Chapter 11
Injured
The sun had set on Ordon village only a few hours ago. As such, a lot of the residents were still awake, even if they had retired to their houses for the evening. The children of the village had been ordered inside by their parents, their play being interrupted until the sun would rise again the next day. Dinner was served in most every household, and it was that time of night when the dishes were being done, or evening relaxation techniques were being performed before bed.
In the mayor's house, Ilia and her father took turns doing chores. It was her father's turn to clean up dinner and wash the dishes. As such, Ilia was free to finish up the project she'd been working on.
Link had left just that morning, even so, it had been plenty of time to finish the hairpiece she'd been working on. And in sewing the last bead into place, Ilia reveled in her triumph by holding it up to the lantern light.
"It's just perfect," she marveled out loud. She was proud of it, and she wondered if she couldn't make more and start selling them at Castle Town like other vendors.
I could make us some extra money. It would help us out as a couple, if we ever decided to get married. Of course, she immediately blushed at the thought. It made her giddy inside, and she enjoyed basking in the idea even though she was sure it was far too premature to be thinking about something like that. Even though they'd fancied one another almost their entire lives, they'd only been officially dating a few days.
But it's still fun to dream! Deciding that it was alright to have romantic thoughts, Ilia also decided that she wouldn't mention it to Link. She didn't want to put that kind of pressure on him. Not when they were enjoying dating so much for the time being. All the same, she couldn't help but to ponder such things. She was a hopelessly romantic girl.
It was at that moment that she heard hoof beats coming from outside. Ordon village only had one horse: Epona. As such, anytime she heard a horse, she knew that Link was the one riding it. Her heart soared way up past her homes roof and up into the starry sky. The spark of excitement that always filled her when knowing he was coming to visit overtook her.
"Father! Link's home from his journey already!" She called into the kitchen. Link had a habit of disappearing for days. As such, she really hadn't been expecting him home so soon. It made her all the more excited. She immediately stood up, putting her project down on the couch. And then, not willing to wait, she ran to her front door. Throwing it open, the yellow-orange light from inside bathing the steps out front, she darted out onto her porch.
Peering down the road and into the dark, she spotted Epona near the entrance of the village close to Sera's shop. But the very moment she laid eyes on the horse and her rider, she knew something was terribly wrong.
Normally, Link rode Epona at a canter into town, knowing not to go too fast because the kids darted around a lot, but he was always eager to see her, so didn't want to just walk in at a regular pace. This time however, Epona was taking a careful stroll up the path, almost as if the horse was trying not to jostle her master around too much. It was odd.
It was hard to see in the dark, but Ilia focused on the figure on top of the horse. The moonlight bounced off of Link's form, allowing her to at least see his outline. And as he came a little closer, she managed to make him out. He was hunched over his mount, his hands gripping his horses white mane instead of her reins. He sat loosely in his saddle, as if he really just didn't have any strength left to hang on with.
Ilia's smile slipped from her face. Her excitement vanished and was immediately replaced with concern.
What's happened? Is he sick? Not really knowing what to do, she turned back toward the house and called into the open doorway.
"Father, something's wrong with Link!" She turned back then to face the oncoming pair. They were closer now, and within the farthest reached of the torchlight. Epona stepped into the orange glow of the nearest light along the path and when she did, Ilia spotted something dark staining the right side of Link's body. The same darkness had cleaved its way into the left side of his face, and smaller amounts of it were found all over him.
Having never seen a real, substantial amount of blood before, and not having any real light in order to see it's true red coloring by, she was at first confused. In the darkness of night, it appeared as ink. Her young face twisted as she stared at her beloved, not yet fully grasping the situation. But as she stared, Link quite suddenly tilted from within his saddle, and then he fell from his mount, his body striking the hard packed dirt path with a type of thud that was unmistakable.
Ilia let out a gasp of horror, her hand flying to her open mouth. Mayor Bo had stepped out onto the porch just in time to see the hero fall from his saddle. Both father and daughter reacted the exact same way.
"Link!" In an instant they were running to him. He'd almost made it to their door, and had fallen just inside the firelight of the nearest torch along the road. As such, both family members were at his side in an instant.
When Ilia stepped into the firelight, horror filled her. There was no mistaking things now. Link was horrifically injured. Her leaf-green eyes widened with dread as she witnessed it. One side of his face was nearly shredded to pieces. His clothes were ripped and torn. His knee was swollen and looked as if it were impossible to walk on. But the worst thing of all, was all of the blood seeping out from underneath his green hat.
It didn't seem to be bleeding very quickly, but it had clearly been bleeding for some time. It had stained his hair, completely covered his right ear, and his clothes on that side of him had become stained and saturated. The green coloring of his tunic, mixed with the bright red of his blood made it look as dark as pitch. He was black with blood.
Ilia's breath had caught in her throat, and she was far too horrified to move. Terror froze her in place. But luckily, mayor Bo had seen his fair share of things in his youth. He may have not been a warrior like Link or Rusl in the same sense of the word, but he'd still fought in his fair share of battles when he was needed, and he'd also been quiet an adventurer and had travelled the world.
A hardened wrestler, and also a peacekeeper among the Gorons, Bo was not frightened by blood as his daughter was. He immediately knelt down at Link's side in order to look him over and tend to him. Even with a quick glance, he knew what was important and what wasn't.
"His face looks worse than it is. It's just superficial," he told his daughter to try and comfort her. "The only injury that's really doing harm is the head wound." He turned then, facing his frightened Ilia.
"Ilia, run to Sera and Hanch's shop. Get a potion from them right away. Tell them it's an emergency and I'll pay them back later." At first, Ilia's green eyes didn't move. They were glued to the growing, dark, stains on Link's tunic. Bo let out a very loud bark.
"Ilia! Move!" The poor girl jumped in place, startled out of her shock. She looked to her father then, and quickly nodded. She immediately turned and ran down the road. Once she was gone, Bo turned to the fallen hero. He sighed, his heart heavy with worry for the young man.
"Link, why is it you always get yourself into such dangerous situations?" Link was still conscious, but he dared not move. He heard Bo's voice and was already comforted. He was just so happy to be home.
I'll be fine, he told himself. Ilia will come back with that potion soon. I made it… It was a good thing he'd thought to call for Epona with the whistle Ilia had made him. If he hadn't, he knew he'd never have been able to walk all the way home. He sighed, and slowly let his eyes start to close in relief. But then, as soon as he thought he'd get some rest, Bo reached out and jostled him harshly. It rattled his poor head, causing a sharp stab of pain to pulsate through his skull. He let out a tortured groan of misery. The pain was horrific, and he had no strength left to offer. All the same, it was the swirling world that had knocked him from his horse, not even necessarily the blood loss. Link was so dizzy, that even lying still on the ground was somewhat sickening. Everything was moving beneath him.
"You can't rest until you have that potion Link. My good buddy in Karariko, Renado, told me that head injuries can cause concussions. If you go to sleep, you may never wake up again." Link let out another groan of misery at the news. He certainly didn't want to be awake anymore. He wanted this horrible night to end.
But of course, he didn't have to wait long. Ilia's hurried footsteps could be heard returning at top speed. Link heard her wheezing from her run, or maybe from her terror. Whichever the case, she handed her father the potion.
"Hurry!" She cried.
"It's alright," Bo said calmly to try and settle her. "He'll be fine now." Link heard Bo uncork the bottle, and knew perfectly well that he'd have to move now. At first, he turned and tried to sit up on his own. But he hadn't even gotten his head an inch off the ground before the world spun him back down. Nausea filled him and he closed his eyes once again just to blot out the stars that were swirling sickeningly in the sky above him.
"No, Link," Bo objected again. This time, the big man reached out his free hand. He very gently, as gently as any human being could be, placed it on the back of Link's skull. Carefully, slowly, he lifted Link's head up, just a few inches so he'd be able to drink.
All the same, the pain was almost unbearable. Link let out another weakened groan and almost passed out on the mayor. His blue eyes rolled up into his head for a brief second, almost scaring the ghost out of Ilia who let out another horrified gasp. But then his eyelids fluttered and he came back around.
"Come on Link," Bo growled. And this time, Link heard the mayors worried tones. The large man placed the cool glass lip of the bottle to his mouth and Link obediently opened up. Carefully, Bo started to pour a very small amount of liquid in.
He himself had experienced a terrible head injury, similar to Link's once when wrestling the Gorons. As such, he understood how easy it was to slip into unconsciousness or to simply vomit up the healing potion that was needed to be ingested. As such, he gave Link only a few mouthfuls, then pulled it back to let the potion start working. If he could heal even just a little, it would be easier for him to take the rest.
At first, Link thought he'd gag the red potion back up. His lungs still burned and he still remembered the feeling of almost drowning. His body instinctively wanted to cough up any liquid put into it. But by the grace of the goddesses, he managed to keep it down.
And, as was with all healing potions, the effects were instantaneous. Ilia and Bo watched, relief and hope over coming them as the horrible gashes on Link's cheek began to slowly knit themselves closed. The swelling in his knee began to go back down, and although they couldn't see it, Bo was sure his head injury was closing too.
"Thank Nayru!" Ilia cried. "Quick father! Give him the rest!" Seeing Link's strength returning, and knowing he could indeed handle the rest of it now, the mayor obliged and tipped the remainder of the potion into Link's mouth. Link gulped it down, clearly already feeling much better. He drank it all until it was gone, and his family watched as the rest of his wounds closed up and then vanished as if they were never there to begin with.
"Oh! Thank Nayru!" Ilia said again. Bo released his hold on his charge then, and Link immediately sat up. The pain was gone, and the world stood still once more. He did however, still feel a bit weak, and he knew that was at least due to the blood loss. Glancing around, he found his missing blood on the ground, on his horse, and mostly on his clothes.
I need to change, he immediately thought. Blood was unmistakably hot, and sticky, and it had a smell that he would never ever forget. His own blood in particular, had a smell to it that moblins or his enemies did not. He'd seen it, and scented it so many times that he was now familiar with it. All the same, he didn't want Ilia to be frightened anymore.
And so, glancing up at his girlfriend, he offered a large, bright smile to try and show he was ok. But…
…Ilia immediately saw the difference in his grin. It simply wasn't the same as his usual, carefree, happy grin. His face wasn't shining the way it usually did. The way it did first thing in the morning, when he was happy to see the sunrise, and happy to see her for the first time that morning. It wasn't the same smile as when he came home from a hard day's work at the goat ranch, covered in dust and animal dander. Link was usually as bright as the sun, if not brighter, daring to outshine Din.
This smile however was strained, sad even. Ilia saw it hiding a rather large worry, as well as it could. And she knew then, that Link's injuries hadn't all been healed. He'd been hurt in a much more serious way.
Link put his hands to the ground, then pushed himself up and onto his feet. Bo stood up as well, then immediately reached out and clapped the young warrior on his shoulder.
"That must have been some battle you had!" he said. "Did you win?" Link started to nod, stopped himself, thought about shaking his head, and then gave up entirely. His blue eyes flickered downward.
I didn't win anything, he thought miserably. Actually, it sure feels like I lost…
Bo's smile faded. He'd made such a comment in hopes of lifting Link's spirits. But clearly, it had backfired. He quickly cleared his throat and tried to recover.
"Er, ehem, er, um, yes. Well, you're a frightful mess. I assume you want to get changed and wash yourself up. You'll feel better once you're clean. Why don't you go home? Then after, you can come back over to our place and we'll keep you company for a while. Or, if you're tired you can go right to bed. How's that sound?"
Link stared at the mayor. His young face frowned, his expression growing suddenly very sad. He's not even going to bother asking me what happened, Link realized. He knows I can't answer. And he knows I have no way of telling a complicated story. He suddenly felt that empty spot in his heart arise once more. Now that he knew exactly what it was, it had become incredibly painful. People, even those he loved in Ordon, had grown so accustomed to him not being able to explain himself, that they no longer even bothered trying to understand.
Link knew it wasn't the mayor's fault. And he also knew that, in fact, the mayor was being as kind and as generous as he knew how to be. Link was still grateful for the offer and the invitation. He was still touched by Bo's kindness. But now…not being able to speak to him, not being able to explain what he'd just gone through was more agonizing than ever before.
It was like this throughout the entire war, he remembered. I'd come home in strange new clothes and people would just say "cool new clothes" or "where'd you get those" without expecting an answer. They comment on things, but never really do more than offer an easy answer. They'll assume things about me. Or ignore certain things all together. They can't do anything else. Bo can't ask me what happened.
Link stared at the mayor, his hurt expression clearly readable. Bo's eyes widened with concern. But of course, not knowing what the matter was, he could only guess.
"What is it? Are you still hurt? Do you need another potion?" Link shook his head negatively, but then immediately looked away from the older man.
It's not his fault. It's nobody's fault. Everyone here has always done all they can for me. They love me. I shouldn't be showing such an expression to him. He can't fix it. And I can't explain it to him. I should smile, like always. Make them know that I'm happy they're here for me. Make them know I appreciate them…
But waves of agony were washing through him then, his heart sending out one with every beat it gave off. It hurt. And it was hurting so much more than the physical wounds the darkness had given him.
I want them all to be happy. I don't want them to worry.
"Link," It was Ilia's soft voice that reached his pointed ears. But he couldn't look at her. He was in too much pain, and he knew he could never look at her and see how his wounded expression would in turn wound her. He knew he couldn't go on smiling. Not right now. All the same, he felt it all building inside of him, and he struggled to hold it back. But it was getting harder to breathe. And before he knew it, he was trembling.
"Oh, Link…" It was the mayor's voice that time. And humiliation like he'd never felt before filled him. Never, in all his life, did he ever want to appear weak in front of Ilia's father. He felt heat rise to his face.
I'm not a whole person! He struggled to explain to the man. I don't deserve your daughter! A piece of me is missing. She deserves someone who can tell her she's beautiful, and that she's loved, and that she's special! She deserves someone who can hold her tightly, and whisper sweet nothings in her ear. She deserves a whole, complete, man! And she deserves to know what the hell is going on when I go riding off with no explanation to her! She deserves to know why and when I'm hurt! She deserves all the things I can't give her!
"…" There was no holding back then. No matter how humiliated he might be if he let it go. Link really had no choice. It was too much. The heat in his face then spread behind his eyes. And an instant more, something warm was running down his face.
Ilia saw it, and was immediately at his side. Standing before him, she reached out both of her hands, cupping his cheeks in her soft palms. She made sure to look directly at him, despite how painful it was to see him in such a condition. Ilia hadn't seen Link cry since one of the mother goats died trying to deliver a calf several years back. But even that had been different from this.
It was clear to see that he was still injured. Whatever enemy he'd fought, had managed to do something that Ilia had thought impossible: wound his spirit. The goddesses had once said in the ancient writings, that tears were the blood of the spirit. And so, Link was bleeding again. And Ilia knew that it was a lot harder to heal inner wounds such as these than the physical ones they'd just tended.
Bo, seeing that things had progressed far passed what he could do to assist, and instead had traversed into the area where only the woman that Link loved could help, he took his leave and calmly walked back toward the house. This was in Ilia's hands now. And Bo completely trusted in her loving kindness. She would fix Link up. She was good at that. And Bo knew that Link deserved some tenderness. Goddesses knew if he'd ever received any before. The door closed behind Bo, and he left the two young adults on their own.
"Link," came Ilia's sweet voice. "Link, look at me." Opening his glimmering blue eyes as commanded, Link lifted his gaze up and off of the floor. He stared into Ilia's stunning green pools. And in simply gazing upon her beautiful face, he already felt a little better.
She's so lovely…
Ilia on the other hand, struggled against his handsome features. It was impossibly difficult to see him so hurt. His face was a face she'd known since as far back as she could remember. And she'd always seen it shining with joy, or light, or kindness. Link was always smiling. Most of the time, it was because he was truly happy. But Ilia knew very well that there were other times when he did it for the sake of everyone else around him.
He couldn't speak words. And Ilia knew, perhaps better than anyone else, that there were plenty of times that Link would smile just to pass something off, or to glaze over difficult subjects that he had no way of explaining. He would smile, so as not to trouble anyone. But Ilia knew, even from a young age, that Link had hundreds of things trapped inside of him. To see tears now, when she already knew that he'd been through more than she even could understand, was hard.
At first, she was prepared to tell him what she always told him when she saw him upset: that it would be ok, not to worry, that she was here for him. Those things were good, of course, but…in staring into his blue eyes now; she just knew that those usual things weren't what he needed from her this time. This time…it was something else. This wasn't about the sad things in life. This wasn't about losing a goat, or missing someone's birthday, or falling terribly ill with the flu. No…she saw a pain in him that was so deep it was cutting him to his core. And whatever had cut him so profoundly, had been very specific.
Ilia knew this had to do with whatever he'd done that day, whatever battle he'd just fought. And skating over the issue with a general blanketing of the situation was not going to work this time.
He needs to talk to someone, she thought. He needs to express himself. If he doesn't, he could drown in all that poison that's been put in him. Ilia's sweet young face hardened in sudden determination then. She was going to help the man she loved. And she was going to do whatever she needed to in order to achieve this goal.
"Come on Link, let's go to Sera's and ask for their paper. I don't have enough rupees for it, but if we tell them it's an emergency they might just…" But before she could even finish, Link was regretfully shaking his head.
He didn't want to take Ordon's only paper. Sera and Hanch needed it for their store supplies. They needed it to place orders and send messages. If he and Ilia took it, the store would close down. Their livelihood would be taken away almost instantly. They wouldn't be able to sell anything, or buy any new items for their store. Link knew such a move would cripple them financially for weeks. That was why he'd never gone to ask them for paper before. Even during that time in winter when Epona had twisted her foot in a hole and everyone was too busy preparing for the snowflake festival to pay him any attention. Unable to get her out of the ditch on his own, he'd ended up sleeping in the ditch with her in order to keep her warm and to make sure she didn't die on him in the night. Link knew he could never ask little Beth to go hungry just because he wanted to tell someone something.
But of course, Link then remembered Zelda's gift to him. His blue eyes lighting up, he reached down into his pockets. Ilia, seeing a light enter his eyes, released him so he could move around. An instant more, Link pulled out…a clump ball of wet paper.
Link's expression crumpled almost as completely as that of the papers. The parchment Zelda had given him was completely ruined by his near death experience in the lake. And he imagined, although he hadn't yet checked, that his quill was just as useless.
Ilia watched, agony building inside of her as Link's face grew even more pained than before. She couldn't imagine what a letdown that must have been.
"Oh! Oh, no, no. It's ok!" She insisted. Reaching out, she went to take Link's hand, but Link quite suddenly shrugged out of her grasp. At first shocked, Ilia only watched as he angrily tossed the wad of paper away and into the night. He let off an awful noise of despair that she simply never wanted to hear again. All the same, she could understand. Of everything he must have just gone through, the thing that she knew was hurting him the most was the fact that he couldn't even tell her what was wrong. She watched, her heart aching as he began to tremble again.
"Please…" she suddenly whispered. And it was the quality of her voice that made him turn and face her once more. And what he found simply broke his heart. Ilia was crying. Glimmers of diamonds fell from her soft green eyes as she held her hands together in front of her chest.
Guilt immediately filled him. This was exactly why he always wanted to pretend everything was fine. Because when he wasn't fine…nothing could be done. All it achieved was hurting those he loved. His expression twisted painfully to match Ilia's.
"Link…" Ilia said sadly. "I know you need to talk this out. And we can. It'll take some time but…we can do it like when we were children. We'll get a stick and we'll draw in the dirt. We used to write to each other for hours, remember?" She smiled warmly through her pearly tears, clear joy building in her from the simple memory. "Father was furious when I came home covered in mud that time we decided to write in the muddy banks of the spirit's spring." She giggled once. And even though it was just once, it was as infectious as ever. The corner of Link's mouth twisted upward.
Of course I remember, he thought fondly. We talked about everything. It was the only time I was able to tell you what I was thinking, or what I believed…
A certain type of peace washed over the couple then. He saw it in Ilia as much as he felt it in himself. Ilia was right. They would make a way. They always had before. It would be time consuming, and even painstaking, but…this was something that couldn't be swept under the rug and ignored.
She…has a right to know what's happening, he thought. And…I desperately need to tell her. Even just the concept of getting a few words out to his love, via dirt and stick or otherwise, was comforting. And so, he quickly nodded. Stepping forward in the firelight, he reached out, taking her hand. On contact, she looked to him, meeting his gaze. There, she found his usual smile. He was still clearly in a lot of pain, but the small smile was true and genuine. He liked being with her. And she knew that he loved her. Her own smile grew simply thinking of it.
I'm just so head over heels for you! She thought a bit girlishly. Every time you smile, my heart soars. Returning his grin, she giggled just a bit.
"You're so handsome!" She watched as Link's smile grew. She loved being the cause of it. "Let's head back to your house. We can write in the spot of fine dirt where Epona's usually tied up. And we'll have privacy there."
Link nodded. It was as good a spot as any. And the idea of being home, even just in his yard, was comforting on top of the idea of having Ilia at his side. And so, as the two started to walk off toward the edge of town, Link couldn't help but to feel that it really would all be ok. Ilia had always loved him after all. And that had started without a voice, and without the piece of soul he was missing. And if she already loved him as he was, whole or not, then what they had wouldn't change. Because the worst thing that could happen, would be his failing to retrieve the lost piece. And if that happened…well…then things would just stay as they were. And with Ilia's hand in his, and her loving support and embrace, well…Link decided that wouldn't be too bad.
