The Legend of Zelda: Transient (third book in the Timeless series)

Chapter 20

Seven Years Ago

"....it....close..."
"....hard....say....pull...."
"No....strong....Ganondorf....survive this...."
The young man tried to pull himself out of the depths enough to make out more of the conversation, but the weight of sleep tugged hard at his senses,
"He's going to....has to....we can't do this without...."
"He was badly injured....untold effects on his body..."
Eventually, he gathered up enough strength to push open his eyes. The brightness of the room stung, and he was tempted to close them again, but curiosity overpowered comfort.
When his gaze finally focused, three strangers were staring back at him,
"You're...awake?" One of them commented with a surprised expression,
"How do you feel, your majesty?" Another asked, rushing over to his side. He tried to respond, but the result was a cracked, airy sound that vaguely resembled human speech,
"He's been unconscious for a long time. Getting used to himself again could take some time. Here," the first man said, holding out a cup of water towards him. He took it eagerly, gulping down the refreshing substance. Afterwards, the once-impossible task of talking seemed more reasonable,
"W-Where am I?" He asked. The worried man by his side was the first to pipe up,
"After the attack, we brought you into the town, where the doctor here was kind enough to help you."
"The..attack?" He asked,
"We lost a few men, but for the most part, we're all ok. Thanks to you."
"Wait. Hold on," he said, trying to push himself into a sitting position,
"Don't push yourself your majesty,"
"Hold on." He put his hand up to stop him, "I don't know what you're talking about. What attack? What town? Why am I here? Who the hell are you?"
The room was silent for several long seconds,
"You...don't remember?" The man called the doctor asked
"Remember what? I don't understand..." Every eye in the room was wide, and every mouth was gaping,
"King Link-"
"Link? Who's Link? I-I.." As he pulled out of the fogginess of sleep, he started feeling more anxious. The doctor came closer to him,
"Don't push yourself. You're still very hurt."
"Don't touch me!" He snapped. Everything around him was unfamiliar, and the panic started to overwhelm him.
A sharp pinch in his arm started to calm him down,
"What the..?" He murmured,
"You'll feel better when you wake up." He heard quietly,
"What did you do?" He heard as his eyes closed,
"Had...subdue him..."
His conscious faded to blackness.

~

"Don't worry, we'll figure all of this out. Right now, just stay calm and go reassure the other soldiers. Their King woke up. That's what's important right now." The Doctor said, patting the shoulder of the worried Hylian soldier, who nodded and left the house. The small reassuring smile dropped from his face as soon as the door clicked shut, and he walked back into the room where the hero slept soundly. He waved his hand over the air in front of one of the walls, and the wood shimmered and shifted, fading to black,
"What do you want?" A deep cracked voice sounded inside the room. He glanced back at the still body with a small chuckle,
"It worked. Our patient has no idea who he is,"
"And the others?"
"No suspicions. They believe I'm their savior," He said with a smile, rolling his eyes,
"Good. You know what to do."

~~~

"I want a group of scouts to go here, traveling along this route," Link instructed a group of his men, his finger traveling across a map spread across a makeshift table. "That should close off this-"
"Daddy!" Mira yelled, running into the room. Link didn't look up,
"Just one second hun. I'm almost finished, and then we can-"
"Brother has a knife! Mommy is in trouble!" She interrupted.
The map fluttered to the ground, blown off the table from the wind stirred up by Link running out of the room.
When he barged into the room, his son was standing over his wife, the knife in his hand red. Zelda's eyes met his, panic written on her face,
"Erick!" His eyes flashed over to him, the blackness of his pupils almost dominating his irises,
"Hey, dad. What's up?" He responded, a bitterness to his voice,
"Put it down. Now. This isn't you," Link said, taking a step towards him,
"Oh, because you know me so well? What, In the day you've known me since you finally decided to show up?" He said with a chuckle,
"You're letting the darkness win because you're confused, and you're in pain," Link responded, taking another step,
"You have no idea what you're talking about," Erick muttered, gripping the knife harder,
"Actually I do, because I've done it before, and if I can get out of it you absolutely can."
"When have you ever felt this, Mr. Hero of Hyrule?" Eric snapped,
"These past seven years really tested me, and I've been through some hardships, but every single one of them was worth it now that I can be here to teach you how to deal with this type of thing. So please, let me help you." Another step.
His son didn't respond, but he didn't move as Link came closer and eventually took the knife out of his hand.
As soon as the blade was out of his hand, his pupils shrunk down to normal, and a confused expression replaced the anger. He looked around, and his eyes eventually settled on his mother, who was still laying quietly, hands pressed on her side, which was stained red. He gasped and stumbled away,
"Oh my Goddesses...What's happening to me?" he murmured.