Now on to Chapter 10, hope you all enjoy!
"Well I gotta get goin' back ta the ranch guys, thanks for havin' me over!" Togau said to Link and Nabooru on her way out.
"You're welcome back anytime Togau." Link said with a wave.
It had been a week since the incident with Kesuta and Korume. Togau had been spending the day with Link and the girls at the palace by Link's invitation.
"Always nice to have Togau come by." Link said to Nabooru, "She's a hard worker, and it's nice to let her have the time to relax."
"You two are really getting close." grinned Nabooru, leaning forward on the dining table, "I think you really made an impact on her during the caravan trip."
"What can I say? She's a good person." Link shrugged, "And I admire her drive and passion."
Nabooru took a sip of her drink and smiled deeply.
"I'm glad to see you've already picked out your third wife."
"Mm-hmm." Link murmured, taking a drink of water, before suddenly spewing it out of his mouth into the air like a fountain, "Wait, wife?!" he paused for a second, then slammed his hand down on the table, "Wait, THIRD wife?!"
"Yes, I've seen the way she looks at you, I'd say she's rather smitten with you, and she gets along great with Aviel and Nemisa, I'm sure they'll be fine with her as a fellow wife." Nabooru smirked.
"Aviel... and Nemisa?!" Link exclaimed, "Wait, you're suggesting I marry both of them?!"
"Of course, they've all gotten along with you quite well, even if Nemisa herself doesn't want to admit it." Nabooru said.
"That's... not the problem." Link coughed awkwardly, "I mean, marrying three women? Isn't that kind of... immoral?"
"Maybe to some people." Nabooru said, "But the Gerudo King traditionally has multiple wives during their life. In our people's past he would have around five or so, but in your case with the situation of our population problem, it might be wise to have more, like maybe eight or nine."
"Eight or... nine..." Link echoed, rubbing his head, "You're really not kidding are you?"
"I know it's a big change for your way of thinking." Nabooru said, slowly standing up and walking over to Link, "But imagine how nice it would be... to have so many women as your beloved ones..."
"But..." Link paused, not really sure of what to say to that, "W-Would they even be okay with something like that?"
"Pretty much all the Gerudo are well accustomed to the tradition of royalty, they were educated on it in their early years, even Aviel, so it's nothing unusual. In fact, most would consider it a great honor to be chosen as your wife. I'm sure there are some who would prefer to have their husband to themselves, but you're a different case." Nabooru said, placing her hands on his shoulders.
"I... still don't know.." Link said. Nabooru responded by kissing at his neck, making him shiver. She then whispered delicately into his ear.
"You didn't think my reward to you was to just saddle you with the responsibility of being a king? A true hero like yourself deserves a king's harem of wives, those that can love you, see to your happiness..." she paused for a second and added, "...bless you with their children..."
"Children...?" Link muttered, the idea of someone like him who's been a traveling loner for the past seven years; becoming a husband, as well as a father just seemed completely alien to him.
He paused on that note and looked up to her, "So... what about you""
"Hm?"
"Would you want to be a part of this... um, relationship?" Link asked.
Nabooru paused, Link couldn't help but think there was something off with her.
"I... still have a number of responsibilities to do as your adviser, so for now... why don't we just stick to being friends... you know, with the benefits?" she suggested with a wink.
"Well... I suppose." Link nodded, deciding not to push the issue any further with her at that time.
"Aviel, Nemisa, Togau... they're all important to you right?" Nabooru continued, "I'm sure a handsome king like yourself will have little trouble finding many others in this town that appeal to you the way they do." she got on her knees to be at eye \level with him, and ran her hand along his cheek, "I'm not asking you to pick them all immediately, just go out there and find the ladies you care for the most, ones you can share a kindred bond with."
"I... I'll just tell you for now that I'll think about it..." Link said simply.
"Like I said, before, that's all I ask of you." Nabooru smiled, she took him by his cheeks and pulled him into a soft kiss. He found himself drawn into it and kissed her back.
Unknown to the two of them, a certain person was listening in on the conversation. She stood there, tempted to come in and speak about the matter, but instead clenched her wrist, her body trembling a little, before she just took a deep breath and walked off.
"Thanks for escorting me to the doctor, Link." Nabooru sighed as the two of them, along with Aviel and Nemisa, walked down the streets through Gerudo Town, "Sarami was insistent that I come back for a follow up on my head injury from last week."
"It's fine, I wanted to thank her again anyway for helping me after that attack by The Slicer." Link nodded. He looked to the side and saw some of the local Gerudo waving at him, to which he politely waved back.
"The people are really growing a fondness and respect for you." Nabooru smiled, "And you're taking to be more like a king to them by the day."
"Ahaha, I don't know about that..." Link said sheepishly.
Soon the group arrived at the main medical clinic of Gerudo Town. After seeing the receptionist, she escorted them to a room where they saw Dr. Sarami seeing to a patient.
"So what's the trouble dear?" the doctor asked her patient.
"Oooww, Dr. Sarami!" whined the girl, "I cut my finger, and it huurts!"
"Oh my, that's no good." Sarami said, "Just let me take a look at it." as she examined the wound she asked the girl, "So how did you get this?"
"I was battling a pack of invading Moblins and one managed to cut me just before I kicked it to the ground and impaled my sword through it's head, like I did with the other four!" she said sniffling.
"She's... really tough." Link said sweatdropping.
"There, there, it'll be fine." Sarami gave the girl a warm smile, which gave the whole room a sense of blissful comfort. Link in particular was in awe of her, drawn into her pleasantness. Sarami then went to work on the cut, applying some alcohol to it. The girl flinched from the sting of the alcohol, before Sarami went to wiping down and cleaning the wound, and finally putting a bandage over it. "There you go, just don't be rough with it, okay?" Sarami even gave the girl's finger a light kiss.
"Y-Yes, thank you Dr. Sarami!" the girl said, her face flushed red, as she got up and left out the room, greeting Link and the others on her way out.
"Oh, hello everyone." Sarami said, turning to the four and bowing, "And a pleasure to see you again King Link, how is your injury?"
"I feel just fine, thank you again." Link nodded, "And you can just call me Link, I'm still not king yet."
"Of course." smiled Sarami, before turning to Nabooru, "Now for you Nabs, let me take a look at your bump."
"Yeah, yeah." Nabooru sighed.
"Nabs?" snickered Link.
"It's her... erm, name for me." Nabooru muttered, earning a snicker from Aviel and Nemsia as well.
Sarami looked over Nabooru's head injury for a few minutes, before nodding, "You've recovered quite well. Of course, you were always a head-headed one." she added with a giggle.
"Thanks to you Sarami." Nabooru smirked. As the two of them talked, Link couldn't help but get a sense of a close bond between the two of them.
Sarami then took a look over at Aviel and noticed something odd, "Say, may I see that on your knee there Ms. Aviel?"
"Oh this?" asked Aviel, rising up her knee, showing off a slightly bloody scrape, "I just tripped over a step this morning, it's nothing."
"I'll be the judge of that." Sarami said, kneeling down to look at It, "It's nothing too deep, but I think it should be treated regardless." she nodded, grabbing the alcohol bottle again.
Aviel gulped a bit, remembering the patient from earlier flinching from the touch of it. "Uh... I-it's okay! I'll just walk it off and-"
She was cut off by Sarami looking directly at her from behind her round glasses, which gave off a blank unreadable gleam
"Tell me Ms. Aviel..." she said in a low voice, "Are you familiar with MRSA?"
"Mersa?" Aviel tilted her head, "Never heard of her."
"M-R-S-A," Sarami corrected, "Methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus. It's a form of infection that takes the form of an internal boil, which generates a malicious pus that spreads throughout the body..."
As Sarami continued to describe the symptoms, Aviel and the group's faces grew paler and paler.
"...and eventually eats away at the victim's bone, muscle tissue and organs until they die a slow painful death through extended-"
"Okay okay!" exclaimed Aviel frantically, her eyes filling with tears and her wings flapping, "Just give me the alcohol! Give me all the alcohol!"
"Fufufu, It'll be fine." Sarami giggled, sporting her sweet smile once again. She went ahead and put some alcohol on a cotton ball and dabbed it gently against Aviel's wound. The stinging caused Aviel to squirm a bit, but momentarily after that she felt Sarami place a bandage over the wound. "There you are."
"T-Thank you Dr. Sarami..." Aviel said, looking down at the bandage.
"You're welcome sweetie, this should help it feel better.." Sarami smiled, giving the bandage a kiss.
"Link..." Aviel turned to Link slowly with wide teary eyes, "She's such a good person... can you please marry her so I can get treated by her like this all the time...?"
Link practically fell over from Aviel asking that, Nemisa rolled her eyes while Nabooru burst out laughing
"Fufufu..." Sarami giggled with a light blush, putting a hand to her mouth, "I'm not looking to be in a relationship, and honestly... I think I might be too old for him."
"Doctor!" shouted a new voice, a nurse Gerudo came running in frantically, "It's time! We need you in room 7 immediately!"
Sarami stood up and adjusted her glasses, which gave off a gleam. "I'll be there right away."
As Sarami hurried off, Link and the others looked to each other and decided to see what was going on.
"Argh! Make it stop!" screamed out a Gerudo woman, laying back on a bed while the nurses were trying their hardest to help her. She threw her head back shouting and thrashing around. Sarami, Link, Nabooru and the others soon arrived, only to see what was going on, they took one look at the patient on the bed, and her swollen stomach and realized what is was.
"She's in labor?!" exclaimed Nemisa.
"Please everyone!" shouted Sarami, going over to examine the expectant woman over, "Bring me towels and water, hurry!"
Link and the group nodded and ran around like crazy trying to find whatever Sarami needed.
Soon everything was in order and Sarami knelt down to prepare the birth. "Okay,Maifeki," Sarami said to the soon-to-be-mother, "Just try to relax and we'll work on getting your new child out."
"So what happens next?" asked Aviel, "Is she going to cut open her stomach and get the baby out or something?"
"Do... you seriously not know how a baby is born?" Nemisa asked blankly.
"No, what does she-"
Aviel was cut off when Sarami lifted up Maifeki's patient gown, exposing what was down there to her.
"BY THE GODDESS OF THE DESERT!" exclaimed Aviel, her eyes practically bugging out of her head, as she stumbled backwards.
Maifeki meanwhile was still screaming, grabbing at the bed, "Somebody give me a large boulder to crush, or a monster to slay! Anything!"
"What the hell kind of stress relief techniques are those?!" exclaimed Nemisa.
"Please try to help Maifeki calm down!" Sarami said, "She still needs to do her part, and she won't be able to cooperate like this!"
"Okay," Link shook off the shock of the situation and nodded, he went over to Maifeki and gripped her hand. "Listen, it'll be okay, just listen to Dr. Sarami and-"
"AAAHHH!" screamed Maifeki in pain, squeezing Link's hand so tightly she almost came close to breaking it, before she swung her leg back and kicked him across the face.
"Gah, calm down already!" exclaimed Nemisa, only to be suddenly thrown across the room and into a wall by the screaming woman.
Link, upon recovering from the blow, took a deep breath, and squeezed Maifeki's hand back, as she breathed in and out heavily, she realized the strong feeling on her hand and took a look over to Link, who was looking down at her, doing his best to not react to the painful hand crushing.
"It's... It's okay." Link said, forcing a smile, "Dr. Sarami and all of us are here for you..."
Maifeki panted and nodded, she was calming down ever so slightly, despite the pain she was in. Sarami looked up to see what was going on and saw Link's gentle expression to Maifeki. Sarami could swear she felt her heart skip a beat seeing him comforting her patient.
"Please..." Maifeki sobbed to Link, tears running down her eyes, "Don't let go..."
"I won't." Link said, "Now listen to the doctor."
Maifeki nodded and turned to Sarami, "O-Okay..."
"Very good," Sarami regained her composure, "Now push!"
"Congratulations, Maifeki!" Sarami said proudly, lifting up the crying newborn baby, and handing it to the new mother, "It's a healthy baby girl, of course."
"Oh by the will of Aifet..." Maifeki trembled as she held her child, her tears were still running down her cheeks uncontrollably.
"You did great, Ms. Maifeki." Link smiled.
"Thank you..." Maifeki whispered, bringing her child close.
Aviel was in awe of the baby, getting as close a look as she could without invading the mother and child's personal space, while. Nemisa was pretending not to look at the child. Nabooru herself meanwhile approached Maifeki and smiled.
"You've done well Maifeki." Nabooru said, "Your child is a blessing in these times, care for her proudly as a fine mother."
"I'm humbled by your praise Lady Nabooru... and your encouragement too King Link." Maifeki said, who she looked up to and asked, "Would you like to hold her yourself, my king?"
"M-Me?!" exclaimed Link, "Uh, I'm... um... I don't want to drop her or anything..."
"You'll be fine," said Sarami smiling, she took the child from Maifeki and passed her to Link, adjusting his hands for him so he could hold the baby properly.
Link stood there nervously as he held the baby in his arms, he was fascinated by the sight of this new life that came into the world, a girl that would grow up not in a band of thieves like he remembered from the dark future, but a slowly prospering town of people rebuilding their society. She truly had a bright and hopeful future ahead of her.
He handed the child back to Maifeki, and asked, "So what do you plan to name her?"
Maifeki paused, then smiled, "She shall be known as Selil." Maifeki looked up at Link and blushed, "To have the king of our people be present and to hold my child at birth, we are truly blessed.."
Link flushed a bit, looking over at Nabooru, who simply gave him a grin and a thumbs up. He took a breath and said, "I hope for the best for both you Maifeki and Selil. May the goddess of the desert bring you both happiness for years to come."
"Thank you again." Maifeki bowed her head.
"Nice work in there Link." Nabooru said. After leaving Maifeki and the nurses to care for Selil, they had all gone to the clinic's break room to relax over drinks "You're growing faster then you thought."
"Heh heh, uh, thanks.." Link replied, he found it hard to not stop smiling, thinking about the new life they had all just helped bring into the world, and this didn't go unnoticed by the girls.
"You were so cute holding that baby!" Aviel said, "I wish I could of held her myself!"
"You probably would had been the one to drop her." Nemisa pointed out.
"Ah... maybe I would have..." sighed Aviel.
"It makes me glad to see you have so many good friends, Nabs." Sarami smiled, "You've come so far from when you were rebelling against Ganondorf'."
"You knew Lady Nabooru from back then?" Aviel asked.
"Yeah, we go back quite a long way." Nabooru nodded, "In fact it was because of-"
"Dr. Sarami, we have a situation!" shouted a nurse sticking her head into the break room.
"Don't tell me another kid?" Nemsia asked.
"What is it?" Sarami asked.
"We just brought in a new patient, and she's in critical condition!" exclaimed the nurse.
The group ran into another exam room, where a Gerudo girl laid on the bed, her body was shaking and her face was pale, and she had a rather nasty wound on her side.
"What happened here?" Sarami asked the nurse.
"Her name is Gevoam, she was working with our archaeologists on searching the Ruins of Hotaig out in the east desert, but she got separated from the team and when they found her, she was in this condition, they just brought her in!" the nurse explained.
Sarami immediately went to looking over Gevoam carefully, inspecting her injury and her reactions.
"This gash wound itself isn't lethal, but she's experiencing cold sweat, fever, paling skin, convulsions... she's been poisoned." Sarami deducted.
"You're kidding," Nemisa said, "Can anything be done for her?"
"I have many types of poison antidote but... I need some more information of exactly what kind of poison she has." Sarami answered.
"Can't you just give her antidotes until you get the right one?" Aviel asked.
"Certainly not," Sarami's glasses gleamed, "Giving her the wrong antidote could potentially be just as dangerous as the poison itself. Unfortunately, I can't tell from this wound what kind of poison she has."
"Then what can be done?" Link asked.
"We need to track down whatever did this to her and get a sample of it's poison." Sarami explained, "Then I can determine what kind of antidote to use." she then turned to the nurse, '"Is there anything else we should know?"
"Well, there is that thing they also brought in." the nurse said, she gestured to a table with a strange hard and thin black object on it. "The patient was holding it when she was found."
Link inspected the object carefully, "It looks like the end of a leg of some kind of monster."
"Yes," Sarami said, giving it a more thorough examination, "Unfortunately I can't find any traces of the poison in this body part. We'll have to go to the ruins themselves and see if this creature is still there."
"Wait, you're going too?!" Aviel asked.
"Yes, I need to inspect the creature for myself to know what to extract." Sarami said, adjusting her glasses, "And if this is just part of it's leg, it's likely too big for you all to just carry back here."
She went back to Gevoam and took a small bottle of blue jell from her belt. She poured it onto the wound and rubbed it carefully.
"What's that stuff?" Aviel asked.
"This is my patented healing jell, I created it from Blue Chuchu jelly." she explained, referring to the slime creatures that populated various lands around the realm of Hyrule.
"Wow, that stuff works as a drink and as a medicine?" Aviel asked, remembering the drink Link usually ordered back at the dance club.
"Yes, I'm a specialist in Chu jelly alchemy. This particular kind will stabilize her condition for a while, but we still need to hurry." Sarami said, "Nurses, please watch over her until I get back."
"Yes doctor!" the nurses said nodding.
"We'll help you get there." Nabooru told Sarami, "We won't lose one of our dear sisters so soon after one was just introduced to the world!"
Link, Aviel and Nemisa all agreed in unison.
"Thank you Nabs." nodded Sarami, "Then let's go."
It didn't take too long for the group to follow the archaeologists directions and arrive at the Ruins of Hotaig. There wasn't much to the place at first glance, but there was said to be many great treasures within the inside, so many Gerudo and travelers were known to explore it.
"Hey, we made it, that was quick!" Aviel said with relief.
"Y-Yes, the sooner we find the creature the better..." Sarami nodded, she then took a long drink of her canteen.
"You alright there Sarami?" Link asked.
"I'm fine... just fine..." Sarami said, "Let's hurry."
The group went ahead into the entrance to the ruins, and soon found themselves in a large room that looked as if it was some kind of destroyed arena.
"What is this place exactly?" Link asked.
"Hotaig was an ancient Gerudo goddess of war." Nabooru looked around, "I believe these ruins were once a battle coliseum dedicated to her."
"He...lp! Som...one... any..."
"Hm, what was that?" Sarami asked.
"Hey, there's someone under that rubble!" Link said, pointing over to somebody near the wall of the arena. The group immediately ran over to the person and started moving rocks off them. He turned out to be a Hylian man draped in ragged clothes.
"Oh thank the goddesses," sighed the man, as Link gave him a canteen to drink from, "I didn't think anyone would come back here!"
Link could swear he heard Nabooru snort a bit but ignored it.
"Ugh, did it have to be a Hylian male?" muttered Nemisa.
"How long have you been here, buddy?" Link asked.
"Not too long, I saw some women earlier but they all left before I could get their attention. The name is Dakas, good to meet you all." the man said.
Link went ahead and introduced himself and the girls, Nemiaa being the only one to not respond back.
"So what were you doing here?" Aviel asked.
"I'm an adventurer, traveling around searching for treasures." Dakas said, "But when I came here I got caught in a situation and... that thing attacked me." It was then Dakas cringed in pain, and the group noticed a very familiar injury on him.
"He's been poisoned as well, it could very well be he same creature that got Gavoam." Sarami said, "I'll see to helping you."
"T-Thanks but... I don't have much money..." Dakas's face flushed as she immediately went to work on his injury.
"Think nothing of it, just take it easy." Sarami said.
"So what was that thing were you talking about?" asked Nabooru raising an eyebrow.
"It was a-" Dakas' words were cut off by a strange sound, a kind of clicking noise that echoed through the arena.
"Oh great, now what...?" Aviel asked worriedly.
"Oh no..." Dakas gulped.
Aviel's question was then answered by a giant creature coming from from the ceiling and landing in front of the group. It was a giant black scorpion-like monster with a single giant eye and a large blood red stinger. It's claws even had markings on it that resembled eyes. It stood itself up and let out a loud screech.
"W-What the heck is that?!" Aviel exclaimed, hiding behind Link.
"I've heard of these," Nabooru said, pulling out her twin scimitars, "It's a venomous giant insect known as a Skarmah."
"That's the monster that attacked me!" exclaimed Dakas.
"Hm, the creature seem to be missing something..." Nemisa pointed out one of it' s legs looked broken off.
"It's the same kind as the leg Gevoam had been holding. She must have been able to fight back against it." Link observed., pulling out his sword and shield.
"Very well, if you all can defeat it, I'll extract it's poison so we can save her!" Sarami said, "I'll tend to Mr. Dakas here in the meantime."
"Alright, time to fight!" Aviel said, pulling out her crossbow.
Link, Nabooru, Aviel and Nemisa all stood before the Skarmah, which make some clicking sounds, then screeched out, ready to battle as well.
The Skarmah began the fight by lunging out with it's claws, but Link and Nabooru blocked them off with their swords, while Aviel fired an arrow straight at the eye of the monster. The Skarmah managed to protect it's eye with it's armored eyelid, before opening it again and trying to stab at the group with it's tail.
The group darted in different directions, forcing Skarmah to look around frantically, while Nemisa rushed in and delivered a strong punch to it's face. This gave Link and Nabooru the chance to come at it from both sides to slash and hack at it.
The Skarmah then spun it's body around to drive back the two, before charging at Link, smashing the ground in front of it with both claws. Link ran at a wall, jumping off of it and flipped into the air above the Skarmah. It tried to retaliate by stabbing Link with it's tail, but Aviel managed to nail Skarmah at the tip of it's tail with a crossbow arrow, sending it off course and giving Link a chance to come down and slash at it's back.
Skarmah went into a thrashing fit, skittering around smashing at any of the warriors it was fighting. But in the midst of it's rampage, it eventually realized both of it's claws were somehow stuck to the ground.
Everyone looked in confusion at a pool of green goop that had mysteriously appeared on the ground, and that the Skarmah's claws were stuck to whatever it was.
"Fufufu, one of my own special recipes." chuckled Sarami, holding up a bottle with a green slime inside of it, and a squirting nozzle attached to the top of the bottle. "Green Chu Jelly can be made into an adhesive that bonds things together instantly."
"Not bad Sarami." grinned Nabooru.
Skarmah tired to instead use it's tail to impair the group, but Nabooru leaped onto it's back and used her scimitars to cut the tail clean off. The creature screeched out in pain, as it's eye opened right up, giving the group the chance they needed, Nemisa ran forward and pummeled the Skarmah around, giving Aviel the opening to shoot it directly into the eye, stunning it to the ground, while Link charged forward, leaped up, brought down his sword and impacted his blade right into the Skarmah's eye.
The Skarmah broke free of the goop at that moment, but it was too late for it, and it let out one final screech before dropping over dead.
"No way... they pulled it off?" exclaimed Dakas with his jaw dropped.
"Another great victory!" cheered Aviel.
"Haha, been a while since I could fight like that!" laughed Nabooru.
Sarami meanwhile immediately went over to the Skarmah's body and started examining it for it's poison.
"Hmm... yes, this will do nicely." she said, using gloves and a pair of tweezers to extract what she needed from the monster, "Let's hurry back to town."
"But what do we do about him?" Link asked, gesturing to Dakas.
"Ugh, can we just leave him?" Nemisa suggested.
"No." Sarami said, "We'll bring him with us to town and get him treated as well."
"What?!" exclaimed Nemisa, "But men aren't allowed in our town! It's the code of the Gerudo! The king is the sole exception!"
"... ….frankly, I don't care." Sarami said, her glasses gleaming, "He's injured, and I need to treat him immediately." she turned to Nabooru and Link, "Do you two approve?"
"..." Nabooru was unsure at first, and but nodded, "Very well, we'll make an exception this one time."
Link nodded as well. "We can't just let him die if he can be saved. He can leave town as soon as he recovers."
"Hmph, fine. Do as you will." Nemisa said.
"Thank you all..." Dakas said in admiration, "But my legs are too weak, I can't walk."
"One of us will have to carry him then..." Sarami said.
"I wouldn't mind if one of those two strong women carried me!" Dakas said gesturing towards Nabooru and Nemisa, almost too cheerfully.
"I'll pass." Nabooru said.
"Not on your life." Nemisa said scowling.
"Isn't that the case for him though?" Aviel asked Nemisa.
"I got him." Link said, supporting Dakas with his shoulder, "Let's hurry."
Well that ends that chapter. I will say my favorite part of this particular chapter was the birth scene, it was an interesting change from what I usually write, and it helped Link lean more towards the idea of becoming king and having a family. As for the concept of him having a harem of wives, that might be a little trickier for him to come to terms with, but I hope I'm doing a decent job easing him into the idea.
Well with that in mind, look forward to Chapter 11 soon, leave a like, follow or review if you like it!