Luminescence

No Moon

Princess Zelda caught sight of them from a long way off and met them at the mouth of the spring, dark circles already forming beneath her eyes. She only wore her dress slip and the overskirt and top. Anything elaborate still sat inside the cave.

"Thank the goddesses!" she said, nearly weeping with relief. "You're –" and then she took in Luna's state. "Is she...?"

"Yes. Just hurt." he said wearily. His hunger and fatigue were catching up with him. Still, he held to Luna.

Zelda's attention switched to the lanky man besides him, dressed in a shift that could have been mistaken for a sheet with its ends sewn together. For all he knew, that's what it was.

"And you are?"

"Jasmeen, dear lady. I presume you are the princess of this mortal realm?"

"Oh, yes. Though my state wouldn't suggest such. But it's been a rather long day, as you can understand."

"Of course."

Link had already walked past both of them into the spring, where he gingerly made his way down to the waters. Inside, a few magical lamps set high into the cave lit the spring, making the waters glisten in their darkness. He collapsed onto the shore, but tenderly lowered Luna into the spring. As before, the moment it touched her skin the water began to glow.

In the entrance, Zelda and Jasmeen kept talking.

"So, how do you and Link know each other?"

"We cooperated back in the twilight realm. We had...similar interests."

"I take it you helped save Luna, then?"

"Yes."

"Wow. It's only been a day and she's already been battered up twice."

Link winced at this and tucked his chin even lower. Ducking his head under the water and never coming back up was sounding more appealing by the minute.

Jasmeen took a second to respond.

"Yes. Indeed she has. Will you excuse me? I'm sure you've had a very tiring night and you deserve your sleep. Morning is already upon us."

"Oh, yes. Of course."

Link tensed, expecting the star to come down to berate him more, or worse, watch over his shoulder as he held Luna up in the water. When the soft footfalls of much smaller feet came instead, he let out his breath in a heavy whoosh.

Zelda put a hand on his bare shoulder and crouched down beside's him. He turned his head when she tried to meet his eye.

"What happened?" she asked.

"Not much." he said, keeping his voice low to disguise his tension. "Those masked Twili are actually good. They were just trying to take Luna home—in the wrong fashion, but whatever. Midna kidnapped us. Luna hurt herself trying to get out. I found Jasmeen. We escaped."

He could feel her fingers squeezing his shoulder, as though to reassure him of what she did not know.

"You and Jasmeen don't seem to like each other much."

"I have no problem with him."

"Then why does he have a problem with you?"

"He came to fetch Luna and isn't happy about the state she's in. There's nothing else."