Chapter 25

-Nasty Blue Potion-

Within moments, the mist faded and vanished. They were at Lake Hylia, just in front of Link's house.

"We're back here!" Tetra exclaimed.

"We have to get Link help, now!" Navi said, swirling around her injured friend.

"Right," Tetra agreed, "You stay here with him and I'll get his aunts." First checking to make sure that Link was in a remotely comfortable position, she ran up to the door and knocked frantically. The door swung open and Kotake glared up at her.

"Oh, it's you! I heard you the first time, you know. I'm not deaf yet!" she huffed, then noticing Link, "Oh, you're finally back! What are you…" She gasped, quickly waddling over to him.

"How did you do this?!" she said, then shrieked, "Koume! Come over here! Link's hurt!"

"What?!"

They all turned to see the little, old, bug-eyed woman toddle around the house. She stopped and examined the young man's leg.

"Tsk, tsk," she said, "Bloody and covered in… is that sand? If your father ever hears about this, he'll have all of us for supper! Except you, dear," she added directly to Link, "He wouldn't want to hurt you, of course. But how in the world did you pull this off?"

"I was in the desert and there was this dragon-" he tried to answer, but winced and groaned.

"Never mind," Koume said, waving a hand dismissively, "You'll need to take an extra strong potion for this. I think a blue or red potion will suffice. Kotake, what do you think?"

"Blue would be better," her sister decided. She snapped her fingers and a broom shot out of the house. Link jumped, his eyes wide with shock, then gasped in pain, regretting the movement.

"I didn't know…" he grunted, "…that you could do that."

"What?" Kotake said, "How do you think I managed to whack you whenever you were across the room when you were small? Brooms come in handy for a lot of things. Now, shhhh!" With that, she sat on the broom and flew into the house. A few moments later, she returned with a bottle filled with potion. She hopped off of the broom and waddled over to him.

"Help me lift him up so he can take that," Koume said to Tetra. Tetra nodded and they each hoisted Link up into a sitting position. He whimpered in response, but cooperated.

"Here, take this and it will make you feel better," Kotake said, tipping the bottle's contents into his mouth. Link gagged and spat it out onto her face.

"No!" she shrieked, "You must take this!"

"I'm trying…" he moaned.

"No you are not, you overgrown child!" she scolded, "Oh, if you weren't injured so badly, I'd…! Augh, just take it!" He cringed and tried again as the witch nearly force fed the potion to him. Once it was drained, she pulled the bottle away to reveal the disgusted look on the young man's face.

"It's disgusting!" he exclaimed, gagging for effect.

"Oh, stop it!" Kotake snapped, balling her hands into fists.

"Well?" Koume said, "Are you feeling any better, now?" Link hesitantly moved his leg, but only slightly. He then moved it around a little more.

"I don't feel b-"

Kotake grabbed his leg and yanked it to one side. He cringed.

"How about now?" she said. He glared at her for a moment, then said, "It didn't hurt that time. Even though you probably wanted it to. Am I right?"

"It would serve you right," she spat, "You're just like your father…"

"I don't blame him for hating that nasty blue potion!" Link snapped, "It tastes worse than it smells! I'd rather-"

"Link," Navi said quietly, "Are you feeling good enough to get up now?" He huffed, but nodded.

"Yeah," he said, then, curling his lips from the lingering taste, he turned to his aunts and added, "Thanks."

"Hmph," Kotake replied indignantly.

"You're welcome," Koume said, shaking her head with a smirk, "Now, you need to get out of those clothes so we can wash them. They're filthy!"

"Do I just put on some of Papa's old clothes?" he asked.

"Yes, yes," she said, motioning him toward the house, "Just toss your dirty clothes outside your door when you're done." Link jumped up, pausing only for a moment to marvel at how much better his leg felt, and then ran inside. Tetra crossed her arms and shook her head with disbelief.

"It's amazing what potions can do these days," she said.

"Our potions are special," Kotake said.

"We have a few, ah, secret ingredients," Koume added with a wink.

"No one makes potions like we do."

"No one in all of Hyrule!"

"I'll know where to go, then, if I'm ever in trouble," Tetra said.

"For a price, mind you," one said.

"We can't do everything for free, you know," said the other, "Just for our boys. Mostly."

"I'll keep that in mind," she assured them. Kotake suddenly made a face, hopped on her broom and flew into the house.

"Make sure to wash up before you put on that clean tunic!" she shrieked to Link, "You smell like a ReDead!"

Tetra smiled when she heard his response of, "Don't you even DARE say that! You don't know what I've been through today!"

"Ah," Koume sighed, "it's just as if he never left."

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

Link stepped outside, down the stairs and onto the soft grass. Lake Hylia was certainly busy today. He stretched, feeling refreshed and watching the people go about their business, chatting and enjoying the day as if nothing had forced them away from their homes in Hyrule Castle Town. He lazily tilted his head in the direction of a small noise to his right.

"You know… it may be crowded, but it's still really very nice here," he commented to his aunt, Koume, who was busy picking mushrooms.

"You would think that," she said, "and I'm not surprised." Link smiled.

"Is Aunt Kotake still inside?" he asked, "I need to know whether I should keep avoiding her or not. She was awfully mad earlier."

"That was your own fault," Koume scolded, "you wouldn't drink that medicine when you knew full well that it was good for you, then you spat it out in her face!"

"When was the last time you tried it?" he said defensively, "It tastes like mushrooms gone bad- if that can even happen- mixed with… with… something worse, I guess."

"But it did fix your leg," she said.

"It did fix my leg, yeah," he agreed, "So… where did Tetra and Navi go?"

"That Tetra girl went to clean up, too, then she left," Koume said, "and that fairy friend of yours wandered off to explore, I think."

"Where to?" he asked.

"Oh, around the town."

"Navi went off by herself?" he said, frowning when she nodded.

"Those two may have found each other," she suggested, "but yes."

"I'll go look for them," Link said, taking off down a path.

"Wait!" he aunt called behind him, "Where did you put your clothes?"

"Just on the floor in the bathroom!" he called back. He winced when he thought he heard her yell something about how lazy he was. He was too distracted with wondering where he should go next to remember where he was supposed to put them. Although, he did like that green tunic. He had never owned anything to wear that was green before. Now, he wasn't sure if he would ever be able to wear it again. He would have to be more careful that that didn't happen again. Link didn't want to be stranded in a dungeon in pain and unable to escape. He shuddered and continued down the path. After a few minutes of searching, Link began to call for his friends.

"Tetra!" he shouted, "Navi, where are you?" Seeing a couple of smiling, chattering women just outside of one of the many houses, he approached them.

"Excuse me," he said, interrupting them, "but could you help me? I'm looking for a girl about so high," he held a hand up to show them, " She's got her hair pulled up in a funny-looking blond bun and there's a blue fairy… about the size of my fist, or so, possibly with her. Have either of you seen them?"

"Oh, yes," one of the women said, "I've seen a girl pass by here who had a blue fairy with her a while ago. You don't see fairies much anymore, so they certainly stood out!"

"That's great!" he said, "Could you please tell me which way they went?"

"They went that way, toward the barns," she said, pointing, "You can't miss it; it's one of the biggest buildings in town and it smells horrible, like, well, animals."

"Got it. Thank you!" he said as he hurried along, dodging the people walking to and fro, until several long, wooden buildings came into view. He sped inside, spotting a young man around his age, busily sweeping.

"Uh, excuse me," Link said, unsure. The man looking up and nodded, but continued to sweep.

"I-" Link froze, then quickly ducked down to see the stranger's face more clearly. The man cringed and stepped back at the invasion of his personal space. After examining the freckles, messy brown hair and dark blue eyes, Link blurted out, "Mido?!"

The man jerked his head up at the sound of that name. Taking a step back to get a better look at him, Mido's jaw dropped.

"Link…? Is that you?" he said, "You look… different. Where have you been over the past… how many years has it been since you went missing? Even I found out about that, you know. From Saria- wait! She went looking for you a while back. Is she…?"

"She's fine," Link said, "She'll be staying in the forest for a while, but she's fine."

"That's a relief," he sighed, "But where were you? Were you kidnapped or something?"

"No, no, I wasn't kidnapped!" Link laughed, shaking his head, "Why would anyone want to do that? No, I just- well- it's a long story."

"Right," Mido shrugged, "Well, at least you're back, now. Too bad you had to come now, though. Things have been rough, here and anywhere else in Hyrule, really."

"So I've seen," he said, turning his attention to a horse in a nearby stall that began to nibble on his hair. Running his hand along its dark face, Link suddenly remembered why he had come.

"Mido," he said, "I'm looking for a girl about so tall with a blue fairy about so big. Have you seen them?"

"Blond hair, blue eyes, keeping a horse here named 'Epona'?" the young man said.

"That's Tetra!" he said, "Do you know where she is right now?"

"Yeah," Mido said, "She's in the barn next to this one. Come on, I'll take you to her." Link followed him and they soon entered the barn in which Tetra stood in the half light, stroking Epona as Navi circled them.

"Tetra!" Link called. She turned and smiled at him as she put her hands on her hips.

"You found me!" she said, "So, feeling better now?"

"I'm walking, aren't I? You saw me earlier, anyhow," he replied.

"What did you do?" Mido said, raising an eyebrow.

"I broke my leg," Link said with a shrug, "My aunts fixed it."

"Ah," he said.

"Tetra, Navi," Link said, "I came to tell you that I need to leave soon. There's more for me to do, so I can't stay here. I think I'm going to go to the Zora's domain. That seems best."

"What you are going there f-" Mido said, but was interrupted by Tetra.

"I'm going with you," she said, "I'll just send a messenger to Mrs. Midna to let her know, and I'll just take a earful from her later," she then directed her attention to Mido, "Do you know of anyone who can take a message for me to Ordon Village?"

"I'd be happy to do it for you myself, ma'am," he said with a lopsided grin.

"That's very sweet of you," she said, "Are you sure? I mean, don't you have horses and cows and whatever else to take care of?"

"I'm not the only one that works, here, miss, so I should be able to find someone to take my place long enough for me to take care of that for you," he said.

"Thank you, that would be very helpful," Tetra said, "and Epona may need to stay here another night or two. Is that alright? I can pay for it."

"Certainly, miss," he said.

"Thank you," she said, "You're very sweet." Link watched, with some amusement, as Mido's face turned a deep crimson.

"Okay, then, Link," she said, "We need to get ready for whenever you want to leave. Let's go back to your aunt's house." Tetra then turned and walked out, leaving the two young men and Navi.

"Your girlfriend is very nice, Link," Mido said, once she was out of earshot, "Sorry that I didn't know that you two were together, before now."

"Wait, what?" Link said, frowning, "She's not my girlfriend- no way! She's just my friend. We've been adventuring together lately, that's all. Tetra is more like a… like… an annoying sister or something. I- I guess…"

"Oh, really?" Mido said, smiling in the direction that Tetra had just left in, but quickly turned his attention back to Link.

"Well, uh, I really need to get going," Link said, "I've got places to be and… stuff… to get done, you know? I'll be seeing you around, when we need Epona again." He waved and turned to leave, but felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned back to see Mido staring down at the floor intently then up at him.

"Link…" he said, seemingly struggling to find the right words, "I just… I've been wanting to tell you- if I ever had the chance to see you again that, um… I- I'm sorry. For being so mean to you when we were kids. You just disappeared one day and after a while, I started to regret it all. So… I'm sorry. I'd understand if you don't want to forgive me for all that I did, but I still wanted to say it." Link grinned.

"It's alright, I forgive you," he said, "After all, if I didn't, I'd be just as bad as how you treated me, then, right? So, forget that happened. You seem a lot nicer now, anyway."

"I… wasn't really expecting that," Mido admitted, "but thanks. Is there anything I can do for you?"

"Just keep looking after Epona, I suppose," Link said with a shrug, "I've got to go, though, so I'll see you later." He waved and hurried off in the direction that Tetra had gone. Navi, who had perched on his shoulder, spoke.

"That was very nice of you, Link," she said.

"There was no reason for me to hold a grudge," he said, "Not any good ones that I could think of, anyway. Not really. So, I forgave him. Why not?"

"You really are like the Hero of Time I knew," she said, "He knew someone with the name Mido, too, who was just like that. You two are so alike."

"I guess I should take that as a compliment," he said, "Let's go back, plan things out and rest for tonight. I've missed Lake Hylia more than I ever thought I would."

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

The next morning, Link, who was now wearing his beloved, magically stain-free, Hero-of-Time outfit, stood outside with Tetra, Navi and Epona, ready for departure. His great-aunts waved from the door.

"Link!" one called. Link turned to see Kotake hobble down the steps, clutching something.

"We have something for you," she explained.

"A gift," Koume added, "Something we thought might come in handy on your journeys." Kotake placed the object in her nephew's outstretched hand.

"A bottle of blue potion?" he said, studying it.

"Just in case you break anything else," Kotake said.

"So you won't have to worry about coming all the way back here," Koume said.

"You can also save it for your Papa, if you find him," Kotake said.

"Wait, how has he been away all this time without his medicine?" Link gasped, "Do you think he's going to…"

"No, no! We've already been over this. He's fine," Koume said, "We've been finding ways to get his potions to him, don't worry."

"It's just a little extra," Kotake said, "For you."

"Just in case," Koume added.

"Right, thanks," he said, "I'll try to keep in touch, in any way that I can. Thank you for everything." Offering a quick hug to Kotake and waving to Koume, he smiled as encouragingly as he could and guided Epona and his friends away.

"Goodbye!" Kotake called.

"Be good!" Koume yelled.

The two glanced at each other and added, "…Hero of Time."

-It's been about four months since I last updated! I've really got to stop taking so long, I know. I apologize for not replying to your nice reviews. I do read through all of them and I'd like to take the time to reply, but things have been picking up for me lately because of a new job (which I love) and a number of other things. I still have every intention of finishing this story, though, so I'll keep at it as much as I can. Updates may be far apart, But hopefully I can start shortening that time. By the way, Tangled In Time now has a Tumblr page! It's called 'Ask Tangled In Time Link', but you can find it as 'asktangledintimelink'. Please check it out! I'd be happy to answer an questions about the story- with pictures and answering as Link or any other character! I'm on there much more than I'm on here, so it may be easier to have your questions answered there. But I do still love your reviews and thanks so much for sticking with my story!- TwilighFairy928