Grandmother spent her days out in front of their home, brewing potions. She always said it was good for business. The girl wasn't sure that she agreed. Most passerby turned their noses up in disgust at the sight of the wrinkly old woman working with foul smelling ingredients. It was a poor first impression to leave upon the public, and it had led to several bad rumors being spread around the village.
"Do not let it bother you, child." Grandmother told her. "Someday our work will save lives."
The medicine they brewed here was a unique sort. A single bottle of red potion could revive a wounded man near death instantly. Fairies could revive a man from near death, but due to concerns regarding the supply of fairies one could procure from fairy fountains, men going to war preferred red potions. They restored more health, and could double as emergency rations.
But this was peace time. They had been at peace since before she was born, and before her parents had been born, even. Their work, which at one point had been so essential to securing the country from ruin, had become almost obsolete. Most of the customers who came in these days were older people desperate to find some sort of miracle cure for their ailing health.
This was why she was so surprised when he came in for the first time.
He was her age, blonde and handsome, with a curious look of awe in his face. He didn't take notice of her, at first. He stepped past her to look at the wares.
She watched him carefully. He had likely been sent here on a dare, perhaps from other boys in the village. He was armed with a sword and shield that looked very much real, and dangerous. Perhaps he felt that she and her grandmother were dangerous. The thought made her heart ache.
And then he turned around and looked at her.
"Which potion would be best for restoring magic?" He asked. She was a little taken aback, but answered promptly.
"Red is the medicine of life." She said. "Green is the medicine of magic… blue renews both life and magic."
He turned to look at her. She felt her heart skip in her chest. His eyes were a wide, beautiful blue. So much so that she didn't immediately notice that a large, vicious cut was embedded into the side of his face. If it had gone a couple of inches to the left, it would have gone over his eye, and perhaps tore it out.
"Here." She blurted out. "Have a sample of the red potion…"
She bent her head and reached under her cloak. She procured her own personal bottle from around her neck and held it out to him. He stared at her with a blank look on his face. She couldn't help it. She giggled.
"It is not poison." She said. "See?"
She beckoned him to get closer, and then popped the cork on the bottle. She placed her finger in the potion and dipped it in. She raised the finger and pointed it upward.
"Stay still." She commanded, as her hand moved to his face. He stiffened, eyes wide as she gently ran her finger over the cut.
The potion, although typically ingested, could also be applied to minor wounds and scrapes. Immediately upon contact with the skin the cut began to close.
"There." She said, pulling away from him. She corked the bottle back and placed it under her cloak. He was touching his cheek, looking shocked.
"That was red potion?"
"It was." She said, amused at his expression. She had him hooked. "But I think you wanted the Green… yes?"
"I did." He said.
"Whatever for?" He certainly didn't look as if he practiced magic. She would have known him, if he did.
He averted his eyes from her.
"Nothing."
It was no business of her to pry. If he didn't want to explain himself, then that was fine. She herself couldn't look the bottle salesman in town in the eye when she bought nearly all of his stock to store potions.
She assisted him in procuring the potion from the cauldron and bottled it for him. When he handed her his rupees she thanked him. She expected to never see him again.
When he returned, about a day later, she found herself taken aback by the wounds that once again lined his face. Deep cuts that she was sure had been inflicted by swords and spears ran across his face. He looked positively frightful. It made her heart skip a beat.
"One… red potion please…" He murmured, as he handed her his empty bottle. He staggered a little bit, and the girl found herself surprised when she reached out to support him.
"No." She said. "Drink this."
She reached for her bottle and shoved it into his lips. His eyes widened as the liquid ran down his throat. Potions did not taste very good… which was one of the reasons why their store was so unpopular in town, but the girl found herself impressed at how he managed to swallow it all in one drink.
She lowered the bottle and watched him carefully, as he rubbed his mouth with the back of his hand. She could see the cuts beginning to close, and heal.
"I hadn't paid yet." He told her. He sounded a little confused.
"That was just a sample." She told him, as she made her way to the cauldron. She bent over and scooped up the red potion from its cauldron and turned to face him.
"Will that be all?"
He took the bottle from her, and their hands touched. They froze for a moment, and then he pulled away.
"Thank you." He said. And then he was gone. She never expected to see him again.
A day later, her grandmother surprised her by coming into the store and laying a bag of powder on her lap.
"Your friend." She said. "Had me make him so magic powder. Please make sure to take care of him when he comes."
"I will, Grandmother." The girl said, bowing her head. The old witch nodded, and went back to her work. Some time later, the boy returned. He surprised her, this time. He was carrying a bright red shield and a sword that looked somehow familiar to her.
"Hello." He said. "I'm here for that…?"
"Here it is." The girl said shortly, gesturing to the small bag at her side.
"What is it?" The boy asked, as he reached down to take it. He almost opened the bag, but the girl quickly reached out and snatched it from him.
"Be careful." She stressed. "You can ruin lives with this powder."
"Ruin… lives?"
She gingerly opened the bag and took out a handful of powder.
"Observe."
She threw the powder onto an unlit torch. It sprung to life. The boy jumped, eyes wide.
"Magic Powder." She said. "Is unpredictable and dangerous. Using it unwisely can destroy you… or worse, those around you."
She tied the bag up and handed it back to him. He took it, much more carefully this time, and held it close to his chest.
"What do you need such powder for?" She asked. "For what purpose do you need such a tool?"
His face fell.
"I have to save the Princess." He said. She stared at him, unsure of whether or not he was being serious or joking. He averted his eyes from her and darted away back through the door. This time he did not thank her. She found herself disappointed.
He was gone for a long time after that. So long, in fact, that she found herself thinking of him often, whenever she was alone in the store brewing potions. Saving the Princess…? Who was he trying to fool? Was it some kind of game that he was playing?
It was true that the Princess had been kidnapped by a boy, perhaps this child had taken it upon himself to save her. She amused herself for a moment, imaging her boy in green charging into a chamber to find the Princess and her kidnapper in the middle of a passionate romance. No, the Princess had not actually been kidnapped… surely she had simply eloped with a lover, regardless of what the news from the Castle said.
The door behind her opened.
"Welcome." The girl said, as she turned around. "What can I-"
She had to stop herself from screaming. The boy in green looked more like a skeleton than a person. The entire left side of his face seemed to have been somehow stripped of skin and muscle, showing nothing but bare teeth and bone. His eyes were bloodshot and swollen, and large stab wounds that seemed to have penetrated his entire body ran across his chest and waist.
"What… in the world have you been doing?"
"Dark… World…."
He began to fall. She darted forward and held him upright. She steadied him with her own body weight as she reached for her bottle.
He had been kept alive by fairies he had captured. She could see the obvious signs of that, as captured fairies tended to barely keep the benefactor alive. She had never, however, in her entire life seen someone so torn to bits.
She was unsure whether or not she should even give him potions. Her first thought was honestly to fetch her broom stick and get him to the Great Fairy. But he couldn't wait any longer. She grabbed her bottle and shoved it down his throat.
The wounds healed almost immediately. His skin grew back and his eyes returned to their normal shape and size. He was still and unmoving, and she was sure that he was dead until she heard a light snore coming from him. He had been so exhausted that he had fallen right asleep.
She stood up, staring down at him with an anger she didn't really understand.
"Idiot." She said quietly. "Whatever you're doing, I want you to stop."
She went to bed soon after that. When she awoke he was gone. That strange anger came to the surface again.
"What is he doing?"
She found herself fuming for the rest of the day, even after she had checked their store for anything that had been missing. The boy, it seemed, was not a thief. But he certainly was a pain. So much so that she couldn't think of anything else as she brewed her next potion.
When he next returned he surprised her.
"I need green potion."
"Whatever for?"
His gaze darkened. She found her heart skipping a beat. There was no trace of that smile he used to have.
"I have been using a lot of magic lately." He said. "That's all."
He paid for his potion and left. She stared faintly after him as he stepped through the door. She had not asked him what had happened last time. It took her a moment to realize why she felt she uneasy. She had not had the chance to give him the sample of red potion.
"Idiot." She hissed. "Do you want to die?"
The next time he came in, his hair unusually frazzled, she practically found herself flinging herself at him.
"You need a sample." She snapped, as she practically shoved the bottle in his throat.
"Mmmph!" He coughed, sputtering red potion out into the wooden floor.
They stared at it, horrified, and then broke out into laughter.
"May I have another sample?"
She found herself smiling as she refilled her little bottle and handed it to him.
"As many as you like." She said softly.
They married soon after that. She wore a cute little skull necklace in her hair, which she thought complemented her white dress rather nicely. She had thought it was to be a very small, quiet wedding. They had selected a spot that they had both rather liked, a charming little grove that overlooked the Lake Hylia. She was surprised when she had looked out over the water to see just how many people were there, standing in the water staring up at them.
She was most surprised of all to see Princess Zelda, accompanied by six other maidens. Many of them seemed rather annoyed at the proceedings. The Bride saw more than one of them break out into tears. But during the reception, she found herself deep in conversation with Princess Zelda.
She was surprised at how down to earth and friendly she was. She had come to the wedding in the middle of the wilderness wearing some of her finest things, and had thought nothing of how muddy and wet she had gotten standing in the shallows of the water.
"I have a favor to ask of you." Princess Zelda said. "As your friend."
"Yes?"
"Please be a good wife to him." Zelda said. "For the rest of your days."
She kept her promise. Their sons became some of the finest swordsmen in the world, and the daughters became talented witches in their own right. Many left the land of Hyrule seeking their own adventures, but the witch grew old in her little cottage, tending to her customers and her favorite granddaughter.
"Grandma." Irene said, tilting her head to the side. "I was just at the fortuneteller… and he told me that disaster will strike if I don't take care of something green."
"Hm." The now Grandmother said, as she brewed some more of that same Mushroom brew that her grandmother had once made for her. "Green… is a fine color. A color suited for a gentleman." She was thinking of that boy she had met, all those years ago. The one she had fallen in love with.
"That's it!" Irene said, pounding her fist. "I need to take care of that boy! For my own sake"
She had turned and was gone before she could utter another word. The witch was surprised for a second,
"Some things never change."
…
A/N
The Witch Girl in ALTTP refills your hearts for free if you speak to her. I tend to use her way more often than Great Fairies, so I thought I would pay her tribute with this little piece.
Yep, the random witch girl beat out all seven Maidens in the Link Bowl, including Zelda herself.