We all are animals anyway

ZELDA POV

Zelda saw the carriage stopping, and people starting to descend from it, people with odd clothes, surely SWORD agents, she turned to ask Link if he knew them, but she found herself standing alone. A sense of dread mixed with panic drains the color from her face, after waiting for a few seconds she starts running back to look for Link. A man starts calling her by her name and title, telling her to stop running, assuring her there is nothing to be afraid of, that she is safe now.

NO, I AM NOT SAFE! Not without him, besides I don't even know any of you. How STUPID of me to just run off for the carriage like that, I hope he just fell down trying to catch up to me... yes, surely that is why he is delayed.

She finds Link's body lying face down on the snow, in a pool of his own blood. She drops on her knees and starts wailing pulling at her hair, then she crawls to reach him.

HE IS OK, he must be, I mean he was just fine a while ago, walking with me and joking at times, he said his wound had not opened, why did he lie to me? He SUPPOSEDLY hates lies.

She pulls up the pelt to check how bad the wound was bleeding, only to find it was NOT. Then the man that was previously calling out to her reaches them, his eyes open wide at the sight, he starts shouting loudly to somebody behind him and rushes to Link's body. He touches Link's neck and turns the body face up, then starts to uncover it from the pelt, revealing deep claw slices across his chest and abdomen.

What? When? He never told me or complained.

"WHAT HAPPENED?" The man asks her, then he yells loudly at somebody claiming CPR needs to be started ASAP.

"We were… HE was attacked by wolfos in the morning, I asked him if he was ok and he told me he was" Zelda says trying to justify her lack of knowledge of Link's state.

"DID HE NOW?" the man practically barked at her.

I did ask, and he didn't told me he was injured… WAIT.

"You are right, he didn't, I asked for his bullet wound, and he answered only for that wound, he said it was fine, it had not reopened, I thought it meant HE was all right, but he was only informing me of THAT wound." Zelda answers angry at Link, but deep down, she hated herself.

"Yeah… that is more like the KID I know; he is got a way with words" answers the man as he continues tightening the blood-stained bandages Link was using, as if preparing him for something.

"BUT HOW COUD THIS HAPPEN? He told me he ordered clothes that acted as simple vest" the man says and then looks at Zelda and closes his eyes sighting.

He fucking gave ME his jacket, he would not be like this if he had had it on, he promised he would take care of himself, how does he want me to trust him when he can't even keep a simple promise. [I promise that as long as I still breathe, I will take any and every precaution necessary to ensure your survival] 

MY survival… [he is got a way with words]. He didn't promise me ANYTHING, he basically told me he was willing to carry out my demand as long as it didn't interfere with his task, all of this is my fault, I should have paid attention… WAIT NO, it can't be my fault, he was actively trying to deceive me so he could do things his way, he CHOOSE this, he choose ME for some fucked up reason, like I am worth anything to anyone.

A female arrives and quickly starts inserting needles on Link's forearms, one connecting to a clear liquid bag and the other connecting to a red one.

"Is that blood?" I hope it is... he needs it, he lost a lot of it.

She gives a nod to the man and he starts chest compressions and mouth-to-mouth. That continues for a while, they both kept checking his pulse but eventually both of them decide is time to let him go. Zelda's eyes open wide when she realizes what this meant for Link and for her. She then starts to grimace in anger, an anger capable of melting the snow around them.

"How dare you? HOW FUCKING DARE YOU?" she yells as she crawls her way to Link's body and starts bringing down her fist on his chest, the force of the beating scaring the agents.

"You came" BAM! "Just to mock me" BAM! "To annoy me" BAM!

The woman tries to stop her not tolerating the abuse inflicted on her fallen comrade, Zelda reacts by drawing Links Swiss knife and slashing at her face. The woman draws back but not fast enough, the Princess had managed to scratch the female's cheek. The man pulls back his female comrade, forcing her to remain seated on with him by Link's body.

"Just let her Carla, she can't kill him more than he already is" the man says, anger burning in his eyes, but pity for the Princess present in his voice.

"Rub in my face how uncapable" BAM!

"And pitiful I am" BAM!

"You brought me down" BAM!

"Then gave me hope" BAM!

"You told me I could be capable" BAM!

"That I could be trusted" BAM!

"You were going to teach me sword fighting, DAMN IT" Zelda falls on Link's chest sobbing. 

Carla decides to crawl her way to the Princess, and comfort her somehow, when she notices a puff of breath on top of Link's face. She opens her eyes wide and immediately checks on his pulse.

"WOLF!" Carla yells smiling and adjusting Link's serum bag.

"HOLY FUCK, what do I do?" Wolf says a little scared but happy none the less

What the… what is going on?

"Bring the stretcher and the first aid kit, I need to stich him ASAP"

Zelda widens her eyes

LINK IS ALIVE!

Zelda starts to stand up to see if there is anything she could help with, but she faints.

LINK POV

Link opens his eyes, he blinks a few times trying regain focus and looks at his surroundings, he appears to be inside a camping tent, that makes him puzzled but not surprised, until his eyes land on Zelda hugging his arm in her sleep.

ALRIGHT, my body hurts and my feet are freezing, but I am alive… inside a tent. I assume SWORD got to me in time and saved me, but why am I in a tent? And why is Zelda sleeping next to me?

Wolf enters the tent and smiles when he sees Link is finally awake.

"Don't move. DAMN KID, it took you long enough… You were in a coma 4 days. I obviously don't care about you, so I just plugged you in and left you alone for the most of it. How are you feeling?"

Link smiled knowing what Claudio said about no caring was a blatant lie, knowing him, Wolf was giving him routine check every 10-15 minutes.

"Like I almost died, why are we on a tent?" Link asks.

"Puff, you can blame the sleeping beauty there" Wolf points at Zelda "We wanted to take you back, but she would not allow it" Wolf says chuckling pitifully, he adjusts the collar of his shirt. "Buckle up Kid, I'm goanna tell you a story"

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"She is awake now, no need of alcohol, and that is good cuz I never found it" Wolf informs Carla laughing.

"WHAT? I told you exactly where… gosh, men are helpless… I am GLAD she is ok, I am almost done stitching the important arteries, we should be able to move him now without risking him that much, then I can finish him up, but first I want to get him out the cold" Carla says

"WAIT" Zelda suddenly yells "if moving him is risky, I FORBID YOU TO MOVE HIM"

"You can't give us orders involving the wellbeing of our agent missy" Wolf barks angrily at her.

The Princess stares up at him challenging him "And you can't tell me how to care for my people on MY LAND, I am the princess and HE is the King's son, I won't allow you to gamble with his life" Zelda states not backing off.

"Then how exactly are we supposed to give him proper medical care?" Wolf asks exasperated.

"Hyrule medics are trained and equipped to tend patients on the spot, no matter the location… are you telling me SWORD can't pull that off?" She asks with a smug grin on her face.

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OMG! I wish I could have seen her stand proud against this brute of a man, a man that got his code name from his brutally dismembering a wolf during training, a man that has earned my respect and trust... What is this that I am feeling? Is it pride? Am I PROUD of Zelda? hahaha, damn.

"HAHAHAHA, that must have really hurt your ego" Link teases.

Wolf growls, Link laughs and starts to mock him, but stops noticing Zelda hasn't even bothered to open her eyes, she just tightens her hold on his arm every time he moves too much.

"Is she drugged?" Link asks Wolf with a menacing look.

"There was no other way to put up with her, she was refusing food and water from us… she suspected we would try to take her out somehow. Hate to admit it but she was right. Once she got hungry enough, she accepted food, but right after eating she slipped into the tent and laid by your side, to prevent us from moving you out of here, she has repeated this pattern for the last 2 days, this is the first time I drug her. We wanted to move you to a warmer place, but you woke up before we even tried… I hate her."

Link chuckles darkly "It appears that Zelda does not trust you AT ALL, why?" Link asks still trying to connect the pieces and make sense of everything.

"I understand her" Carla chimes in as she enters the tent "we declared you dead… we had tried CPR on you for 15 min with no response, in a fit of anger she started to beat the crap out of you and that somehow brought you back, you are here now because of her, not because of us… I would not trust us either if I were on her shoes"

I died, and came back from the underworld thanks to HER. DAMN, I don't want to owe her ANYTHING, does me having fought wolfos bare handed for her makes us even?

*Nope, you want even? She needs to die and you need to bring her back*

COME ON, you know what I mean

*All I know is that YOU got a way with words, and you used the word EVEN. Killing her hoping to successfully bring her back is the only way*

I CAN'T DO THAT.

*I know… go the hard way, give her something EXTRAORDINARY*

Explain that to me please

*Give her something she yearns for BUT also desperately needs. Something so remarkable that no matter what she does, she won't be able to repay it. Something that will put her in debt with you forever, as you currently are of her. That would make it even*

Oh wow, that sounds good on paper, but come on what could I… possibly… she WANTS to run away right?

*Now the wheels are turning*

And she NEEDS exposure, to see and experience hardship first hand, not to read or hear about it… So far, I have seen that she is resilient and adaptable. Firsthand experience with hardship appears to draw the best of her…

SHE NEEDS TO COME WITH ME WHEN I LEAVE ON A MISSION FOR SWORD.

*AND that is all the help I am willing to give regarding this. I am out, good luck convincing Daphnes*

Link looks at Carla who was examining his serum bag. She then decides he doesn't need it anymore and unplugs him from it.

"I will bring food for you, broth and eggs, you DON'T gag on it, you EAT IT" Carla menaces him.

"YES MAM" Link answers, he then looks at Wolf intensely and whispers "I forgive you" with half a smile.

"You forgive me? for wh-" Wolf squints his eyes' realizing Link refers to being declared dead. Wolf yells and reproaching Link for his ungratefulness. Then he exits the tent furious. Carla stayed behind picking up her medical wares, she was trying her best not to burst out laughing at Wolf. Link just chuckles, looks at Zelda sleeping next to him and sighs.