The Legend of Zelda: Real Courage [1ST DRAFT]

Chapter Twenty: A Fear Revealed

The Legend of Zelda: Real Courage

Chapter Twenty: A Fear Revealed

The next time Lila woke was to the rocking of a gentle horse under her. Her arms rested in Zale's lap while her head bounced on his shoulder. She felt so warm with him so close, even though the sun was nearly gone from the desert.

"How do you feel?" Zale asked softly.

She replied with, "What happened?"

"Skeldritch had you pretty beat up," he explained. "Mori and I let you rest for a while, then we packed up to go to Castle Town. I think he's asleep right now."

Zale's answer brought the memories back. Before she knew it, she began to long for that moment alone. Experimentally, she pressed her lips to the exposed part of his neck. She thought she could feel him smile.

"How long do we have to go?" she asked after a spell.

"At this pace, it will take all night."

Lila inhaled the night air. "We should probably make camp, then. Have you slept at all?"

"A bit." He stopped the horses. "But you're right. It's getting late."

He helped her down, which was when she noticed a dark ball sleeping on a second horse. Mori and Epona. She was saddled and seemed to be weighed down by extra supplies. Lila went over to Epona to see what.

"Mori showed me your whistle," Zale said. "I only put your stuff on her. None of mine."

"That was thoughtful of you," Lila spoke quietly so as to not disturb her keese friend.

Zale put a hand on hers. She looked at him, confused. He wore a soft smile, causing her to relax.

"You were amazing back there," he said, leading her away from the horses. "I know few soldiers who would keep fighting like you do."

"I thought you said I needed to be more careful?"

"You do, but there's also something special about you."

Lila frowned slightly, worried where his line of thought led.

His thumb stroked her hand. "You healed really fast. Even after getting rolled over by a rock bigger than you are tall, I didn't find a single broken bone."

That surprised her. "It felt like something broke. What about my head?"

"There was dried blood, but you were fine."

"Oh! Maybe that's what those hearts do," Lila realized. "I always felt refreshed after touching one of those. They only appeared after major battles like this one."

Zale's eyebrows went up. "That's remarkable. I've never heard of anything that could speed healing that quickly. Well, other than fairies."

Lila smiled playfully. "You seemed to know a lot of obscure things. Why not this one?"

He shrugged. "Maybe because they're rare. Maybe they only appear to fighters who show courage."

There it was again: the word that felt like a hot bath at the foot of a volcano. It was a happy word, a word of promise, but it brought her guilt and confusion. How could a simple word evoke such uncertainty?

"I can recall some stories of heroes like you," Zale said, sensing her hesitation. Lila took a small step back. "These heroes showed great courage. They fought many monsters like you have." She started shaking her head and pulling away, but he plowed on. "They went through challenges and trials to become stronger, so they could do what they were called to do!"