Three hours later, Impa and Zelda arrived at Saria's house.
"Oh, thank Nayru you're here!" Saria cried, rushing out of the door. "Link's an awful sight, I don't think you should-"
Saria was interrupted by a loud scream from inside. She sighed.
"There he goes again; he's been screaming for you all day! He's in terrible pain, and I don't think you should see him."
"If he wants me, I think I should be there!" Zelda shot back. "Oh, and uh...by the way, this is my nursemaid Impa."
"No time for proper introductions," Impa said. "Take me to your kitchen, Saria--I need to mix up this stuff."
"All right. I sent Malon back home, Zelda, so just go into Link's room now. Maybe he'll stop making such a ruckus."
Zelda quickly ran into Link's room, and pulled up a bed to his chair. He was trembling uncontrollably, but looked very glad to see her.
"Zel...where've you been?" he asked in a croaked voice.
She took his hand and caressed it gently. "I've been getting the ingredients to make the cure. The cure for the poison in your body. Impa's making it. And besides, I'm here now."
"I've been throwing up all morning...Saria refused to tell me what poison I got poisoned with."
Zelda was about to say Tawny Rin, when Saria ran into the room.
"Don't tell him!" she warned. "Whatever you do, don't tell him what kind of poison is in his body!"
"Well why on earth not?"
"It's one of the lesser known effects of T...that toxic stuff! Whenever the victim hears its name, they come closer to death and suffer more pain!"
"Why's that?!"
"I don't know, but that's what happens! Trust me!"
"All right, I've got no one else to listen to. Is Impa almost done yet?"
"I don't know, I'll go-"
"Yes, yes, I'm here," Impa said hurriedly, rushing into the room with a large bowl. She was wearing a large clothespin on her nose. She blinked as both Saria and Zelda rolled their eyes and collapsed to the floor.
"What was that?" Link asked.
"It's Okäre weed," she answered. "I can't smell it because of the pin, and you can't smell it because the poison's already clogged up all your sinuses. But don't worry--the smell will only knock them out temporarily."
"What's that?" Link questioned, as Impa lowered the bowl down onto the table by his bed.
"Geez, you're paranoid today. For your information, it's your cure. If Zelda hadn't bumped into me the earlier, you could be dead tomorrow. Sure she knew the ingredients, but personally I think she's have started worrying about messing it up. Good thing I learned the antidote."
Link peered cautiously into the fizzing, bubbling bowl. "What exactly is in there?"
"Best not said," Impa responded, scooping some of it up into a large ladle. "But look out Link, 'cause here it comes!"
And before Link could even speak, Impa had forced the ladle into his mouth. He shivered, and then his eyes closed. Zelda's nursmaid forced the rest of the mixture down his throat, and then retreated back to the kitchen.
Impa returned with a bowl of liquid, and a bottle of black tresses. She emptied the contents of the bowl onto Zelda and Saria, then scattered the black hair onto them.
Both girls sat up in a start. "What's this sticky stuff all over me?" Zelda inquired. "It's disgusting!"
"Spit," Impa answered simply. "In order to wake up anyone who's been knocked out by Okäre weed, you have to cover them with dog hair and spit." Saria and Zelda exchanged glances before Impa spoke again. "I think there's a water spigot outside."
The two elves stood up simoultaneously, and bolted out the door. Smiling to herself and not able to resist a laugh, Impa walked out of Link's room, closing the door behind her.
Zelda walked up to Impa, completely drenched. "You're not leaving, are you?" she asked.
"Yes," Impa answered. "Your father will get suspicious if I stay away too long. Just listen to me--once Link wakes up, splash him with cold water and force some onion juice up his nose."
"Onion juice?!"
"Yes, I know it sounds stupid, but trust me. It helps to unclog the sinuses much faster. You should be coming home today. Good-bye princess, I trust I'll be seeing you within a few hours."
And with that, Impa walked away, leaving a soaked and slightly confused Zelda behind her. She knew that once the cure was digested, Link would be perfectly fine again--except for his arrow wound. That would probably take a while. But all that mattered to her was that he'd be all right.
"Oh, thank Nayru you're here!" Saria cried, rushing out of the door. "Link's an awful sight, I don't think you should-"
Saria was interrupted by a loud scream from inside. She sighed.
"There he goes again; he's been screaming for you all day! He's in terrible pain, and I don't think you should see him."
"If he wants me, I think I should be there!" Zelda shot back. "Oh, and uh...by the way, this is my nursemaid Impa."
"No time for proper introductions," Impa said. "Take me to your kitchen, Saria--I need to mix up this stuff."
"All right. I sent Malon back home, Zelda, so just go into Link's room now. Maybe he'll stop making such a ruckus."
Zelda quickly ran into Link's room, and pulled up a bed to his chair. He was trembling uncontrollably, but looked very glad to see her.
"Zel...where've you been?" he asked in a croaked voice.
She took his hand and caressed it gently. "I've been getting the ingredients to make the cure. The cure for the poison in your body. Impa's making it. And besides, I'm here now."
"I've been throwing up all morning...Saria refused to tell me what poison I got poisoned with."
Zelda was about to say Tawny Rin, when Saria ran into the room.
"Don't tell him!" she warned. "Whatever you do, don't tell him what kind of poison is in his body!"
"Well why on earth not?"
"It's one of the lesser known effects of T...that toxic stuff! Whenever the victim hears its name, they come closer to death and suffer more pain!"
"Why's that?!"
"I don't know, but that's what happens! Trust me!"
"All right, I've got no one else to listen to. Is Impa almost done yet?"
"I don't know, I'll go-"
"Yes, yes, I'm here," Impa said hurriedly, rushing into the room with a large bowl. She was wearing a large clothespin on her nose. She blinked as both Saria and Zelda rolled their eyes and collapsed to the floor.
"What was that?" Link asked.
"It's Okäre weed," she answered. "I can't smell it because of the pin, and you can't smell it because the poison's already clogged up all your sinuses. But don't worry--the smell will only knock them out temporarily."
"What's that?" Link questioned, as Impa lowered the bowl down onto the table by his bed.
"Geez, you're paranoid today. For your information, it's your cure. If Zelda hadn't bumped into me the earlier, you could be dead tomorrow. Sure she knew the ingredients, but personally I think she's have started worrying about messing it up. Good thing I learned the antidote."
Link peered cautiously into the fizzing, bubbling bowl. "What exactly is in there?"
"Best not said," Impa responded, scooping some of it up into a large ladle. "But look out Link, 'cause here it comes!"
And before Link could even speak, Impa had forced the ladle into his mouth. He shivered, and then his eyes closed. Zelda's nursmaid forced the rest of the mixture down his throat, and then retreated back to the kitchen.
Impa returned with a bowl of liquid, and a bottle of black tresses. She emptied the contents of the bowl onto Zelda and Saria, then scattered the black hair onto them.
Both girls sat up in a start. "What's this sticky stuff all over me?" Zelda inquired. "It's disgusting!"
"Spit," Impa answered simply. "In order to wake up anyone who's been knocked out by Okäre weed, you have to cover them with dog hair and spit." Saria and Zelda exchanged glances before Impa spoke again. "I think there's a water spigot outside."
The two elves stood up simoultaneously, and bolted out the door. Smiling to herself and not able to resist a laugh, Impa walked out of Link's room, closing the door behind her.
Zelda walked up to Impa, completely drenched. "You're not leaving, are you?" she asked.
"Yes," Impa answered. "Your father will get suspicious if I stay away too long. Just listen to me--once Link wakes up, splash him with cold water and force some onion juice up his nose."
"Onion juice?!"
"Yes, I know it sounds stupid, but trust me. It helps to unclog the sinuses much faster. You should be coming home today. Good-bye princess, I trust I'll be seeing you within a few hours."
And with that, Impa walked away, leaving a soaked and slightly confused Zelda behind her. She knew that once the cure was digested, Link would be perfectly fine again--except for his arrow wound. That would probably take a while. But all that mattered to her was that he'd be all right.