Establishing Hyrule

[NayruGoddessOfWisdom 8]

My mind still swims with Caoilainn's words. I know... I know she's trying as hard as she can, and I am too. I want to forgive her, more than anything. I don't want to be so uncomfortable, so self conscious, but it's difficult. Each time I bend over, the pain is a constant reminder. As I slip into the communal tent, I find that the surviving tribe members are congregated here. All eyes are turned to Sheik, who stands on an upturned crate facing the crowd.

"Ladies and gentleman," he says, his voice low pitched. "Firstly, I need to thank you all for your continued support; for your efforts to rebuild the spirit temple, to treat the wounded, and to establish a new camp. Even in such terrible times, it's comforting to know we've such a strong community here. But such a strong community suffers more at times such as these. We've lost a lot of good people today, brave men and women have fallen defending the camp, defending the surface..." he reads from a list of names, his voice becoming more and more strained as he proceeds. Cale's name is among the fallen. "It's truly a terrible blow. But they died proud, brave, and true. They died heros, and we will remember them as such. There will be a ceremony of passing tomorrow at dusk by the shores of Lake Floria. All, of course, are welcome."

And with that, he steps down, and the crowd breaks into smaller groups, each of them conversing quietly. I weave through the crowds, ducking between the different groups. Eventually, I reach Sheik. He gives me a half hearted smile as I straighten my shirt.

"Sheik, I think we have a problem..." I say.

He lets out a hollow laugh. "We've more than one."

I glance around, leaning in a little closer so I can lower my voice. "No," I say. "Melaina... there's something seriously wrong with her."

He shakes his head slowly. "She's been through trauma, she's probably just in shock."

I press my lips together, insistent. "Trust me, I know her, through and through. This is something else... she's got a fever, she's having nightmares, she's forgetting things. Things she shouldn't forget..."

He puts a comforting hand on my shoulder. "I understand that you're concerned, but I'm sure it's just trauma. Give her a few days, take good care of her, she'll recover."

He gives me a thin smile before he turns away, but I'm just not convinced.

Edited 24 May 2014 by NayruGoddessOfWisdom (see edit history)

[ButterflyBabyBlue 2]

Fintan leaves, likely to find Sheik, and I'm left to sit and wonder what's happening elsewhere among other members of the tribe.

My thoughts are interrupted when I hear someone making noise in a nearby tent. It sounds vaguely like Melaina, and I push myself up with a grimace, ignoring my back's protest.

I make it to my feet and follow the sound, out of the tent and a little ways to the right. Feeling about for a moment, I pull back the flap of the tent and continue towards Melaina.

"Melaina," I say softly. She lets out soft whimpers as she sleeps, sheets rustling as she turns over. "Melaina, wake up..."

I kneel down and find my knees somewhere on the sheet. A little hesitantly, I reach out and find her hand. Moving along, I find her forehead and draw my hand back with a sharp hiss.

She's on fire!

Not waiting to make my way out, I shake Melaina a little and call for help.

"Fintan! Sheik! Help!"

I keep my hand on Melaina's as she continues to shift uncomfortably in her sleep, sounding as if she's in some amount of pain.

"Hold on, Melaina," I say softly.

[Franne 2]

I'm shifting between consciousness and unconsciousness. I hear voices but I can't distinguish who it is because it seems like I have water in my ears. I tried to open my eyes a few times, but all I saw was blurry and my eyelids were so heavy I didn't bother to open them again. My leg hurts so bad. I feel like I can get a heart attack because my heart is beating way too fast. 

"Remove her bandage!" someone yells. 

I feel someone trying to get it off, but when their fingers touch my skin, I can't help but scream. I'm more awake then anything else now. 

"I'm sorry!" a high pitched voice says. Probably Zelda or Caoilainn. 

Someone gasps loudly. "Dear Goddess... It's infected..." 

A horrible smell finds its way into my nose and my leg burns.

I can hear someone gagging. 

"Blood poisoning..." 

"What do we do?" someone asks. 

"Is she... she isn't going to... is she...?" a sobbing voice asks. It's Fintan.

"It's highly possible..." 

Am I dying? 

[NayruGoddessOfWisdom 8]

"No," I say. "No... no!" I push past Caoilainn, grabbing Melaina's trembling hand. I press my other hand to her cheek, which is coated in a thin layer of sweat. "She's not going to..." the words get lost in my throat. I swallow hard. "We won't let that happen! We can help her... Zelda? What about your magic?"

I glance desperately to my blonde haired friend, her eyes full of worry. "Maybe..." she says, tentative. "But I barely know how to use my powers, I've never treated anything like this... I don't know what to do with poisoning..."

"You can try!" I shout, taken aback at the tone and volume of my own voice. Zelda blinks softly as Link wraps his arm around her. I sigh, pressing my fingers into my temples. I can't think straight. "I'm sorry... I just... Sheik?"

He studies Melaina's wound with a furrowed brow, his lips pressed into a firm line. I can't tell what he's thinking.

"Sheik!" I snap.

"We'll do what we can, Fintan," he says firmly. "Sault, go get me a box of medical supplies." Sault nods and ducks out of the tent. Sheik looks up, his eyes meeting mine. "You need to calm down."

"Calm down?!" I choke. "How can I calm down? I can't lose her!"

"Get him out of here..." Sheik mutters, turning back to Melaina's wound.

"You can't kick me out!" I spit, but Caoilainn wraps a hand around my arm, feeling her way to the exit. She drags me out, despite my verbal and physical protests. The cold evening air hits me, in sharp contrast to the dense heat in the tent. I shiver as she drags me a little way from the tent before turning to me with a growl of annoyance. She thumps my arm with her fist, eliciting a yelp of pain from me. It reminds me of the time Caoilainn followed me from Goron territory, back when everything was uncomplicated, when Melaina wasn't close to death...

I rub my arm furiously. "What did you do that for?!" I snap.

"You need to sort it out, Fintan," she hisses. "This is so unlike you! You don't lose your temper, you don't yell... what has gotten into you?"

"I can't believe you'd even ask that," I say through gritted teeth. "Melaina could be dying in there and Sheik just kicked me out!"

"Because it's of no use to him to have a hysterical person in the tent while he's trying to treat a patient on the brink of death! Goddess... Melaina was just the same with you when I-"

She stops still, unsure of how to finish that sentence. She waits for me to snap some bitter remark, to storm off, to shout. But I don't have the energy to be angry at her anymore. I can feel myself crumpling inside like a used tissue. I don't want Melaina to die. I don't want to have to live without her. I can't even imagine a life without her. It's only as I drop down to sit on the dusty ground that I realise that I'm weeping like a child.

Caoilainn sits down softly next to me, pulling me into a hug. She feels rigid, like she's nervous at how I'll react but I'm beyond the point of caring. I cling tightly to her, weeping onto her shoulder.

Edited 26 May 2014 by NayruGoddessOfWisdom (see edit history)

[Franne 2]

Tears are rolling down my cheeks. I don't want to die. Not now. Not now I have Fintan. 

He's been kicked out. I've never seen him yelling at Sheik... But it was probably for the best, but I just want him to be with me.

I don't even know if I'm awake or not. But when I'm more conscious than not, I pick up pieces of conversations, but mostly people yelling and panicking.

"Just try to cleanse the wound Zelda,"  

"I can do that," she mutters. For a few seconds, my wound doesn't hurt. It just feels numb. But after a few seconds the numb feeling disappears and I'm in my world of pain again. 

Why don't they give me something to kill the pain? Maybe they did. I don't know. I don't even know how alive I am right now. Maybe this is just a dream world, though I doubt that it would hurt so much if I was.

"Can't you remove the infection?" 

"I don't know how, I just...I... I'm sorry..." 

"It's okay, don't worry..."

I hear a gasp. "I know what I can do! I'm sure that if I can obtain that part of my past life memory, I'll know how!"

"What do you mean? Zelda? Zelda- wait!" 

Maybe Zelda can help me. Maybe she can't... Please Goddess Hylia... I don't want to die...

Suddenly I hear a weird sound. It's a mix between a cry, a sob and a moan. It sounded like a crying dying animal. Then I realise that that was me. 

Maybe I am a crying dying animal. 

[ElwayGuy7 10]

((I'm sorry that I haven't posted in a while, I've been busy... Anyway, I'll start posting regularly again...))

I'm sitting outside the communal tent, making small talk with the Sheikah about the battle when I hear a commotion coming from the tent where Melaina is. I excuse myself and jog over to the tent. Fintan sits outside, crying into Caoilainn's shoulder, which strikes me as odd, but after a battle like this, nothing is really that strange. I enter the tent to find Sault, Zelda, and Sheik standing over Melaina, who looks like she's on death's doorstep. 

"What's the diagnosis?" I ask Sheik, immediately realizing the danger of situation.

"Blood poisoning. We have no idea what to do... I don't even know how to treat it. We're going to lose her..." Sheik says, his voice breaking up a little as he speaks. 

"No, we're not. I just read about blood poisoning in a biology book," I say, pulling out my notebook and flipping to my notes on the subject. "Here it is. 'Blood poisoning is the inflammatory response caused by severe infection, and can be treated by a special medication,'" I say, pausing. "'If detected and treated early enough, the mortality rate is low, but for every hour that treatment is delayed, mortality becomes more likely.' I have some of the medication on me, but I have no idea how long she's been infected, so I don't know if we've caught it in time." I pull out the small bottle of white liquid from a pouch, and I hand it to Sheik. "Give her a spoonful of this every 4-6 hours by mouth until you run out. I can go back to Skyloft and get some more medicine. I'll be back as soon as I can," I say, turning to leave the tent. I whistle for my bird, and he lands on the ground next to me. I climb on, and take off towards the sky, hoping that I'm not too late.

[NayruGoddessOfWisdom 8]

I don't know how long I sit there crying for. I honestly couldn't say. Somewhere along the lines I just lost track of time, but it doesn't make a difference anyway. Eventually, the tears run dry and I drag my sleeve across my damp cheeks, sniffing heavily.

"Do you feel a bit better?" Caoilainn asks softly.

I shake my head. "Not even a little."

She gives my shoulder a comforting squeeze and I force a weak smile. It says a lot that she'd be there for me, even after everything. It might take a while to be friends like we used to, but I think we're at least okay.

"Leoni found some medicine for her. We don't know how much good it will have done though. She's been ill for quite a while... I don't want you to get your hopes up in case-"

"I know," I cut her off, not wanting to hear the end of it. "Do you think I could see her now?"

She nods. "Sheik's done all he can. She's just under supervision for now... I think Sault is in there."

She helps me to my feet and I guide her into the tent. Sure enough, Sault is sat by Melaina's bed, washing a cloth in a bucket of cold water. He looks up as I make my way in.

"Fintan," he says. "I take it Caoilainn's told you?"

I nod. "I don't want to be rude, but I'd really appreciate some time alone with her."

He nods understandingly, pressing the cool cloth into my hand. "Don't lose hope," he says, as he and Caoilainn make for the exit.

And suddenly I'm alone with her. I fold the cloth in half twice to form a narrow strip which I carefully press onto her forehead. I settle down on the chair by her bed, reaching out to take one of her limp hands. She doesn't appear to be in pain like she was before, but she shows no sign of consciousness. I feel like a cracked pot, like I'm holding myself together but fit to break any second. I take a few deep breaths in an attempt to calm myself, but it doesn't do much.

I close my eyes, feeling warmth prickling around the edges of the lids. I'm fully aware that talking to her is absolutely pointless, that she can't hear a word that I'm saying, but I can feel the words forming on my lips and I'm compelled to speak them aloud:

"Please," I whisper, "don't leave me... no one else knows me like you do, Melaina. You know, better than anyone else, that I struggle to admit to anyone when I'm feeling hurt, or alone, or angry. You changed that... you're the only person I can be real with, I'm only really me when I'm with you." I take a deep, shaky breath. "And maybe it's utterly selfish, but I don't want to have to live without you, without your cheeky jokes, your bright smile, your beautiful harp playing. I just..." I squeeze her hand tighter, clinging on to any shred of hope that I can muster. "I've known for a very long time that I love you, and if you die before I can tell you that... I'd never forgive myself."

 

(( I'M SORRY I'M FEELING VERY MUSHY AND EMOTIONAL TODAY ))

[Knuckle 484]

((aw, don't sweat it, that was a good post! ))

 

 

"Well, that was pretty fortunate," Sault reckoned as he stood outside, wiping the sweat from his brow. He didn't know if the cure was a long shot or a surefire fix, but any hope was good right now. He eventually returned to the tent to discover Fintan, showing that trademark level-headedness once again, meditating to reach into Melania's conscience and soothe her mind. Life had become an absolute nightmare, but at least they were holding together, if just barely. He thought about saying something comforting to Fintan, but he was deep in meditation and everything seemed to be improving ever so slightly here of its own accord.

 

 

The strange medicine Leoni had provided was good at removing infection but couldn't do anything about their friends' heat-induced delusions, so Fintan would probably stick around to watch over Melania through meditation. No longer needed, Sault took his mind off everything by examining his new sword, the weapon forged by goddess plumes to kill Demon Lords. It was a rough blade, as it was forged in haste and not smoothed or polished, but Sheikah smiths were clever and turned the unstraightened edges into a wavy pattern. Coupled with that faintly pink glow, his weapon seemed like live fire, a true flame-bladed sword, and that alone made him giddy like a silly child. He didn't enjoy slaying things by a long shot, but carrying around this odd weapon was sure to make him stand out in a good sort of way.

 

Rigging a temporary scabbard out of extra leather and fittings, Sault decided to seek out some company. It didn't take long to find Caoilainn secluded in a patch of empty grass, practicing her combat skills as usual. "I think you can still beat me to a pulp, you know." Sault joked. Caoilainn let out a grunt of satisfaction, even if it was a no-brainer that she could beat him with just a punch. "I've been thinking," he continued, "about this Majora guy a lot lately? What his deal is, where he came from, stuff like that. I don't want to bother you or anything, but would you be alright with telling me about what we're up against here exactly?"

 

((by the way, I've been working on that new RP idea that just popped up in the general RP section recently, and I was wondering if any of you were interested in it? Please take a look and leave a reply in the thread if you are!))

[Franne 2]

I'm now able to be awake for more than a few minutes now, which is quite an achievement, looking at my situation. 

Leoni said that he had a medicine that would work, and Sault claimed that you could see the infection slowly healing, but I think that he just wanted me to get better soon and that he thought that telling me that the infection got better would help. It's very sweet of him, the same for Leoni for giving me that medicine that was probably very hard to get. Too bad it doesn't seem to work... My wound looks clean though thanks to Zelda. Sheik had tried various potions and plants and my heartbeat and blood pressure seem to be okay now. My fever isn't over though. There are moments that I can manage, but most of them I can't. 

Every time Sheik looks at me, his eyes are sad and full of sorry. It's not his fault that I have blood poisoning.

When I'm awake, there's always somebody with me. Fintan's almost always there, sleeping or reading. Caoilainn, Sault and Leoni take turns and they tell me how it's going around the camp. I have no idea where Zelda is though. I'm not aware of time anymore, so I don't know if it's been hours or days since she left. 

I also keep forgetting things more often. Luckily, I can manage to hide it from my friends. Barely, but I manage. To admit it's pretty bad... When I wanted to ask for something to drink, I simply forgot the word 'water'. I was so embarrassed... And when one of the younger members of the Sheikah that I know fairly well came in to hand me flowers I didn't even recognize him until Sault told me his name. When someone's telling stories about the camp, I sometimes can't imagine half the people they're talking about. I'm so scared that it'll get worse... 

[ButterflyBabyBlue 2]

((Just gonna back up to where Knuckle was!))

My foot pauses in the air and I falter at the mention of Majora. I regain my balance and turn to where I heard Sault. It's been a while since I've had to think about Majora.

"Majora... is more of an 'it' than anything else," I say. "It's... When I first saw it, I... I hate saying this, but I was absolutely terrified. It's like an incarnation of fear... It's so strong..."

"Caoilainn, if you don't want to talk about-"

"I'm fine," I tell him. "I'm not a coward. Majora wears a sort of mask. And it doesn't speak on it's own, it kind of... touches other demons and speaks through them. I've seen others wearing the mask around too, giving orders and the like. What I'm scared of is whether I'm within range... Fintan said I'm one of those 'key players'..."

I pause with a sigh. "I'll tell you anything else I remember later. Right now, we should look after Melaina.

"You're right," he says, taking my hand. "Thanks, Caoilainn."

Edited 27 May 2014 by ButterflyBabyBlue (see edit history)

[NayruGoddessOfWisdom 8]

I chew my bread thoughtfully as I sit in the communal tent. I just ducked out of Melaina's tent to grab a bite to eat, but my mind is still swimming with the events that transpired earlier today.

"Hey Fintan," Leoni says, sliding into the seat next to me with a bowl full of chopped fruit. "What's up? You look a little confused..."

I swallow hard. "I bought Melaina her harp earlier. She's been recovering so well that I thought she might like to play it... but she just stared at it like she didn't have a clue where to begin..."

He shrugs. "She must just be tired. It's difficult with her condition, she's only concious half of the time, she's slipping in and out of our lives and is struggling to keep up with everything going on. She'll be okay, just don't over think it."

"I suppose you're right," I say as I get to my feet, clearing my plate before I make my way back over to Melaina's tent. Caoilainn is just leaving as I make my way in, and Melaina greets me with a warm smile.

"Sheik told me that the rebuilding of the Spiti temple is going well," I say as I walk in slowly. "He thinks it'll be up and ready within a week or two. That's pretty impressive, huh?"

She nods, smiling, but there's something that I can't quite pinpoint behind her smile. I take her hand gently. "You'd tell me if something was wrong... right?" I ask.

[Franne 2]

"Of course Fintan..." I try to smile but I can't.

"Melaina, what's wrong?" he asks, concerned.

Should I tell him? He will probably freak out...

"Melaina?" he insists.

I sigh. "It's just... Who was that girl?"

"What do you mean?" he asks, very confused.

"That girk that left when you came in... Who was that?"

[ElwayGuy7 10]

I walk towards Melaina's tent after finishing my fruit, and I see Caoilainn walking back, towards me. We walk slowly towards each other, and when we meet, she is the first to speak.

"Leoni... Something's happened to Melaina. She didn't even remember who I was when I came in... I think she's losing memory because of this infection, whatever it is, and I'm worried about her..." she trails off.

"And rightfully so," I say, putting my hands on her shoulders. "But it may pass. We won't know for certain. We're doing everything we can for Melaina, I promise."

"i hope it's enough," she says.

"You and me both," I reply. I pause for a second, hesitating before I tell her what I really wanted to say. "Caoilainn?" I begin.

"Yes?" she says, turning back to me. 

"Are you worried that you might be taken over by Majora's mask?" I say, rushing my words a bit. I've been nervous about talking about it for days, ever since Sault told me about its power.

[NayruGoddessOfWisdom 8]

I blink at her in silence for a few moment, unsure of exactly how to respond.

"Caoilainn..." I say. "That was Caoilainn."

Her expression is blank. "Caoilainn?"

I don't know how to respond to that. Slowly, her expression deteriorates into a shamed, panicked expression. Her hand draws back from mine as she buries her face in her palms. "I knew saying something was a mistake..."

I sit down next to her, wrapping her huddled body up into my arms. "Hey..." I breathe, "hey..." I stroke her hair gently, trying to quell the worry bubbling inside of me. "Why didn't you tell me you were struggling?"

"I didn't want you to worry..." she says, close to tears.

"Hey, hey! Look at me," I pull back, tiling her face up to meet my gaze. "I'm always going to worry about you... but I need to know these things so that I can help."

She nods, looking a little defeated as she wipes her eyes. I give her one last hug, hoping that she can't hear how fast my heart is pounding. This is bad... very bad...

[ButterflyBabyBlue 2]

"Well, yeah," I say, not liking how frail my voice sounds. "I don't know how far Majora can reach; I can't feel it but... it's there, you know?"

"Do you think it could possess you, even with your mixed race?" Leoni asks.

"I'm not sure," I admit. "Anyone I saw had that terrible mask on. I just... I really hope not. What if I attacked somebody?"

"Well, technically, it wouldn't be-"

"I know, I know, but..." I take a deep breath and step just out of his reach. "The next time something like this happens; the next time I do something crazy, be it stabbing one of you or, I don't know... setting fire to the camp even. Please, please don't forgive me for it."

I can tell already that he's upset, without needing to see his expression.

"Caoilainn," he says, "I couldn't. I love-"

"Would you still love me if I was holding a knife in your ribs?"

"... I think I would," he answers.

Momentarily caught offhand, it takes some time before I take another step back, uncertain.

"I... You should... I need to go and get- to train. Bye, Leoni."

I turn and walk quickly away, feeling my way along the trees and doing my best to keep my composure.