Zelda's eyes broke open like weighted brinks being slid across soil, her body still reeling from the arduous trek up Death Mountain. Upon her waking, she was faced with the searing pain of soreness radiating throughout her body, though , thankfully, it was, at the very least, bearable as she lay there, perhaps in part to the second sensation that came to her.
She was surrounded by warmth and comfort, for a reason wholly unknown to her. Forcing her eyes open, battling the lithe beams of light that broke through the wooden slats of enclosing walls around her, Zelda lowered her head toward her chest, noticing that she was in a bed, swaddled beneath blankets. Her mind slowly began to churn to a start as she looked around, trying her best to recall where she was, her recollections stopping near instantaneous once she rolled back the inner film of herself examining the interior of Vah Rudania.
Everything went blank from there.
Her teeth bared as she seethed painfully, pushing the blankets from atop of her as the muscles in her arm constricted in wary expectation, as though a stone were being held atop of the limb. Even her legs awoke with an intense tenderness as she slowly kicked away the blankets, her body in open rebellion now that it had been woken from its healing reverie, though Zelda understood that she needed answers, perhaps even more than rest- it was how she had operated throughout her entire life.
Namely, she needed to know where she even was.
She gasped as a sharp pain shot through her side as she spun toward the edge of the bed, her feet greeting the chilly wood of the floor with relief as the coolness helped abate the pain. Her eyes peered down the length of her body, watching as she squeezed her toes, even that motion causing a swelling sort of soreness to radiate along her feet. A sigh escaped her, thinking of little else than her own magnificent pain, before her eyes narrowed sharply in realization.
Her hands took hold of the bedside, pushing herself up to her feet before realizing how narrowly she was avoiding falling back onto the bed as her legs quivered beneath the weight of her body. Still, she forced herself upright, squeezing her lips together tightly as she thought of Mipha, praying silently for the Zora's health.
She didn't have to move far. Stumbling with difficulty down the side of the bed, she looked up to find another cot in the room with her, where Mipha currently lay, wrapped up in blankets herself much as Zelda had been, distorting the gentle rocking back and forth of breaths- but they were there. Zelda sighed in relief before sitting back down upon her own bed and falling backward atop the plush covers, figuring her legs needed a break despite her lengthy rest.
Unlike most other bouts of sleep, where one can ascertain, at least somewhat, the passage of time, Zelda could only recognize that she'd been out a tremendous amount, leaving her uncertain of even the week. Still, knowing Mipha was relatively safe -as safe as one can be while simply breathing- there wasn't much else in the way of immediate worry. She had been brought this far, so somebody amongst their Company had to have been physically capable, and willing, leaving Revali rather out of the question. Link, perhaps, could have mounted the task, but he was no less Hylian than she, leaving her with Urbosa and Daruk, and even then, Daruk was worse for wear last she recalled.
Urbosa. Of course. Zelda sighed, wondering for a moment how such an event might have damaged the Gerudo's impression of her. Would Zelda's rampant pursuit of knowledge be admirable? or simply misunderstood as foolishness?
Whatever the case, she began to dread the stern lecture she was sure to receive. She ran her hands up her face, grumbling dreadfully against her skin. The warmth of her palms covered her face, comforting her, as she noticed just how long she'd been without even this. So intense had been the heat of Death Mountain- she'd forgotten how tender heat could feel when slid atop her skin by way of another, even if, at this moment, it was her own.
Lazily enough, she pushed herself back up, sitting there atop the edge of the bed, watching Mipha curiously enough, as though making certain she were alive and breathing. Oddly enough, Link wasn't by her side, suddenly causing an alarm to ring out within Zelda's head, wondering if he, himself, had been brought to such a lowly state.
That curiosity overcame her dread of Urbosa's lecture, and Zelda slowly made it to her feet once again, feeling her muscles contracting not as severely this time around. Even so, the soreness radiated like knives into her legs, and she sneered languidly as she stumbled toward the doorway, giving the knob a tender grasp before making her way out.
Her surroundings resembled the many stables across Hyrule, leaving her to presume that she'd been brought to Foothill Stable, given its relative proximity to the mountains of Eldin. Unable to withhold her fretful thoughts of the trouble whomever brought her here must have had, Zelda nonetheless remained stoic in her exit, which wasn't difficult, as the searing pain tearing through her legs was enough to keep her face ascowl rather than one of concern.
As she rounded the interior, her suspicions were confirmed as she entered the vestibule of the stable, allowing her to peer out into the distance to find the edge of Eldin curling along its preordained path along the northern edge of Hyrule. She only took a moment to relish in the awe of the sight before her legs reminded her of rest, forcing her to wobble her way along, growing ever desperate for the communal seating just beyond the stable's entryway.
Stepping out onto the delicate grass beneath her feet, a soothing sense of relief washed over Zelda as she heard Daruk's voice, mellifluous as it was after such worry had troubled her.
"-might not even a clue," he concluded, "I suppose- Gah!"
Link's voice joined him, "Hold still, then. Goddess, you're made of rock. How can you even feel this?"
Zelda wormed her way down the steps of the stable's entrance, her feet pitter-pattering with rough-hewn gait as she rounded the corner, only to stop in her track, a pair of crestfallen eyes turning upon her face with anguish at the sight before her.
"It still hurts," Daruk grumbled lowly as Link tore away the bits of charred rock that covered his shoulders, "As we age, we only calcify all the more- GAH!"
Link drew a chisel into the gap between a frayed stone that had come splayed apart from Daruk's body, in a split second throwing his body toward the ground and sending the flat-headed device through the rough patch of blackened rock. Daruk immediately curled forward as pain shot through him, a massive growl breaking through the air as Link regrouped, taking a sharp breath as he massaged the rough shard of rock now half-hanging from Daruk's body.
"Goddess…" Daruk exclaimed quietly, covering his face as he cowered amidst the pain.
Link's lips worked into a tremulous tug as he watched his friend in such a lowly state, asking once again, "You sure you want to do this?"
A sigh escaped Daruk as he nodded behind his hands, "It must be done. If it remains, it'll only corrode and make me more brittle than- Oh…"
His head had turned as he left the secretive place among his hands, finding Zelda watching with abject sorrow, all while shaking in place above weakening legs. Link caught on, glancing at what had brought the Goron to such an anguished interruption, the sight of Zelda's quivering legs forcing him toward her in a hurried pace, nearing her as she began to sway more and more violently.
"Whoa, now," Link noted simply as he caught her, wrapping an arm around her back to steady her, "You shouldn't be up if your muscles aren't ready."
Without any credence for Link's words, Zelda's voice escaped underneath watery eyes as her hands reached of to grab hold of Link herself, fearing her body's imminent descent toward the ground, "D- Daruk…"
The Goron frowned as he turned his head to examine his shoulder, shrugging as he attempted to wear an unconvincing grin, "Bah. It's nothing. In this case, the sooner truly is better- it'll only get worse."
Zelda's eyesight found its way concealed behind tearful reverie as Link attempted to help her along, "Come on, let's get you sat down, alright?"
With her eyes weakened, Zelda dropped her head, attempting meagerly to watch her steps, but to little avail, leaving Link to note feebly, "I'd carry you if I could, but- I took a bit of a tumble down the mountain."
"Tumble," Daruk emulated with a weak smile, "Looked like you'd decided to dress up as the mountain itself for some masquerade ball."
Frowning, Link chided weakly, "Okay, a big tumble, but-"
A stumble.
"Hey. Hey, now," Link guided, careful to keep Zelda aloft despite her weakening steps.
As she had descended, in an instinctive attempt at catching herself, Zelda had thrown her free arm toward the only brace she had, aiming her hand toward Link's stomach as she did so, only for a furtive realization to come across her as she did so, having felt the unmistakable feeling of padded material, as if in bandage, all across the soldier's torso.
"Alright, then," Link sighed as the two stepped warily toward a nearby stool, slowly lowering Zelda onto the seat as he himself held back a pained groan at the added weight, muttering with tremendous relief once she was sat down, "There we go, now. Whew."
Daruk smiled rather darkly as he spoke up, "Perhaps these rocks aren't as bad as muscles."
"Hey now," Link warned with a tinge of playfulness, "Muscles can recover. All this'll do is strengthen them in the long run."
An amused chuckle left Daruk as though in dismissal of Link's excuse, leaving the soldier to retort, "Oh, like your rocks are so-"
His attention suddenly broke away as he felt the feeling of his shirt being pulled from him, forcing his eyes downward to catch Zelda's hand grasping his shirt, pulling it up to reveal the endless strands of bandages that circled around his stomach, etched across with red, sickly strands of dried blood that left the white gauze nearly ironic by its very presence. Link's brow furrowed with worry as he watched Zelda's already strained face growing ever more tremulous.
He felt her grasp on his shirt tighten as guilt rushed through her.
"It's nothing," he assured easily, trying to push her hand away, though as if hoping to sprain the sight of her soldier in such distress, by her own hand, into her very soul, Zelda remained obstinate as she stared at the gory sight.
He explained meekly, "I must've slid against a sharp rock of something when I fell. No big deal, really; it's just another- injury."
His voice paused for a brief moment as Zelda raised a timid hand toward him, leaving him astonished as she reached over, pressing an open palm against the bandages atop his stomach. Link's expression melted away from apprehension to sorrow, understanding what it was that she was attempting to do.
Her entire life, having lived behind closed doors, Zelda was left to see only the brightest of what the Kingdom of Hyrule had to offer in terms of its soldiership. The generals she was raised around, like Captain Ruzoll, were men and women far larger than life itself; the soldiers she came across, always those protected by the city itself. Very rarely had she been required to face reality so intensely, she thought, as she stared upon the consequence of her own order.
For Link's role as her knight, her bodyguard- she had led him to this- and not merely him alone. Daruk, Mipha- Her heart began to tug, racked with guilt welling up within her, knowing she had nearly driven Mipha to death, if not everybody.
She was the Princess. Their leader.
It was on her, she knew, better than she ever had before.
Link's face softened as she pressed her hand against him, willing herself to heal what she had wrought. He could feel her fingers sternly placed atop the bandages, though time only brought them to life, becoming feverishly shivered digits against his body. Zelda's lips began to tremble as her body, once again, refused to cooperate. She held her breath, pressed harder against his stomach, even as he winced. Her teeth ground down upon her tongue as her heart began to race, tears streaming down her face, her own stomach wrapped up into an infinite spiral of knots as nausea burst through her body, leaving-
In the stroke of a second, Zelda reflexively spun away from Link as she felt the sickening rush of bile reaching up her throat, though her legs refused to move, sending her body clear off the stool and onto the soil below as she held herself up on shaking arms while throwing up, that nausea nearly acting as some sick prank of her body.
The projection of retched liquid, combined with the seizing bouts of clenching within her stomach left her quivering there on all fours as Link immediately fell to one knee, tenderly taking her hair into his hands before consolidating her locks into one at her side, allowing his free hand to rub against her back, watching painfully her immense distraught at her own body's inadequacy- a state, Link knew, was unnecessary now.
"It's gonna be okay," he assured softly.
"No, it's not!" Zelda whimpered as her body roiled with impending nausea, her voice rumbling like an endlessly deep river that just spun asunder, "You all could have died, and- and-"
Another wave of nausea forced her body to retch again, leaving her gasping for breath between the taste of bile and tears that lined her lips.
"I'm responsible for you all," she reasoned in between shaking tones, "And I'm supposed to- to heal people and-"
She shook her head, a sniffle breaking the air before she muttered quietly, "Why can't I die..? Why is my well-being assured while all of you-"
"Because we all know our place," came Daruk's voice, alleviating Link's terror at having to reply himself.
His approaching steps sent relaxing rumbles through the earth, his lowly, resounding voice offering whatever help he could, "The best thing about not knowing your destiny is that it could be anything. Perhaps something utterly tremendous."
Link's mind rushed back to the sheer miracle that had gone unnoticed by Daruk, thinking of the breath of life having been given back to Mipha by Zelda's hand.
His heart gripped at his chest.
"If it's our destiny to help you discover yours," Daruk chuckled, "Considering such promise within you- I can't say I wouldn't mind putting up with a little roughened edges."
Zelda's shoulders shook beneath Link's tender grip, "I'm not going to let anybody die just to-"
"Now, enough of that," Daruk suddenly instructed, stopping Zelda in her tracks, "You're not responsible for me any more than Link, or Urbosa- even Revali. We're Champions, are we not? Sure, there was some secrecy at first, but- At the end of the day, we choose to be here, because we believe in you. in what you've started here."
He clicked his tongue as though he were a royal tutor chastising his student, "Go around! I'm sure you'll hear much the same from every- Well, perhaps not Revali, but certainly everybody else!"
Zelda's shoulders quaked as she turned her head to the side, eying Link sidelong from her prostrated position, trying her best to hide her addled face as she asked nearly in a whisper due to her frayed throat.
"..you?"
He recalled Mipha's miraculous recovery once more, his reply coming with no hesitation.
"I think your best is yet to come," he replied lowly, his own guilt causing his chest to constrict, knowing he had far more to offer her in the way of a reply.
As if to collect her thoughts, Zelda dropped her head once again, taking empty breaths as Link gently dropped her hair to hang atrickle down the side of her head, holding gently onto her shoulders to help her up, "Now, looking your best is a present issue."
Zelda groaned, shaking her head warily while Link only offered a teasing grin as he worked out a handkerchief from his pocket to tenderly stroke across her face.
"I'm a bit impressed," he admitted wryly, "You haven't eaten a thing for days- I'm surprised you were even able to throw up."
A grumble escaped Zelda's disheveled face.
"Shut up…"
Link smirked as he continued tending to her face, "Maybe that's your magic. Just manifesting food into your gut. Would explain your infinite energy, though- I suppose those childhood midnight snack runs were more foolhardy."
A weak, amused grin broke across Zelda's face before she dropped her head, trying to conceal her brightened expression as it so contradicted how she felt. Still, she appreciated Link's attempt to cheer her up, as well as his knowledge of her sort of humor.
"Hmm," came Daruk's own curious growl, "Suddenly, I'm far more interested in your destiny. 'The Bountiful Queen Zelda' is far more intriguing than anything scholarly, you know."
Link smirked, dotting Zelda's eyes free from their tear stains as he explained, "The 'infinite banquet'. A Goron story as old as time itself."
Zelda couldn't help but break into a broken giggle as Link rolled his eyes, "I doubt Hylia's bountiful goodness would involve rock stew…"
"You don't know that!" Daruk challenged petulantly, as though fighting for such an event right then and there.
His eyes locking onto Zelda's before rolling them once more, Link shook his head as he finished clearing up her face, leaving it only with those red stains of tears that only time could wash away. He gently took hold of her and brought her back onto the stool, leaving her in plain view of her two companions, leaving her far more self-conscious given her wretched display a moment earlier.
"I'll get you some milk," Link offered attentively, patting Daruk's shoulder as he strode behind the Goron toward the stable.
Daruk nodded in reply, taking the reigns of protection from the Hylian as he cleared his throat, his eyes peering toward the distance as he absently spoke up, "I, uh, hope you aren't reviled by my- less than ideal appearance."
Zelda shook with astonishment, understanding how ghastly of a state she herself was in, catching Daruk as he spun around to examine the charred lengths of black rock that ran across his body.
"Gorons usually perish before such extensive damage occurs, but-" he muttered softly, "I dunno."
He grinned, thinking of Link's words back within the tunnels of the Eldin Range murmuring to himself, "Perhaps it was simply my time."
Bringing a hand up to shield her face, Zelda turned away with a nervous grin, "You being reviled? I must look like a troll right now…"
"What?!" Daruk spoke with a start as though personally offended, a face of astonishment shone upon his face, "Why, Zelda! You still radiate with the beauty of the rising sun!"
Such a thing might have forced a blush had she not known it were merely a compliment. As it were, she remained evasive, even as Daruk's lips curled with intrigue as he reached out to take her arm, gently pulling it from her face, which she allowed without any guff.
"Now, there's a face!" he marveled.
Zelda shook her head, though she giggled nonetheless at his insistence, leaving Daruk to explain, "That's the face of a warrior, it is! You know, all the greatest warriors wear their scars proudly! and for one such as you-"
He took her shoulder with a tender pat, "It takes courage to remain strong even when there are tears."
Zelda gave a weak smile, though her reply was wholly sincere, "…thank you."
"Roar."
Her eye's turned, "I beg your pardon?"
"Well?! A warrior must roar, right?" Daruk commented, "It's in the name, is it not? Roar-ior?"
Zelda's brow narrowed unevenly, "I- I don't think-"
"So roar! Come on, I'll do it with you!" Daruk goaded, "Bwar! Like that- Bwar!"
Shivering, now, not due to her guilt or illness, but due to sheer embarrassment, Zelda simply watched Daruk as the Goron stood up, slamming a fist into his chest as a precursor to, yet, another massive roar that sent a nearby tree abluster with activity once a nest of birds broke through the air.
"BWAAAR! Let's hear it!" Daruk went on, "Bwaaar!"
Zelda bit her lip, though she could feel her emotions swelling up within her. Somewhere, within the most primal vestiges of her mind, she felt as though such a thing was just what she needed. All that guilt within her, all that sorrow, all that inferiority, the pain, the anger- everything. She couldn't simply scream like some banshee, but-
"No need to be embarrassed!" Daruk assured, "Come on! Just-!"
"Roooar," Zelda replied, albeit with a timidity that found its way throughout her timbre.
Daruk flew into a marvelous daze, throwing his hands up in triumph, "YES! Now roar! Roar!"
"WhaaAAA!" Zelda shouted.
"BwaaAAAR!"
Zelda clutched the edges of her stool until her fingers went numb, throwing her body forward as she expelled every ounce of breath from her lungs, "BWAAAAAA!"
"RWRAAAAAAR!"
"WAAAAAAA!"
Urbosa strode into the campfire circle with a look of utter confusion upon her face, watching the shouting match with an intensely mounting bewilderment, matched by a rising sense of embarrassment, forcing her to simply drop the firewood in her hands onto the ground mid-stride as she approached the two.
"WAAAAAAHH!"
"BWAAAAAWRRR!"
She threw her hands up, yelling vigorously herself, "YO! You two! knuckleheads!"
Her choice of word caught their attention as much as her tone, leaving Daruk and Zelda to turn toward her with befuddled looks of their own, before the two of them burst into laughter, an amalgamation of their realizing how much like fools that had appeared as well as Urbosa's declaring of them to be knuckleheads. Daruk grasped his knotted stomach as he tried to suppress his laughter, while Zelda painfully coiled up, attempting to keep her muscles from constricting with every burst of laughter.
Urbosa, for her part, simply stood with wavering astonishment at the scene she had returned to. Not only was Zelda among the waking, but she had taken to bestial growls- no doubt some side effect of whatever residual ails the journey had taken upon her. or, perhaps, Daruk had merely taken her to such extremes.
"People are going to stare," Urbosa frowned, her eyes scanning the stable for any wayward glances.
Chuckling, Daruk shook his head, "Do not fret, my dear Urbosa. She's taken quite readily to such clamoring of authority! I'm quite surprised, actually. The only glances she'll receive are those of apprehension, I assure you!"
Her emotions having dwindled back to within their normal range, Zelda hid a blush, taking the compliment only in stride, knowing that she wouldn't have ever chosen for such a thing to be said about her. Even her yelling now made her embarrassed underneath Urbosa's scrutinizing glare.
Still, after a sigh, Urbosa relegated herself to the generally haphazard atmosphere of the Company, merely shrugging as she smirked, "Well, when have I ever been known for decorum."
"Bwah ha ha! Now that's the spirit," Daruk laughed, stepping out of the way as Urbosa approached the Princess.
Kneeling in front of her, Urbosa reached over to hold Zelda's face still, examining her eyes as she tilted her own head from side to side, "Feeling okay? Anything feel out of sorts?"
"My stomach's still a bit uneasy," Zelda noted softly.
Urbosa's brow flew forward in furious inquiry as she spoke up loud, "Why?! Did Daruk's activity throw your guts out of whack?!"
"No!" Zelda replied, catching Daruk's offended expression as she explained, "I just- I guess just the last few days caught up to me all at once, and- I just threw up a while ago."
Urbosa examined her thoroughly. Their eyes met as Urbosa peered deep into Zelda's face, causing a sensation of curiosity within the Princess that quickly turned into embarrassment, turning her head away as she muttered, "Q- Quit it… I look a fright."
"Just checking on you. Your mother would have me lashed were she to know I allowed you to do half of the things you've done on this excursion," Urbosa noted with a mischievous sort of grin, "The least I can do is assure her spirit of my guidance over you."
Zelda's eyes fell with a pang of sorrow at the thought, though she quickly jolted back into shape as Urbosa stood back up, resting her hands upon her hips as she looked over Zelda once more, "Well, so long as you're feeling better."
A weak smile spread across Zelda's face, "Actually, I suppose I do."
Nodding, Urbosa instructed, "Well then, so long as you're needing to readjust your muscles to movement, as I suspected, make sure you have somebody helping you around until you can walk on your own, alright?"
She sighed, crossing her arms as she glanced over toward the stable, "So long as Mipha continues her sleep, you've nothing but time to rest and recover."
Zelda followed her eyes, wondering quietly, "Is she…"
"She's fine," Urbosa concluded as Zelda's voice petered out of existence, "Much in the same boat as you were. As long as she breathes, she simply needs some rest."
"Poor thing," Daruk sighed while shaking his head, "We've been making sure to keep her skin whetted, and while her body seems to be improving, she doesn't seem ready to wake quite yet."
Urbosa nodded, "She wouldn't have even made it this far if not for Daruk stomping his way down the mountain."
"What happened?" Zelda inquired solemnly.
Her eyes steady, Urbosa relayed simply enough, "Daruk took her and leapt his way down the mountainside. By the time we all arrived, he was passed out, but not before Mipha lay in within the shallow waters of the nearby lake. Worse for wear- but breathing."
Zelda lowered her head, leading to Urbosa clasping her hands together, her stoic face betraying the brilliance in her voice, "Alright, enough of this. We're all here, are we not? The only event such things call for is celebration."
"Well," came Link's voice as he strode into the campfire circle, "Not all of us…"
Urbosa boasted, "In a manner of speaking, of course! I don't- Boy, is that milk? Did you have to milk the cow to get it?"
Zelda giggled.
Brow furrowed, Link eyed the Gerudo, "As a matter of fact, I did. Of course, you wouldn't know much about that, your highness."
"Oh ho. Watch your tongue, child," Urbosa warned behind a teasing grin, "You should not patronize a Gerudo chieftain."
Link shrugged, "Apologies. After your many days of treating Zelda like a newborn, I must've forgotten."
"I-! You-!" Urbosa stammered in nervous realization, turning to find Zelda with her face covered, hiding a laugh as Urbosa frowned, assuring her plainly, "It wasn't-"
She turned toward Link, "I'll have you know, such maternal instinct is prized amongst us Gerudo, among the abilities of combat that make it a mistake for you to tease me for such a thing."
"Like that's stopped me before," he pithily replied beneath a hearty chuckle from Daruk, bending low to hand Zelda the cup of milk, "There you go."
She smiled, "Thank you. You know, your notebook-"
Link gave her a wave of dismissal, "I'll get it later. You just do as, I'm sure, Urbosa has instructed. Even soldiers need rest."
He gave her a gentle pat along her arm, where he had once sliced her skin open, leaving Zelda with a melancholic smile as she peered into the milk, watching it ripple throughout as her hands shook without instruction. Taking a sip, erasing the vile taste that had been stuck in her mouth, she nearly felt cleansed, inside and out.
"Step off!" she heard Link shout aloud.
Urbosa challenged, "Make me, boy!"
"Daruk!" Link directed, "Give me a hand!"
"Against her?! You might be on your own, Brother!"
"Daruk?!"
Urbosa chuckled, "Again, make me!"
Slowly, Zelda's head fell, concealing the smile on her face.