My Silent Knight

Hiding in Plain Sight

Link's POV

I woke in an unfamiliar area. The ground below me was stone that felt ice cold and the walls were barely visible from a blanket of darkness surrounding me. Mysterious symbols that I couldn't quite understand slowly became visible and I noticed they led to a certain spot in front of me. I squinted my eyes and looked further down the darkness. My eyes finally adjusted allowing the figure in front of me become clearer, Zelda. Her lifeless body laid on the ground, panic and nausea consumed me. I tried to rush to her but an extreme pain seared at my wrists. I looked down, I was in chains. Then my eyes moved from my wrists to my hands, covered in blood. I tried to scream for help, scream for her but nothing came out. My breathing started to become heavier to the point where I felt as if I was suffocating. I tried to take another breath-

And I woke up gasping for air.

I quickly pulled up my hands to observe them, no blood and no chains. I rested a hand on the sleeping princess beside me, her shoulders were moving indicating she was alive and breathing. My whole body was shaking uncontrollably and I felt an extreme wave of nausea rush to my stomach. I quickly stood up and ran out onto the balcony trying to calm my body in the night's air. I dropped to my knees and pressed my hands to my face trying to find any type of calmness through this. After a few more moments of continuous panic and tears, I felt a hand rest onto my back and another hand grab onto my shoulder. Barely being able to see from the dizziness, I reached out searching for Zelda and pulled her into a hug. She pressed my head into her and rubbed the back of my hair making gentle hushing noises to try and soothe me.

"It's alright, I'm here Link. I'm right here. Slow your breathing for me please." She whispered as she kissed my head. "It was just a bad dream, none of it was real and none of it will become real. Please breath for me."

We sat there for a while as I tried to let my body relax. I've felt anxiety and even have been in states of panic before, but never something as extreme as this. I felt like I had lost control of my own self, as I did when I was possessed in the Yiga hideout. I was terrified of not being able to control my own body and felt that at any passing moment, it would happen all over again. I then remembered what I saw in my nightmare. Zelda's body... the blood. I quickly pushed off of her and crawled back holding my hand out so she would stay back.

"Link, what are you doing?" She got up and tried walking near me.

"No, no. Zelda stay away from me. I-I don't want to risk h-hurting you." I spoke through my shaky voice.

"Link. You are not going to hurt me please." She reached out to me and I tried to quickly move but she grabbed onto my wrists and pulled me close to her, my body being too tired to pull back. "Link stop. You will not hurt me. You never have and never will, now just let me help you. I am not afraid of you so please do not be afraid of your own self."

She gently pulled me up letting her hands move from my wrists to my hands, her touch warming me. Her eyes were soft and full of sorrow. She pulled me back into the room and sat me down on the bed and wrapped a blanket around my shoulders to help control my shaking. She grabbed a rag from the opposite side of the room and dampened it with a pitcher of water resting on a table. Bringing it over to me, she pressed it onto my forehead and then onto the sides of my face. After a few minutes, my body was finally able to relax, yet I felt extremely fatigued. She could tell how tired and stressed I became with each passing moment.

"Do you remember that night at the stable when we slept in the tent? You found me outside crying. Did I ever fully explain why I was?" She whispered to me. I shook my head no and she continued on. "I had an awful nightmare, about us. I let my fear of the uncertain future consume me and I felt hopeless. But after allowing myself some time to process, I realized that I'm not afraid anymore. You are so strong Link, the strongest person I know. I understand the Yiga is a threat and there is no telling what would happen if their dreams became a reality, but you must realize you are strong enough that what they want will never be anymore than a dream."