Wilting Light (Vaati x reader)

The Insanity in Fear

It had been a few hours since you had showed him the book, now known as the cheap title of Legends of Hyrule, and you still could not rationally explain how he could read it. Of course, he could have been lying, but would he really? It would have been near impossible if he did. As a test, you asked him to read one to you, any one. He raised a brow at you, wondering why you would want him to read something it seemed that you already knew, but he idly flipped through the pages to find one anyway, and he settled on the Demon King. You watched him as he read, noting how he sometimes stumbled over words as if he did not know the text, and sometimes squinting, muttering them in some unfamiliar language before finally saying them in the language you knew. You weren't a professional at spotting liars, but some of those unfamiliar words were so...well...unfamiliar that it seemed that making them up at the last minute was impossible. By the time he had took the chance to set the book down and slither under the blankets of Tetra's bed while you seemed lost in thought, you were nearly certain that he could not be lying, and you were trying to find an alternative that didn't involve him being from Hyrule like he said. His parents could have taught him the language, and his grandparents taught his parents and so on, but that seemed unlikely.

You glanced at him beside you on the bed, which you had moved to hours ago. The moonlight shining through the currently open window made him appear soft, innocent, in contrast to his tough demeanor when awake. His hands clutched the blankets over his face, and the blankets covered his eyes, with his abnormally large nose and thin-lipped mouth the only things showing. It looked as if the covers were acting as a barrier between him and some kind of threat, or just the world. The book was on his chest, rising and falling in sync with his breathing. You wanted to touch him, just to see if this vulnerable appearance was real, but you were afraid - afraid that it was just a mask, that if you so much as brushed this mask, it would shatter and you would be met with hostility. You had no idea why you felt this way, but you had a feeling that you can blame it on the recent events. No, no, you were just tired. Only the Goddesses could tell how late it was.

Just like Vaati said, sleep would do you some good. Yes, he may be a mere child, but he wasn't stupid. Hey, all of this may just be some kind of sick dream that you have yet to wake up from, and when you went to sleep, you would wake up to find that everything was fine. Perhaps you would be on your ship, with Castle Island just coming into view. The Ghost Ship would still not exist, and everything with the book would be false. You would go to Tetra's house, and find her there, with the three of them hugging you at the same time. Vaati will not be a lunatic and think he was from Hyrule.

Yes... you thought as you slid under the covers yourself. Sleep will do you good, (Y/n)...

You opened your eyes to a very large town and loud music. There seemed to be some sort of celebration going on, with banners hung everywhere, balloons swaying in a small breeze, and people offering to tell stories of something called the Picori and games littering the place. The source of music was a group of men who were using a violin, cello, and their own beautiful, enchanting voices to make the most beautiful and festive music you'd ever heard. People surrounded these men, dancing and spinning. Everything was happy, and there was no sign of the stress you'd experienced in the last couple of days. You squealed with delight, and, now eager to celebrate with these people, decided where to go next.

Then, you pointed at a smiling, old man who was dressed in long, dark brown robes. "Oh! Link, over here!" you called out, looking behind you at the boy, your childhood friend, who you remembered was supposed to be with you. Seeing that he was still there, trying to catch up, you ran to the old man, curious about what he had to say.

"Zelda! Wait up!" You glanced behind you once more, now listening to the man as he spoke. Link came up beside you, panting from having run all the way from his house in Hyrule field. You were just too fast for him, since you were taller and your legs were quite a bit longer than his.