Time Cannot Erase

Too many years
Fighting back tears
Why can't the past just die…
~The Phantom of the Opera

Chapter 8
Flight to Freedom

Zelda frantically thrust some clothes into a sack, along with a few provisions. She didn't have much time. Her father would be furious once the shock wore off. She had to leave, and she had to leave now. With everything packed she vanished once more, reappearing in the horse stable.

She located her mare and began to saddle her up as quickly as possible. The sun had nearly set. It would soon be night, and if she could get far enough away before dark they wouldn't be able to find her.

Zelda tied her sack to the back of the saddle and mounted, her heart beating a mile a minute. She couldn't believe what she was about to do. The thought of it left her terrified and confused and excited all at once.

The one thing she knew for sure was that she could not stay here any longer. She would not be a piece of meat for her father to sell into virtual slavery on a whim.

She didn't regret what she had done- not for a second.

"Ya!" she spurred her horse and started out of the stables, only to find Impa blocking the doorway.

"I have to leave, Impa. I can't stay here anymore," Zelda said simply.

"Are you sure you know what you're doing?"

"Yes, I am leaving. I won't be his property. He can't sell me. He can't enslave me!" she nearly screamed. She was still furious and terribly, terribly hurt. "You can't stop me from going."

"No, I can't," Impa said as she stepped to the side. "Take care, my princess."

Zelda couldn't reply. With a lump in her throat and her eyes stinging she spurred her horse once more and galloped out into the dusk.

Night came quickly as Zelda sped across Hyrule field. Her mind was too much of a blur to think about where she was going, but somewhere around the entrance to Zora's domain she realized she was headed to Kokiri Forest.

She had no idea where Link was now, but Kokiri Forest seemed as good as anywhere else to look. He probably wasn't even in Hyrule any longer. Maybe Saria knew where he had gone. If nothing else she could stop there and rest before setting out for good.

She wasn't afraid. She had been out on her own once before, long ago.

Somewhere inside she knew she could take care of herself until she found him. The only thing she was certain of was that she couldn't go back home.

It surprised her how calm she had become. She was expecting fear to come over her at some point. She would feel nervous or lonely or unsure. Instead she felt calm and, oddly enough, excited.

Rolling hills stretched out before her into the night. This was what she wanted: what she had always longer for.

It was well past midnight when the trees of Kokiri forest came into view. She would stop and rest there for the remainder of the night.

As she drew nearer her eyes came across something large sprawled out among the trees. Curious, she veered to the left to get a better look. A sickly feeling came over her as the lump took clearer shape. It was a person, probably a man, lying face down in the grass. He wasn't moving.

Zelda approached more cautiously now. Her first impression, and fear, was that he was dead. Reluctantly, she dismounted and walked toward him. As she drew near his head rose slightly. Pitifully he tried to raise himself up with one arm.

He was alive! She rushed to his side, kneeling down in the grass beside him.

"Link…" he whispered hoarsely. "I… need… Link…."

He was fairly young, maybe only a few years older than herself. He had jet black hair that hung shaggily over his eyes. His face was covered in scrapes and bruises. On top of his head sat a small crown. Though his clothes were torn and ripped, she could tell they were high quality. This was obviously a man of importance.

Zelda began searching him for signs of injury. Suddenly she became aware of dampness beneath her legs. She looked down at the ground beneath her. Even the moonlight she could see that she was kneeling in a puddle of blood.

Slightly shaken she lifted his cape and found a long, bloody gash. It was extremely deep, running down the length of his side. Suppressing the nausea that had suddenly seized her, she looked around frantically.

"Help!" she screamed. "Help!" It was pointless. She was in a remote section of Hyrule in the middle of the night. There was no one nearby.

Hastily she began to shred the hem off of her skirt into long strips of cloth. She tore his armor off and tossed it aside, then ripped off what remained of his shirt and threw the bloody mess on the ground. She bound him as tightly as she could with her makeshift bandages. He moaned softly, but soon fell into silence, which worried her even more.

His wound was bad- very bad, and he had lost a lot of blood. She had to get him help as soon as possible. She felt completely numb, though she never hesitated. She knew she had to get him onto the horse somehow. Zelda slipped her arms underneath him, immediately seeing it was of no use.

He was tall, probably a few good inches over six feet, and broad. He must weigh over two hundred pounds. Zelda, being only a few inches over five feet and barely over one hundred pounds, knew she couldn't lift him.

Besides, if she wasn't careful she could hurt him even more. Looking around for a solution she suddenly realized she didn't need one.

Cursing her own stupidity she stood up, reached her arms out to him and closed her eyes, concentrating. A bluish light began to glow around him.

She'd never lifted anything so heavy before, but she forced herself to focus. The need was dire- there was no room for doubt.

Impa had always told her it that her size didn't matter, only the size of her will.

Closing her eyes, she gritted her teeth and poured all of her energy into exerting enough power to lift the man. Se opened her eyes. A crystal of blue light had formed around him and he was hovering horizontally over the ground.

Zelda mounted her horse and started as quickly as possible, not sure where to go. The man needed assistance as quickly as possible. She was closest to Kokiri forest, but she didn't know how much help they could give her. Still, it was at least an eight hour ride back to Hyrule Castle. Finally she decided it would be best to get him help immediately, no matter how small the help might be. She spurred her horse towards the entrance to the Kokiri forest, the man hovering behind her. She wound through the trees and through the wooden archway, across a small bridge, through another archway and finally found herself in the middle of Kokiri forest.

Small wooden homes made from the remains of massive tree trunks stood all around. The Kokiri were all asleep, and the village was silent.

"Help!" she shouted as she tore down the small pathway. She didn't know where Saria lived and couldn't even be sure that she was there at the moment.

"I need help!" she again, causing as much of a raucous as possible. Slowly, one by one, Kokiri began popping their heads out of their homes, but once they saw who was shouting they immediately gasped, jumped back inside and slammed their doors. Zelda suddenly realized how bizarre she must look: a Hylian in the middle of Kokiri forest, on a horse, with a man encased in a crystal floating behind her, screaming in the middle of the night. No wonder they were frightened.

"Zelda!?" someone shouted.

Zelda turned to see Saria running towards her looking shocked.

"What are you doing here?" She asked, then she saw the man and gasped.

"What's wrong?"

"This man is badly hurt," Zelda said quickly. "If we don't help him he'll die."

"Come with me," Saria jumped into action, her large eyes wide and shocked. "We'll take him to the Deku tree. He'll know what to do."

Zelda followed her through the little village, past some more dwellings, over a small stream and into a wooded passage that led to a huge clearing. In the middle of the massive grove stood the Deku tree.

"Great Deku Tree!" Saria shouted. "Great Deku Tree, help. This man is hurt."

"Princess Zelda," the Deku tree spoke slowly and calmly. "How may I be of assistance."

"I found this man badly wounded outside of your forest. He's bleeding badly and needs help."

"We do not know much about healing here…" the Deku Tree replied. Zelda's heart sank. She should have taken him back to the castle. "If thine need is dire, however, we will do what we can. We do have something that might help. Saria, doest thou know of the green mushrooms that grow near the entrance to the Lost Woods?"

"Yes, Great Deku Tree," she repied quickly.

"Bring them hither to us. They might help to stop the bleeding and ease the pain. Unfortunately, I am afraid it will not be enough to save the young Hylian."

"Anything will help," Zelda replied. "Thank you."

She followed Saria home where they laid the man out on the floor. Saria left and quickly returned with an armful of mushrooms which they mashed up into a fine, watery paste. Zelda removed the blood soaked bandages she had put on him and she and Saria set out to clean the wound.

Zelda felt overwhelmingly sick as she worked. His side was torn away and the hole left behind was filled with a fleshy yellow substance. The bleeding still hadn't stopped. They quickly packed the mushroom medicine into the wound and rebound him with clean bandages as the Deku Tree had instructed. The man hadn't moved the entire time, and Zelda's hopes were fading.

"That's all we can do," Saria replied as they tied off the bandage. "I'm sorry we can't help more. What will you do now?"

"I'm going to take him back to Hyrule Castle," Zelda replied. Any thoughts of her running away to find Link were gone. She didn't even consider it. This was more important.

"It's a long way…" Saria said, looking worried. "What were you doing way out here anyway?"

"It is a long story. I'll explain it later. Right now, I have to go," it was nearly noon now, and she needed to set off. "If I hurry I can make it home before dark."

Zelda bid Saria a hasty farewell and sped out of the city with the man in his makeshift stretcher behind her. The Kokiri came pouring out of their homes to wave goodbye to her as she passed. Word had traveled quickly that it was the Princess who had come to their village, and they were all anxious to catch a glimpse of her as she rode by.

Zelda rode as quickly as she could, never slowing and stopping only to give her horse a much needed rest. She wished she could use her teleportation to take him home immediately, but she didn't have the skill to carry another with her.

It was a restless day. Wind blew incessantly, a sure sign of a storm. Sure enough, before dusk the black clouds that had been looming in the distant finally caught up with her. The fading light of the sun was shut out completely as a blanket of black clouds stole over Hyrule. As she neared Zora's domain the rain began to fall. It was not yet spring, and Zelda had nothing more than a light dress and a cloak on. She pulled her cloak around her more tightly and squinted as the wind plastered rain onto her face.

Hyrule field continued to grow darker, colder and wetter. The temperature hovered just above freezing. The rain had long ago soaked through Zelda's cloak and the cold was becoming unbearable. Her breath lingered in the frigid air before her. Her hair hung limply, completely drenched. The cold was beginning to freeze the water on her- leaving her covered in small icy beads. Numbness had set into her hands and feet.

She was starving and had not had any sleep in nearly thirty six hours. Not counting her trip to Kokiri forest the night before she had been on the back of a horse, riding full speed for almost eight hours straight. To top it all, she had to put all of her remaining energy into keeping the man safely hovering behind her, which was energy sapping all by itself.

Between the cold, the fatigue and the hunger there had never been a more welcome sight than Hyrule castle as it finally appeared over a ridge.
She gripped her reigns tighter despite the fact that she no longer had feeling in her fingers. She was almost there.

Zelda was trembling violently now. It was taking all of her strength to simply stay in the saddle. Her breathing was becoming fast and frantic. She didn't even know if the man was still alive.

The castle was closer now. The wind began blowing more fiercely. She hunched up her shoulders and shivered.

She flew past the bridge that led towards Kakiriko Village. She turned sharply, heading for the castle gate, but it was shut. It was hours past sunset. In dismay she pulled back on the reigns, coming to an abrupt stop.

"Hello there!" She shouted. He voice barely carried over the sound of the wind and the rain. She gazed up at the wall above the gate. She knew there were guards there, but in the darkness she couldn't see them and they couldn't hear her through the storm. She shouted once more, with no avail.

Zelda could feel her body shutting down. She had come all this way only to find herself locked out. The entire journey had taken its toll on her. She screamed out once more, swaying slightly, gripping on as tightly as possible.

With great effort she lifted her frozen arm into the air, extended her hand and pointed her finger. A small ball of fire burst out of its tip and sailed into the air. About ten feet up it exploded in a burst of light, illuminating the sheet of rain that continued to pelt down from the clouds above. A moment later two guards peered down from the parapets above.

"Who goes there?" they shouted in surprise.

Zelda threw back her hood, "The Princess, Zelda!" she cried back. The world around her was growing hazy. "Let me… in…" she gasped. The fireball had taken all of her remaining strength. Her fingers refused to hold on any longer. Her legs went limp. As unconsciousness took her she let go of the reigns and slipped from the saddle, landing with a splash on the mud covered ground. The crystal around the wounded man sputtered and died, letting him fall to the ground as well.

"Princess!" they exclaimed as they watched her faint.

"Don't just stand there, hurry and open the gate!" the commander barked. "You two," he pointed at two nearby guards, "get down there and take the Princess to the healers immediately! And notify the King, he'll want to know she's back!"

Zelda awoke to warm sunshine streaming down on her face. She rolled over and pulled the blankets further up over her head, reveling in their warmth and comfort. She could hear sounds of someone bustling around nearby.

Then the thought struck her, why was someone in her room? She opened her eyes and peaked over the covers. It shocked her to realize she was not in her room, but in the Healing Hall.

In an instant the entire ordeal flooded back to her. She couldn't remember anything past telling the soldiers at the gate to open up for her, though. She sat up in the bed, feeling very stiff and sore.

"Careful there, Little Miss!" a short, round, rosy cheeked woman with flaming red hair that was touched with grey and a cheery smile rushed to Zelda's side.

"Where is he?" Zelda asked. "Is he all right?"

"You mean the poor soul they found with you at the gate? He's alive. He isn't well by any means, but he's still alive."

"Let me see him," Zelda started to get out of bed.

"Oh, no you don't. He's still unconscious and weak as a kitten. He's in no state for visitors. You, my little one, need to stay here and recover yourself before you can worry about others." Althea pushed Zelda back into bed.

"I'm fine, really," Zelda insisted.

"I'll not have you setting foot out of this bed until you've eaten and I've got a good dose of fairy spring water down your throat, and that's that!" Althea brought a tray of food over and shoved a fork into her hand.

"Yes, Althea," Zelda smiled. Althea was the most accomplished and gifted healer in all of Hyrule. She had been brought in to serve the royal family when Zelda's father was only a boy. She knew Zelda as well as almost anyone could.

Zelda picked up the fork but didn't take a bite. Instead she peered down the row of beds to a bed in the corner which was shrouded. He must be there, she though. She hoped the poor man would be all right.

"Eat, eat!" Althea prompted. Zelda took a bite and suddenly realized how hungry she was. It had been over a day since she had eaten anything.

Ravenously, she spooned her entire breakfast down her throat, then ate a second helping. She quickly gulped down her bottle of fairy spring water, which wasn't bad at all. In fact it was pretty good. The water had a sweet, sugary taste to it. Even as she drank it she could feel its magic running through her veins, renewing her.

"What happened to me?" Zelda put a hand to her side, which still felt tender.

"What happened to you?" Althea exclaimed as she put the finishing touches on a tray of food for Zelda. "You showed up at the gate last night, screaming your royal little head off, blasting fire into the air and rousing the guards. Then, you faint away and fall off and your horse. They find you half drowned, lying in the mud, frozen to the bone! Lucky you didn't get more hurt than you did!" Althea shook her head in dismay. Zelda couldn't help but laugh. A little bruise on the side and a headache wasn't all that bad, considering- but Zelda knew Althea well enough to know that this was just her way.

"Why, with you here I'll never be out of business. If I had a rupee for every time you've fallen from that horse of yours, or from climbing a tree, or gotten scrapes acting like a little soldier with your sword, or gotten hurt doing any of the other crazy things you do, my little princess, I'd be rich!" Althea threw her hands into the air and walked back to her table of potions. She turned and threw Zelda a quick smile. Zelda returned it.

"You'll be alright, though," Althea said kindly. "You're a strong one, I've always said. It'll take more than a little fall like that to stop you. What you were doing out there in the first place is a mystery to me."

Zelda didn't reply.

"Who is he? Where did he come from?" Althea asked, guessing Zelda's mind.
"I don't know," Zelda shrugged. "I found him all the way out by Kokiri Forest, just lying there."

"And what were you doing all the way out there?"

Again she didn't answer.

"All right, all right. I won't pry," Althea laughed. "It's none of my business," she paused, then said more gently, "it's a kind thing you did, getting him back here. A few more hours and he wouldn't have survived. You did well, too- with the medicine and the bandages. You're a one of a kind, my girl. Of course, your father was none too pleased to see him."

"Oh," Zelda groaned. "My father…"

"Carrying on about you bringing worthless bums into the castle, but, bum or not, I wouldn't just let him die. After getting a closer look at him, though, I don't think he's a bum at all. He's royalty if you ask me. There's no mistaking it."

Zelda nodded in agreement.

"He was worried sick about you, Love," Althea said sincerely, "when you vanished after dinner. Cursing Impa, he was, screaming about how she didn't take care of you good enough. Course he was also screaming about you being ungrateful and reckless, as usual."

Zelda was used to that, but she felt a pang of guilt as well. She hadn't wanted to get Impa in trouble.

"Where is Impa?" Zelda asked.

"She left after your father started hollerin' at her. Said she had urgent business. She didn't back down to him, I'll have you know. She's got nerves of steel and more sass than you and me put together, and that's saying something."

Zelda giggled.

"She said she'd be back soon, don't you worry."

"Thank you, Althea," Zelda kissed her cheek as she began to leave the healing hall.

"He was relieved that you came back," Althea said as Zelda turned towards the door. "You about frightened him to death."

Zelda stopped for a moment, but didn't turn. She didn't want to talk about him. If he really cared… she pushed him from her mind.

"You will let me know the moment he wakes up, won't you?"

"Of course, Little Miss, of course," Althea replied.

"Thank you," Zelda said. As she passed the curtained bed she caught a glimpse of the man through a crack in the material. He looked pale and weak, but still alive, and for that Zelda was grateful.

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