Got a stroke of genius today, and I started writing as soon as I got home! Since this is a second part of 2-part event, it seems fitting to finish and release this just after the last! I'm especially proud of this one!
-Joost

The Fierce God Given Life
Chapter 6: Will You Be Ok? – Part 2

Link finally opened his eyes. Everything was hazy for a moment, the early morning sun shining from the window.

"Link!" He heard a voice say. He was too drowsy to recognize it at first, but when the voice said his name again, he finally was able to match a face to it. It was Anju.

When his vision finally returned to him, he saw the innkeeper sitting on a chair just beside him. Then Link realized he was in bed. He saw his gear, hat, and boots, all on the other side of the room by a chest and the bookstand.

"You've been asleep for almost 12 hours now." Anju said, taking a wet cloth she had in a bucket beside the bed and placing it on Link's forehead.

After a few minutes recollecting everything he could in his head, the first thing he did was move the blanket from his body. Not even noticing his lack of tunic, or the bandages wrapped around his damaged body, he tried getting up.

"L-Link! Honey!" Anju exclaimed, trying to get Link to lay back down. He was an immovable force.

It was when Link left the bed and put pressure on his one leg while trying to stand did he realize just how much pain he was in. For a second, his leg wobbled, before giving out, leading to the battered hero falling to the floor with a desperate grunt.

"Link! Please, you're not well enough!" Anju tried to convince the young boy, but he was overcome with emotion. Whimpering as he tried in vain to crawl his way to the door, he finally gave up, almost going limp on the wooden floor of the employee room.

"T… T-Tatl… I need…" Link started, his voice breaking. He had never felt so helpless. "I need Tatl…"

"Tatl?" Anju said, as Link finally gave up and she picked him up. Carrying him back to the bed and laying him down, she took a look at his leg. The boy never had such an overwhelming feeling of foolishness. He didn't bring Tatl along. He didn't use Great Fairy Sword. He didn't put on the Fierce Deity's Mask when he had the chance. He didn't hookshot anything while falling from the temple down the tower. He failed.

While Link's mind raced, Anju mentally noted that the potion he had last night healed most of his wounds, but his bones would need more time to repair themselves.

Kafei finally entered the room, after hearing the commotion of Link's collapse onto the floor. When Anju whispered in his ear, he had a new objective. He left the inn without a second to lose, looking for this mysterious 'Tatl'.

"You need rest, Link. You've been through something… terrible." Anju's voice broke at that last word. From all she had heard of this boy, from her husband, Cremia, and Cremia's little sister, Link had been through a lot. Perhaps even more. From his usual lack of speech, her mind could only imagine what could've caused such a young man become nearly mute.

Soon enough, Kafei returned to the inn, some new companions following behind him. Before the front door even closed, Tatl was the first to get to the employee room, flying as fast as her wings could carry her.

She bashed her entire body on the door as Tael caught up with her. "LIIIINK! Are you alright?!" She screamed, fear riddling her voice like hail falling upon the roof of a house. She tried to make her little body move the door, getting nowhere during the effort.

Tael didn't know what to do. He'd never seen his sister be so… afraid. Once Skull Kid and Kafei joined them on the top floor, Kafei was the one to let them all in.

Tatl rushed to her companion. "L-LINK! YOU IDIOT!" She yelled. Once she got a look at her former partner, her voice halted. Seeing the boy who battled demons unimaginable, seen things that would shake a soldier to the core, lying in bed with the most helpless expression on his face, she didn't make a sound. She couldn't.

Skull Kid and Tael gasped in unison. "Link! What happened?" Skull Kid exclaimed, taking off his mask and rushing to the end of the bed.

Tael couldn't even speak. He'd never seen anything like this before, both Link in the condition he was, or his headstrong sister so shaken. Tatl had never seen Link without his hat on, let alone all his gear. When she forced Link's blanket over him to see the extent of his injuries, she wished she didn't.

In view was all the bandages. While they covered most of Link's wounds, there were the beginnings and ends to a few particular scars visible from the edges. With how long his wrappings were, she couldn't imagine what happened to him. Then she began to sob.

Slowly descending to the floor, Tatl was a blubbery mess by the time she landed. Tael comforted her as she cried in his arms. She let all her emotions go while sobbing into her brother's shoulder. She yelled, hit the floor, slapped her own face, anything she could to let the inconceivable rage against herself out.

"If- If only- "Tatl started. Looking back at her friend, she finally finished her sentence, her voice just a whisper. "If only I was there…"

Skull Kid removed his hat and stood in silence, head down, fearing the worst for the boy he grew to admire. When Tatl's cries grew softer, he gently picked up his fairy friends and sat at the table nearby. With the two siblings in the palm of his hand, Skull Kid shed a single tear.

"P-Please don't cry." A voice said. Suddenly, the five people in the room turned to see the boy in the bed, now awake.

"Link!" Tatl yelped! She flew right into his arms. Link was surprised to see her so shaken. She felt the boy's heartbeat as she dashed into his chest, her tears making a little stain on the wraps covering up his new scar. Just seeing him awake soothed her anguish.

Skull Kid and Tael looked astonished, and Link noticed the single wet streak on the wooden complexion of the imp. Looking around the room, noticing all the eyes on him, Link withdrew into his shell.

"I didn't mean to worry anyone." Link whispered; his words still heard by all in the room. Tatl looked almost hurt by his humility.

"You buffoon! What in the goddesses happened to you!" Tatl yelled, smacking Link's cheek with her little hand. It didn't hurt, but Link was damaged by her distress alone. The one thing Tatl would eternally despise about her friend would be just how humble he was.

"I-I'm sorry… I thought I could beat- "Link looked at the other two people in the room. Anju and Kafei. Keeping his last words to himself, he didn't finish his thought.

Tatl's sobs finally subsided, and she looked angerly at her friend. "Where on earth did you go off to?!" She demanded. Tatl hardly cared that there were others in the room, her voice so loud it could be heard on the other side of town.

Link didn't understand how one could be so affected by his own wellbeing. He didn't utter a word and just looked down at his bandages in shame. He comforted Tatl as Skull Kid watched his friends. It wasn't until Anju pulled her attention to Skull Kid did the imp finally turn his gaze from the Hero of Termina.

"Do you guys want some place to stay for the day? You all are friends, so you deserve a place to check on Link." Anju said. Her hospitality was a breath of fresh air for Skull Kid. Not everyone at the Carnival was thrilled to see him. He only nodded and Tatl flew over to her brother, never looking away from Link. As they left the room, Anju showing them down the hall for someplace to relax, Kafei took his wife's place in the seat where she watched over Link.

"Hey, big guy." Kafei started, his voice calm even though he was still worried immensely for the person he was talking to.

Link looked up at the man, his expression alone making Kafei smile. "You really worried us."

The boy only looked down again, and Kafei patted him on the head.

"If there's anything you can tell us so we can help, we're right here." Kafei told Link. The little boy was so used to never sharing his burdens with anyone. Only his fairy companions could ever understand what he'd been through. But Navi was gone, and Tatl was still distraught.

He just looked back at Kafei, and the man returned his look with a smile. For the first time since he woke up, Link felt something other than the pain from his injuries.

Back at Romani Ranch, Cremia had just woken up. It was pretty late in the morning by now, the clock about to strike ten. She had never slept in, before, at least she couldn't remember. The ranch owner didn't even notice the lack of sister in the bed beside hers. When she went downstairs, she saw Romani, sleeping on the pile of hay Link did the night prior. The little girl was still holding the Keaton mask.

Cremia was just getting the things for breakfast out of the cupboard when she heard a knock on the door. Romani still fast asleep, Cremia opened the door.

"Mail!" The Postman said. He handed her a letter and then ran off, hurrying to his next delivery.

Looking at the letter, she assumed it must be something urgent. The postman rarely came out the ranch. When she opened the letter, she recognized the handwriting immediately. Taking Anju's note, she went to her sister and shook her awake.

"Hm? Wha… What is it, sister?" Romani spoke drowsily.

"We got a letter from Anju!" Cremia told her. That was all Romani needed to sit up.

"Anju?! That means it's about Link!" Romani was ecstatic. Her sudden energy made Cremia suspicious about if her sister was even asleep. "Read it, read it!"

Cremia complied. "Dear Cremia and Romani. I'm writing to tell you that Link is doing ok. He finally woke up about two hours ago. He's free to visit."

"We need to see him!" Romani said. She could hardly sleep last night from worrying. She didn't even realize she never let go of the mask.

Just like the day before, Cremia weighed her options. After remembering how badly Link looked, and how Grog actually enjoyed looking after the ranch for longer than he expected, she figured why not.

After going over to Grog and sorting things out, the sisters had a quick breakfast and loaded themselves into the carriage.

Once they got to Clock Town, they walked through the North gate. The Carnival of Time was over, and the carpenters were dismantling everything. The booths, games, everything. Heading into East Clock Town, she caught a glimpse of the Indigo-Go's packing up their band supplies. But they were still looking for one of their members.

Opening the door to the Stock Pot Inn, the two sisters waited by the front desk. This time, Romani was patient. She didn't know what to expect. When they heard some fast steps coming down the stairs, and then saw a blur of purple quickly swing around the other corner, they both knew who was going to greet them.

Kafei swung into the desk area, greeting the girls. "Hey! I suppose you're here to see him?" He said, a smile on his face. A reassuring smile.

"Yep! We're here to see Grasshopper!" Romani piped up, her voice more cheerful than ever.

Responding with a chuckle, Kafei lead them upstairs and to where Link was.

"Grasshopper!" Romani exclaimed. She could hardly hold in her excitement to see him awake. She dashed to him and jumped onto the bed, tackling the boy. Link was left lying on his back beneath her. He blushed for a moment until instinctively moving his hands, resting them on her hips. The two felt the strangest feeling as they looked at each other.

Romani sat in Link's lap, her hair pooling around the two as she looked down at her friend. It wasn't until she shifted her position did Link wince in pain, her weight putting pressure on his wounded leg.

"Romani!" Cremia shouted. The eldest ranch sister had never been so embarrassed. Romani looked back at her sister innocently.

"What?" Romani asked. She couldn't begin to understand how inappropriate it was to lay on top of a boy in bed. Link looked at Cremia as well, not really seeing anything wrong with what was going on either. The ignorance of the children caused Anju and Kafei to snicker a little bit.

Cremia just walked up to the bed and pulled her sister off the boy. Romani and Link shared a look of sadness as they parted, but it didn't last for long. The redness on Link's cheeks soon faded as he spoke up.

"Sorry for scaring you guys…" His voice was small. He felt small as he looked at the people before him.

"It's alright, Link! We all are just happy you're alright." Cremia replied, looking between the boy and her little sister.

"He seems to be recovering just fine." Anju stated. "He had a little trouble walking, but tomorrow his leg should be fully healed." Anju's voice was lined with something besides worry or guilt when she spoke. It was filled with hope.

Cremia only smiled at what Anju said, and she pulled Romani's hand. "I think we should head home now. Link needs to rest."

Romani was still looking at her hero. She didn't want to leave, but then she remembered the thing she had left in the lobby.

"Oh! Grasshopper! Romani has something for you! Wait here!" She left the room, going back downstairs. When she returned, she held her hands behind her back. Walking up to Link's bed, she presented the Keaton mask she brought.

"You left this at the ranch yesterday. Here you go!" Romani said, her face gleaming in the sunlight coming from the window.

He said nothing as he took the item from Romani's hands. He didn't have time to react when Romani suddenly hugged him. His arms froze and eyes widened. Still unsure what to do when hugged, he clumsily wrapped his hands around his best friend.

When they parted, the sisters left without another word, Romani just smiling at him and waving goodbye as they left his view.

However, the commotion in the room led to the three occupants two doors down look out into the hallway. Tatl, Tael, and Skull Kid saw the ranch girls leave. Tatl immediately recognized them. She couldn't forget the people she and Link saw nearly every cycle after they got Epona back.

"H-Hey!" Tatl chirped, catching the attention of Romani. "You two are Cremia and Romani, right?"

The sisters looked at the trio across the hall, and all five finally met up in the middle.

"I'm Tatl. I was helping Link out for the first three days he was here." Tatl explained. She was afraid they'd ask about where she was when Link got hurt. She dreaded the prospect. But the two only smiled.

"Hello!" Romani said, and Cremia took a moment to recognize the fairy.

"Oh, greetings! It's a pleasure to meet you!" She spoke and held out a finger for Tatl to shake. It was the closest the fairy could get to a formal handshake with a Terminian.

"We're a few of Link's friends." Tatl, as she gestured towards her brother and Skull Kid. The two said nothing and only waved at the sisters.

"Ooo! Romani's always wanted to meet a Skull Kid!" She spoke up. She held out her hand towards the imp, who gladly complied with a handshake. For the first time, all these seemingly very different people had one thing in common, or one person, and that person was lying in bed in the other room. The sisters had to get back to the ranch, however, so they made their goodbyes to their new friends and left the Inn.

Meanwhile, back in the employee room, Link was still looking at the mask in his hands. He held it close, similar to how Romani did all day yesterday. It didn't leave his grip as he laid back down, soon drifting back to sleep.

For the next few hours, Link was up and down. He didn't mind the check-ups both Anju, Kafei, and his friends made for him each hour. He was thankful for them. During the third time Tatl, Tael, and Skull Kid visited him, he had his head on his pillow while staring at the ceiling, thinking. Tael was checking Link's facial scars. While many of them had closed, none had faded yet. They were still noticeable, and that concerned the two boys.

Using his limited fairy magic, Tael managed to get a few of them to fade. The pink fairies were the best at healing. Tael's distinct purple hue was all from his mother's side, so he had some semblance of healing abilities. Tatl watched as her brother sat down on the nightstand next to Link's bed when he was done, exhausted. He thought he did a pretty good job.

But Link was thinking about the hours prior. He couldn't get the image of everyone looking at him out of his head. His mind was too focused on their faces, expressions of worry they had. Worry for him, and only him.

Then, as he looked at the mask he still held, he thought of another mask he had in his bag. Not any of the masks which contained the souls of the fallen, but one of the masks he gained in Ikana. The Captain's Hat. He wondered if Captain Keeta's soul was also at peace.

Then he remembered the monarch of Ikana. King Igos du Ikana. The first time the mighty king saw Link wearing the Captain's Hat, it got a laugh out of the hero. But then the memory of what the king told him after he was defeated returned.

"Believing in your friends and embracing that belief by forgiving failure." The king stated. "These feelings have vanished from our hearts."

Slowly sitting up, the king's words finally clicked in the hero's mind. Everything that had happened to him when he returned to Ikana Canyon flashed before his eyes.

By the time Link's trio of friends left the room and Anju and Kafei entered again, Link was still sitting right up on the bed. Looking at his guardians, Link was finally ready to tell them. What happened to him, and what he did during the first three days he was in Termina. Whether they believed him or not, he had to. He realized that everything he was holding back was eating away at his own soul, and he wasn't going to let it consume him.

While Link thought, Kafei looked at his gear in the corner of the room. He remembered the sword and shield, but he was shocked at the amount of things in his bag. He figured Link had traveled a great distance from home. He wandered to where his home was, and whether the world Link came from was enough for the adventurous boy. Or perhaps Link held the desire to explore and discover? He felt this was more likely, since Link never seemed nervous to explore further. If anything, he was eager to. His own train of thought then reminded him of something his father used to say, and he chuckled softly at the fond memory.

"I have something to tell you…" Link finally said. His words raised the newlywed's attention to him.

"Believing in your friends and embracing that belief by forgiving failure." He said aloud. With that, he started at the beginning.