Hena did save him. It took nights of desperate application of the healing water when he woke sweating and shivering from fever and infection. It took bouts of terrible pain, countless tears, and many, many bandages, but she saved him. After the worst of it was past and Link was stable, he couldn't do much except lie there and slip in and out of sleep as the healing water did its work.

Days blurred together, and noon and night became an indeterminate twilight.

Hena sometimes spent her time out on the pond, but she mostly stayed by Link's side.

His head was clearer when she was around.

Often, when she was doctoring his wounds, Hena would sing to him. It was a light and sweet melody, and Link could pick out occasional lyrics, often about nature and water.

When she was not there and singing, Link began to find himself ill at ease. His sleep was fitful and haunted with nightmares. More than once he awoke trembling, breathing hard, and relieved to find his body intact, and he would shrink in the darkness. Then Hena would be there. Her calming voice and gentle arms would embrace him till he slipped away again.

It was the best experience of his life and the worst. Worst because something was nagging at Link and eating him up inside.

He was afraid.

He would not tell her, but he regretted drawing Hena into his life because it put her in danger. She was becoming his lifeline, and it made him fear for her.

He had already cost a girl her life before, and he could not bear for Hena to follow. He wanted her safe. Her life was most important to him. Because…

Because…

Link was falling.

Falling for her.

It pained him to admit it. As long as Link was with her, Hena would be a target. He could not risk her being hurt again.

Even more than before, Link had to leave.

...

"How are you feeling?"

Link stirred and shifted, allowing her space to sit on the edge of the bed. When she did, and reached to check his bandages, Link could not suppress a shiver. Her light touch was profound on him. "Fine," he said vaguely, trying to avoid her eyes. She drew his gaze anyway.

"Pain?" she prompted, caramel eyes wide.

"Not much."

"Sick?"

"No."

Hena sighed and without warning, extended her hand to stroke his brow. She was leaning over him slightly and her skin glowed in the morning light from the window. Link closed his eyes as Hena pressed her palm to his skin, checking for fever. "I'll have to go downriver to restock today. You've been running me out of supplies, pretty boy." Her cheek dimpled in a smile and her hand slipped down to cradle his face. "Will you be okay? I hate to leave you here all bedridden and such, but Iza will be around."

"Yeah," said Link softly, guilt growing. This was his chance to leave without a messy farewell. To leave the one who had given him more care in a few days than he'd received in all his life. He had to look away from her earnest eyes for fear of getting trapped in them.

"What's the matter?" she asked gently.

Link lied, "Nothing. Travel safe."

Hena could sense something more, but she did not press him. She lifted herself from the edge of the bed and began to move around the cabin, gathering items. A pack of supplies to get her to Hyrule and back, a tiny coin purse, an empty satchel. The last thing she grabbed was a floppy hat, and Link could not help but smile slightly at her appearance when she put it on. "Are you laughing at me, pretty boy?" Hena demanded in good humor, hat drooping. "Just you wait; maybe I'll come back with a matching one for you."

Link shook his head, withdrawing into himself. He wouldn't be here when she came back.

Soon Hena was prepared to leave. She left him with a dry meal on the table beside his bed and clean clothes and bandages at the foot. "Just in case," she said. "And you'll call for Iza if you need anything else?"

Link nodded mutely, pretending that he wasn't lying to her face. He kept his eyes downcast.

Once she had shouldered her many bags, Hena came back to sit beside him again. Link was sitting upright against the headboard of the bed now. She watched him steadily for a moment, searching his face with expressive brown eyes, trying to read the unreadable. She was afraid, but she didn't know why. Without a word, Hena reached up and tipped her hat back. She leaned in to her silent patient, letting her hand brush back a lock of his hair. Then Hena kissed him on the cheek.

The moment lasted about an instant, but to Link it was eternal. Her lips lingered. The place on his cheek burned and Link fought within himself. Instinct urged him to pull her to him and forget his cares and stay, but he knew that he could not. She wouldn't be safe with him. He couldn't do anything.

Link ended up simply staring at Hena, but he knew she could see the color in his face. "I'll be back by nightfall," she said, pulling away from him. She took up a walking stick from beside the door and pushed the way open to the porch. Her eyes stayed on him for several heartbeats, and then she smiled.

Link brought himself to return the gesture, seeing as he may have been seeing Hena for the last time.

"See you, Lincoln," she said lightly. Then she was out the door.

And Link's moment of truth came.

...

"This is a bad idea."

"You might as well put all that back. You won't get far."

"You're going to ruin everything, you know."

Midna's constant stream of negative remarks buzzed in Link's ears as he hobbled around the shop, gathering his things. He found his green tunic washed and folded; sword hanging from a peg on the wall meant for a prize catch; satchel under his bed. Hena had kept his supplies together, untouched. Under other circumstances he might have feared it was because Hena was anxious to get him out the door, but that was not the case here. It was more like...reverence. Like they were precious, untouchable. Like they belonged to someone important...or someone dead.

"She doesn't know if the water will work," Midna said matter-of-factly, as if she could sense his thoughts.

Link turned on her, agitation boiling up in him. His expression was angry, but he did not vent his irritation in words. Instead a low wolfish growl escaped the back of his throat.

"Going feral, are we?" said Midna, floating without concern near Link's bed. "That could be a problem when the girl realizes you have feelings for her."

"What do you want?" snapped Link. "It's a bad idea to go, but it's a problem to stay."

Midna shrugged and yawned. Her large red eyes would not meet his. "I'm just trying to help."

"You aren't."

"Okay, fine then, but I won't save you when you get yourself into a fix."

Before he could respond, Midna zipped down to the ground and returned to her shadow form. She blew Link a raspberry before falling into harmony with his own silhouette.

Link didn't have the energy to answer. He was breathing unnaturally hard just navigating the fishing shack. He pulled on his customary green uniform and boots regardless, blinking the spots from his eyes.

The last thing he grabbed before he made for the door was his satchel from beneath the bed. Glancing at the bed, he took a precious moment to straighten the sheets out of a sense of courtesy. He sighed at the futile act. It would never make up for the kindness she had shown him, but it was better than nothing.

He felt terrible. Mentally and physically. Now that Midna was quiet, Link had nothing to listen to but the ringing in his own ears. He stumbled as he stepped away from the bed and had to catch himself on the counter. He groaned involuntarily, lowering his head as darkness edged his vision.

His wound was throbbing. Moving his hand to feel it, Link's fingers came in contact with slick blood. It was not healed.

"Link," whispered Midna urgently. "Sit down. You're not okay."

Link did not listen. Squeezing his eyes shut, he pushed away from the counter and staggered toward the door. His breathing was ragged and his hand was pressed to his wound.

"Link!"

Link made it outside, dragging his scabbard along the ground after him. The sudden sunlight burned his eyes and he growled in pain.

"Link!"

Link stepped forward and forgot that there was a porch step between him and the ground. His foot met empty air as it missed the step. Already off-balance, Link was vulnerable to the fall. He collapsed onto his face and stayed there. He couldn't see or hear straight from the pain radiating from his torso and the sun tormenting his eyes. It occurred to him that the grass was warm under his face, and pleasant. Midna was saying something in his ear, but it wouldn't register with his addled mind. He let out some sort of noise, and then took a long time trying to decipher what he was trying to say.

Drifting off into pain-riddled unconsciousness, he realized that it was 'Hena.'

...