sleep, wake, dream, break

Chapter One

She heard the too-loud clack of heels as she strode across the polished floor.

"Good morning!" a cheerful blonde greeted. Another, less-enthused, woman sat beside her, speaking on the phone whilst resting her chin on a closed fist. "Welcome to Hyrule General Hospital. How can I help you?" the blonde continued.

"Hello-" she quickly glanced at the receptionist's name tag. "-Ilia. My name is Zelda Daphnes. I believe I am to be shown around the hospital."

Ilia's smile faltered slightly upon hearing the name, but remained otherwise unfazed. "Of course Miss Daphnes, we've been expecting you." There was a clatter as she hurriedly typed something on the computer. "Our chief of medicine will be down shortly," she said, offering an apologetic smile. "In the meantime, can I get you some tea...or a coffee?"

Zelda saw how busy they were, declined, and sat on a hard plastic chair in the waiting room. She smoothed down her deep plum skirt and silk blouse, wondering why her father couldn't have just inspected the hospital himself. She may not be as important as a CEO, but she had lectures to attend if she wanted to do well in university, instead of running all of her father's errands.

"Zelda Daphnes, I presume?"

She looked up, noticing a woman with a long white coat and stethoscope, and rather eccentrically, a pair of scuffed combat boots. "I'm Dr Impa," she said, holding out her hand. Zelda took it, and was surprised to find herself being hauled to her feet. She had been expecting a handshake.

"Yes, but please call be Zelda," she said. She noticed that, despite this doctor's white hair, pulled back into a slick ponytail, her face was relatively unlined.

"Well then, Zelda, I shall be escorting you around these hallowed halls today," Dr Impa said, notably forgetting to mention her status as chief of medicine. Zelda suspected it was a relatively recent appointment. "Come along then," said the doctor, beckoning.

She found herself ushered into a lift. "And how is your father? Taking his heart meds I hope."

Zelda nodded. "He looked well, last I saw him. He said he's taken a liking to salads."

The corner of the doctor's mouth curved upwards. "An apple a day..."

Zelda had judged the woman to be a brusque to begin with, but saw in that look that she held a genuine concern for her patients. It was easy to become hardened, or jaded, with so many years in the medical profession, but evidently she had not. Instantly, Zelda felt her respect for the woman increase.

Zelda stared at the immaculately white corridors, every corner exposed by harsh fluorescent lighting. Nurses and orderlies in blue rushed from room to room, striding purposefully. She likened them to waves breaking against the walls, relentless as they bore their patients along in the tide.

She took a few hesitant steps forwards. It was not in her nature to be hesitant. She had been raised to be poised, collected and confident. She lifted her chin, pulled her shoulders back and continued onwards. She would never show it, but she felt lost in this world.

"Doctor!" a man in dark blue called out. "Can you look over this chart for me?"

"Can it wait?" Dr Impa asked, gesturing to Zelda.

"It's Agitha Thripp. Complications from spider venom poisoning."

Impa gave an exclamation. "Again?" She hurried over, telling Zelda she would only be a moment.

Zelda didn't relish the thought of being left alone in a place like this. She felt like she would only get in the way, and so looked for an appropriate out-of-the-way place in which to wait. Then she saw a sign.

INTENSIVE CARE -

She wandered towards it, more drawn by the word care than the other, less promising word. Beneath the sign was a sticker indicating that Patient HL93541's room lay in the direction of the arrow as well. Curious, despite herself, she found herself moving further into the ward, passing some widely opened doors, pausing in a few windows, then through one door that was closed and marked with the same identification number as the sign.

She took in a sharp breath.

The patient was around her age, though the muscle wasting made him look like a boy, lost amongst the sheets. His hair, a muted shade of blonde, was on the verge of shoulder-length. His face was open and relaxed. He could have only been sleeping had it not been for the complicated equipment surrounding him.

He looked familiar, like a friend of a distant cousin, this sleeping boy. Surely she knew him from somewhere. Why else would she be feeling so comfortable in a stranger's room?

"He's been in a coma for the past six years or so," someone said. Zelda, startled, found herself looking at a petite nurse with long red hair pulled into a loose bun. The nurse flicked through the patient's chart. "I'd just transferred here when they brought him in. Poor lad, we haven't been able to track down his family."

"Oh..." was all Zelda managed to say.

The nurse gave her a speculative look. "You wouldn't happen to know the patient, would you?"

"Ah...no. I'm just being shown around. I'm Zelda," she explained, extending a hand.

The redhead's face brightened. "Malon," she replied, giving the proffered hand a hearty shake.

Malon brushed stray hairs off of the patient's forehead, and Zelda noted that the gesture was quite affectionate.

"You said he has no family," Zelda began, glancing at the life-support system. "Who pays for...all this?"

The nurse gave her a considering look, as if she was trying to decide how much to tell. "It's funny you should ask. The hospital receives an anonymous payment every month that covers all of his medical costs."

At that moment, Dr Impa walked in, looking relieved. "I was just wondering how I might explain to Mr Daphnes that I lost his daughter." But she didn't seem too displeased.

"I'm sorry. I seemed to find myself wandering into intensive care." Zelda said. She glanced again at the boy, and felt her breath hitch with unfounded and unreasonable concern until the ECG measured a new heartbeat.

A sly expression crossed the doctor's face, one that Zelda didn't see. "A shame. A wasted life," Dr Impa muttered.

"He could still wake up," Malon said gently.

Impa timed her sigh to perfection. "Perhaps. There are still signs of neural activity, though they are weak. He has until the end of the month to pull it together."

"What?" This startled exclamation came from both Zelda and Malon.

"You see, the anonymous monthly payments of which Nurse Malon spoke-" the nurse flushed guiltily. "-ceased last month. We had no way of contacting the person. Perhaps he or she ran into financial difficulty, or perhaps they gave up hope. The hospital made the extraordinary decision to continue life support for another month, expecting that the payment may be late. Needless to say, without proper funding, we will have to disconnect the machines."

Zelda drew in a sharp breath. Truly, the world of Hyrule General Hospital was cutthroat.

She looked at the boy on the bed, tubes and wires running in all directions. She felt connected to him somehow, as if one of those wires was also strapped to her wrist.

"A storm is coming Princess. One that drags clouds across the sun and puts out the stars," says a harsh, bitter voice.

"You think this has escaped my notice?" says another voice, her voice.

She can see a window, and through the window, the sky. It is clear, for now, save for the grey clouds hovering on the very edge of her vision.

They are distant, but they frighten her...

Zelda blinked, confused. What was that? Her eyes darted about the room. There was no window nearby. There was nothing to be afraid of, she was in a hospital for goddesses' sake! She thought she had grown out of these vivid daydreams.

Malon had her hand on her shoulder, steadying her. Impa was gazing at her intently, her head cocked to the side. "Miss Daphnes? Are you alright?"

Zelda forced herself to smile and turn her thoughts back to the problem at hand, funding for intensive care. These people probably thought she was a little odd, what with wandering off in the middle of a tour, finding out the life story of a stranger, and having daydreams to boot!

"I...I must speak with my father," she finally said. "I'm sure he will be more than willing to make a contribution towards a few refurbishments." Her father was grateful to the hospital for saving his life, though evidently not grateful enough to come down in person. She was certain she could persuade him to channel a little more money into this particular ward.

With a few curt words of farewell she took her leave, glancing back only once to hear the reassuring blip of another successful heartbeat.

The receptionist, Ilia, was on the phone as she passed, but waved her goodbye.

A/N - Hello everyone and welcome to my latest attempt at entering the world of the Legend of Zelda fandom! Let me know what you think;)

Disclaimer: I do not own Legend of Zelda. I do own copies of OoT and TP though, which makes me happy.