Prompt Twenty-nine – I think I need a doctor

Timeline - Set During Ocarina of Time

I Think I Need a Doctor


Link had already been down beneath the Well of Kakariko Village for a full day, when he first noticed that something was off. Maybe it was because he had gone from the sticky warmth of Lord Jabu Jabu's belly to the dank chilliness of the well. His nine year old body doesn't realize there had been a month between the two places because he had been in his future body. Or maybe he had swallowed one too many mouthfuls of the putrid water that festered in his God forsaken place. He was inclined to believe the latter.

It had started out as a simple headache, which the boy had chalked up to dehydration. It happened quite often since he left the forest. Having to spend days to weeks in places with little to no drinking water, the young hero had become accustomed to rationing the water he carried with him. This caused headaches to be a regular occurrence. Considering the smell and look of the water under the well, it made sense to think that it wasn't drinkable. Thinking about how all the villagers had been drinking this water, it was a wonder why there weren't more sick people in Kakariko. Link initially ventured under here on a whim and didn't do much in preparation. So his drinking water stash was already on the low side, and the boy had to settle on taking the occasional sip since he entered the well.

It took him almost three days inside the terrifying place before he found the item that he and Navi needed, the Lens of Truth. Unfortunately, by then he had become lost in the labyrinth of cells that lurked beneath the village. It was also at this point that Link could no longer hide his growing sickness from Navi. The boy found his health steadily growing worse since the headache first started, and it didn't take long for him to accept that it wasn't dehydration. But not wanting to worry his Fairy partner he tried to hide it from her.

But of course that didn't work for long. Shortly after finding the Lens of Truth, he had asked for a short break, and ended up falling asleep. He woke up to find Navi in a state of panic about how high his body temperature was. At that moment however, his body temperature was the least of his concerns. At least compared to the wall of monsters that surrounded them. The young hero immediately went into a feverish tirade, slaughtering every enemy he saw. Once they were all defeated, the boy broke into a run, not caring what direction he was going, nor if Navi was following him. Link was vaguely aware of the voice of his fairy companion calling behind him, but did not stop listen; desperate to leave this nightmare of a place.

Enemies and monsters continued to jump out and attack him, as he blindly ran through the different rooms of the Well. He was unable to distinguish on whether they were real or just delusions of his fevered mind. Neither mattered at the moment, all that mattered was finding his way out. The child finally started noticing familiar surroundings, at least what he recalled seeing on his first day in the Well, and knew that he was close to finding his way out. He saw lights ahead of him, and knew it was the entrance. As if the well itself knew he was almost escaped, the dead hands that guarded the Lense of Truth began to sprout out of the walls, ceiling and ground. Reaching out for him. Link could feel slimy skin grazing against his ankles and forearms, desperate to keep him there longer. He no longer heard Navi, and dearly hoped that she was still with him, because he really didn't want to come back down and find her.

Finally! He reached the ladder that led back up to the quiet monster free civilization of Kakariko Village. The young child grabbed the medal bars of the ladder and few up with the speed and agility that could only come from terror filled adrenaline. The boy fell face first on the ground when he tumbled out of the well, and quickly scrambled back to his feet checking to make sure that none of the monsters followed him. A wave of relief washed over him when saw only Navi there, giving him a look of deepest concern. Unfortunately, the feeling of relief also brought to mind the rolling in his stomach. The young hero barely managed to stumble behind a tree before he was violently ill, throwing up the small amount of food he'd managed to consume that day. Even with his stomach empty, he continued to bring up small amounts of stomach acid and dry heaved for a good five minutes.

By the time Link's stomach settled down, he was a snotty mess of tears and only had the energy to cry into the grass beneath him. Not surprisingly his spectacle had caught the attention of someone nearby. A gentle hand that was way too big to be Navi's began rubbing smooth circles over his back, "Shhh… it's ok young one… shhh…" it was a female voice that spoke, very kind and gentle. Link recognized the voice but couldn't quite place it to a face.

Link felt the hand that was rubbing his back shift to his side and gently turn his body so he was lying on his back. Sobs were still croaking out of his mouth, and he blinked through the blur of tears to try and make out who was looking down at him. It was the lady that kept losing her cucco's every time he turned around. He must have refound them all a dozen times by now. Since he had never been introduced to her by name, he always referred to the woman as the cucco lady. She slid the green pointed hat off of his face and used it like a wash cloth, wiping the tears from his face and the stray patches of vomit from his mouth. Her other hand slid across his forehead, smoothing his bangs back. "Father come quickly!" she called from over his shoulder.

The tears that she had just wiped away were quickly replaced with new ones, streaming down his face as the terror he had felt still lingered in his chest. His fevered eyes kept glancing back towards the well, expecting the pale colorless hands to snake their way out of it. The cucco lady continued to shush him softly, while she undid the belt that kept his Kokiri sword in place.

After a moment the angry face of Mutoh came into his vision; he stood over him with arms crossed over his chest. "What's the matter with him?" the older man growled out sounding annoyed at being interrupted from whatever he had been doing.

"He's very ill father," the cucco lady said looking up at the old man. Apparently Mutoh was her father. "His skin burns with fever."

The Kokiri sword and Deku sheild were completely removed from his body, though Link was only dimly aware of this by now. His vision has begun to dim at this point, making; the child didn't even know for sure if the sobbing sounds were coming from him or someone nearby. A strong set of arms lifted him up, and Link twisted his head around to get one last glance at the terrifying well. Then the world faded around him, and with it all the pains in his body.


Link's dreams were filled with terrifying visions from what he saw beneath the well. At some points he walked through the wells depths, his vision straining to see through the darkness. The small amount of light he was granted cast eerie shadows that attempted to consume him. Sometimes the shadows would turn into redeads that let out their blood chilling scream. Other times he was out in Hyrule field, Lon Lon Ranch or even Kokiri forest. At first feeling safe and content, but then a dark shadow cast over him. The pasty pale limbs from the Dead Hand would snake their way out of the ground, and pulled him towards the monster that wanted to consume him.

When the child finally awoke with a terrified scream, he could still feel their chilled hands grasping his arms. Link's heart was thudding against his rib cage so hard, it was fully possible that the organ would burst out of his chest. He struggled against the hands that held him down. "Easy… easy just calm down," a soft voice was saying to him, but it barely registered in the boy's brain. The only thing he could think about was escaping from the monsters. Where was he now? His vision couldn't focus on anything; the world was a mess of blurriness as the child thrashed around. After another moment, Link felt something like a blanket get wrapped around his body, and with his arms encased in the cloth, his movements were much more restricted. Soft grunts fell from his lips as he struggled ever harder against the restraints on his body, and the next thing he felt was his entire body being lifted up and brought into a tight but gentle embrace. The soft voice continued to speak into his ear. "Shh… shh it's ok. You all right now, your safe…"

The young hero paused in his struggles at this unexpected movement. His head rested on something that could only be a warm chest, and adding the feeling of arms that surrounded him, made this position an unmistakable embrace. Link had faced a lot of enemies since he left the forest, and none of them had ever shown this type of affection. Which could only mean that the whoever he was with now, was not an enemy or monster. The body was too big to be a Kokiri, so it had to be an adult, and the voice that spoke to him was feminine. Since he didn't know very many adult woman, it made it hard for him to figure out who was holding him.

As his heart rate fell back to a normal range, Link became more aware of the protests his body was giving. The closest thing he could compare to how he felt right now, were the time he had gotten chewed on by a Like Like. Every inch of his body ached like no tomorrow, his skin felt like it was on fire, and his brain pounded against his skull. The boy opened his mouth and let out the only sound he had energy for, which was a drawn out groan of misery. Since he was no longer struggling, whoever held him loosened their hold on him slightly, and then his extremely heavy body was eased back to lay flat on something soft. It took a few blinks to get his vision to finally focus, and Link was finally able to see that he was in someone's home and no longer at the bottom of the well. That information alone brought a wave of relief so heavy the child could have cried.

Actually after a few seconds that's exactly what he did. The relief accompanied with how terrible he felt, was too much for his little body to handle. So it got all released though large salty tears streaming down his face. "Woah there- shh… it's ok sweetheart. Why are you crying?" The cucco Lady's face came into his vision, her face full of concern as she stroked his forehead gently. "Do you hurt anywhere?"

Link did not respond, but continued to cry, feeling too terrible to worry about how pathetic he was being. "Anju!" a new voice called suddenly, and the cucco lady's head turned towards the voice. Anju must have been her name. With all the times Link had helped round up her lost cuccos, he had never taken the time to ask her name. This made him feel a bit ashamed. It only took a moment for a new face to join with Anju in his sight. Going by the similarities and age, the boy could only assume that this was Anju's mother. The older woman handed Anju a wet cloth that she placed over his forehead. It felt like the cloth had been soaking in ice water that caused shivers to go down his spine. But the coolness felt heavenly on his pounding head, so the groan that fell from his lips was a mix of satisfaction and pain. "I sent word to the doctor, but he's all the way at Lake Hylia; so it will be at least three days before he can get here," Anju's mother continued.

The young woman gave a noise of dissatisfaction, "That's too long." she puffed a deep sigh, "If we can't get his fever under control, he could be dead by then."

Dead? Link did not like the sound that. Was he really that sick? "We really don't have any other choice, but to wait and hope for the best," Anju's mother responded sadly. "I have a red potion we can give him, that might help some." Anju nodded at her mother, and the older woman left the room.


Anju looked sadly down at the young child, laying in the bed. She had recognized him the moment she saw his face. He was the kind young boy who always helped returned her missing cuccos anytime they escaped. The pesky birds were always escaping from their pen, and since she had allergies to them, she was never able to go round them up herself. So she was grateful that he was always willing to help. He always seemed like such a strong young man, carrying around his own cute little sword and shield. But now looking at him, he looked like a lost young child. The war gear that the boy always wore surely made him look older. Anju had not realized before now, just how young he actually was. He had to be eight or nine- ten years at the very oldest.

The young woman reached out to smooth his sweat soaked bangs back, and felt that the cool cloth they had laid on his forehead only minutes earlier was already room temperature. It would need to be changed, and this only added to her worry. She had seen fevers like this claim victims much older than this child, and she couldn't bear the thought of seeing it claim this one. The child gazed at her with vacant glossy eyes, and it made Anju wonder if he even knew what was going on at the moment. The boy must have been in some sort of daze because there was suddenly a flash of recognition in his fever hazed orbs, and he began glancing around the room in haste. Then he began struggling to sit up, "Ah, ah none of that," Anju said gently pushing him back into the bed. She figured he was having another fit of panic, "It's all right, you're safe here."

Her words did nothing to ease him this time. He was easily overpowered in his weakened state, but continued to glance around anxiously. Incoherent mumblings started coming from his mouth. Anju attempted to lean in closer to see if it would help her understand, but it didn't. "What is it?" she asked him.

It took several attempts on his part before he spoke something she could make out. "N-Navi…" unfortunately she was not familiar with that name, so for all the sense it made to her, he might as well be continuing to speak incoherently.

The word sounded like it was the name of someone. That certainly didn't narrow the list of who the child could be talking about. He always seemed to travel alone, well except for- "Do you mean your fairy friend?" at the boy's slight nod she added. "Don't worry. She's over there resting on the dresser." Anju glanced over at the small fairy that slept soundly on the child's green hat he usually wore. She did wonder if the fairy was ill as well, it's not exactly easy to tell, but in any case the little creature seemed totally exhausted. She had attempted to stay by the child's side while they tended to him, but not much time passed before she had fallen asleep next to the boy. Anju's mother had moved her over to the dresser so she wouldn't get crushed when the boy began flailing in his sleep.

Hearing that seemed to do the trick in calming the child down, as he sighed gently and relaxed back into the bed. Anju removed the no longer cool cloth from his forehead, and placed it in a bowl full of cool water that stood on a table next to her. She allowed it to soak a moment before wringing it out and replacing back over the boy's fevered brow. "Can you tell me your name?" she asked still having no idea what his name was despite how often he helped her.

The young child opened his mouth, and more garbled speech came out. He closed it to clear his throat but ended up coughing a bit. Then in a very weak voice Anju heard, "Ugh...L...Li...nk…" even after that one little word the boy began to cough again.

"Link?" Anju repeated to make sure heard correctly, while raising his pillow up slightly to help ease the cough. He nodded slightly, signaling that she was correct. The coughing continued so Anju raised Link's body up so he was in sitting position, and gently patted his back until the coughing stopped and he was breathing easy again. She had just settled the child back into the bed, the wet cloth that had fallen into his lap was placed back on his forehead, when her mother returned with the red potion in hand. "Thanks Ma," Anju said accepting the jar as it was handed to her. "Here Link drink this, it'll help you feel better."

Anju slipped an arm underneath the child's neck to lift his head, before gently tipping the bottle of liquid into his mouth. Luckily he drank it without question or complaint, at least at first. Once about a third of the liquid was consumed, he began to resist drinking by turning his head away. Anju attempted to follow his mouth with the bottle so he could finish the rest until her mother said, "That's probably enough Anju. Best not to risk it coming back up." The younger woman took her mother's advice with a nod and set the jar aside. The boy's body seemed to relax at the knowledge that he didn't need to drink anymore, and settled himself more comfortably in the bed and was asleep a few moments later. "He should probably eat something next time he wakes," Anju's mother whispered, while her daughter wrapped the ill child more snuggly in the blankets. "Maybe get some broth ready?"

With a heavy sigh filled with worry, Anju nodded in agreement.


For the first time since leaving Kokiri Forest, Link awoke fully thinking that he was lying on his bed inside his treehouse in the village. So when he opened his weak crusted over eyelids, and saw unfamiliar surroundings, the boy was filled with confusion. Where was he? This room certainly wasn't any place in Kokiri Village, there was even a wooden door to the room. It was common knowledge that Kokiri's never made doors for their houses, only covering the entrance with cloth. Doors were a Hylian invention and its meant for hiding secrets. So given that Kokiri's never had anything to hide there would be no reason to put a door that could close up your home. Link's heart began to beat faster as fear began to consume him, this could only mean that he was no longer in the forest, and under the protection of the Great Deku Tree. Had he been kidnapped.

Going by the achiness of his body that seemed to seep into his bones, Link could only assume that he had fallen very ill. Perhaps he had been taken somewhere to be healed. But normally when one of their own fell so ill they needed special healing, they were brought to the Great Deku Tree. Link couldn't ever recall a time they had to take someone out of the forest to heal them. Besides leaving the forest meant that you'd die, so it wouldn't-

The child's train of thought halted as a fearful notion came to the forefront of his mind. Perhaps he wasn't ill, but rather dying because he wasn't in the forest anymore. No longer under the protection of their great Father. Tears welled up in Link's eyes, and he was too weak to hold them back for long. Soon enough the boy was sobbing harshly into his blankets that covered him. It also wasn't long before the noise he made brought the attention of whoever had captured him, "Link! What's wrong? Are you hurt?" a female voiced asked.

Upon looking up at however spoke, Link stopped crying with a start. The young woman that stood before him was certainly not a Kokiri, but he also recognized her. Slowly, very slowly that cogs of his brain turned and the memories of the past few months trickled back into his mind. He wanted it to stop when the memories of the well started coming in, but the more he thought about that terrifying place, the faster those memories raced through his mind. Suddenly the Dead Hand creature stood behind Anju, one is its detached arms reaching out for him, causing the child to scream in terror.

"What is it!" Anju looked greatly alarmed as his sudden severe reaction.

Link could only point at the creature, screaming again. "Don't let it get me! Please, please don't let it get me!"

The young woman looked behind her, right at the monstrous creature. "Link, there's nothing there," she said turning back to him. How could she not see it, it was right there. The boy continued to shriek in terror so Anju got onto the bed and gathered him up into her arms. "Shh, its all right. Calm down," she spoke in a soothing voice. "Nothing going to get you, shh…"

"What in good Goddesses is going on in here?" Anju's mother came in looking alarmed herself.

"I think he's hallucinating," Anju responded, and Link felt her cool hand that had been resting on the back his neck, slide underneath his tunic down his back. "He's burning up Ma, I don't know what to do."

Link could not comprehend anymore of their conversation, as a haze fell over him. He was only able to catch snippets of what happened after this, and was unable to tell if hours or even days were passing by between snippets. He recalled someone removing his soaking wet tunic from his sticky body It almost felt like he was back inside the Death Mountain Volcano, as the heat seemed to press in on him from all sides. When the boy became aware next, he was shivering from head to foot because for some reason he was covered with ice. Then he was back under the well, locked in one of the many cells scattered beneath. Flames surrounded the cell, slowly closing in on him. He would soon suffocate under the heat.

Then he was back in Anju's house in Kakariko Village. At least now Link knew that he was wasn't dreaming anymore. He still felt as bad as he did while in the dreams, his head pounding deep inside his skull, the child's entire frame was racked with severe shivers. He felt as cold as he had felt while covered in ice, even though wasn't now. Maybe that had been a dream as well. Link hadn't even realized someone was next to him until he felt his head get raised up and something pressed against his lips. Hesitantly the child parted his chapped lips, hoping that it wasn't a potion, since he didn't think his stomach could handle the bitter tasting liquid. Graciously it was some sort of warm broth; though unfortunately his tender stomach didn't seem to like that any better. There was a worrisome twist in his belly, and Link tightened his lips refusing to let anymore in.

This continued for an undetermined amount of time. Being awakened and force fed various liquids which included potions, water, broth and sometimes juice. There were even times he was instructed to suck on a piece of ice. In-between these times he'd go back to visit the various dungeons he'd gone through and have to refight the enemies within them. Finally, at long last Link awoke in the bed he had been using at Anju's house, completely drenched in sweat but feeling better than he had in days. In attempting to sit up, he realized that his energy had been completely zapped. The boy's arms trembled under the weight of his upper body, and was soon forced to lay back down breathing as if he had just run a mile. "Easy their kiddo, don't try anything you're not up for," a voice spoke next to him.

Link turned in the voices direction and smiled with delight at the sight of his fairy companion. "Navi!" it truly was a relief to see her alive and well. The last time he recalled, they were both fleeing the. He only vaguely recalled his time spent here, and had been way too out of it to think much about his fairy. This realization also brought some feeling of guilt and shame, "I'm so happy you're ok!"

This actually caused Navi to laugh a little, "You're happy I'm ok. I should he saying that to you! You've been pretty sick there the past few days. There were times we weren't sure you'd make it."

"Oh…" the child looked down shamefully. Some hero he's turned out to be, almost taken down by a fever.

Navi must have sensed his uneasiness because she changed the subject. "Well at least we got the Lens of Truth. Once you're feeling well enough, we can head back to the future." Boy, their conversations these days sure sounded strange. He could only imagine what someone else would think if they overheard them now.

Link's eyes darkened at the mention of the Lens of Truth, "It better have been worth getting that thing…"

The fairy nodded in understanding. They both seemed to have come to the conclusion that whatever nasty thing the boy had caught, he got it while beneath that well. But what Navi did not know was that Link's time spent under there had left a deep rooted trauma in the boy. Thinking about the place and its cells and chambers gave him an almost paralytic fear. One thing was for sure. He'd never, ever, go back under there again. Not for anything…


I'm a sucker for sickfics. Got to have at least one of them :)