmares to trying to gain an understanding of where she was.

She must have passed out on the way to the Kakariko village, some time after being made aware that she'd been missing for nearly three weeks. Kiden hadn't died.  Instead, he rushed to the castle where he knew her friends were to tell them about what had happened.

She remembered as she dozed on horseback that she'd tried to imagine Kiden, looking hysterical with terror and bleeding from his head trying to gain access to the castle. He was lucky that Link had been strolling the grounds near enough to hear the commotion, and as soon as he overheard Kali's name in the tale he rushed to get Impa to meet Kiden outside.

Her room was full of more people than she'd ever seen it.

She identified Anju standing near the door with Bastian.  Impa leaned against the wall at the foot of her bed. Kiden knelt at her bedside by her legs, and Link sat on a chair by the head of her bed.

They all held a variety of expressions as they watched her. Some with concern, some with pity, some with fear for her condition, and just one with relief. Had they all just been standing around waiting for her to wake up?

She felt uneasy with so many eyes on her as she took in the condition of the room. In the corner her torn up gown had been discarded as well as a number of dirtied towels and washcloths. They were caked in dried muck and blood, she assumed her own.

Then she looked at her hands, still blistered or cut or bruised but healing. They had been washed clean.  Suddenly the presence of Anju and the dirty towels made sense. Probably she and Impa had done their best to clean her up while she was out.

Gratitude swelled in her chest, and as the shadows of her nightmares were chased away by the support of her friends in the room, her eyes became more clear. The tension in the room deflated at a bit once they were all sure she wasn't going to fly off the deep end.

"Sorry," Kali said quietly, without a real reason.

She was sorry for the trouble, for the burden of her, for freaking them out, or maybe for thrashing around in her sleep and causing them to worry.

There were a few relieved smiles at seeing a piece of her normal self show. Kiden started to speak but was cut off by Link, who gently grasped one of her still trembling hands and squeezed it.

"There is nothing to be ashamed of." he said, his tone was serious and his eyes were sharp, "What you went through is nothing short of horrific. Don't be sorry that we are here for you."

She didn't miss the way Kiden watched Link and pursed his lips, looking away. Kali squeezed Link's hand back gently and removed her hand from his.

"Were you all just kinda....hanging out here then?" she asked, trying not to sound uncomfortable.

Link and Impa shared a meaningful look, it was one that she had seen before. It was the regretful look of understanding between each other before they asked her to provide information.