After by K-Bowser (KBowza@aol.com) After the Wind Fish had disappeared from Link's sight, he sank down once again onto the driftwood. The joy of the wondrous journey still lingered, tingling in Link's fingertips and toes. Or was that just the chill of the sea water? He brought his knees up to his chin, shivering, as night began to fall. Stars twinkled icily, and Link watched them with new eyes. Were those the same stars that shone down on him during his nights on Koholint? Or were those too merely figments of the Wind Fish's dream? Link suffered several nights of shivering, wondering, and longing. Longing for Hyrule, Zelda, and... And... Link struggled to remember. And what? Something tickled at the back of his mind, but just beyond his reach. Slowly, Link went over his memories. His uncle, Ganon, his journey to hone his warrior skills... And the storm... of course Link couldn't forget the storm. The storm that had wrecked the ship to hunks of driftwood, like the one he was floating on now, and killed all of the ship's crew. And then... A blank spot. Nothing. Darkness. Link shook his head. It must have been when he was knocked out, that spot in his mind that should have been filled. Then how... how come he felt like something important happened? The sun rose. And with it, a ship sailed over the horizon, with three masts, each with a gaily colored, patched sail, about twenty-five feet in length. Link stood up unsteadily on the driftwood, waving and shouting. His heart jumped for joy when the ship nosed over his way, the lookout in the crow's nest guiding the steersman. "Ahoy there, lad. Wot you be doin' flounderin' in yon drink?" a rowdy sailor shouted out, leaning over the ship's rail. Link grabbed hold of the rope ladder as the ship brushed by him, climbing up. Several burly men gave him a heave up, one of them pushing a cup of sea grog to his lips. "'Ere, drink this, matey. 'Twill put color back in yer face!" said a small fellow in a red and white striped cap. And so Link was rescued. The ship, luckily, was sailing to Calatia to trade goods from across the sea with the people there. Cap'n Gangway, as he liked to be called, agreed they would stop in a Hyrulian port to drop Link off. * * * Zelda was wandering freely around Kakariko, chatting with the villagers as if she was not the Princess of Hyrule, but instead, a common girl. The sun smiled down good naturedly on the town, the soldiers that protected it, the merchants, and a young, green clad chap staggering into Kakariko through the arches. "Link!" Zelda gasped, dropping her basket. Link glanced up and a foolish grin flooded his face as the lovely Princess Zelda put her arm around him in a hug. "Link, so you've decided to return to us," sighed Sahasrahla, the village Elder. "It has been long." Zelda led him back in the direction of the castle, followed by the village's populace, all chatting excitedly about the Legendary Hero's return... * * * Link recuperated at the castle under the stern eye of healers and soldiers. Faeries were brought in when one was found and caught, but this was rare. He remained a week in the castle sick bay, usually staring at the ceiling, trying to fill in the blank spot in his mind. Finally, Link was returned to his house, with two haversacks of food. He lived there, leafing through the Book of Mudora and exploring Hyrule. It was during this time Princess Zelda first began to get nightmares. * * * It was raining, with thunder clapping and lightning flashing across the dark sky. Zelda sat up from her bed in a cold sweat, screaming for help, still asleep. Link was shaken awake by Zelda's howls in his mind. They were screams of pure torment that numbed Link to the bone. He leapt out of bed and crashed blindly out into the tempest, still groggy. The next scream pierced his heart. Where was his sword? Link's mind, still thick with lethargy barely guided his body to a lean-to that held his sword and shield. He tugged them out, growing more frantic with each scream. Sword barely gripped in his left hand, Link hurdled on toward the castle, pushing past the guard who tried to keep him out. The portcullis had not yet been closed, so Link didn't even have to stop his dash to enter the courtyard. He crashed through the door, still galloping at break-neck speed, up to Zelda's chamber. * * * The Princess couldn't wake up. She was trapped within her own mind, gripped in the shadowy claws of her nightmare. All she could do was scream as the nightmare played with her, displaying ghastly images. Innocent people, impaled on iron spikes. A young woman tied up at a stake as flames began to eat her alive. A cruel emperor who liked to burn out the eyes of his subjects. And finally, Link being devoured by a fanged, warted toad. The Nightmare laughed hoarsely. This was so much fun! Soon he would visit other people's minds, scaring them into submission so he could take over this land. He thumbed through Zelda's memories, admiring the beautiful landscapes. Hyrule was surely a prize to be won! * * * Link shook Zelda again. Nothing. She refused to wake up, screaming incessantly. He stared into her eyes again, looking at the black oil that oozed across them. It sickened him, and he turned away. He was at a loss. But... but the image of the oil stung his mind. It filled up a little bit of the blank area, making Link feel a little more complete. So he forced himself to look again. * * * The Nightmare howled in laughter, lifting the princess up higher in his tendrils of darkness, feeding her more images. Suddenly, he shook violently, and was forced to drop Zelda. He wailed in pain as a sword dug into his back before he had a chance to melt away. The Nightmare turned to glare at Link, who had just fallen asleep. "You!" hissed the Nightmare, and disappeared with a shudder. Link's face was an expression of grim determination as he lifted Princess Zelda up to her slippered feet. Zelda shuddered, holding onto Link's tunic with an iron grip. She wept on his shoulder, occasionally coughing up blood. "It was.... horrible," she spluttered. Link shook his head. It wasn't over yet. It wouldn't be over... The Nightmare abruptly exploded up from the dream's floor, it's mass wrapping around Link's feet. It began to laugh with evil mirth. Link pushed Zelda away and slapped her. "Wake up!" he shouted as she stared at him in surprise. "Wake up!" he repeated as the Nightmare began to drag him into the dream floor. His hand came down again on Zelda's cheek, and she disappeared from the dream. And then the Nightmare pulled Link in completely. * * * The Nightmare's world was a huge expansion with mist for walls. Link wiped black oil from his face as he glanced around, sword at a ready position. Somebody tapped Link on the shoulder and he whirled around, and stared at the face of Marin. She smiled, and all of Link's memories came flooding back as she began to sing. Suddenly, all of Koholint surrounded him, laughing and talking. "Do you remember now, young lad?" came a hollow voice. The Owl shimmered into view as the others disappeared, save for the singing Marin. "Hoot! We meet again, Link, when I thought we should never see each other!" Link nodded, and brought up his sword for the Owl to land on it. "Make a wish," Marin said, after finishing her song. "Any wish." Link's mind whirled. Any wish? There was so much he wanted... "Be wise in your decision," came another voice, the sagely sigh of the Wind Fish. "For when you do, it will be granted, and we shall wake up." "I wish..." Link began, "I wish for..." "Hurry," whispered Marin urgently, "We have no more time..." They began to fade, slowly, gazing at him pleadingly. "Now, Link! We shall awake!" The Nightmare lunged upon him unexpectedly, bellowing. "Never! Our world will return!" "Link!" wailed Marin as she disappeared. "The Nightmare could awaken! I wish the Nightmare to awaken!" Link screamed hoarsely. The Wind Fish smiled as he disappeared, and wind began to howl around Link's ears, accompanied with the multitudes of voices coming from the Nightmare as he and it awoke. * * * The Nightmare was torn from it's dream world to reality, shrinking and growing less powerful. Its lamenting shrunk into breathless wheezes. It huddled on Zelda's chamber floor, a small, dark shadow, before it winked out altogether, for dreams and nightmares can never exist outside of the world it had created... * * * Link awoke to Zelda's embrace, and her tears of joy on his cheek. He stood uncomfortably for a moment, before, giving in, he slipped into her arms and cried with her.