A/N: Ahhh sorry for such the long wait for this chapter... school really got to me this week! I literally cannot wait see your reactions to this build up chapter (next one will have all the emotional stuff woo!). As always, read & review? :D Thanks for all the favorites and follows so far - I really appreciate it!
Zelda paced around the room in tiny circles, her arms crossed and her lips pursed. Renado had asked her to watch over Link for the time being; while he and Telma prepared an antibiotic ointment for the boy's infection and gathered supplies for a bind for Link's ankle. Zelda just wanted the pair to arrive sooner, though. Link had lost consciousness by the time they arrived in Kakariko. Since then, Zelda warily watched his breathing; it was growing more labored and shallow with breath – it was literally becoming a struggle for Link to breathe. It made Zelda feel queasy; thinking that after he went to hell and back is when he falls short of invincible. She pulled her hands up to her temples, exhaling a warm sigh.
The door at the front of the room creaked open and a woman's head poked in. She made eye contact with Zelda, grinned, and continued to open the door. Telma carried in a small tray that held a jar of the antibacterial goop that was for the infected gash on Link's back, and the cloth and splint needed to wrap his ankle. Renado followed her tail with a pair of homemade crutches in his arms. Zelda anxiously glanced at Link, and then to Telma, gesturing them to focus on him; Link was beginning to look even paler by the minute. She bit her lip and reconnected a strong gaze with the older woman. Telma smiled back, but it was just a guise that hid her fears. Zelda's attempts to stay optimistic were slowing fading and her face remained neutral.
Renado leaned the crutches up against the walk, and made his way next to Telma at Link's bedside. He reached down to the boy's ankle and rolled up the fabric of his trousers to allow visibility of the swollen and bruised mess. He arched his lips in disgust of the mangled extremity. Renado could only sigh, though, barely looking up at Zelda. "It's already been healing improperly. He was stuck down there for longer than we had thought." Renado placed his hands on the boy's ankle, as if he was mapping it out.
Zelda felt her throat close only slightly. She pursed her lips and gasped silently. She knew what Renado had to do and she knew that she'd have to take a part in it. Zelda didn't want to add any more pain to Link than he was already going through, though. He was basically half dead and lying in a bed. Zelda turned her head to look at Link's face – his lips looked an eerie purple, and with his structure now becoming gaunt, his cheekbones stuck out. Zelda scrunched her brows and closed her eyes. "And what does that mean?" Her voiced wavered – it was a dumb question, but she felt the need to reiterate her scared thoughts to get a confirmation.
Renado sighed and continued to only eye Link's crooked joint. He stood there silently for a minute, and then raised his head, mustering enough courage to look Zelda in the eye. His face was filled with unwillingness – he didn't want to do it as much as Zelda didn't want to. "In order to correct the healing that isn't proper, we must break the ankle, again." He took a pause, prodding at the boy's ankle with his hand. "If we don't do so, his ankle will be stuck in an immobile position. He'll have a hard time getting around and doing what he used to."
Zelda nodded, the words stuck in her throat. Her mind raced with everything that could ever possibly hurt him physically, but some did more good rather than bad. She clenched her jaw and caved, releasing a sigh. She placed her hand on Link's lower leg, to hold it down as Renado did the breaking. Telma held down on Link's chest, knowing he would shook up when the pain would waken him. Renado saw both women in position, and he gently began to apply pressure to the injury. He noticed Link clench his jaw, even in his state of unconsciousness. All the color in Renado's faced drained, but he quickly looked away. He grit his teeth and applied all the pressure he could to the boy's ankle.
A loud snap and a scream. Link's eyes shot wide open and he jumped up, as far as Telma had allowed him to, from lying on his back. His breathing grew frantic, heavy, and quick. His eyes spastically moved from direction to direction in a scared manner. Immediately, Zelda let go of his leg, held his hand, and turned his face to allow their eyes to meet. Link's pupils were dilated to the point where his blue iris was almost unnoticeable, but she also noticed a familiar fogginess in his focus. "Link, you're fine. It is just Renado, Telma, and I. We're going to take care of you," she spoke in the calmest and reassuring voice that she could attempt. Zelda couldn't tell if he was even registering the words that flowed from her lips. Hell, she didn't even know if he could recognize her at the time; Zelda could visibly see the fogginess in the boy's eyes. All he could do was sit there, wide-eyed and heavily panting.
His vision broke from Zelda's and flickered down at his ankle. The faint, fuzzy, unrecognizable, figures of Renado wrapping his ankle and Telma sitting by his side intrigued him while sickly. Link watched the wrapping of the cloth around his source of pain; the cloth was holding two pieces of wood to him, immobilizing his ankle. Link's horrified expression faded and turned into a vague frown. Zelda only assumed that was his reaction because he couldn't understand what was happening. Then, Renado finished the wrap with a tight knot. The quick tightness sent a surge of pain up Link's leg; Link clenched his jaw and tightly shut his eyes. A dismantled groan shook from Link's throat, although quiet, Telma picked up the almost inaudible sound.
The older woman shook her head and opened her mouth, prepared to speak for the boy. "Does it have to be that right, Renado?" She pointed at the wrap, and then nudged her shoulder back towards Link. "He looks like hell." Her face wasn't all giggly and giddy, rather her expression held a mixture of neutrality and concern. Telma's stern stare never broke from Renado, either.
The shaman sighed, loosening his grip on the excess cloth he cut off. Renado turned his head slightly toward Telma, but never looked directly at her. "It needs to. It needs to compress the bone in the correct way to allow it to heal right. He may be in pain now, but it's better than having it permanently useless farther down the road." Renado shrugged his shoulders and laid the excess cloth aside, replacing its place with the jar of antibacterial goop. He looked up at Zelda. "I need you to get his shirt off; I need to rub this on his back." He then turned his head to look directly at Telma. "Once Zelda take off his shirt, help him up to a sitting position so I can get to his infection." The plump woman only nodded in response.
Zelda began to undo each button, one by one. The undershirt Link had worn for months on end was fringed at its ends, tinted from its original purity, ripped from the many swordfights, and stained with blood – Link's blood. Zelda cringed and undid the final button. She slipped his arms from the sleeves and yanked off the worthless shirt, trashing it immediately. Zelda returned to the boy's bedside and aided Telma in sitting him up. She gripped his shoulder in her hand and shuddered at how warm he was; his fever had been rising without them knowing. The only aspect that caught Telma's attention was how much of his shape he had lost. He was beginning to look like a prepubescent child.
Renado slathered a sufficient amount of the antibiotic cream on Link's infection. When he was satisfied, he placed the jar on the nightstand and reached for the gauze. He began to wrap the cloth around the boy's upper body, protecting the wound from further infection. Renado was placing a decent amount of pressure on Link's back while wrapping the wound. In response, Link inaudibly groaned and flicked his eyes at Zelda. She wasn't paying attention to his facial expression, though; she was watching Renado's movements.
As Renado tied off the bandage and removed his hands, Link silently sighed as the pain subdued. Telma left Link in Zelda's arms as she went to get the boy a new shirt, since Zelda recently discarded his previously dilapidated shirt. Link was hunched over, unable to hold himself up, in Zelda's arms. Renado was speaking quite words to Telma as she rummaged through the dresser in the room. She only nodded, shook her head a few times, and sneered at the man before he left the room. Telma pulled an oversized tee from the dresser, held it up in the air, compared it to Link, and shrugged. She brought the shirt over and slipped it over the boy's head.
Zelda slowly lowered him back to lying on his pillows. She tried to smile at him, but it was obvious he was slowly drifting away from them; he could barely keep his eyelids open. Zelda's vague moment of happiness quickly faded into a hopeless frown. Telma reached over and placed her hand on Zelda's shoulder, a grin on her face in attempt to cheer the younger of the two. Zelda looked at her, made a fake smile, and brushed the woman's hand off of her. Both sighed and focused on Link. An eerie silence filled the room.
"I want to take him to the castle with me," Zelda spoke first, biting her lip immediately afterwards. She took Link's hand in her own. The faint remnants of the triforce illuminated on the top of his hand. She smiled faintly, but the happiness left her when she looked up back at Telma. The older woman had an overjoyed, but subtle grin on her face.
"If you're taking him to the castle, you need to rest, dear," the older woman chuckled to herself. She toyed with Link's hair without noticing. "I can prepare the horses to run the carriage for you tomorrow." Telma took her hand from Link's hair and returned it to Zelda's shoulder, grinning at the same time.
Zelda nodded in a cheesy way. Her cheeks turned red and a fake laugh exited her lips. "Thanks for the offer Telma, but I'll just tie Epona to my horse, so we don't have to take your carriage." She didn't look the woman in the eye; she knew Telma would be confused at her decision. Zelda had an idea, though. Before Telma could even open her mouth, Zelda sputtered out her words quickly, "I'm going to head to bed. I will see you in the morning." She gave the barely conscious boy a kiss on his cheek – his skin still burned against her lips.
Telma waved Zelda goodbye, but the young woman rushed one in return before running up to her room. The plump woman only shrugged, and sat herself back on the stool by Link's bedside. The frail boy's eyes wavered over at her, and she smiled, holding his hand. "You're the hero I've always known. You'll make it out strong. You're going to be in great hands at the castle." She giggled a slight bit. "Maybe under Zelda's wing you'll learn a few things as she helps you."
Link frowned at Telma. That took her by surprise. She only smiled though. "Ah, you're still into her, I see." Telma's tan cheeks flared red, her cheeky smile only growing wider. "Most everybody thinks you two are just friends, but I know it's more than that." Link's face flushed a faint pink and slightly snarled at the woman. She snorted slightly, tightening her grip on his hand. "I'm only messing with you." Telma's other hand ruffled his already matted bangs. "Since it appears you can still understand us despite your state, I'd figure I'd try to get some sort of laughter from you but it appears that-"
Link's eyes finally closed and he fell into another light slumber. Telma smirked, slipping her hand from his. She stood from her stool, reached down to the foot of the bed, and pulled the blanket up over the boy. If the medicine were to work as supposed to, his fever would break in the night and he would get chills. She didn't want him to get too cold. Satisfied with what she did, Telma propped her hands on her hips and watched over Link.
Telma walked over to the window and looked out at the moon and the flowing stars. She sighed, realizing that in an opposite realm, somebody else was staring at the same moon he laid under and longed for him; as he longed for her. To see somebody so lonely was depressing, even to Telma. "Nayru, bless him with your wisdom; keep his head stable. I don't want him to end up dead in the street, like all those others with such a sorrow situation. Farore, he's had enough courage to withstand this long, give him more to stand through his own version of hell. Din, give him power, mentally and physically, to withstand this fallow time. He is the hero you three chose, keep him safe." She ended her prayer with a sigh.
"Just keep him safe."
His head was foggy and it hurt. Link pulled his hand up to his head and held it. Zelda was pulling him up and out of bed. He was sore all over – he didn't want to move. He looked up at her and sighed. She seemed overly excited, almost like he had died. He could vaguely remember the past few days; apparently he had broken his ankle and has an infection. His illness was under control now, but even the thought of his ankle brought Link's face to a grimace. Zelda sighed, released his hand, and grabbed the pair of crutches from across the room. She placed them underneath Link's arms, and helped pull him up. He cringed with the movement, but once he was standing, the pain slightly faded.
Link tried to grin at Zelda, but it was obvious he was still pain stricken. Zelda clasped her hands together and grew a cheesy smile. "Ah, they're perfect! Renado was unsure if they would work, because he didn't have you awake and standing whilst making them." She reached over and grabbed Link's hand. "Now, to your ride. Follow me!" She began to pull him along. Zelda's pace quickened while she heard the slow but steady clop clop clop of the crutches striking the floor. Zelda held open the front doors of the inn for Link, and he strutted right through. He looked pale in the face, though – quite nauseated, in fact.
Link stood on the porch of the inn to regain his breath. He wanted to double over and vomit. Not moving for days really impacted his stamina. He assumed it was the illness that was the source of his prevailing nausea. He warily watched Zelda tack up her own horse and Epona, tying his horse's reins to the back of her Zelda's saddle. Link stared at Zelda with inquisitive eyes when she gestured for him to come to her, for him to get on Epona.
"You have to be crazy, Zelda," Link coughed, sticking his wrapped up ankle out at her to see. "I can't ride like this." He heavily relied on the crutches to keep himself upright, besides that, he slumped over in a slouch.
Zelda shook her head. Link raised a brow and the upper corner of his lip. A mumbled rode on the air leaving his lips, but it went unnoticed. "You're getting on. You're just going to sit and relax. Epona is tied to me; you're coming back to Hyrule castle with me."
Almost instantaneously, all the color that had remained in Link's face was drained from him. He had too many heartfelt memories of her from there; too many memories that strummed away at his heart strings. Stutters and fake words ran from Link's lips to Zelda's ears. He was panicking, he didn't want to go back – but that was only part of the process of adapting.
Zelda reached for Link as she noticed his knees had begun to shake. She firmly clutched his shoulders, forcing their eyes to make contact. This was the first time in almost two weeks that they held true eye contact. Of all those recently, Link had been either too out of it to register the moment or he couldn't see a damn thing. Now, he stared at her wide-eyed, like a lost puppy.
"You will be fine," she reassured him. "You will be okay. Nothing bad is going to happen. You will be safe." Zelda slightly rotated her head and gestured for Telma and Renado to help him onto Epona. Telma immediately headed to them.
The duo lifted the skinny boy with ease; they had gotten him high enough so he was able to place his good foot in the stirrup and place himself on the saddle. Once he was situated on the saddle, Link tightly gripped the horn of the saddle – he needed to the whole time, his left leg was useless to help him keep his balance. Telma tied his crutches to the back of Link's saddle as Renado gave Zelda a leg up into her saddle. Zelda plopped down on her white beauty, slipping her feet in the stirrups and taking the reins in her hands. She turned to face Link one last time before heading off. She gave him a grin, and then the two horses and their riders began the small trek back to the castle.
Once the two had left the vicinity of Kakariko, Link spoke. "Why are you so worried about me?" His voice echoed with anger and confusion. She couldn't pinpoint one emotion that he was struck with.
Zelda gasped in her throat, her expression widened and she sneered out of annoyance. She was slightly offended by his little retort, but she knew that he was a scared as she was – she knew he didn't really mean it. "You're the goddesses chosen hero, you saved Hyrule; you saved the Twilit Kingdom; you saved me; you saved Midna." She heard the choking of Link's voice.
His words faltered, but he still spoke with the full meaning that he intended. "I understand I did all that. But I'm different now. Why do you care so much about me now?" His face was slightly red. He was holding his composure, but it was obvious it was becoming more difficult.
Zelda sighed. She halted her white horse at the start of the newly repaired bridge to the east. "People change, Link." She glanced back at him for a second. "Even you. Despite that you are the goddesses' chosen hero, you are susceptible to anything a person is; that's because you are one." She squeezed the barrel of her horse and shortened her reins – the white beauty began to walk across the bridge and Epona was dragged along.
Link shook his head. He didn't want to explain how he felt, it was too much. It would be too much of a burden for Zelda. He just swayed his hips along with the saddle, which matched the rhythm of Epona's strides. He gripped at the horse's blond mane and shoved his face into it. His throat was beginning to hurt and the waves of nausea began to flood over him again.
Zelda shrugged at Link's silence. She figured the boy had enough of a war going on. She wasn't going to be the ass that makes it worse. She simply sighed and focused more on her riding posture, making it perfect, as she was taught as a child. Link simply buried his face deeper into the horse's mane and neck. He didn't want to look up. He didn't need to look around to know where they were. The memories Link felt bubbling up in him triggered a towering flame of nostalgia, which consumed every last bit of him. He remembered her desperate hour, the hour when she almost died. He barely got to Zelda in time to save her. Link felt his heart race and sweat began to appear on his face. He just wanted a place to call his home, she was home to him.
Now he was homeless.