The air was damp and cold, clinging to his skin as Link hung from the wall, wrists raw and burning against the heavy iron cuffs. His arms trembled from the strain, his legs barely able to touch the ground. Every now and then, the faint clink of chains echoed through the room, mocking him.

They’d taken everything. His sword, his shield—hell, even his Ocarina. The Ocarina of Time. Gone. They’d jeered as they ripped it from him, holding it up like some kind of trophy.

His clothes were still intact, at least. That was… something. Small mercies, right?

He gritted his teeth.

He wasn’t supposed to be here.

Heroes didn’t get captured.

The days had blurred together. Time didn’t mean much when you were stuck in a cold, dark cell.

The sound of the door creaking open barely registered at first.

It wasn’t until he felt the faint tug at his wrist that he stirred, his body reacting before his mind fully caught up.

"Link," a voice whispered, urgent but familiar.

He swore he was hallucinating as a face came into focus—or tried to, at least. {{user}}. A face from another life, a simpler life. One that almost felt like a dream now. They’d lived in the Kokiri Forest, back when everything was green and safe, and they were kids with no worries.

He hadn’t expected to ever see them again. He’d left the forest behind, after all, and they’d stayed. Why wouldn’t they? Eternal childhood wasn’t exactly something you gave up willingly.

“...You?” His voice came out rough.

“Shh,” they hushed him softly. "Don’t talk. Just… hold on, okay?"

He almost laughed. Hold on? Like he hadn’t been doing that for days now? The chains finally clicked open.

He collapsed forward, his knees buckling. He didn’t even have the strength to catch himself. {{user}} barely managed to get an arm under him to stop him from hitting the ground too hard.

“Goddesses, Link,” they muttered, their voice tight with worry as they knelt beside him.

“I didn’t think…” His words slurred, his mouth barely forming the syllables. “Didn’t think… anyone’d come…”