Chapter 24

Zelda, Impa, Ganson, and the king waited outside of Link's bedroom, waiting for the doctor to tell them if Link was going to be okay or not. The doctor had been in the room for two hours and still hadn't emerged. Ganson leaned against the wall and lowered his head sadly.

"This is all my fault," sighed Ganson sadly. "If I hadn't have been blind and wanted to free my father, none of this would have happened to him."

"It's not your fault," stated Zelda. "If I hadn't have misinterpreted my dream, he would have been safe."

"Now is not the time to wallow in self-pity," interrupted Impa. "None of this is your faults."

"Impa is right," added the king. "What we need to focus on right now is making sure Link makes a full recovery so he can defeat Ganondorf. He needs our help this time. He might be physically able to do the task at hand, but he might not be mentally or emotionally stable enough to do it alone. He has been through a lot during the past month." Everyone nodded solemnly. Before anyone could speak, the doctor opened the door and stepped out of the room. "How is he?"

"He's going to be fine, Your Majesty," explained the doctor. "He's suffered second degree burns on his arms, chest, and legs, but those will heal in time without leaving scars. He is still very weak from lack of food, dehydration, and is running a fever, so he'll need to stay in bed and rest until he is strong enough to walk again."

"How long will it be until he'll be strong enough to walk," asked Zelda.

"Within a week or two."

"How do we feed him without making him sick," asked Impa.

"Don't feed him anything acidic for a few days. Start him off with soup, then work your way up. His fever isn't high, but if it gets worse, let me know immediately."

"Thank you, Doctor." The doctor then bowed and left as the four went into Link's room to see him lying in bed on his back, still unconscious. His tunic and shirt were gone, revealing bandages on his arms and chest where the burns were (his legs were bandaged, but were not visible through the blankets). A cold washcloth was resting on his forehead to help reduce his fever. The four sat next to his bed and looked at him sadly. Ganson gently took Link's hand into his, tears forming in his eyes.

"Hey, Bro, it's me," started Ganson. "I don't know if you can hear me or not, but I wanted to apologize to you for all of the pain and suffering that I've caused you in the past month, and all that my father has caused you the past seven years. The last thing that I want to see is you getting hurt again because of my mistakes." Ganson was then visibly crying, tears pouring down his cheeks. "I don't want to lose you again..." Zelda, Impa, and the king watched him cry sympathetically, trying not to get teary-eyed themselves. Ganson cried a few moments longer until he suddenly stopped and looked down at his hand. He saw Link's hand gently squeezing his. At that moment, Link opened his eyes slightly and turned his head a bit to look at his brother, a very weak smile spreading across his lips.

"I'm not going anywhere," spoke Link weakly.