We all are animals anyway

20- SHIELD and SWORD✔

They arrived to the shore at the other side of the moat. Once they were as close to dry land as the boat allowed, Link stopped rowing and climbed out of the boat, he then extended both arms towards Zelda. Her eyes widened as she realizes what he was asking of her, she denies his request shaking her head. They exchange a few words and in defeat, Zelda allows Link to carry her bridal style out of the boat. He walks to a dry part of the shore and lowers the Princess.

LINK POV

"Not all that hard, was it? This way, your shoes don't get wet and I don't have to worry about you getting sick" Link says to nobody in particular.

Zelda walks around him, grabs the lower edge of his jacket and lifts it. Once she takes a look at his bandaged lower back, she sighs in relief. The Princess lowers the jacket back in place, and walks around Link irate.

"YOU ARE JUST TOO DIFICULT TO HANDLE, YOU HARD HEADED BEAST" she breaths in deeply "You have an open wound. Logic states that you shouldn't lift anything, let alone ME..." she yells frustrated, but after a deep breath manages to calm down.

"You don't want me getting sick, I appreciate that, but I can't let you die on me for crap like this." she states.

He breaths out in exasperation "I know my body, I know what it can and can't do, and I CAN lift you as long as you are not struggling, proof of it is that it the wound isn't bleeding, or is it sweetheart?" Link challenges her.

Zelda sighs in defeat "No, it is not... can you promise me one thing? That you are not going to bleed out and die on me, that you are going to be extremely careful from now on" Zelda tells him looking at him right in the eyes.

*Damn, you can almost say she cares, but you know better, don't you?
I can't really promise her anything regarding me, and YES, I know better, thanks for the reminder.

"I promise that as long as I still breathe, I will take any and every precaution necessary to ensure your survival" Link answers.

Zelda just stares at him and closes her eyes accepting his answer.

"Now what do we do? It's will get dark soon" she asks Link.

"Follow me, let's see if I can find a place to set camp before it gets too dark" Link tells her and starts walking east, heading for Death Mountain.

They walked in silence for half an hour, until Link saw a rock formation that stood 7 feet high and stretched for like 20 feet.

That could work, it's a natural wall that can protect us from the wind current on one side.

"This is a good place to camp; I need you to wait for me here Zelda. Take note on the winds direction and tell me when I get back"

"Ok I guess, what are you going to do?" asks the Princess.

"Search for logs, though maybe I will have to cut them from the tree, I want to use the logs as boundaries for a leaf mattress"

She rolls her eyes "I am not a delicate girl"

[Zelda's moan after the slap] THAT I know girl, you have made that very clear.

"I can sleep on the floor just fine; we should better use them for the fire" Zelda says

Link shakes his head and rubs his temples "PRINCESS... we need to avoid losing body heat at all cost, the floor is going to suck it out of us if we just lay on it, the leaves will help separate our body from the floor... we are going to need a lot of leaves"

"All right, I could help with that, NO don't look at me like that... I won't go far; I will see what I can find within this area. By the way, you said I was not a Princess anymore, so don't call me by that title, it feels like an insult" she says squinting her eyes at him.