A/N: I'M BACK! Again, I'm sorry about the long delay, but things were getting rough at my house, and I took my cue to move out. It didn't take long to finish moving my things to my new place, but it took a while to adjust. I hope you guys can forgive me. I'll try my best to update as frequently as possible, but it may not be much because I have a job and other responsibilities now. I WON'T GIVE UP THOUGH. Trust me, we're all going to see this through to the end.

Chapter 9

By the time the duo had returned to Kakariko, many of the flames had been put out. Zelda was glad they were able to work fast.

She was on Link's right side, so she could clearly see the blood soaking through the bandages on his arm. She bit her lip. "Link. Before we ask anyone about the man that was witnessed, I want to go back to Impa's so she can properly treat your wound."

Link grimaced, obviously opposed to going back in her house. "Do we need to? I'll be fine. I've treated my own wounds before."

She looked at him apologetically. "Sorry. I don't want to go back in there either, but yes, we need to."

He sighed heavily, but they continued to walk to Impa's house. Once they reached the door, Zelda opened it, and was saddened to see that a few more beds were covered with white sheets.

Impa saw them enter, and walked over to meet them. She immediately spied Link's arm. "What happened?"

"We were ambushed by a horde of Tektites.", Link explained.

Impa shook her head. "Just because I wanted you to keep Zelda safe, doesn't mean I want you to put yourself in harm's way."

Link shrugged, but Zelda saw him wince as he did. Impa seemed to catch it too. "Follow me.", she said. "I'll redress it for you."

They both followed her upstairs to her bedroom. She motioned for Link to sit on her bed while she fetched bandages, cleaning cloths, a bucket of water, and a bottle of red potion.

"Did you originally dress his wound, Zelda?", Impa asked, unwrapping the bandages.

Zelda shifted from one foot to the other. "I tried. There wasn't any water nearby, so it was a messy job."

Impa nodded, and surveyed Link's wound. "Yes, but it's actually very good for your first try by yourself. You were very wise to use your magic to help."

Link's eyes widened as he looked at Zelda. "First try? You hadn't actually done it before?"

Zelda looked at him crossly. "I have! Just not by myself!"

"Wait a minute.", he said. "Don't get cross. I was just surprised that you did so well for your first try. Most people end up making it worse before they can make it better." He smiled. "I know from experience. The first time I tried to treat my own wound, I ended up passing out from a high fever and was lucky enough to be found by a passing caretaker."

Zelda became sheepish. "Oh. Well, thank you."

Impa finished surveying the wound and rose from her place next to Link. Both he and Zelda looked at each other in confusion, until she came back with a needle and thread. Zelda's eyes widened. "Stitches?"

Impa sat back down next to Link. "I'll have to properly clean it first, but most likely." She placed the bucket under his arm, and wet one of the cleaning cloths with water. She began wringing it out so the water ran over the wound, washing away the blood into the water. Once she had rinsed the wound, she grabbed the bottle of red potion and dipped a part of the cloth in the liquid.

Impa looked at Link. "If you're as experienced as you say you are, then you know how badly this will sting. I trust you're able to stay quiet. I don't want you to wake the children."

Link nodded. Zelda watched carefully as Impa dabbed the gashes with the soaked cloth. She heard a grunt come from Link, and looked at his face. His jaw was clenched, and he appeared to be grinding his teeth. Zelda felt sorry for him.

She looked back at Impa and saw her dip another cloth in the potion. "I didn't know that red potion was used to treat wounds. I thought it was only ingested, and healed all wounds."

Impa talked while dabbing the wound. "No, it does not heal all wounds. Only some internal, and small external wounds. This one could possibly have been healed mostly by drinking it, but he would have needed to drink the entire bottle, which is wasteful. It's best to use as little as possible by using it to clean the wound."

"Why does it sting so badly?", Zelda asked, looking at Link's face, which was twisting up in pain.

"The medicine. Red potions are made from medicinal herbs, making it safe to drink, but still leaving an awful burning feeling when administered to a wound. Green potion can be used as a pain reliever. Keep in mind, however, when drinking green potion, you don't ingest the whole bottle. Drinking too much will make matters worse, making you sick. Drinking more than one bottle of red potion at a time will also give you a high fever." Impa finished cleaning the wound, and looked at Zelda, almost wearily. "Keep all of this in mind. I have a horrible feeling you'll be needing this information later on."

Impa looked back at Link's arm. "Good news, boy. You won't be needing stitches. The largest cut isn't too deep, and should heal up in a few days, but I still need to wrap it. If Zelda uses her magic to heal you again, the wound will close up significantly, but don't use it until later. We wouldn't want you to deplete your magic."

Link looked relieved. "That is good news. We have news as well."

Impa looked intrigued. "Oh? Of what?"

"A Goron witnessed someone who could have possibly led the Dodongo to the village, and gave us a description."

"Anything would be good.", Impa said, wrapping Link's arm in bandages.

Zelda spoke up. "The Goron said that he saw a man with a long, thin, white beard, a red pointy hat, a red cape, and a magic staff. He said that he witnessed this on the night before the attack."

Impa tied off the dressings. "Which means that would've come through the day before yesterday. I would've been at the castle with you, Zelda. I wouldn't have seen him, but I know of someone who might have." She turned her attention to Link. "Do you know of the man that would always be sitting on the roof of a house?"

Link nodded. "He can see most of the village from there. Surely he would've seen something."

"Somehow, he's still sitting up there. The flames didn't reach him. Go talk to him."

Link nodded again. He got up, and waited patiently for Zelda to come with him, and she almost followed, but Impa stopped her. "Zelda, I want you to stay here. I'm going to teach you how to sew up that rip in Link's undershirt." She motioned to the white garment Zelda was still holding.

Zelda looked at Link apologetically. "Sorry, Link."

He looked down for a second. "Oh." Then looked up. "Alright. I'll be back soon."

She watched him descend the stairs, and watched him walk out the door.

"He's a clueless one, isn't he?", Impa said.

Zelda sighed. "Unfortunately." She looked at Impa. "Only because I'm too afraid to tell him how I feel. Besides, what if he loves someone else?"

Impa gave her a surprised look. "Looks like he's not the only clueless one."

Zelda was confused. "What do you mean by that, Impa?"

Impa shook her head. "Nevermind that." She took the bucket filled with water and Link's blood, and dumped it out a window. She then grabbed another bucket filled with clean water. She sat back on the bed. "Come here."

Zelda sat beside her on her bed, and Impa plunged the shirt into the bucket of water. She then took a large brush, and poured a strange concoction on it. She removed the shirt from the water and started scrubbing it with the brush. Zelda watched as the bloodstain disappeared. Impa plunged the shirt back in the water, and pulled it out.

"There. The bloodstain is gone. We'll have to wait a little while for the shirt to dry. Until then, I'll teach you how to sew using a scrap of cloth." She hung the shirt near the window, and grabbed a scrap of cloth. She ripped it in two.

Before Impa could sit back down, Zelda stopped her. "Could I have some bandages for the next time I dress Link's wound?"

Impa nodded, and retrieved a roll of bandages. She gave it to Zelda, and she put it in a small pocket on her tunic.

Impa sat down beside Zelda, and reached for the needle and thread. She then proceeded to teach Zelda how to sew the two halves back together. Zelda watched carefully.

Once she was finished stitching the scraps together, she then tore the seam out, making the cloth two parts of a whole once more. She gave them to Zelda. "Now, try it for yourself."

Zelda took the cloth and the threaded needle. She tried her best to mimic Impa's embroidery. Thankfully, she did quite well.

Once she was finished, she let Impa survey her work. Impa seemed satisfied. "Well done, Zelda. You did wonderfully."

Zelda beamed at her attendant. "Thank you, Impa."

The Sheikah nodded and looked towards the door. "He should have been back by now."

Zelda looked at her worriedly. "Do you think he's all right?"

"I'm sure he's fine." Impa walked over to where his shirt was hanging. "The ripped sleeve is already dry. Would you like to mend it?"

Zelda nodded. Impa brought the shirt over to her. Zelda then began mending the sleeve.

That's when Link barged through the door, startling her. She jumped and pricked herself with the needle. "Ow, shit!" She let the curse slip through her lips before she could catch herself.

Impa, whose attention had been focused on Link, whirled around to look at Zelda with surprise. "Zelda! Where did you learn such a vulgar remark?"

Zelda looked at Link, who had frozen in his tracks halfway up the stairs, eyes wide. Thankfully, he had the sense to change the subject. "We've got more important matters."

"Did you find out who it was on the mountain?", Zelda asked.

He nodded. "The man said he saw a figure matching the description walking through the village two nights ago. He said that he also saw two Poes flying behind him. He heard one of them address the sorcerer as Lord Talfan." Link's eyes flashed with anger. "He's already started wreaking havoc. We need to hurry." He turned to Impa. "The both of us will be leaving shortly."

"I would come with you, but I must look after the children.", Impa said.

Link nodded, and Impa went downstairs. He looked at Zelda expectantly. She huffed. "At least let me finish sewing your shirt."

He walked over and sat down next to her. He watched patiently as she mended the sleeve. Soon, she tied off the last of the stitching, and was looking at her handiwork. Satisfied, she gave the shirt to him.

"Thanks.", he gave her a small smile. He then unexpectedly removed his hat, belt, gloves, and tunic. Giving Zelda a full view of his upper body.

Zelda hadn't taken the time to actually look when she first treated his wound, but now she could see every edge and curve of his torso and arms. Oh my goddesses.

She could very clearly see his toned abdominal and pectoral muscles stretching as he pulled his tunic over his head. She also saw small scars all over his chest, which she assumed were from past battles. As he lowered his arms, she remembered that his right bicep had felt firm to the touch. She figured that his shoulders were the same.

She looked past his shoulders at his hair, and noticed something she hadn't before. His hair has gotten longer. She saw a small amount of hair was pulled back by an elastic band. From the amount that's pulled back, it must be past his shoulders. I didn't see that before. It's always hidden by his hat.

She must have been staring, because he looked at her. "What?", he asked.

Zelda's face grew warm. She quickly looked away. "Uhh, nothing." She continued to look away while he put his undershirt on, and then the rest of his articles of clothing.

Once he was finished, she heard him say, "Alright. Let's go."

She nodded silently, and followed him downstairs. They both waved goodbye to Impa, and walked out the door.