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The lights of the stable finally came into view through the pouring rain as they rounded the final bend in the road. Zelda leaned forward over the mare’s broad neck, stroking the horse’s sweaty forehead. “Almost there, girl,” she whispered. “You’ve done so well.”
She twisted enough to see the cart that Epona was pulling, and their passenger covered in tent cloth to shield him from the downpour. “We’re almost there,” she repeated.
He didn’t move or answer. She thought she could hear his labored breathing over the sound of the rain, but that might just be her imagination.
“Almost there,” she said again, to herself, turning her eyes back to the road. Their brief expedition to examine some Zonai ruins in the woodlands had taken a disastrous turn when Link had fallen ill—though of course, he didn’t admit it until he was almost too weak to stand. At least she’d listened to his suggestion to travel with Epona and a cart instead of separate horses, in case of any artifacts or samples she wanted to retrieve for further study, so she at least had the means to carry him to safety.
Epona seemed to know the way better than Zelda herself did, so she let the rains go slack in her hands as the big bay mare guided them toward the welcoming glow of the stable’s lanterns. Zelda was soaked to the bone and shivering from the cold but put the thoughts of her own comfort out of her head. She would be fine with dry clothes and a place to rest out of the rain, as long as she could get Link to safety.
“Hello?” Zelda called, once she thought they were in earshot of the stable. “Can anyone help us? My companion has fallen ill, and I need to get him out of the rain.”
The curtain over the stable’s door was thrust aside and a suntanned, friendly face poked out. “Oh! I thought I heard someone,” the man said. “We’ll be right there, miss.”
“Thank you.” Zelda swung an aching leg over Epona’s back and dismounted rather less than gracefully. Truth be told, she was lucky not to end up on her rear end in the mud. She hurried around to the back of the cart to scramble up into it, tugging the tent cloth to the side to peer at Link’s face. She rested the back of her hand against his cheek, wincing at the heat she felt blazing there. He was barely conscious, his eyes open but unfocused, and he leaned into her touch when she brushed a lock of hair away from his forehead.
“My poor Link,” she whispered, hearing the stable hands approaching the cart. “You’ll be better soon, I promise.”
“Name’s Ember,” the stable manager said, introducing himself. “Now, let’s get your friend—why, it’s master Link!”
“You know him?” Zelda asked. She shuffled to the side as Ember and one of his helpers gently slid Link out of the wagon, propping him up between the two of them.
The man had ducked down to peer under her hood. Zelda tried to shy back, but it was too late. “As I live and breathe…Princess Zelda?”
“Please, none of that,” she pleaded, holding both hands up. For a moment she’d been afraid they were about to drop Link into the mud just to bow to her. Hyrule wasn’t much of a kingdom anymore, and she certainly didn’t feel like a princess. “Link needs all your attention now, please.”
“Of course, Your Highness.”
Zelda grimaced. She scrambled off the edge of the cart and around to take Epona’s reins, only to find a tall young woman already tending to the mare. “I can take care of her, M’lady,” the young woman said with a slight dip of her head. She seemed nervous, her eyes on the muddy ground instead of meeting Zelda’s gaze.
“Please do,” Zelda agreed, reaching up to stroke Epona’s nose. “She worked so hard to get us here safely, she deserves the best.”
“Aye, M’lady.” The young woman bobbed her head again. “I’ll take good care of her.”
“Thank you.” With that, Zelda spun around to follow Ember and the others into the warmth of the stable. She shoved her hood back as she entered the building, her boots squelching with every step. She found the stable owner and his assistant laying Link down on a rough blanket on the floor, close to a brazier.
She felt for her pouch of rupees as she approached the men. “How much for a bed for the night?” She couldn’t let him sleep on the floor, not after everything he’d done for her.
Ember spared her a kind smile. “We’ll take care of him, Highness, don’t worry. Just need to dry him off first.”
“Oh…oh, of course.” She hadn’t thought of that. Zelda turned toward the door, intent on running back out in the rain to fetch their packs from the cart, but one of the other stable hands was already shouldering his way in with the packs under his arm. “Oh, thank you.”
Zelda knelt on the floor and tugged Link’s pack open first. They were lined with oilcloth, so the items inside were slightly damp but much dryer than the clothes they were wearing. She easily found a clean tunic and breeches, setting them at Ember’s elbow.
Her hand strayed to her pack next, and heat flushed up her neck and cheeks as she looked around the room. There was so little privacy in the stable inns…maybe she could hang a blanket in the corner to preserve her modesty while she changed?
“Privy’s by the other door, Highness,” Ember said. “It’s only a few steps from the stable.”
Zelda nodded her thanks and hurried in the direction the man had indicated. She ran the short distance through the rain to reach the small outbuilding, and quickly stripped out of her sodden clothing once she was inside. She dried herself off as best she could with the blanket from her pack, squeezing the water out of her hair until the strands no longer clung to her neck and forehead.
She redressed herself quickly, buttoning her quilted jerkin over her tunic for the added warmth. Link had teased her for bringing it along just in case they wound up someplace cold, but she was more than grateful for it now. Her wet clothes were bundled up in the blanket, and then she was dashing back across the yard and into the stable inn.
The men were just tucking Link into one of the beds when she arrived. She left her pack and the bundle of wet clothes against the wall hurried to his side. “How is he?”
“A good night’s sleep will do him a world of good,” Ember replied. “How about you, Your Highness? We don’t have any private beds, but—”
“Don’t worry about that, this is quite alright,” Zelda interrupted him. She grabbed a nearby chair and pulled it to Link’s bedside, settling down on it to watch over her friend. “How much do we owe you for the night?”
Ember was scratching the back of his head, not quite meeting her eyes. “Doesn’t seem right to charge you anything, you being the princess and all.”
“I insist,” she said. Link usually handled their accommodations, but she wasn’t completely ignorant of what things cost. “Let’s see, for the bed and the care for my companion…”
He raised his hands in supplication. “It’s not just that. Your friend there has lent his help more times than I can count, while he was searching for you.”
Zelda glanced down at Link, who seemed to be fighting to stay awake. “Did he, now?”
“I asked him if he didn’t need to be off after you, but he always said you’d want him to lend a hand where it was needed. I know a few folks around here who’d be much worse off without his aide.”
“Well, he was right.” She found Link’s hand and clasped his fingers between hers. She was so thankful for that. While she’d been unable to help her people, he hadn’t forgotten them. It would have been easy to ignore their needs while gathering their allies for the assault against Ganondorf, but he hadn’t.
Ember cleared his throat. “How about something hot to eat, then? I’ve got just the thing for a cold, rainy night like this.”
Zelda smiled up at him. “That would be much appreciated, thank you.” She turned her focus back to Link, brushing a lock of hair away from his eyes with a fond smile. His hair was so long now. He still hadn’t cut it, after all this time, and it was beginning to suit him.
He was watching her. His eyes were barely open and he was clearly fighting to stay conscious, but he was still watching her. Just like always. He still wouldn’t sleep, even wracked with illness and on the verge of collapse. Not until he knew she was safe.
“Everything is going to be fine now,” she murmured. His body was blazing with fever, and she could hear the rasp of his breathing over the quiet murmur of the stable inn. “We made it to safety. I’m safe now, my dear friend. You can rest.”
Link’s eyes slid closed, but he forced them open. Zelda scooted her chair a little bit closer, close enough that she could press a gentle kiss to his feverish brow. “I promise you, Link. We’re safe here. You can rest.”
She smiled at him, holding his gaze until he finally succumbed to exhaustion and slid down into a restless sleep.
…
Morning found Zelda with an ache in her back and stiffness in her shoulders. Had she fallen asleep at her desk again? Her head was rested on her folded arms, her legs ached from sitting on a hard wooden chair all night, and she was sure she wouldn’t be able to stand up straight without some effort.
A horse whinnied nearby, reminding Zelda of where she and Link had taken shelter for the night. She forced herself to sit up straight, rubbing sleep from her eyes, her gaze immediately focusing on her companion. Link had rolled over onto his side at some point, facing her. One of his hands was on top of the blanket, and she realized she must have still been holding it when she’d fallen asleep.
“Link?” she whispered. She rested the backs of her fingertips against his cheek, then his forehead. His temperature was much improved, though he was still feverish. If the rain held off, they could make it to the garrison at Lookout Landing, and Link could finish his recovery in his own quarters. They’d been on their way back when Link had fallen ill, and Zelda would be happy to return to the familiar outpost.
His eyes slowly opened, and Zelda was relieved to see some of his usual strength had returned. He still looked weary and feverish, but it was a far cry from how he had been last night.
She would still insist on taking the wagon, of course. He might be on the way to recovery now, but she wasn’t going to risk his health just to shave a few hours off their home journey.
Link started to speak, but grimaced and turned to cough against the pillow beneath him. Zelda moved her hand from his forehead to his shoulder, frowning in sympathy at the tension in his muscles.
“You don’t have to say anything,” she murmured. “You fell ill while we were traveling. We’re at the Riverside Stable now, on our way back home.”
He tilted his head back to look at her, and she smiled. Link was always a man of few words, and his expressions were hard to read, but they’d been together for so long that words weren’t always needed anyway. “Everything is going to be fine, Link,” she promised. “It’s my turn to look after you.”
She gave his hand an affectionate squeeze, then forced her stiff body to stand from the chair and set off to find Ember. She had a bill to pay, and travel to arrange back to Lookout Landing.
Zelda heard movement behind her and spun around to find Link struggling to sit up. “No, you don’t!” She was back at his side in an instant, gently pushing him back down into the bed. “I’m only going to the counter, Link, I’ll be fine.”
His eyes, bright with fever and sunken from lingering exhaustion, studied her critically. Zelda sighed and leaned over him to tuck the blankets around her chest. “I promise,” she insisted. “Just to the counter to settle up with Ember, then to ask if someone can take us the rest of the way to Lookout Landing. I won’t leave this building. Look, you can see the counter from here,” she added, shifting to the side to point. Ember was leaning on the counter, an amused expression on his face.
“I’ll be right back,” she said. “Stay there.”
When he seemed chastised enough, Zelda turned back toward the counter. Now she just had to convince Ember to let her pay for their room for the night and arrange an escort for their journey, and then they could…
The bed behind her creaked.
Zelda whirled around. “I told you to stay there!”