A Flickering Light

Alone in the Darkness, We Find a Light

A/N: Hello!! It's been a while. How's everyone been? A few friends and I thought of a cool challenge concept (Okay, they thought of it and I was just along for the ride) of two or more people being given a prompt and exactly ONE HOUR to write something with it. Well, I didn't want to leave mine as a simple 2.1k word splurg, so I turned it into this. After I finish writing Chapter 2, I'll post the original hour-long work (unpolished and unedited) as Chapter 3, for those who are interested.

(Update: This did not become a twoshot, like I originally hoped. It is now a multichaptered story with over 30k words atm. So please look forward to that.)

PROMPT: "You sure you don't want me to punch that guy? Because I will totally punch that guy for you."

~~~

It was raining on the day they met.

Link panted as the sheets of rain fell like icy thorns. The distant rumble of thunder foretold an impending storm that had already started to break. He'd just taken out a horde of bokoblins that'd moved in near the little cave he called home.

"Damn monsters." He cursed as he gathered the loot. It wasn't much, but if he was disguised he might be able to fetch a fair price for it. He'd just put the last of his spoils into his bag when he heard it. At first, he wasn't sure what he was hearing. It was a small tinkling sound that was like a child playing with a bell.

The sound held an air of familiarity that he just couldn't put his finger on, and his curiosity eventually won out. He followed the bell's chimes to a rough rocky area filled with slopes that were quickly becoming slick with rain. He'd defeated some monsters in this area just prior to defeating the bokoblins that'd tried to infringe on his territory. He thought, perhaps, that some weapon had fallen and was being blown by the storm—the metal clinking against the rocks being the source of the strange noise. But there was nothing he could spot that would make a sound like that. Had he been imagining things?

No, there it was again! The wind died down for the briefest of moments, allowing him to follow the admittedly enchanting chime to a small alcove—too tiny for a child, but large enough for a kitten. Something was trapped in there, and the heavy rainfall was pooling into the crevice at a mildly alarming pace. Whatever was stuck would drown if he didn't do something.

That's when he noticed it—a dim, flickering light in the shadows of the cavern. A fairy's light. Fairies were a dying breed in this era of darkness. He recalled with fondness the fairies he'd play with back home. His mother had always told him that they had fae in their blood, and to keep his secondary form a secret lest he be used for evil.

He, unlike his family, had the ability to transform into a fairy. The magics of the world called to him like a parent, and he felt a strong kinship with the fairy trapped beneath the stone.

"Don't worry." He whispered above the growing storm. "I'll just..." Link bent down, cautiously reaching a hand in to help the poor thing before it drowned, but he was quick to pull it back when the crisp sting of very sharp fairy teeth bit into his skin.

"Ow! Calm down, would'ya? I'm trying to help you." He glared at the light with irritation and waited a moment before reaching in again. He held his hand out, letting the fairy choose if Link was safe or not. He was about to give up when he felt a tiny pair of freezing cold hands wrap around his index finger. He carefully scooped the fairy up and slowly pulled his hand out, using his other hand to shelter the little light from the fierce winds that had started to kick up. She was a fully grown fairy and had a stunning blue light. She was also badly hurt. "Don't worry, little light. I'll get you back on your wings."