Marin left the Temple feeling much better. She went up the trail to the castle once more while declining countless offers to be escorted to the top.
She stopped at the castle moat and called for the drawbridge to be lowered, and she waited until they creeped down to cover the moat, allowing her passage.
She walked briskly through the throne room and up the staircase that led to her's and Lance's bedchamber. She ignored the protests and shouts of, "What do you think you're doing?" and "He's still sick! He needs his rest!"
She burst into the room and knelt at his bedside, continuing her prayer that she had uttered at the Temple. She prayed, once again, with all her might. She made sure her words would rocket into the heavens and find the goddesses wherever they were hiding.
She prayed into the night. She prayed and prayed until the sun rose, where she finally fell asleep in mid-sentence.
She awoke with the heat of the sun on her face. She smiled as the warmth soothed her, but she was quickly jerked back to reality when she heard a moan. She snapped her eyes open and looked at her husband.
Lance had done it. He was mumbling in his sleep, with the occasional moan of pain. Marin bolted from her bedchamber and raced down the staircase, almost tripping. She went over to Link.
"Link! Link!" she cried. "Your highness!" she still hadn't been able to get used to not calling him by that.
"What is it, Marin?" he asked. "Sir, Lance is alive! He seems to be in pain, but he's alive!" Link's eyes bulged and he raced to the staircase, Zelda and Marin right behind him.
They burst into the room, but it didn't seem to disturb Lance's slumber. He was now tossing and turning, moaning more than before.
"What's wrong with him?" Link asked. The surgeon entered the room right on cue, and he heard the king's question.
"It's the final phase of his sickness," he said, causing Marin to jump.
"What?" asked Link. "The final phase," the surgeon repeated.
"For some reason, his sickness from the poison has been prolonged, but nevertheless, I predict that he won't make it through the night," the surgeon declared grimly. A stunned silence hovered over the three royals.
Link then began rubbing his head, as if trying to remember something. Zelda could see the gears turning as he racked his brain for what he needed.
"What's the cure?" he asked. The surgeon opened his mouth to say something, then froze.
"You cannot possibly think that--" "I do," Link interrupted. "Now tell me, what is the cure!"
The surgeon began to stutter. "Y-your highness, in y-your condition, th-there is no way that you could c-c-convince the Dekus to lend you some of their own sap!"
"I do not--" Link began, then realized that the surgeon had already told him what he wanted to know. The surgeon did too. He cursed to himself.
Link left the room in a haste and went for his own bedchamber, Zelda hot on his heels.
"Link!" she cried. "You cannot go to the Deku Palace! I know that the Dekus aren't exactly the most powerful species in Hyrule, but they are too much for one man to handle!"
"Not for the Hero of Time!" Link shot back. This stopped Zelda in her tracks. Link kept moving.
He entered his bedchamber and opened his war closet. He took a look at his weapons and armor. He needed to travel light. This wasn't going to be a walk-in-and-slice-em-all-up mission, this was all stealth. Link got only his black tunic, black cloak, the Master Sword, and and extra sword as well.
He left his chamber for the stables. He went up to Epona and untied her. She was getting old as well.
"Well, Epona, it looks like we're not finished with our adventures," Link said as he patted her. He then saddled her and climbed on top.
"Yah!" he cried. Epona leapt forward and down the dirt trail, his guards looking after him.
"What is he doing?" one of them said. "Probably just his mid-life crisis. He'll get over it," said the one next to him.