Couple of the Wild (ZeLink)

Chapter 10: Drowning in Exertion

The morning sun shone through the window. Zelda winced, though it wasn't caused by the brightness. She ached. Everything ached. It was a throbbing pain constantly pulsing throughout her body in time with every heartbeat, each muscle screaming in agony, unable to be ignored. With a groan, Zelda rolled over in bed, instantly regretting her decision when pain flared in every muscle. Despite this, the will to move grew stronger than the one requesting to stay put, for the moment she opened her eyes, she realized she was the only one in bed.

Ignoring the ache in her muscles, she pushed herself up, looking around the loft in a failed attempt to locate Link. She was sure he had grown at least a little more comfortable with sharing the bed with her, even if he was still a bit hesitant to get in. There was little belief that he would just up and go sleep in the dirt again, for even he knew she would throw a fit if he had. She remembered the day before when he was nowhere to be found, he had left the bed early to go chop wood. Was this a similar case?

Before she could invent any more reasons for Link to be absent, a delicious aroma wafted toward her from downstairs. It smelled so good, she couldn't help but move to determine just what it was. Gingerly she slid to the edge of the bed, each movement pure torture, and lowered her feet to the floor. With a slow, agonizing grunt, she stood and shuffled to the wooden railing of the loft. Placing her palms on the wood, she peered down to the lower level, where she saw Link sitting at the table with two dishes of food prepared.

"Is that breakfast I see?" she called from above, trying to hide her pain.

"It sure is. Come down and eat," Link called back. Zelda noticed a long piece of wood in one of his hands and a knife in the other. It looked as though he was shaving off the bark.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"Shaving," Link replied simply.

"At the table where all of the food happens to be?" Zelda asked querulously, her brow furrowing in disapproval.

"It's not getting in the food, I promise," Link assured her, focused on his shaving.

"How do you know?"

"I'm being careful."

"Careful enough to know nothing is getting into our meal?"

"Careful enough to know nothing is getting in our meal."

"But what about the floor? There's a mess of wood shavings now! Do you plan to clean it up—?"

"You're stalling," Link cut in, looking up from his work to meet Zelda's eyes. "You're sore, aren't you?"

"E-extremely," Zelda admitted guiltily. "I never knew such an ache could feel so harsh. I feel sore in areas I didn't know could be. I feel as though I can barely move my arms..."

"You have to move around," Link said, returning to his project. "It'll only get worse if you don't. Come downstairs."

With a groan, Zelda looked down at the lengthy loft, every step of the staircase, and the space between the last step and the table. She felt exhausted with the little she had moved already; yet, if what Link said was true, she didn't want to experience pain even worse than this.

Wincing, she pushed herself off the railing and began her trek across the loft. Each step felt heavy, her legs slightly trembling each time they moved. It was even worse when descending the stairs. Each step was agony, her legs threatening to give out with every step. Eventually she made it to the final step and across the first level, then collapsed into her chair as she lost control of her legs. At this, Link chuckled.

"What are you laughing at?" Zelda fumed, painfully reaching out for her dish of food.

"Nothing, nothing," Link teased with a small grin. "That meal should help. It's steamed fruit, cooked with hearty durians. It should help heal your muscles a bit."