Champions of a Fallen Age

The Words he Couldn't Say

Link looked back over his shoulder to make sure that Mipha was still okay. He had lost track of how many times he had done it. Though there was never any change, he continued to check on her every so often. Though there hadn't been any other occurrences that bothered him, the two that had taken place were enough.

He had found it strange how their roles had changed in an instant. She used to be the caretaker and he the one that needed caring for. He had known for a long time that she had misled him when she had implied that she was unable to heal herself. He had done his best to dress her wounds even though she didn't really need him to. It was one of the few ways that he could communicate to her that he cared.

This was altogether different. Now, she was suffering from a condition her powers couldn't heal and, ironically enough, that left him feeling more powerless than ever. If her magic couldn't solve this problem, then what good would he be? He didn't even understand what was happening to her, let alone what needed to be done about it.

"Link, are you okay?"

"I'm just worried about something right now," he muttered as he turned back towards the road. Thankfully, they had passed through the worst of the Hebra region over the last two days, meaning that they had gotten through the worst of the cold. It still wasn't the ideal temperature for a Zora; however, at least it wouldn't leave her with permanent damage.

"I'm sure that Revali will be all right," she replied, doing her best to comfort him. Though he appreciated the sentiment, he hadn't spent a great deal of thought on the Rito Champion. Though he didn't like it, Revali had already attempted to engage Medoh and had nearly died as a result, or at least, that was what the letter Kass had sent mentioned.

"Right," Link replied noncommittally.

"Is there something else bothering you?"

"There's someone I don't know how to help right now."

"Oh"

"Yeah"

" Just be yourself," Mipha advised.

"What?"

"You have a reassuring presence. Just be yourself and do what you would normally do. That will help whoever it is more than you know."

He wasn't quite sure what she meant by that, but maybe he could give it a try.

"How are you doing? Are you still sore?"

"Yes, but there is not much we can do about that right now."

Link pulled back gently on Epona's reins. The horse obediently slowed to a stop.

"Link, we need to keep moving."

"If we don't take breaks, you could be injured," he replied as he dismounted, helping her down in the process.

"You don't have to worry about me" she murmured. His eyes flicked over to the Zora Princess before returning to Epona as he removed the saddle from her back. He had become more certain that he had made the right choice when he had seen the lines under her eyes and the hints of unsteadiness in her stance.

"I also have to take care of Epona," he said as he pulled out an apple from his pouch and handed it to his horse. Epona ate it gratefully, nudging him with her nose in the process. He patted the horse's neck affectionately before crouching down to make a fire.

"Do you think you should tie her up?" Mipha asked quietly as she knelt next to him.

"She won't run," he murmured. The Hylian Champion had no qualms with allowing the horse to roam freely for a while considering how hard he had been pushing her. He could see that she had been well-trained seeing as she stuck faithfully to the roads thus far and responded quickly and obediently to the slightest touch. All things considered, he would be very surprised if she took off.