Noble by Nature

Chapter 26

The far horizon was only just turning a lighter blue when Link left Gerudo Town. He was shivering in his desert outfit, but knew it would be the best option later. For now he just had to suffer through it.
     Reeza and Laine accompanied him, both holding their sand seals tight in hand, seemingly unbothered by the cold. They were grinning excitedly at the prospect of going out in the desert and riding their sand seals, so much so that they hardly noticed Link's sour mood.
     His conversation with Ramella had brought back a lot of bad memories, and it had left him absolutely drained. When she had finally agreed to tell him what she knew about a cure, he had been anxious to get it out of her and leave. It was as though his body sensed it, however, and the familiar pain had flared up once more.
     He had left her little cell to try not to show her how bad it really was, but there was no hiding the painful grunts and shouts echoing through the narrow hallway. As soon as the pain had ebbed away he had returned to her, sweat still on his brow. He still remembered the flash of pity in her eyes.
     He hated that. She was the prisoner, locked up in a cell barely large enough to turn around, yet she somehow pitied him. He didn't want to be pitied. He didn't want to show any weakness, least of all to the enemy.
     But she hadn't commented, and instead told him what she knew of the way Lady Maud protected herself against the horrible effects of Malice.
     And now here they were, wasting yet more of their time to travel the desert for this supposed antidote.
     Link was beyond annoyed that he had to go even further away, when all he wanted to do was get to the castle. He had no time for this nonesense. But he couldn't deny that he needed it. The frequency of attacks seemed only to increase. It was now so bad that he even started to fear for his life.
     Since they had left Lurelin Village the time in between had become less and less. There was the attack out in Gerudo Canyon, just before they reached the stable. Then that same night, talking to Ramella. And again early this morning, when it had woken him up. If this kept getting worse, he might not come out of it again sometime soon.
     But no matter how concerned he was, his mind was always on Zelda, wondering what she was doing and whether she was safe.
     Sand sped by underneath his feet, but he could hardly enjoy it like he usually would. When finally the giant bones of the Leviathan skeleton came into view, he sighed in relief.
     Reeza and Laine looked on with wide eyes, taking in the massive skull half buried in the sand.
     'That thing is huge!' Laine exclaimed. 'Imagine that just living in the desert.'
     'For all we know there is still something like that out there,' Reeza said, frowning out to the horizon beyond.
     Laine shuddered.
     Link ignored them as they started a heated discussion of what kind of creature it would have been and walked through its gaping jaw. The sun had risen as they were crossing the desert, and already the shade was a welcome relief from the heat.
     Up ahead he saw the shimmering lights of the Fairy Fountain, bright and peaceful in this remote corner of the world. He made sure the two Gerudo remained back and carefully shuffled closer. As he had expected, small fairies were circling the pool of water inside the giant flower bud. Before long he managed to capture three of those in a glass jar, which he carefully put aside.
     Then he motioned the others over and asked Reeza to start a small fire. He set Laine to collecting the flowers that grew around the fountain, instructing her to pluck them as far down the stem as she could.
     While they were busy he himself headed up to the edge of the fountain, where he peered into the depths of water. He knew the Great Fairy would be somewhere down there, but he didn't really feel like explaining his business to her.
     With a silent prayer to the Goddess he held out another glass jar and carefully dunked it under, filling it to the brim with clear, sparkling water from the fountain. To his immense relief no giant woman appeared to bother him, and he quickly filled another jar.
     When he returned, Reeza had gotten the fire crackling merrily and was already heating a pot over it, while Laine came thrudging back to them, her arms full of colourful flowers.
     He shot them both a look, almost begging them to tell him this was a good idea. It felt like a ridiculous joke, only meant by Ramella to mock him. But he had no other choice but to try.
     With a sigh of resignment he poured the water into the cooking pot. It immediately started steaming and hissing, the small bubbles popping and sparkling in the early morning light.
     'We need to pluck those leaves,' he told Laine, who was watching him closely. 'Of the Safflinas I need five flowers each, and three of the Silent Princesses. Be careful not to tear them.'
     Both Gerudo helped him, without commenting. They seemed to sense his mood, and might be at least as anxious about this. They all wanted it to work.
     After a few minutes of silence they had collected all the leaves in a bowl. It was a colourfull mix, and their hands were stained in it. Link hardly noticed, though, as he set to crushing them together.
     When it was a fine purple powder he poured it into the boiling water and stirred. He watched anxiously as the water took on the same colour, growing brighter with every turn. Golden specks seemed to shimmer through it, and were dancing on the surface.
     'At least it looks beautiful,' Reeza tried to joke, but she sounded strained.
     Link shrugged, frowning down on the strange potion. He reached out and grabbed the jar with Fairies. They felt alive, like small insects or something, and he felt bad about it, but he had no choice. He turned the jar over the cooking pot and opened it.
     Immediately all three Fairies flew out and disappeared under the surface, as if they were being sucked down.
     The purple water sparked and sputtered, and all three of them fell back to avoid getting splattered. Then the water started to gravitate towards the middle. It was now moving all by itself, swirling around in the pot and giving off bright golden sparks.
     Link watched in amazement, until suddenly it stopped moving. The purple colour sank to the bottom and disappeared, leaving a clear solution with sparkling golden flecks in it. Little ripples danced over the surface, until those settled down and left the water sitting quietly in the pot.
     Link glanced up to Laine and Reeza, who looked back at him with wide eyes. Then he took out another jar and tentatively reached down. It sank beneath the water without causing a single ripple. The unnatural behaviour of this potion sent a shiver down his back, but he ignored it. He lifted the jar and stared at the clear substance inside.
     'Is that what it should look like?' Laine asked.
     'Only one way to find out,' he said with a grimace. He raised the jar in cheers. 'Here goes nothing.' He put it to his mouth and threw it back, draining the glass in three big swallows.
     For a split second they were all staring at each other, while he waited for something to happen. He felt the liquid slide down his throat and settle in his stomach, feeling strangely cold and hot at the same time.
    
The next second his body seemed to explode, and he actually lifted off the ground when all his muscles tensed in pain. He tried to scream, but no sound came out.
     Link saw the world tilt when he fell back, crashing to the ground heavily, his body writhing in intense agony.
     Reeza and Laine were on him in a split second, their faces hovering over him with similar horrified expressions. Their mouths opened and closed as they shouted at him, but he couldn't hear them over the thundering in his ears.
     Sand got kicked up in the air, but he had no control over his body. It was as if he was watching from miles away. Like he wasn't actually there.
     He sat up, doubling over when something seemed to pierce his stomach. Then he fell back down, slamming his back into the sand to try and push the pain out of it. The Gerudo were frantically moving around him, trying to keep him from hurting himself, but they couldn't get too close without getting hit in the process.
     Link rolled onto his stomach and tried to claw through the sand. He didn't know what his intention was, just that he had to get away. He had to get away from the pain.
     Another wave of agony crashed over him. His arms buckled under him and he fell face-down, his mouth instantly filling with sand. More pain when he tried to breathe and inhaled it, sending him into a fit of coughing.
     When he finally sucked in some air again, he rolled onto his back and stared up at the ancient bones. His body was still kicking and fighting, but his mind was calm. He knew he would die soon, and he welcomed it. There was simply too much pain.
     It was as if his bones were breaking themselves; like his muscles were being torn apart; like the blood in his veins turned to fire; like his nerves were exploding. His entire body was imploding, and soon there would be nothing left of him.
     Link screamed louder than he ever had before, feeling like his lungs would burst. His voice scattered through the desert and echoed off the ancient bones, sending small trickles of sand down to the ground.
     He had gone through this too many times. He wouldn't survive another minute of it.
     With one final act of pure will he shut his mouth and searched for his friends.
     He smiled at the Gerudo, wanting to tell them it was okay. That they tried their best. There just wasn't a cure.
     He only regretted not seeing Zelda one last time. She would be devastated, and he would leave her at the worst possible time. He only hoped she would be strong enough to get through it.
     Finally he took a deep breath and closed his eyes in resignation, waiting for death to take over.
     He was tired. He felt exhausted beyond belief, a fatigue that went to his very bones. The peaceful bliss of oblivion started to creep in, and he welcomed it. He was ready to get some rest.
     Just before he fully lost conciousness, he realized he no longer felt pain. His body had quieted down, and he lay sprawled out in the sand, a ray of sunlight heating his arm. Once more he smiled. He felt at peace. He was ready to die, and this place was as good as any to do it.
     At least he was with friends. At least Zelda didn't have to see it.
     He blew out one last breath, and everything turned black.