Thank you: I.K.A.Valian, Guntou, Booklover13, La Generala and QuinKilo1055 as always for your reviews, and spurring me onwards as always! Glad you all enjoyed the last chapter! As to whether Link will fight an incredibly cliché dragon or something a little more…fun…you shall see! I hope you're not disappointed. Anyway, I send you all (and everyone else reading this) a great big hug from Crazy Link or Crazier Zelda! Start running now…
Chapter Eighteen – The Burny Hot Mines of Doom
"We are never, ever, ever coming here again." Snapped Link, as he stomped back down the path. For once, all of his good humour had completely departed from his eyes. Following a few paces behind, Zelda couldn't help but agree. Their adventure in the Goron mines had not been quite as fun as they had been expecting.
It had started off well. Zelda, using her superior feminine searching skills, had managed to locate the hidden golden key (it was in the bottom drawer of a desk in an abandoned house in the Goron City) and they had also acquired some heatproof clothing. The fact that the heatproof clothing was cumbersome, about twenty years old, stinky and an unflattering shade of crimson did not dampen their spirits. They had also bought boots, the dreaded spring water, and various other bits and bobs that they thought would be useful when exploring an abandoned mine.
For the first hour, it had been fun. Zelda had never had the experience of 'dungeon crawling' - looking for keys, solving logical puzzles and battling woefully inept monsters seemed like fun (well Link battled them, she watched from the sidelines, shouting glaringly obvious things like 'strike it's unprotected back' or 'ew keese spit'). They even found an old map of the mine in a chest (which Link had first nearly fallen in and then, once he'd recovered his balance, held high above his head in triumph, looking remarkably stupid), and had navigated around the various chambers in the mine, looking for clues on where Aranda was lurking.
The problems had started after they decided to take a break. Sharing the bottle of un-refreshingly warm spring water between them, they had sat on a rock overlooking a deep chasm. Never before had relations between them been so harmonious. Link then took another look at the map and noticed a slight problem.
He had been ticking off the rooms, one-by-one as they travelled through the mines. Now as he looked at it, he realised that they had been in every single room bar two at the very north of the map. The fact that they were on the lowest tier of the mine, and they were currently on the highest was a minor irritation at that point. They had laughed over their foolishness for not checking out those rooms earlier when they had chance. And so they began their arduous journey back to the lower tiers.
It was only when they got to the lowest tier, to the place where the last two chambers were supposed to be that they realised that, not only was the entrance to the room about twenty feet above their heads, but it was also locked with a massive padlock and chains.
Being intrepid explorers, still full of zeal for the task at hand, they had returned to the entrance of the mine and had walked through each room again, checking for anything they might have missed. The huge key was found in a ridulously large chest (which Link actually fell into this time) hidden in an alcove which could only be reached through a combination of scaling a ten foot high wall, swinging across the room using a vine, landing with catlike precision on a stone about one foot square in diameter and then jumping from that point across a six foot gap into the alcove. Link did this with no comment although it was clear at this point that he was starting to get a little miffed. He also seemed to be irritated to find that all but the strongest of the monsters he had destroyed earlier had somehow undergone a miraculous resurrection. So he had to fight them all again (earning himself some more cuts and bruises) whilst Zelda watched from the sidelines, giving him her unsolicited advice. And when they got to the lowest section of the mine (again) and found that they were still at least twenty feet below the last door they hadn't been in, Link sort of flipped a little.
This was the reason he was now in a tantrum. Zelda had insisted that they run through the whole mine one more time, just to check they hadn't missed a turning.
She sighed as she jogged to keep up with Link, who was stalking ahead. They were back in that room where you had to shoot the eye-switch on the right wall, drag a heavy block to the middle, jump on the block, hop over the short gap to the narrow ledge at the back of the room, hit a second switch on the left wall, dash through the door and then stand on the fourth step along, shoot the golden crystal through the railings on the far side of the chasm, and pull the rusty lever that then appeared (all in under thirty seconds), in order to restart the elevator that led to the second level of the mine. The air was hot and dry, and the ground rumbled constantly. It was said that Death Mountain had earned its name from the last time it had erupted, killing many of the residents of the Goron City and Kakariko below. At least the fire proof clothing prevented their skin from burning, although Zelda was actively wondering if scorched skin would be preferable to being so drenched in sweat that she squeaked when she walked.
The worst part of it all was that, apart from a slight sheen of moisture on his forehead (which wasn't exactly unattractive), Link looked perfectly cool and neat. He even managed to make the hideous red Tunic, heavy black boots and unflatteringly tight pantaloons look good. She watched as Link shot the three switches, stood on the switch, jumped across the chasm, rolled under the door and pulled the lever to activate the lift and then cursed as a mysterious "deh-duh" noise smote the air.
"Oh !&#!" Yelled Link, as he hopped down from his precarious ledge and stomping back into the centre of the room. "I shot those bloody switches in the wrong order, didn't I?" Without waiting for an answer, he reloaded his bow and fired off a shot to the right, pushed the block, hopped over a gap, hit a switch, rolled under the door, shot a second arrow in the air and sprinted along the narrow wall to pull the lever seconds before it vanished again. He whooped in triumph, as a happy tinkling sound filled the air, immediately followed by the unmistakable sound of the rickety old lift chains moving again.
"You cheated." Said Zelda, as she strolled across the room, looking at the map. Link had shot the switches instead of hitting them with his sword. "But you did well."
"I should think so. It's the third time I've had to do that damned puzzle." Retorted Link, as he held the door to the lift open for her. Zelda refrained from looking closely at the rickety lift and the rusty chains that suspended it above the bottomless pit. Link didn't seem troubled by either the shockingly hazardous condition of the elevator, nor the fact that it had not been used (apart from by them) for hundreds of years. Knowing him as she did, Zelda realised that he probably got a kick out of being in this sort of danger. She didn't.
The lift jerked into life as Link pushed the control to the 'down' position and for the third time that day, they descended into the darkness of the second level of the mine. The journey was long. The tunnel dark and airless and Link was silent. Zelda glanced at him and saw his eyes were alight again. Well at least one of them was having fun, she thought. Suddenly the lift jerked to a halt.
"What…?" Began Zelda, hardly daring to glance over the sides. She didn't have to do so to realise that they were a good few hundred meters from their destination yet. "Link, why have we stopped?" She looked in his direction; expecting to see him pushing the control back to the 'down' position but was horrified to see that Link had pulled the control to 'stop' was leaning over the edge of the carriage, butt in the air, staring down into the darkness. She knew he was an idiot. She knew he was probably an escaped lunatic, but surely he was not that mad was he?
"Cool! I think we can just about make it."
"Er, make what?" Zelda didn't trust the happy expression on his face, or the wide smile he flashed at her as he pulled himself back into the cart.
"The drop."
"The WHAT?"
"Hang on, Zellie!" He exclaimed and before she could stop him, he released the brake. There was a creak, and the lift swung slightly from side to side. He glanced at the control and his smile broadened and then he nudged the lever.
"HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELLLLLLLLLLLP" Zelda screamed as the lift plummeted into the darkness.
"I suggest you do as I say."
"But I…"
"I do not want to have to set my dog on you…"
"…fine…here. Take it, it's yours. Just don't tell anyone, okay."
Impa smiled and took the offending item and tossed it into the bottom of the well. "Don't let me ever catch you with one of those again."
The offender nodded, tears in his eye and ran from the scary lady's presence. Impa smiled as he went. Her job had become so much easier now she had an attendant "Dog". Amber cocked her ears and watched the miscreant youth run away. Impa did not approve of young boys playing with dangerous weapons like slingshots and she would be having words with his mother later. She heaved a sigh as she looked around her little village. It was nice to be home, she thought. And it was nice to see how everybody avoided her now she had a pet. She was beginning to see why Link had acquired the animal in the first place.
"Good girl." She murmured, as Amber turned her cold blue eyes on her. The dog wagged her tail slightly. "Now all we need is to find Link."
At the name 'Link' Amber looked up, completely attentive, her head cocked slightly.
"Link?" Repeated Impa, smiling slightly at the wolf's comical expression. The dog's head tilted to the other side at the word. "Where's Link?" Continued Impa, her voice rising in pitch just a little, and a goofy smile adorning her usually stern mouth. Amber whimpered, tail wagging slightly. "Go find him, go on!" Amber yelped and started sniffing the ground excitedly, trailing this way and that, her tail whole body waggling with the movement of her tail but all too soon the dog realised that she could not find a trace of her master anywhere. Everything about her seemed to droop. The tail went down, the head went down, the ears went down and she whined.
"So he's not been here, huh?" Mused Impa, correctly reading the signs of disappointed wolf. "How about that nasty Gerudo woman? Where's Tassia?" Asked Impa. Amber growled. Impa laughed. "You're a pretty smart dog." She pulled Amber's ears slightly and stroked her head. "Come on, let's get you something to eat. Oi, Mutoh?"
The mayor had seen Impa approach but due to the presence of the wolf had not been brave enough to venture out of doors yet. "Er…yes, Lady Impa?" His head appeared through a tiny gap in his curtains.
"You know, if I don't start to get the welcome I deserve I may just have to look for a replacement town mayor. We wouldn't want that, would we?" She called, amiably. "Get out here. Now."
Mutoh fingered the expensive gold chain that hung around his neck and thought of all the prestige and honour that came with the position of being Mayor of Kakariko. Sometimes being the most important man in the world (to himself at least) had its drawbacks. He still hadn't quite decided which of the two was scarier – Impa or the wolf. In the end, Impa won.
"That was so much fun!"
Through the fuzziness that shrouded her brain, Zelda heard Link's cheery voice and she groaned. She remembered falling…clanking chains, the rush of wind through her hair, her heart stopping as it jumped into her throat and then the sudden, horrible jerk as the mad fall was cut abruptly short. She felt a wave of nausea rushing through her body, and to her absolute mortification, she felt herself retching. And then, what was even worse, she started to cry. And not just weeping, but proper all out – gold medal styled bawling her eyes out. Telling herself she was being stupid, that it was ridiculous, that it was all Link's fault, even telling herself to shut up (in some rather crude, to the point, phrases) didn't stem the flow of tears. It wasn't until she realised that somebody (no prizes for guessing who) had wrapped her up into an all encompassing, kind embrace, was stroking her hair, whispering that she was alright and that she could cry all she wanted because he was there, ready and waiting for retribution, that she managed to wipe her eyes.
"Are you alright?" Whispered Link, as he gazed down at her smiling kindly.
She nodded, the bubble of white hot anger she had felt had completely deflated. Whilst she had wept, she had been thinking of wonderfully scathing things to say to him. Now she couldn't remember anything but how dare he put her in danger? How dare he even think of such a thing? How dare he kiss her? WHAT!!
Link pulled back from slowly and said, "There ya go, now you've got a reason to hit me again, sweetheart. Beat me off all you like, it'll make you feel better."
"Uh…it doesn't matter. Just don't do it again." Replied Zelda, lamely. Link was confused. He had never encountered her in such a mood before. He knew that she should be rightly furious, not only for endangering her life, but also for that audacious kiss (that he had thoroughly enjoyed) but she just stared blankly at him. So then he felt guilty. It was the kind of guilt that eats you up inside, and it was something he had never experienced before either. "Sorry." He muttered, but it didn't make him feel better. Zelda did not smile, or even frown. She just stared at him. And then Link realised something – something that wasn't fun, or wasn't happy, in fact it was just plain depressing (and he hated being depressed). Somehow she had become the only thing that mattered in the whole world to him. And when she was upset, it felt like the sun had disappeared.
"Um…I found a way to that locked door." Explained Link, as he stood up hastily.
Zelda shook herself out of her stupor and followed the direction he was pointing. Sure enough, the lift had stopped neatly in front of the locked door. Link had crashed it through the ceiling of the upper chambers. How the rickety lift had survived such an impact, and how Link had managed to stop its plummet without so much as straining his wrist, was beyond her but she had to admire his reckless ingenuity. There was one slight problem.
"Um, Link…?"
"Yes, Princess?"
"Didn't you leave the key for this door in the chamber upstairs?"
"Fu!&!" Said Link.
Zelda choked, the anger she felt vanishing, and Link's sun miraculously appeared in the sky once again.
The passage was long, steep and barely wide enough for them to fit through. Link gritted his teeth as his hand rested on another needle-sharp rock. As soon as he realised that they would have to feel their way through the passage, he had given Zelda his gauntlets. She had tried to argue the point with him, but he had remained adamant. He had been taught few principles and even fewer morals in his odd life, but one rule he always adhered to was: always treat a girl you liked as if she really was a princess. Her objections couldn't stand against sheer, blind obstinacy. So she had lost the fight and now the only sound was the soft padding of their feet and his companions breathing. It was oppressively hot, stuffy, and Link could feel rivulets of sweat running down his back, stinging any wound it came into contact with.
Zelda's fingers clutched his belt tightly. He knew she was nervous but she had sense enough not to let that show. He didn't really like dark places like this either, though he was not afraid. It reminded him too much of his youth… Link sighed and shook his head. There was no point in dwelling on the past. Had he not had the upbringing he had, he would not be the person he was now. Were he not a Calatian Knight he would not be in Hyrule. He would not now be on an adventure. He could always find a blessing in a curse.
The ground became rougher as they traipsed down the long, winding path. The rock at their feet gave way to rubble, and the slopes gave way to jagged steps and treacherous sheer drops, that were just waiting to catch them out. They crawled through another tiny passage. The light emitted from the battered old lantern he held was scanty, and it was running out of oil. He was tired and his whole body ached. He had not had so much exercise in one day for a long, long time. And he kept stubbing his toes on the rocks. Zelda was silent. The only hint of her presence was the grip of her hand on his belt and the occasional sigh escaping from her lips. Suddenly her grip tightened. "What was that?" She whispered.
"What?"
"I heard something." She explained. Link felt her leaning forward over his shoulder in an attempt to peer into the darkness in front of them. He had no reason to disbelieve her; he was only a little disappointed he had not heard whatever it was first. He prided himself on his hearing.
"What kind of something?" He asked.
"A kind of growling." Link glanced over his shoulder at her, and even in the pitch-darkness only illuminated by a dying lamp, she could see his eyes alight with sheer joy.
"I knew it." He said, his voice throbbing with excitement. "It's gotta be a dragon. Yes!" He punched the air in triumph.
Zelda rolled her eyes and ignored this. The ground rumbled again, and there was a strange hissing noise. "Do you think there could be a hot spring down there?" She wondered. A slightly acrid smelling trail of smoke floated past their heads.
"Maybe." Said Link, following the trail of smoke with an odd look in his eyes. It reminded Zelda of a child receiving a birthday gift it has longed for all year. They heard the strange hissing noise again and exchanged a glance.
"So Aranda's a fire-breathing dragon." Mused Zelda, standing back slightly as Link unhooked his bow from his back and checked the string was good. "How unoriginal."
"Oh well, we'll just shoot his eyes out then pierce his heart with a sword and the job's a good 'un." He replied, as airily as ever. The ground trembled and this time even he heard the screeching roar that filled the air. The shock wave flashed by their ears, making their clothes and hair flair behind them. Link peered into the darkness and smiled. "I think Aranda knows we're here."
The ground trembled in response and Zelda gripped Link's belt even tighter. She bit her lip as she stared into the darkness. She could feel all of Link's muscles in his back tensed up and hard against her hand, and tried not to think about what lay ahead. Link took a breath and closed his eyes, focusing himself and then stretched. "Ready?" He asked.
Zelda nodded. The ground shook violently and another hideous shriek rent the air and far in the distance, two red specks of light appeared. Link notched an arrow to his bow and aimed, waiting for the eyes to get closer. The dragon was moving at such great speed that it created a breeze ahead of it. Small sparks of light passed over Zelda's hands. Her magic was not very powerful yet, and it was quite unpredictable, but she was learning to control it. She just had to concentrate.
Another screech rent the air, making her ears ring painfully. It was immediately followed by the pshhhuuu of an arrow, as Link fired. It hadn't halted Aranda's progress. In fact, it only seemed to spur him on. Link fired another arrow. He was confident his aim was good, so why hadn't the beast faltered? The wind created by the dragon blasted into his face, bits of dust and pebbles had been caught up in the flow too and the air was stifling and hot. The feeble light from his lantern started to flicker and fade.
Link aimed another arrow and fired. The beast was so close he could see the three dark points in it's left eye – the arrows had hit – but had not made any difference to its attack. He could see its narrow, blunt nose and dark, wide body now. Suddenly he frowned. "You know, I think running might be a good idea." He shouted above the thundering of the animal's feet. Zelda glanced up, her concentration broken and stared in amazement at the creature galloping towards them.
"That's not a dragon!" She exclaimed. She yelped, and set of a lighting bolt as Link grabbed her hand and sprinted off in the opposite direction. Half-running, half-stumbling behind him, she could hardly keep her balance. Link practically flew over the uneven ground, barely sparing her a thought.
"I've got an idea." He explained, as he ducked under an over hanging rock. A bolt of fire tickled their heels, spurring them on. Zelda glanced behind, and almost fell over again. She was amazed that Link kept his footing so well on the unstable passageway. He ducked again and swerved to the right. Another blast of fire ripped through the air behind them, scorching their backs and singeing the ends of Zelda's long hair. She was panting with exhaustion. Suddenly Link stopped and swung her, so that he now stood between her and Aranda. "Get in the cave." He ordered, at the same time drawing his shield.
"But what about…?"
"GET IN." He yelled, and thrust her into the narrow tunnel. She crawled forward, hitting her head on a low rock and attempted to look behind her. She couldn't, the passage was barely wide enough for her to crawl through, let alone turn in. She scrambled as fast as she could to get to a wider space. Behind her she could hear and feel the blast of fire and the screams of the animal. The ground shuddered and a couple of rocks fell from the ceiling.
Link lifted his shield to protect his face as the fire washed over him again. The moment the fire stopped, he ran forward and slashed the creatures eyes again. Again, this attack had no discernable effect but it did make his adversary halt. In the dim light of his burning clothes, he gazed up at the creature. It was the same size as he was, with glowing red eyes and thick black fur. As he watched, the creature paused and sniffed the air. The whiskers on its nose twitched as it looked from side to side. Link was standing directly in front of it – so how could it not see him?
It continued sniffing as it lowered its head. He could see the gleam of its long yellow teeth in its mouth. Link remained perfectly still, watching and waiting for a chance to strike. Inwardly he smiled – who would have thought the Great Aranda, Lord of the North, would be afraid of rats? For that was what Aranda had become – a giant, fire-breathing rat. Link wished he had Amber with him. She was very good at killing rodents.
It was only when Aranda's head was level with his own, and his nose was actually sniffing his burnt tunic that Link realised why his attacks on the beast's eyes hadn't done anything. Aranda was blind. Link's left arm started to move slowly. Still Aranda sniffed at him, a low growl emitting from his throat. Link carefully raised his sword over his head, moving with as little sound or motion as he could.
Suddenly Aranda's sniffing paused and his whole body stiffened. He sensed danger. The low growl became a howl and he bared his fangs. At the same instant, Link struck. His sword came down with the swiftness of a falling rock, and he thrust it into Aranda's dark head. The rat screamed and plunged forward, it's huge heavy body slamming into him. The momentum lifted him off his feet. He crashed into the heavy wall of the cave, his head and chest feeling like a thousand knifes had just pierced him at once, and his vision went cloudy. Before him Aranda stumbled, and he lashed out again, plunging his sword into the creature's head. Fire and smoke pouring all over him. His body was pinned to the wall, and he could feel the rat tearing into his legs and chest.
Then there was a flash of brilliant light, the rat slumped forward for the final time, twiching slightly and the world went perfectly dark. A strange groaning sigh slid from Link's lips as he crumpled to the floor.
"So this is your Calatian friend?" Saeru's rich voice interrupted Zelda's desperate attempts to wake Link. He was lying face down in a pool of blood. For all intents and purposes he was dead. On hearing her voice, Zelda glanced up.
Saeru stood in the midst of a grey flame, watching her with an enigmatic smile on her face, her large golden eyes glistening mischievously. "He is very useful, is he not? He is very good at destroying the Dream Snatchers. I wonder why?"
Zelda, who had been wondering the same thing, sighed and turned her attention back to him. He was breathing rapidly, and his wounds did not seem to be closing over. She had not moved him for fear of making him worse.
"You are becoming fond of him." Commented Saeru, as she watched Zelda stroking his singed hair. "I thought I warned you about that? Calatian men are trouble."
"He is of Hylian descent." Snapped Zelda, as if that made it all better. She was irritated that Saeru was so easily able to define her feelings. It was one thing to admit privately to liking such a madman as Link, another matter entirely to let those feelings show.
"How very odd." Murmured Saeru, her attention fixed on Link. She could not see his face, nor did she have the power to see fully into the world she had been banished from, and there was much she would like to know about him. "I know of only one other who was…Has he spoken of me yet?" She asked.
"I told him what you had said and he agreed to help me." Replied Zelda, rooting through Link's pack in the hopes she could find something to use as a bandage.
"Does that not strike you as odd?" Wondered Saeru, her eyes glinting peculiarly.
"Not especially. Link is odd."
"I see. I also see you have your hands full tending to his wounds so I shall leave you to your work. Tell him when he comes to that I would very much like to meet him – this Calatian of Hylian descent. It is provident that Aranda was given the Ring of Awakening."
"Eh?"
Saeru pointed to the heavy signet ring that lay on the ground near Link. It was thicker and sturdier than the Oath Ring, made of the purest silver, and its signet was a deep cut ruby, made into the shape of a flame. Under Saeru's instruction, Zelda slipped it onto her finger and sighed. Now she looked even gaudier, with these two huge rings stuck on her fingers.
"In a dream you are transported from place to place in the blink of an eye." Said Saeru, her body fading into the darkness, "Yet when it is over, you awake and you are back in your familiar bed. Sometimes the dream will linger on into the waking hours. The Ring of Awakening will take you home, wherever you are. Tell it where your home is, and there you shall go."
"How does that help me now?" Wondered Zelda.
Saeru laughed and her eyes glittered once more. "You are allowed to share your home, child. Just beware of what your heart thinks…"
"What?"
But Saeru was gone.
Zelda sighed and closed her eyes. When her eyes opened she gazed at the spot where Saeru had stood and shuddered. Somehow the goddess was starting to scare her. And what had she meant about Link? Perhaps Saeru had an inbuilt dislike of men, which led her to mistrust them all. And she didn't really like the idea of transporting herself by magic to wherever her home was. She didn't have a home, she reminded herself miserably.
Her parents had died in her childhood – she had no memory of her father and only a hazy image of a placid mother who had been seeped in grief. Her grandfather and Impa had raised her. Daphnes had loved her in his own way, but had never told her in as many words – he had been too distracted with his role as High Judge, and Impa had been strict and stern. Perhaps that was why she liked Link, she mused, absently stroking his hair, he was open and (on occasion) affectionate, and although he mistreated her, it was always with an air of guilt, or accompanied by a reason. She could not stay angry with him, even when she tried to, and just when she thought she hated him, he would do something outrageous that would make her think she was in danger of feeling the opposite.
Speaking of which, he was moaning and showing signs of coming to. He rolled on to his back and yelped in pain, his hands clutching his side. "Oww…" He groaned, for the moment blissfully unaware of his company. "My ribs…ooo…it hurts."
"Are they broken?" Asked Zelda, anxiously.
"Huh? Zelda!" Link's blue eyes shot open and met hers. He grimaced slightly and shook his head, only closing his eyes as the pain made him reel. "Oh, no I'm fine. Fine!" He assured her, a little manically. "Never been better. Just a little stiff after the fight." He attempted to stand up, and immediately his face went an alarming shade of green.
"Are you sure?" She asked.
"Yes." Link closed his eyes tightly and then with a grunt, dragged himself to his feet. He seemed to realise he was bent double and attempted to stand straight.
"You're not being all heroic again, are you?" She asked, grinning slightly. She was relieved that he was able to stand but worried he was going to do himself worse injury.
"I am a hero!" He retorted, sounding almost like his old self and standing to attention, only to fall back, groaning again. "I – I am just…" He waved his hand in the air to simulate what ever words he wanted to say, but couldn't quite remember how and plummeted to the floor in a dead faint.
Zelda dropped to her knees beside him. She looked at the Ring of Awakening and sighed. "Impa it is." She uttered a swift prayer and closed her eyes. "I hope this works…"
It took ten whole days before Link was well enough to get out of bed. Not even a copious dosing of the infamous red-potion mix with Lon-Lon milk and a magical piece of heart could cure two broken ribs and a severe head injury that quickly. Of course, Amber's reaction to seeing her master reappear had not really helped. She had jumped on him, knocking him over, evidently intending to start one of their usual play-fights. Link had not got the strength to fight her off, nor stop her frantic kisses. The wolf-I mean-dog, dashed around the room, picking up random objects, her tail wagging so hard it knocked each ornament it came into contact with on to the floor (usually breaking them). And then she had jumped up at him, attempting to fling herself into his arms, as she had done when she had been a puppy, normally Link would have been able to support her weight, but not this time. Instead of holding her up, he fell backwards, hit his head on the stone hearth and went silent.
Amber had thought he was playing dead, and had gone into super-hyper mode at this, and had started a licking attack on his face, nudging his arms, and rolling on her back pushing him around. Link only groaned more. It was Impa who finally managed to call the dog off by uttering one simple command. Amber recognised the voice of authority (as so many people did when Impa was around) and had contented herself by lying down at Link's side. There she had remained.
The dog refused to leave her master, insisted on sleeping on his bed by his side and growled ominously at anybody who made him groan. Which made treating his wounds a little difficult. The village doctor who initially was called on to attend took one look at the huge animal and had fled. The nurse, who was made of sterner stuff, made the terrible mistake of calling Amber a 'nice doggy' and had subsequently abandoned her post with such speed that she would have outrun the famous 'Hylian running man' had he been present. That left the task of nursing Link to Impa and anyone who was more scared of her than they were of Link's pet. For a day, this had worked out reasonably well, until Amber took a dislike to Mutoh. He had been dispatched with comparative ease, nursing a hole in the seat of his pants
Which left only Zelda and Impa with the task of nursing. Impa initially objected to Zelda helping, she couldn't be comfortable with the idea of her protégé alone and unsupervised in the room of a practically naked madman, tending to his wounds and watching over him. Not even the thought of Amber protecting Link from any advances Zelda might have been tempted to make eased Impa's mind. But she didn't really want to look after him either. She had not liked Link, she was annoyed that he had stolen her money, had left her in charge of his dangerous pet and had spent at least five days alone with Zelda. On the other hand, it was beneath her to act as a nurse. It was only when she saw that, not only was Zelda an excellent nurse but also that only when Zelda was in the room, would Amber leave Link's side to attend to the duties of nature, and get some food (thus allowing Link's nurses chance to change bandages, bedding and give the local healer opportunity to check his wounds) that she relented.
For Zelda the time was both worrying and strangely satisfying. Link was a difficult patient. When he was awake he wanted to be up, insisting he was well, when he was sleeping he was fretful. On the other hand, there were moments, when he would be still and calm, it was during these times that his hand would reach out for hers and when she took it, he would smile peacefully. They were the longest days of her life, but only she knew a sense of disappointment when they came to a natural end.
At the end of ten days, Link awoke feeling much better. For once his room was devoid of people, although Amber was lay at his side (taking over most of the bed space). He grinned and gingerly slipped his legs over the side of the bed. He waited for a moment, and then sat up. The house was silent. Pleased by this turn of events, as soon as his head stopped spinning he hopped out of bed. He checked the wound on his chest and touched the mass of bruising tenderly. He couldn't find a mirror though, so his question about whether or not he still had a full set of eyebrows would remain unanswered for now. Completely oblivious to the fact that he was (apart from a couple of bandages) for all intents and purposes undressed, he crept out of the room, Amber at his heels. He didn't actually realise he was naked until he had wandered into Impa's kitchen and found himself confronted by the sight of two older men, a plump, middle-aged woman, a thin, dark haired doctor, an angry Impa and an amused Zelda that he glanced down at himself and suddenly grinned. Impa jumped up at once, not to shield him from the acutely embarrassed stares of the inhabitants of her kitchen, but to protect Zelda's innocence.
But Zelda had collapsed into giggles already. "Link - Clothes!" She gasped.
Link grinned ruefully and met her gaze "Um, where are they?" He asked.
"I'll show ya." She said, hopping of her stool.
"Oh no you won't." Snapped Impa, grabbing her arm and pushing her back into her chair, shielding her eyes. "Rauru, take him back to his room."
Link watched in fascination as one of the men stood. Link marvelled at two things, firstly how rich he looked in his gold and blue robes, the second at how wonderful his beard was. It was so fluffy and white and majestic looking. Link resolved to grow one just like that as soon as his hair went white. Rauru was clearly embarrassed but he managed to look Link in the eye. "Er, come with me, my boy." He stammered.
Link cast one final look of despair at Zelda and followed him from the room.
Impa waited until he was almost out of earshot and then turned her attention back to Kru. "Why was his door unlocked?"
"You didn't say to lock it."
"Idiot." Snorted Impa, "Now you have corrupted Zelda's innocence. And you, miss, " She turned her angry red-gaze onto Zelda, "Have you no decency? You did not even blush! I am ashamed of you."
"Neither did you." Replied Zelda, serenely. She watched Amber who was scratching the door to Link's room and called the dog to her.
Impa humphed to herself and said, rather lamely, "I am a lot older than you."
"That's an admission." Muttered Kru, almost to himself. Zelda choked on a giggle. Fortunately, Rauru reappeared just in time to stop a full-blown argument erupting. He took one look at Impa's face, and coughed apologetically, "Um, I've given him some clothes, although he didn't seem to like them. He said he doesn't like himself in yellow, and have you got anything in green?" Rauru paused to gulp at the look in Impa's eyes as this message was relayed to her. "Er, and he wants to know what we are going to do with him?"
"Kill him?" Replied Impa, calmly. She then remembered that Link's nurse and doctor were still sat in her kitchen and attempted to laugh, as if it had really been a joke. Rauru and Kru were not convinced, nor would they sanction such a thing. Which was a shame. She shrugged eventually and admitted she didn't know.
"We could send him back to take on…you know?" Said Kru, not wanting to say much in front of outsiders.
"That won't work. He probably knows about him now." Mused Rauru, stroking his beard tenderly. "And what about the matter we discussed with…you know…?"
"Hmmm." Kru began to wish he too had a beard to stroke. It did make Rauru look more important. He had to make do with his bottle-top glasses. He took them off and polished them, then perched them back on his long nose. "We could…er…Impa what do you think?" Impa didn't think anything about Link that she was willing to share with an audience. She glared at the room in general and muttered something about giving him some rupees and banning him from Hyrule.
"I have a better idea." Zelda's pleasant voice interrupted all their musing. She smiled peacefully at them, perfectly aware that they thought she was far too young to have any ideas that would be of use to them, and also perfectly aware that where Link was concerned, she would have the final say because he would listen to her above all others. Anyway, she quite liked her plan.
"Go on." Said Rauru, trying to sound benevolent but really only sounding irritated.
Zelda glanced at the door leading to Link's room and smiled again. "He can teach me how to fight!"
Hope you liked the fire-breathing rat. I have a big (read – hopefully amusing) plan for the next "monster" and also the next power Zelda gets will be something never before seen in a Zelda game (that I'm aware of anyway). Hope that whets your appetite. Don't forget to review!
