I have another story up. It's finished so it won't distract me from writing this one. I just needed to write something else because I am having an epically bad day. I edited this chapter but I didn't do it closely so please forgive the speeling errors and such. I am having a REALLY REALLY bad day.

***

"What in Sacred Realms happened here?!" I hear the voice but it seems far away, too distant to bother answering. "Look at this mess! How am I going to…" the voice just fades off. It must have been father than I thought.

Steps echo throughout the room. I feel pressure and heat on my jaw. "..ink? Link? Link, answer!" The voice still sounds distant, but somehow familiar. The hand is warm at least. I still feel pretty cold.

"Drayfus! Drayfus I need you! Get down here now!" I wince. Even far away the voice sounds loud. Then it softens again and starts whispering softly. I feel the pressure wrap itself around my body, encircling me in heat. How did I get so cold? I feel myself shivering in the embrace.

"Anju, what the hell is wrong?"

"It's Link. I think he's hurt! Drayfus, there's blood everywhere. There is a body on my floor!"

"By Din! Link? Link, can you hear me?" Yes, I can. I just don't really care right now.

"Let me through." I think that's Ganty. The embrace is pulled away and is replaced by fleeting touches. They don't help keep me warm but I do find them soothing. "I think he's in shock." I'm not shocked, I'm cold. It's different. "He's lost quite a bit of blood as well." Well, it shouldn't be too hard to find so I don't see what the problem is. "Anju, I need to get some me a drink, something with a lot of sugar in it. Drayfus, I need you to carry him to the room. We have to get him warm."

I wince as I am lifted from the ground. My knees ache. That's the only feeling besides the cold; the pain. It eases a bit when I'm set onto a bundle of clouds. I feel like I'm floating. I here the voices talking over me, but their drifting away…

**

I feel warm, pleasantly and comfortably warm. I snuggle deeper into the blanket. I feel safe right now. I know that feeling is an illusion, but I want to hold onto it anyway, even if it is for just a few moments.

I stretch out my arms, which are beginning to fall asleep. They brush against something soft. Wait, I've touched this before…

And I'm rolling out of bed again. I overbalance, landing on my rear instead of toes. Pain shoots up my back and I clutch at my shoulder, hissing in silent agony. I'm still in my tunic, but with close examination I notice that it is peppered with rusty brown stops. The smell of copper reaches my nose and I go a little paler.

A face peeks over the edge of the bed. "So I see you're awake," Ganty notes wryly. She's lying on her stomach, waggling her legs. She looks rather normal in that position, making it more difficult to believe that she really is venomous. "So…you had quite the night."

I chuckle darkly. The chuckle bursts into an all out hysterical laugh. Soon I am clutching my sides and can feel tears forming in the corner of my eyes. Setting my face in my hands I take several deep, calming breaths. "I killed him Ganty," my voice comes out hoarse and shaky, "and if I hadn't he would have killed me, or worse." But that doesn't make me feel better. I laugh derisively. "I can't even go up the stairs without people I don't know trying to kill me. And I wrecked Anju's inn." Everything I touch turns to shit.

"Hey now. Don't do that." In a flash Ganty is on her knees in front of me, her forehead touching mine, whispering compassionately. "You did what you had to do. I know that. You know that. The Goddesses know that." I feel her arms resting on my shoulders. "I recognized who he was, Link." Her body trembles from the shivers that run through me. "You didn't have a choice. And Anju's just glad you're okay. Now come on, we need to wash you up and get some food in you. I'll have Anju draw you a bath." Ganty gets up then kneels down again, placing a cup in my hands. "Drink this. You'll feel better after you do."

Whatever it is it smells divine. I sip it as Ganty slips out of the room. My mouth floods with sweetness. I savor the taste before swallowing the mouthful. Ganty was right. After only a few drinks my shaking begins to subside and the hollow feelings in my chest begin to fill.

I'm draining the last dregs of the cup when Ganty comes in. "Bath's ready. Come on and we'll get you cleaned up." She takes the cup from me, and then grabs my hand, pulling me to my feet. I'm surprised when she doesn't let go. Ganty isn't a touchy person.

She leads me into the hallway, but instead of going down stairs I'm lead to another room at the end of the corridor. It's a small room containing a chair that has towels stacked on it, a full-length mirror hanging on the wall, a bucket and a large metallic basin full of steaming water.

"Okay, now take off your tunic and get in the tub." I shoot Ganty a look. "I'll turn around, but I need to get it to Anju so she can wash it." I stare at her until she spins, snarling to herself about my maiden temperament. Well, if people would quit mistaking me for a girl maybe I wouldn't guard my chastity like one.

I start fumbling with my tunic. My belts, the one for my sword and the one with my ocarina, must have been removed earlier. I draw the shirt to my shoulders before I hit a snag. Life is never easy. "Ganty?"

"What? There is no way you are in the tub already. What's the hold up?" Annoyance colors her voice.

I mumble.

"Link, I can't here you when you mumble. Speak up or hurry up." Why is Ganty so bipolar? There's no help for it I guess.

I sigh. "I can't get my shirts off."

She spins, arching an eyebrow. "You what now?" She just sounds baffled instead of disgusted.

"I can't get my shirts off."

"For Farore's sake!" Ganty marches over to me and grabs the hems of both the shirts and just reefs on them. I hiss as my arms are forced over my head, bending as best I can to help get this done with. I stumble back a bit as the neckline is finally forced over my head and spin a bit, catching myself on the side of the tub.

I hear Ganty's sharp inhale. "By the Triforce Link!" I feel her hands running along my back. "What the hell happened last night?" I wince as her fingers probe my back gently.

I turn my head and manage to catch a view of myself in the mirror. I look like a monster from an old wives tail. My back is a mass of bruises with my right shoulder being the epicenter; the color so black that it likes the midnight sky has taken up residence on it. My normally "golden" hair is now streaked with an ugly brown. My pale skin is almost translucent where it shows, but is mostly hidden by the ugly brown flakes covering my face. Wow, I have a lot of blood. My neck is also a mass of bruises, the gold chain shining like a rainbow after the storm.

"Link, what did he do to you?" She sounds horrified. I do look horrific. That's probably the best descriptor. Horrific. Horrifying. Horrible. Horrid. Ah damn, I'm out of words.

So I'll answer the question. "He did try to strangle me." Just like Nasty Looking. What's with slavers and suffocation, really? "I also fell down the stairs." I know, I should blame Leroi. It's not like he can rat me out, but I just can't come up with a story right now.

"Wow, you have really bad luck." That's what I've been saying. "Here, I'll help you get out of these pants." What?

"Oh come on," Ah shit, I must have spoken out loud. "I've seen you naked before." Double what? "With the Kokiri. Did you really think Saria stripped you?"

Touché. And truth be told I'm too sore right now to really care.

It still feels like forever before I make it into the tub. But when I finally do it feels like heaven.