Hero by Heart

Chapter 46

The next few days the small house became a hotspot of important meetings.
     Link used every free moment he had to try and heal Zelda with Mipha's grace, and slowly but surely he did see improvement.
     The wound that had been deep and ragged, with torn muscles just underneath the surface, was now mostly superficial. The muscles seemed to have aligned again and the skin had turned pink, as if a fresh scar was forming.
     Although there was progress, both he and Zelda became impatient, wanting to get out and get to the castle, knowing that every day counted.
     While Zelda was still immobilised, Riju came to give almost hourly reports of her spies, who insisted that no one had traveled through the Canyon Pass.
     From that they decided that the entire clan had to be going over the mountains, which would drastically slow their progress.
     It was a small relief, knowing that they had some more time, but there was still so much they didn't know.
     But no matter how often they discussed it, they didn't come any closer to an actual answer.
     Apart from the counsel meetings, Merina also visited often, just like her group of warriors who all seemed to have grown very fond of the princess.
     When the women talked with each other, Link often felt out of place and left the little room for a while, enjoying some fresh air and sunlight.
     Everywhere he went he was now recognized by the Gerudo, who no longer stared after him because he was a voe, but because they considered him a real hero.
     It was hard for him to go anywhere without someone calling out to him or thanking him for what he did, praising his skills and swordsmanship.
     Although it was a small, dark and dusty room where he and Zelda stayed, he often found himself longing to go back as soon as possible.
     Being apart from the princess was now harder than ever, and he constantly worried about her safety, even in the small town that had proven itself to be sturdier than it was given credit for.
     It also played a role that his relationship with her had become even closer, and they revelled in every minute they got to spend with each other, knowing how fast it could all disappear.

Link now sat on the bed opposite of Zelda, smiling at how she fiddled her fingers impatiently while she begged him to let her get out.
     'It barely hurts anymore,' she pleaded. 'I have to get back into shape if we ever want to go anywhere!'
     Link kept looking at her, barely registering what she said as he took in her beautiful face and the long blond hair flowing down her shoulders.
     Despite being in pain, and basically being locked up, Zelda remained positive and cheerful, what he really admired about her.
     She never complained and time after time she let him touch her open wound, not making a sound despite how much it must hurt.
     In the few days that Link had spent beside her bed, he found himself falling deeper and deeper in love with her, knowing that he was now officially a lost cause.
     'Link!' She almost yelled at him, snapping him from his thoughts.
     She was half sitting up in bed, looking at him with a fiery gaze.
     'Help me get out of this ratchet dank room,' she said decidedly.
     Link chuckled, but got up from the bed and decided to do as he was told. She seemed to be in a much better condition and she did have a point, she would have to get out again.
     With a hand around her shoulder and the other on her arm he helped her get her feet on the floor and pushed her up until she was standing.
     With a loud hiss and some muttered cussing Zelda placed her weight on her injured side, tears springing in her face from the pain.
     'No!' She called loudly when Link wanted to lower her back down.
     'I can do it,' she said desperately, looking at him pleadingly.
     Link felt his heart clench at the sight of her pain, but he stood by her and held her steady, secretly admiring her strength.
Very slowly they made a round through the room, and Zelda's pained expression gradually relaxed a little as her muscles got used to the movements.
Still, Link was relieved when she finally signalled him to guide her back to the bed, where she lay down and closed her eyes in exhaustion.
He went to sit beside her, softly stroking her hair and keeping a close eye on her face and the wound itself.
If there was so much as a twitch that told him it was too much for her body, he would know.
In the end she seemed to be deeply asleep and he decided to try Mipha's Grace once again, for lack of anything better to do.
     When he finally lifted his hands from her soft skin again, he noticed to his surprise that there was now a clear difference.
There was a healthy crust covering the deepest part, much smaller than it had been before, surrounded by pink skin where it had already closed.
Maybe some physical activity did have a good effect on the healing process.
     Link carefully touched the wound again, closely watching Zelda's face, but she didn't even flinch, nor did she wake up.
     He smiled, feeling hope rise in his heart, for the first time thinking that they might leave sooner than expected.