This was written for Zelink Week 2016 over on tumblr. I didn't finish the week but I'm putting up everything I did finish here.

"...we should give them a break tomorrow, then if we get everything packed up by dawn the following day we should it make to the valley by nightfall."

"Mmm." Impa glanced over to Princess Zelda. She was sitting, one leg crossed over the other and leaning her elbow on the arm of the her chair, face resting in her palm and not even looking in Impa's direction. Raising a brow, she began clearing the maps away.

"We should have enough provisions to last us through the journey, if not there are a few towns along the way."

"Mmhm."

"Princess Zelda."

"Hm?" Impa sighed.

"It wasn't your fault. There was nothing you could do. Link was always prone to recklessness when things got difficult-"

"Please don't speak like he's already dead." Her attention had finally been caught, head snapping in Impa's direction and fierce blues eyes flashing.

"Forgive me. I'm sure Lana is doing everything in her power to..." Impa broke off and Zelda sighed. She knew Impa didn't trust the white mage, but if anyone had a chance of saving Link, it was Lana. Her healing magic had been immensely useful after battles, increasing the speed with which injured soldiers got back on their feet and reducing the amount of letters being sent home to the families of the fallen. She just hoped it proved as effective now.

"You should get some rest, Your Highness. You've had a...difficult day." That was one way of putting it, Zelda thought, but she nodded all the same. Bidding Impa a 'goodnight' and a 'thank you' she saw her to the entrance of her tent. It was well past midnight and barely anyone was awake at this hour after the hard battle they had faced. She could see the pale green top of the medi-tent from where she stood, but she turned away back inside her own.

Moving back to her chair, she sat down heavily, taking a deep breath and releasing it slowly. She felt heavy, even though all of her armour had been removed. It had been so much more than a difficult day. It had been hell.

They'd been at a disadvantage from the very beginning. Fighting somewhere on the expanse of Hyrule Field, between the Temple of Souls and the Valley of Seers, they'd been closed in with no room to maneuver. Punching a hole through the oncoming offense had seemed impossible. The enemy had more than doubled up on summoners and the waves had been endless, for every enemy slain another instantly took its place. The same could not be said for her men. Many had been lost, more than ever before. They'd been losing. The men exhausted, frightened and desperate.

But then Link, somehow, had managed to break through. He'd thrown himself into the oncoming massacre and managed to get past the endless waves of Bokoblins and take out some of the summoners, making lighter work for the rest of them. The numbers finally, gradually, had started to dwindle. The tables had turned it had seemed. Just as Zelda felt that victory was within her grasp, Link's agonised cry had frozen her blood and stilled her hand. She had never heard him make such a sound before.

Cringing as his scream echoed in her mind, Zelda left her chair before she even knew what she was doing. There were no empty beds in the medi-tent. Lana had been working hard all night, and Zelda could see she was still at it, but there had been so many injured. Slipping silently between the beds of the sleeping soldiers, she made her way over to Lana, waiting patiently as she finished up tending to what looked like a burn.

"Princess?" Lana whispered as soon as she was done. She didn't look up at Zelda, rather she kept her eyes down and moved away to the next bed, checking on wounds and bandages.

"I just came to see…" Zelda shuddered as she looked over the sea of wounded. "Is there anything more you need? Potions? I can send for some."

"Thank you, Your Highness, but Lady Impa has already provided me with what I need." Lana glanced up briefly, a small tired smile given before she turned back to her work and Zelda understood that she wasn't being snubbed. "He's over there." Lana motioned over her shoulder toward a corner of the tent that had been blocked off from view by fabric partitions hanging from the tent structure. "Impa said we should separate him from everyone else because...it was pretty bad and...the soldiers looked up to him. They shouldn't have to see their hero dying." Zelda's breath caught in her throat. Lana didn't meet her eyes so she turned and moved as quickly and quietly as she could toward the corner. Slipping between the hanging sheets, her face crumpled as she saw Link lying there.

He was so pale and still, his eyebrows furrowed and lips dry and cracked, he looked awful. He had been stripped down until his chest was bare and his abdomen had been cleaned of blood and bandaged. His chest and arms were littered with cuts and bruises and the light of the lantern caught the fever flush across his cheeks and the beads of sweat on his face. As she moved closer she could see his chest rising and falling and her ears picked up the sound of his laboured breathing, short rattling breaths with too much space between.

A chair had been placed near the bed and she all but fell into it, never taking her eyes away from Link. Everyone kept saying he was dying. His injury was serious, he'd lost a large amount of blood, Zelda knew this, but she couldn't get her mind to even remotely consider that he was dying. He was the Hero. Hyrule needed him. Zelda needed him. She jumped when Lana drew back the sheet and entered with a small basin and cloth.

"He's stable. I managed to stem the bleeding and seal up as much of the internal wound as I could but, I wasn't strong enough to close it all the way. We gave him some blue potion and some purple Chu Jelly to put him to sleep. It's better if he doesn't have to struggle through the pain." Zelda tried to thank Lana but her voice was stuck so instead she nodded. Putting the basin down on the table with the lantern, Lana placed her hand on Zelda's shoulder. "I'm sorry, I've done everything I can for him. He's not in great shape but if he makes it through til morning, he'll be alright." Zelda lifted her hand and patted the one resting on her shoulder.

"You've done wonderfully Lana, and not just with Link. I don't know how I'll be ever be able to repay you." Lana shook her head, a small smile gracing her features before she turned away, leaving Zelda alone with Link again. Her eyes fell on the basin Lana ha brought in and she took up the cloth, soaking it in the cool water and wringing it out before moving over and seating herself on the edge of his bed and gently wiping the sweat away from Link's face. The potion must have been working hard to heal him to give him such a fever.

His eyebrows drew further together and his breathing hitched. Zelda dropped the cloth on her lap and stroked the backs of her fingers along his cheek and he seemed to settle. Sitting back, her eyes took in the sight of him. His head was turned to the right away from the lamp light and his left arm rested on his stomach above where the bandages started. The bandages reminded her of what was underneath and she sighed unhappily.

It had been a Redead. He'd been preoccupied with a Bokoblin Captain and not seen or heard the Redead advancing on his back. It's paralyzing scream had frozen him, and the Bokoblin had buried its blade in his gut.

The world seemed to stop. No sound had reached her other than a high pitched ringing as she watched him fall to his knees in slow motion.

Everything after that had been a blur. Reaching him had felt like an age passing. She hadn't gotten there first. Darunia was clearing the enemies away from the fallen hero while he lay on his side curled in on himself when she'd thrown herself down on her knees beside him.

He'd grabbed her wrist in a tight fist and told her to keep fighting. She remembered that and her wrist felt warm now from where he'd touched her. Looking at her wrist she half expected to see his handprint branded onto her skin. A small cough drew her attention back to him. His face was scrunched up again and she placed her hand on his chest, rubbing gently as though it would help. She remembered suddenly that he'd coughed while lying on the field, and the blood that had been at the corner of his mouth and she felt her heart flutter in her chest. He'd been so broken.

She shook her head, trying to rid herself of the images. He needed her to be strong now. He needed looking after. She took up the cloth again, soaking and wringing it out and gently cleaning his face again. He stirred, taking a slightly deeper, wheezing breath and a small blossom of voice accompanying his exhale, his eyebrows drawing together again in pain. Zelda grabbed the hand that was resting by his side, squeezing it gently and running her thumb over his knuckles soothingly, while making small shushing sounds.

He was so far under there was no way he knew she was there but it didn't matter. She just didn't want him to suffer alone. He had done so much for Hyrule already, he deserved at least this much. Even if it all ended tonight, she would make sure he was never forgotten. She would never forget him. Her tears fell before she even knew she was crying. He had deserved so much better.

Bowing her head and trying her best to choke back a sob, her breath stopped completely when his warm hand gently but definitely and undeniably, squeezed hers.

Let me know what you think please :)