Couple of the Wild (ZeLink)

Chapter 89: To Keep Pushing Forward

The familiar light of twilight began to shroud the wooden village, giving a beautiful orange tint to everything in its wake. The dying rays of sunlight shone through the architectural spaced-out beams of the hut-like buildings, including the Swallow's Inn where Link and Zelda now rested. Link sat on the edge of the bed they had rented for the night, focusing on the dancing twilight rays as he clenched his teeth, waiting for Zelda to finish her work on his arm. Every now and then, however, he couldn't help but slightly flinch at the pain whenever she seemed to prod a bit too harshly.

"Link, I need you to stay still or I can't finish this," Zelda said after he flinched once more as she brought a bandage roll over his bare shoulder. "I know it hurts, but I'm not an expert at this. I need to focus so I get this done properly..."

"It doesn't hurt," Link said stubbornly through gritted teeth. "It's just cold from not having a shirt on."

"Of course, how silly of me to assume otherwise," Zelda responded, raising an eyebrow in disbelief. She stopped bandaging before lightly tapping a finger on the back of his shoulder, earning another slight flinch from him. "Yes, it's simply just the cold."

Link grumbled slightly, refusing to look back at her as she slightly giggled.

"Honestly, I don't know why you want me to bandage up a wound like this," Zelda said, continuing her efforts to bandage his shoulder. "I think a Fairy Tonic or a hearty elixir would do you well."

"I think this will be fine, besides we're starting to run low on those items anyway," Link said with a painful deep sigh. "We haven't been fighting any huge monsters or anything as of late, so I haven't restocked on any."

"Well, I think fairy hunting would be a fun little task to add to our adventure, wouldn't you say?" she asked cheerfully. 

Link frowned slightly. He turned his head to glance back at Zelda, who was focused on trying to reach perfection with her bandage skills. She was peacefully resting on her knees on the bed, dressed once again in the raggedy clothes Link had given her before. Though she smiled, he could make out the now fading red marks on her neck from where the Yiga had grabbed her.

"Maybe," Link finally answered, turning back around towards the light rays. "I think you should take one of the last tonics though. Your neck is sore, isn't it?"

"A bit, but it'll be fine by tomorrow," Zelda said, finishing up her bandaging. She lifted her hands, holding them out over the bandages to inspect her work carefully before placing them in her lap, a sign she was satisfied with her efforts. "Go on; see if it's okay."

Link stood up, rolling his shoulder and arm around. Though it hurt, no blood spilled through the bandages. He sighed as he sat back down before leaning back and resting his head on the pillows. He closed his eyes, allowing the fatigue to take him. Zelda watched for a moment before raising her eyebrow once again.

"I thought you were cold," she teased. Link frowned as he opened one eye towards her.

"Hey, teasing is my job," he retorted. "Besides, I'll be under the sheets soon."

"Right, right. My apologies," Zelda said, keeping the smile on her face as she scooted back, remaining in her sitting position as she rested against the headboard. She stared down at Link's facial features as he closed his open eye once again.

"You know," Link said suddenly. "The Yiga will come back. He's not just going to stop there."

"And when he returns, we'll stop him once again," Zelda said calmly, reaching over as she raised her hand above Link's head. Gently she began to run her fingers through his bangs as he continued to keep his eyes closed. "You scared me today. I've never seen you ready to kill someone before."