I woke up out of a nightmare. A wolf and a boar were fighting, bloody murder in the middle of the woods. The boar's tusks were gored with blood. The wolf was leaving splatters of blood on the ground and trees that contrasted sharply with the green. But he wasn't losing. The boar was streaked and scarred with wounds of its own. A loud bark and the boar charged with a squeal of fury.

I jerked into sitting up with a scream. Sweat was running down my back, and tears were running down my face. I curled up as I sat there, shaking and gasping for air. I looked around, discovering that I was alone in the room. I climbed out of the bed and peeked out one of the windows. The light was gold and pink with a rising sun, and the green of the forest was muted. I could see Link down on the ground with the wolves. All of them were surrounding him, but not in a hostile way. They lapped at his hands and face. What manner of animal was this wild boy? I watched, fascinated. He was only wearing his breeches, and his hair, from what I could tell, was a mess. They were full of adoration for him. And so was I.

When he came back up to where we had slept, I was combing out my hair. I turned and smiled at him briefly. "Good morning." He replied with similar words. I tied my hair up with the same scrap of ribbon, tucking it out of my face. When I turned back around, he was already putting his shirt on and lacing it up. "To the ocean?" I asked him. Link nodded. "If that sounds good with you." It still did.

We packed up our things, and climbed down to the ground. Link's horse was already waiting, and the wolves were prowling in the forest. "They'll lay themselves o'er our trail. Hide our scents. An' if anythin' finds us anyway, they'll…" He gestured with his hands. I nodded a reluctant agreement, and we climbed up on the horse.

"Wait- wait- we have to say goodbye," I urged him. Link stopped and turned his head. "Yes." I hopped down, and looked at the towering homes. I had no idea which one was hers. So, instead, I took a stick, and drew a large triforce in the ground. I didn't know how that was to do the job, but they recognized it on our hands, so maybe they would recognize its message on the ground. Link helped me back up on the horse, and we walked back through the tunnel. The wolves were there at the entrance. The stag was nowhere to be found. Link was tense, looking around. He looked down to the wolves and whistled once, a sharp sound. They howled and ran off, spreading through the woods ahead of us, sounding off howls. Link followed the closest one, and it howled again, before running off. We traced our path through the entire woods that way, backtracking.

When we burst out into freedom, Link swore. Riders on their boars and ugly, snarling hounds turned and looked at us. I screamed. Link whistled again and wrapped his arms protectively around me. The horse ran fast and hard, thundering over the ground. Around us, I could hear the bombs landing, arrows flying, whistling. The wolves howled and swarmed around the horse, biting and occasionally veering from our circle to attack the relentless hounds, or to bite at the boars' legs. The latter task was more dangerous for them, as the boars lowered their mighty tusks and tried to spear the wolves. It did manage to get one of them in the chest. The wolf yelped with pain.

I looked back, and what I saw alarmed me. There were five riders and ten hounds. The riders weren't that far, and their aim was getting better. Link looked back too, and veered the horse to the right at a sharp angle. The wolves split off from us and jumped up to attack the shooters bearing down on us. Screams of pain, I couldn't tell who was making them. Link looked back and swore. He stroked his horse's neck, whispering to her. "Come on, sweetheart, just keep going." We veered sharply to the left, and it was none too soon. The ground where we'd just been exploded with fury. I glanced to the right and sucked in a breath of horror. A rider had not only caught up to us, but the second rider on his back was holding an arrow, and pointing it at my face. I choked back a scream, and Link pulled me back sharply against his body, putting his shoulder in front of my face not a second too soon. He shouted with anger and pain. I saw the arrow sticking out of his shoulder, and I flinched. "Shit!" I shouted, unable to not. Link gave me a little squeeze. "I'm okay."

I lowered my eyes and looked down at the ground, feeling better when I saw the wolves again. They stayed by us, and the riders dropped off. I kept trying to look back to make sure that we weren't being followed. It did seem, for the time being, that we were alright. Safe. I gripped the horse's mane tight with my hands, hoping I wasn't hurting her. The wolves looked up at us, slowing down. I hoped they were going to be safe.

We were halfway to the ocean now. The sun had moved in front of us. Link was still tight around me, protecting me. The horse's gallop had slowed down, but we were still going. My clothes were damp with horse foam and… something else. I turned my head. Link wasn't protecting me. He was out cold. Our shirts were soaked with blood. I pulled on the horse's mane to settle her down. She reared and fought me, but I got her to stop. I wriggled out of Link's grip down onto the ground, and with a valiant effort, I pulled him down off her back. Link was heavier than I was expecting. He groaned and came to for a few seconds, his eyes hazy. "Link, please. Wake up." He mumbled under his breath. "Please, please." He groaned again, and I got him to at least sit up on his own. I circled around to his back, wincing and holding my breath. I'd always been squeamish. That was why I only went on hunts a few times. I clenched and unclenched one hand, spacing my palm around the wound, bracing it with a thumb and a finger. Finally, I put one hand around the shaft of the arrow, and with a quick, sharp tug, I ripped it free. Link's reaction was shocking. He sat up straight and screamed, arching his back. "Fucking Hell!"

I winced. Link relaxed again, gasping for air. "Are you okay?" I asked softly, with a frown of worry.

"Yes, yes, I'm fine."

I took my hair ribbon down and dabbed at the blood, wiping it away as best I could. When I finished, my torn scrap of fabric was useless as a hair tie. I flung it down on the ground. Link looked back and picked it up, balling it up and putting it in his pants pocket. "Somethin' they can track us by," he muttered. I helped him stand up again. "Do you feel okay?" He shook his head. "It'll heal. I just feel weak."

"You did lose a lot of blood."

Link wiped his lips with one thumb, and shook his head. "No… this is something more. I think those… think they had some sort of poison on the arrows." I felt my heart shudder. "We can live beyond this. We have to." Link nodded slowly. "Let's get to the ocean." The horse was actually quite good for me; she got down on her knees, which made it easier to put Link on her back. I climbed up in front of him again, taking his arms and wrapping them around my waist. I gripped Epona's mane, and nudged her sides hard. She snorted and started running west.

The sun had long set when we got to the ocean. Stars dimly sparkled over the water. Epona snorted and walked slowly over the sand. When we got to the surf, she lowered again, and I slipped off, bringing Link with me. He groaned softly, but was able to sit up.

"We're here," he muttered.

"Yes."

I left him leaning against his horse's body as I walked towards the surf, stripping off my boots. I didn't know how to contact the Zora. We always gave them advance warning, so someone would be waiting here. I stepped into the cold water, gasping and looking down at my right ankle. I had a cut there that I was unaware of, and the salt made it sting painfully. I bit my lower lip and continued walking down into the water. It was frigid, and it made my clothes heavy, but I had no choice. The rocks underfoot were slippery and smooth. I sunk in up to my shoulders, and pushed off the bottom of the ocean, splashing out into the water. I hadn't bathed in ages. It felt amazing to be in water again, cleansing and cool. I closed my eyes and ducked under, bobbing up again and breathing in the clean air deeply. I treaded water for a few minutes, looking up at the sky. My ankle was burning, but I ignored it. "This is foolish," I muttered to myself angrily. I turned and splashed back out of the water, dripping all over. I sat back down in the sand next to Link, giving him a little shake. "Still with me?"

He nodded slowly. "My lady… I am always with you…"

I frowned. "Do not talk like that." Link drew in a deep shuddering breath. "We can survive this."

He opened his eyes and smiled a little at me. "Zelda… can I tell you that, when I said business…"

I shook my head. "I do not want to talk about this. I'm going to find a Zora."

Link touched my leg. "Zelda, please." I stood up, but his hand was on my ankle. "Please. Don't."

I looked at him. "Stay awake, please."

"Yes."

It was the last thing he said for the night.

I stared out at the lapping sea, watching the sky grow darker overhead, but I was out of ideas. It didn't matter--the sound of the water, lapping and splashing, helped me think. Finally, in desperation, I reached out with my left hand and grabbed Link's. A shimmering form of my mother, but clad in blue, stood at the shore, staring into the sea. She turned and smiled at me, then looked at Link. I turned my head. Another doppleganger of my mother, but in green, knelt next to him, her hands on his wound. "We are trying to help him. We can only stave off the poison for so long." I nodded. When I turned my face forward again, my mother in red stood there. She smiled at me. "You need to swim. Swim to the bottom of the ocean, and you will find the Zora." I shook my head. "I cannot breathe underwater."

"Have faith," the three voices said at the same time. I nodded once. "I will try."

"Go now, while We are with you." I nodded again, slowly letting go of Link's hand and climbing back into the water. I paddled out until my feet no longer touched bottom, and then I dove downward, pushing and kicking. I couldn't see anything in the black, and childhood fears rose in my chest, scared of monsters that lurked in the deep. But I kept going, swimming down until my lungs were about to burst. I'm going to die, was my thought as I moved downward. Finally, I gave up, and I turned back upward, bursting to the surface, gasping in lungfuls of air. "I can't do it," I whimpered, closing my eyes. Two heads bobbed up to the surface around me. "Who are you?"

I gasped and looked at them. "Zora! Oh- I'm Queen Zelda." They frowned. Both of them had pale skin, and their eyes had a fogginess in the depths. "You're either very brave or crazy to come to these plagued lands."

"I need to see Ruto!"

They nodded once. "We will bring her to you."

I swam back a few paces until I could touch the bottom, and the Zora dove under again. I glanced back at Link. He looked like he was sleeping, with one hand on his stomach and his head against the side of his horse, who waited patiently. I shivered in the cold. I treaded water until my arms were sore, and finally I heard a splashing from behind me. Turning around, I saw Ruto, flanked by her Zora guards. Her skin was pale and mottled with some kind of growth, and her eyes were cloudier than the guards'. "Zelda?" she asked in a low voice. I nodded, calling out to her. "Yes, it's me." She splashed forward until she was about a foot away, and then in a quick, fluid motion, she slapped me across the face. As I was still reeling from shock, Ruto began a tirade of fury against me. "You bitch! You heartless, self-centered bitch! You fucking abandon your kingdom and let some batshit crazy psychotic Gerudo take over and fuck everything up! What the hell is wrong with you?! I hope the sex is worth it, you low, slimy, whore!" I had my hands to my cheek, and I stared at Ruto in shock. "Goddesses, Ruto, I didn't run off with him!" Ruto folded her arms and glared at me. "So then, what the fuck did you do?" I ran my fingers through my wet hair. "I… it's difficult to explain. Link has been poisoned, can we at least get him to safety?" Ruto snorted. "I'll think about it."

"For how long?"

She looked back. "How long were you gone?" My jaw dropped as she splashed underwater, and the guards followed. I splashed back out and dragged myself to Link's side, my eyes starting to tear up. Stupid- all this risk. We should have stayed in the forest. Link groaned and sat up. "What did she say?"

I shook my head. "She needs to think about it." He frowned. "Don't like the sound of that."

"Neither do I."

He sighed and sat up more. "How are you feeling?" I asked the sand quietly.

"I'm alright, just… dizzy."

I leaned back against the horse, closing my eyes. "Should we find somewhere safer to go? I don't like the thought of being so exposed on this beach." I looked at Link.

"If there's a cave or somethin', otherwise we should just stay here." I looked around the beach, but all I could see in the dark was a flat expanse of sand. I sat back down next to Link and curled up.

I didn't sleep at all that night, and watched the ocean turn gold as the sun rose behind us. Link's breathing was shallow and slow, but at least he was breathing. I could feel my stomach growling again. We, stupidly, hadn't eaten before leaving the woods. I stared out into the ocean, hoping to see someone resurface. "Please, Ruto, help us," I whispered. When the sun rose into the middle of the sky, torturous and hot, I finally stood up and started looking around. No one and nothing. Link's horse snorted and nipped lightly at my pant leg, then at Link's shoulder. I hefted Link up onto her back with some effort, and put my boots back on to walk alongside them.

"Do you know where to find water?" I asked her. It felt foolish to talk to a horse. She tossed her head and lead us back inland a ways, ten or so minutes from where we had perched all night. There was a small, muddy spring. I cupped up the cleanest water and took two greedy drinks, before waking Link up and pulling him down. He scooped water with trembling hands, sipping carefully. "It's good," he muttered.

We drank as much as we could, and Link was able to stand and move on his own. We walked back towards the beach, staring at the glittering water. Link sighed and started to unlace his shirt. "I'm gonna take a wash in th' ocean." I nodded and looked down at the sand. "I'll be here." He nodded and pulled off his shirt, kicking off his boots and walking into the water. His arrow wound was a green color, and I winced when I saw it. We had to get him some medicine as fast as possible. Link swam out and dove under, splashing up and wiping his hair back from his face with his hands. I watched him. I was always watching him. I was in love with him, and I knew it.