Thanks so much to MexicAmerichick6, Grace, James Birdsong, and Luine Mercury LWG for reviewing! You're all extremely sweet, and I hope you continue to enjoy! :D
With that, on with the chapter!
~ Chapter 6 ~
Morning arrived far sooner than Zelda would have preferred. When sunlight began to stream in from the nearby window, she was still curled up at Link's side, her face just barely brushing against his shoulder as one of his arms held her close.
A deep blush spread across her cheeks. She still hadn't quite gotten used to Link's increasing use of blatant physical affection, even in private. Not that she was complaining about it, of course, but it was still strange to think that this was the same person as the distant, silent knight she had known one hundred years ago.
A lot had changed since then, she supposed.
She breathed a soft sigh as she gazed at Link's unmoving face. He was still sound asleep, it seemed, and he thankfully appeared to not be plagued by any sort of nightmares. Though his eyes were still bruised and he still bore scars, he seemed at peace for the time being.
An odd sensation of anxiety rose up within Zelda once again, though she couldn't place why. She felt that something was...wrong, somehow. But what?
The princess shut her eyes briefly, taking a deep breath. There was nothing wrong, she told herself. Surely, all she was experiencing was a lingering sense of unease from the events of the past week or so. That much was logical. They had all been through a stressful time, and her body simply hadn't realized that it did not have to be on constant alert any longer.
That was all it was.
Suddenly, a knock at the front door removed her from her thoughts - though she'd be lying if she claimed that she didn't welcome the distraction. Reluctantly pulling away from Link, she sat up and called out, "Who is it?"
"It's me!" came Purah's voice from outside. "Just letting you know that you have a visitor, so make sure you and Linky are decent!"
Zelda's expression dulled. "Very funny, Purah!" she retorted, striving to keep the embarrassed waver out of her voice. "You can come in!" The princess slipped out of the bed and into a chair standing beside it, making sure to not let go of Link's hand.
Her knight stirred slightly at the movement, mumbling something unintelligible. He blearily opened his eyes, then immediately shut them once again with a wince. "Bright…" he grunted through clenched teeth.
Zelda frowned, eyebrows creasing in concern. "The light's still bothering you…?" she asked softly. "Strange...I would have thought your eyes would have adjusted by now...perhaps it takes longer than I assumed…?"
Link provided no answer, only grimacing in response.
Before she could ponder the matter any further, the front door opened and Purah marched in, calling up the stairs, "Alright, we're coming in! And by the way...how many rupees does Robbie owe me now?"
Zelda rolled her eyes. "None, Purah," she responded flatly, glancing over the loft's railing to shoot the Sheikah scientist the best deadpan glare she could muster. "None whatsoever!"
Purah shrugged, shaking her head. "Snap! Ah, well...I'll get those rupees sooner or later. For now...here's your visitor!"
She stepped aside and allowed a familiar white-feathered Rito to enter the house, dipping his head slightly so as not to hit the top of the doorframe.
"Teba?" Zelda asked in surprise, eyebrows lifting. "You certainly got here quickly...the Yiga hideout's been cleared out, I take it?"
Teba nodded, though when he spoke, he was noticeably out of breath. "Until any escaped stragglers come crawling back, yeah, the place is clear," he told her, walking up the stairs to meet her. "Honestly, it didn't take long after you two left - an hour, maybe? There were only two dozen or so still skulking around at that point, and we took care of them."
"That's good…" Zelda breathed, nodding slowly. "But you mentioned escapees...do you have an estimate of how many managed to get away?"
The white Rito shook his head, exhaling heavily. "Unfortunately, no. We don't really know how many were there in the first place. Any number of them could've ducked out of that passage in the back and run off without us noticing."
The princess bit her lip anxiously. "Right...I suppose that's true…" Her gaze drifted back over to Link's half-asleep form for a moment before she shook her head to clear it and looked back up at Teba. "Are you the only one here? What are the others doing?"
"The Gerudo got set up to guard the hideout in case any of the Yiga tried to come back," Teba replied. "I left the rest of my Rito soldiers with them to help, while I flew ahead. When I left, the Zora were being escorted out of the desert by a few Gerudo. Once they get out of there and hit the river, I'm sure they'll get here in no time. Prince Sidon seemed particularly eager to check on you two, and Chief Riju did as well - though she likely won't be able to come here for a while, since she's still preoccupied with the hideout."
"We can just use the Sheikah Slate to go get her when she's ready," Purah piped up from the bottom of the stairs. "No worries!"
"Yes, of course," Zelda agreed with a nod. "We'll have to check in with her soon. For now, though, Teba, please feel free to make yourself comfortable and rest here. You've had quite a long flight, and a swift one at that! You must be exhausted."
"Ah, I'm alright, princess," Teba grunted, waving a wing dismissively. "Though I appreciate it." The Rito's gaze drifted over to where Link lay, eyes still shut. "So...how's the kid doing?"
Zelda sighed and looked down at her knight as well. "He's...well, he's tired, and hurt. And we had a bit of a scare yesterday, where he didn't know where he was and panicked, but...I think he'll be okay. He was locked up in that hideout for a long time. I think he just needs time to readjust and to heal."
"Understandable…" Teba exhaled. "Link is tough, but he's not invincible. Can't imagine what he's been through…"
The two fell silent for a long moment.
However, the silence was quickly broken by Purah's voice cutting in. "Hey! So...I hate to change the subject like this, but Zelda, I need you back up at the lab. It'll be quick! There's just something I want you to take a look at for me. Do you mind?"
The princess blinked in surprise, glancing uncertainly between the imploring Sheikah and the wounded knight. "Um...as much as I'd like to go with you, I'm not sure I should leave Link by himse - "
"Nonsense!" Purah interrupted. "Teba's here now! And there's the Sheikah guards outside, and Impa and Paya should be back here soon! Linky will be fine if you leave for just a few minutes, don't worry!"
Zelda was less than certain, but the ever-energetic Purah was insistent. She sprang up the stairs, seized Zelda's arm, and began tugging her back towards the front door, causing the princess' hand to slip out of Link's.
"P-Purah!" she exclaimed indignantly. "What are you-!?"
"See you later, Teba!" the scientist called over her shoulder to the bemused Rito. "Let us know if anything happens!"
With that, she practically dragged Zelda outside, letting the door slam shut behind them.
()()()()
Teba wasn't entirely sure what to make of the Sheikah and the princess' sudden exit, but he didn't bother concerning himself with the matter. Surely, an answer would come with time.
In the meantime, the tall Rito turned his attention to the young knight lying in the bed. The boy's face was contorted in distress, and one bandaged arm was extended, supposedly reaching for the hand of the princess that was no longer present. Weakly, he mumbled something that sounded a bit like Zelda's name.
Teba sighed heavily. Was this truly what the legendary Hylian Champion had been reduced to? No wonder Zelda had looked so downcast.
The Rito stepped over to the chair Zelda had left unoccupied, letting his weary wings drop as he sat down. "Hey there, Hero," he greeted the dazed knight. "Heard you've been having a rough time of it."
Link gazed at him in confusion, eyes squinted as though he was having trouble seeing. "T...Teba…?" he rasped, his voice even softer than usual. "That...you…?"
Teba nodded. "Yeah, it's me - I just flew in this morning. How're you holding up?"
The young Hylian grimaced, shaking his head slightly. "I've...been better…" he mumbled. "W-Where's Zelda…?"
"That Sheikah scientist, Purah, dragged her out of here," Teba answered. "Said something about having her look at something up at the lab. I doubt they'll be gone long, but for now, looks like you're stuck with me."
Link didn't seem particularly pleased at the notion, but Teba took no offense. He knew that it wasn't anything personal. Surely, the appointed knight would prefer the company of his beloved princess over any other - at least, if Kass' songs about them were to be believed.
"Anyway," the Rito continued, leaning back in the chair. "I know I'm no match for a pretty girl, but I can still try to be decent company for now, if you'd like. Anything on your mind?"
Though he didn't want to overtly pry, Teba would be lying if he claimed that he wasn't curious as to what the Yiga had done to the boy. He had heard that Link was injured, but with the blankets mostly covering his small frame, Teba couldn't tell what the full extent was. If anything, from what he could see, the young knight looked more ill than wounded - his face had a distinct pallor to it, and was covered with a sheen of sweat. His eyes were a bit unfocused as well, and he kept swallowing thickly, as though trying to keep anything from coming up his throat.
Had he looked like that the entire time? Teba hadn't been watching too closely before, but hadn't Link seemed far more at ease when Zelda was at his side?
Odd.
As was typical of the Hylian knight, Link remained silent for several long moments. It was always nearly impossible to tell what the young man was thinking. Unless, of course, he spoke his mind, but such a phenomenon was incredibly rare.
Today, however, it seemed that Teba was lucky.
"S...Sort of…" Link rasped hesitantly. "I just...I don't feel good…"
Teba arched a feathered eyebrow. An almost comically simple statement, really, and coming from anyone else, it would mean little to nothing. From Link, however, it spoke volumes.
The fact that Link had admitted to not feeling well at all was remarkably telling. The knight was the type to brush off injuries with nothing more than an "I'm fine," to the point where that particular tendency had often been made the subject of the princess' ire. What, then, did it say about Link's current condition, if he was willing to admit his discomfort?
Surely, something was wrong.
"Well…" Teba exhaled. "I'll be here for the time being, so if you need anything, let me know. Zelda'll be back in no time, I'm sure, along with the rest of those Sheikah. Just get some rest until then."
The Rito knew that his words were mostly useless - no doubt, all Link had been doing since he'd arrived home had been resting - but he felt as though he had to say something to fill the silence. Even if he was only able to distract the exhausted knight from his discomfort for mere moments, it was still better than nothing.
Link, however, didn't seem interested in paying Teba any mind. Or, perhaps, he simply didn't have the energy to respond. Instead, he clumsily lifted a heavily bandaged hand up to his forehead, panting slightly as he wiped at the perspiration coating his skin. His other hand shoved weakly at the blankets covering him, pushing them down to his waist and exposing his bare upper half.
Teba swore under his breath.
The patchwork of freshly healed scars that covered the Hylian's body were etched in the unmistakable pattern of the Yiga symbol. The outline of the upside-down eye had clearly been carved deep into his flesh, though the worst of it was the pupil, represented by what was obviously a stab wound from a massive blade, right in the center of Link's abdomen.
That wound had to have been fatal. The only thing that would have saved the boy from death was the lingering healing power of the late Zora Champion.
The usually unflappable Rito warrior found himself swallowing thickly and curling his wings into feathered fists. They'd killed him. Sure, he had been brought back from the brink and had his wounds healed, but he'd still had to endure the pain of being stabbed and cut into.
To make matters worse, the Yiga eye scars weren't the only injuries Teba could see. The young knight was covered in bruises and smaller cuts, both eyes were blackened, and, oddly enough, there were several small puncture wounds littered across his arms and abdomen. At first glance, they were rather nondescript wounds (especially compared to the rest of the scars), but Teba's keen Rito eyes picked up that a very slight swelling had developed around a few of them, and that the surrounding skin was tinted red.
"The hell…?" he mumbled, tilting his head slightly. Was it possible that whatever had caused those pinprick scars had been poisoned, and was now causing a reaction? It would certainly explain why Link currently appeared so sick.
He'd have to bring it up with Zelda or one of the Sheikah. Teba himself didn't possess enough medical knowledge to properly assess the nature of the wounds, though he was reluctant to leave Link completely alone.
"Purah said the others were coming soon," he mumbled to himself, leaning back in his chair and eyeing Link warily. "I can tell them when they get here…"
Still, Teba found himself growing nervous. He was beginning to believe that the Yiga Clan's torture methods had been even worse than any of them had expected.