Chapter 10
Zelda
"She's waking up! Quick!" was the first thing she heard, albeit very faintly. Her ears were ringing almost as bad as her head. She tried opening her eyes but found their lids too heavy a weight.
Involuntarily, she made a croaking sound, followed by a coughing fit that nearly shook her off the bed.
"Easy, Zelda, honey! Slowly." Saria's familiar voice. At least some comfort…
Her hearing slowly sharpened again. She could sense that quite a lot of people were standing around her, watching her intently.
For just a tiny moment, her pride was incensed. Yes, thank you, I just love that you all gawk at me in my predicament. She relaxed again, knowing it as the unfair thought it was. They were just worried. So was she…
Zelda made another attempt at opening her eyes. Her eyelids felt like sandpaper. Her eyes burned fiercely, their vision blurry.
"Water, please." She croaked. Her usually bright voice sounded as if she hadn't used it for decades.
Sally was ready with a cup and gently brought it to her mouth. The princess took a sip to moisten her dry mouth, then took a few more to put the life back into herself.
Painfully slowly her vision returned to normal. She looked around. Mostly maids were around her, looking beside themselves with worry. A handful of knights, led by Sir Craster, and Lord Gorridan, her steward. Lovely.
Arduously she manoeuvred herself into a sitting position, irritably pushing away the hands that wanted to force her back down.
Zelda took a few deep breaths, then gazed at Sir Craster. The old knight eyed her with so much fatherly worry that she for a moment feared that she was changed somehow. With a pang of panic she thought that whatever she had done had aged her to an old hag. She certainly felt like it right now… but a brief look at her hands allayed that worry. Still hers, although very pale.
Zelda looked back at her herald and spoke. "Situation?" she had to suppress another coughing fit and took another sip of water.
"Calm once more, my princess. Your… you defeated the attacker." He said gently.
She almost huffed. I have no thrice damned idea what I did, she thought to herself. But the news was good, regardless.
"How late is it? How long was I gone?" she recognised her tent, so they hadn't packed her in to deliver her to the city yet. Only a few hours then, she reasoned.
"It is midday, the day after. You have slept 12 hours, your highness." He reported anxiously.
She remembered the night, that unspeakable terror that had ravaged the camp. She remembered everything in dreadful clarity. The panicked battle. The screams…
Zelda steeled herself for her next question.
"How many?"
"Zelda…", "My princess…" Sally and Sir Craster started to protest. They wanted to shield her but she couldn't let them.
"How. Many?" she repeated with a dangerous undertone. She noticed that all except Sally seemed to recoil just a bit. Her… eruption had earned her more than just admiration, it seemed.
Sir Craster sighed deeply. "Twenty-three your highness. Nineteen soldiers, four knights. Sixteen more wounded. Two won't make the night." He reported sadly.
So many! So many!
She had to fight back tears.
"We erected a provisional sick bay in the second tent. Your personal physician is there now, after he was certain that all you need was sleep. He is doing what he can." Sir Craster continued, mostly to fill the silence.
She looked up at the worried faces of her maids. "Then why are all of you standing here? Go and help those men and women! Leave!" she nearly screamed. Right now she had no nerve for tact.
While they hastened away Zelda hung her head and bit her lip to stop herself from crying.
"What was it?" she managed through gritted teeth.
Awkward silence all around. She had not expected an answer.
"What have you seen of… me? Tell me what happened as you saw it!" It was a hard request for her to make. She had clearly summoned some light, some power that she had had no idea she possessed. And while this power had triumphed over that clawing darkness, it still frightened her. What was she?
"I saw you stride past me into the night, slowly, your face peaceful, as if you hadn't a care in the world. I tried to grab you but found that I… couldn't. Around you was an… aura that I dared not profane. You raised your hand. Enormous light appeared from your fingers that near instantly turned these cursed hordes to dust. Then you fell, the light fading. The whole scenario was over in only 10 seconds" Zelda saw a fierce pride in the knight's face as he recounted. And thankfulness. She looked at the similarly shining faces of the younger knights flanking him. They both nodded earnestly, confirming Sir Craster's description.
The old fighter collected himself. "My lady, I am not ashamed to say that you rescued us. I am however ashamed to admit that we, your sworn knights and your loyal soldiers, would have been unable to curb this onslaught. Whatever this enemy was, we were hopelessly unprepared. I must humble myself and ask for your forgiveness."
Before Zelda could say anything the three knights went to their knees, lowered their heads and cupped their hands together in supplication.
Sally gasped. Zelda was deeply shocked. They felt they had failed their duty. Their position signified they were ready to pay the ultimate price, should she wish it.
She wanted to bang something over their stupid, honourable heads. Hadn't there been enough death?!
She stood, shakily and stepped towards them. "You have not failed your duty. We were attacked by something unknown and murderous." she said, her voice quivering slightly. She gently closed the hands of the two younger knights and briefly touched their cheeks. "Preparation was not possible, a working defence was not possible!" Except if I had realized and reacted sooner, maybe! –a nasty voice supplied.
"I see no fault that needs forgiving." She closed Sir Craster's rough, strong hands with her soft slender ones and held them in hers. "I will not allow you to hold yourself responsible for what happened, Sir Craster. I will need your counsel, now more than ever." She finished, a very personal note mixing with her regal voice.
The old knight, thrice her experience and many times proven battle commander and fighter, looked up at her face, pleadingly. She felt it in him, saw it in his eyes, clear as day. These men have seen many horrors but nothing had come close to the bloodcurdling nightmare that was yesterday night. They were looking for guidance. They were looking to her.
Not for the first time she felt too young and inexperienced. But never before had she felt so utterly inadequate like she did now. She was a girl, barely out of childhood! Whatever power had manifested in her, it frightened her to death. What was she? A sorceress like in children's tales? Would she be able to harness that magic once more, should the need arise? What if she couldn't?
She needed answers just as desperately as her men and women did. But she was the princess. They were her responsibility.
With a determined expression on her face she touched Sir Craster's cheek, absolving him from any guilt. She nearly pulled him to his feet on his beard.
"Send outriders, two of your knights. Give each two horses so they can reach Hyrule tomorrow. They are to recount what has occurred to my father the king. I further request an escort from the city to meet us on the way to supplement our losses. Tell them we have wounded and need supplies. Do it!" she commanded the man on the right sharply.
He saluted smartly and turned away to do her bidding. She was momentarily taken aback. That was the appropriate gesture toward his military superior, not royalty. Apparently she was pretty decent at commanding, she thought, briefly elated.
She turned towards the one on the left. "I want a complete survey about what your peers have seen. Also ask soldiers that aren't too shaken. If we know nothing of the enemy, we must learn. Any detail, any observation could be important. Attack patterns, could they be killed with spear and sword. Also ask about the wounds they inflicted. Go!" she ordered. This one bowed appropriately and nearly ran off to his duty.
She looked at Sir Craster who once again had this flaming admiration in his eyes. It made her blush, but she would not falter.
"You, Sir, will accompany me to the sick bay. No arguing! I will see to my soldiers."
She turned towards Sally who was looking at her with similarly admiring smile. "You come too, Sally!" Zelda made a pleading face to show her true help-seeking intention behind her harsh tone. Saria's face turned tense, but she nodded earnestly. Zelda had never loved her as much as in this moment.
What am I, she wondered again as she went to leave the tent.
Apparently a freak, she thought dryly.
As Zelda exited the tent the two entrance guards snapped to attention. Slowly but unstoppably the low hubbub around the camp died off and she became the centre of all attention. She swallowed, her throat still felt dry.
She could see that her soldiers had still been trying to restore order: finding scattered belongings or equipment, bandaging small injuries… collecting the possessions of the fallen. Some were resting but with a haunted look on their faces. She doubted anyone had had any sleep that night.
Now they were all looking at her, with that mix of fear and adoration she had come to recognize.
She nodded to them in general. She would have to make some sort of speech, she knew. But that would have to wait.
Zelda turned towards the second white tent which stood a little outside the ring and made her way through the throng. All the men and women she passed silently stood up to bow deeply. She wanted to order them to stop, to rest, but she knew they wouldn't listen or understand.
One of them, a middle aged man with a hard, weather-beaten face fell to his knees before her. He took the bottom of her dress and bowed almost to ground level to kiss it. Sir Craster twitched as if he wanted to draw his blade, but stopped himself just in time. The soldier looked back up, a blissful expression on him and tears in his eyes.
"My lady!" he whispered, his voice breaking.
Zelda was at a loss for words. She had no idea what to do. She had no idea what she had done! Had no description for this… magic that had come forth. Yet this man revered her for it.
She lightly, hesitantly touched his forehead with the palm of her hand, then stepped around him and continued on her way.
She couldn't stop herself from looking back. The man was still kneeling on the spot, motionless.
What had she become? A saint?
Zelda steeled her resolve and entered the field hospital. Immediately she had to suppress a retch as the stench of blood overpowered her sense of smell. 16 bunks with men and women in varying degrees of pain lined the tent wall. Two were separated by a screen so the others couldn't see. Another section had been walled up with canvas where her physician was working without break. She doubted he had had any rest whatsoever. The three nurses, helped by a handful of her maids were assisting him or were changing bandages, administering medicine or cleaning the patients when they no longer could.
These were the people Zelda admired. The people that could actually do something and wouldn't rest to help even when it seemed pointless.
The canvas was pulled aside and the doctor, helped by two assistants, carried a sleeping soldier from his surgery back to his bunk. Zelda glanced into his workplace and immediately regretted her mistake. The place was… swimming. She looked away and shut her eyes.
Ignat, her physician ordered one of the maids to get more sand they could put on the ground, so they wouldn't slip on all this mess. He surveyed his patients , then noticed Zelda standing in the entrance, rooted to the spot. He quickly wiped his hands as best as he could and went to meet her.
"Your highness…" he began.
She interrupted him: "Please, look after your patients, doctor. Don't waste time with me." She said hastily.
He shook his head. "That was the last one. Now they need to rest until their wounds have closed." He shook his head again. By his rigid face and manic eyes she could see that only the tension kept this man from keeling over. She would need to keep him from his bed a while longer, regretfully.
"How are they faring?" she asked, trying to her regal voice to work again.
"These her will live." He pointed at the 14 to his right. "Unfortunately I could not save Sir Kessan's arm or Timmon's leg. They had to be removed."
Zelda nodded grimly, feeling queasier by the minute.
"Josy and Morris though will not survive, I fear. Morris has suffered a grave head wound. Josy's lung was punctured. I can help them no longer."
Zelda's mind once again conjured up images. She tried to will them away, but was powerless against them. She saw a man receiving a terrible blow to the back of his head by a whipping shadowy limb, just as he wanted to reach down to help up a comrade. She saw a youngish woman's chest getting pierced by a lightning quick bony spike that was one of the spectres' tail. She saw her fall to her knees, felt her pain, tasted her blood in her mouth as each breath seemed more difficult than the last. She was just about to turn and run out of the tent when, again, another vision entered her mind. A young woman kneeling by a wounded woman's side. Power flooded through her, as did the desperate will to help, to heal.
Could she…?
"Take me to them." She ordered, her voice sounding hoarse.
Ignat looked at her, sceptically. Her discomfort hadn't gone past him.
Sir Craster spoke up. "Your majesty, there is nothing to be done." He said urgently.
"Zelda…" Sally began, but stopped.
She shook her head. For the first time ever she focused fully on her vision instead of recoiling. She hoped it would last long enough and not fade.
"I will see them." She stated.
The doctor nodded slowly, then bade her to follow.
Once again, all conscious men and women watched her pass. She felt naked and helpless under their stares.
They reached the death chamber. Ignat immediately kneeled beside the man, Morris and held his ear to his nose and mouth. After a few seconds he straightened again. "He is gone."
Zelda nodded and knelt next to the dying woman. She was lying on her side, her face was white as a sheet, bloody spittle trickled from the corner of her mouth. Her short, laboured breath bubbled sickeningly from the blood in her lungs.
Zelda saw the tight bandage on her chest.
She let the emotions the images carried flow through her, even though they seemed to tear at her very soul.
She swallowed heavily. "Remove the bandage."
"My lady…" Ignat said patiently, as if soothing a child.
"Do it." she interrupted.
"Your highness, it's over!" he insisted, unease in his tired face.
"Do. It." It took all her determination to say it again commandingly.
The physician hesitated for a second. Then, with a grave expression he produced scissors, cut through the taut cloth strips and laid the wound bare.
It was a deep puncture, about the size of a coin. Red bubbles sprayed blood with each of the woman's ragged breaths.
Zelda felt her face being hit with tiny droplets, nausea welling up dangerously, but she could not care right now.
The woman in her mind closed her eyes and put her hand on the wound. Zelda, now trembling on her whole body, did the same with the woman before her eyes.
As her fingers touched wetness, the world held its breath. Time seemed to slow once more and the only movement was in princess Zelda's head. Her vision and her reality overlapped, light and warmth spread through her being and into her questing fingers. She felt life returning to the wounded, felt tissue growing and closing the damage.
Then suddenly the vision shut, the connection tore and the light was snuffed. For an instant she stared in horror and confusion at the wound, which didn't seem to have closed nearly enough.
Then Zelda felt her limbs and head grow heavy and her head going blank with severe exhaustion. She nearly fell onto the soldier, but was quickly steadied by a pair of small hands.
"Zelda! Zelda!" Saria shouted, panic in her voice.
The princess attempted to open her leaden eyelids. " 'm alright" she managed weakly.
She heard her physician exclaim. "The wound! Quick, you two carry her to the surgery and prepare suture material. I'll be right there!
Then he bent over her and opened her eyes with his fingers. "Princess, can you hear me?"
She gave an affirmative sigh. She felt as if she was hovering, her head seemed to be made of cotton. And she was thirsty beyond belief.
She felt him feel her pulse. "Faint. Give her a fresh cot and screen it off. Give her water, make sure she doesn't choke."
Zelda smiled as they bedded her on a wonderfully comfortable cot. Sally dribbled a few drops of water on her lips, which she licked off greedily. It tasted like the sweetest nectar.
What had she become? A freak, definitely. But maybe she could be a useful one.