Okay, we're moving right along! Here's the next chappie! (Side note: if you don't like some major Link/Zelda fluff, 'tis recommended that you read elsewhere.

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It was no use.

No matter how tired she was, or how weary her body felt from its earlier strain of endurance, Zelda's eyes refused to close for anything but blinking. The image of Link's unconscious form, blood staining his tunic, knowing that it was because he protected her, made her whole body shudder and writhe in pain, as if she felt what he did. She knew that his pain was his own, and that she couldn't feel what he was going through, but she still felt as though every one of his injuries was her own as well. 'So,' the princess thought sadly as she wrung her hands together in her lap. 'This is what Link felt like when I got hurt…' If his emotional pain earlier was anywhere near this degree, she didn't blame him for wanting to try and forget their friendship in light of protection, but she knew that she couldn't bear to be too far away from him; her heart would have none of that.

Her thoughts were interrupted at the subtle knock on her bedroom door. She stood from her spot on the edge of her bed and walked over to the wooden door and opened it. The knight that had knocked removed his helmet and held it to his armored chest as he bowed grandly at her.

"A thousand apologies if I awoke you, my lady." He said as he straightened back up, tucking his helmet under his arm securely. His deep voice, though used in a soft manner, seemed to boom across the silent hallways. Zelda smiled warmly at the knight before bowing her head in greeting for a moment before lifting it once again.

"No need for apology, good sir. Is there something wrong?" She replied in the same manner she was spoken to. The knight shook his head slightly.

"No, my lady, but Impa has requested your presence in the knight's corridor. She said you would know what room to go to." Zelda nodded before smiling at the knight once more.

"Thank you, sir. I'll leave for the corridor at once." The knight bowed his head before putting his helmet back on and continuing down the hallway to resume his patrol. Zelda slipped out of her bedroom and walked the opposite direction as the knight, retracing her footsteps to the room in the knight's quarters.

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"Ah, Zelda dear, there you are." Impa greeted the princess warmly in the hallway just outside the room Link was in. Zelda tried to smile, but found it rather difficult when she knew Link was so close, yet not knowing his condition. As if to read the princess's thoughts, Impa patted the young woman on the shoulder reassuringly. "Don't fret child; none of his wounds were infected, but the cut on his back does concern me a bit…" Zelda's thin light blonde brows knit together in a worried frown. "It seems that, while you were riding Epona here, the wound on his back opened a bit more, so there was quite a bit of blood loss…I cleaned it up and bandaged it best I could, but it seems as though the injury is intent on making Link suffer."

"Has he woken up yet?" The older woman shook her head sadly.

"But he seems to be having feverish dreams, nightmares, even. Nothing I say does any good for the poor lad." Zelda seemed quiet for a moment before she lifted her head, though she wasn't entirely sure of when it had bowed.

"Impa…may I…?" The older woman nodded, stepping out of the room with the excuse of 'needing to get more water to help clean the wounds,' although there was a full pale of it beside the bed. 'The old woman seems intent on making me and-oh goddesses-!' All logical train of thought was broken at the sight of Link lying on the bed. Beads of sweat trickled down his entire body, as though he just came out of the stream and didn't bother to dry himself. His tunic lay soaking in a pale of soapy water, most likely to wash the blood off before it set into the fabric. His well toned chest and abdomen were covered almost completely with bandaged, tinged in crimson from the blood that soaked through. The bandages went from his waist to his ribcage, then wrapped around his left shoulder to keep them in place. Zelda found herself trying to stop ogling her friend's body and focusing on his injuries. Thankfully, he still had his off white pants on, so there was nothing down there to distract her. Her eyes swept across the bandages, inspecting the splotches of blood that had managed to seep through the layers of white cloth.

Her heart wrenched as she looked up at his face, seeing his usually light and cheerful face cringing in pain, his thick dark blonde brows knitting in what she was sure was agonizing pain. His chest heaved up and down in ragged breaths as he moaned and mumbled incoherently in his feverish sleep. His dark blonde hair seemed even darker with the sweat that had collected in his short and wild locks.

"Link…" She began to gently stroke his sweat covered cheek with the back of her hand. It might have been her imagination, but she could have sworn that he leaned into her touch, as if welcoming, needing, her touch. She knelt beside the bed as she continued her ministrations to his cheek, resting her head on her other arm bent on the bedside. "…You must be in so much pain." She scooted her head closer to his.

"It's not the first time I've been hurt like this, Zel." She almost jumped at the sound of his raspy and tender voice beside her. She looked back at his face, only to be met with the same pair of ocean blue orbs that always sent her knees buckling. She smiled gently at him before retracting her hand from his face and tucking it under her head like her other arm was. Link inwardly mourned for the loss of her touch.

"How are you?" She asked softly as her smile seemed to take on a tinge of sadness. Link tried returning the smile, but it was quickly replaced with a cringe as his arm sent a wave of pain crawling up his arm. "What happened?" She asked quickly.

"My arm…is it swollen?" He asked, his eyes meeting hers once again. After a quick inspection, comparing his injured and bandaged left one to his right one, his left arm had swollen considerably. She confirmed this with him, suggesting that it was broken. "I thought so; I can hardly move it without it hurting." Zelda's worried frown made him quickly regret saying that. "Don't worry about it, as long as I can manage to get a sling…" She nodded in understanding.

"Hang on; I'll see what I can do." She stood and rummaged around the many cleaning and first aid items Impa had brought with her before she left, until the princess finally came across a wide cloth that seemed almost perfect for a sling. Holding the fabric close to her chest, she made her way back to Link's side. "Here, I found one, but you'll have to sit up so I can put it on you properly." Link nodded before slowly sitting up, mindful of his back injury, as Zelda helped him with a gentle arm around his shoulders. "Good, now let me see your arm." She intertwined her fingers with his as her other hand gently lifted his injured arm just above the broken spot, cringing as Link hissed in pain. "Easy, easy…" She cooed to him as she reached for his left gauntlet glove. "This will help the broken bone grow back straight, not to mention the pressure will undoubtedly help with the pain. With Link's uninjured hand guiding her fingers, Zelda managed to get the gauntlet on his arm with minimal pain dealt to the hero of time. Once the gauntlet was adjusted to fit around the bandages, Zelda began to set his arm within the folds of the cloth before bringing the opposite corners of the cloth around his arm and tied them together at his right shoulder to hold the sling in place. He shifted his shoulder a bit for better comfort to the injured limb, before he turned to her to smile his gratitude.

"Thanks, Zel. It feels a lot better now." She was about to object, but one look in his azure eyes told her that he spoke the truth, so she returned his smile before placing a hand on his broad shoulder.

"Lay back down; you need to rest up so that your wounds won't get any worse. I'll go out to Castle Town and get a blue potion from the marketplace once Impa comes back." He opened his mouth to object, but the only thing that passed his lips was a hardly audible yawn.

"Mmm…I guess I don't have much choice, do I?" He mumbled as his eyelids drooped half way over his eyes. Zelda giggled and shook her head in reply. Link chuckled under his breath tiredly before easing himself back onto the bed. "You'll stay at least until Impa comes back…right…?" Her eyes softened at the desperation in his eyes, as if he didn't want her to leave for the world. She nodded her head, kneeling back beside the bed and resting her head next to his on the pillow. She could practically feel his tense muscles soften at her willingness to stay before she felt him nudge his head closer to hers so that their noses were touching.

They both allowed themselves a small smile as they drifted to sleep, unaware of the old woman standing at the doorway with a bottle of blue potion in her hands and a warm smile on her face. Without a word to disturb the two teens, Impa walked over to the table beside the bed and placed the bottle there as she watched the two friends sleep, knowing how they both felt toward each other, and seeing them act out those feelings with such small but sweet gestures made the old woman's heart swell with happiness for the two. So, quietly as she could, she tip-toed out of the room and shut the door quietly behind her.

The old woman made her way to the king's quarters, intent on informing him of the whereabouts of his daughter and explaining why she was in the knight's quarters (though, she decided it best not to tell the king that Zelda had snuck out of the castle to rescue her friend and protector). So, she knocked on his large oak wood door and waited for his response.

"Come in." His deep, rich voice, though muffled through the thick wooden door, even still dripped with authority and intimidation. So, the old woman entered as the king as said to, welcomed with the sight of the king seated at his desk chair, reading over some documents, surely of great importance.

"Your Majesty, I came to inform you that Zelda is in the knight's quarters-"

"The knight's quarters? What in the name of the goddesses is she doing there?" He wasn't angry so much as curious, so thankfully, his voice wasn't so booming as it was when he was riled up.

"You see, Link was seriously injured on his last journey to the mountains to deal with a group of renegade ogres. He came here and asked for my help, and I in turn asked for Zelda's. I thought I should inform you where she was so you would not worry." The king nodded in understanding. Impa turned to leave, when the king suddenly stopped her.

"Oh, and Impa," The old woman stopped and turned back to the king as he sat thoughtful. "Tell me, you are a good tailor for dresses, yes?"

"One of the best."

"Good, then will you make Zelda a wedding dress?"

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Okay, I'm warning you: major drama for the next one or two chapters, then, the ending will be even fluffier than this (I promise)

However, here's the catch: I need as least 30 reviews (total, as in, when you add up the ones I already have to the reviews for this chappie, okay?)