Was I conscious? No—not entirely. I felt the still, cool air, and the lukewarm water seep into my skin, my muscles tense and burned. I shivered as tried to wiggle my toes. They felt numb. My vision slowly came back as I blinked my eyes. Looking around for the first time, I noticed something. I could see rats chewing through my numb toes and burrowing into my body through my wounds. I felt sick to my stomach which might have not been there anymore. My breathing was labored and it was hard to keep sucking in the icy air. Suddenly, the air became humid and my ears stopped ringing, and the sound of war cries rushed through my ears. I could hear the horse's cries and the warrior's roars. I held back tears of pain as I pushed my numb body up into a sitting position, something long and sharp sliding through my lower back. I could smell the scent of death in the air and it filled my nostrils like a fowl perfume. My vision was still clouded as I observed my surroundings more. I saw the king, lifeless and limp a few hundred feet away from me. His eyes still sparkled light blue and his face was frozen in the appearance of pure shock. Though, I could see in his eyes that he did not regret a single moment of the four years of training his army for this great war. I spotted a fellow knight and shot to my numb feet and jello-like legs, trying to balance my sickly dizzy body as I trudged to the warrior's side. He glanced at me then turned to face me, his dark brown eyes growing wide. "L-Link! You're alive!?" His eyes darted over to a guard and he motioned for the armed figure to come. He raced towards us with a gurney and unfolded it, but before I could see anymore, everything went black and I dropped without warning. I shifted my shoulders a little before sucking it a sharp breath, getting stopped by the blood in my lungs and the pain filling my chest. It didn't take long for me to realize that I couldn't open my eyes. It's as if all my energy was never coming back. Suddenly I noticed something warm on my forehead, and eased my breathing at the sound of the voice. "You're lucky to be alive you know." I heard her sigh as brushed the hair over my forehead back. "You broke some ribs, your left leg, and you're incredibly sick and infected. It took forever for the doctor to remove the rats from your intestinal system. Plus, the doctor had to literally stitch up your insides. Those plagued rats chewed right through you." Her voice started to shake as I had heard her quiet sobs. "Link, you were logged as dead for three whole weeks. Three! Once they found out that you were still alive they notified me and I ordered them to allow you to heal in my chambers." She brought her hand to her chest. "Link, I thought for sure that you wouldn't wake up again. We all thought that. You're a very lucky man to be alive, and I'd like you to live here until you're one hundred percent. The kingdom depends on you. I depend on you." Her grip around my hand tightened momentarily before she set it gently back at my side. Sighing, I felt her lips touch my icy forehead and her tears slide down my face, "You should rest." She pulled away and I heard her get up from beside me. I forced my rough voice to stop her, but nothing came out. I reached out my hand blindly, searching for her. When I caught her wrist she gasped and turned to face me again. "Link... your ice cold." She shivered and pulled her wrist away. I managed to force my eyes open enough to see her. "Don't give up on us now..." I shook my head weakly took her hand again, squeezing it gently, brushing my thumb tenderly over her marking. She turned completely pale at my touch. "I-I'll get you some more blankets." She hurried to her wardrobe and pulled out two heavy blankets, laying them over me carefully. "Try not to move. The bandages might tear..." She sat on the edge of the bed and looked at me, smiling sadly. "We don't know how long you'll have to stay in bed." I stared at her silently, trying to keep my short breaths steady and hidden. "Your injuries are... quite extreme." Sighing, she glanced down at my marked hand and let a tear escape. "T-The doctor will join us shortly." I swallowed the thick concoction in my throat, trying to ignore the pain, as I nodded subtly. Without much warning, the doctor had entered, carrying a large bag. I forced to swallow again and glued my eyes to the doctor. He set his bag at the bed side and pulled loose the knot, taking out a flat wooden tool. "Open up and stick out your tongue, son." His voice was deeper than mine and was thick with age. I did as he said and he proceeded to set the tool deep down my throat, pushing it down on my tongue. He investigated my throat and bit his lip. Pulling away and setting the tool in his bag, he looked to Zelda, and back to me. "I need to remove the blankets." I noticed Zelda turn away and shield her vision from me. I nodded a little and allowed him to gently take them away and set it beside me. He searched my fragile body and ran his fingers along a large scar on my lower abdomen. I sucked in a painful breath as I closed my eyes. It still hurt. He took the blankets and set them over my lower body. "Alright. Now, to see how your gashes are doing..." My eyes were wide open as soon as I realized what that meant. I shook my head quickly, pleading the doctor not to. He, of course, did not listen, and began to remove a bandaging. I screamed in pain immediately, digging my nails into the fabric covering the bed. I squeezed my eyes shut and clenched my teeth, hissing at the horrible pain. The fabric of the bandaging had stuck to my wounds and pulled off any form of scabbing with it. It nearly brought tears to my eyes. I bit my bottom lip, breathing in short, quick breaths. "Relax, or you'll split the stitches too!" I squeezed my eyes tighter, piercing my lip as I bit down harder. He finally replaced the cloth as stepped back. I was panting short breaths as soon as he was away from me, trying to recover from the pain. Zelda slowly looked back, tears soaking her cheeks. "I didn't see any signs of infection, but his lungs and throat still seem to be filled with mucus and blood." I noticed Zelda try to compose herself. "Thank you..." She wiped her tears away and smiled faintly. The doctor nodded and picked up his bag, leaving quietly. I closed my eyes again and sighed quietly, whispering to her. "Zelda, please don't cry... I'm fine, see?" I looked at her and smiled, and she stared right back at me, her face reflecting emptiness. "Then sit up. Prove to me that you're 'fine.'" I swallowed and slowly took in a breath, holding it as I slowly sat up, the stitches crunching together and sending surges of great pain through my body. I ignored the pain and kept smiling, hiding the pain. "See... I'm okay." I whispered hoarsely. Her worried expression softened a little as she gently placed her hand over the bandages covering a deep gash around my chest. She pressed a little, feeling the chill of my skin mixing with the warmth of my wounded areas. I tried hard not to move or make any noise. Suddenly, Zelda wrapped her arms around me and jerked me forward, making me grunt in pain as she held me tightly. I slowly hugged her back, inching my arms around her. I felt her tears roll down my shoulder in every direction. I gently rubbed her back. "Shh... I'm alive, and I'm going to stay that way." Hesitating, I kissed her cheek softly. She pulled back and I moved my arms away. "A-Alright..." She wiped her eyes and sniffled. "Thank you so much for not giving up. We all owe you our life." I managed a chuckle. "Thanks, but..." My whisper got quieter. "I'm not the one who keeps this country running smoothly." I smiled at her. "You are."