A/N. Here's another chapter. BTW Thanks to all of those who reviewed!

Disclaimer- I don't own Zelda.

Remedy In The Shadows- Chapter 9-

Now it was Link who owned the Kokiri Emerald. He felt the added weight in his satchel as he and Navi hurried out of the Forest. The Great Deku Tree's words continued to fill his mind as he ran.

'Take it! Keep it safe wherever you go! Don't allow any form of evil to lay their hands on it!'

When Link had finally been pushed out of the meadow, Mido had been waiting for him. Of course the boy tormented Link with question after question, Link ignored them all, he didn't even look at the other boy. Link had rushed away from Mido, leaving him unanswered and alone.

As Link took the final step out of the woods, he took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. It was still night the bright moon shown brightly above him, he glanced at its glow and let his thoughts roll through his mind. Sure, he knew about the Spiritual Stones, and he would do whatever it would take to protect the Kokiri Emerald, but he thought that The Great Deku Tree had the strength to protect it as well. Link began to worry about what would happen if the disease were to spread into the Deku Tree's meadow. Now that he had some forest herbs, he and Navi set off to search around Death Mountain for another one of the herbs that the girl had spoke of.

"Are you getting a feeling that we've been in this situation before?" Navi said, with slight humor in her voice.

As the pair neared the dirt pathway Link answered, "Hmmm…not really. Before, I had no idea what we were getting ourselves into.

Navi fluttered in front of his face as she always did, "Oh? And you do now?"

Before Link could answer another voice called out from within the night, "Hay!"

The unknown voice caused Link to instantly reach for his sword. He felt his moist palm touch the hilt as he swiftly turned to the owner of the voice. To his right, struggling to use a tree for balance was Thea. Gerudos must be trained well at a young age, that would explain why he hadn't seen her. Link didn't let the grip on his sword leave; rather he tightened his grip, ready for whatever was to happen. She took a few steps forward, Link realized that she was soaked to the bone. Small droplets of water fell from her form. In the night air she must be freezing. Her hair was slicked back by the water exposing her pale face that gleamed in the moonlight. Slight scratches could be seen on her cheeks, some fresh blood still oozed out of one.

'Shit…What the hell happened to her?'

Thea continued to move forward, "Hay." She repeated, eyes looking at the ground watching her steps, "…Link?"

"What are you doing?" Navi seemed appalled by the girl, she fluttered closer to inspect her, and continued to fly by her side as she walked towards Link, "Link I…I think she's hurt…" Her voice was a little unsure, she continued to fly around Thea as if searching for something.

Realizing that the girl didn't really seem to be any condition to be dangerous Link released the grip on his sword and relaxed a bit. He still didn't like the girl very much, whenever he looked at her a small part of his heart flared with anger because of the past events. However, he was the one who had proposed the truce between them, and he planned to keep it until there was a reason not to.

Before Link could say anything Thea stumbled forward with a gasp. Her eyes closed and she fell forward. Link moved forward and allowed her limp body to enter his arms. He shuddered at the feeling of her wet clothes, she was as cold as ice. Gently, he laid her on the ground as he kneeled besides her. He hoped that she would try to stand back up, alas, she lay still, her eyes were closed. Navi moved above her, giving Link some light as he reached for her hand. Even the gold bracelets on her wrist were cold, he pushed them further down her arm, allowing him so check for a pulse. A steady pulse thudded against his fingers.

'So cold…but alive.'

Link touched her face, seeing if it would cause any reaction, "Thea?…Thea? Come on Thea, wake up." Grimacing, he pulled his arm away and rested it on his knee. He sighed and looked up to Navi.

She fluttered down to Thea's unconscious form, "…We can't leave her here Link."

'…What happened?' Link thought again. He glanced behind him at the path he should have been walking on, walking to Kakariko Village and eventually to Death Mountain. Than he glanced at the girl laid before him, her face held a sad expression. Her skin was pale and covered in goose bumps. If she was to be left behind, she would surly freeze to death. Link glanced back at the path, and knew that the next journey would be a long one.

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'Warmth…the heated feeling spread over Thea, washing over her body. As her skin felt the warmth of covers, images began to fill her mind.

Laughing.

Smiling.

Pure fun.

That was what she saw herself doing as her mind began to wake up. Her senses were returning to her, first came touch; she felt her finger gently grip a soft cover over her body. The touch was somewhat familiar…

Than came hearing…

"Hay…she's waking up!" A voice chirped out from somewhere she couldn't see,

Finally, sight returned…

Thea's eyes fluttered open, slowly because bright light was shining right over her face. She was laid on her back, he eyes stared at the wooden ceiling of the room that she was in. Her eyes tried to make out the wooden boards as her vision cleared She looked down and saw that her body was cover up to her neck in a quilt. A quilt that had different sections of Hyrule sewn into it…

'Shit…'

"Good Mornin'!" A familiar voice filled Thea's ears. She snapped her head in the direction it came from and gasped slightly. First, she noticed that she was lying in the same room that Link had been in the night that she robbed him. Then she noticed the change in the room, a single wooden dining chair was standing in the room's center. Link occupied the chair, his fairy was fluttering around him. Thea had been told that her name was "Navi"

'How?'

"How the hell did I get back here!?" Thea spat at the boy. She continued to lie still, not wanting to leave the warmth that the blanket provided. For some reason, she thought that she would feel bare without it.

A smirk formed on the boy's face. He brushed a few strains of his golden hair away from his eyes as he let one of his arms lazily rest behind one the chair's back. He looked at her, still smiling, "I carried you here."

Thea lifted herself slightly, "You carried--" When her body lifted off the soft mattress the blanket started to slide downward, exposing some of her bare skin. It was then that she realized that her clothes were missing! Thea grabbed at the quilt, clutching it to her body. She quickly backed up so that she was sitting, her back against the bed's pillow.

Her movements caused Link to laugh, as anger began to flow through her she snapped her head back to the now laughing boy, "Where the HELL are my clothes!?!" She gripped the quilt even tighter.

Laughter didn't stop coming from the boy, so his fairy spoke for him, she too had a slight bit of humor in her voice, "Heh…they're outside Thea. No need to get angry."

'Ha. Ha. Ha.'

A new question came to mind, "So why the hell are they outside?" Thea wasn't close to getting out of the newly created anger yet.

Link steadied himself and attempted to speak seriously, "Ever hear of drying? When we got you here we had to get ya' out of your wet clothes or you would've froze to death." He must have noticed the expression of shock on Thea's face because he laughed again, "Oh don't worry! Adara took care of you. I've been staying in the room across from this one."

"So…This women that has every reason to hate me took care of me?" Now Thea was worried, if she had the choice, she would try to avoid that woman after what had happen.

"Oh, Navi was here too!" He smiled again. Thea stared at him, mouth open in disbelief. Here she was with no clothes, in a room with a boy who laughed at her. She was curious of what the rest of the day held for her. Link spoke again when she said nothing, "So, why were you out in Hyrule field anyway?"

The past day replayed through Thea's mind, Ambrose, Anita, Isabel, everything flashed back to her. Her eyes left Link's and gazed at the quilt over her, "Umm, no real reason…"

Navi spoke quickly before she had even finished speaking, "So where's the rest of your Gerudo?" The pair from the forest looked at her, waiting for an answer. Link's soft blue eyes were piercing into her own. Unfortunately she couldn't meet his gaze for long.

"Ummm…Not with me. What made you bring me here?" Thea changed the subject, she didn't know how he would react if she told him that she was an escaped Gerudo. Besides, she wanted some answers as well.

"Well, we got herbs from the forest…" He patted his satchel, "…and so we planned to head up Death Mountain to get the medicine up there. However, since you're here, and we practically saved you! I have a request. And that's that you come with us." He moved from the chair and began walking towards the bed, but not too close.

Thea let out a slight laugh, at first she didn't believe what she had just heard. He had asked her to go up Death Mountain? The boy was foolish, how could he have the authority to pass up the mountain? The last time she checked a person needed to have official business to pass through, "Ok, so if you were to get up Death Mountain, why would you need me?"

Again the boy smiled, he folded his arms across his chest, "Last time I checked, no plants grew on Death Mountain." He paused, but continued to smile, "Now we made a truce, I don't want to go with your idea just to find out that it's all a lie. In other words I can't completely trust you yet."

'Wow, can this situation get any more uncomfortable? But…I can't just hang around, I will eventually be found. And I did want to see Death Mountain, this boy seems to have the ability to travel.'

Sighing, Thea made sure that the quilt was fully wrapped around her, and lifted herself off the bed, "Tell me, where are my clothes again?" Still clutching the fabric, she strolled up to him raising an eyebrow.

Link shifted uncomfortably at her actions but answered, "Umm outside on the laundry line. Your swords are down there too."

"Hmmm I see." She paused and moved closer to Link. Now she was smiling, and he was the one giving her a questionable look, "Tell ya' what. If you actually do find a way up Death Mountain, I'll go with you. Hell, I'll be your bodyguard. Ha!" Her laughter filled the room as she brushed passed him, she felt his eyes follow her as she stepped out into the hallway, she heard his footsteps following her down the corridor. He was following her.

A smile crossed her lips as she reached the steps and still hearing him behind her. She checked the reliability of the quilt wrapped around her before taking the first step, when all was secure she gracefully moved downward.

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'Has she lost her mind? Or is she always like this?'

Here Link was, following Thea down the Inn's staircase, and she didn't seem to even notice that the only thing covering her body was a loose quilt. He laughed to himself, he would be pleased to see the reactions of the town's people.

Of course Navi was right besides him, she had been the one who suggested that Link put out the extra money to rent two rooms and give Thea her personal space. He had argued a bit, but eventually gave in when the idea of sleeping in the same room as a Gerudo passed his mind.

When the trio had entered the main lobby of the Inn, people had started to notice Thea's choice in clothing. A group of women who sat quietly at a table eyed her in disgust. While on the opposite side of the room a group of young men just looked at her in disbelief. Standing at the main desk, Adara stood silently.

"Laundry?" Thea gestured to the exit as she asked. Adara nodded and continued her work, ignoring the Gerudo. Thea strolled over to the door, with her free hand she opened it, and stepped outside.

Now Link was a little concerned as to what might happen. He wanted her to be in good condition when joining him up Death Mountain. He followed up closer, preventing the door from closing he too stepped outside- and there she was. As she held up the quilt with one hand, she used the other one to unclip her pieces of clothing from the line that ran from one wooden pole to another. All of the stares, all of the comments, all of the people, she ignored them all. It was as if she was the only one in the area. First she unclipped her top, and folded it over her shoulder. Than came the pants, she seemed very satisfied with how her garments were. However her scimitars were attached to her belt that also hung on the line. When she saw them she turned to Link, raised an eyebrow and gave him a questionable look.

'She probably wanted them in better care, but what fool would steel a sword from a trained swordsman…or swordswoman in this case…'

As Link stepped closer she had both pieces of clothing over her shoulders and the belt. In her once free hand he held the pair of scimitars. She gave him one last look and began to walk inside, "I'm gonna get dressed, shouldn't you start lookinn' for a way up the mountain?" Link heard her laugh until she disappeared back into the Inn.

"Well Link, we've been here before. But we have no letter of permission." Navi fluttered down to Link, she was looking to their right, up at the hill where the gateway to Death Mountain was.

Link couldn't help but smile, "True, but I think we know one of the guards." He smiled to Navi who seemed confused. He walked towards the steps, some of the villagers gave him looks of disgust since he was seen with the Gerudo. But after seeing how Thea reacted, he thought it would be stupid to worry about what they thought. A smile appeared on his face as he took step after step up the rock stairs. When they had reached the stair's peak, his eyes were again set upon the shops that provided the villagers with their needs. Including the old potion shop that had been completely useless to him. However that was not his concern now. His target was strait ahead. The gate to Death Mountain had always been guarded; the mountain trails were dangerous. The area narrowed out, and the environment grew more mountainous; dark stone started to surround Link. The gate itself was nearly twenty feet tall, thick bars were what prevented Link from reaching the path. On the right side of the gate, a single soldier controlled the gear that opened the gate, while a trio of Hyrulian guards stood like statues at the closed opening. They all dressed in heavy steel armor, and each held a long spear. The weapon's horsehair blew slightly in the wind while the steel glinted in the sunlight.

As Link approached he instantly recognized one of the soldiers within the trio. It had been the same soldier who had opened the gate for him in the past. It had been the same soldier who Link had done a favor for since he was unable to leave his post.

Apparently he recognized Link as well, when Link neared he took a step forward, leaving his comrades confused, "Link is that you? Of course it is! What brings you here?"

Link smiled, it was good to have him recognize him, now all he needed was to convince him to open the gate, "The same reason I came here a year ago."

"Hay! Shoo the kid away! He shouldn't be here!" One of the other guards yelled out. Link noticed his gauntlet-covered hands grip his spear tighter.

"No! Sir!" Link pulled the guard's attention back to him, "Please, you know that I brought no harm to the mountain in the past!"

The guard who had yelled out before stepped forward so that he was standing in front of Link. He positioned his spear so that the tip was touching Link's neck, "I don't care about what you did, I care about what a reckless kid like you could do! Get away from this gate." The man pushed the spear forward, allowing it to put a deeper indent in Link's neck.

As Link took a step back he lifted his arm, "Look, I'm an ally with the Gorons!" Gripping Link's wrist was a dull golden bracelet. Along the gold were the three black triangles that formed the symbol of the Gorons. It made him their friend, he had received it after saving the race from the monsters that invaded their mountain.

The guard loosened his grip on the spear when the bracelet was shown. His eyes were glued to the jewelry, "No one outside of the Goron race can own that…what have you done to earn it?"

"That doesn't matter now. Look at me, how could a kid like me cause harm? I just want to meet with them." Link lowered his arm, awaiting an answer from the group of guards. Before one of them could respond he heard a familiar voice behind him.

"Hay!" Link knew who it was before he turned his head to look. Thea was walking up to them, now fully dressed. Her clothes were a little wrinkled, but she didn't seem to care. She still wore her bright jewelry, and her scimitars were securely held at her waist. One thing that was different was that her hair wasn't the tangled mess that he had always seen it to be. She had brushed out the knots and tightly pulled it back into a ponytail, exposing her clean, mysterious face. Link saw the scars she had received the previous day. They had been cleaned, and would probably heal up within a few days.

When she had approached the guards seemed uneasy, Link wondered if she would effect his chances in getting into the mountain. She folded her arms when she had moved next to Link, "So, you've been trying to get us into Death Mountain?…" She continued to talk, but Link ignored her. He turned his head to look back at the guards. All four of them were talking now, obviously deciding whether to open the gates. He turned his attention back to Thea, "…Ok so you can't get that herb did you actually think that you could pull this off?…"

Again he let her trail off, but this time it was because he felt a light touch on his shoulder. He turned and saw all of the soldiers in front of him. Thea continued to talk in the background. Link ignored her, and listened to the words that came out of the mouth of one of the soldiers, "Ok, you have until tomorrow morning to return from the mountain. Hurry up, take her out of the village and make sure she stays out of trouble!"

"Excuse me?"

A smile curved up Link's lips, he turned to face the surprised Thea, "Come on, let's go 'bodyguard'."

A/N. And there it is. I have the future chapter planned out in my head, now I just hafta use time wisely and type them up.