Sabotaged Love: A Zelink Story

Chapter 8: Grandma's Soup

Zelda woke up with a throbbing pain in the back of her head and an overall feeling of exhaustion. She rolled over and let out moan, noticing the cool grass she was laying on. Then she opened her eyes to see Link staring down at her. She gave a little scream of fright, and he backed away.

"I'm sorry, Tetra! I didn't mean to scare you," he said instantly as she closed her eyes again and rubbed them. "We—well, I—have been very worried about you. You've been unconscious for hours."

Zelda opened one eye and looked up at him. "Really? What in the world happened...?" The last thing she remembered was seeing Link and Norah gather rupees into their bags in the temple. After that, her memory was fuzzy.

"You were knocked unconscious by one of the stalfos. I carried you out of the temple. I'm sorry, it turns out it was not a good idea to go in there," he finished with a little laugh.

"You carried... me out?" she said slowly, now feeling embarrassed. This was the second time he'd saved her life.

"It's ok, don't worry about it. I'm just glad you're ok," Link said. "Can I get you anything?"

"Where's Norah?" Zelda asked. She'd been waiting for her to interrupt their conversation at any moment.

"Oh, she's over in a nearby village buying some things. I wanted to stay up here to make sure you were alright." Link's face turned slightly pink, and he glanced off in the distance.

Zelda closed her eyes again and heaved a sigh. How wonderful! A moment in existence without
Norah. She smiled to herself and felt very happy, despite the continual pain in her head.

"What's the plan for today? Do you know the best route to Hyrule Castle from here?" Zelda asked, rubbing her head.

"I think it would be smart to avoid going back into the Lost Woods and go around instead. It'll take longer, but it'll be safer," Link said.

Zelda expected herself to feel uncomfortable at the suggestion of being away from the castle for longer, but instead she felt excited.

More time to be with Link, she thought happily. She suddenly realized how badly she dreaded getting back home—she wanted to delay her decision with the suitors for as long as possible.

"Does your head hurt? You keep rubbing it," Link noticed, looking at Zelda with concern.

"Oh, yes... it does, actually." In all reality, her pain had only seemed to increase the longer she'd been awake.

Link reached into his bag and pulled out a bottle containing a light-colored liquid inside. He lifted up the bottle. "You could try drinking some of this. It has powerful healing effects. I've been saving it for a time like this."

Zelda took the bottle from him and examined the contents inside. "What is it?"

"To be honest, I'm not exactly sure what it's made of. It's my grandma's soup."

"Your grandma made this for you? How sweet," Zelda said, unable to suppress a smile. She unscrewed the lid, took a small sip, and nearly gagged.

"Sorry, it's gross," Link apologized with a grimace.

Zelda felt the effects of the soup instantly; the pain in her head disappeared, and she felt a rush of electric energy fill her body. "Wow, thank you! It worked like magic!"

"I think it actually is magic," he said as he accepted the bottle back from her and returned it to his bag.

Zelda sat up straight in the grass and stretched out her legs. "How wonderful that your grandmother would give you such a thing. I'd love to get the recipe! Do you have other family, by the way?"

"Um, yeah. I have a sister named Aryll, but I haven't seen her in years. And... our parents died when we were young. We were raised by Grandma," Link said quietly. He was now staring down at the grass.

"Oh, Link, I'm so sorry..." She scooted closer to him and put a hand on his shoulder. "Losing family is the worst kind of pain. I know because—well, because I've felt it myself. I lost my mother when I was young. I hardly remember her. This cloak I'm wearing was hers. It's the only thing I have left of her..."

     Zelda looked down at her cloak and found it to be even more scratched up than it was the last time she'd looked at it. "Everything that's happened has put it in such bad condition. It has so many holes..."

     "Good thing you can fix it," Link said, and when she gave him a confused look he said, "You know, because you're a seamstress."

     Zelda felt herself flush. "Oh—right! Yes. Good point. Unfortunately, I don't have any of my tools with me."

     At that moment, they saw Norah walking over, carrying a bundle of supplies and food in her arms. She dropped all of it on the ground and sat down.

     "Thank you, Norah," Link said.

     "No problem! It was my pleasure," Norah said with a very deliberate wink at Link. Zelda rolled her eyes.

     The food Norah had purchased in the village consisted of fruit, bread, and freshly cooked meat. They split up the food evenly between themselves and ate quietly for the next few minutes. Zelda was surprised at how quickly she scarfed down her portion—apparently the events of the previous day had left her in great need of nourishment.

     "So, seems like you're doing better. What even happened?" Norah asked Zelda, then took her final bite of an apple and tossed the core behind herself.

"Apparently I was knocked unconscious by the stalfos," Zelda said. "I don't remember much of what happened. I might have had brain damage of some sort."

     Norah grimaced. "Ouch, that isn't good. Your brain really can't afford to take any damage."

     "It's alright—I gave her a healing remedy, and it seemed to work well," Link said to Norah before Zelda had an opportunity to throw an insult back at her. "And anyway, we better get going if we want to get to the castle by tomorrow. It'll be about a day's journey from where we are."

     Only a day's journey? Can't it be more? Zelda found herself thinking. The three of them gathered up their things and began walking.