Chapter Eighteen

~Normal POV~

I clutch Link and cry. I wish I could pull myself together, but watching a friend almost die is a sure way to make you start crying. He holds me, but I can tell that he's weak from that wound.

That was way too close.

We watched him as he fought Dark Link. The invisible wall was like the air in front of us had condensed into a solid. Navi tried some fairy magic on the wall, but to no avail. Sheik almost went insane trying to break the barrier and help Link. I helped him pound as hard as we could, but it was like trying to move a mountain. And when Dark Link hit him in the arm, I really thought he was going to die. He looked so weak and tired, combined with his bleeding arm. It was so sad to see him like that, defeated. But despite it all, he picked up his sword and fought back. Like a hero. And he's still alive.

I pull myself together, pull back and smile at him. I really hate crying, my eyes are already starting to itch. "You scared me so bad."

He smiles tiredly. "Sorry." He grimaces and grabs his arm. He's a little wobbly, like he's going to fall over.

"Link, you okay?" Sheik says grabbing his good shoulder to steady him.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine." He says, attempting to smile. "I'm just so tired that I can barely stand, suffering from blood loss, and my arm kills. But other than that, I'm perfect."

"We need to do something about that arm," Navi says.

Link leans heavily on Sheik as he walks him over to sit on the altar. It's only a few feet, but Link's forehead is already beaded with sweat. Navi lands on his shoulder and looks at him in concern.

"Here, I'll look at it." I offer. There are perks to having both of your parents work at a hospital when someone has a huge gash in their arm. Sheik hands me some water from Link's pouch to clean it a little.

I peel his sleeve away from the wound, and then suck in a breath. It's pretty bad, Dark Link got a good hit. He sliced into the Deltoid, it's about three inches long, and cut all the way to the bone. Needless to say, it's bleeding freely.

Oh my gosh, I sound like my parents. I didn't even know I knew what a freaking Deltoid was. All that medical talk must have seeped in somehow.

"How bad is it?" Link asks through his pain.

"I hate to say it," I say. "But it's bad." I pour a little of the water on it and he bits his lip to stop from crying out, but a groan of pain still escapes him. "Sorry,"

I clean it a little, and it looks a bit better, but not by much. "You're going to need stitches."

He looks at me in confusion. "Stitches?"

"Yeah, they help the wound seal up. You don't have those?" He shakes his head. "Huh. I guess they only have them in my world."

"Seems so." Link nods. "But I don't think I'll need them," It's my turn to look at him in confusion. "Sheik, I think I have a potion in my pouch, could you get it?"

Oh, I'm such an idiot. I totally forgot about those.

"Well if you have a potion then why did you want me to clean it?" I ask, setting the bottle of water down.

"It's always a good idea to clean it before hand, just common sense." Sheik says as he hands the red potion to Link. "I guess you don't have these in your world?"

"No, we have medicine, which is kind of like potions. And stitches. And shots, I hate shots."

Link drinks the potion. Instantly a little of the color returns to his face. The wound closes a little. "That feels better," He says in relief. "I don't know what I would do without these." He turns to me and smiles thankfully. "Thanks, it felt better after you cleaned it."

I laugh. "You didn't really need it. But you're welcome anyways. And be thankful I didn't have to stitch it, I have no idea how to do that."

"You did a great job," Other Link says, appearing out of nowhere. "Better than me, that's for sure."

Link laughs. "Really? Are you sure you watched it?"

Other Link frowns a little. Reliving his own fight with Dark Link, I'm sure. "Yeah, I watched it. You did a lot better than me. I lasted five minutes, had to use the Megatron Hammer, and it took a fairy to heal my wounds. You lasted a good 30 minutes, only took a hit to the shoulder, used the Master Sword, and still managed to defeat him. You did a good job." The crooked smile returns to his face. "I wouldn't have been able to do that as a 10-year-old, that's for sure."

"I thought you said you were 17 when you fought him?" Navi asks.

"Yeah, I was. But at the same time, I was still 10 in some ways. I don't know, it's hard to explain." He smiles at Link. "Anyway, your reward," He hands Link the Ocarina. The Ocarina of Time.

"Okay, seriously?" Navi asks incredulously. "Another instrument?"

"Not just any instrument," Other Link says. "It's the instrument that made me famous, that made me a hero and helped me fulfill my destiny. The Ocarina of Time."

Link looks at the Ocarina with wide eyes. "You're kidding me. The Ocarina of Time?"

Other Link nods. "Yep." Link holds it with gingerly, as if it might break just by holding it too hard.

"So, we can go back in time, and into the future?" Sheik says, excitement laced in his voice.

Other Link laughs. "Nope, sorry. It's just to help you get into the Dark Castle. And to get to the next Chosen Hero."

"I think I know who it is, I'm seeing a little pattern here." I say.

Other Link smiles. "Maybe. He's waiting for you in the Gerudo Desert, in Arbiter's Grounds."

Sheik looks surprised. "The old prison? It's been abandoned for hundreds of years, why there?"

Other Link shrugs. "You'll see," He smiles at all of us. "Good luck. Especially with your next trial. And, just as a little forewarning, it's going to be the hardest one yet."

"More difficult than this?" Link asks, still holding his arm.

"Oh, yeah." He smiles at us again. "Good luck guys!" And then he disappears into thin air.