Legend Of Zelda Fan Fiction / Other Fan Fiction ❯ Back In Her Hands ❯ Race For The Cure ( Chapter 10 )
[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
By: Grey Fox 
OK, so Zelda and Link are together again. So it's happily ever after, right? Get real....
Anime/Manga: Legend Of Zelda Fan Fiction / Other Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Drama / Adventure | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 02.13.2005 | Updated On: 04.27.2005 | Pages: 4 | Words: 6.0K | Visits: 1.7K | Status: Completed
OK, so Zelda and Link are together again. So it's happily ever after, right? Get real....
Anime/Manga: Legend Of Zelda Fan Fiction / Other Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Drama / Adventure | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 02.13.2005 | Updated On: 04.27.2005 | Pages: 4 | Words: 6.0K | Visits: 1.7K | Status: Completed
Back In Her Hands
a Legend of Zelda romance fic
Chapter 10: Race For The Cure
2-13-2005
by Grey
Disclaimer: I don't own the Zelda series or any of its characters; Nintendo and the series' creator Shigeru Miyamoto do. So don't sue me or anything.
This fic is dedicated to CubedCinder128, for what I hope are obvious reasons.
******
Complete darkness once again swept over Link as the magic of Farore's Wind faded away. But as before, the entire cave became bathed in bright light. He looked up at Zelda again, who was still holding him only a few feet from her face. "How are you doing that? Is it Din's Fire?" he asked her.
Zelda nodded and replied, "Yeah, it is. Pretty handy, isn't it?"
*She's able to use those spells in such creative ways; ways I never would've even thought of. No wonder she was chosen to wield the Triforce of Wisdom,* Link thought to himself, admiring her creativity. Out loud he said, "Yeah, it sure is."
As Link continued to look up at Zelda, he saw some signs of injury on her face that he hadn't noticed before. For one thing, there was a bruise on the side of her head, probably from where the Wizzrobe had struck her with a spider leg. Not only that, there appeared to be several little scrapes and cuts all over her face. However, in Link's eyes, none of that detracted from her radiant beauty. Besides, it was sort of a testament to how Zelda could take a beating and still stand and fight, and as a warrior, Link had to respect that sort of resilience.
Still, Link voiced his concern. "Uh, Zelda, are you OK? It kinda looks like that Wizzrobe did a number on you."
The mention of her calamitous battle with the Wizzrobe made Zelda feel melancholy all over again, reminding her of the all the destruction their fight caused in the market town. "I'm OK Link, I'm a tough girl," she breathed softly, trying not to sound depressed.
However, as usual, Link caught on right away. "Zelda, there's something wrong, I can tell."
Zelda let out a sigh of defeat, deciding there was no point in keeping it from Link. "It's just that, that battle caused so much destruction, so much of all we rebuilt was leveled, and I'm partly to blame for it. That was the other reason I left Hyrule."
Link shook his head and said, "Zelda, you can't blame yourself for what happened. You were trying to protect all of us."
"I know, I know," replied Zelda exasperatedly. "But still, seeing all those buildings razed to the ground.... I feel so guilty. And the way the townspeople were staring at me...."
Link tried to think of something to say that would reassure Zelda, but nothing came to him. He had at least shown Zelda that she wasn't going to kill him just by being around him, but how to convince her she wasn't a danger to everyone else? "Zelda, umm," said Link, struggling to find his words. "Do you, uh, plan to ever go back to Hyrule?"
Zelda let out another sigh. "I don't know, Link, I don't know," she said in a sorrowful tone.
"But... but you can't just stay away forever!" cried Link. "Hyrule is your home, and you and I.... we worked so hard to save it. And a few days ago, it sounded like you were ready to get back to being the princess, despite what's happened."
"I know, Link, it's just.... ehhh.... AAAA-CHOO!!!" Zelda turned her head away just in time to keep Link from getting sprayed again. *Ugh, blasted cold! At least I avoided sneezing on Link this time,* she thought to herself. Out loud, she continued, "I don't know, Link. I guess I need some time away, to think about everything...."
"Well, take all the time you want," said Link. "As long as I'm with you, nothing else matters."
"Huh? It sounded like you were going to be adamant that I go back," said Zelda, genuinely surprised that Link was willing to let the matter go so easily.
"Well, I really do think you should go back, but I didn't come all this way to convince you to come back. I came because I need to be with you," replied Link.
Zelda didn't say anything in response to that. Instead, she brought him back up to her lips and gave him another long gentle kiss, her lips practically smothering his body. *Oh Link, how can someone who's always been so shy around girls come up with such romantic things to say?* she thought to herself as she kissed him.
She then brought him up right in front of her eyes, so she could get a good, long look at him. *Oh, it's just so weird!* she thought as she examined him up close. *He's still the tough, rugged guy I know, but now, he looks so.... so cute!*
Link just remained completely still and silent, staring into Zelda's enormous blue eyes. She was holding him so close to her eyes, he could see his face reflected in her pupils. He then felt Zelda's fingertip brushing against the top of his head again. Link closed his eyes, relishing her soft, gentle touch. "Link, you look so cute," he heard her mutter softly.
"Uh, thanks," was all Link could think of saying.
"And you look a little tired," added Zelda with a hint of concern in her voice. It was true, he was beginning to feel a bit worn out. Swimming non-stop for hours as a Zora would tend to tire out anyone.
It was then that Zelda's stomach grumbled loudly, practically echoing throughout the cavern. "Zelda, when was the last time you had something to eat?" Link asked her in a concerned voice.
"When you brought me those apples this morning," Zelda answered flatly. "Ugh, I didn't even consider this... how in the world am I going to find enough food?"
"Actually, all you have to do is look around you," said Link in a matter-of-fact tone.
"Huh?" breathed Zelda, surprised by Link's sudden answer, but she did what he suggested and looked around her. Aside from the rocky walls and gravelly floor of the cavern, all she saw were the tops of large mushrooms glowing in the light she was generating. "I don't get it, Link," she said, looking back over to him. All I see are mushrooms."
"Exactly. Those are edible, and a perfect source of nutrition. And they'll grow back in twenty-four hours, so you don't really have to worry about running out," explained Link.
"Really? Are you sure?" she asked nervously, fearing that Link was mistaken and that the mushrooms were poisonous.
"Trust me Zelda, I've travelled a lot and I know about these sort of things," retorted Link. "Go on, put me down and try some."
"Uh, OK," said Zelda nervously as she gently set Link down on a nearby ledge jutting out of the cavern wall. She then looked at the mushrooms all around her, still apprehensive about eating them. But it was true that she was very hungry, and she realized that she should trust in Link's judgment. So she reached down and grabbed a mushroom, which had a cap as big and wide as her hand, and ravenously gobbled it down. *Hmmm, not bad. Tastes kinda sweet,* she thought as she swallowed the last of the first mushroom and reached down a for a second.
However, watching Zelda greedily stuff her face reminded Link of one minor detail. "Wait Zelda! You shouldn't eat those so fast!"
"Huh? What was that?" asked Zelda, who had just gobbled the second mushroom. "What did you say?" she asked, leaning down toward Link's ledge with her ear facing in his direction.
"I said you shouldn't eat those so fast!" he shouted again.
"Huh? Why not?" she asked curiously. She got her answer soon enough, for suddenly she felt gas rush up into her throat and....
"BUUUUR-UUUUURRR-UUURRRRPPP!!"
Zelda's belch resounded throughout the cave, practically causing the very walls to shake. And since Zelda's mouth had been so close to Link when she burped, it was like hearing a Goron powder keg go off five feet away. *Urgh, I don't know if my ears can't take much more,* Link thought grudgingly, holding his throbbing head.
"Oh Link, I'm sorry," whispered Zelda, careful not to talk too loud and add to Link's pain.
"Just be careful from now on, Zelda," shot back Link, his head still reeling. He sat down and rested his head on his knees. *And I thought her sneeze was loud,* he thought.
Link didn't hear Zelda didn't say anything else. Instead, all he heard was the distant sound of... splashing water? Standing up and looking around, he saw Zelda on the other side of the cavern, hunched over something. Upon closer inspection he saw water over in that area, glistening brightly in the light Zelda's magic was generating, and Zelda was cupping her hands and bringing water up to her face to drink. *There's a freshwater spring in here?* he thought curiously. *How did I miss that before?*
Once she wwas done drinking, Zelda scooted back over to Link's ledge. "Link, it's been a long, hard day. We're both tired from swimming here. Maybe we should get some sleep now."
Link nodded in agreement. "Yeah, now that you mention it, I feel ready to just pass out." Reaching into his supply bag, he pulled out his sleeping bag and unravelled it, setting it up on the ledge.
"Well, alright then. See you in the morning," replied Zelda as she lay down on the cavern floor, resting her head on a large mushroom. "Lights out," she said, and all of a sudden, the cave was plunged into darkness again.
However, Link couldn't fall asleep right away; there was still too much on his mind. *I sure didn't foresee our lives together being like this, living in a giant cave miles and miles away from Hyrule. At least with the mushrooms and the spring, she'll be fine here. Oh, but it's unfair how she has to sleep on the ground and I've got a sleeping bag....*
"AAAAA-CHOOOOO!!!"
Zelda's sneeze exploded throughout the darkness and made Link's ears hurt all over again. *Not to mention she has a nasty cold,* Link thought. *Ugh, I should really go out and try to get her some medicine in the morning, but.... how could I get a big enough dose for her?*
******
Link awoke to the sensation of the gentle rays of the sun peeking through the cave and striking the ledge he was sleeping on. "Urgh," he groaned as he sat up, rubbing his eyes and stretching. A good night's sleep had served him well; all of the aches and pains resulting from swimming so long as a Zora had gone away.
*I wonder if Zelda's up yet,* he thought as he got out of his sleeping bag and walked over to the edge of the platform. With the sunlight coming into the cavern, Link could clearly see Zelda lying down face-up on the cave floor, still fast asleep.
But Link could tell something wasn't right. Usually, when Zelda was asleep, she looked so serene, giving off an air of peaceful beauty. But right now, she still looked as if she was very tired, and her face.... it looked pale, sickly....
"ZELDA!! ZELDA!!!" Link called out as loud as he could, but Zelda didn't stir the slightest bit. And the ledge he was standing on was close enough to Zelda's head for his voice to be audible for her; something was very wrong.
Link's heart was starting to fill with dread. *Something's wrong with her, I know it, but what?* he thought panickingly as he began to climb down the rocky walls of the cavern. *That cold can't have affected her like this; something else must have happened.*
Once Link made it to the ground, he quickly climbed atop one of the large mushrooms. He then hopped from mushroom to mushroom until he was right in front of the one Zelda had rested her head on. He jumped toward it, but he realized too late that it was too far away. Luckily, some of Zelda's hair was dangling over the edge of the mushroom. Link reached out and grabbed hold of a lock of her hair, and began using it like rope to climb upward. He had half-expected Zelda to react in some way after tugging on her hair like that, but she remained completely motionless.
Soon enough, he was atop the mushroom Zelda was using as a pillow and was right next to her ear. He immediately realized that the area around Zelda's head was very warm, and it wasn't that way when she held him close to her face the previous evening. Link walked over to her cheek and placed his hand on it.... it felt boiling hot!
*Oh no, she's got a fever! But what's causing it? She was fine last night!* he thought. Deciding that he should wake Zelda up and ask her some questions, he walked back over to her ear. "ZELDA!!!!" Link screamed into her ear. This time, there was a reaction; her head shifted slightly, and he heard her groan. Of course, from his vantage point, he had no way of knowing if she had even opened her eyes, so he yelled her name into her ear again. "Zelda, please wake up!"
"Urrr... ungh... Link...?" he heard her say wanly. Her voice wasn't very loud, and Link had a feeling it wasn't because she was trying to keep her voice down.
"Zelda, you're burning up!" exclaimed Link. "You gotta tell me, just how badly do you feel?"
"Ugh... it's hot...." Zelda muttered weakly. "I can.... barely move.... so exhausted.... I feel sick...."
"Zelda...." said Link softly, not sure what to ask next.
For a while, Zelda didn't say anything else either. But eventually, she spoke up again. "Urgh, my left arm.... it stings.... Wh-What's wrong.... with me...."
*Huh, left arm?* thought Link as he looked over in the direction of her body. Unfortunately, he couldn't see anything unusual from his vantage point. *I'll have to go over there and take a look,* he thought as he jumped off the mushroom and grabbed hold of Zelda's bronze shoulder pad. After quickly pulling himself up, he slowly walked down Zelda's arm, looking for anything unusual.
It didn't take long before he found something. As he came to her elbow, he could see a large gash in her glove about thirteen feet long (pretty much the entire legnth of her forearm) , and the cloth right around it was stained red with blood. *She must've been wounded from her fight, but how is... Uh-oh,* thought Link, hoping that this didn't mean what he thought it meant.
Link walked over to the cut on Zelda's forearm and pulled back the silky cloth of her glove to get a better look at her wound. What he saw was exactly what he had feared; the area inside the cut looked purplish-red and swollen. Clearly, Zelda's open wound had become a nasty infection.
*Oh no, staying in the ocean with an open cut for so long must've caused this!* Link thought to himself as he ran back up Zelda's arm. Link knew all about that type of infection; if left untreated, the victim would surely die. Fortunately, red medicine could usually cure the infection when used as a topical treatment on the wound in time. But because of Zelda's immense size, getting enough red medicine for her wound would be a problem. And how was he supposed to get any when he didn't even know where the nearest town or medicine shop was?
Link stood on her shoulder pad and stared at Zelda's face.... her face looked so pallid, her cheeks a ghastly shade of white. Link knew that meant he had very little time before her infection became incurable. *I've got to go and find her medicine, before it's too late! But I have to do something about her fever, or that'll kill her first!* He took out his bow and powered up an ice arrow, aiming it at Zelda's forehead.
*Ack! What am I thinking, shooting an arrow at Zelda?!* he thought angrily, hesitant to fire off a magic arrow at his girlfriend, despite how necessary it was. *Ugh, I guess it's the only way to keep her fever down,* he realized, and finally let the arrow fly. It struck the red gem on her tiara, forming a circular sheet of ice five feet in diameter over her forehead. Link then fired off another ice arrow, just to make sure there'd be enough ice to keep Zelda's head cool enough until he returned with medicine.
Now that that was over with, Link ran back down Zelda's arm and down to her hand, which was touching the ground. *Gotta move fast!* he thought as he pulled out the Goron Mask and put it on, then rolled out of the cave and back onto the beach.
Once he was outside, Link continued rolling as a Goron along the shore, looking for any signs that would point out the location of a town, city or medicine shop. At first, he found nothing of the sort. However, he did spot a slope that led up the mountain range. Reasoning that there might be a better chance of finiding civilization up in the mountains instead of on the beach, Link rolled full-speed up the slopy path.
The path took Link up to the top of the mountain, and it also went down the other side. And on the other side of the mountain range was a beautiful forest with impossibly tall trees.... a forest that seemed vaguely familiar....
*Wait a minute,* thought Link as he uncurled his Goron body and took a good look around him. Yes, this forest looked VERY familiar. It looked just like the forest where....
*I don't believe it! This is the forest where I ran into the Skull Kid again!!* Link thought to himself as he continued to look around him. After closer inspection, there was no doubt that it WAS that forest, and it looked exactly like it did that fateful day seven years ago when the Skull Kid had stolen Epona and led him to Termina. *And if this is that forest, then that means....*
Filled with a sense of hope, Link pulled out the set of drums that served as the equivalent of the Ocarina of Time in his Goron form. He quickly performed a little tune with the drums, and almost instantly, a pair of large, white wings materialized behind Link. They wrapped themselves around him, forming a feathery cocoon. The cocoon began spinning rapidly, and then with an explosion of snow-white feathers, it was gone.
******
Once again in human form, Link ran through Clock Town, clutching an empty barrel. *Wow, coming back here brings back memories. Then again, I guess when you keep reliving the same three days over and over again, the areas you keep revisiting tend to stick in your memory,* he thought as he took in all the familiar sights. Even though Clock Town had expanded a lot since he had saved it from the moon, but the basic layout was the same. And that was a good thing, considering the urgency of the situation.
Soon he made it to the western sector of Clock Town, which still had all the same shops from the first time he had been here. Also, the person who he was looking for was still located in the West Clock Town: the banker. "Hey, it's been a while," said Link as he walked up to the banker.
"Uh, do I know you?" the banker asked him, obviously not recognizing him.
"It's me, Link. Remember seven years ago, when it looked like the moon was going to crash into the Earth?" Link replied hastily, certain that mentioning that frightening event would jar the banker's memory.
"Ah, yes, of course. Now I remember," said the banker. "My you've grown. And you still have the same type of clothes...."
"Look, I'm really in a hurry," interrupted Link, the impatience evident in his voice. "I need to buy red medicine and lots of it. How much did I have left in the bank seven years ago?"
"Uhhh, let me think," said the banker, trying to remember how much Link had deposited. It took all of Link's willpower to hold his tongue and not snap at him, telling him to hurry up. "Oh yes, I think you had 5499 rupees saved up," he said after a lengthy pause. "How much do you want?"
"All of it," said Link matter-of-factly.
"WHAT?!!" cried the banker in disbelief. "You're not serious are you, taking out all that?!"
Link just gazed at him icily and thrust the empty barrel in front of him. "Fill 'er up," he said to him flatly.
******
Link stampeded out of the passageway that led to Termina in his Goron form, and on his back he had tied down six barrels filled to the brim with red medicine. The weight of those barrels was quite burdensome, and even with his Goron's strength they were difficult to carry. Furthermore, hefting all that weight made it difficult to walk, let alone run.
But he had to run - Zelda's very life depended on it. It had been about thirty minutes since he had left Zelda's cave, transported to Termina, bought all the red medicine he needed, and made it through the passage that led out of the alternate world. There was still time before Zelda's infection would make her terminally ill.
But now came the hard part: getting the medicine back to Zelda. Since the owl statues were only set up in Termina, the Song of Soaring was now useless. And he didn't have Farore's Wind anymore, and even if he did, he couldn't use it to teleport the way Zelda could. Which meant he had to run the rest of the way.
For a while, Link was able to keep up a good pace, running about two miles through the forest within the timespan of around fifteen minutes, even though the Goron form wasn't well suited for long-distance running. But after running a third mile, Link's legs began to cramp up, and he was forced to sit down and rest his legs.
*Ugh, I need to rest, just for a little while,* Link thought angrily as he sat down and rubbed his aching legs. For him, this was torture; Gorons were meant to travel long distances via the Goron roll, not by using their legs, and the fact that he was hefting such a heavy load didn't help matters any. Link had been able to push himself to overcome this limitation at first, but now it was clear he couldn't keep up that sort of pace for long. *But only as a Goron will I have the strength to carry all of these barrels! There's no other way!!*
After a few minutes, Link felt well enough to get moving again. *Gotta move, every second counts!* he reminded himself as he took off again, running as fast as he could. He didn't even run a hundred feet before his legs gave way again. *This is ridiculous!!* he thought dejectedly as he slumped to the ground once more.
For a while, Link just sat there trying to catch his breath. *I don't believe this! I managed to find medicine, but now I can't get it to her!!* he thought angrily, enraged at himself and his lack of endurance as a Goron. *At this rate, by the time I finally make it back to the cave, it'll be too late. And Zelda....*
Zelda.... The woman he cherished more than life itself, the woman he'd do anything for, the woman he vowed to stay with no matter what happened, and once again she was counting on him to pull through. She was so beautiful and selfless and vivacious, but now, she lay dying in that dark cavern. He had faced off against the King of Evil to rescue her, swam hundreds of miles to find her again.... and now, to lose her when he had the very means of saving her life tied onto his back?!
*No.... NO!!!* Link thought resolutely as he stood back up on wobbly legs. *No, I'm not giving up! I'll get this medicine to Zelda even if kills me!!!* And with that, he charged forward at full speed. Almost immediately, fatigue set in again; Link felt as if his legs were about to snap in half. But Link ignored it, shutting out the pain. The only thing that was on his mind was getting back to Zelda....
After running about two more miles, Link finally reached the mountain he had rolled over to reach the forest. *Good thing we can find each other with our Triforce parts,* Link thought gratefully as he began to run up the mountain path, his legs exploding in pain with each step he took. It was true that without that ability of each Triforce piece to home in on other pieces, he would never have found that particular mountain again so soon. *Hey, I wonder how come Ganondorf never found Zelda that way, if the Triforce pieces can home in on each other. Maybe it had something to do with the Sheik disguise,* Link thought curiously as he ran up the mountain.
Soon enough, he had reached the top, and the slopy path downward that led back to the shoreline lay before him. After pausing for a few seconds, he sped down the path, and in no time was back on the beach and heading directly for Zelda's cave.
As he entered the cave, Link was filled with a sense of triumph in knowing that he was within reach of his goal, despite the indiscribable agony of his aching legs and being on the verge of exhaustion. However, this inner jubilation made him a bit careless, and he tripped on a rock and fell over. This caused two of the barrels to break free of their bindings, and as Link got up, he saw them roll downward into the cavern. Before he could even take a single step, they collided with the stem of a giant mushroom and broke open, their contents splattering all over the place.
"Oh no!!!!" Link cried out, mentally kicking himself for being so clumsy. He wanted to make sure he had as much red medicine as possible, and now... would only four barrels be enough for Zelda?
A few minutes later, Link made it to the heart of the underground cavern where Zelda was lying, still in the same position that he had left her in. Wasting no time, he ran to Zelda's left size, climbed onto her hand, and walked up to her forearm. He could see Zelda's chest slowly rise and fall with the last bit of sunlight that was peering into the cave, so he knew she was still alive. But as to whether or not the infection was beyond treatment.... "Please.... please don't let it.... be too late," he thought aloud as he sat down on her arm, facing the infected laceration.
Link reached behind him and undid the knots of rope that held a barrel of medicine in place. Reaching behind him, he grabbed the untied barrel and brought it in front of him. He opened it and began to pour the red medicine onto the wound as he sidestepped along the length of Zelda's forearm. Afterwards, he smeared and rubbed the inside of her wound with his powerful Goron hands, just to make sure the medicine was spread throughout the infected areas. After that was done, he went and repeated the process with the three remaining barrels of red medicine.
It was finally done. Utterly exhausted, Link sat down at Zelda's elbow junction and stared at her medicine-drenched wound. *Did I get back in time?* he thought fearfully, the uncertainty tormenting him as much as the excruciating pains in his legs and back. He took off the Goron Mask and transformed back into his Hylian self, but it didn't change anything. The exhaustion from his ordeal as a Goron carried over to his human form, much like how the previous day swimming as a Zora made him tired even after taking off the Zora Mask.
But Link's attention was more focused on Zelda's infected cut. Did he make it back in time? Was he able to save the girl he loved? He stared fixedly at it, as if he could make the medicine work faster through force of will. It would be quite some time before it showed any visible change, if the red medicine had any effect at all. *Come on, Zelda. Give me a sign....*
All of a sudden, Zelda let out another explosive sneeze that caused her entire body to shake, including her left arm. This flung Link off of her arm and he plummeted about ten feet, smacking onto the cavern floor back-first. If the floor of the cave had been rock instead of dirt, his spine probably would have shattered. Still, the impact hurt a lot.
"Ergh, that wasn't the sort of sign I meant," he spat out dejectedly, his aching back hurting worse than ever. He tried to get up, but found that because of the pain in his back it was impossible. He was simply too hurt and too tired. "Zelda...." he muttered weakly as his felt consciousness slip away, his body finally giving in to severe exhaustion.
******
When Link finally awoke, it was to the sensation of water being splashed all over his face. Slowly, his eyes fluttered open. All he could see was the blurry outline of a hand with the index finger outstretched. As he slowly regained his bearings, he realized he was still lying down, but instead of tightly-packed dirt, it was something soft and warm....
As his vision came into focus, Link realized that the hand was being held high above him, and that it was a really big hand, and that the index finger looked wet and dripping, and it looked pink, and....
"Huh?" muttered Link as he sat up and looked around him. From the looks of it, he was still in the cave, only it had become illuminated again. And he was sitting in the palm of a giant, gloved hand. "Oh.... does this mean.... Zelda?"
"Link?" he heard her say, her voice seeming to come from everywhere. "Link, are you awake? Are you alright?"
Link looked upward and saw Zelda's enormous face looming over him, gazing down upon him with a curious look. "ZELDA?!!!" Link exclaimed jubilantly, unable to contain his happiness. He had succeeded in saving his girlfriend, despite all the odds. "Zelda!! You're alright?! You're cured?!!"
Zelda's expression now changed from one of concern to confusion. "Cured?" she whsipered, her brow furrowing. "I don't.... what do you...."
"That cut on your arm, it was infected. I had to go find you red medicine to cure it," Link quickly explained.
"Oh," was all Zelda said.
"Zelda, how do you feel? Do you still feel sick?" Link asked, still worried that the sickness might still be ravaging her body.
"Well, I feel kinda hot, I still feel tired, and ahhh.... ACCHH-OOOOO!!!!" Zelda quickly lifted her head and turned away from Link before she sneezed. "And I still have this blasted cold. But I don't feel that bad. How sick was I?"
"Sick enough that I had to shoot you in the head with an ice arrow to keep your fever down," Link answered morbidly.
Once again, all Zelda could say was, "Oh."
Link just kept gazing up into Zelda's huge face. Indeed, from the looks of her face, she seemed much better now. That ghastly, pale look was no more, and once again, she looked so alive, so sprightly....
"Heh, it's funny," Zelda said all of a sudden, snapping Link out of his euphoric state of gratefulness. "Even with my size and strength, I needed you to save me yet again," she said, her voice carrying a tone of irony.
Link couldn't think of anything to say in response to that. Indeed, it was very ironic how the life of someone so gigantic was almost ended by the tiniest living things on Earth. But Link didn't find it funny at all; he had almost lost the love of his life.
"My hero," Zelda said lovingly, bringing her hand up to her face and giving Link a peck on the head.
******
OK, I bet all the people who've told me they're anxious to see how Zelda's gonna get back to normal are pretty pissed at me for dragging on the story like this, especially when this chapter's title made it sound like I was finally getting around to that. Don't worry. I promise, next chapter will be when I reveal how it'll be done.
Oh, and another thing, for all you Zelda fans who haven't bought The Minish Cap yet, stop reading this crap and go get it now. Trust me, this is the best Zelda in years; more than makes up for the disappointing Oracle of Ages and Wind Waker.
Oh yeah, and Happy Valentine's Day, or something.
So long,
Grey
a Legend of Zelda romance fic
Chapter 10: Race For The Cure
2-13-2005
by Grey
Disclaimer: I don't own the Zelda series or any of its characters; Nintendo and the series' creator Shigeru Miyamoto do. So don't sue me or anything.
This fic is dedicated to CubedCinder128, for what I hope are obvious reasons.
******
Complete darkness once again swept over Link as the magic of Farore's Wind faded away. But as before, the entire cave became bathed in bright light. He looked up at Zelda again, who was still holding him only a few feet from her face. "How are you doing that? Is it Din's Fire?" he asked her.
Zelda nodded and replied, "Yeah, it is. Pretty handy, isn't it?"
*She's able to use those spells in such creative ways; ways I never would've even thought of. No wonder she was chosen to wield the Triforce of Wisdom,* Link thought to himself, admiring her creativity. Out loud he said, "Yeah, it sure is."
As Link continued to look up at Zelda, he saw some signs of injury on her face that he hadn't noticed before. For one thing, there was a bruise on the side of her head, probably from where the Wizzrobe had struck her with a spider leg. Not only that, there appeared to be several little scrapes and cuts all over her face. However, in Link's eyes, none of that detracted from her radiant beauty. Besides, it was sort of a testament to how Zelda could take a beating and still stand and fight, and as a warrior, Link had to respect that sort of resilience.
Still, Link voiced his concern. "Uh, Zelda, are you OK? It kinda looks like that Wizzrobe did a number on you."
The mention of her calamitous battle with the Wizzrobe made Zelda feel melancholy all over again, reminding her of the all the destruction their fight caused in the market town. "I'm OK Link, I'm a tough girl," she breathed softly, trying not to sound depressed.
However, as usual, Link caught on right away. "Zelda, there's something wrong, I can tell."
Zelda let out a sigh of defeat, deciding there was no point in keeping it from Link. "It's just that, that battle caused so much destruction, so much of all we rebuilt was leveled, and I'm partly to blame for it. That was the other reason I left Hyrule."
Link shook his head and said, "Zelda, you can't blame yourself for what happened. You were trying to protect all of us."
"I know, I know," replied Zelda exasperatedly. "But still, seeing all those buildings razed to the ground.... I feel so guilty. And the way the townspeople were staring at me...."
Link tried to think of something to say that would reassure Zelda, but nothing came to him. He had at least shown Zelda that she wasn't going to kill him just by being around him, but how to convince her she wasn't a danger to everyone else? "Zelda, umm," said Link, struggling to find his words. "Do you, uh, plan to ever go back to Hyrule?"
Zelda let out another sigh. "I don't know, Link, I don't know," she said in a sorrowful tone.
"But... but you can't just stay away forever!" cried Link. "Hyrule is your home, and you and I.... we worked so hard to save it. And a few days ago, it sounded like you were ready to get back to being the princess, despite what's happened."
"I know, Link, it's just.... ehhh.... AAAA-CHOO!!!" Zelda turned her head away just in time to keep Link from getting sprayed again. *Ugh, blasted cold! At least I avoided sneezing on Link this time,* she thought to herself. Out loud, she continued, "I don't know, Link. I guess I need some time away, to think about everything...."
"Well, take all the time you want," said Link. "As long as I'm with you, nothing else matters."
"Huh? It sounded like you were going to be adamant that I go back," said Zelda, genuinely surprised that Link was willing to let the matter go so easily.
"Well, I really do think you should go back, but I didn't come all this way to convince you to come back. I came because I need to be with you," replied Link.
Zelda didn't say anything in response to that. Instead, she brought him back up to her lips and gave him another long gentle kiss, her lips practically smothering his body. *Oh Link, how can someone who's always been so shy around girls come up with such romantic things to say?* she thought to herself as she kissed him.
She then brought him up right in front of her eyes, so she could get a good, long look at him. *Oh, it's just so weird!* she thought as she examined him up close. *He's still the tough, rugged guy I know, but now, he looks so.... so cute!*
Link just remained completely still and silent, staring into Zelda's enormous blue eyes. She was holding him so close to her eyes, he could see his face reflected in her pupils. He then felt Zelda's fingertip brushing against the top of his head again. Link closed his eyes, relishing her soft, gentle touch. "Link, you look so cute," he heard her mutter softly.
"Uh, thanks," was all Link could think of saying.
"And you look a little tired," added Zelda with a hint of concern in her voice. It was true, he was beginning to feel a bit worn out. Swimming non-stop for hours as a Zora would tend to tire out anyone.
It was then that Zelda's stomach grumbled loudly, practically echoing throughout the cavern. "Zelda, when was the last time you had something to eat?" Link asked her in a concerned voice.
"When you brought me those apples this morning," Zelda answered flatly. "Ugh, I didn't even consider this... how in the world am I going to find enough food?"
"Actually, all you have to do is look around you," said Link in a matter-of-fact tone.
"Huh?" breathed Zelda, surprised by Link's sudden answer, but she did what he suggested and looked around her. Aside from the rocky walls and gravelly floor of the cavern, all she saw were the tops of large mushrooms glowing in the light she was generating. "I don't get it, Link," she said, looking back over to him. All I see are mushrooms."
"Exactly. Those are edible, and a perfect source of nutrition. And they'll grow back in twenty-four hours, so you don't really have to worry about running out," explained Link.
"Really? Are you sure?" she asked nervously, fearing that Link was mistaken and that the mushrooms were poisonous.
"Trust me Zelda, I've travelled a lot and I know about these sort of things," retorted Link. "Go on, put me down and try some."
"Uh, OK," said Zelda nervously as she gently set Link down on a nearby ledge jutting out of the cavern wall. She then looked at the mushrooms all around her, still apprehensive about eating them. But it was true that she was very hungry, and she realized that she should trust in Link's judgment. So she reached down and grabbed a mushroom, which had a cap as big and wide as her hand, and ravenously gobbled it down. *Hmmm, not bad. Tastes kinda sweet,* she thought as she swallowed the last of the first mushroom and reached down a for a second.
However, watching Zelda greedily stuff her face reminded Link of one minor detail. "Wait Zelda! You shouldn't eat those so fast!"
"Huh? What was that?" asked Zelda, who had just gobbled the second mushroom. "What did you say?" she asked, leaning down toward Link's ledge with her ear facing in his direction.
"I said you shouldn't eat those so fast!" he shouted again.
"Huh? Why not?" she asked curiously. She got her answer soon enough, for suddenly she felt gas rush up into her throat and....
"BUUUUR-UUUUURRR-UUURRRRPPP!!"
Zelda's belch resounded throughout the cave, practically causing the very walls to shake. And since Zelda's mouth had been so close to Link when she burped, it was like hearing a Goron powder keg go off five feet away. *Urgh, I don't know if my ears can't take much more,* Link thought grudgingly, holding his throbbing head.
"Oh Link, I'm sorry," whispered Zelda, careful not to talk too loud and add to Link's pain.
"Just be careful from now on, Zelda," shot back Link, his head still reeling. He sat down and rested his head on his knees. *And I thought her sneeze was loud,* he thought.
Link didn't hear Zelda didn't say anything else. Instead, all he heard was the distant sound of... splashing water? Standing up and looking around, he saw Zelda on the other side of the cavern, hunched over something. Upon closer inspection he saw water over in that area, glistening brightly in the light Zelda's magic was generating, and Zelda was cupping her hands and bringing water up to her face to drink. *There's a freshwater spring in here?* he thought curiously. *How did I miss that before?*
Once she wwas done drinking, Zelda scooted back over to Link's ledge. "Link, it's been a long, hard day. We're both tired from swimming here. Maybe we should get some sleep now."
Link nodded in agreement. "Yeah, now that you mention it, I feel ready to just pass out." Reaching into his supply bag, he pulled out his sleeping bag and unravelled it, setting it up on the ledge.
"Well, alright then. See you in the morning," replied Zelda as she lay down on the cavern floor, resting her head on a large mushroom. "Lights out," she said, and all of a sudden, the cave was plunged into darkness again.
However, Link couldn't fall asleep right away; there was still too much on his mind. *I sure didn't foresee our lives together being like this, living in a giant cave miles and miles away from Hyrule. At least with the mushrooms and the spring, she'll be fine here. Oh, but it's unfair how she has to sleep on the ground and I've got a sleeping bag....*
"AAAAA-CHOOOOO!!!"
Zelda's sneeze exploded throughout the darkness and made Link's ears hurt all over again. *Not to mention she has a nasty cold,* Link thought. *Ugh, I should really go out and try to get her some medicine in the morning, but.... how could I get a big enough dose for her?*
******
Link awoke to the sensation of the gentle rays of the sun peeking through the cave and striking the ledge he was sleeping on. "Urgh," he groaned as he sat up, rubbing his eyes and stretching. A good night's sleep had served him well; all of the aches and pains resulting from swimming so long as a Zora had gone away.
*I wonder if Zelda's up yet,* he thought as he got out of his sleeping bag and walked over to the edge of the platform. With the sunlight coming into the cavern, Link could clearly see Zelda lying down face-up on the cave floor, still fast asleep.
But Link could tell something wasn't right. Usually, when Zelda was asleep, she looked so serene, giving off an air of peaceful beauty. But right now, she still looked as if she was very tired, and her face.... it looked pale, sickly....
"ZELDA!! ZELDA!!!" Link called out as loud as he could, but Zelda didn't stir the slightest bit. And the ledge he was standing on was close enough to Zelda's head for his voice to be audible for her; something was very wrong.
Link's heart was starting to fill with dread. *Something's wrong with her, I know it, but what?* he thought panickingly as he began to climb down the rocky walls of the cavern. *That cold can't have affected her like this; something else must have happened.*
Once Link made it to the ground, he quickly climbed atop one of the large mushrooms. He then hopped from mushroom to mushroom until he was right in front of the one Zelda had rested her head on. He jumped toward it, but he realized too late that it was too far away. Luckily, some of Zelda's hair was dangling over the edge of the mushroom. Link reached out and grabbed hold of a lock of her hair, and began using it like rope to climb upward. He had half-expected Zelda to react in some way after tugging on her hair like that, but she remained completely motionless.
Soon enough, he was atop the mushroom Zelda was using as a pillow and was right next to her ear. He immediately realized that the area around Zelda's head was very warm, and it wasn't that way when she held him close to her face the previous evening. Link walked over to her cheek and placed his hand on it.... it felt boiling hot!
*Oh no, she's got a fever! But what's causing it? She was fine last night!* he thought. Deciding that he should wake Zelda up and ask her some questions, he walked back over to her ear. "ZELDA!!!!" Link screamed into her ear. This time, there was a reaction; her head shifted slightly, and he heard her groan. Of course, from his vantage point, he had no way of knowing if she had even opened her eyes, so he yelled her name into her ear again. "Zelda, please wake up!"
"Urrr... ungh... Link...?" he heard her say wanly. Her voice wasn't very loud, and Link had a feeling it wasn't because she was trying to keep her voice down.
"Zelda, you're burning up!" exclaimed Link. "You gotta tell me, just how badly do you feel?"
"Ugh... it's hot...." Zelda muttered weakly. "I can.... barely move.... so exhausted.... I feel sick...."
"Zelda...." said Link softly, not sure what to ask next.
For a while, Zelda didn't say anything else either. But eventually, she spoke up again. "Urgh, my left arm.... it stings.... Wh-What's wrong.... with me...."
*Huh, left arm?* thought Link as he looked over in the direction of her body. Unfortunately, he couldn't see anything unusual from his vantage point. *I'll have to go over there and take a look,* he thought as he jumped off the mushroom and grabbed hold of Zelda's bronze shoulder pad. After quickly pulling himself up, he slowly walked down Zelda's arm, looking for anything unusual.
It didn't take long before he found something. As he came to her elbow, he could see a large gash in her glove about thirteen feet long (pretty much the entire legnth of her forearm) , and the cloth right around it was stained red with blood. *She must've been wounded from her fight, but how is... Uh-oh,* thought Link, hoping that this didn't mean what he thought it meant.
Link walked over to the cut on Zelda's forearm and pulled back the silky cloth of her glove to get a better look at her wound. What he saw was exactly what he had feared; the area inside the cut looked purplish-red and swollen. Clearly, Zelda's open wound had become a nasty infection.
*Oh no, staying in the ocean with an open cut for so long must've caused this!* Link thought to himself as he ran back up Zelda's arm. Link knew all about that type of infection; if left untreated, the victim would surely die. Fortunately, red medicine could usually cure the infection when used as a topical treatment on the wound in time. But because of Zelda's immense size, getting enough red medicine for her wound would be a problem. And how was he supposed to get any when he didn't even know where the nearest town or medicine shop was?
Link stood on her shoulder pad and stared at Zelda's face.... her face looked so pallid, her cheeks a ghastly shade of white. Link knew that meant he had very little time before her infection became incurable. *I've got to go and find her medicine, before it's too late! But I have to do something about her fever, or that'll kill her first!* He took out his bow and powered up an ice arrow, aiming it at Zelda's forehead.
*Ack! What am I thinking, shooting an arrow at Zelda?!* he thought angrily, hesitant to fire off a magic arrow at his girlfriend, despite how necessary it was. *Ugh, I guess it's the only way to keep her fever down,* he realized, and finally let the arrow fly. It struck the red gem on her tiara, forming a circular sheet of ice five feet in diameter over her forehead. Link then fired off another ice arrow, just to make sure there'd be enough ice to keep Zelda's head cool enough until he returned with medicine.
Now that that was over with, Link ran back down Zelda's arm and down to her hand, which was touching the ground. *Gotta move fast!* he thought as he pulled out the Goron Mask and put it on, then rolled out of the cave and back onto the beach.
Once he was outside, Link continued rolling as a Goron along the shore, looking for any signs that would point out the location of a town, city or medicine shop. At first, he found nothing of the sort. However, he did spot a slope that led up the mountain range. Reasoning that there might be a better chance of finiding civilization up in the mountains instead of on the beach, Link rolled full-speed up the slopy path.
The path took Link up to the top of the mountain, and it also went down the other side. And on the other side of the mountain range was a beautiful forest with impossibly tall trees.... a forest that seemed vaguely familiar....
*Wait a minute,* thought Link as he uncurled his Goron body and took a good look around him. Yes, this forest looked VERY familiar. It looked just like the forest where....
*I don't believe it! This is the forest where I ran into the Skull Kid again!!* Link thought to himself as he continued to look around him. After closer inspection, there was no doubt that it WAS that forest, and it looked exactly like it did that fateful day seven years ago when the Skull Kid had stolen Epona and led him to Termina. *And if this is that forest, then that means....*
Filled with a sense of hope, Link pulled out the set of drums that served as the equivalent of the Ocarina of Time in his Goron form. He quickly performed a little tune with the drums, and almost instantly, a pair of large, white wings materialized behind Link. They wrapped themselves around him, forming a feathery cocoon. The cocoon began spinning rapidly, and then with an explosion of snow-white feathers, it was gone.
******
Once again in human form, Link ran through Clock Town, clutching an empty barrel. *Wow, coming back here brings back memories. Then again, I guess when you keep reliving the same three days over and over again, the areas you keep revisiting tend to stick in your memory,* he thought as he took in all the familiar sights. Even though Clock Town had expanded a lot since he had saved it from the moon, but the basic layout was the same. And that was a good thing, considering the urgency of the situation.
Soon he made it to the western sector of Clock Town, which still had all the same shops from the first time he had been here. Also, the person who he was looking for was still located in the West Clock Town: the banker. "Hey, it's been a while," said Link as he walked up to the banker.
"Uh, do I know you?" the banker asked him, obviously not recognizing him.
"It's me, Link. Remember seven years ago, when it looked like the moon was going to crash into the Earth?" Link replied hastily, certain that mentioning that frightening event would jar the banker's memory.
"Ah, yes, of course. Now I remember," said the banker. "My you've grown. And you still have the same type of clothes...."
"Look, I'm really in a hurry," interrupted Link, the impatience evident in his voice. "I need to buy red medicine and lots of it. How much did I have left in the bank seven years ago?"
"Uhhh, let me think," said the banker, trying to remember how much Link had deposited. It took all of Link's willpower to hold his tongue and not snap at him, telling him to hurry up. "Oh yes, I think you had 5499 rupees saved up," he said after a lengthy pause. "How much do you want?"
"All of it," said Link matter-of-factly.
"WHAT?!!" cried the banker in disbelief. "You're not serious are you, taking out all that?!"
Link just gazed at him icily and thrust the empty barrel in front of him. "Fill 'er up," he said to him flatly.
******
Link stampeded out of the passageway that led to Termina in his Goron form, and on his back he had tied down six barrels filled to the brim with red medicine. The weight of those barrels was quite burdensome, and even with his Goron's strength they were difficult to carry. Furthermore, hefting all that weight made it difficult to walk, let alone run.
But he had to run - Zelda's very life depended on it. It had been about thirty minutes since he had left Zelda's cave, transported to Termina, bought all the red medicine he needed, and made it through the passage that led out of the alternate world. There was still time before Zelda's infection would make her terminally ill.
But now came the hard part: getting the medicine back to Zelda. Since the owl statues were only set up in Termina, the Song of Soaring was now useless. And he didn't have Farore's Wind anymore, and even if he did, he couldn't use it to teleport the way Zelda could. Which meant he had to run the rest of the way.
For a while, Link was able to keep up a good pace, running about two miles through the forest within the timespan of around fifteen minutes, even though the Goron form wasn't well suited for long-distance running. But after running a third mile, Link's legs began to cramp up, and he was forced to sit down and rest his legs.
*Ugh, I need to rest, just for a little while,* Link thought angrily as he sat down and rubbed his aching legs. For him, this was torture; Gorons were meant to travel long distances via the Goron roll, not by using their legs, and the fact that he was hefting such a heavy load didn't help matters any. Link had been able to push himself to overcome this limitation at first, but now it was clear he couldn't keep up that sort of pace for long. *But only as a Goron will I have the strength to carry all of these barrels! There's no other way!!*
After a few minutes, Link felt well enough to get moving again. *Gotta move, every second counts!* he reminded himself as he took off again, running as fast as he could. He didn't even run a hundred feet before his legs gave way again. *This is ridiculous!!* he thought dejectedly as he slumped to the ground once more.
For a while, Link just sat there trying to catch his breath. *I don't believe this! I managed to find medicine, but now I can't get it to her!!* he thought angrily, enraged at himself and his lack of endurance as a Goron. *At this rate, by the time I finally make it back to the cave, it'll be too late. And Zelda....*
Zelda.... The woman he cherished more than life itself, the woman he'd do anything for, the woman he vowed to stay with no matter what happened, and once again she was counting on him to pull through. She was so beautiful and selfless and vivacious, but now, she lay dying in that dark cavern. He had faced off against the King of Evil to rescue her, swam hundreds of miles to find her again.... and now, to lose her when he had the very means of saving her life tied onto his back?!
*No.... NO!!!* Link thought resolutely as he stood back up on wobbly legs. *No, I'm not giving up! I'll get this medicine to Zelda even if kills me!!!* And with that, he charged forward at full speed. Almost immediately, fatigue set in again; Link felt as if his legs were about to snap in half. But Link ignored it, shutting out the pain. The only thing that was on his mind was getting back to Zelda....
After running about two more miles, Link finally reached the mountain he had rolled over to reach the forest. *Good thing we can find each other with our Triforce parts,* Link thought gratefully as he began to run up the mountain path, his legs exploding in pain with each step he took. It was true that without that ability of each Triforce piece to home in on other pieces, he would never have found that particular mountain again so soon. *Hey, I wonder how come Ganondorf never found Zelda that way, if the Triforce pieces can home in on each other. Maybe it had something to do with the Sheik disguise,* Link thought curiously as he ran up the mountain.
Soon enough, he had reached the top, and the slopy path downward that led back to the shoreline lay before him. After pausing for a few seconds, he sped down the path, and in no time was back on the beach and heading directly for Zelda's cave.
As he entered the cave, Link was filled with a sense of triumph in knowing that he was within reach of his goal, despite the indiscribable agony of his aching legs and being on the verge of exhaustion. However, this inner jubilation made him a bit careless, and he tripped on a rock and fell over. This caused two of the barrels to break free of their bindings, and as Link got up, he saw them roll downward into the cavern. Before he could even take a single step, they collided with the stem of a giant mushroom and broke open, their contents splattering all over the place.
"Oh no!!!!" Link cried out, mentally kicking himself for being so clumsy. He wanted to make sure he had as much red medicine as possible, and now... would only four barrels be enough for Zelda?
A few minutes later, Link made it to the heart of the underground cavern where Zelda was lying, still in the same position that he had left her in. Wasting no time, he ran to Zelda's left size, climbed onto her hand, and walked up to her forearm. He could see Zelda's chest slowly rise and fall with the last bit of sunlight that was peering into the cave, so he knew she was still alive. But as to whether or not the infection was beyond treatment.... "Please.... please don't let it.... be too late," he thought aloud as he sat down on her arm, facing the infected laceration.
Link reached behind him and undid the knots of rope that held a barrel of medicine in place. Reaching behind him, he grabbed the untied barrel and brought it in front of him. He opened it and began to pour the red medicine onto the wound as he sidestepped along the length of Zelda's forearm. Afterwards, he smeared and rubbed the inside of her wound with his powerful Goron hands, just to make sure the medicine was spread throughout the infected areas. After that was done, he went and repeated the process with the three remaining barrels of red medicine.
It was finally done. Utterly exhausted, Link sat down at Zelda's elbow junction and stared at her medicine-drenched wound. *Did I get back in time?* he thought fearfully, the uncertainty tormenting him as much as the excruciating pains in his legs and back. He took off the Goron Mask and transformed back into his Hylian self, but it didn't change anything. The exhaustion from his ordeal as a Goron carried over to his human form, much like how the previous day swimming as a Zora made him tired even after taking off the Zora Mask.
But Link's attention was more focused on Zelda's infected cut. Did he make it back in time? Was he able to save the girl he loved? He stared fixedly at it, as if he could make the medicine work faster through force of will. It would be quite some time before it showed any visible change, if the red medicine had any effect at all. *Come on, Zelda. Give me a sign....*
All of a sudden, Zelda let out another explosive sneeze that caused her entire body to shake, including her left arm. This flung Link off of her arm and he plummeted about ten feet, smacking onto the cavern floor back-first. If the floor of the cave had been rock instead of dirt, his spine probably would have shattered. Still, the impact hurt a lot.
"Ergh, that wasn't the sort of sign I meant," he spat out dejectedly, his aching back hurting worse than ever. He tried to get up, but found that because of the pain in his back it was impossible. He was simply too hurt and too tired. "Zelda...." he muttered weakly as his felt consciousness slip away, his body finally giving in to severe exhaustion.
******
When Link finally awoke, it was to the sensation of water being splashed all over his face. Slowly, his eyes fluttered open. All he could see was the blurry outline of a hand with the index finger outstretched. As he slowly regained his bearings, he realized he was still lying down, but instead of tightly-packed dirt, it was something soft and warm....
As his vision came into focus, Link realized that the hand was being held high above him, and that it was a really big hand, and that the index finger looked wet and dripping, and it looked pink, and....
"Huh?" muttered Link as he sat up and looked around him. From the looks of it, he was still in the cave, only it had become illuminated again. And he was sitting in the palm of a giant, gloved hand. "Oh.... does this mean.... Zelda?"
"Link?" he heard her say, her voice seeming to come from everywhere. "Link, are you awake? Are you alright?"
Link looked upward and saw Zelda's enormous face looming over him, gazing down upon him with a curious look. "ZELDA?!!!" Link exclaimed jubilantly, unable to contain his happiness. He had succeeded in saving his girlfriend, despite all the odds. "Zelda!! You're alright?! You're cured?!!"
Zelda's expression now changed from one of concern to confusion. "Cured?" she whsipered, her brow furrowing. "I don't.... what do you...."
"That cut on your arm, it was infected. I had to go find you red medicine to cure it," Link quickly explained.
"Oh," was all Zelda said.
"Zelda, how do you feel? Do you still feel sick?" Link asked, still worried that the sickness might still be ravaging her body.
"Well, I feel kinda hot, I still feel tired, and ahhh.... ACCHH-OOOOO!!!!" Zelda quickly lifted her head and turned away from Link before she sneezed. "And I still have this blasted cold. But I don't feel that bad. How sick was I?"
"Sick enough that I had to shoot you in the head with an ice arrow to keep your fever down," Link answered morbidly.
Once again, all Zelda could say was, "Oh."
Link just kept gazing up into Zelda's huge face. Indeed, from the looks of her face, she seemed much better now. That ghastly, pale look was no more, and once again, she looked so alive, so sprightly....
"Heh, it's funny," Zelda said all of a sudden, snapping Link out of his euphoric state of gratefulness. "Even with my size and strength, I needed you to save me yet again," she said, her voice carrying a tone of irony.
Link couldn't think of anything to say in response to that. Indeed, it was very ironic how the life of someone so gigantic was almost ended by the tiniest living things on Earth. But Link didn't find it funny at all; he had almost lost the love of his life.
"My hero," Zelda said lovingly, bringing her hand up to her face and giving Link a peck on the head.
******
OK, I bet all the people who've told me they're anxious to see how Zelda's gonna get back to normal are pretty pissed at me for dragging on the story like this, especially when this chapter's title made it sound like I was finally getting around to that. Don't worry. I promise, next chapter will be when I reveal how it'll be done.
Oh, and another thing, for all you Zelda fans who haven't bought The Minish Cap yet, stop reading this crap and go get it now. Trust me, this is the best Zelda in years; more than makes up for the disappointing Oracle of Ages and Wind Waker.
Oh yeah, and Happy Valentine's Day, or something.
So long,
Grey