Back in the Hospital
His eyes blinked open, his pupils narrowing at the morning light that was coming in through the windows. Before sitting up, he looked around the room, eventually realizing that he was locked onto a familiar blonde head, 'Ah, it's Link.' He thought. The knight was slumped over the side of the hospital bed frame. 'Heh, if someone didn't know any better, it would look like he was grieving. When really, he fell asleep!'
Young Link slowly sat up, not wanting to wake him. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see his left hand softly glowing, it was probably either due to his presence or because he wasn't completely healed yet. The memory of how the two of them met suddenly popped into his head, making him smile, 'Ahh, what a day that was. I remember thinking about how I was gonna get you back for tackling me until I realized you were my descendant, and what a coincidence that the princess was there too.' He cocked his head at the color of his hair, 'Hm, you're definitely more of a golden blonde than a yellow blonde, though. Meh, close enough I guess.'
He was so caught up in reminiscing and comparing their features that he didn't realize Link was looking him in the eye, "Um," his hand slowly moved up to his head, "Is there something wrong with my head?" He asked, unsure.
He snapped out of his thoughts, "Er, no. I was just thinking, sorry. Like that thing where you stare off into the distance and then you realize you've been looking at someone the whole time."
Link still combed his bangs off to the side, "Fair enough. Anyways, mornin'."
Young Link nodded in response, "How long have I been here? Last I was awake, it was the middle of the night."
"The nurse said you've been asleep for two days."
"Eh!?" His eyes widened, it took him a moment to process that, "I mean, I guess that makes sense...Really though? Two days?"
"Yep, I tried to come by yesterday, but she said you were dead asleep, so there was no point."
"I guess getting gobbled up is way more tiring than I thought!" he laughed. 'Though maybe my perception of that is off in the first place, it's not like someone was checking on me back in my Hyrule or Termina, I just got back up whenever I was able to.'
Link smiled and shook his head, "You're really something else. In fact, because of that, your captain kept trying to pick my brain about why you suddenly ran out to fight. The best I could come up with, besides 'I don't know', was that you didn't realize you were doing it in the first place. I know he mentioned how everyone's bodies take over for them, but honestly I think it falls in line with instinct, if that makes sense."
"It does but explain anyways."
"Well, I know that for me, sometimes I'm dodging something, and I don't realize I've backflipped out of the way until I'm running forward to hit them. Like it'll occasionally take me by surprise, but I wouldn't say my body took over simply because I've seen what that looks like with other knights, and it looks completely different and mostly awkward and unsure. I'd call what you did instinct because it's sharper, more focused and accurate, even though it was still pretty reckless." He shrugged, "Kevin was telling me that if I were there to watch you get yanked into the air, that I would've run out after you too. I didn't answer him, but yeah, I probably would have."
The young hero giggled, slightly teasing him, "Haha! Aw, well ain't that kind. I'd do the same for you if you really needed it. On the other hand, I get what you're saying. It's funny that Charlie would hound you about that though."
"Any idea why? I kept trying to come up with something, but I didn't get anywhere. We're pretty different."
'Ha! Please. ' "From his point of view, and really the whole guard's, we're pretty close. I mean, you actually talk to me. That blows their minds. So, he probably thought you'd know enough about me to come up with a better reason. Still, I'm surprised."
His descendant sat back in his chair, "Hm, I suppose that makes sense. If I'm honest, I don't think I know too much about you at all, aside from the things you're good at. I don't know where you're from, where you learned Old Hylian, I don't know the things you like other than your purple tunic, masks, and food, and I don't know why you say or answer things a certain way. You're pretty complex for being a kid."
'Silly, that's because I'm not a kid.' "I guess we're on the same page then. In fact, I have plenty of questions to ask you." He waved away that last part, "In any case, just out of curiosity and not to get deep or anything, why do you only talk to me? I'm sure there are other people you're friends with and stuff, but it really does look like you're only open with a ten year old."
Link was not impressed with that comparison, but he answered anyway, "Probably because you don't put me on a pedestal. Aside from higher-up guards and older knights, you don't treat me like I'm amazing except whenever I do something you find cool."
"That's accurate. I couldn't put you on a pedestal if I wanted to anyway."
He lifted an eyebrow, "What's that supposed to mean?"
"Oh, I mean like, in terms of stuff you're really good. Aside from moments in sparring though, I haven't seen you do anything super cool yet."
Link didn't know how to take this, "Are you challenging me or something? What 'terms of stuff' are you talking about?"
"I can't explain nor tell you, dummy, and maybe I'm challenging you. Do you accept?"
He playfully folded his arms, "I'd like to know what I'm accepting first."
"You get me on an expedition you have and when the moment is right, I want you to show me your flashiest sword fighting style yet." 'I'd really like to see him actually show off for once. The hero has to have some tricks up his sleeve!'
The knight thought for a second, "And what about you? Are you telling me that you could do better? I'm more surprised you're coming up with this stuff as you're sitting in a hospital bed."
Young Link sassily looked the other way, "I don't know~, if you never get me on that expedition, I guess you'd never find out. Or you could spar with me."
"Listen here, stomach-acid-burns, give me a good reason why I should go against my taught fighting style to entertain you and I'll think about it."
"My genuine curiosity isn't enough?"
"Nope."
He sighed and sarcastically flopped on his back, pondering for a few seconds, 'Hmmm...I got it!' "You'll entertain me because you want to know where I'm coming from with all this. Knowing me, I won't tell you until you do it. Plus, you're equally as interested in seeing what this kid could possibly do that you can't. It's worth the teensy bit of trouble you'll get in, and we both know that we wouldn't do it if the situation is actually dire or something."
"Don't tell me you can read minds." He said with a small smirk.
"I thought I'd get it right."
Link stood, "Well, I guess I'll think about it. Though don't be surprised if my group is giving you looks considering you just got eaten and then several days later you're out fighting more monsters. They'll want to be cautious with you."
"I won't do anything stupid, I promise. At least anything like running out to take on a huge monster by myself. Also, I want a quiver now that I think about it."
"You keep giving me chores," the knight put a hand on his hip, "Anyways, rest up. I'm gonna ask the nurse to get you something to eat, you're probably hungry." He waved and left.
Young Link waved as well, snickering once he had turned the corner, 'I kinda can't believe that worked! I just really wanted to see him do some real action instead of spar and stuff. Showing off is a plus too. Speaking of which, I'll get to see what his teammates are like! I bet they're nearly as good as he is. Like an elite squad!' The idea of getting to ride with them was exciting, especially since he would get the chance to show them that he wasn't some lucky ten-year-old. He had the feeling that the older knights simply thought he had a lot of luck with his encounters rather than real skill.
The nurse was at his bedside minutes later with bread and stew, "Here you are dear. How are you feeling now that you're finally awake?"
He looked at his bandaged right arm, "Pretty good despite the bandages. I had no idea I was out for two days."
She warmly smiled, setting the tray of food in his lap, "Well you certainly had the doctor worried. He was afraid that you'd gotten worse. I'll be glad to tell him you're doing fine." Her hand went up to her cheek, her smile widening, "And it's so cute that that knight cares about you so much!" She gushed, "He looked heartbroken when he couldn't see you yesterday. It was only because the doctor was keeping a careful watch over you, he didn't want any visitors to cause anything by accident."
Young Link eyed the nurse, "Heartbroken? Really?"
"I know right? With how stoic he is all the time, you'd never think such a thing! But I'm quite sure I'm right. Not to mention, despite being on guard all night, he came here as soon as we were open. Poor thing fell asleep watching over you." She happily sighed, "So cute!~"
"Wow," He looked off to the side, "I don't know what to say..."
"In any case, I'll let the doctor know how you're doing and let you eat. Just ring this bell if you need anything!" She set a small bell on his bedside table, leaving with a small skip in her step.
'Was she exaggerating or was Link really all that worried about me?' he questioned as he ate the stew, 'I didn't know he came in from guard duty, I was thinking he maybe got bored and coincidentally fell asleep.' He squinted his eyes, thinking back to the nurse, 'I don't get where she thought any of that was cute either.' He paused, 'Well...I guess I get it since he really does look emotionless half the time. It must be surprising to know he cares about something other than his swordsmanship. Or maybe I'm better at reading his eyes? Maybe when I go on that expedition with him, his team will see a whole other version of the all-stoic knight.' He shrugged and kept eating. The stew, despite being a little lukewarm, was delicious! And the bread went well with it too.
When he was done, he set the tray on the table and took a long, dreamless nap. He was startled awake when he felt something touch his left hand, him immediately sitting up and pulling it away, "W-what are you doing..?" he groggily said, annoyed. His eyes were hardly half open.
It was a guy's voice, "Now now, I was just seeing if we had missed any burns on that side. We were pretty sure we didn't see any, but it's odd that the rest of your body had some and not this entire arm and your head. Did I hurt you? Is that why you pulled away?"
He rubbed his eyes, "No, I'm just a little wary on that side in particular—yawn—it has nothing to do with the burns, though. I think it's still fine."
The doctor shrugged, "Alright, then I'll move on to removing the bandages from your legs. Just don't kick me." He half joked.
The comment made Young Link smirk, "Heh, sure thing doc. How long do you think I'll be here?"
"At least another two days. Acid burns are no joke when you're too young to be drinking curative potions."
'UGH, again with this crap.' "How am I too young again? I can't remember."
"I believe I told you that it's been found that ingesting potions, even rarely, in children twelve and younger can slightly stunt their growth. You want to grow big and tall don't you?"
'I already know I'll be tall!' "Yessss , I do...but what if it's an emergency for example?"
He looked up from his bandages at him, "Then and only then would I consider it, but we're talking life-threatening, which kids your age should try their best to stay out of anyways. It's bad enough that they take you out to go defeat monsters and then you end up back in my care. Even though you heal exceptionally fast."
Young Link inaudibly sighed. He didn't want to come off as disrespectful to him. He was being nice after all. Soon he saw that the bandages on his left leg were gone, "How does it look?"
"Can you wiggle your toes?"
He could.
"Can you feel your leg in general?"
"Yeah, I could feel the bandages coming off. I mean, it looks fine to me."
"Ridiculously fine if you ask me. There are zero scars."
This of course wasn't surprising to him, but he wondered if it was suspicious in any way to the doctor. His right leg was the same way, his foot moved fine and it still had all it's feeling with no scars. He watched him start to remove the bandages on his right arm, "What do those scars normally look like?"
"They're normally very textured and sometimes wrinkly," he explained, "Potions prevent this from happening since they're partially magic, but I'm sure you can piece together why it's not the same for children. They just grow with them as they get older. However, surprisingly, your skin is perfectly smooth. If someone told me you'd been in a Hinox's stomach, I would have laughed and called them a bit crazy, but here you are." He scratched behind his ear, "In fact, I almost want to take a blood sample out of curiosity and see if I find anything particular."
He squinted his eyes, "You don't happen to like bananas do you?"
The doctor made a face, it was genuine, "Ew, no. Their texture is just awful and makes me think of squishing bugs between my teeth. Why do you ask?"
The young hero shrugged, "Just curious. In that case, go ahead. I guess I only ask that you keep it away from the Sheikah, there's some weird stuff going on between me and them. I don't want to add any reasons to whatever that is."
"That's very odd." He commented, "Normally they're quite respectful and oftentimes quirky, but I'll try my best to make sure of it, and of course let you know the results. It shouldn't take too long since you'll be here a couple more days." He finished removing the last bandage and twisted his arm this way and that, looking impressed, "It seems like you practically never took a dip in stomach acid. Though, I need to check your chest just to be sure."
'I have them there too? I never thought to look,' peering through the neck hole, he could see that his chest was also bound with bandages. Before he could say anything, the nurse from earlier was untying the top two ties that held the gown together in the back, it slumping forward and exposing his back and shoulders, "Um," he somewhat kept his chest covered, "I'll be honest and say I feel kinda naked." There was literally no one in the recovery room but him, the nurse, and the doctor. Yet he still felt a sense of uneasiness begin to climb up his wrists and lower back, "Maybe it's the windows, I don't know."
The doctor held some scissors, "No worries! I could ask the nurse to leave if you'd like. I won't take longer than a minute. In fact, I bet it's healed as well as everything else has."
He nodded, the nurse quietly leaving at the practitioner's gesture. The scissors snipped through the bandages that wrapped around the back, that way it all came off in one heap rather than unraveling it like what was done with his arm and legs. To his and the doctor's surprise, his chest still had a few patches of new skin that were still healing, namely below his collar bones and on his sternum.
"Well then, you hang tight for a moment and I'll be back with some medicine and wrapping."
"Gee, they sting quite a bit." He lightly covered them with his gown, mainly to keep the air flow off of it since it made the new, wet skin cold and reactive. 'Damn,' he winced, 'This really brings me back to my time in my universe. I haven't felt this kind of pain for quite a while. Not to mention I would usually quickly cure it with a potion , but whatever! Sheesh. I'm surprised I didn't feel it earlier, though it was likely the wrapping that kept it feeling okay. If Link comes back, I'll have to let him know about it.'
The doctor returned with a couple of rolls of bandages, long forceps with a cotton ball pinched between the prongs, and a bowl that contained a clear salve of some kind, plus a syringe for the blood. He sat down, readying his tools, "First, I'll get some medicine on those and then I'll get you wrapped up and take some blood. We'll check on them tomorrow in the afternoon to see if there's any progress, okay?"
He hesitantly uncovered them, "Alright." The sense of itching agitation flicked on like switch, making his next words come out in a hiss, "They just really sting around the edges, it sucks."
"I'll do my best to make this quick then. Sorry in advance, the salve might feel a little cold."
Young Link couldn't help but viscerally shudder at the touch of the soaked cotton ball, 'Holy Goddesses that's cold!' His reaction made the doctor pull away.
"Are you okay? Or was it colder than you expected?"
He nervously laughed, "Definitely colder than what I thought! I'm fine, though." While still worthy of a chill going down one's back, the salve felt nice where it originally was stinging, it was soothing even. He sighed in relief when it was over and kept his arms raised so it could get bandaged up.
"And done," the doctor said as he snipped the end. Young Link didn't realize that he'd also drawn a bit of blood before bandaging him, he was too caught up in the pain from his chest, "Do you need anything while I'm still here?" He asked as he tied the back of his gown together, "It could be food, something from your room, etc."
Young Link momentarily thought about it, "I'd like my ocarina, and whatever they're serving in the Dining Hall, please." As the doctor rounded the corner, he felt his heart sink, 'I'll be fine .' He told himself, 'It's not like it's the triforce's sole job to heal me every time I get hurt. I mean, my arms and legs are fine. This part just needs a day or two...hopefully.'
He tried to shake the thought from his mind, his eyes now wearily looking around the room. It was only him. All the other beds were empty with neat sheets and thin blankets covering them, the color being a simple light blue with the pillows being white. His hand started to subconsciously reach up to feel where the bandaging was, but he realized what he was doing and stopped himself, 'Listen hand, we're not gonna get any better if we poke at it, so chill.'
It was fifteen or so minutes later when the doctor returned, "The little triforce you painted on this thing is cute, I like it," he complimented as he carefully set it on the table, then putting the tray of food in his lap. "I figured you might want to try the wild berry pie, so I grabbed you a slice. Otherwise, it's green beans and baked fish. You can set it on the bedside table when you're done, someone will eventually come get it. I recommend you get some rest afterward." He gestured to the bell, "You can also still use that to get someone's assistance. I'll check on you sometime this evening."
He waved, ate his food, and then passed back out, waking a few hours later to start playing tunes on his ocarina. This time it was mostly Zelda's Lullaby and, if anything, it was somewhat his lullaby as well. He would usually play it whenever he found a fairy fountain, a place that was both whimsical and soothing, so those feelings were connected to the song for him. The other one he played to give him peace of mind was the Serenade of Water. 'Ironic isn't it? One of the more peaceful songs lead to one of the most grueling temples yet. I guess I can't forget how nice it sounds, despite all that.'
When his lips started to get tired from blowing into the instrument, he decided to keep it close as he went to sleep. He dreamed of his original adventure in Hyrule, specifically the part where he was obtaining all of the Spiritual Stones in order to open the Door of Time. In his dream, he walked up the steps that led into the Temple of Time, 'I wonder if this universe has any temples? I would like to see them if I can.' he thought, continuing in through the doors. His mind continued forward to where he was pulling the Master Sword for the first time, him imagining being watched over by the Sage of Light...until Ganon's ugly face appeared and started laughing. He's green-ish skin and pointy nose, never mind the fiery orange hair, and the permanent sneer that was meant to remind everyone that he was better and far more superior than them. 'I hate him,' he thought, annoyed. His dream-self lashed out at the image, making it fade away, but to his dismay it was replaced with something far nastier, far more vicious than what he'd seen before. He didn't know how to describe it! Without warning, it howled, opening its massive jaws and swallowing him whole.
Young Link sat up in a sweat, breathing heavily, 'I-is this a warning!?' he thought, quickly rubbing his eyes and looking around. The hospital scenery was just as it was before, only now there was a curtain drawn on both sides of his bed. It put him on edge, 'Maybe there's someone else here and they wanted to give me some privacy? I'd much rather be able to see the people that come in and out. My mind comes up with crazy things when I can't see everything.'
Being careful with his torso, he climbed out of bed and pulled the curtain that was to his left back, not seeing anyone new occupy the beds on that side. From what he remembered, there were only two beds to the right of him, whereas there were several others to his left. A slight tingle went down his spine as he went to check around the curtain on the right, he kept in mind that the recovery room didn't look any different after he pulled the left one. His eyes peeked around, them catching sight of a large foot, 'Okay, so it's just a guy that's to the right of me, phew.' Curious still, he quietly walked up to where the man's head would be, finding that it was an older guy that was fast asleep.
"Did the curtains catch you off guard? Sorry about that."
The suddenness of the doctor's voice would have been enough to turn his legs into jelly if it hadn't been for the fact he survived the Shadow Temple. "You about scared the shit out of me!" He hissed, the doc making a slightly astonished face at the curse word.
He helped him back into his bed, "Well your face certainly said otherwise, you looked fine," he said, tidying the covers he'd moved aside to get out, "Also one of the nurses wanted me to tell you that she enjoyed hearing your ocarina."
"Oh," Young Link was a little surprised, "Tell her I said thanks, I guess."
"Anywho, how are you feeling? I know you've slept for the majority of the day, so I'm sure you're feeling at least a little better."
"Yeah I feel okay. I just had a weird dream so my chest hurts a little from breathing hard and my skin rubbing on the bandages."
He understandably nodded, "It happens to everyone, hopefully your dreams will be nicer next time. Otherwise, I'm glad to hear it." His eyebrows perked as he remembered something, "Oh right! That blood sample from earlier."
Now he started to feel queasy, "Right..uh what did you find?" 'The triforce is magic, right? That shouldn't show up in my blood, right?!'
The doctor was half-divulged into his thoughts as he spoke, "Well it was very curious! See, with how fast you heal I was expecting—" he made a motion with his hands, "—well to at least find something ! But no, after fire, poison, and even a little alchemy, it didn't show any effects of unnaturally repairing itself."
'"Unnaturally repairing itself? " I don't think I like that choice of words.' "Like magic you mean?"
"Mm, I'm having a hard time deciding between that or some sort of increased metabolism. You're young after all, but, technically speaking, you should have looked much worse. When you came in, I was entirely expecting you to be near death when they told me what happened," he explained, "Then I assessed you and I was surprised to find that you were merely sleeping and not in a coma from shock. Then, of course I bandaged you expecting to see muscles and bones, but instead it's all entirely surface-level damage." He delightedly smiled as he raised his finger, "Oh! And no poisoning from the stomach acid itself!"
Young Link understood everything he was saying, it just wasn't clear where he was going with any of it, 'Other than that he has a good reason to question my existence it seems.' "So what does all that mean for me?" He kept his curious yet innocent façade.
The doc sighed, shrugging, "Well, you're simply a walking medical miracle. You heal as if you drank a strong potion despite the fact that the guards swear up and down that they didn't give you any." He had a searching look in his eyes, "I'd love to run other tests, but that would be incredibly unnecessary and likely yield no results. If your own blood couldn't tell me anything, I'm of the opinion that nothing else can."
"Huh, well maybe there's some luck to it. I've definitely seen my fair share." As much as he hated the idea of calling any of his feats 'lucky', he was better off downplaying this.
"Hm, perhaps. Several knights could agree with you there." He started to stand, "That's all for me checking in on you until tomorrow. Is there anything I can get you while I'm here?"
'After all that?' "Something that will knock me out, preferably." He felt like the practitioner was just inches away from implying he was an alien or something.
The doctor smiled, chuckling, "You're funny. Are you saying you'd like some chamomile tea?"
"I'll eat the flower itself if it puts me out faster."
"Alright alright, give me a minute," he returned with an open jar that had blue glowing petals at the bottom of it. He placed one hand on the back of the young one's head, "This is so you don't hit your head as you fall backwards. Just breathe in the scent of the flowers, and you'll be out like a light."
Young Link did as he was told, the wave of sleep rushing over him faster than he expected. He could hardly get a word out before he was in a deep, dreamless slumber.
The next morning, he felt rather disoriented. He was semi-conscious enough to see Link walk in and sit down, but he was so in and out of it that he could barely talk or understand the knight if he tried to say anything. From what he could tell, he looked concerned.
Eventually he had his wits about him, "H-hey Link, what're...you doing here?"
His descendant looked around, "Oh, um, I was passing by and thought I'd come in for a minute. How are you doing? Looked a little groggy when I sat down."
"That must have been those glowing petals then, I just wanted to go back to sleep so the doctor gave me them to smell."
"Blue nightshade?" Link scratched his head, "Interesting, I didn't know it had that effect."
"Otherwise all my limbs are fine except my chest. The skin is still patching itself up." He nodded at the shocked reaction, "That's how I felt too, but there's not really anything I can do about it."
"How bad is it?"
"Decently bad, I guess." He shook his head, "I'm not really in the mood for that though. Were you really heartbroken, as the nurse put it, when you couldn't come in while I was asleep?"
Link looked away, "I would call it disappointed, not 'heartbroken.'" He looked through the window, "Also I think I need to get going."
The young hero smiled, shooing him away, "Hey, well don't get in trouble by coming in here all the time. I'll be fine, I'm tough."
The knight wore a small smile, adjusting his arm guards, "Okay okay, I'll see you when you get out then. Bye."
'Great, now I need to figure out what to do all day.' He sighed, eyeing his ocarina, 'Ha, what if I played the Song of Double Time to speed the day up? Mm, nah, that's not a good idea.' Unable to come up with anything, he mainly kept to himself and played a tune or two every once in a while. He found that if he stared into space, time seemed to fly by, 'I bet this was what growing up in the Sacred Realm felt like, only faster.'
When he got his bandages changed, the skin was doing better but it still needed to get wrapped again, meaning he was also still stuck in there. Young Link groaned, "Is there any way I can get up and go do something? I just can't stay in here all day."
The doctor laughed, "Knowing you, you'd probably get yourself in trouble."
"I can't just walk around the castle? Can I at least go to the library? Or go watch the kids train in the academy?"
He crossed his arms, "Well, certainly not the academy, it's too dirty with the dust flying around everywhere. However, I suppose the library is clean enough. You'll also need better clothes than a gown that's open in the back."
"I have a big shirt that I sleep in, how about that?"
"It's okay, the castle staff recently came to realize that you didn't have any proper sleeping clothes, so they made a couple for you. The nurse will be back in a moment to show you. After that, as long as you stay out of trouble and leave the action to the guards, you may go about the castle. But stay clear of the stables, academy, and training arena, pretty please."
"If it means I get to go, will do." The choice of night clothes he had were between something that was similar to what the knights wore, a simple shirt and pants with Hylian embroidery, and a short sleeved gown that came down to his mid-calves. "I'll take the shirt and pants, thanks." Young Link quickly got dressed and left with his ocarina, taking a big breath of fresh castle air as soon as he was outside the doors.
'Freedom!' He quickly walked to the library, passing by several guards on the way there, 'Weird,' he thought as he passed two more, 'Is there something that's going on today?' As he came across a few more, he stopped and asked them.
"Ah you don't know?" One paused, the others moving on, "It's a tradition that's held whenever the trainees from the academy become knights. We all, or the majority of us, stand guard inside and outside the castle to commemorate their first shift. We're only here for an hour or two, but they still have the rest of their shift to complete."
"So the castle is extra protected for a couple of hours before things go back to normal? Do you guys have specific places where you stand?"
"Not really, the knights who have more experience are able to guard the higher levels, though. I've got to take my place, so see ya."
"Bye." He continued to the library, 'I bet that's why Link left so quick, he has all those stairs to go up haha.' Young Link slowed to a stop right as he reached the library doors, a thought came up, 'Y'know, I suppose I haven't really seen the upper levels…' He smiled, heading toward the stairs, 'I should go have a look!'