Idiot Hero

Chapter One

The skies were almost black, though it was only noon. The pouring rain made the warm land freezing. The once hard dirt was now soppy mud, the once dry air was now moist and thick, it was so dark, the green claded hero couldn't see a foot ahead of him. His ears pointed downwards as he coughed roughly. His lungs burned as he sharply inhaled, and stumbled on. He brought his gloved hand above his brow, trying to block the rain from hitting his eyes. He squinted as the icy blue orbs darted around, trying to figure out where he was in the thick woods.
He had ran off the path when trying to follow his horse, that was hours ago. He sighed as he lowered his hand from his forehead, and grabbed his arms, crossing them over his stomach. His green clothes were soaked, his skin burned with the icy water pelting him. The blond man clenched his arms as he stumbled forward, his brown boots sloshing in the mud, sometimes getting stuck. "Damn." He cursed as his foot sunk in the mud, he tried to retract his foot, but it just kept on sinking deeper and deeper. He grunted as he grabbed his knee, and started yanking, trying to free his foot. A gasp escaped his lips as his foot was freed, but caused him to fall back into the mud.
He didn't stand for a long time, he just fell back and laid in the mud, closing his eyes. Letting the rain fall on him like tiny rocks. The mud seeped through his tunic, and pressed against his skin, causing him to shutter. He finally sat up, feeling his back peel off of the mud made him cringe. He coughed again, just as the rain started getting stronger. The hero sighed as he lifted himself off of the almost flooding ground, and looked up. Is that...a fire? He thought as he squinted his eyes, and looked in the distance. His ears perked up. It was a fire. His hope was short lived, as he gave a disappointed look. What if it's an enemy? He thought as he slowly made his way to the crackling fire, his thoughts swarming with different things. Was it an enemy? How was there a fire in this rain?
He finally made it up to the fire, and looked down at it. It was still going strong, even in this weather? Queer. He looked around the small camp like area and noticed something off. The weapons. They were made from..."Oh shit." He silently said as he reached behind his back, and grasped the handle of the sword. He roughly swallowed as he clenched his eyes shut, and pulled out the sword. Luckily, the goddesses were with him, and the sword made next to no noise. He held it out and slowly backed away from the monsters camp. The mud not helping with his escape, as his feet would sometimes get stuck. His narrowed blue eyes darted around, trying to see if he could spot any of the monsters moving, but with the rain being as heavy as it was, and how the wind was making the trees sway, he couldn't tell.
Until something pierced through his back.
"Epona? Is that you?" Zelda said as she grabbed her dress, and had her fingers roll it up to her knees as she ran out to the sprinting horse. The rain had stopped, and it was bright out. Yesterday, the storm had almost destroyed some places in Hyrule. The rivers were filled to the brim, and some even flooded. The brown haired girl dropped her dress and held up her hands, the horse began to slow, and loudly whined as it went on its hind legs. Zelda jumped back as Epona slammed back on all of her   legs, and began to whine and shake her head. Zelda raised her hands, trying to gently touch the frantic horses face.
After a long while, Epona finally was calm enough to allow Zelda to gently caress her muzzle. "Shh, relax girl." She hummed softly, gently petting the still slightly wet brown fur. Epona snorted and nodded her head up. Zelda smiled as she backed away, but then frowned and looked at her back. The saddle was empty, but the equipment was still poking out of the bags. Maybe he just took out what he needed. She thought as she opened one of the bags, and gasped. Everything was still in there. Even the food. This isn't good. He'd never leave behind things he needs. And Epona was frantic...."Link!" The Princess shouted as she snapped her head towards the woods of which Epona emerged from.
"Link!?" She called out, ducking slightly as a branch was close enough. She rode Epona, both were trying to find the Hero. "Link!" Zelda called out, much louder this time, she held her bow in one hand, as the other held the reins of the chestnut horse. Her quiver bounced against her thigh as Epona trotted along the path. Zelda glanced around with her frantic, blue grey gaze. Her voice called out a small group of monsters, causing Epona to whine and start walking backwards. Zelda let go of the reins, grabbed one of her silver arrows, and brought up her bow. She placed the arrow in place, and pulled back the sting. She didn't need to aim, and let her fingers let go of the arrow. It flew through the air and went through one of the purple goblins heads.
Zelda repeated the process, it was slightly complicated due to the fact that she had to tighten her leg grip on the saddle in order to stay on, but she lived. She almost went on, but saw something strange in one of the monsters ears. It shone out through the nasty blue skin. She brought her leg over Epona, and hopped off, landing on the ground softly. She gracefully jumped over the dead goblins bodies, and leaned down to the one with the strange thing in its ear. She tilted her head as she reached down, and glanced at it's face, seeing if it was still alive. After a few moments of no movement, she quickly plucked what was off its ear, and leaped away.
She glanced at what sat in her palm, and widened her eyes. "Oh my goddess." It was a small, blue hoop earring. Only one person had a piece of jewelry like that. "Oh Link, where are you?" Zelda cried hopelessly as she looked around. The goblins...they wouldn't camp on the trail. "I'm going to go now, Epona. Stay safe." The brown haired girl said softly to the horse, who huffed, and trotted away. She looked to the left. and to the right. "Which part of the woods would they camp in?" She stood there thinking, and eventually looked at the leaves. "The leaves...." The trees on the left. held thicker, and more leaves than the right. They would want to be dry during the storm...Zelda smiled as she slowly inched her way through the bushes, and tried to not get her dress caught on any thorns. She had to stain her eyes to look around. "Damn, why does he have to wear green AND get lost in the woods?" She hissed to herself as she stopped, and scooped the area.
She spotted what looked like a burned out fire pit, and quickly, but cautiously, made her way over. She reached down, grasping an arrow, and holding up her bow. She placed the arrow in place, but didn't pull back. Not yet. The camp looked abandoned. "Maybe this is the camp of those monsters from before?" She questioned, and quickly pulled back the arrow when someone, something coughed. "Who is there? Either come out from where you are or lose your life." She hissed as she slowly backed away, and moved to the left. Her eyes narrowed as she saw something move behind a tree. Her fingers almost let the arrow go, but a brown, gloved hand slumped out from behind the tree, coated with blood. Zelda immediately relaxed the bow and put the arrow away, she slightly pulled on the string, and pulled the bow over her body. she ran up and fell to her knees. "Link! Link oh goddess look at me. Open your eyes." She tried to coax the blond hero to open his eyes.
He wasn't in good shape. An arrow still suck out from behind his back, she didn't dare remove it. "Link say something." She said as she grabbed his hand and clenched it. He slightly twitched. "Good enough, now come on." She said as she leaned down, and poked her head out from under his arm, and wrapped her arm around his waist. His cried out pathetically and gasped when Zelda tried to get him to stand. "Come on Link, you can't just sit there forever." She joked, trying to lighten the mood. His clothes were soaked from the rain and mud, but his back was dripping with blood. "Oh Link, how did you survive this long with that wound?" She asked softly as she allowed him to lean his weight against her. "Where are you weapons? You sword?" She questioned once she noticed that his sword sheath was empty. It took a long while, but he finally sputtered out the words, "T-ten..tent." She looked at the animal skin tent, and back to Link.
"Alright, I'm going to go get your things. I need you, Link, Link open your eyes. I need you to stand on your own, can you do that?" She asked as she gently caressed his back, being very careful as to not touch his wound. She didn't mind as her white glove slowly became stick and wet from his blood, mud, and rain water. He shook his head, and tried to form words, but all that came out was blood and and spit. "I'm going to let you go now, you have to hold up your own weight." She said as she slowly retracted her hand from around his waist. She gasped when the hand that was wrapped around her suddenly clenched her shoulder. He pressed his body against her's and slightly looked up. His blue eyes were red and puffy. "D-do..n't..go.." He whispered as his eyes watered once more. Zelda felt her heart clench.
The Hero. The holder of the Triforce of Courage. The man who's adventured all of Hyrule. The man who has faced terrible monsters and lived to tell. Her eyes watered as well. "A-alright. Come with me then." She wrapped her arms around his waist again, and slowly began to inch to the tent. Which was thankfully empty. She slightly leaned down, causing him to do so as well, and a cry of pain to escape his lips. She muttered an apology, and used her foot to move the animal fur blankets. A smile tugged at her lips when she saw the sword, and Epona's whistle. She tried to reach down to the two items without moving Link, but that didn't go too well. "Link, you've been stabbed, shot, trampled, almost drowned, swam for miles, walked miles, ran miles, fought horrid monsters. And now, only now, you fall due to an arrow of a weak monster?" Zelda grunted as her fingers brushed against the handle of the sword. Her fingers finally grasped it, and she used the sword to pull the horse whistle closer to her.
Link didn't reply to what Zelda said, but coughed up blood all over the ground. Zelda slightly cringed as she stood up straight, and re-sheathed his sword. She then looked at the whistle, and made a face. "Erm...I..." She didn't know how to say she couldn't play it, but didn't want Link to play it due to him being in the shape he is. He held out a shaking hand, understanding why she had such a face. "G-..ve.." He horsey said, his arm shaking just by him holding it up. "No, I don't want you to do anything else, Link. You're in terrible shape and I don't-" She was cut off when his hand was placed over hers, gently taking white whistle. "Link-" She tried to take it back, but he just raised it to his bloody lips. It took him a few tries, but he finally had enough strength to play the song correctly.
Epona came running up just seconds later. Zelda didn't question it. She turned around and slowly made her way up to Epona, who seemed happy to see her master. The princess gently helped Link on the horse, and took the reins. "Don't fall asleep, Link." She warned as they began walking back to the trail.
She slowly opened the door, and peaked into the room. She had Link stay in her room, not like he could refuse, he didn't have any strength to refuse. It's been about a week, and he still hasn't woken up. She silently entered the room, and closed the door. She made her way over to the hero, who was resting on his stomach. He couldn't sleep on his back. The wound was infected. No wonder why he was in so much pain. Zelda thought as she sat on the soft covers, and slightly smiled. He hero had his arms wrapped around a pillow, he nuzzled into it every now and then. Zelda placed a hand on the back of his head, softly running her hand through his now dried hair. He sighed softly, and slightly smiled. Zelda smiled as she then moved her hand over the blanket covering him, and slightly lifted it. She looked over the bandages, and let out a breath of relief. The bandages weren't soaked through with blood.
That was a good sign.
She placed the blanket back over his back, and jumped when he spoke. "Nng.....how are you?" He muttered in a breathy voice. Zelda twitched her eye. She was excited for him to wake up. But, did he really not care about his wound? Is he insane?! "You were shot in the back, and almost pierced through the heart. Your wound was infected. You were out for a week...And you're asking me how I am?" She asked, watching him slightly open his eyes, just barely, but enough for her to see his dull, blue eyes. He slightly nodded, and tried to sit up, only to be scowled at by Zelda. "Okay... okay relax.....Look, I'm laying back down." He said as he pressed his chest against the bed once more. "See?" Zelda sighed as she ran a hand through her hair. "Link you're such a mess. You almost died and you're joking around." She said, not understanding why he was in such a good mood. Or how he had so much energy after waking up.
Usually, if someone was shot, they'd be out for a week, and when they wake up. They'd be in a terrible mood, and would be in a lot of pain. But not Link, oh no. Somehow, this idiot managed to be severely injured and somehow managed to keep it light hearted.
He wrapped his arms around the fluffy pillow, and pressed his cheek against it, looking at Zelda with concern. "Are you alright though? You have bags under your eyes." He said bluntly, and slightly gasped when he moved in the wrong way. His back aching and throbbing from the wound. He bit his lip to keep from crying out. "Link! What is wrong with you!? You get injured and almost die from hypothermia and blood loss! You act so reckless and immature but yet you're the Hero of Time and you saved Hyrule! How does that work? I always worry about you Link, always! You go out there in the world and fight these, these monsters and you don't come back for what seems like years! I think you've died sometimes even, and you're just laying there and asking how I'M doing? You're the one who should be asked how you were doing!" Zelda shouted as she gripped her hair.
Link just started at her with wide eyes, in silence. He watched her take deep, uneasy breathes. Hey eyes clenched shut, she was even slightly shaking. Does she care that much about my well being? He questioned as he somehow rolled over on his side, the pain in his back was excruciating, but he dealt with it and didn't show a pained expression. He didn't want to worry her even more. He held his arm up, causing the blanket to go up in the process. "What...are you doing now?" The princess asked, giving a confused and tired look to the wounded man. He just nodded his head down, and gave a small hand motion for her to lay next to him. "Link, no." She said tiredly, and rubbed her temples. Is he ever going to grow up? Link didn't put his arm down, no matter how much it hurt his back, he just stayed in that position. He tried coaxing her to just lay down with him. He said kind things at first, then to saying that holding someone would help him relax, but then went to pathetic whimpers. "Link no. No.......oh damn it fine, but stop giving me that look." She said, Link stopped giving puppy eyes and grinned.
"You're so pathetic...." She muttered in his chest, his grip around her tightened. "I know." He whispered into her hair, she sighed softly and closed her eyes. She kept on insulting him, but Link just chuckled and held her. His hand gently running through her hair. Once her insults went silent, he figured that she had fallen asleep, and slightly smiled. He nuzzled closer to her and said one last thing before falling asleep with her.
"Yeah...but I'm you're idiot hero."