The Legend of Zelda- Ocarina of Time

Serenade of Water

Chapter 32Serenade of Water

"How are you feeling?"

Link didn't hear Impa's footsteps. He didn't see her until she stood in the doorway of the small Kokiri home, one of the few dwellings that had survived the inferno seven years go. It was as if she had simply appeared out of thin air. Startled and skittish after his most recent brush with death, Link leapt up in surprise, his head nearly cracking against the low ceiling, which was barely tall enough to accommodate him.

Inwardly, he cursed himself, annoyed that he had been so easily startled.

Impa stood inside the doorway of the small abode. It was one of the few intact Kokiri dwellings that had survived the raid which had driven away its former inhabitants.

Impa stepped inside, gesturing for him to sit on the bench beside his sleeping mat. It was actually a small bed, far too small for him to sleep in.

"Well, feeling better?" she asked again, looking him up and down. "I did not mean to startle you."

"A bit," Link answered, grimacing as the movement tugged at his recently sutured injuries. Several of the larger gashes along his arm still burned. "Sheik insisted I rest, but it's been over two days."

"Your injuries were serious," Impa pointed out. "You needed to rest. Personally, I'm impressed you didn't collapse sooner."

"Can't you just give me a healing potion?" Link asked in an almost petulant tone.

Impa's eyes narrowed with a sternness normally reserved for a rebellious pull. "If the Elder Tree's sap couldn't counter that creature's magic, then I suspect simple potion would have fared no better. Besides, they are no substitute for letting the body heal naturally. You needed rest. "

"How am I supposed to rest with that thing still out there?" Link said, almost daring to raise his voice. One glimpse into Impa's crimson eyes made it clear she would not tolerate this, regardless of his station. "I'm sorry, Impa. I can't rest knowing that thing has the ocarina."

"That is quite understandable," she Impa said, some of the gravity leaving her voice. She eyed his finished breakfast tray and seemed to almost smile. "You have regained your appetite. Navi was right- that's one thing we won't have to worry about."

"How is she?" Link asked.

After the battle with the demon, he had retraced his steps back into the maze of corridors that circled the temple's ancient heart. By then, the Kokiri had found her, each forest child offering a suggestion of their own as they tried to help. It wasn't until Forenz took charge that they started moving, heading straight for the Elder Tree's grove. By the time they arrived, Navi's glow had been little more than a feeble glow.

With Navi left before the statue of the Mother Goddess, Sheik had tried using the Elder Tree's sap to heal his injuries, but where the creature's cursed weapon had left its mark, the wounds had not healed.

"Sorcery," Sheik had hissed. "It would seem Ganondorf's phantom did not use the full extent of its powers, or I fear the outcome would not have been in our favour."

"Why would it do that?" As far as Link was concerned, it made little sense. Why not kill him there and then? Or had it been overconfident?

"A test," Sheik had explained, ignoring his complaints as she ordered him to lie down so she could suture his wounds. It had been a painful experience.

"A test?" Link repeated, gritting his teeth as Sheik focused her attention on his wounded arm.

"He wanted to see what you were capable of," Sheik had explained patiently. "Perhaps some twisted amusement or a calculated ploy. Either way, we know, he intended to intervene in the end."

"Volvagia?" the thought had chilled Link.

"Yes."

Even now, days later, knowing that the fight with the phantom could have been far deadlier, was a thought that made Link's insides turn to ice.