Before the Wild

Mipha's Touch

Zelda

"Nayru, I am going to kill him."

Zelda walked on the Great Zora Bridge, carrying the unconscious Link across the last obstacle to her destination. Link's injuries were more grave than Zelda initially thought. He did say he was in some pain, but he insisted he could pull through until they got to the Domain. Zelda didn't trust him on that, and it seems she shouldn't have. He collapsed before they were halfway across Oren Bridge, and while the hero wasn't weighty to her, the mere fact she was carrying her protection set her off. The idiot just had to fend off the monsters on Death Mountain himself.

Had they waited, they could've caught a Zoran escort, maybe even a Hylian one, but the matter of the fact is that he could be in a condition worse than he let on, and thought it was plausible she could mend him fully, she wasn't skilled in support magic as she is with offensive and defensive spells. Heck, using Farore's Wind and Nayru's Love to get to and protect Link was taxing. Who knows what the sealing power (if she ever gets it) would do.

Her mind jumped back to the fight 12 hours ago that morning. She was a witness to the entire match between Link and, and the final group of Bokoblins. She would've intervened hadn't she seen the corpses of two White-Maned Lynels and their accompanied Bokoblins, and figured Link, exhausted and wounded, had it in the bag.

She will never admit this to his face or to her father, and she doesn't say a certain word many times, but to give credit where it is due... Link was fucking awesome. As foolish as he was for taking on the horde, he backed that up. He swept the Bokoblins so quickly that if Zelda had looked away, she would've missed it. She had seen Daruk fight, and had to agree with the Goron: Link doesn't look like a threat, but it is unwise to underestimate him. Thinking about it now, Zelda allowed a smile to grace her face.

"Calamity Ganon, you better watch out."

Her intervention of the White-Maned Lynel was an unconscious move on her part. She didn't know why, but for some reason, she had an instinct to protect Link. It...it just happened before she realized it. She wasn't trying if you asked her.

"'Hoy! Princess Zelda!" Zelda looked up, seeing two Zoras in armor come her way. Relieved some help was coming, her drive to move faltered, the Princess collapsing to her knees. The first guard to arrive dropped to pick Link up, while the second one (the one to notice the pair) attended to Zelda. "Princess? Why are you here? And what happened to Master Link?"

Master Link? He was closer to the Zoras than she had believed. Putting that thought aside, she got to her feet and addressed the guards. "I am fine. Link has wounds from battle. They must be serious. Get him to Mi-Princess Mipha on my demands." She didn't mean to sound so bossy, but that's the way it happened. Sighing, she dropped her tone to be more civil and knowing the Zora Princess' closeness to Link (Zelda may not be a people person, but she can figure people out, even things that others might miss. "Say it is Link when you meet her. She'll come."

The guards nodded and went off with Link towards the Domain. Zelda took a deep breath and walked to the bridge's edge, staring into the lake below. She took another glance at Link being carried off, and for a brief moment, there was a feeling of worry for the hero. Zelda quickly banished it to the Evil Realm.

"We do not like Link, Zelda. We do not care for Link. He is just my appointed knight. He is just my coworker in the plot against Ganon. He is the best swordsman Hyrule has to offer. He is handsome, he is brave, he is smart, he does his job well, he is occasionally great to talk to whenever you can get him to talk, but YOU DO NOT LIKE HIM. You don't even have to stay with him, he'll be with Mipha. Do your own thing here in the Domain."