Zelda screamed in horror, clutching her hair. It almost seemed as if she had really killed Link, and she was terrifed to think of how much damage she had undoubtedly done to him. "THIS GAME'S WINNER IS.BLUE!!" Master hand announced. The cameras scanned the crowd, then stopped rolling. Zelda, who was suffering from a burn on her arm (thanks to Charizard) and the cut on her face from Link, jumped onto her platform. It transported her to the trenches, where Dr. Mario approached her. "Zelda, get-a onto this-a stretcher. I must-a take you to the-a healing room." Zelda glanced at herself. "I'm fine, just fine! You don't need to inspect me or anything, I'm fine!" Dr. Mario hesitated. "Are you-a.sure?" "Yes, yes, I'm sure!" she snapped. "Just please, tell me where they will have taken Link!!" The doctor pointed to a door. "Just go down-a the hallway, and-a take the first-a left." Zelda followed Dr. Mario's instructions. The hallway was long and white, and seemed endless. She started cracking her knuckles with exasperation. All the doors were on her right! Finally, she reached a door to the left. It was locked. She banged on it. "Who's there?" came a voice. "It's me, Princess Zelda! Please, open the door!" A nurse attendent person opened the door. Zelda rushed in, and was speechless at the sight before her. She had never been into this room, and she was terrified. Tubes and wires were everywhere, machines beeping and showing weird diagrams, and several stretchers. Of course, only two of them were occupied. "Is that-a you, Zelda?" Mario asked. She walked over to him. "Yes, it's me," she answered. "Oh, Mario, I'm so sorry!" "Don't-a be sorry, princess!" he exclaimed. "I should-a be sorry! Now-a because of-a me, your-a little date with-a Link must-a be canceled. I feel- a so guilty for-a it!" "But Mario, it wasn't your fault," Zelda whispered. "It was just misfortune that we got placed against Link." She hesitated. "If it makes feel any better, we won the match." Mario managed a smile. Then he frowned. "But is it-a really worth-a it?" "Of course!" Zelda blurted, almost automatically. "It was Summer and Impa's first time to see the tournament, and I just couldn't disappoint them." She sighed. "And yet it all just seems so.I don't know, ironic!" "What-a do you mean?" "I mean Link has saved me so many times! And look how I'm paying him back. Landing him in a hospital-on purpose!! If those rules hadn't been changed, then this could have never happened! I should've known this might happen." "Stop-a babbling to me-a, Zelda," Mario said. "Go over and-a see- Link." "Well.whatever you say, Mario." With that, Zelda pulled a chair up to Link's stretcher. He turned to look her in the eye, and she felt horrid when she saw bandages all over the side of his face. He noticed her staring. "When people kick your legs and send you to the ground, I learned that the head isn't the best place to land." He snorted a quiet laugh, but Zelda only burst into tears. "WAAAH!! LINK, IT'S ALL MY FAULT THAT YOU'RE IN HERE LIKE THIS!! I FEEL LIKE SCUM!!!" she wailed. "Zelda, don't do this. Besides, Mario did most of this stuff to me. I mean the tournament is just.for." He had meant to finish by saying "fun," but thought it best not to say so. "Just for what?" Zelda choked. "Fun? I know it's supposed to be, but I never imagined winning a battle could be this hard emotionally!" Link snorted again. "I never knew you were this passionate about anything. I mean, why are you so devastated? You've landed people in this condition before and you didn't mind! Why do you care now? I'm just another opponent, aren't I?" Zelda looked at him, red-eyed. "Do you think that's my opinion of you?" she whispered.

"Well.kind of, yes." "But how could you possibly even imagine that that's what I believe?" she cried. "You are not an opponent! Goddesses! Ganon is an opponent! You--you aren't! You're more than that! FOR GODDESSES SAKES, YOU ARE MY HERO!" Link stared at her, and she calmed down a bit. "All right, I didn't mean for that to sound as corny as it did. I mean you are literally my hero, I mean not like.you know, Robin Hood type of hero or anything." She jumped, as Mario snored loudly. Zelda turned in his direction, and discovered that the plumber had fallen asleep. "Zzzzz..linguini..zzzzzz.." "The poor dear," the nurse sighed, writing something down on a clipboard. Slowly, Link reached up and gingerly touched Zelda's cut. "I'm so sorry Princess," he whispered. She grasped his hand. "Don't be. It's much less damage than what I did to you." She blinked. A singled tear fell from her eye. Zelda stood up. "I'm sorry Link, I've got to go," she said. "I'm supposed to meet Impa and my father." Link managed a grin. "Say hi to them for me," he croaked. Before she walked away, Zelda hesitated. If Peach could do it, why on earth couldn't she? She bent down, and kissed Link's injured cheek (a "peck," if you will). Unintentionally, it lasted longer than she had thought it would. "Good-bye," she stuttered softly, leaving the room. Link was stunned. "Nurse! Nurse!" he shouted. She came running over. "What is it?!" "Quick, am I lying in a beam of light?" The nurse stared at him. "No.more like a beam of sweat. Why?" The hero of time grinned widely. "Never mind." As Zelda stumbled out of the room, she was blushing, and yet amazed at her own bravery. Then, she remembered that Link was still in immense pain. She broke down again. A nurse came out, and took her arm. "Come along dear," she said, guiding her towards the trenches in the battlefield. "Just try thinking about blue birds and singing tugboats." A few minutes later...

Zelda sat down on a bench in the trench (ooh, that rhymes!!). Samus ran up to her, with her arm in a sling. She was missing her front tooth, but was grinning. "ME AND LUIGI BEAT CAPTAIN FALCON!!" she shouted. "Come-a on!" said Dr. Mario, shoving the bounty hunter onto a stretcher. "Hurry it-a up, I'm-a playing in the next-a game!"