A Princess's Problem.

Zelda's Bedside Manner.

Once Epona had entered the castle grounds with Zelda holding an unconscious, bloody Link in her hands, the castle staff were in an uproar!

All the royal medics were woken up and ordered to treat Link at the foot of the castle steps. Zelda had tried to carry Link in but her tired legs gave way and she began to slip in Link's own blood.

Once the medics had bandaged Link up, a stretcher was sent so that he could be moved to the critical care ward in the hospital wing of the castle.

***

Zelda had bearly slept in the past few days. She didn't sleep during their ride to Goron City. She didn't sleep during their ride back from Goron City and she refused to sleep untill she knew Link's condition behind the medical screen that had been placed between her and Link.

It was hours before the head Doctor came out of the ward and put his hand on Zelda's shoulder.

Zelda realized that she had been crying before and so she sniffled and shook her head before she could muster up the courage to look at the doctor.

"He's alive, Princess, try not to worry... But Link hasn't woken up yet..."

"What does it mean?" Zelda snapped.

"He has lost a lot of blood, and Dodongo claws have been known to have a type of venom in them that keeps wounds open for longer... And if we want Link to survive, we need him to stop losing blood..."

"Can I see him?" Zelda whimpered.

"I wouldn't advise you to, Link doesn't exactly look-"

"Can I see him?" Zelda said with much more authority, as if to say to the doctor that it wasn't a request.

"If you must..." The doctor motioned towards the screens that blocked off Link from the rest of the Patient's ward.

Now Zelda knew what the doctor was trying to say... It killed Zelda to see Link in this state...

He was lying in the hospital bed, nakid except for a thin sheet of cloth over his crotch. There were at least half a dozen doctors and nurses who were constantly checking Link's vital signs and dressing wounds. Link's head was wrapped in bandages and proped up onto his pillow. His arms a and legs were similarly bandaged.

"Princess, you can't stay here, you must rest..." One of the nurses said.

"No! I'm saying here! I wanna be here when he wakes up!" Zelda wanted to make it clear, Link must wake up.

She grabbed a chair from the waiting room outside and placed it next to Link's bed.

Zelda sat down and rested her head on the side of his bed before slowly allowing her hand to find his. Slowly, so as not to hurt him, she entwined her fingers with his. A sigh of relief escaped her when she felt his grip tighten.

"And now we wait..."

It wasn't long before all of the past few days got to her and she fell fast asleep.

***

Zelda jerked awake suddenly when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked around sleepily, realising the darkness in the room meant that it was the middle of the night.

"I did not expect you to be here Zelda," A deep voice said.

"It is one thing for a Princess to mope, it is another for a Princess to refuse to eat, sleep and even wash, and for what? The hope that the boy wake up to see the Princess of Hyrule in a hell like state?"

Zelda hated that Voice. He was so unlike her mother. Her mother was caring. Her father, on the other hand, was always the one to play by the rules, and make others follow them too.

"I'm sorry father. It will not happen again." She couldn't believe it! Why did she always give in to him? She didn't have to listen to him. Then why was she?

***

Impa fetched Zelda some new robes as she climbed into the hot steaming water. Zelda let her body submerge into the comforting liquid, letting the bubbles swarm over her and leaving only her face above the soothing bathwater.

After she dried herself off, Zelda slipped into her purple silk dressing gown. She walked into her bedroom whilst she tied her hair up into a loose bun.

Impa came into her room hastily and out of breath yet again.

"Princess! Princess! Mipha is here to help Link! Something about healing powers!" Zelda gasped, how could she have been so blind to the obvious?

"Get dressed, Princess, When you get down there, Link should be-"

"No, I'm going down there now!" Zelda pushed open her door and sprinted through the many hallways in the castle. Many of the Castle's staff gasped as they saw the Princess half nude; from all the running, her silk gown began to blow behind her, exposing her smooth legs. Zelda's bun bounced around before her hair fell around her shoulders.

Zelda burst into the hospital wing before skidding to a halt Infront of Mipha, holding Link's hand as her other hand glowed over his scar.

Just like before, the doctors and nurses gasped and looked away at Zelda's casual attire. Most knew that it was a crime to glance at the Princess in such a revealing way, for she was both of royal blood and of Goddess blood.

Zelda didn't care, she practically threw herself to the side of Link's bed.

"Is he going to be ok?" Zelda begged Mipha.

"Well, it could take a few hours for Link to heal properly, but this should help with the actual scaring."

Zelda pulled up her usual chair and went for Link's hand, her usual routine for the last week or so, since the incident. Instead of Link's warm, soft skin, she felt Mipha's rather squishy webbed hand. Zelda jerked back a bit.

"Sorry, Princess, I did not mean to startle you" Mipha apologized.

Zelda didn't mind, she thought it was wrong of her to assume herself the most important when Link was in mortal danger. But one thought kept nagging at her. Why was Mipha holding Link's hand? Were they friends? Did Mipha and Link used to know each other before being made Champions?

As Mipha's other hand that had been glowing started to fade, Zelda looked up hopefully to Link's eyelids, expecting them to flutter open any second.

"Sorry Princess, but it could be a while. Now I, reluctantly, must find King Roahm, I left my own father in rather a hurry..." Mipha's voice trailed off as she looked at Link, a year in her eye.

Mipha leaned down and whispered something into Link's ear. Zelda didn't  know what to make of this new information, Mipha was close to Link!

As if to prove her hypothesis, when Mipha was done whispering to Link, she looked back to his face, right before she went back down and kissed him softly on the cheak.

Zelda was mortified.

"Remember that..." Mipha whispered aloud, letting a tear drop down onto Link's chest before getting up and leaving the hospital wing.

Zelda glared at Mipha behind her back. Why was she even angry? What was wrong with her?

Zelda sighed. Looks like I'm going to have to spend another night here, she thought, grabbing Link's hand and making herself comfortable...