Luminescence

A Quilted Sky

Stars. Millions of them, peppered upon a seamless quilt of navy and violet. He could feel it---that quilt, wrapped completely around him as though he were a newborn babe not quite yet allowed to see the world. It felt of velvet. It smelt of Luna: cool, crisp, and heartbreakingly sweet. The stars blinked at him. He didn't know how long he slept wrapped up in that quilt, hugged by countless stars and rubbing his fingers along the invisible fine threads of sky.

A light caught his attention. At first he thought it just a bright star, but then it began to glow ever brighter. With a jolt he realized it was not a star at all, but the round, pearl like orb of the moon. He blinked, and the orb changed shaped, shrinking down to the shape of a woman. She smiled at him, and the stars danced. Silvery rays of moonbeam made up her hair. Feathery wings of light stretched out about her, flicking stars off their perch with her feathers. As she came towards him the velvet of the sky shrank away and she reached out her arms.

And began to sing.

It was as his memory remembered it: unlawfully beautiful. Fiery courage welled up in his chest and he stood his ground before her. His heart lifted, his mind cleared, and the glorious sensation of being alive flooded his being. He was Link. And the mere fact of having his own identity enthralled him.

He reached out for her as well. He must understand this: this truth about himself revealed by her song. She beamed at the invitation and ran the last few steps to him.

"Luna."

And she faded away. The stars fell. The blackness lifted, but the warmth remained. Squeezing his eyes shut against the sun, he tried to call back the dream and turned over in his blankets. The sun, however, was insistent, and instead of growing darker against his squinted eyelids, curiously got brighter. Was it just him, or was the room getting hotter? In fact, sweat was already beading on his forehead.

He cursed and threw off the blankets now smothering him. The guest room of the castle was filled to bursting with light. Afraid for his sight, he pressed his hands hard over his eyes.

"What do you want this time?" he said, vocal chords cracking over the boiling air.

"Your bitch of a girlfriend is being unreasonable. She won't give Luna back her immortality."

Link snapped his teeth together—hard. "So you're smothering me to death because of it? It's the Fused Shadows. She's corrup—" he coughed. His lungs were fighting. He could feel his skin smarting. Despite the discomfort, it somehow wasn't as bad as the last time the sun had paid a visit, close and personal.

"Hey, there's a whole wall between you and me and I'm doing all I can to keep the barrier up on myself. I would like to crisp you for what you did to my sister, but, unfortunately, I need you."

"To what? Persuade Midna otherwise?"

"Yes."

"Oh wow, how did I know? I must be getting smarter. Seems that's all I'm good for, lately. Being man-bait."

"This is a battle of immortals. Of course that's all you're good for."

Link gritted his teeth. His ire licked at him even hotter than the sun's heat. Oh, what he wouldn't do to spit in the spirit's face. Din damn sky spirits, waking him up at the crack of dawn, baking him in his room, mocking him about his way with women, taking Luna, then having the courtesy to demand of him that he manipulate a woman who was in love with him. Bastards. All of them. Even though he hadn't met most of the spirits of the sky, he didn't care.

"Well, sorry, but I already tried that." he said.

The sun made a spitting sound like water on a fire. "Try again."