Chapter 13

It was early afternoon before Zelda stirred, the sunlight shining through the small window falling directly across her face. A groan escaped her lips as she managed to roll away from the offending light, her entire body a mass of minor aches and pains. She tossed and turned for a few minutes more before giving up on going back to sleep, her sore muscles no longer willing to be ignored. Sitting up was just as painful as lying down and she decided a bath would be the first order of business.

It didn't take long to figure out how to operate the tub and the long soak did wonders for the stiffness plaguing her muscles. Breakfast, or rather lunch, consisted of a random collection of fruit that had been stored in the slate. While there were a few of Link's forays into the world of culinary arts listed in the inventory, Zelda wasn't feeling quite that adventurous. The 'copious simmered fruit,' for example, appeared to be different fruits boiled together until they were little more than mush. The one titled 'dubious food' was even worse, and Zelda wondered just how desperate Link must have been to keep said dish after giving it such an ominous name.

Unable to do much until Link's return, Zelda whiled away the afternoon exploring the Sheikah slate. The map and travel gates were not features they had discovered 100 years ago and she wondered if there were any other new functions. Her searching revealed several more runes alongside the camera (locked, of course) as well as the familiar schematics for the divine beasts.

A familiar melancholy settled over her as she remembered the champions she had personally asked to pilot the ancient machines, as well as their unfortunate fates when the Calamity came. The legends told of the princess with the blood of the goddess and the chosen hero fighting against the Calamity alongside the legion of guardians and the four divine beasts 10,000 years past. Her inability to access the sealing power was directly responsible for the kingdom relying so heavily on the Sheikah tech 100 years ago, but she often wondered if it unlocking her powers would have made a difference. No one had anticipated Ganon corrupting and taking control of the ancient weapons and the entire kingdom had paid a high price because of the oversight.

The hollow sound of hooves on wooden planks startled her out of her musings, causing her to drop the slate to the table as she rushed to the door. The shadows were stretching long as the sun neared the horizon, but what caught her eye was the silhouette of both Aspen and Epona as they ran between the houses past the bridge.

"No! Wait!" Zelda frantically chased after them as they rounded a large tree and disappeared down the road heading out of town. Her mind raced faster than her feet, terrified at the prospect of having to tell Link she'd lost his horses.

Why had they run off? Had something spooked them? But shouldn't they have been tied up or in a stall or something? No, the only other structure by the house was a stand-alone awning that could provide a bit of shade and nothing else. Maybe they were running away because they were hungry? Link had left them three days ago- what if they needed more than just grass? Was she supposed to have fed them? If so, what was she supposed to feed them and where was she to get it? And why didn't Link tell her beforehand!?

She paused slightly as she exited the village gates, glancing around for any sign of the horses. Aspen's white coat was visible through the trees some distance away, seeming to be following the same path she and Link had taken when they set out days ago. The coincidence was lost on Zelda as she took off running again, determined not to lose them.

The game of tag continued for another agonizing ten or so minutes; Zelda trying her best to close the distance while the horses continued at a trot that was just slow enough for her to keep them in her sights. It wasn't until she exited the other side of the forest that the game finally seemed to be over. Epona came to a stop next to the lake just past grassy field where Link had defeated the talus a few days prior, tossing her head while Aspen leisurely began to graze some feet away. Zelda leaned against a tree for a few seconds, breathing hard, before the stumbling down toward the runaway steeds before they took off again.

"You...naughty things..." she panted as she finally caught up to them, gently laying a hand on Aspen's flank so as to not startle him. "You dare run off...simply because your master's gone?" The white stallion twitched an ear at her, but otherwise ignored her presence.

"Princess?"

Zelda was too tired to even jump at Link's unexpected voice, turning her head to see the knight leaning out from behind Epona. The brown quarter horse tossed her head again, rubbing her muzzle along Link's arm and across his chest.

Link caught her head before she pushed him over, stroking her nose to calm her before turning his attention back to the princess. "Are you alright? What are you doing out here?"

"I... The horses..." Zelda floundered for words, her own breathlessness and Link's sudden appearance robbing her of her usual eloquence.

The swordsman seemed to understand what she was trying to say. "Ah, sorry. That was my fault." He rubbed the back of his head a bit sheepishly. "I called them. They're trained to come to a certain whistle and I've been traveling non-stop, so..." He shrugged, giving her an apologetic look. "Sorry."

Zelda just stared at him for several long seconds before simply closing her eyes and shaking her head. She couldn't even muster up the energy to be angry about the misunderstanding, leaning against Aspen's side with a tired sigh as the horse continued grazing.

"Come sit before you fall." Link stepped around Epona and took Zelda's arm, guiding her to the sandy edge of the lake. "Drink some water and cool down. Your face is heavily flushed."

Zelda let him guide her to the water's edge, sinking down on the sand and splashing the liquid onto her burning cheeks. It was cool and refreshing, the sweat trickling down her neck and making her clothes stick to her body tempting her to jump into lake. She settled for drinking from her cupped hands instead, letting the excess created by her haste run along her throat and soak into her collar.

Link waited patiently while she drank her fill, stepping back to give her some space. Truthfully, he wanted nothing more than to sit down and rest beside her, but if he did he wasn't sure he'd be able to get back up again.

Once she'd slaked her thirst and calmed her breathing, Zelda turned her gaze back on her knight. "How did you get here so quickly? I assumed you wouldn't make back until tomorrow or later." She blinked, finally noticing his attire- or lack thereof. He was only wearing his undershirt, the tunic that went over it suspiciously absent. "What happened to your clothes?"

Link huffed out a tired laugh. "That tunic is made for cold weather. It proved a bit too warm once I made it past the snow." He jerked a thumb over his shoulder at the great flame blade leaning against a rock a few feet away, the snowquill tunic wrapped around the glowing blade. "As for how long it's taken me to get here, well...I've managed to maintain a steady pace while keeping breaks to a minimum."

"How is that possible? It took us almost two days to reach the promenade. How were you able to traverse that distance in mere hours?"

Link blinked at her, uncomprehending. "I don't think I'd call that mere hours, princess."

Zelda waved away his comment dismissively. "When did you set out?"

Another confused blink. "I left right after you did."

It was Zelda's turn to blink at him. Once, twice, as her mind processed his admission. "When I... Do you mean to say you walked all night!?"

Link nodded, his expression mild, as if traveling almost non-stop for well over twenty-four hours was a common, everyday occurrence.

Zelda just gaped at him. "Why did you not rest? It was well past midnight!"

"You think it's better to wake up in an avalanche?" Link's lips quirked in a lop-sided grin.

Zelda shook her head impatiently. "You could have bedded down once you were past the snow, or even where we slept the night before last."

"I had to reach Hateno as quickly as possible. Wasn't sure you wouldn't try to meet me halfway if I took too long."

The words were blunt and didn't sit well with Zelda at all. The insult brought out the leftover ire from being sent away the previous night- no matter how necessary the action had been -and gave birth to a scathing retort that she had to bite back before it escaped. Link was clearly too tired to filter his words, as evidenced by his slumped posture and drooping eyes. Lectures could wait- the most immediate concern was getting the poor boy to bed.

"All right, we can discuss all that later. Let's head back to Hateno for now." Zelda pushed herself to her feet, brushing off her trousers. She hesitated as she realized neither horse was wearing any gear. "Um, how did plan on riding without a bridle or saddle? I'm...afraid I left the Sheikah slate back at the house."

"I was gonna ride bareback." The lack of any sort of tack didn't seem to be a problem for the swordsman.

That was a term Zelda was unfamiliar with. "Bare-what?"

"Bareback." Link blinked at her blank expression, realizing that she'd probably never come across a situation where she'd ride a horse without all the proper gear. "Uh, basically you just jump on the horse and go."

Zelda certainly didn't like the sound of that. "How? Do you not still require a bridle, at the very least?" While the saddle's main purpose was to help one stay on the horse, the bridle was mainly used for control.

"I've trained Epona to..." Link trailed off, turning to Aspen with an appraising eye. "Actually, Aspen probably can't do this. We'll have to ride double. Come here, I'll help you up."

"Perhaps I should just walk?" Zelda suggested, glancing at the mare nervously.

"Don't worry, princess. It's perfectly safe." Link held out his hand, beckoning her closer. "I won't let you fall."

Zelda hesitantly stepped forward, climbing on the horse's back with Link's help. It was odd to feel the horse without the barrier of the saddle, her legs hanging down uselessly without stirrups.

"Scoot as high up on the shoulders as you can," Link instructed, patting Epona's shoulder for emphasis. "Now use your thighs to hold on but not your knees or feet. You can tuck your legs against her body, but don't squeeze." He guided her leg into position before moving her hand to the base of Epona's mane. "It takes a bit of getting used to, so you can hold onto her hair until you feel comfortable letting go."

While Zelda had long ago forgone clinging to the saddle horn, she had learned to ride by keeping a constant pressure on the stirrups for balance. The base of the mane was little more than a substitute saddle horn- something to cling to for the illusion of security without any real control over the horse. "And if I never feel comfortable enough to release her mane?"

Link gave her a tired smile. "Don't worry, Epona won't mind." He retrieved the sword from where it lay, mounting Epona in a surprising display of agility for one as fatigued as he looked. Scooting up behind Zelda, he slid his free arm around her waist, the other holding the great flameblade out to the side since the master sword was sheathed on his back. "You ready?"

Feeling as unsteady and nervous as when she'd had her first riding lesson as a child, Zelda took a deep breath. "As ready as I'll ever be."

Link pressed one leg firmly against Epona's side, prompting the mare to turn. She circled around until the pressure eased, now facing the forest. Link clicked his tongue and the horse started walking at a slow pace.

Zelda's hands were both fisted in the mane, the feel of the muscles moving beneath her thighs doing nothing to settle her nerves. The experience was so similar and yet very different from every other time she'd a ridden a horse. She was just starting to get used to Epona's rhythm when the horse went from a walk to a trot. The bounce in every step was startling and Zelda reflexively tightened her own grip to stay on. Her knuckles shone white between the clumps of black hair as Epona further sped up to a canter.

"Relax your legs, princess." Link's voice was calm in her ear, his arm holding her tightly against his chest as he forced them both to lean back. "You're telling her to speed up."

Zelda tried to do as he instructed, concentrating on only holding on with her thighs as Epona slowed back to a walk. It was more difficult than it sounded, requiring constant focus to keep her lower legs relaxed while the upper muscles were tensed. Epona sped up to a trot every time Zelda's attention wandered, Link's soothing voice and firm arm quick to correct the error.

"Try pointing your toes up and away from her," Link suggested after the third time. "It might help."

The tip proved very helpful indeed, allowing Zelda to relax a bit. Although cantering had been frightening, there was something exhilarating about riding- and controlling, though that was entirely Link -a horse without any tack. Aspen finally decided to follow them as they entered the forest and it didn't take long before they made it back to the road, Epona turning up the hill toward the town.

Zelda squirmed a bit uncomfortably as they passed the town gate. Though the return trip had taken far less time, it was more than enough to make her sore in rather delicate areas. A smooth leather saddle was far different than the ridge of the spine between the horse's shoulders and her nether regions were very quickly going numb.

Thus distracted, Zelda didn't notice when they missed the turn to the house until they were passing the dye shop. She turned her head slightly, suddenly realizing her knight was resting a fair amount of weight against her back. "Um, Link?"

The swordsman's head jerked up, eyes opening as Zelda's words pulled him from a light doze. "Sorry, princess," he apologized, reflexively pulling her with him as he leaned back.

Epona stopped, drawing and releasing a deep breath that visibly expanded her chest beneath their legs.

"Come on, girl. You know the way home." Link pressed his leg firmly against her side to turn her around. She followed the signals obediently, plodding back past the general store and heading away from the main road toward Link's house. A shrill whistle brought Aspen along, the white horse having stopped to pull an apple from a tree along the way.

The sun was close to setting by the time they made it back to the house. Link dismounted first before helping Zelda off, the later walking rather gingerly as they left the horses to graze and headed inside.

The Sheikah slate was still sitting on the table where Zelda had dropped it. "Are you hungry?" she asked, thinking about the assortment of fruits and mushrooms, as well as his own culinary experimentation, in the slate.

"No, I just want to go to sleep." Link leaned the greatsword against the wall in his corner under the stairs before sinking down onto his cot.

"Would you mind if I bathed?" The residual aches she'd had upon waking that morning had faded, but the inner thighs of Zelda's trousers were brown from dirt and horse hair. Even inside the house, it still smelled like she was standing next to Epona.

Link shook his head. "Do you need me to draw the bath?"

"No, I just didn't know if the noise would disturb you."

He huffed out a laugh at the absurd notion. "It's fine."

Zelda nodded, walking over and returning the slate to him. "It's probably easier to sleep with this than that sword," she said, indicating the hilt sticking up above Link's shoulder.

Link blinked at her for several seconds before remembering the sword currently strapped to his back. "Thanks."

She nodded again, stepping out of the alcove to allow Link to get ready for bed while she started warming the water in the tub. She waited a few minutes to be sure it was functioning properly before heading to her room to retrieve a set of clean clothes. She couldn't help but smile at the sight of Link passed out on his bed, looking as if he had simply leaned sideways and fallen asleep.

Stepping quietly, she carefully lifted his legs onto the bed and pulled off his boots, setting them on the floor. She had no hope of getting the blanket out from under him, so she used the folded throw at the foot of the bed to ward off the night's chill. He didn't even twitch.

Chuckling softly, she tucked the ends of the blanket up over his shoulders, gently sweeping an errant lock of hair out of his face before retreating out of the alcove. "Sleep well, Link."

Link was already up and ready to go by the time Zelda woke the following morning, her breakfast on the table and the horses saddled and waiting outside. She ate quickly and they were on the road shortly after the sun left the horizon. Since Zelda was overly worried about travel time, Link had led them on a winding route through the southern mountains. This path had them leaving the main road southwest of Hateno and joining it again two days later outside of Lurelin Village. Although there were a few parts where the horses had to struggle over the terrain, the shortcut had reduced the two-week journey to a matter of days.

Zelda had never been this far south before, but Link assured her they were only about half a day from their destination: Lake Floria. It was mid afternoon, which would put them arriving well after dark, so Link left the decision up to Zelda. She opted to press on rather than camp for the third night. The dragon only appeared after sunset anyway and Link had mentioned a stable at the lake's edge. The thought of sleeping in a real bed after getting a shard from Farosh's claw was too tempting to put off for another night.

They traveled in companionable silence as the sun steadily sank below the horizon, the chirping of crickets accompanying the clop of horse hooves on the packed earth as day drew to a close. A grassy field ended at the base of a tall cliff on one side of the road- part of the mountain range they had spent the last two days crossing. The other side sloped gently downward as the road forked, turning from grass to sand and eventually ending at the ocean in the distance. Zelda stared at the deep blue waters, letting her mind wander to what the ocean might be like. She'd read about it in books but never visited in person.

The attack came with no warning. Finely honed battle instincts had Link throwing himself sideways as a blade slashed down from above, saving his life but not fully avoiding the strike. It left a shallow cut in his side as he moved, briefly catching on his belt before ripping down the outer edge of his thigh and into the saddle below. Link crashed into the distracted Zelda riding next to him, his momentum taking them both out of the saddle.

Zelda lay on the ground in a daze, shoulder and back aching as she struggling to comprehend what had happened. Her mind went blank as a figure dressed in red and black appeared over her, the symbol on the white mask marking him as a member of the Yiga clan. A circular blade covered with long, wide spikes swung downward as Link quickly rolled off of her with an audible growl, the demon carver sinking into the ground next to her hip. The near-miss jolted Zelda to action, scrambling away from the assailant as he pulled the weapon out, metal ringing loudly seconds later.

Zelda quickly regained her feet and ran. The battle sounded intense, metal continually crashing against metal without pause. She forced herself to stop at a [somewhat] safe distance, turning back to survey the scene. The horses had bolted, likely just as startled by the surprise attack as their riders. Link was relentless in his attacks, not allowing his assailant time to do anything more than desperately block each strike. Even to the untrained eye, it was obvious the Yiga was hopelessly outmatched.

While she was relieved at the apparent ease of his fight, it was soon obvious something wasn't right. Link's onslaught was brutal and, though difficult to see with his constant movement, the expression on his face was downright feral. Zelda's breath caught in her throat at the madness shining in her knight's eyes. The faint orange glow in the grass made her heart sink even further as she picked up the Sheikah slate, one of the hooks that held it on Link's belt still attached to the handle, though the metal was twisted and bent beyond recognition.

She glanced up at a gurgled sound of pain, chest tightening as the sound abruptly stopped. Link had plunged the curved scimitar through the fallen man's throat, the worn blade snapping from the force of the blow. Tossing aside the useless hilt, he scooped up the dropped demon carver as he set his sights on her.

Link's body jerked as if he'd started to move forward before changing his mind, faint recognition flickering in his eyes. Lips curled in disgust as he glared at the slate still held in Zelda's hands before he turned and started running away.

The unexpected response startled Zelda, almost tripping as she hurried after him. "Wait! Stop!"

Link did neither, the distance between them rapidly increasing.

Without any more time to think, Zelda threw out her hand and called on the sealing power. The golden barrier flared to life in front of Link, the swordsman howling in fury and pain as he slammed into it. He quickly tried to go around, only to find the barrier continually ahead of him as it arced back around to Zelda. He tried to go through the other side, quickly finding that side to be closed off as well. Very literally backed into a corner, he snarled and began to beat his weapon against the shining blockade.

Zelda took a deep breath, hands clammy as she pulled the master sword from the slate with shaking fingers, the promise she'd made to Link seeming to echo in her ears. The master sword was heavy and ill-fitted to her hand, meant to be wielded only by the chosen hero. That didn't matter, as she couldn't hope to match him in swordsmanship even at his worst. She held the sword in front of her like a quarterstaff, one hand on the sheath with the other clutching the hilt. All she needed was to make him touch the sword and everything would be all right.

Link was in a frenzy, bodily slamming against different parts of the barrier like a caged animal, desperate to escape. Howls and shrieks of pain escaped his throat as the barrier flashed and crackled with sacred energy, showing no sign of faltering despite the assault.

Zelda rushed forward, holding the sword out in front of her to stop him before he ended up killing himself. Sensing the approach of the hated power from behind, Link whirled around with a horizontal strike of the demon carver still in his hand. Zelda screamed as the blade cut into her side, biting deep. The barrier flickered and died as pain shattered her concentration, but her momentum sent her crashing into Link and they both fell to the ground.

Zelda could do nothing but lie there on her non-injured side, whimpering as white-hot agony pulsed with every beat of her pounding heart. Only once did her eyes seek out the wound, quickly turning her head aside as the sight of the blade still embedded in her flesh made bile rise in her throat. She glanced around for anything to help distract herself from the pain, suddenly remembering the situation as she saw the scorched hand sticking out from beneath her shoulder.

"L-Link," she gasped, trying to crane her head back without moving her torso. It proved an impossible task, the sharp spike of pain pulling another cry from her lips. Given that Link was no longer trying to attack or run from her, Zelda assumed she had been successful and the master sword was keeping him in check.

Separating was a painstakingly slow process, Zelda carefully directing Link how to extricate himself from beneath her while keeping her movement to an absolute minimum. She could have cried from relief when he finally freed himself, though she new the worst was yet to come.

Link knelt at her side, the master sword strapped to his back to prevent another incident. He was also worse for the wear, most of his skin a deep crimson peppered with black scorch marks and one eye was completely swollen shut. Though his vacant expression meant he wasn't currently feeling any pain, it also meant the only help he could offer would be to follow instructions. If Zelda passed out, it could very well spell the end for both of them.

Steeling herself as best she could, she gave Link another panted command. "Remove this blade- and bandage the wound- augh!" She had scarcely finished speaking when her world went white as he reached forward the tugged the weapon from her side.

Link's motions were almost mechanical as he ripped the bottom off Zelda's already torn tunic, tearing the fabric into long strips. Agonized cries fell on deaf ears as he pulled her to a sitting position, tightly wrapping her side to staunch the bleeding. His hands fell still after he tied off the make-shift bandage, Zelda's whimpered breaths coming fast and shallow from her slumped position against his chest.

It was several long minutes more before the pain receded to a more manageable level and she shakily pushed away from Link's support. The sun had just set and they were still an hour or two from the stable. Riding the horses would be excruciating, but she couldn't walk that distance and didn't think Link would be able to either. And they were both too badly injured to wait until morning before seeking help.

"The horses-" Zelda paused, remembering the red potion from several days previous. Link had said it had remarkable healing properties, though it was a bit slow acting. "The healing elixir- bring it to me." She glanced around for the slate, trying to remember where she had dropped it. "There."

Link moved to where she had pointed, stooping to lift the slate from the grass. His movements were somewhat jerky and stilted, the injuries robbing him of his usual grace.

Zelda accepted the potion he handed to her, staring at the red liquid and trying not to think about what was in it. Anything to lessen the pain would be welcome at this point, but mental preparation was still needed so she didn't waste it by retching afterward. Several flakes of...something clinging to the glass vial caught her eye and she squinted at it in the fading light before turned to look at her knight. She quickly turned her head away, a shudder racing down her spine and making her side throb.

Patches of Link's burnt skin were starting to peel and slough off, leaving swaths of open and weeping wounds behind. His lifeless eye stared sightlessly into the distance, the blood staining his hands and trousers making him look an upright corpse. It was clear he needed the potion just as much as she did.

Feeling the urgency of the situation pressing down on her, Zelda quickly drank half the bottle before holding it out to Link. It took a few seconds for her to force the liquid to stay down before she could speak. "Drink it, then call the horses."

Link did as he was told, Epona and Aspen both cantering back in response to his whistle. It was a struggle to mount the white stallion even with Link's help, leaving Zelda pale and drenched in a cold sweat. She had wedged the slate beneath some of her bandages so as to not lose it before ordering Link to mount his own horse.

"We'll walk the horses. Make sure we both arrive at the stable." Zelda hesitated, paranoia flaring as she realized she had no idea when Link's episode might end. Given his state, it was likely someone would try to remove the sword to better treat his wounds. "And do not let anyone take the Master Sword from you, no matter what."

Link merely stared at her. Zelda touched her heels to Aspen's flank, prompting the horse to start walking. Link did the same with Epona as Zelda curled over her injury to minimize the movement. Each step sent pain rippling through her side, though she dared not coax the horse to go faster.

It was going to be a very long journey to the stable.

To Be Continued

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