Disclaimer: Not mine, story is.
Important note: Since this chapter is the longest yet and was updated rather quickly (being me the slow one and all…) there might not be new chapters so soon. They'll probably take longer to write out since I'll be really busy during this week and probably the rest of the others too. I DO have an annoying life I need to tend to…But I hope this LONG chapter meets the satisfied requirements. Due to the royal crappiness of computers and html, the dream/nightmare sequences will be between "~" instead of just italics…
A/N: Okay, weird chapter (but LENGTHY! Phew I'm tired!) but I guess it didn't come out TOO bad. Right? Right? Anyway, enjoy and review! Since this will be the last update in a while, I'm expecting reviews when I get back to urge me onto the next chapter!
Girl with many names: *falls over laughing* I actually thought about Kaepora Gaebora but in the end I was too lazy to include the owl that's supposedly a reincarnation of an ancient sage. Don't get me wrong, I know my facts as I'm sure you know yours. I just either forget to include them in the story, am too lazy to, or I just don't because sometimes they're not relevant enough to be included in the fic. In this case I was seriously thinking of making Link think back to Kaepora Gaebora… But it's kind of symbolic that he doesn't. Hyrule is pushed out of his mind on Koholint Island. He hasn't thought about Zelda in a while, eh? And when he does think of Ganon (a link to Hyrule) he's thinking of the evil that can also place itself as the evil on Koholint Island. I've included some obvious symbolism and some not so obvious- meant for those who really know their Zelda saga inside out. But you know what? I think it's cool that you notice this stuff! So if you're interested in debating about anything with me (I'm all up for it! I saw your e-mail but you seem better at picking out arguments than I am! So feel free to e-mail me about these things) then e-mail me at: forever_ambar@yahoo.com
Rant: Sometimes, the html in my fic doesn't work! Things that are meant to be in italics (like the dreams/nightmares) don't show up! Does anyone know why that is? *kicks computer*
* * * * * *
+++++++
~~~
When Link woke up the first thing he noticed was that it was still dark. But that must have been because of the tall, dreary trees that refused to let the sun in. It was definitely daytime, though, since Link could see sprinkles of golden light on the floor that had managed to penetrate the stubborn, thick foliage. Breathing in the scent of the forest, Link got up and stretched luxuriously. He checked that he still carried his sword and then leant back on a tree trunk. He realised with certain clarity that he was starving. He hadn't eaten since yesterday morning when he had sat down with Marin to have some fresh bananas and thirst-quenching coconut water. Damn, now he was even more hungry. He ambled over to the sparkling pond and splashed water onto his face. That ought to wake me up for a while… He felt a bit disappointed at not seeing the fairy again but made a note of where the fairy fountain was situated in case he ever needed to return.
*
He had been walking for hours! How big was this Mysterious Forest anyway? He was sick to death of the gloomy atmosphere. He needed to see sunlight now! At that very moment, Link happened upon daylight. Oh. Blinking at the momentary brightness he was caught off guard when a ball of flame hit him square in the chest, pushing all the air out of him. Link dimly heard someone cackling and looked up to see an old, shrouded woman laughing at his misfortune caused by the rather large monster fish that bobbed on a small lake to his right. The fish started spewing fireballs again so Link scrambled to his feet to evade the attacks. The mysterious woman had disappeared but that's when Link noticed a strange building on the other side of the area. Running over to the structure, to avoid being hit again, Link wasn't entirely sure that he wanted to enter the place. It was a massive, grey, dead tree trunk with a hollow caved out of it, for the door, and a human skull adorned the top of the entrance. Inviting, thought Link.
"Come in, boy," came a withered voice from the dark of the building. Link shivered even in the sun. But the voice from inside beckoned him again and Link had no choice but to abide. The room was dark and the air was thick with smoke that burnt his throat and made his eyes water. A shadowy figure sat hunched behind a cauldron, stirring the insides of it slowly with an elongated, wooden spoon. The person lifted up their head to look at Link who was shifting uncomfortably from foot to foot. He felt the stare upon him and started fidgeting with the hilt of his sword. He couldn't see the woman's face because the room was practically pitch black.
"What are you afraid of, boy?" the hag drawled. Link searched the darkness for a face but found he could see nothing except the shadowed outlines and so he concentrated on the voice instead.
"I'm afraid of the dark," said Link truthfully. The soft sound of cold laughter reached Link's ear and he flinched at it.
"You have nothing to fear from the dark, my boy," said the witch. Link blinked as if that would dispel the darkness from the house. More quiet laughter ensued. Link was getting irritated and he was seriously considering bolting out the door before the good-for-nothing old woman began teasing him again. He took a step back and the sharp laughter cut short.
"You're looking for the Guardian, aren't you, boy?" said the witch quickly.
"I'm only looking for answers and I'm not a boy," said Link fully annoyed now. What did this old woman want from him? And who the hell was the Guardian? The hag scoffed smugly and stopped stirring the cauldron before her. It was dark but not dark enough to not see anything so Link had his sword ready when the witch stood up. She stayed still for a while, looking at Link, trying to figure him out, but not doing anything.
"Your sword will not always save you, Link," she said in a strange voice. Link narrowed his eyes suspiciously. Never trust strangers who knew his name. The woman seemed to sense this and there was a flash of teeth; a crooked smile.
"Oh you may not like the dark, but I do. Your name is on your sword," she said. Link growled, not impressed.
"What do you want?" he said at last, patience crumbling.
"I want to help you."
Now that caught Link by surprise and he lowered his sword, confused. The witch sat back down again and began adding things to the solution in the cauldron in front of her and she seemed to have forgotten Link completely until she looked up again and said, "get me some magic mushrooms and I will help you further. Now go."
* * *
He had no idea why he should listen to the hag but nevertheless there he was, hands and knees on the floor of the forest searching for these so-called magic mushrooms. Starving, confused and annoyed he crawled around for a bit, still seeing no signs of any edible source. He was just giving up when he eyes fell upon the entrance to a cave, hidden deftly behind a wall of trees. Sighing, Link got up and investigated this new find further. He squeezed past the trees and saw that the black, gaping mouth really was a cave. Why hadn't he seen it before? With nothing else to lose, Link entered.
It wasn't as dark as the witch's hut. He looked around and saw that the cave stretched into a sort of tunnel. He took one step forward but the floor beneath him groaned and shook. Startled, Link snatched his foot back and saw that the piece of floor he had stepped on had crumbled to reveal a small, bottomless hole. And the exit was far away, at the extreme end of the tunnel and now Link had to run all the long way and he had no idea how he was going to make it back and curse this island but he couldn't turn back now. He stamped his foot in exasperation and immediately regretted it. The floor below began cracking and rumbling ominously, bits of rock dancing on the vibrating ground. He hesitated briefly before he flew forward with all the speed he could muster, not even looking back once and trying not to stumble. The light at the end of the tunnel shone hopefully as Link ran for it. A thick crack spread across the floor before Link and he threw himself at the exit with all his force. He crashed painfully on the ground, wincing as the sword dug into his side. Link lay there for a while, trying to catch his breath when he was aware of heavy breathing around him. A moblin. And not just one moblin but a whole group of them surrounding Link, sniffing at him curiously and hungrily. Great, out of the frying pan and into the fire. The bulkiest of them, probably the leader, approached Link warily and bent down to nudge the boy's body with a slobbering snout. Link immediately tensed and held his breath but didn't move from the position he was in. Go away, go away, go away, he thought frantically. The moblin leader continued its investigation with its nose like an unmannered dog. Link shut his eyes tightly and buried his face deeper into the ground. Go away, go away, go away! The moblin finally stopped and seemed satisfied with Link. He shrieked at the others and they edged closer. Link couldn't possibly take out all these moblins, not when he was at a disadvantage in number, size and strength and not to mention that he was weak from lack of food all day and the exertion of his sprint through the tunnel. Suddenly a moblin yanked Link's hair back violently, revealing his scrunched-up face. Then a chorus of mumbled vowels from the monsters erupted through the group. The human was alive! The moblin leader parted through the crowd to Link who was now standing in the middle of the circle they had created around him, a sword in his hand and a determined look on his face.
That's it, come closer, all of you, thought Link fiercely. These creatures were not completely stupid but were easy to anger. With that in mind, Link straightened and held out his right arm, palm facing up, and curled his fingers in a beckoning, mocking, gesture that said to the moblins, "come get me". The pig-warriors roared with rage and rushed towards Link. That was exactly what Link wanted. Immediately he flung his sword back, arm outstretched, bent his knees to gain extra footing and spun. The first wave of moblins closing in on him fell, frothing blood from their mouths. The rest wouldn't fall for that manoeuvre again so he took his stance in the ring of fallen moblins around him. The moblin leader stood seething before Link but unable to move. This boy was obviously not as harmless as they had first thought. The leader grunted something to what remained of his moblin troop and Link saw, horrified, that some of the monsters had bows and were pulling back the strings with their arrows in place. I have no shield to defend myself with!
The leader smelt Link's fear and drank it in with drunken fervour. It pointed its heavy moblin sword at Link, smirking when the boy clutched his sword tighter. Link was so busy fearing the arrows that he failed to detect the two moblins creeping up behind him. The monsters pounced on Link, bearing him down with their superior weight while the other moblins bellowed in their loud, peculiar laughter. For the second time that day, Link's breath was pushed out of him and because of that his grip on his sword loosened and he dropped the only weapon he had. Link closed his eyes, defeated. If moblins could beat him, he deserved this. How could the great Hero of Time…? Vaguely, Link felt his hands pulled roughly behind him and a rope being wound tightly around them. The two sneaky warrior-pigs gibbered something incomprehensible but they sounded very pleased with themselves. Link was still face down on the ground while another set of moblins began tying his legs up. He felt humiliated and he felt his face burn in anger and defeat. When Link was tied satisfactorily the moblin leader made his way over to the young boy and hauled him up from the ground having Link dangle from his grasp before him.
"Take you to Boss," snarled the moblin leader with greasy pleasure. Link bared his teeth like a trapped wild cat and struggled in the moblin's clutches. The rope bit into his exposed arms and legs painfully, causing Link to cringe. This amused the monsters and they cruelly laughed at him. His sword lay helpless on the floor but the moblins paid no heed to it as they neared the suspended, wriggling boy. Link still had his dignity and he kept it as he held his head up high and didn't flinch even when the moblin leader dropped him ungracefully to the ground. They all began to laugh again and Link's eyes were stinging but he didn't know from what. He made one last attempt at his imprisoning bonds but all that it earned him was a smack on the head with the flat of the moblin leader's sword and another round of moblin laughs. Link cried out from the sharp pain and in defeated shame. The moblin leader snorted triumphantly and placed a clawed hand on Link's head, forcing him to look at the pile of dead moblins next to them. Wild and undeterred, Link have a big ha! and spat on the ground. One moblin nearby shrieked in anger and raised its sword over Link's head ready to strike down. Link's eyes widened, he had gone too far, his luck had ended and he had failed and fallen…
The moblin brought its sword down but it was intercepted with a loud clang by the moblin leader's own sword. He grunted something, obviously displeased, but turned to glare at Link. Link's heart was pounding so hard in his chest that he couldn't to breathe. The leader grabbed Link by the front of his shirt and started dragging him across the area and propped him up against a thick, gnarled tree. The moblin leader blurted something out to his group but they shook their heads and hurried over to where Link sat. The bulky pig-warrior snorted in disgust and gave some orders to the moblins around them. One of them stooped over Link and took off Link's rope from his legs while another held him still by the shoulders. The moblin then proceeded to tie Link to the tree trunk with that same rope and knotted it firmly at the back. The rope was so tight around Link that he choked on the lack of air. But the moblins had no mercy and burst out in gleeful squeals. Link just clenched his teeth together and turned his head away from the monsters.
When night fell, the moblins finally grew tired of Link who was more amusement to them than they had ever had. They left him alone, tied to the tree, while they huddled together near a fire they had made on the other side of the area. And finally, Link's icy façade that he had put up all day, crumbled in defeat. He was exhausted. The smell of mushrooms wafted to him from the fire and his stomach growled in protest. Link saw his sword lying a few ways away from him – between himself and the foul, bloated moblins. Link stretched his leg out as far as he could but it was no use- his sword was too far from him. Movement in the shadows caught his eye and Link stiffened. Had that vengeful moblin come to finish off Link's life at last? But it wasn't a moblin. An owl sat on the branch of a tree but it was so dark that Link could only make out the outline and a pair of shining yellow eyes. The owl gave Link a scrutinizing stare, ruffling its feathers and twitching its head to one side.
"Help me," Link whispered as loud as he could to the bird. The owl did not move and inch. Help me!! cried Link in his head, pushing as far forward as the rope allowed him to. Link twisted in his bonds but the friction of the rope hurt him. He now officially hated rope. The owl hooted quietly and lifted its great wings and took off. Link hung his head.
* * *
~ You have failed and fallen! Now let the darkness swallow you; succumb to the pit of our nightmares…! ~
"No!" yelled Link in his sleep. He let out a deep breath as he woke up to the dark dawn of the day and the humiliating reality he was facing. One moblin started, threw a sharp rock at Link, missed, and flopped down to sleep again, obviously annoyed at having been woken up. The rest of the monsters slumbered on, near the dead ashes of the fire. Link whimpered in overwhelming rage and despair. His eyes fell upon the sharp rock the moblin had thrown and immediately hope soared in his heart. Maybe, just maybe… He reached a boot out to the rock and scraped it across to himself. He let all his weight fall to one side of his constricting bonds and leant down near the rock, his fingers spread behind his back. A few twists and turns here and there! He had the rock snuggled safely between his hands behind himself. Link grinned in silent triumph. More light spilled across the area since the trees weren't so closely knit together here. Oh no! Link kept rubbing the rock to the rope tying his hands in frantic despair. Hurry! He felt the rope loosen around his hands but not enough to free them. He must have been making some noise because the same moblin that had thrown him the rock sat up groggily and eyed Link suspiciously. Link stopped what he was doing and glared back in return. The damn moblin shrieked in hideous laughter and woke up the rest of his companions. The moblin leader woke up and, remembering his captive, smirked evilly. He hushed the moblin racket and walked over to Link, sizing him up. Link pouted with dark, quiet rage. The monster said something to his group and they all snapped to attention. One moblin picked Link's sword up and strapped it to the belt around itself, nodding to the leader. The leader himself cut the rope that tied Link to the tree. Was this a trap? The pig-beast pulled Link into a standing position and shouted more orders to the rest. The rock still stayed hidden in the cup of Link's hands behind himself.
"What will you do?" cried Link, despite himself. He doubted they would understand but something gleamed in the moblin leader's eye.
"Take you to Boss," grunted the monster. He tugged at a lock of Link's hair, pulling him forward so that the moblin could bend down and growl something that the rest wouldn't hear.
"Then," said the moblin leader, accentuating it by curling a stumpy arm around Link's small waist, "I snack on you. Tasty human flesh." Link's mouth opened in silent denial and horror before he was pulled up from the ground and draped across the moblin's shoulder, its arm still around Link's waist to hold him down firmly. Link kicked wildly and screamed himself hoarse but the moblin had an iron grip and Link thought he would faint after two days without proper food. But he would survive, he'd been able to live without food for a week, he was used to living like that. But it wasn't his food that worried him…
* * *
Link had long since dropped the rock on the way and stopped struggling, hopelessness and despair edging itself into his heart. They had marched across the Mysterious Forest with Link still lying helplessly on the moblin's broad shoulder for who knew how long. Finally they emerged into the sunlight and Link welcomed the sun soaking into his back. The monsters seemed to shiver in the daylight and hurried their pace. Link heaved in quiet laughter. So these foul beasties had a weakness. The moblin leader felt Link's belittling tone and bristled indignantly but did nothing as he jogged underneath the burning sun. Link's body was already numb but he said or did nothing- it wouldn't help anyway. What a way to die…you'd think that maybe drowning would be a more honourable way to end my life…
Link was jolted awake when he hit the ground hard. He glared up at the moblin who loomed before him grinning evilly at his prize.
"We reach Boss soon," said the moblin leader and clasped its hands together in frightful delight, "can't wait! Can you?" The sun was dipping over the horizon making the sky glow a foreboding scarlet.
"Oh yes, I can't wait," said Link with venom in his words, "to kill you." This amused the moblins greatly and they chortled haughtily. The bulky beast reached a clawed hand out to Link again but Link rolled out of the way and stumbled to his feet as best he could with his hands still tied behind his back. He looked just like a cat; hairs on end, hissing threateningly and death-glaring at all of them. Some moblins cocked back some arrows on their bows and aiming them at Link. Link considered his options carefully. He had no idea where he was or how he was going to escape but by Farore he wasn't giving up without a fight. But when Link collapsed to the ground by the swift stroke of an arrow in his side, there was not much fight left in him at all. The last thing Link saw before the darkness claimed him was a furious squabble between the moblin and its leader.
* * *
~Getting tired yet? Leave this island! Leave and we will cause you no harm… leave, leave…~
When Link came to he found that he was no longer tied up but there was an arrow protruding from his side. It must not have penetrated properly because he could move fairly well with not much pain. Or maybe he had grown used to the pain…? He was in a cell. And it was cold and empty and grey. Link hugged himself and shivered. All good things came to an end, right? He idly wondered how he had gotten himself in this mess. Oh right! Those stupid magic mushrooms! He should have killed all the moblins when he had a chance. Well, too late. Link shrugged almost nonchalantly.
Something slid across the floor with a metallic sound and hit his boot. Link lifted up his head that had been resting between his drawn up knees and saw that the object was none other than his own sword. That woke him up. Startled, Link stood up quickly but winced in pain at the arrow in his side. Across the room sat a humongous moblin, the biggest that Link had ever seen. Large, black fangs stuck out from its lower lip and two great horns poked out from its head. Not to mention the sharp claws on its hands and feet, it looked absolutely devilish. It was looking at Link and pacing that side of the room slowly. Link bent to retrieve his sword, careful of his side. When Link had straightened, the Boss turned to him.
"You could have been dead by now, you know?" it sneered in a deep, rumbling voice. Breathing laboriously Link said nothing keeping his opponent fixed in a glare. Unruffled, the moblin boss continued.
"I could have killed you, you pitiful human," it said, "but He said you couldn't die. He said you wouldn't die. He said you were…different."
"Stop talking rubbish and tell me what you want so that I can get on with the drudging task of killing you!" blurt out Link. The Boss eyed him evenly.
It smirked. "So. They say you'll wake the Wind Fish?" Link froze. Everyone seemed to know while Link had barely began to understand his quest which just consisted of one simple aim: wake the Wind Fish. And yet this strange and mundane task seemed terribly important to everyone and everything on the Island. And Link had not the foggiest idea what it was all about. Who or what in Hyrule was the Wind Fish and why was waking it up so important?
The moblin unsheathed its massive sword and gazed it at while speaking, "I will prove to Him that you are nothing. I don't know why you want to wake the Wind Fish but He doesn't want that to happen. Either you leave the Island or you die. He desires you gone whichever way!"
Before Link could reply the moblin was charging at full speed towards Link. No way was he going to defeat this foe with his mere strength or size, there were just too many disadvantages on Link's side. Think, Link! Think… I have to use his power against him. Use his weight and speed against him… The moblin looked like a giant, mad bull. That's it! Before the moblin could ram Link against the wall he dodged nimbly out of the way and the Boss rushed past, colliding with the stone and falling, stunned, to the ground. Not waiting for the monster to recover, Link lifted his sword up over his head and slashed downwards with all the strength he could gather. It wasn't hard; all the humiliation, pain and anger he had gone through gave fire to the deadly stroke and the moblin Boss's skull shattered beneath his lethal administrations. A smug smile played on Link's lips. Finally, finally, he was Link again. He could feel the rush of battle subsiding in his blood and his heart fluttering back down again. He had to get out of there though so, sword in hand, Link limped out of the cell.
Two pig-warriors and the moblin leader looked up in shock when Link emerged from his cell covered in blood. Groaning, Link tilted his sword carefully so as not to put too much weight on his wounded side. The other two beasts lunged at Link and he stabbed the both of them in one fluid movement. They fell at his feet, white eyes rolling back. Link flipped his sword back in defence mode since he had no shield to rely on. There was a mixture of fury and fear on the moblin leader's face as he faced the young boy. Link looked formidable in that stance with an ancient gleam in his eyes. The monster feint attacked Link and leapt back when Link managed to somehow slash shallowly at his chest. It had happened so fast. Link kept his strange, serious expression and his sword was flipped back again. With a pig-shriek, the moblin pushed with all its strength at Link and pinned him against a wall, its blade pressed against Link's exposed throat. The moblin leader laughed victoriously before its head lolled back and thudded onto the floor. Link made a disapproving noise in his throat and extracted his sword from the moblin's neck. Too easy. He tipped the body over and exited the moblin's hideout. Freedom! And he thought his heart would burst from relief.
A loud bark caught Link's attention. Behind the hideout was Madam Meow Meow's dog tied up to a small wooden stump hammered into the ground. Definitely surprised, Link freed the bouncy dog. It bounded gleefully on top of Link and promptly began licking his face happily. Link giggled under the friendly assault and managed to push the dog off himself and took hold of the chains tied around the animal. Bow Wow darted forward, pulling Link behind him as it splashed into the nearby swamp. Probably as hungry as Link, the dog started bouncing around and began gobbling up the carnivorous plants that infested Goponga Swamp. Link made a face as he waded through the swamp after the overly-hyper dog. He was covered in blood and now dirty water. He placed a tentative finger on the arrow still stuck into his side but pried no further as unimaginable pain shot through him. Bow Wow scampered back to Link who was now standing very still, a look of concentration on his face. The dog nudged Link's leg playfully and then ran around in a circle without stopping. Link couldn't help but laugh as the dog tripped into the water and blamed it on a plant as it was slowly ripped to shreds by the animal's sharp canine teeth. To Link's amazement a cave entrance was revealed when Bow Wow finished stripping off the plants. But Link was in no mood to investigate anything. All he wanted was food and rest and the only way anywhere was back into the Mysterious Forest. Suppressing a groan he gathered up Bow Wow's chain and proceeded to lead him in the direction of the forest.
The darkness in the Mysterious Forest was still disconcerting and Link kept Bow Wow close to him. The size of the dog made Link feel safer, not to mention its unwavering, cheerful personality. It might have been luck or maybe the squeezing hunger of the animal but soon after entering the forest Bow Wow dropped a magic mushroom into Link's lap who had sat down to rest and examine the arrow. Link blinked dully at the red mushroom before making a frustrated sound. Typical. Just typical. How wonderfully ironic for me. The dog thought Link would be happy but seeing Link's look of displeasure it whimpered and sat a ways from the boy. Link sighed and called Bow Wow over. The dog happily obliged and grumbled in pleasure as Link scratched distractedly behind one of its ears. Link pulled Bow Wow up with a gentle jerk of the chain and made his way to where he had stumbled upon the witch, mushroom in hand.
* * *
When the witch saw Link as he dragged himself over, a hyperactive dog with him, she shook her head, bemused. She gently took the dog's chains from him and tied it up outside while she ushered the boy inside her hut. Inside, the witch sat Link down on the bed at the end of the room and took the red mushroom he had been holding. She plopped the vegetable into her smoking cauldron and began stirring it with her long spoon. She glanced at Link, askance, as his eyes started drooping shut, a hand lingering near an area on his side.
"I only sent you for a magic mushroom, not to go fight a horde of monsters," she chuckled. A shadow crossed Link's face but it might have been from the candle she had put up beforehand.
"I got," he said slowly, "sidetracked." And glared at nothing in particular. The witch murmured an agreement. She left the pot since now all she had to do was wait and hobbled over to Link who didn't even bother to look up at her, his mind seemingly somewhere else. She snapped her fingers in front of his face, bringing him sharply back to reality.
"Lie down," she commanded. Link shot her a suspicious look but she repeated herself with a tone that left room for no argument. The hag began inspecting his side only to find a wound that oozed blood when Link's hand was removed.
"I…" began Link when her silence questioned for her, "got hit by an arrow…and I just pulled it out a few hours ago…" The old woman shook her head, displeased.
"No wonder you're so weak now, boy!" she said swatting at his arm softly but reproachfully. Link stared back up at the shadowed ceiling.
"It'll take a while to fix this," she said, "but it won't take too long and I'll have you all patched up in no time." She began stripping some bandages methodically and as she did this she smiled wryly.
"Although you would rather a young, pretty maiden do it, heh?" she said knowingly. Link turned to her quickly, heat rising to his face and gave her a long quizzical look.
"Don't give me that innocent look!" she cackled as she pointed at his clothes and told him to take them off. Link's face was as red as the flame that flickered in the room and gave her a hard stare.
"You can't expect me to bandage you up with clothes on and all?" still getting no response from the young lad she continued, "I could get a pretty lass to come in and do it if you like…" Link's mouth tightened in indignation.
"But I wouldn't want you to bleed to death while I fetched her, now would I? So face it, boy. Either you can leave and search for aid elsewhere or allow me to help." Link briefly hesitated before trying to pull his tunic over his head but the pain in his side making it hard. The witch exhaled, exasperated. "Slow boy," she said and yanked the tunic over his head rather roughly and placed it neatly at the foot of the bed. Link lay still and shivering, his face dark with colour. The witch's lips quirked upward in an amused smile. Link shifted uncomfortably under the stare and wondered if his sword that was propped up against the door might be too far to reach from the bed. Probably.
"You can snuggle under the covers if you wish," said the hag rolling her eyes, "but leave your abdomen exposed. That's where I need to tend to." Link didn't hesitate with that offer and in a flash he had the blankets covering the lower half of his body. Link thought he heard a grumble about getting the bed bloodied. The witch began applying some sort of salve onto the wound that smelled suspiciously like the magic mushroom he had picked up. The smell was making him sleepy and he drifted off to sleep while the witch began wounding the bandage around his waist with precise efficiency.
* * *