Claus walked into an inn in a village that was just outside of the swamp. The sun was just beginning to peek over the tops of the houses and light up that particular corner of Hyrule. When he stepped into the inn, caked in mud and drenched in swamp water, he was given a look as though people just watched a Zora walk in. He took a deep breath and went to the counter, "How much is a room for a couple nights?" he asked.
The attendant looked at the grumpy blonde for a moment, trying to register what had walked into his establishment. He then leaned over and checked out the window, seeing a horse with a limp body draped over her back.
"Hello?" Claus called, "How much are one of your rooms?"
The attendant looked at him, "Um…" he opened his mouth to speak, then paused. "What happened to you?"
"Look, it's been a long night, I'm tired, stinky, and extremely sore because I pulled a muscle trying to get my horse-trampled brother onto the back of a different horse." Claus explained, "How much are your rooms?" he repeated, his tone hardened.
"Fifty a night." The attendant quickly answered. "But- for you and your brother, twenty-five."
Claus rolled his eyes, "Fifty is fine." He handed the man a purple rupee and was handed a room key in exchange. He turned and walked out the door, seeing Raudrey stand with both hands on the side of the horse, trying to keep himself balanced, his eyes shut tightly, indicating that he had a massive headache. "Raudrey!" he gasped, holding Raudrey's sides to help support him, however, he only heard a shout of pain come from the man. "Sorry!" he flinched and took his hands away. "Let's get you to a bed." He pulled Raudrey's arm over his shoulders and walked him to the room labeled on the key's tag. He unlocked the door shakily, mainly under Raudrey's weight, and shoved the door open. In doing this, he almost fell. Fear panged in his chest, Raudrey was having difficulty standing, let alone walking, his breaths have gone ragged and he was barely keeping his eyes open. "Come on!" he grunted and plopped Raudrey onto the nearest bed, wishing that it had gone a bit smoother when he laid him down.
Raudrey had howled in pain, curling up painfully into a ball. He was now panting and clawing into his head.
"Raudrey! Raudrey, calm down." He pulled his hands away and put a hand on his shoulder, "The more you touch it, the worse it's gonna hurt." Claus said, trying to calm the man down. "You're going to be okay." He said.
Raudrey looked up at him through pained yellow eyes, then he squeezed them shut again, "Everything hurts…" he groaned, stifling a small sob, "Everything hurts…"
"Lie down straight and flat, okay? I'm going to go find a doctor to take a look at you." He said, worry filling his voice. Raudrey was always the stronger out of the two, so to see him writhing in pain and crying in fetal position scared Claus. If Raudrey was scared, what hope did he have? Claus stood to leave quickly.
"Don't!" Raudrey gasped and grabbed Claus' wrist and held on tightly, "Don't leave…" he cried, "I don't want to be alone…" he sniffled, then groaned in pain again, twisting into a new position but held onto Claus' wrist tightly.
Claus' eyes watered, he never wanted to see Raudrey like this. Raudrey wasn't his real brother, but he sure looked up to him like one. Link wasn't Claus' hero. He never was. Raudrey was always there for him, even when he was sick or when he himself was upset. Raudrey treated Claus like he was his brother and had been his entire life.
He took a deep breath and nodded, kneeling by the bed and grabbing Raudrey's hand, tightening his grip and flexing the hand that was currently being held hostage.
Eventually, the loud groans would become uncomfortable grunts, then labored breathing, then silence as Raudrey's trembling body fell back to unconsciousness. His grip loosened on his wrist and released his arm completely. Claus sighed and stood up, testing the mobility of his hand, swearing that it was turning purple. "I'm going to find you a doctor, see if we can get you taken care of…" he said sadly, examining the injuries littering Raudrey's body. Cuts, scrapes and several bruises made themselves present on the surface of his skin, changing his skin tone almost completely, from the original slight tan that he had, he was now red, purple and… almost white. Claus didn't realize that Raudrey had grown so pale. He clenched his fist and pulled his eyebrows together in determination. He quickly turned away and left the room altogether, being sure to close the door quietly. The second he turned around, he flinched with how bright everything was. It was barely sunrise when he got into town. He took a deep breath and stopped the first person he saw, "Do you know where the doctor is in town?" he asked.
The woman flinched, "Oh my- um… a doctor?" she clarified, "The doctor has fallen ill." She said, "No one has been able to get healthcare for days."
Claus visibly sunk, "Your doctor is sick?" he asked in disbelief.
"I don't think he'd be able to help with all that mud on you, though." She said, "He can't examine a dirty patient."
Claus fell to his knees and stared at his hands and the ground, "It's not for me…" he sniffled.
The woman crouched by him and tried making eye contact with him, "Who's it for?" she asked.
"My brother…" he said, his bangs hung over his eyes as tears fell down his face, leaving clean trails free of mud in their paths. "He was trampled by his horse and he's in a lot of pain…" he said.
The woman let out a deep sigh, "Let me see him. I'm not a doctor, but I am training to be a nurse…" she said.
Claus stood back up and showed her to the room that they were staying in. "Him…" he said, pointing to the figure lying unconscious on the bed.
She nodded, "Go get yourself washed up and I'll take a look at him." She suggested.
Claus gave her a skeptical look, "I-I'd rather stay here."
"It'll be alright… Claus…" a hoarse voice groaned from behind the woman.
Claus jumped around her and dropped to his knees by Raudrey's bed. "Raudrey!" he gasped.
"Listen to the pretty lady, Claus…" Raudrey managed a weak smile.
"B-but…" Claus stuttered.
"No 'buts'." Raudrey said. "Go get yourself cleaned up…" he grunted in pain, twisting uncomfortably.
"Don't move, it'll get worse." The woman said, gently placing a hand on Raudrey's forehead. She looked at Claus, "Claus, was it?" she asked.
Claus nodded.
"Alright, go get washed up while I get… Raudrey?" she looked at him, earning a nod from the pained archer. "While I get Raudrey looked at."
Claus looked back down at Raudrey.
"I'll be fine." Raudrey said reassuringly. "Now go… you smell like a swamp." He chuckled painfully.
Claus sighed and stood up with a faint smile. "I slipped getting your stomped butt onto the horse." He smirked and walked off, relaxed on the outside, but terrified on the inside.
Raudrey watched Claus close the door and let his smile fade.
The woman looked at him sadly, "Your brother's really worried about you." She said and lifted his shirt to see any other damage that wasn't on his head and face. "You two look nothing alike though…"
Raudrey took a deep breath, "He's not my brother by blood. His family adopted me when my parents were killed in a village raid." He explained.
She paused, "That's so sad…" she looked back at his stomach and ribs, finding both riddled in cuts and bruises, "So… what exactly happened here?"
"Something scared my horse and he stomped all over me after throwing me off his back." He explained, then groaned loudly.
The woman flinched and pulled her hands away from his body. "What's wrong?" she gasped.
Claus sat in the pond nearby after hanging his clothes to dry. He stared at the surface of the water in front of him, mulling over and over in his head what could be happening with Raudrey. He hated himself for leaving him alone with a complete stranger who claimed to be training to be a nurse. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, listening to the indistinct conversations of any other people who were also at the pond, wishing he was alone. He wasn't used to a public bath. His ear twitched when he heard sloshing beside him, indicating that someone decided to take a seat there. He furrowed his brows and closed his eyes tighter.
"So… how come you haven't gone home yet?" a girl's voice asked, not too young, in fact about Claus' age- seventeen.
"What?" he opened his eyes to look at her, then quickly looked away, yep- he definitely wasn't used to a public bath. To him, it was a gateway nudist colony.
"You just saved Hyrule, don't you wanna celebrate with your family?" she asked.
Claus' ears lowered, finally understanding why she chose to sit next to him, "You have me mistaken for someone else…" he said.
"No, I don't." she giggled, "You're Link!" she laughed, clearly not paying attention to the volume she was using.
Claus' body ran cold, knowing she called the attention of every other person in that pond, and now he knew every pair of eyes present were on him. He sank more into the water, "I'm not Link…" he growled, finally building up the courage to look at her.
The girl was very perky. Her bright blue eyes looked at him wide with a warm, country smile. Her soaked autumn hair draped around her shoulders and covered her chest, fortunately. "Well, you look just like him!" she smiled widely.
Claus blushed and looked away.
"What brings you here anyway?" she asked.
Claus never discussed with Raudrey about Link, about the fact that he had been captured. Assuming that they were planning on asking around, he assumed that it was okay to tell. And why shouldn't he tell? The more people knowing Link was missing the better, right? They could get help. However, considering that she'd already caught everyone's attention and got them to look at him in his naked glory, he decided against it. "My friend is being looked at by a nurse right now, and she wanted me to go wash up… it's a long story." He said. Not a lie, but not the full truth either.
"What's wrong with your friend?" she asked, suddenly worried. When Claus looked at her, seeing the adorable expression on her face, he looked away.
"He was trampled by his horse." He squeezed his eyes shut.
She gasped and covered her mouth with her hands, splashing him in the process, "When?"
"Um… last night… early this morning." He said, "A few hours ago." He looked down at the water and focused away from her. "Something scared his horse so he was thrown off and stomped on…"
The girl stared at him for a while, seeing the sad expression that had taken over him. She watched him quickly splash his face and wipe away some mud, brushing his blonde hair back and looking to the sky. She looked down, "I lost my mother to a spooked horse…" she said sadly. "So I understand…"
"I'm sorry to hear…" Claus said.
She looked back at him, "What's your name?" she asked.
"Claus." He replied. "And yours?"
"Matilda." She smiled, however, the memory of her mother forced her smile to fade. "I'd go to him now, if I were you…" she said. "My mother didn't pass on quickly, but she suffered. She only wanted me and my father at her side."
Claus scoffed, "Raudrey told me to go wash up." He said, "He didn't want me around."
"He? Raudrey? That sounds like a girl's name." she said, the cute, curious look taking over her face again.
Claus couldn't help but to smile, "We get that a lot." He sighed, "Was there… anything they could do for your mother?" he asked, "Anything to help her injuries?"
Matilda shook her head, "The doctor studied her and even straightened the broken bones, but… something inside her body was damaged and he couldn't fix it."
"What about surgery?" Claus asked, trying desperately to find a solution.
She shook her head again, "He didn't want to risk cutting her open if he couldn't find what was wrong."
Claus sighed. "I have to go." He said and climbed out of the pond, grabbing his clothes and leaving.
Matilda watched him, "I'm sorry…" she whispered, even knowing he couldn't hear her.
Claus found his way back to the inn, fully clothed and clean. After finding his room, he gave the door a shove to open it, hating that he was given the one room with a sticky door. Beside Raudrey's side, was the nurse. "Did you find what was wrong?" he asked.
The woman stood and shook her head sadly, "No… but he's getting weak fast." She said. "I'd do surgery on him, but I don't want to start an operation and find nothing wrong and have him cut open for nothing."
This was exactly what Claus was scared to hear. Of course, he met the one person in town who lost a family member to the same thing, and of course, he has to hear the same thing that Matilda was told before her mother died.
The nurse watched Claus sink, "I'm sorry, Little One…" she hugged him. "But… I made him as comfortable as I could…" she said, holding the sobbing boy tightly. "I'm so sorry…"
"I can't lose him…" Claus gasped, "I can't lose him…" he repeated in a whimper.
"But…" she said, furrowing her brows, "There is something." She said.
"Anything! I'll do anything! I don't wanna lose my brother!" Claus sobbed.
"Shh-shh…" she hushed him, "There's a clearing that has been rumored to be a haven for Life Fairies…" she said, catching Claus' attention and making him up right up at her.
"Where?"
"The swamp. I know- Raudrey told me that you both just left the swamp, but there's a clearing in the swamp that's pure, there's no monsters, there's no slime, it is pure green and holy." She said, "I've seen it." Her expression was full of worry and wonder.
"You've seen it? Where? How?" Claus asked with amazement and eagerness.
"My husband." She said, "He was dying and a witch led me to them so I could heal him." She explained, "The witch enchanted some mushrooms and had them light the way. It shouldn't be that difficult to find them."
Claus nodded, "Keep an eye on him!" he commanded and ran out.
The woman stood in awe. She'd never seen anyone move that fast before. Behind her, she heard Raudrey groan weakly. She turned around to look at him.
"Wh-where's Claus?" he panted, his golden eyes barely staying open.
"He's going to get help." She reassured him. "He's coming right back."
"Th… thank you… Heather…" Raudrey said, his eyes drifting shut again. He was all cleaned up, so now it was easier to tell what his skin was supposed to look like, but instead of the tanned, Gerudo-like skin tone he was supposed to have, it was a pale peach, much like Claus' skin tone, but almost paler. His long, red-pink hair had been untied and brushed off to the side over the pillow his head laid on. The pale, tan covers were pulled up and over his chest, only allowing his arms to be exposed.
Heather sighed and sat beside him, brushing his hair back more.
Claus tromped through the swamp, cursing at himself that he had to go through the sticky, smelly death trap again. He had taken his horse with him, but had to leave her tied to a tree outside so she didn't stomp on him too. Fortunately, it didn't take long before he found the glowing mushrooms, just as Heather said. He quickly followed the mushrooms down the path, finding a thick curtain of vines, slimy and olive green. He touched it for a moment and flinched- having never touched anything so slimy. He shook off the grime on his hand and opened the curtain, finding the clearing exactly as Heather described it. It was greener than his own tunic, and more beautiful than the Goddess. Small orbs of light hovered around the area and illuminated the area with a golden white glow. Claus had a hard time taking in the beauty of it. He took a deep breath and reached for a jar from the bag strapped around his waist. "I hope this works..."