Disclaimer: Apparently, my beta just went dark on me again. Given that I can guess on the reasons behind it, I can understand that. Either way, here's the next chapter of the story. Hope you enjoy it and hopefully, my beta will return at some point.

We don't own the right to LoZ or any of the characters associated with it.

UPDATE: my beta-reader has returned from a radio blackout to lend a hand.

Chapter XX

Rutela led Link from her throne to main antechamber of Zora's Domain. A small group of Zora citizens were gathered at entrance to their Queen's chamber, both civilians and soldiers alike. The more militant Zora had their weapons ready, awaiting the return of Mikau, but never knowing his ultimate fate. The group parted at the Queen's behest, especially when they saw Link cradling the limp Zelda in his arm. A hushed silence overtook the inhabitants as Rutela passed by them. Link followed, keeping the freezing Princess as close to him as possible while Spryte fluttered close behind him.

Link could feel the Zora looking at him with mixed emotions and expressions, but that hardly bothered him in the least. His primary concern was Zelda's wellbeing. He was still beating himself for leaving Malon behind in the castle, under the whim of a madman. If something happened to Zelda, too, right when he could've prevented it, he'd never forgive himself.

"This way." said Rutela as she rounded around a stone corner.

Link followed, cradling Zelda tightly in his arms to keep her warm and from falling altogether. Zelda was still moving at least, although she was clearly weak from her recent experience in the ice caverns. Her breathing was shallow and she was shivering, not quite as badly as before but shivering nonetheless. Her eyes were still bloodshot in a crimson shade and the skin on her face was a pale blue. Yet, she was still fighting; this much Link could tell. As much as he disliked her from the start of the journey together, and her him, he had grown to respect her overtime. He maybe even started to consider her companion; a friend.

Rutela led Link around one last bend on the path and to the entrance, much to Link's surprise, of a bazaar. They went inside and found that it was all carved up into a relatively small space, but wide enough to accommodate a handful of visitors. The walls were lined with set of bottles atop wooden shelves, some of them with liquids of varying color from green to red and to blue while other bottles rest empty. There were also some other items on the shelves, most of which held no particular bearing on the current situation. Link just wanted help for Zelda and for some reason, Rutela instead brought him to a bazaar.

"Doctor, it's me, Queen Rutela… I have someone here in need of you aid."

At first, there was no response, which only served to make Link more anxious. He knew that they didn't have much time and he didn't want to be wasting even a moment of it when it meant Zelda's very life. Then, as he thought to snap at the Zora Queen, a figure emerged from a certain behind a wooden counter. It occurred to Link that the figure wasn't a Zora. He was Hylian… a very old looking decrepit Hylian who wore a dark blue robe and hat, had a gray, unkempt beard and appeared to get around with a walking stick. Link almost confused this Doctor for the Old Man back at the Temple of Time. The Doctor approached the Queen slowly and cautiously, as though he was studying her with an exceedingly old, yet keen eye. He huffed at the sight of her.

"Queen Rutela, why aren't I surprised?" he asked.

"It's always nice to see you, Doctor," Rutela responded as casually as she could, to which the Doctor again huffed. "I see you've made some additions to your, um, quarters."

The Doctor spit on the ground and replied, "Ain't had much to do, since your ridiculous Honor Guard and that moronic Mikau took me hostage."

"Mikau is dead." Rutela stated.

"Is he now? Too bad," said the Doctor before he glanced at the young looking boy in green. He had a pretty young girl cradled in his arm. "Who're you supposed to be, eh? If you're lookin' to get hitched, you've come to the wrong place."

It took Link about a second to figure out what this seemingly clueless old coot was rambling about. "Hitched?! She's not my bride, you senile old fool."

"Doctor, that's the Princess of Hyrule, the daughter of King Daphnes and Queen Vera and heir to the throne," Rutela explained. "And right now, she needs your medical attention."

The Doctor leered at Rutela wearily, even spitting on the ground a second time. Then he approached the boy in green and the girl in his arms. The Doctor examined the girl without so much as laying a bony finger on her. Her breathing was shallow, but consistent, so she was in no immediate danger of dying. He turned her face to him; pretty, he thought. He face though was a sickly shade of blue and her eyes were bloodshot in crimson. The Doctor recognized these symptoms and reason in his mind that the cause was that of a Wizzrobe. It didn't surprise him that these kids would be stupid enough to tangle with such a creature, nor did it surprise him that Rutela probably talked them into it.

"Had a run-in with a Wizzrobe, eh? Stupid kids, think they know everything 'bout the world."

"Are you going to help her or not, old man?" Link said, his tone was firm and quick, not hiding his frustration.

The Doctor huffed, "Fine; follow me into the back."

Hoisting Zelda a little higher in his arms, Link followed the Doctor behind the counter and through the certain with Rutela close behind. The room they were in was small; maybe too small for Rutela's tastes, but there was a bed against the far wall, a table at the center and a myriad of items lying around. This place was about as unkempt as the Doctor's gray beard. At the Doctor's direction, Link carried Zelda to the bed and laid her down. The Doctor pushed Link out of the way to examine the Princess, who appeared to have taken a turn for worse. He pressed a bony hand atop the Princess's forehead and felt a chill. Then he opened one eye to examine the crimson shade that had overtaken it. Zelda was still coherent enough to glance up at the Doctor, but she could do nothing to protest.

"Hmm," the Doctor grumbled as he examined his patient. "The ice infection has progressed further than I'd anticipated. Did she stand directly in front of the Wizzrobe to get this way? Stupid child."

"Get on with it, already," Link snapped. "Can you help her?"

"Course I can. But I'll need your help, boy," the Doctor retorted. "There's a jar of red potion on one of the shelves. Go get it."

Link didn't waste a moment and bolted out of the backroom and back into the main area of the bazaar. He searched the shelves frantically for a jar of red potion that the Doctor mentioned. He'd seen it before when he and Rutela first arrived at the bazaar and had to rack his brain to find it. But there were so many jars of various items that it was hard to concentrate on what he was doing. Link focused and gently pushed a few of the jars aside, their contents rippling inside their glass containers. He quickly found what he was searching for; a small jar filled close to the brim with a red liquid.

Grasping the jar, Link rushed back to the backroom. The Doctor was still hovering over Zelda's nearly prone form while Rutela paced casually around the room and Spryte rested on her shoulder. As soon as Link returned, Spryte quickly zipped to his shoulder and landed there. The Doctor snatched the jar out of Link's hands, uncorked and then gently poured a small dose into Zelda's mouth. Zelda immediate coughed a miniscule drop, but the Doctor simply poured more. Again, she coughed, but started to take it all in little by little until the jar was emptied.

Link, Spryte, and Rutela waited for a reaction while the Doctor backed away. The first reaction was subtle; the blue in Zelda's skin slowly faded but the paleness remained. The next reaction wasn't nearly as subtle. Zelda's eyes, still bloodshot, snapped open and she began wheezing and convulsing wildly. Link and Rutela had to hold her down even as her limbs flailed about and her chest bobbed up and down as something was on the verge of bursting. Then as quickly as it began, the unexpected convulsion ceased and Zelda grew calm and silent. Her eyes remained wide open and not as bloodshot as before. Her breathing was quick and erratic. The first thing she saw was Link and the terrified look in his face before closing her heavy eyes and falling into a deep sleep.

Link was shocked with what just happened and looked to the Doctor. "What in the name of Din was that?" he shouted angrily.

"Calm down, boy," the Doctor said. "That was just a normal reaction to the potion. She wasn't in any real danger."

"Really?! You could've fooled us." Spryte shouted.

"Look at how she's improved," the Doctor pointed at Zelda's complexion, and Link, Rutela and Spryte noted the change in appearance. "See? The potion needs to run its course, but she'll recover over time."

Link was going to have to take the Doctor's word for whatever it was worth. He looked at Zelda and saw that her breathing was shallow, but steady. Her skin still had a pale shade to it but none of the frosty blue that afflicted her in the caverns. She was strong; she was fighting it. It was just take time for her to recover. Link wasn't sure there'd be enough time for anything. Unable to stand by anymore, he walked out of the backroom with Spryte following, leaving Rutela and the Doctor behind. The Doctor huffed and walked off, and only Rutela remained at Zelda's side. The Doctor was right; Zelda's recovery would take time, but if history taught Rutela anything about the Royal Family's linage…

…it was that they were nothing if not resilient and strong. And without question, Princess Zelda was resiliant.

In a dark corner of the castle, Ganondorf was deep in thought. His hands were clasped together beneath his chin and his yellow eyes were closed. His thoughts rested on the recent news from Zora's Domain, according to his scouts. Mikau had failed, the Wizzrobe defeated and the Princess and her companion were a step closer to learning the location of the Master Sword. It was still to be a long and arduous journey, but according to the scouts, the Princess herself had fallen ill. Ganondorf considered this a significant step in the right direction… at least from his own twisted point of view.

A faint but audible sound drew his attention to the lone stain glass window in the corner. Beyond the glass was a faint light. Ganondorf gazed further passed the glass to find a plume of smoke billowing from the Royal City, likely the Town Square. It dawned on him that his Moblin forces were likely causing a serious stir in the city and against his orders… and he didn't like it.

Malon was peering out of the hole in her cell, ignoring the weeping of the other prisoners. Talon, somehow and someway, found time to take a nap. Even in the most dire situations, he'd found time to nap. That would always put the young farm girl's mind at ease, except for that moment. She was looking out at the plume of smoke rising up from the city. As much as she wanted it to be Link out in the city causing trouble, Malon knew that simply couldn't be the case. So the question was this; what could be causing those plumes of smoke and the bright orange light to appear?

A mob had formed in the city. Men and women with various household tools and random objects collected from the streets stormed the streets and had caught the Moblins enforcing Martial Law completely off guard. Despite their collective lack of battle prowess, the citizens of the city had the advantage in sheer numbers. The Moblins were knocking the intrusive people back whole groups at a time, but the people weren't about to surrender, not to these beasts and not to Ganondorf. Even as the Moblins hurled random people aside like stones, the citizens swarmed their enemies with a reckless fervor.

Until Ganondorf appeared… riding in his black horse like a bolt of black lightning, he raced into the square and leaped from his steed. He landed in the center of the crowd with such force that it knocked every person nearest the epicenter to the ground. Civilian men, women, soldiers loyal to the Royal Family, were all thrown in the air as Ganondorf produced a ball of yellow energy and hurled it at the next unfortunate group of people. They were instantly vaporized on impact without a chance to even scream. The suddenness of the attack left the rest of the mob in a disquieted daze, while Ganondorf seethed at each and every one of them.

"Who is responsible for this insurrection," he demanded, but not a single Hylian spoke out. Ganondorf turned his attention to his Moblins forces, particularly the one at the head of the group. "Tell me, whelp… was it you who instigated this incident," He waited for a reply but received none. So, he grasped the Moblin by his neck and hoisted him into the air. "I'm waiting."

The Moblin struggled under the feeling of being choked to death when he replied, "The order came from you, my Lord."

"I gave no such order," Ganondorf claimed before he suddenly felt the stinging penetration of a blade in his shoulder. Two more came and he seethed, "Nabooru."

From out of the crowd of rabid citizens and soldiers came Nabooru, clutching the hilts of her curved swords in each hand. Her beautiful golden brown face was distorted with a scowl of anger… and all of that anger was directed at Ganondorf. "You've used me to do your bidding for the last time, Ganondorf." she shouted.

Ganondorf forcibly pulled the bladed from his shoulder before turning to face the insubordinate woman. "So it would seem," he said and drew his sword. "We've been down this road before, Nabooru, and time after time, I've humbled you only for you to stand against me. What makes you think this time will be any different?"

"Because this time," Nabooru started stalking toward Ganondorf, anger etched on her face. "I won't stop until you're nothing but a bloody smear on the blades of my swords."

Ganondorf was nonplused by Nabooru's threat and instead invited her to charge. Nabooru did, bolting from the hushed crowd of people toward her one-too-many-time master. Instinctively and without orders from Ganondorf, the Moblins stepped forward to face the charging Gerudo woman. Nabooru hacked her way passed the Moblins without difficulty and without stopping, leaving several beasts dispatched on the ground. The only time she stopped was to face one particularly stubborn Moblin. Nabooru swiftly slashed at its legs to bring it down to a kneeling position and then used its back as a catapult to leap into the air. Then she was suddenly stopped in midair by an unseen force, dropping her swords from her hands.

Ganondorf stood with his hand outstretched toward Nabooru as she was floating helplessly in the air, at his mercy. "I'd have thought you would've learned from your past transgressions, Nabooru. Indoctrination of your mind is only one such talent the Crest of Power grants me. Physical manipulation of the body is another."

Then as Ganondorf began to subtly bring his fingers together, Nabooru began to feel the breath leaving her lungs. It started at and maintained a slow pace, yet it was agonizingly painful. Nabooru wanted to reach her hands to her throat to quell the pain, slow the loss of breath, but her arms were seemingly stuck in place. Ganondorf continued to essentially squeeze the breath out of the woman, all the while making, no, forcing the civilian populous of the Royal City to watch. There was a mix of horror and dread and anger among them, but Ganondorf ignored them and focused on his continued torture of Nabooru.

He could literally squeezed the life out of her in one fell swoop and not feel a pang of guilt, because Nabooru had gone from a controlled variable to nuisance. It was going to happen at some point… that much he knew. He was thinking about it… choking her to death in full view of the populous, using her as an example that he should never be crossed. Instead, as Nabooru was clearly struggling to suck in the very last inch of breath she could, Ganondorf release his hold. Nabooru fell and collapsed to the ground and was rendered unconscious, her breathing shallow.

Ganondorf stood over Nabooru, who wearily gazed up at him with tired, angry eyes. He gave her no further thought afterward and gave his Moblin troops a nod. Two of them stepped forward and pulled her upright and dragged her back up the road leading to the castle. Ganondorf remained idle for a time, contemplating what more he could, and likely would do to Nabooru when the time came. He glared at the people gathered at around, the brazen rebellion quelled to nothing by his presence alone. Without another word but with a twisted half-grin, Ganondorf started back to the castle.

The following morning approached faster than Link had anticipated upon the return to Lake Hylia. It seemed like sheer luck that in the time he and Zelda were dealing with the Zora, Epona and Ingo never seemed to leave their place. Link had lost track of how long he, Zelda and Spryte were gone but hardly cared about that. With Spryte fluttering over his head, Link carried Zelda up from the path that led into and out of Zora's Domain. Rutela followed them out, flanked by two of her Zora guards.

Zelda was conscious and upright, but still very weak from her ordeal with the Wizzrobe. She was sporting a moderately thick looking cloak that was wrapped around most of her person. Her face, though still pale, was exposed to the warmth of the morning sun. Her eyes were no longer bloodshot, or at the very least not as bloodshot as before. But in no way did all did any of that mean she was well. She approached Epona and tried to climb onto the young horse but was visibly struggling. Link had to assist her before he focused on tying Ingo's reins to Epona's saddle.

"Well, at least she's improving," Rutela stated as she studied the weary Princess. Link was making the last preparations for their departure when Rutela added, "She always was a stubborn one, like her father, I guess."

"Yep," Link replied. "After what we've been through so far and the number of times we've argued, it hardly surprises me anymore."

"She trusts you, though. You can probably take that in any way you choose. Oh, and before you go…" Rutela motioned to one of her guards, who handed her an object.

Link took notice of the object. "The Zora Sapphire?"

"Yes, well I think you and the Princess the right to, um, borrow it."

Link alternated glances between the shimmering blue jewel and Rutela. "That's it," he asked. "No strings attached?"

"Think of this as my way to thank you and Zelda for you help in the caverns," Rutela stated while handing Link the Sapphire. Then she unexpectedly leaned up to him and whispered, "Or we could just go right ahead get married right here… cutie."

The suddenly wide-eyed Link pulled away with the jewel and deadpanned, "No!"

"Well, it was worth a try."

Placing the Sapphire in his satchel, Link climbed atop of Epona and took the reins. Zelda in turn placed her weary head on his shoulder and closed her eyes. With a final glance to Rutela and vice versa, Link gently whipped the reins and urged Epona forward with Ingo following close by. Spryte, who was sitting on Link's shoulder, stuck her tongue out at the Zora Queen. Rutela was at first stunned but smirk at the little fairy nevertheless. For a time, she stood and watched the trio depart for the path on of Lake Hylia and, unknown to them, secretly hoped that they would be successful in the quest.

"May the Goddesses watch over and protect you."

Upon reaching the wide open Hyrule Field, Zelda began to stir slightly and opened eyes to the warm morning sun. "Link…?"

Link barely heard the Princess's weary addressing of him and replied, "I'm here, Princess. How're you feeling?"

Zelda sighed, "Awful. Where're we going?"

"Home, and I've got the Zora Sapphire."

Zelda again sighed but in relief this time. "That's good," she said and managed a small smile. "You're not such a lowly thief after all."

Link smirked at the in-joke. "And you're not such a stuck-up Princess," Zelda smiled back in kind before slipping back to a peaceful slumber. Link then thought to himself, Hold on, Zelda. You're going to be okay. I swear it.

Author's note: I admit, this isn't the best chapter I've ever put up and I've done plenty of underwhelming ones. This could best be looked at as a filler of sort to advance the story, which I think may be a long one. I won't get into the points of interest this time.

As mentioned above, my beta returned from radio blackout and helped edit this chapter a bit. So as always, feel free to send a shout out.