Stubborn Sick

Chapter 7

You have been warned for spoilers.

I do not own Zelda.

A/N: Hah, another update! And… I'm doing this at 11:30… at night. Yeeeeeah… Enjoy, though! And, yes, this is in Link's POV from now on. :3 Oh, and this might be put on hiatus as I write more chapters. Don't worry; it won't be discontinued! Also, beware of gore at the end.

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Midna was starting to make me nervous. Of all the places to stay, she picked Castle Town… That was the last place I wanted to go!

I had managed to undo my blanket and slip it over my head as a makeshift cloak, but the rain soaked it immediately when I moved from the shelter of the tree. The chilled water slipped down the back of my neck and made me shudder.

A thought occurred to me; the Doctor wasn't the only resident I was acquainted with. The bug girl… just maybe…

"Maybe I will go."

Midna stared at me incredulously, "What…?"

I was about to answer, but my stomach took that moment to misbehave. I groaned, "Y-Yeah… Agitha has taken a liking to me. Also, when she sees her bug gatherer in a…" I was reluctant to say the word, "Condition… such as mine, surely her little motherly instincts will kick in."

Midna just stared at me, "So, you're exploiting a child to gain shelter OTHER than the Doctor's place?"

I smirked, "I wouldn't say it's exploitation… just acting."

I wasn't so sure how much of it would be acting, though. I was sure Midna was catching on, but my supposed recovery wasn't much of a recovery at all.

The confidence I had faded as we had rode on. I had hidden it fairly well, but my body was aching again, even all the way down to my bones. I was not looking forward to dismounting and trudging through Castle Town in the rain. I prayed to the very goddesses I had cursed moments ago that little Agitha wo uld be kind enough to let me stay just one night.

--

Sadly, my body betrayed me before I could truly get there. Just outside the stairs, my chest clenched with unbelievable pain. I cried out softly, alerting Midna that something was amiss, "Link, why'd you stop?"

The pain didn't pass this time, like it had before. Reluctantly, I dismounted Epona, a hand pressed to my chest in hopes of dispelling the pain, "Ngh… let's go…"

The rain hadn't let up at all and had gotten heavier and thicker. I had left Epona in the protective shade of the wall, which was the lee side of the castle wall now. She wasn't as wet as she could be. I was glad that she would wait for me and I murmured to her as she looked at me with big, worried eyes. The pain surged again and almost brought me to my knees. Midna watched me and offered me the support I so desperately wanted to accept…

But I turned her down, remaining stubborn. I trudged up the stairs and across the drawbridge. My vision was swimming fiercely and it took all of my will power to not stagger. I moved through the gates and towards Agitha's "Castle." Nobody seemed to mind the cloaked figure among them, and for that I was glad. I was positive I looked like Death reborn. I turned left and my goal quickly came into view. Damn Midna for being right about this…

Every breath I took felt like a lance driving deeper into my chest, through my lungs. My hear beat felt erratic as I knocked on the door. I was soaked through and numb with cold, but I didn't care. Agitha had answered the door, eye bright, "Oh, Link! Did you bring me more bugs?"

An attempt at laughter turned into a coughing fit that really did bring me to my knees and made my eyes sting with tears. I looked up at her, "Agitha… I… I hate to ask this, but…" my chest clenched again as I spoke and I groaned softly, "I need to ask you… may I stay a few nights?"

Agitha's eyes were wide with shock. My "acting" was no longer acting, it seemed. I felt very light headed, almost as if I would blackout any minute.

My makeshift cloak had slipped off, making a wet puddle beneath me. Agitha looked torn, "I think you should go to the doctor's house… not mine!"

What I said next was the absolute truth, "Agitha, I wouldn't be able to make it…" I wish I had heard her answer, but the black abyss of unconsciousness dragged me down. All I heard were frantic footsteps.

--

I dreamed while I was unconscious. They were terrible dreams and I tried to cry out, but not sound seemed to come…

--

Ordon was gone. All it was now was a burning pile of rubble. The corpses of Cuccoos were strewn about carelessly, almost the same as the human corpses among them. I knelt there, sobbing over a female body.

Ilia.

Her insides had been pulled loose and detangled across her body, her throat was slit and her eyes had been gouged out. Still I held her and wept my anguish to the sky. A shadowed figure on horseback hovered over me, blood dripping off the tip of his blade and from the legs of his steed.

I looked up at him, screaming, "Why?! Why would you do this?!"

His voice, hauntingly familiar to me, rang out, "You don't need them, Link. They were a burden. Especially, that one." His sword, familiar as his voice, pointed into my arms. I looked down, and screamed out in horror.

In my arms was a different body. It was Midna's, sliced and bloodied from forehead to middle. As her blood dripped onto my clothes, I trembled and sobbed. I felt the cold metal biting into my neck. I looked up, eyes wide with fear and horror. The horse had gone, giving me a clear view of the murderer of my village and soon myself.

It was me.

A/N: Weeeell… It wasn't long enough for just two of my "chapters" so I had to put the best part of the third in there… oh well, it makes a nice cliffhanger! Yeah… sorry this ended up gory, but I wanted to scare Link! Think I should change the rating for this chapter? This is the only gory one.