Links Champion: Mipha

Chapter 6

Mipha panicked, adrenaline racing up her spine. The Hinox was searching their cave with Link in hand.

The horses where freaking out and she was running out of options before the monster would walk off with the Hylian in its grip.

'I have to keep it from walking away!' She thought, her palms sweaty. Then she saw Links bow and quiver and ran over, despite the pain in her side and grabbed them.

She knocked an arrow and shot, drawing the monsters attention.  Mipha swallowed; Link looked like a rag doll in the Hinoxs hand, limbs slack.

The Hinox kept its attention on Mipha as she kept her distance, but close enough to fire at the beast.

She wanted the monster to let the Hylian Champion go, but at the same time she knew that mean it could drop him hard onto the ground, injuring him further.

Mipha wasn't sure how many arrows Link had in the quiver, but she had to make sure that the monster didn't leave her sight with Link in hand. 'Why hasn't it tried to eat him or something?' She wondered, shooting another arrow.

It seemed to glare at her, the monster trying to approach her, even though she would move every feet away and shoot an arrow.

'Please don't drop him!' She thought, the Hinox having several arrows protruding from it, but not dead.

Mipha reached for the quiver, but froze: She was out of arrows. Her anxiety and panic spiked, looking around for something to keep the monster trained on her with.

It took her a few minutes too many and she. The Zora Princess thought quickly and broke a branch off the tree and anxiously light it with another branch, the monster slowly losing interest in her.

Having light t the branch she waved it at the Hinox trying to get is attention, but it was starting to walk away with Link still tight in its grasp.

'Nononono!' Mipha thought running behind it, not sure what else to do, to get it to release Link.

Suddenly Mipha heard a voice shouting behind her.

"Your highness!?"

Her guards! Mipha breathed a sigh of relief waving her torch to let them know she was there, keeping an eye on the beast trying to walk away.

"Over here! I need your help; there's a Henox and it has Link!" She shouted. A few minutes later , she heard horse hooves and her soldiers joined her to take down the Hinox.

"Link!" Miphas second in command, Pearl gasped as the Henox turned back to look at them. Mipha quickly explained the situation and her guards quickly came up with a plan to take the monster down.

They surrounded the Hinox taking shots at it and some stabbing it until eventually began to collapse, loosing its grip on Link.

Mipha went around and caught the unconscious Hero, falling heavily into her arms, almost making her fall over.

"Do you want us to take him Your highness? I think we should tend to both of your injuries." Pearl said, hopping off of her horse.

Suddenly exhausted with Link sling over her shoulder, Mipha nodded and handed him over to Pearl, who lifted him into bridle style, Links breathing slow.

Her third in command, Delta put her arm over his shoulder and they gathered in the cave, while the others got the Hinoxs loot.

The four of them collapsed onto the cave floor, Pearl resting Links head gently in her lap, making Mipha blush uncomfortably.

"I'll get supplies." Delta said and went back to their horses. Mipha sighed in relief, glad to have taken care of the Hinox. There was silence between the two Zora women, Pearl resting her hand on Links forhead fo check his temperature.

She sighed. "He's still feverish, your highness." She said, brushing the Hylian bangs out of his face.

Mipha nodded. "I tried my best to keep his temperature down, but it wouldn't....I don't know how bad his fever is." She commented, her breathing a bit labored. Delta came back with medical supplies.

"We got medicine for the Champion, your highness." He said, taking out gauge to wrap around Miphas waist. "Thank you."Delta got to work in Miphas waist while Pearl tended to Link, placing a wet cloth on his head.

Link flinched at the cold cloth , his face twisting. "Thank you, Pearl." Mipha said as the rest of her soldiers came into the cave and set up camp.

"You're welcome, highness. I apologize that we took so long Ms.Impa wanted us to stay until the storm died down." Pearl explained.

"I assumed." Mipha grunted as Delta cinched the bandages tight. Pearl looked over at her highness.

"Would you like to dress Links wounds?" She asked. Mipha froze, feeling flustered at the sudden question.

"I-I,um... of course." Mipha said, feeling Deltas gaze on her knowing she'll get an earful from him later.
Pearl placed a pack under Links head as a pillow and she went over with the rest of the guards who had a fire going for themselves.

"I'll get us a fire going, your highness." Delta reassured and went to borrow the extra wood his fellow soldiers had, leaving Mipha alone with Link on the opposite side of the cave.

Mipha got out bandages to wrap around Links ribs. She went over to him then froze, realizing what she was going to be doing, blush creeping up her face.

'This is stupid! You've dressed Links wounds before?? What's the problem now?' She scolded herself. The Zora Princess took a deep breath, calming herself and lifted Links shirt and lifted him gently so she could begin to dress his probably cracked ribs.

She tried not to look over her shoulder, her guards probably watching her embarrassment with great delight. A wave of coughs shook Link , startling Mipha who was almost finished with the wrap of bandages around his waist.

It was hard not to think about starting at Links chest while she wrapped the bandages so she looked at his face instead which looked pale and sweaty.

Mipha sighed in relief once she was done and got a proper pillow and blanket from one of the soldiers.

After that she finally forced Link to take medicine and then let him rest as she watched him, the fire highlighting her face.

"He always seems to get himself into trouble, eh, your highness?" Delta said, joining Mipha at the fire. She glanced at the sleeping Hylian his breathing still ragged.

"Yes...and I'm always there to take care of him afterwards." Mipha replied, sighing and brushing his sweaty bangs out of his face, her fingers tingling at touching him.

"How about you get some rest your highness? I'll wake you if Link wakes up." Delta said. Mipha nodded realizing how exhausted she was....and not just from taking care of Link for the past several days.

She got out her own pack and moved to the other side of the campfire and as soon as her head lay on her pack, the Zora Princess instantly closed her eyes.