"Oh, yes, of course you can!" Zelda nodded. "It'll just take some work, that's all!"
"What- sorry, your highness," Ghirahim spoke in the presence of the Princess for the first time. "But, what happened before you were transported here?"
Harry and Ron both shrugged, looking pointedly at Hermione.
"Well... I was asleep. All I remember was waking up with that BUFFOON-" She looked pointedly at Ron, "-staring at me trying to wake me up. Slightly unnerving" She blushed and looked awkwardly away. "OH! " she remembered "What are these things? I was walking in the grass, dragging my feet and these fell, out...of it.." She held six glittering green jems and two blue ones in her hand, they glistened in the sun.
"That is our currency." Zelda said simply, "Keep it and buy some... more native clothes with them." She looked them up and down. "You look a bit smaller than me." She nodded at Hermione. "You can have some of my dresses which I have grown out of. But you two will need to use the Rupees in Lady Hermione's hands to buy some clothes. Don't take advice from Link, by the way."
"Well excuuuse me, Princess, but I didn't chose these clothes! They're the Hero's clothes, apparently inherited from my ancestors, so of course it's going to be a bit out-dated." Link said, taking offence to that comment.
Zelda giggled again. "I can reserve you some rooms in the castle." She smiled. "Off you go."
Hermione's eyes grew to the size of dinner plates. a PRINCESS'S dress? She could not imagine anything more amazing. Naia giggled and looked at Link. "I hope you washed them between ancestors, or maybe not, you DO smell!"
Hermione managed to shake her awe and amazement and say "See? LADY Hermione! This place is amazing!"
"If you give the boys the Rupees then come with me. You two-" Princess Zelda turned to Harry and Ron, "Go with Link and Naia to the town and buy some clothes with the Rupees. Ghirahim, we will drop you off at the Throne Room. Come on." And with that, she glided from the courtyard, Hermione and Ghirahim following her.
Once she was out of earshot, Link said, "Of course I wash them, Naia and that smell is because we've just been below a dead tree. C'mon."
He followed his previous path back through the castle and they were soon in the town centre.
It was buzzing with the citizens who had come for the daily market. Link beconned Harry and Ron over to a stand selling average male clothes.
"Take your pick!" He grinned.
Harry leant over the stall a bit to have a look around at the different clothes.
"Ah!" A plump and jolly looking woman manning the stall smiled, "Looking for something to fit in, are you?" She bustled around the wood blocking her from the customers, "Not to worry, dear, we get visitors all the time here!"
Harry hesitated, then said, "How do I find something?"
"Don't worry, I'll find something which I'm sure you'll like." The woman went back into her stall, looking around at the clothes.
Hermoine followed Princess Zelda feeling very privaliged. A rather skinny lady curtsied politely and engaged the princes in talk. Hermione stayed silent, and slightly uncomfortable about the sneering stares the woman gave her.
Soon, Harry was dressed in a dark crimson and deep gold hylian looking long sleeved shirt and trousers with brown boots and gauntlets.
"Doesn't look too bad, actually." Link raised his eyebrows, rubbing his chin with his hand and feeling stubble. "Great. Forgot about that." He shrugged and carried on, turning to the woman, "How much is it?"
"I'd say... Twenty rupees for all of it."
"Good." He muttered to Harry, "The red one."
Harry handed over the red rupee and squeezed the robes into the adventure pouch which came with the belt.
"Right... Ron?" Harry turned to him and burst out laughing.
"Why do I have to have the dress?" Ron moaned to the lady.
"It's not a dress," She chuckled, "It's a tunic. Look, your friend has one." She nodded to Link, who took one look at Ron and puffed out his cheeks to stop himself from laughing, "To be honest, I don't think he's the... Tunic type of person."
Naia face-palmed. "No... look Link. You are so very out of touch..." Naia looked at Ron, "Sorry, but you look ridiculous. Go... change and I will pick out a better outfit." Naia scoffed. she flitted among the rails of clothes and made noises to herself like "maybe..." "Yuch!" And "No, absolutely not!" until she happened upon a blue long shirt, edged in green. Not quite like Harry's, but not unlike it. She presented it to him, with a head cap, and grey trousers and brown boots.
"Hmph." Link pouted.
Ron took it and tried it on. "Oh... K." Ron said, looking in the mirror next to the stand. "How much?"
"Same price," The woman smiled, "Twenty Rupees."
"Great." Ron handed over four blue Rupees.
"Let's get back to the castle." Link ushered them back up the road to the castle.
Ron and Harry were laughing about something called "Quidditch".
Link felt sick. Really sick. He kept on walking forwards, but he felt like he wasn't there. He started to limp but nobody noticed. His breathing increased ten fold and he coughed, his hands flying to his side, clutching it tightly as he sank to his knees.
"Link?" Harry said anxiously, "Are you alright?" Ron took a step towards him and he called out,
"No!" Link said, "Stay... Away." His eyes snapped open again.
"Bloody hell!" Ron leapt away from him.
His eyes shined a bright red, his skin becoming ghost white. "AGH!" Link screamed as a shooting pain shot up his side.
"What do we do?" Ron yelped to Harry.
"I-I don't know!" Harry knelt down in front of Link and tried to look into the contorted pale face. "If we don't know what's wrong, then we can't do anything!"
Link gasped and coughed again, sighing and falling into Harry. Harry half caught him and rolled him over so that he was laying on his back, facing the light blue sky.
He then noticed that there was a rip in his tunic under his hand. He lifted back the material and saw a horrid looking scar. It was an angry red. However, it looked like an old scar. It was a massive scar, though, which ran from almost under his armpit to his waist.
"Uh-" Harry looked up at the fairy, "Naia! Get the Princess or- or someone who can help! Quickly!"
"What is going on here?" A booming female voice sounded from behind.
"Bloody hell." Ron said for the second time.
Harry stood up and turned around, just managing to stifle a gasp as he saw who it was.
A very tall and strong looking woman was stood before them. She wore a metal chest plate and middle length deep blue legs. Her under shirt and excess armour was also a deep blue.
Her hair was in two short silver pigtails. Her eyes were crimson and underneath them were spiky white markings, as if they were eyelashes.
"Who are you?" Harry asked, quite anxiously.
"Princess Zelda's attendant, you may call me Impa." Impa rushed over. "Now, what happened?"
"H-he just collapsed." Harry stammered.
She knelt down next to the fallen boy and laid a hand on his forehead, "It can't be- The Hero of Time... Has returned?"
"The Hero of Time?" Ron said incredulously, "Does that mean-"
"He's really important, or something?" Harry finished.
"Very. But he's already saved us once." Impa said, scooping the Hero up.
"We had no idea!" Harry said, gob smacked. "We thought he was just a wandering traveller! Oh, we treated him like dirt!" His hands flew to his head, "I almost cursed him!"
"Yet, not knowing who he was, you wanted to help him when he dropped to the floor just then." Impa gave harry a piercing look.
"Yes-well-"
"Seems that Hero is just a title."
"What do you mean?"
"Yes, Link is a hero for many reasons, and he has definitely earned it, but you... are something different. You do not have to save many lives to be a hero. You just have to have the right state of mind and heart."
Harry stayed silent.
"Fairy, would you kindly get the Princess? I think it would be unwise to move him when he is in this state." Impa said gently to Naia.