Scattering Petals
Zelda & Link
Chapter 5: Her recovery
When the princess succumbs to sickness and its healing process
The brief stay in his hometown had been enough for Link to return with more energy. He got to make up for lost time with his little sister and do some intense training with his father's bow collection. Even Epona felt like a brand new horse, blond mane recently braided, Aryll's courtesy. To sum it up, the vacations had been of profit for Hyrule's hero.
His return back to the castle reminded him of his expected duty. By the gates, the soldiers greeted him respectfully. He still was the wielder of the Master Sword, it was his role to uphold. He could have gotten used to being nobody. But there he was again, proud castle walls standing high, flags with the royal emblem waving in greatness. He was destined to be the hero of the legends, it was his place. However, being born for it didn't mean that it would be an easy journey. He still had a long way to go with his training.
"You! Help!" A high-pitched voice yelled through the field.
Link motioned for the guards to keep their post and quickly got on his guard to heed the call. A familiar woman with white hair and sheikah markings was running towards him. Behind her, a horde of wild monsters. The hero reached for one of the bows Epona carried on her back and ran forward, using a rock in the path to jump and aim one of his explosive arrows at the bokoblins. The impact made the lady in distress trip and fall over, doing a flip on the floor before stumbling next to the guards at the gates. A small and confused 'thank you' slipped from her dirt-stained face.
Meanwhile, the battle carried on for Link. The explosion made people aware of the fight and some soldiers began to appear on the palace walls to observe the show. Soon, manly cheers would be the background music for the fight demonstration the knight offered. Showing all of his skills, Link managed to impress even the highest rank generals on the troops. Not that they didn't know the legendary potential the hero possessed. But still, seeing him perform in battle was always impressive for the spectators.
When the last drops of dark blood were scattered, the crowd cheered and clapped. By the time he made it through the admirers, the sheikah girl in trouble had already disappeared.
Not minding none of the attention, the appointed knight politely excused himself. He continued his path inside the palace walls with Epona behind him. After dropping her to the stable, Link left all of his pertinences to his quarters and changed into his royal guard uniform. He didn't really enjoy being in formal attire, but he assumed the princess would still be recovering so he wouldn't be much needed. It didn't bother him either. He didn't have a spare uniform either, his other one was left covered in blood and dirt from the fight.
Being sunday, the castle was quieter than usual. Link found all the corridors empty, apart from the guards postings, of course. However, on his way upstairs to the princess' quarters, he stumbled upon the sheikah counselor, who made an annoyed expression while trying to wipe the dirt off her traditional clothing. She was muttering unintelligible words, bothered by the earth caught in her attire and the letters she carried around. Link even walked beside her for a while, following the same path to the tower, and she didn't even notice.
"I can't believe the barbaric acts of such monsters-..." Finally, the sheikah girl noticed the appointed knight's presence. She pretended to not be surprised. "Wait, you are the one from before. I didn't recognize you with the hood on, Princess Zelda's escort!"
"Link." He reminded her of his name. The sheikah woman thanked that internally. His eyes traveled to the amount of letters and wrappings she tried to carry with one hand. "May I?"
"Oh, thank you. Again." The girl handed most of the letters to him. Link made a mental note to not offer his help before finishing his way up the stairs. The shipment surely was heavy, he could even see through it. "I'm Impa, by the way. Royal counselor."
Seeing that the hero avoided words, the rest of the way was made in silence. It wasn't until they reached the gates to Zelda's room that the stillness in the air broke. Inside the chambers, a serene and masculine voice was speaking with grace. However, neither Impa nor Link could figure out the meaning of them. Without further hesitation, the sheikah counselor knocked at the door, breaking the atmosphere inside the room. For a brief moment, the knight envied the girl's nerves to interrupt such a serenade.
"Come in!" Zelda's voice resonated from a distance. It didn't sound as flowy as always considering the fact that she was sick.
Both Impa and Link entered the quarters, where they found a slightly sick Zelda resting in bed. At the feet of the couch, the court's poet was observing both of them with utter curiosity. So it had been him who was reciting ancient poems to the princess. Link took the liberty to leave the packages he carried by the table.
"Thank you, dear poet. Your words make this small room seem infinite." The princess gladly accepted a kiss on her naked hand from the poet, who was a sheikah as well.
"Whenever you want, your Highness. I'll be around." He assured and placed his lips on her hand again. The princess smiled with awkwardness, she wasn't used to such masculine attention. "Don't hesitate to summon me if I'm needed."
Despite his manners and keen vocabulary, the court's poet was the same age as the princess. His agraciated facial features impressed Link, who had never expected to find such a character sharing the princess' free time. But, as always, he hid his emotions while being on duty.
"How are you feeling, your Highness?" Impa asked with concern, replacing the poet's place at the bed's feet. The princess tried to collect her voice altogether but failed in the attempt, letting out a pair of heavy coughs in its place.
"The handmaids have been taking good care of me." Zelda replied. Despite that sentence, she looked pale and troubled. Her dark circles had lessened but her weak form denoted sickness. Also, seeing her in bed with a plain white nightgown wasn't usual. "Anyway, any news outside the walls?"
Impa motioned for Link to bring the letters and packages he had carried. The knight swiftly obeyed. The amount of the princess' mail surprised her, though most of the letters were formal words praying for a fast recovery. Some of them included small gifts, the dried flowers from all around Hyrule were the ones that she was the most elated to receive. Word had spread fast around the kingdom but, unlike Link, Zelda was already used to all of the attention. In a quick thought, the hero remembered the worst opinions he had heard back at the stable about her. But seeing her so vulnerable, he wished for her to never find out about the bad rumours.
"Oh, this one doesn't have wrapping… nor sender."
Link suddenly realized that the princess was holding the fabrics he had bought at Hateno village. A hint of embarrassment made his cheeks warm up, suddenly the gift seemed useless and lacking symbolism. However, the princess thought otherwise, mesmerized by the texture of the clothes. Even the royal counselor knelt down to admire the crafting of the blue fabric.
"This is exquisite work. Just look at that color." Impa commented, she was as curious as the princess because she didn't recall carrying that gift.
Link cleared his throat and made a loud step forward to snap the princess out of her trance. Her green eyes met his, for once with a harmless expression, it felt unusual. She couldn't quite figure out that he was the sender. Finally, Link felt like he was forced to speak and clarify his intentions.
"I thought you would enjoy my hometown's specialty, your Highness." He explained.
Princess Zelda stared at him in atonement, not quite believing his sentence. Impa crossed a brief glance with her and nodded to confirm his affirmation. The room fell silent and Link's breathing felt heavier than usual.
Meanwhile, the princess stared in awe at the fabric. She wouldn't even have noticed Link's absence if he weren't her appointed knight. She didn't even miss him during his vacations. He was so irrelevant to her that she couldn't believe he had taken the time to spare her a thought and even buy her a present.
"But this is... you really didn't need to get me something." Zelda meant all of her words. She was Hyrule's princess, she didn't need the gifts other representatives were sending her. But Link's gift was something she could find useful to knit and confectionate clothing, something only the closest members of the court had seen her do in her free time. It was, all in all, a thoughtful detail. And it meant even more since Link didn't have the economical means the other senders had.
Guilt was quickly escalating in her chest. She had treated him unfairly, charging at him with all of her frustrations. He didn't deserve any of it. She was out of words to express herself. Yes, she wanted to show gratitude but her prideful role as a princess couldn't allow that to happen. Besides, she couldn't apologize for everything she said to him, she would look like a spoiled brat that didn't mind her words.
Despite being flattered by his gift, he still was her escort and everything she did would be reported to the king. She convinced herself that she couldn't let her guard down. His intentions were kind, sure. Could she trust him yet? Of course not. She didn't even get to test his loyalty towards her outside of his dutiful actions. Could he even be capable of disobeying a king's order if she told him to? Probably not, Zelda reasoned.
The knight's silence made it easier for the princess to move on and continue with the rest of her correspondence. However, she told Impa to leave the fabric close as it would be of use soon. The sheikah girl left it on her desk, right by one of her knitting projects she tried to finish during the recovery process.
Both the princess and the counselor continued opening envelopes. Half of the letters Zelda received were read by Impa, who made brief comments if something seemed worthy of mentioning. By observing their closeness, Link could tell that the princess and the sheikah girl were good friends. He had never seen, at least up until then, the princess treating so kindly a person external from the royal court. That didn't include the poet that visited her earlier, of course. It just wasn't usual behavior.
"Princess, this one is from Purah!" The sheikah girl exclaimed, holding up the letter from the lab as if she had found a valuable treasure. Zelda reacted the same way, grabbing the envelope as if it were made of glass. They sat closer to read the content together.
"Robbie figured out how to unlock the entrance to the Shrine of Resurrection." While the princess read the content out loud, Impa got a hold on two attached papers. Somehow the scientists' letter always included something else apart from the information.
"Look, pictures taken with the Sheikah Slate." The counselor showed them to the princess, who examined all details carefully.
The chamber was consumed by darkness. The blue glow of the sheikah technology was enough proof that there was energy left. Nevertheless, some elements didn't seem to function properly as the strange container in the middle of the sanctuary lacked energy. Zelda felt like a little girl again, mesmerized by the recent discoveries the staff from the royal lab achieved. Nothing else in the world managed to draw a wider smile on her face. Discovering ancient technology was her passion and nothing couldn't help it.
"I need to see that with my own eyes." The princess sentenced, leaning over the bed to start the preparations.
"Your Highness, please, you need your rest." Impa warned, seeing Zelda's impulsive behavior.
As soon as the princess' feet touched the ground, her sight blurred. Link immediately noticed her dizziness and rushed to her side before she could stumble. Her cold body found relief in the knight's chest, no longer remaining conscious.
"Princess Zelda!" The counselor kneeled down to aid the knight, who held tightly the princess' body between his arms. The sheikah girl placed her hand on the princess' forehead, obviously noticing she had a fever. "I'll go fetch the maids!"
Impa disappeared behind the doors of the quarters, leaving an ill Zelda and an overwhelmed knight on their own. Link needed to use all of his strength to carry the princess' entire weight back to the couch. He softly leaned her down as if she were made of delicate glass that could break at any moment. Her chest moved up and down heavily, her breath flowing with difficulty. The knight's eyes moved to the bedside table, where a bucket of perfumed water was. Out of instinct, he grabbed the wet piece of cloth hanging and soaked it back in the water. With his fist, he squished out the excess water and placed it on the princess' forehead. Only then he noticed that a thin layer of sweat was also covering her skin. How could she hide her symptoms so efficiently until then? The sudden change had happened in a blur.
"She passed out." Impa's voice echoed in the corridors along with the maid's steps, hurrying to the bedroom.
An elder handmaid hurried next to the princess' sleeping form. Impa assisted her, carrying a small chest that was filled with crystal bottles that contained a variety of ingredients and liquids. She chose one of them, which contained blue petals and an intense smell. Link had to turn his head away because of the sudden elixir's strong fragrance. However, the maid approached the bottle under Zelda's nose, immediately managing to wake her up with only one breath.
"Princess Zelda!" Impa exclaimed, aiding Zelda to lean forward as she coughed with disgust. The maid immediately closed the smelly floral elixir and inserted it back in the chest. "Please, don't make unnecessary efforts."
Zelda's lungs burned in pain, making it impossible to stop the coughing. Her cheeks turned red due to the lack of oxygen, She was being held close by her loyal friend, Impa, who was trying to pat her back softly to aid her to no avail. However, the handmaid hadn't finished her duty. She mixed the contents of two different crystal bottles, creating a consistent drinkable medicine that was handed to the princess.
"Drink it, your Highness." The handmaid begged.
The princess swallowed the elixir and slowly her coughing decreased until her breath got stable. She ended up laying down on the bed while letting out a long sigh of relief. The eldest took her tools to measure her temperature and vital signs even though Zelda insisted she was feeling better.
"You should at least rest another week." The maid advised. Zelda's green eyes opened all of sudden.
"I can't allow myself to waste time. What about the prayers, the champions, the divine beasts...?" The princess had to stop talking as she ran out of breath. Her pulmonar capacity was as low as ever.
"It's your health what we're talking about, princess Zelda." Impa tried to reason with Zelda. Though for the princess, her wellbeing was the last one of her inner worries. That behaviour was the same Link witnessed at the fountain, he recalled.
Just in time, heavy steps made their entrance in Zelda's quarters. It was King Rhoam, who had been given word of his daughter's poor progress in her recovery. His expression was more neutral than usual, worry could be read between the lines.
"Leave us." The king ordered. Everybody exited the room immediately, Link included. That left Zelda and her father alone to talk. She looked rather nervous, not anticipating her father's reaction to her impulsive actions. She had been ordered to remain in bed until then.
"Father, I didn't mean to be troublesome." She started with sincerity.
"You should let others take care of you as well, princess Zelda." King Rhoam advised in a fatherly tone that surprised his daughter in a good way. "If you do so, soon you will be able to continue with your duties as princess of the kingdom."
Zelda felt warmth in her chest, something she hadn't experienced in a long time. Finally some intimacy had allowed her father to act as such and not like a ruler. Missing her mother was too much for Zelda but, luckily, these few father-daughter moments were enough for her to feel relieved. She nodded out of instinct, a small smile drawn on her lips. Her father returned the gesture with a kind glance.
"May I ask you a favor, father?" The princess dared to ask. The king's brows furrowed out of concern. Zelda reached for Purah's letter along with the photographs of the hidden chamber. She let her father read the discovery as she schemed a speech to earn his permission. "May I travel to the Great Plateau? It's not far away from the castle and I could be of help in the investigation…"
The princess waited for her father's answer with patience. She knew she was asking too much. Her diplomatic visits to the four champions had been delayed due to her sickness and the Shrine of Resurrection was far less important than that. However, she would still have to waste her time recovering and while doing so, visiting that recent discovery was a decent pastime that didn't involve such risk as traveling further. The princess' methodical reasoning thought so, nevertheless, her father was complicated to convince. He let out a heavy sigh and stared at her daughter, who tried to make her eyes look as determined as possible despite the lack of glow.
"I can't just wait here in bed while the calamity draws near. At least I could be of use and I would be back before dusk." Zelda continued.
King Rhoam took a quick look at the pictures of the ancient chamber of the mountains. He recalled some myths about that location's existence. Zelda had managed to be of use during the divine beasts' discoveries. The Shrine of Resurrection, as the royal lab referred to, was something the king struggled to comprehend. However, his daughter had no such problems with technology and ancient structures. He was not against the idea of her going, especially after scheduling further her diplomatic visits to the four champions. The delay of that trip had been the reason for more rumors around the kingdom about the princess' utility. Time was also against them, chaos lurking closer each day. It was a risky decision.
"You will bring your knight with you." The king finally sentenced. Zelda felt a bittersweet sensation but it was better than nothing. "At the minimal sign of sickness, you will return and remain in the castle until you recover." He warned.
"Oh, thank you, father!" Zelda exclaimed gratefully.
The king didn't allow himself to make a warmer expression. He just nodded and got up from his seat, other worries filling his mind. He knew Zelda had great potential and despite not using all of it yet, he trusted her. Sometimes he could be stricter than he would like to, but it was the price to pay for ruling Hyrule. He couldn't allow mistakes.
Back in the hallway, Impa and Link eavesdropped at the conversation with sudden complicity. Thei concentration faded when the king suddenly opened the door. Both bowed before their Majesty as he exited. His pace stopped to face Link, who remained kneeled by the ground.
"Watch her closely." Rhoam ordered.
Link and Impa nodded, synchronized. When the king was at a further distance, they entered Zelda's quarters, who was already up, packing up her things.
"Princess Zelda." Impa had the urge to facepalm. Instead she aided her to the drawer so she could sit and make her plans with safety.
"We are leaving tomorrow." The princess sentenced, not even bothering to look at her knight. Link nodded at nobody, knowing that the previous order had been a very important one. He would have to be vigilant to make sure the princess didn't commit any imprudence.
"And Impa, I need a favor." The royal counselor bent forward to be closer to the princess, who made sure nobody eavesdropped at their conversation. "I need you to get me another dose of painkillers."
Link had to make an actual effort to not contradict the princess' petition. He let out a sigh as a warning, alerting the princess with his presence. However, Zelda decided to ignore him and continue with her own plans.
"I can bring some by sunrise." Impa assured.
A blinding light eclipsed the darkness around her. She had been wandering around for who knows how much. The fog between the trees blocked her senses, unable to use the landscape for orientation. When that spark appeared, Zelda didn't hesitate to follow it. Watching it closely, Zelda realised that it was some kind of fairy: a round lilac creature with bright wings that cleared the path for her. They paced in silence through the forest with only their faith to lead the way. All of her spiritual journeys had been based on walking around blindfolded so the situation wasn't as far from reality as any spectator would say.
The princess walked into a clearing, the excess of light mesmerizing her. A strange sensation filled her body. She did no longer feel pain, worry nor fatigue. Her presence was above all, further from the earthly life. Her feet felt somehow connected to the roots of the trees, creating an enlightened path that led Zelda's sight forward. A great tree stood in the middle of the scenery. The sight was breathtaking, however, the trance broke when the violet fairy fled away.
"Wait! Don't leave" The princess begged, bringing her arm forward to try and reach her. All of sudden, the way that connected her feet to the ground had become chains. She was unable to move from her place. "This can't be real." She muttered with desperation.
A familiar lullaby filled the air, mist bringing the melody to her hearing. Zelda turned her body around to no avail, she was nailed into the ground. However, the corner of her eye caught a glimpse of a majestic figure in the middle of the night. That femenine representation had its own shine and was the source of the music that fed the forest.
The princess tried to fight with the vegetation but everytime closer the bushes threatened to swallow her. Sharp thorns began snaking around her ankles, making it painful to try and move. However, the heavenly woman also tried harder to communicate her something, moving her lips. But all that came out was the distant sound of a familiar song.
Zelda let out a sigh so sharp it even cut the dry skin on her lips. The shocking scratch made the princess wake up at the instant, the bad sensation managing to remain on her. Her green eyes traveled to her bedside table, where the last medicine she took was. That sight brought her some relief as she assumed that the uneasiness of the dream had been a product of the substance. A calmer inhalation broke the silence of the room from then.
"Thank Hylia…" The princess whispered at the first sun rays that peaked through the balcony.
Despite not sleeping well, the princess's will forced her to stand. Her legs felt weary but her determination was so strong that she decided to ignore it. Somehow she had managed to wake up along with the sunrise. The golden light blessed her form while accessing the balcony, where she had decided to start her morning prayers. Sickness wouldn't impede her in fulfilling her usual duties as princess and godly heiress.
"I beg you, sacred goddess, hear me out…" Zelda began.
Hands placed together, the princess began to pour all of her recent emotions to Hylia. In a sincerity exercise, she told her how eager she felt to unravel an ancient relic along with the researchers of the royal lab. Once more, she made it clear that studying the forgotten machinery was also a way of worshipping her. A valid one, she didn't dare to add.
Her internal speech went on for several minutes, recalling her dedicated thoughts to heavenly heights. However, a small distraction struggled constantly with her concentration. An insistent sound was making her nerves flutter with frustration. What seemed like grunts and heavy breathing ended up making her snap out of the devotion. Her eyes fluttered open and scanned her surroundings to find the source of such disrespectful acts. Then there she found him, as careless and ruthless as always.
Her appointed knight was practicing out loud with the Master Sword in the courtyard under her balcony. Zelda had to actually lean forward into the railing to spot his energetic form training endlessly. Link swung his sword with strength, parting the air in two. The windy rumbling along with his panting were the unstopping track that played in loop and had achieved to interrupt her prayers.
"Unbelievable." She muttered with discontentment. "Doesn't he have anywhere else to go practice?"
Zelda felt the illness overcome her once more, concentrating the tension in her breathing. She felt the imminent urge to sneeze, couldn't retain it and ended making enough noise to alert Link of her presence. She immediately covered her mouth, silencing it. However, it was too late.
Soon, the keen knight detected Zelda on the balcony. As if he had a sixth sense, he turned and spotted the princess spying on him with a disgusted expression printed on her face. She felt so exposed that her more childish instincts took control of her. Therefore she ended up hiding to no avail behind the wall, hoping that the escort could forget soon about her presence.
"I shouldn't be embarrassed, these are my quarters. He is the one invading my garden." The princess remarked out loud as if she tried to convince herself in the process.
Despite her inner thoughts, the princess ended crawling back inside her quarters, avoiding being seen by her appointed knight. It was ridiculous, hiding around in her own castle. The amount of pressure and control above her was suffocating. Having that appointed knight following her was another factor that just reinforced the sensation of being suffocated. All in all, it made Zelda manifest her worst mood possible. Furthermore, it added more weight to reinforcing her perfect princess fasade. She had to pretend to feel better from the cold or she wouldn't make it past the castle walls.
So, firstly, the princess hurried to get properly dressed in her comfortable attire. Brown jeans, boots, a pale shirt and, last of all, the royal blue top with golden adornments. Secondly, the brush combed her light hair, making sure it was as straight and nicely placed as if she had never been sick. Once her mane was untangled, she braided a thick lock and horizontally pinned it to the other side of her head. In addition, to hold the rebel baby hairs in her forehead, Zelda used a pair of blue bobby pins on her bang section to secure it. There was nothing more annoying than her hair blocking her sight while studying.
The princess studied the image on the mirror before leaving the room. She looked rather pale and she still had a thin layer of sweat in her forehead, a sign of the fever she had succumbed to. To fix her appearance, Zelda dipped a finger in a creamy blush she had created a while ago with flower petals. With a pair of touches on her cheeks, she seemed much healthier and energetic. Almost healed. Though the dark circles under her eyes couldn't be covered so easily. Zelda decided to let it be since, afterall, her sickness was known to everybody by then. It was useless to try and conceal it but at least she had managed to look decent.
When Zelda accessed the hallway from her tower, she almost stumbled upon a blue tunic. As oportune as ever, her knight was already posted outside her chamber, waiting for new orders. The princess swiftly scanned him, sentencing they were ready to depart to the Great Plateau.
"Are our mounts prepared to leave?" Zelda didn't even stop to greet him and continued walking forward, obviously being followed by the metallic steps of her knight's armor.
Yes, Link was King Rhoam's eyes. However, the princess had no intention of letting him stop her plans. Sure, he could report everything she did to her father. However, nothing of that would prevent her from studying the ancient chamber of the mountains. The princess was determined to study her escort's behavior to notice both weakness and strength. That way she could enjoy more freedom in the future. Their trip to the Sanctuary of Resurrection was a trial to observe him and then Zelda would know what she actually could or couldn't do depending on the consequences it could bring.
Outdoors, the stable employees had Epona and Royal ready for their travel. Zelda approached her mount, a flawless white exemplar. They still didn't have occasion to bond since the horse had been a recent gift for her birthday. Link, however, showed that his brownish horse, despite lacking the looks of royalty, was well trained. It was obvious since Epona happily insisted on receiving Link's caresses. Her horse instead lacked all emotion, just like her. Always so stiff and tense.
"Princess Zelda!" Both the knight and the princess turned to see the royal counselor running towards them. She panted while bowing to the princess. "I got what you asked for, your Highness." Impa discreetly handed a bottle of pills to the princess. It was enough dose to resist a day outside the castle despite being still sick. "Please, send my regards to Purah."
Zelda nodded and patted her loyal friend on the shoulder as a sign of gratitude. Then grabbed a pair of pills and quickly swallowed them to prevent feeling unwell during the trip. She couldn't waste more time, the calamity was near.
Last chapter was all about Link and this one explores Zelda's side and how she pushes herself harder. Maybe Link and Zelda have more in common than they think, right?
Yours,
Stella
