A/N:
By now, we know him and love him: A gigantic thanks to Norkix (here on FFnet) for beta reading this chapter! His encouraging critiques and overall writing wisdom have helped me immensely.
Thank you all for reading - I see you, and I sincerely appreciate your support. Every time I receive a review/favorite/follow, it brightens my day! :)
Enjoy the read!
XXXXX
A powerless, grating scream erupted from her throat, brought forth by the wind currents that breezed and roared past her sweltry face. All around her, the granular tones of reds, oranges, and tans meshed together, liquefying into a kaleidoscope of rainbow hues. Her hands clenched the rust-covered edges of the rickety minecart she had accidentally toppled into, which was now speeding her rigid body down a neglected, discordant trackway, spluttering as it rolled over the crumbling pits strewn about the ground.
Zelda hardly had time to blink before her back suddenly hit the uneven floor with a resounding thud. The minecart had come to a complete stop, ejecting her gracelessly to the ground in a scrambled mass. A drawn-out groan trickled from just beyond her parched lips.
Spinning. Everything felt like it was spinning and swaying. Her vision was blotchy and dense, as if she were peering through a snow-covered window, face scrunched much too close to the glass with her humid breath drawing condensation to the surface. A muddled ache clouded every square inch of her body, forcing her to lay in the crumpled heap the minecart had tossed her in.
Her journey through this abandoned mine - through the Cave of Flames - was proving to be more complicated than she could have originally anticipated.
When she had initially stepped foot into the uninhabited building, the suffocating heat had been the first thing she had taken notice of. It was a dry heat; crackling and baking and devouring the atmosphere whole. Ceramic pots had been huddled in each corner of the small, uninviting room, and the flat color palette of slate gray jumbled with washed-out warm tones had greeted her.
As she had ventured deeper, the ambiance had quickly shifted beyond that lackluster entrance. Pools of lava had bubbled and boiled alongside the twisting pathways and corridors; singing Zelda's fingertips each time her hands hovered above. A handful of doors bordered the premises, but extensive locks were bolted on top of them, deriding Zelda with tarnished discouragement.
Stranger yet was the fact that she had been completely alone, with not even a sign that a Keese or Spiked Bettle or even Chuchu had taken residence here. She had expected that at least a couple - if not an entire small group - of monsters would have been bumbling about. It felt unnaturally empty, and not in the gratifying or alleviating way that one might have assumed.
It felt downright spine-chilling.
Even still, Zelda had persisted. She had eluded the stewing pits of lava, sidestepped the fissures bespeckling the terrain, and even stopped to fumble with a cluster of hulking stone pedestals that had been in disarray, cramming them into the cratered floor to form a pathway to a small wooden treasure chest. Her efforts had been rewarded with a boring metal key, with the silver-coating chipped and faded. It had felt defeating at first - until her eyes had locked onto one of those taunting sealed doors she had bypassed earlier, just up ahead. Realization had washed over her, and before she knew it, she was standing in front of the door and jamming the acquired key in. A tired smile had graced her features as an accepting click rebounded throughout the room.
Unfortunately, the key had ruptured into several unusable pieces once she nudged the newly unlocked door open, and although she had initially balked at the loss of the valuable tool, the room she had gained access to had briskly rectified the situation and rendered her speechless.
Minecarts - most mangled in a way not dissimilar to having been chewed and spat out - had crowded the room. The heat had felt even more unbearable in the confined area; thick and tangible in the worst way. Rivers of lava had gurgled nearby, hissing as the decaying platforms of compressed rock that drifted in a slow cadence across their surface crumbled and sank beneath the infernal expanse. A thin minecart trackway had been visible in the distance, sitting just above the magma and stretching to an otherwise unreachable plot of land; though it had seemed to extend even further still, far beyond sight, ultimately tunneling into what had looked like nothingness.
At first, Zelda had tentatively inspected the piles of scrap metal and shreds of corroded parts that congested the way; which had covertly morphed into her examining a particularly entrancing minecart soon thereafter. It had laid toppled over in a crestfallen heap, though the wheels had seemed sturdy and the rectangular base of the machine was devoid of the larger scratches or holes that plagued the other minecarts she had scrutinized thus far.
It had been a delicate process - untangling the minecart from the hands of heavy metals and crushed ore pieces - but it had been a task Zelda had undergone with an impulsive eagerness imbued in her movements. Before long, the minecart had been overturned, sitting inflexibly on the trackway as she hunched over it.
She had only meant to analyze the minecart's condition further, ensure it was durable and well-constructed, maybe clear out the chunks of ore that seemed to have infused with a melted corner she had caught sight of when she had righted its position. Instead, a peculiar gust of wind had swept in from behind her, which had caused her footing to lose friction and knock her into the minecart she had been bent over.
The minecart had soared instantaneously on the trackway once her body had crashed inside. She had barely enough time to correct her position and grip onto the metal plates of the contraption she was in before she had been hurled onto the floor - which is how she had arrived where she now lay, in a doleful heap.
"Why must this be so difficult?" she absentmindedly drawled.
From the base of the floor, Zelda tried to comprehend where the minecart had deposited her, careening her head around the dusty room in a daze. Her vision was nearly restored, but her body still rattled with pain. The fiery heat, so strong that it engulfed each particle of air with its temper, only served to prolong her injuries. The burn she felt from each crinkle of skin or movement she made was miserable, and the previous cuts she had amassed whilst climbing Mt. Crenel seemed to swell and sting further with each passing second.
A murky entryway was positioned in the corner of the room, which Zelda caught sight of from the outskirts of her field of vision. Using the last remnants of her strength, she awkwardly pushed herself up - with shrill pain ebbing through each ligament and tissue in her body.
I must be close to the Fire Element by now… there's no way I'm still so far from it after everything I've already endured to get here. Zelda steadied her position, clenched her jaw to conceal a waxy grimace, and staggered into the tenebrous entryway ahead.
A harsh clang bit the air as she crossed into the new space. Impulsively, she gripped her bow and nocked an arrow with unrivaled speed, ignoring the onslaught of soreness from her breakneck reaction. Her pupils dilated, and she scanned the room hastily, with a rush of excitement and alarm braiding and melding in her core.
A flash of movement to her left caught her eye, and her tightened bow was pitched towards the culprit before the rest of her body mimicked her posture.
Twirling at her with paramount speed was the telltale blue shell of a Spiked Beetle. Its silvery spikes moved so quickly, so unreliably, that they almost blended together in a snare of wonderment, catching her gaze in a tangling hypnotic web.
Zelda crouched low and propelled her body to the right with a polished somersault, bounding out of the targeted line of attack. Once upright again, she strung her bow taut and aimed low, right as the Spiked Beetle popped itself out of its shell to check if it had successfully impaled its target.
The arrow swirled like a firecracker in the night sky, landing squarely on the gray scales of the monster below its shell. A piercing scream overwhelmed the room all at once, and then a wisp of smoke flittered out, followed by utter silence.
With her chest heaving gently from adrenaline, Zelda unceremoniously hooked her bow back onto her quiver before wiping at the bead of sweat that collected on her brow. The smoke and fog cleared at a measured pace, and once the room was mostly visible again, her gaze landed curiously on a strange blue pouch perched innocently in the room, right where the Spiked Beetle had met its final demise.
"That's… odd. I certainly didn't drop that," she whispered.
Her knees folded at the seams as she bent down to grab it, reveling in the velvety touch of the unusual item. She loosened the corded drawstring and peered inside, initially finding nothing but an emptied bowl of shadows. Upon closer inspection, she noticed the thick coating of rich, charcoal black fabric hugging the interior; which she soon realized was added to obscure the mystery housed within.
Hesitant, yet with a tethering desire for answers, Zelda arched the pouch upside down, allowing gravity to open its arms in hospitable delight. A leaden thunk hit the ground, followed closely by various metallic jangling, with a choir of clinks and clangs echoing behind. She took a deep, controlled breath, and then readily pulled the pouch away.
A bundle of circular bombs swayed like loose cucco eggs; though, upon closer review, a handful of oddities came to light that set them apart from the typical bombs Zelda had often seen or interacted with. Instead of the mattified cobalt that typically daubed the weapons, these bombs were washed in pale green, with warped antennas that sat peculiarly on each incurved top. In addition to the abnormal design, a muted light flickered near each antenna in a sluggish, cold rhythm, with the red signal contrasting harshly with the light-toned shell.
Her hand reached to grab one of the bombs, slow and mindful, but an unusual platinum glint on the ground stole her attention instead. Laying alongside a cluster of bombs was, what appeared to be, a glossy remote - evidently worn from time with an assortment of surface scratches and smudges. A single red button was placed in the center of the remote, and a faded green light flatlined above it.
She picked up the device, staring at it with confusion. Although the memory was fuzzy, looking at this now brought her back to a long-since rainy day, cooped up in Master Smith and Link's house. It was a vague recollection she had, but she could almost hear Link explaining the fascinating advancement of remote-controlled bombs that a young Minish he had encountered had shown him; could almost feel the chipped ceramic teacup in her hands, with the edge of the drink brought to her lips to cover the childlike amusement that threatened to spillover due to Link's animated retelling of his adventures.
That memory, now, merely filled her with sorrow. What Zelda wouldn't give to hear Link's rosy laughter again, to indulge in an herbal cup of tea that was steeped just a touch too long, to explore the vast world of the Minish through his eyes…
Heartache reared its unsightly head. Her grip on the strange remote only tightened, with her eyes glazed over in pain and deliberation. Why did this happen? Link doesn't deserve this, and frankly, neither do I…
A soft rumble rippled out beneath her, shaking the brittle ground. Yet the sting of emotions swirling in Zelda's veins, sour and melancholic, left her wholly ignorant of the situation unfolding, disregarding the vibrational movements that gently lurched and swayed. What if I never find the Four Elements? What if this was all a waste of time? What if… I can never save Link?
The air crepitated with decomposing rock hymns, and the crackle and sizzle of the torrid floor ripping apart reverberated loudly throughout the enclosed space. The harsh tremors, fiercer than before, sweeping underneath the earth finally snapped Zelda back into reality - though, unfortunately, her realization had come too late.
The ground splintered apart beneath her, and suddenly, she was falling. On instinct, her eyes slammed shut, and a shallow cry erupted from her throat. She jerked her limbs towards herself, swaddling them close to her body as she anchored her grip on the remote still in her trembling hands.
Somewhere in the back of her mind, she pleaded for her light magic; abstractedly invoked its brilliant power as a shower of rubble, debris, and loose bombs torrented around her. A flash of iridescent light scorched luminously at that moment, so bright that she could see it even with her eyes squeezed tight, even with the onyx-colored void of blindness submerging her vision.
At once, the horrid sensation of sinking faster and faster into the stifling hot air stopped. Her momentum decelerated, and she found her body lowering with restrained ease and attentiveness. Zelda timidly opened one eye, fearful of what she might see.
A large, diamond-like shield encased her body entirely. It was beautiful; gilded in pure gold and glass. It mirrored freckles of light where shadows skittered on the falling rocks above. The shield drifted downward at a leisurely pace, which, Zelda noticed, was nearing level ground below. Thank the goddesses it wasn't lava underneath, she thought. A lukewarm sigh escaped her lips as she tried to relax, choosing to admire, instead, the luster of shaded silhouettes that coiled and nuzzled the cascading light residue reflected from her shield.
Then, undiluted red saturated her vision.
The color was so pure and dominant and glaring that it was all she could see. Briefly, Zelda worried that something was wrong with her vision, that maybe using her magic with a panic-stricken plea had wounded her somehow. However, the blaring red progressively subdued (or, perhaps, her eyesight merely adjusted). Confused, she scanned the room she was slowly entering - though it wasn't long before she noticed where the flood of red had originated from.
Hovering in the center of the sparse room, bathed in an ethereal glow of innumerable red complexions, was the Fire Element. It blinked and sputtered like the flames it took its namesake from; it sparkled with an enchantment Zelda had never been lucky enough to witness before now.
It was otherworldly - and, luckily, it was completely unattended.
As if on cue, her protective shield stirred above the floor, and with a resonant hum, it vanished. Her feet hung in the air before shuffling downwards, one after the other, until she was stabilized fully in the unfamiliar room.
Still clutched in her grip was the remote she had found earlier, though she barely registered its presence anymore. Her eyes had not left the Fire Element, wholly intoxicated by its unimaginable glow. She moved as soon as she could, wobbling toward the Fire Element with her weakened stride, determined to view it close-up.
It didn't take long for Zelda to cover the distance, even with the pace of her lethargic steps. Her stare, now mere inches from the Fire Element, was unblinking. She stood still - transfixed and hypnotized, and entirely nonplussed that her plan had been successful. After the grueling climb and exploration she underwent on Mt. Crenel, the various scuffs and abrasions she sustained along the way, and now her escapade through this burning maze she had stumbled into… it had all culminated into a honeyed victory.
Her hands stretched to pluck the red-hot Fire Element from its suspended position in the air, but a jarring clang suddenly rattled below her, pulling her out of her awestruck stupor. She glanced down and noticed the quaint remote she had picked up earlier, right before the ground had torn open and swallowed her whole.
I must have forgotten I was still carrying it, she mused.
Relieved, she began to pry her stare away from the ground, but a sizable glint of metal - wedged in the very corner of the room, rippling ever so gently - captured her attention instead.
Zelda cocked her head to the side, confused.
The silvery mass leaked in her direction, detaching from the corner it had been affixed to. It trickled forward, poppling and gurgling in its crusade. As it oozed with its creeping, flooding pace, the globule unexpectedly fractured, bubbling into six smaller lumps of identical size.
Zelda took a step backward, apprehension swelling in her chest. She wrenched her bow from its support in her quiver - trying, in vain, to ignore the stinging pain that flared throughout her body at the movement - and poised it towards the slinking cluster.
Where do I even aim, though? These things seem to be melted into the floor. Out of exasperation, she yanked a loose arrow from her quiver and nocked it - releasing it without a pause. The arrow spiraled, curved, and danced in the balmy air once set free from her bowstring, aimed expertly at one of the blobs that trickled forward.
She watched as the arrow hit its target with ease, but instead of the finishing cry she had anticipated to have babbled out from the monster, the arrow sunk deep into the viscous puddle and stalled, embedding itself into the body of the grotesque enemy.
"W-what?" Zelda's voice was breathy; speechless. Her only tangible knowledge regarding the monsters that lurked around Hyrule came directly from Link's stories, though he would often spare any horrific details, jumping instead to the outlandish strategies he and Ezlo had exploited to vanquish their foes. She couldn't recall any stories he'd told her about silvery monsters that clung to the ground, gluey and puddle-like in their movements; or any monsters that devoured weapons used against them, parading the stolen weapon like a trophy in their transparent bodies.
The strange enemies, appearing as six globs of liquefied metal, barreled forward, only splitting pathways from one another to circle Zelda's disoriented form. Only once they had caged her, circled her from every border, did they halt their movements.
What do I do? she thought numbly. She was uncomfortably aware that she was now running low on arrows, though her bow didn't seem to be doing anything to these creatures, anyway. She still had the Hookshot, Grip Ring, and haggard gloves in her shoulder bag - but those were merely utilized for climbing and maneuvering Mt. Crenel's terrain, not for fighting. How do I defeat these things?
In her moment of loss, that was when the enemies sprang up. They unfurled like a geyser, standing just below Zelda's thighs and molded after lanky mushroom caps. Their eyes were all the same woeful shade of yellow, finished with violet crescent moons colored underneath the sockets. Zelda noticed the stray arrow she had fired at one of them earlier, still carelessly settled in its jellied stomach.
"Oh, you're just a bizarre variation of Chuchus. That's all?" She raised an eyebrow in disbelief, pinching the base of another arrow in her quiver and nocking it at one of the monsters. "Should've said so earlier."
A faint grin stained her face as she released her shot, watching it fly towards its unsuspecting target. Taking out a handful of Chuchus will be a cinch. I can't believe I let those things scare me, she boasted.
Just as the arrow was about to hit its bullseye, her view became a sea of clattering spikes, far-reaching and tapered to a sharp point. A deafening screech engulfed the air soon after, followed by the mangled chunks of steel and iron from her arrow showering her where she stood.
This might be more of a problem than she initially predicted.
Several seconds passed before the spikes retracted, unblurring Zelda's vision and granting her ample space to move again. She glared at the witless faces of the Spiny Chuchus, watching as they foolishly wobbled against each other in their attempts to barricade her entirely.
Her gaze flickered to the remote control a few paces away, tucked near the Fire Element. An idea struck her. If my arrows can't damage them easily, perhaps those bombs can?
It was risky, but the choices she had available were minimal.
With excitement, blazing pain, and uncertainty swimming in her lungs, Zelda clasped her bow to her quiver and bolted from her position. She clambered by a Spiny Chuchu, attempting to provide as much leeway between herself and it as she could, but it reared its barbed spikes too soon, grazing her arm as she crouched low and snatched the remote.
A hiss of pain escaped her, and she stumbled ever so slightly as she crossed the Spiny Chuchus' threshold. She still had the remote clutched securely in her hand, but her eyes absentmindedly lowered to her arm, taking in the sharp cut that now trimmed her skin.
Deep breath, she thought. Zelda was tired and annoyed, running on a spoonful of sleep and worthless hours of festival planning that had all but melted her brain. The last thing she needed was to be dealing with these monsters, but it seemed she'd need to defeat them if she wanted to leave with the Fire Element in tow. I can do this.
The Spiny Chuchus bounded towards her again, seemingly picking up momentum. She saw a splotch of pale green in the distance, almost buried in the rubble and dirt hills that furnished the room. Without thought, her legs charged towards it, passing the monsters gracelessly.
Which had been a mistake. The clangor of one of the Spiny Chuchus' spikes protracted right as she passed, mildly puncturing her left shoulder on contact. A piercing pain lit up her appendage immediately, electrifying her brain. Somehow, Zelda had suddenly become a stupefied husk on the floor, gripping her left shoulder with all of the power she held in her body. Warm blood trickled past her hand, painting her flesh crimson, and her eyes strained at the visual before her, willing herself to comprehend what had transpired in only a few seconds.
She peeked around her injured shoulder, watching the group of Spiny Chuchus draw closer still. Her eyes tilted back to the flash of green she had seen earlier, which was now only an arm's length away.
I just need to grab that bomb... She outstretched her unimpaired arm, extending it as far as she could, pleading for success and begging to ignore her pain. She could hear the sickening sludge of the Spiny Chucus behind her; could feel the blood drip from her shoulder to her lap below.
Finally, her hand latched onto the explosive, and she pulled it back in succession - a wave of relief crashing over her at the sight. She thrust her finger onto the blinking light stationed near the antenna, noticing it flatline and remain steady, glowing an almost ominous red.
With the Spiny Chuchus so close, Zelda merely nudged the bomb forward, watching as it briefly whirled in a dizzying display of green and monotone red before slowing near the treacherous group of monsters. The Spiny Chuchus hovered over the item, clamoring in a grating tongue, and propping their heads curiously near the new object.
Zelda plucked the remote from the ground and pressed the button mercilessly, hoping above all else that this plan of hers would even work.
An explosion filled the room.
It was orange and yellow and utterly bold, ruffling smoke clouds and tendrils of dust into the atmosphere. Zelda balled into a shapeless form - well, as much as her body allowed her to - as she held her legs to her torso using her uninjured arm. Rock chips and dirt flecks hailed from the air, dirtying her clothes and skin in smears of russet tones. The warm blast of wind that had emerged from the detonation site scattered the flailing debris, hurtling it aimlessly in all directions of the stifling space.
Most importantly, though, when the sooty fog wafted away… no more Spiny Chuchus remained.
Only the Fire Element still glimmered in the dry, dirty room.
"Thank the goddesses," she murmured. Her voice was tender and doughy; foreign to her ears.
She ascended to her feet, gaze solely attached to the Fire Element wavering in front of her. With thick, weakened steps, Zelda tottered towards the infallible artifact. She quickly glimpsed around the four corners of the grimy room, ensuring she was completely alone. A fragile smile etched itself onto her face as she staggered to the tips of her toes, seizing the Fire Element with her right hand. She pulled the enchanted object downwards, held it right in front of her face, and stared at it with her eyes filled with reverence.
"I have it… I finally have the Fire Element."
Reality had not quite set in, but the blinding sting in her shoulder and body forced her back to the present. After all of this time, the sun will definitely be rising soon… I need to get back to Hyrule Castle.
Zelda cautiously placed the Fire Element in her bag, ensuring it was secured amongst the other loose items she carried with her. She swept her gaze across the room again, scanning for a simple pathway that could be utilized for escape. A fissured wall caught her eye, crumbling with bits of rubble stuck beside it. A memory of Link - in his home, hunkered in his antique chair and looking entirely too tired - flashed in her mind. He had expounded on a peculiar adventure where he had utilized his bombs to open new passageways; looking for rifts in the hollow walls he had bypassed, or sometimes even using his sword to listen for the giveaway clash of vacancy.
Zelda smiled. A bone-tired, lamenting smile.
Although her body was sore and stinging all over, it was nothing compared to the searing ache that pulsed and throbbed in her left shoulder, right where the puncture wound she had sustained resided. She tried to ignore the pain, sluggishly forcing her attention onto the task at hand instead. She began snooping for more of the bombs that were concealed in the dross and wreckage, with thoughts of her plush bed and warm food collecting in her mind.
The sky was awash in a pale yellow hue, the clouds hung low and feathered into stiff peaks, and the sun leisurely sailed toward its characteristic locus. It was a typical early morning.
And, as with most typical early mornings, Zelda was kneeling in the shadowed hedges of Hyrule Castle's garden, grateful that the garden caretakers weren't scheduled to trim the shrubbery until later in the afternoon.
She had made her way back to Hyrule Castle with minor difficulty, fortunate that Mt. Crenel had a dedicated departure route. Before leaving the Cave of Flames, Zelda had been able to scrounge up a handful of the remote-controlled bombs that had been lodged in scattered dirt piles, spilling any extras she had found into her shoulder bag to bring home. With the assistance of one of the bombs she had dislodged, the groove in the wall she had spotted earlier had burst apart into a cavernous exit, and from there, heading back downwards to Mt. Crenel's Base was a simple task. After a smattering of scraggly rock walls and the occasional somber cave - which, of course, did provide moments of difficulty due to her injuries - she had been stumbling back into Trilby Highlands in no time.
From there, navigating her way to the entrance of Hyrule Town had also been less complicated. The group of Keatons she had originally escaped from were still nowhere to be seen, and with the smidgen of white-gold light that had distilled through the treetops, she had been able to easily read her map, as well as the directive wooden signs that enriched the terrain. Once Zelda had been on the outskirts of Hyrule Town, traveling to Hyrule Castle's garden without being seen was a non-issue for her.
Presently, she was biding her time, waiting for a patrolling guardsman to pass the dewy bush she was crouched behind. Her right hand had been clutching her damaged shoulder, crumpling the blood-caked fabric in her grip. Dregs of fatigue and enervation clawed at her, but she couldn't surrender.
Exhaustion would be a small price to pay in order to save Link.
The distinct clacking of the castle knights' heavy shoes rumbled past Zelda's concealed form. She waited with bated breath, counting to three in her mind, before she pushed onto her feet and sidled behind a distant hedge. She was so close to her bedroom, could almost touch her balcony window from her discreet position, but she did not budge further. Another guard should be coming any minute now, making the rounds for their morning patrol…
At her prediction, a burly figure marched into view and stood unknowingly in front of her shrouded form. In one gloved hand, he held an extended spear, whetted to a sheen, and in the other, he cradled his corrugated metal helmet. His hardened glare swiveled in each direction, coming to a stop and lingering on the area Zelda occupied. Her heart pounded, welted, nearly lit aflame, but then she heard a reverberant grunt, followed closely by shuffling armor pieces that quieted with each detached step taken.
The moment silence split her ears was the moment she inched towards her balcony window. She spared a glance into the garden, scouting for any wandering guards amongst the picturesque flower bushels that were laced with purples and whites in radiant shades. Once she had established that the area was empty, she torturously hoisted herself up, clenching her jaw to refrain from crying out in pain as her wounds wrinkled and puckered on the surface of her skin.
She unlatched her balcony window, twisted her body, and tumbled safely inside.
Okay, she thought, huddled on her homespun floor. I just need to hide the Fire Element, tend to my wounds, and change into my royal gown before anyone comes to prep me for the day. A sigh drifted past her chapped lips, saturated with exhaustion. I suppose I'll just attempt to sneak in a nap later…
Zelda stood slowly, unpleasantly, and tottered towards her hidden storage chest, supporting her pained shoulder with each inching movement. She drew the chest from its cloak of shadows and unlatched the flimsy cover, prising it open.
"Alright, there we go," she mumbled.
She started by unfastening her thin armor plate, threading it cautiously around her injuries and arrow quiver. Her hand brushed at the dirt and dust and blood that now varnished her once prized possession, and she assured herself that she'd bring it to Master Smith to clean later.
After storing the armor plate away, she rooted around her shoulder bag, wrenching the Hookshot, Grip Ring, gloves, and - most meticulously - the Fire Element out. She stashed each item into the storage chest, taking extra precaution with the Fire Element by wrapping it in a spare slip of cloth she had nearby. Once assured that everything was snug, she plopped the storage chest close, latching it and pushing it back into its hidden crook.
From there, her bow and quiver were shoved near her wardrobe, laying in wait for her next archery lesson. She began languidly sliding out of the garments that now clung to her like a second skin - almost laminated onto her form from dried blood and sweat. She lifted her shirt just above her shoulders, being slow and mindful of her movements. Yet, the careful motion did little to help. A crackle of white, withering pain shot into her wound again; immobilizing her mind and body.
Come on, Zelda. She pinned her eyes close and, with a single, austere tug, flayed the shirt off of her body. Her face paled and a vibrational scream was caught in her throat, but she tirelessly swallowed it. I'm almost done.
Her eyes roamed to her left shoulder, blanching at the grisly sight. Dried blood stuck to the edges of the puncture wound, resembling mountain rocks at the fringe of a crater. A fresh, sticky trail of blood oozed downwards in a lazy rhythm, leaving strings of bright red in its wake. The puncture site wasn't as deep as she feared, though it would still take forever and a day to fully heal.
Zelda slinked into her private lavatory, pulling out rags, bandages, and medicinal tinctures from her tightly packed cabinet. She dampened a thick strip of cloth first - rubbing at the blood stains and dirt smears that enveloped her skin. If only I had enough time to properly clean myself, she inwardly griped. If those Spiny Chuchus had never attacked me, I wouldn't even need to deal with these gashes and wounds - and I would've been home sooner!
She plunked the dirty rag into a bucket full of water so it could soak, and then she took hold of one of the heavy glass bottles she had taken out earlier. The glass was dyed a forest green, with a lopsided rectangular base and frosted coating. The ghostings of a darkened liquid could almost be seen sloshing within, calling to be serviceable. Zelda screwed the metal cap open, liberally pouring the pungent liquid onto a clean, dry cloth. She scrunched her face in tense anticipation, previously acquainted with the burning medicine.
She pinned the cloth to her wound; bit her tongue and wrinkled her nose in an attempt to brush aside the pain. The tendons in her shoulder screeched, feeling like they were fraying at loose ends and coming undone inside her. It took everything she had, all of her strength and energy, to not bawl from pain, fatigue, loneliness, fear…
The unbearable sting waned to a pinching sensitivity. Zelda's turbulent breath fizzled out as the pain abated, and she withdrew the drunken rag from her wound, donning a lopsided smile at her much cleaner - though still swollen - shoulder.
She compressed layer after layer of bandage onto this injury, binding it roughly and haphazardly. With the leftover bandages, she tore a few ribbons of the material off and wrapped the strands around a handful of lighter wounds she had sustained; the gash on her arm, a cut on her finger, and a bruise rapidly forming on her torso.
Finally, bandaged and somewhat clean, Zelda ambled to her lavish wardrobe and opened the mahogany door, pulling out her rose-colored gown from within the depths of it. The ornate dress slipped off of its hanger as she seamlessly straightened it onto her body, laced and buttoned the structure, and buffed away any fine particles.
If plum-colored under-eye bags hadn't been leaching the milkiness from her skin, Zelda would have hardly been able to tell that she had snuck out, ascended Mt. Crenel, tirelessly battled a throng of enemies, retrieved the Fire Element, and forfeited her sleep.
Her bed shifted and teetered underneath the sudden flop of weight as Zelda planted herself on one of the edges. Lazily, she pulled out Link's map - her map - and ogled at the colorful borders and flummoxing symbols scrawled seemingly at random. If only I could ask Link about this now, she thought.
Lost in the throes of apathy, she plucked a compacted stylographic pen from her bedside dresser, inked it, and scored two thin lines on the map: A v-shaped checkmark precisely on Mt. Crenel's location.
A twinkle glistered in her pupils, wholly unfocused and imprecise, right as her bedroom door squeaked open.
"Princess Zelda?"
The voice felt distant, as if it were echoing in a broad tunnel. Zelda only just heard it, still adrift in her barren yet overflowing thoughts.
"Yes?" Zelda nervously jammed her map underneath her pillow, forcing an inauthentic yawn to cover the crinkling sounds as she did so. She turned her head toward the voice, coming face to face with an ordinary maid who was dressed in a crisp uniform, sporting a slick auburn bun hairstyle.
"Ah, you're already awake, Princess Zelda?" The maid bowed, a warm smile nestled on her face as she fixed her gaze on Zelda. "And dressed, too! Wonderful. Good morning, Princess Zelda. Shall I escort you to the dining hall to begin your day, then?"
Zelda forced a smile in return. "Certainly."
Before Zelda could stop her, the maid marched up to her and gripped her left arm in an effort to help her out of bed. A galvanic twinge scuttled on top of her puncture wound, shooting lightning strikes down her arm. Zelda bit the inside of her cheek, clamping down forcefully on the soft tissue, surely drawing blood.
"T-thank you," Zelda said, standing up with the maid's lead.
The maid nodded as she loosened her grip on Zelda's arm, entirely unaware of her distress. Zelda allowed the maid to begin escorting her out of her room, all while thoughts of sleep and burning pain danced in her head.
It's going to be a long day, she inwardly brooded.