Link raced out of the Hyrule Capital city, galloping at full tilt for the Kokiri Forest, a determination in his head to get that Deku sap and cure his son.
He pulled on Epona's reins and she stopped in front of the familiar wooden tunnels of the Kokiri Forest. He dismounted and tied his horse to the nearby tree. He then pulled his cloak's hood over his head so that the Kokiri children wouldn't recognize him. He didn't want to be hindered on this mission.
The children stared at him as he walked through, not able to believe what they were seeing. Nobody besides the king came into the forest without invitation! Who did he think he was?
He ignored their stares and protests and climbed the vine-wall that led to the Lost Woods. They began to look at each other weirdly. He walked briskly to the next wooden tunnel and into the familiar Lost Woods, where he had not been since he was seventeen.
It felt good to walk through these woods again. He wondered if Saria would be at the Sacred Forest….
He shook this thought off. He didn't have time for such things. He had to save his son. He just hoped that he'd make it back to the Castle before the next morning….
He navigated through the many winding tunnels and mazes as he found his way to the Deku City. The Deku Sprout would take too long to get a map from, plus, he knew these woods like the back of his hand.
He was getting nervous. The sun was starting to set. He had to get to that city and find some random Deku guard to kill. He began to walk much faster. He then started to jog, then to run, then to a sprint. He had to get there, now!
Link thought that right on cue. He went through the last tunnel and was now in the Deku City grounds. He was surprised at the size of it. It wasn't this big last time he was there! I They probably did some renovations/I he thought.
He hugged the nearest wall as a group of Deku guards walked by. They didn't notice him due to his dark-colored cloak and tunic. They simply walked by, wielding their wooden spears and entering the city gates. Now was his chance.
He snuck behind them and ducked down as to not be seen by the gate guards. As soon as the gates closed, he took the door to his left and found himself in the bar. He didn't want to start a big bar fight in here, so he exited and bumped into one of the guards that had just entered. I There goes my sneaky plan/I he thought.
The Deku spun around and began swinging around with his spear. Link drew his swords and began hacking away at the Dekus that opposed him. They made their odd squeaking noises as they were cut down and their sap spread all across the dirt.
I No/I he thought. It was unusable in that condition. He would have to catch it in his bottle next time.
"What's going on down there?" cried one of the gate guards. Link figured this was a good time to run. He bolted for the throne room. He hugged to the wall where there was shadow, so he wasn't noticed. He drew his great ash bow (he couldn't bring his Fairy Bow due to its color) and loaded it. He aimed carefully at a very close guard. There didn't seem to be anybody in here. I Where's the king/I he thought.
He brushed this thought away and let the arrow loose. It struck the back of the guard's head with a thud and he was about to slump down, but Link quickly caught it in his arms and got his bottle from his cloak pocket. The sap slowly oozed from the wound. This wasn't going to do! The guards would be here any moment!
Link didn't want to do it, but he had to. He pulled out something he didn't think he'd have to use. It was a tube with a blade at the end. He yanked the arrow from the back of the Deku's head and jammed the bladed part of the tube into the wound. The sap went down the tube and Link quickly put the other side of the tube into the bottle. The sap flowed a little faster, but still not enough.
The guards entered the room and headed for Link. He eased the body down so that it would still ooze sap into the bottle and drew his weapons.
He let out a war cry and raced for them. One tried to skewer him, but he dodged out of the way and cut off the tip of the spear. He then cut down his opponent. He fell to the dirt in silence. Link then decapitated, with much difficulty, the nearest Deku. This time it sprayed sap, getting the sticky liquid on him. Why didn't he think of that before?
He fought off every single one of them. He fought and fought and occasionally looked at the bottle to see if it was full.
Finally he noticed the sap level reach the top, and he stabbed the nearest Deku and pulled out his weapon with all his might. He then raced for the bottle, snatched it up, and sped for the gate. He climbed the ladder to the side of it and took out the guards on top.
Link then leapt from the top of the gate, landing hard on the ground. He rolled to prevent much more pain, then made a break for the Lost Woods.
He didn't stop running until he had exited the Kokiri Forest. The Kokiris got much more anxious when they saw the same man they had seen earlier running at full speed through the forest. At first they were puzzled, but then they knew why.
A small squad of Deku scrubs was standing at the entrance to the Lost Woods. They had obviously given up their pursuit, and they were panting heavily. They then turned around in defeat and headed back for their city.
Link felt good. He still had it in him. He wasn't galloping full tilt this time; he would make it back before morning without a doubt.
Once he arrived at the city, his people cheered him and applauded loudly, but still allowing him passage to go and pour the sticky, thick liquid down his son's throat.
He raced up the hill and tied Epona to a wooden pole in the stables. He once again began to run, until he was up the stone staircase and into his son and daughter-in-law's bedchamber.
They were all there. The surgeon, Zelda, and Marin. He saw his son on the bed. He looked awful. His skin was pale, almost gray, and the convulsions were getting steadily worse. That was a good sign though. That meant his body was fighting harder.
He uncorked the bottle of Deku sap and opened his son's mouth. He stuffed the open end of the bottle into his son's mouth. The sap crept ever so slowly down the edge of the bottle. Link cursed. This would take all night!
He yanked the bottle from Lance's mouth before any of the liquid entered it. He then corked the bottle again. He smashed the bottom of it on the edge of the bed, making the surgeon jump and Marin shriek.
He used his finger to empty the contents of the now sharp bottle into his son's mouth. Link could see, even in his son's sleep, the look of the bitter taste of it. He knew it was the only way.
Link accidentally sliced the end of his finger on the cut bottle, the sticky fluid entering his wound. He cursed loudly, but didn't even hesitate to continue to empty the bottle.
It was a lot faster than it would have been. He ended up cutting himself three or four times, but he did it. Now the surgeon could do his part. Whatever that was….
"Link, are you okay?" Zelda asked. "I'm fine, I'm fine, I'll be alright," Link replied.
He had done it. He saved his son from a terrible fate. He could now continue his reign over the people of Hyrule. Link used to fear that his son would have the shortest reign over Hyrule than any other king. Now he could direct that fear toward Arkannas's advancing armies.