Robert was about to raise his hand when Zidane yelled "ME FIRST" and approached Mabel. Li stared growling but just turned away.
ZELDA POV
The Princess grinned when she realized this could have gone south really fast, but both brothers behaved. Li decided to breathe in and allow his monkey brother to go first, and Zidane did not mocked Rob about it.
"Wow, you have matured… both of you" Zelda says.
Rob and Zid turn to look at each other and start laughing loudly.
Zidane controls his boisterous laughter enough to reply "Girl, we haven't matured shit. I won rock paper scissors for this; Li won for: who goes through the portal first"
Zelda stares at the Pirate pursing her lips. Li touches her shoulder making her turn to face him.
"Princess understands something. Girls mature but we are male, we don't mature. I mean we grow; we obviously do, and become responsible providers. But we are still capable of starting a stupid bar fight no matter the age"
At that Count Dorian Veil started laughing. Robert smiled and took that as a chance to break the ice and make everyone present relax.
Robert playfully asks "Who here hasn't done something they knew was stupid, but did it anyway?" the other two nobles and the King raised their hand immediately.
Duke Corin Ashvale slowly raised his saying "I gambled a stupid sum of rupee, but surprise, I didn't lose" the blonde Duke boasted.
Robert squints his eyes at the blonde duke "Lucky bastard…" turns to Zelda "See dear sister, we still love playing games" Robert said winking at her.
"Indeed we do... i guess it's just easier for us to be children again and enjoy simple things. I guess that is why my kids prefer to play with me instead of my wife" Count Aereth Malakar said.
"Of course they prefer you, have you seen your wife's idea of a fun game?" Count Dorian Veil bluntly states, making Aereth and Corin start laughing.
Zelda kept her eyes fixated on the scene in front of her; Zidane was arguing and throwing twigs at the nobles playfully for bragging about their childish deeds, Robert was motivating the nobles to defend themselves by throwing rocks back at Zid. Duke Corin actually did throw a stone at Zid, making the Pirate fall to the ground in fake agony... everyone was laughing at that.
Reality check...
Robert started a casual conversation with the nobles about men in general, making everyone is share experiences. And now everyone is laughing and kind of fighting by throwing stuff at each other like friends.
Link comes around Zelda and places an arm around her shoulders smiling, and they both listen at the nobles barking about a guy who sold mythical animals as pets to the kids, but they were common animals in disguise, Zid spewing insults at the fraudulent merchant, and Rob laughing claiming that this was an educative experience for the kids.
"Was it really that easy to get on the nobles good side? I hate them" Zelda states.
The Prince laughs "Yes and no, it's never easy, it takes courage and crowd analysis to start speaking. But once you start, a male crowd is the easiest. We just suddenly become friends because we like or hate the same" he sighs "I also kind of hate my brothers, but in a good way"
The nurse approaches the Prince clearing her throat.
"Prince, I need to tie this around your arm. I need to identify a good artery to drain you" says Mabel holding a big needle.
The Prince shakes his head in disbelief "Wait, you are draining me using a needle?"
"Yes, it may take a few hours, but is the safest way to drain you without causing damage" Mable says as she applies a tourniquet on Zid's arm to easily identify the median cubital vein.
"But that would take too long, and given the current time of the day…" Raziel complains.
"The other Quantum visitor would have to wait until tomorrow" Mable ends the thought as she inserts a quill on Zid's arm. The quill was already sealed on the other end with some of the wax.
Link frowns at what Mable just said. She just produces a sorry smile.
We cannot part these Nobles from their duty a second day. How can I accelerate this …
The Hero then notices a scalpel inside Mable's medical case.
LINK POV
That is a bad idea…
*Is it?*
It's too risky, I could end up killing myself
*Risk it*
The Prince quickly extends his hand to take the scalpel, turns it around in front of his face and asks "Why do you have this, Mabel?"
"I figured I would need it to cleanly cut the tips of the quills for this procedure" the nurse answers.
I could pierce my carotid artery reducing the blood extraction time. But if it's not promptly managed, it will kill me…
*So what? Are you telling me you are afraid? I was told you where Farore's chosen warrior? The one who embodies bravery? Go the distance for them and do it*
Link clears his throat "Zelda… you still have that sorceress concoction of yours, right?"
The Princess groans rolling her eyes as she pulls the ointment from her trousers "I am NOT a hag"
Ziel sighs "Nice… be a sweetheart and save me, would you?"
The Hero then closed his finger around the scalpel, no fear, no hesitation. He tilted his head slightly, exposing the hollow just beneath his jaw. Then, with a single, deliberate motion, he drove the blade inward. He heard a wave of screams and yells from Derrick as blood erupted from his neck, pulsing out in rhythmic bursts. Just as Derrick was about to reach him, the Nobles grabbed him and restrained him with teary eyes. Link's lips parted to say something to his father, but he soon realized he couldn't speak. He remained upright for a heartbeat longer as he looked at his brothers smiling, then his legs buckled and he fell on the ground.
ZIDANE POV
The Pirate stood frozen; breath caught in his throat as his brother crumpled to the ground. The man he had come to admire, who had always seemed too strong, too unreachable, now lay broken before him.
He did this on purpose didn't he? It must be part of a plan… right? He wouldn't just...
"YOU BASTARD, YOU BETTER NOT DIE" yelled the Princess as she hurriedly passed by Zid kind of pushing him.
Mable was crying but doing her best to stop the blood flow with her hands. Zelda dipped her index finger in the healing ointment. Once it was truly soaked on it, she inserted said finger on Link's neck wound. The Princess started moving said finger in small circles inside Raziel's neck; she did that to ensure the ointment reached the entire affected area. And finally, Zelda raised a prayer to the goddesses before slowly pulling her finger out.
A few seconds later, the blood flow decreased significantly, Mable yelped in excitement and the nobles breathed in finally relaxing. They released the King warning him to not approach his son at the moment.
"Your recklessness is the kind that earns statues… usually over graves" Zelda told Link as she applied a little more ointment on the surface of the wound to help it finish closing.
This time, the wound sealed completely. But Mable was still worried, Link's pulse was weak and he was losing heat and color fast.
"The Prince needs blood now" Mable said before speaking to the nobles "I need a chair gentleman"
The Duke grabbed the chair that was near him and carried it to where the nurse was.
"Thank you Duke Colin. YOU" Mabel says pointing at Zid "Sit here so we can start before the Prince goes hypothermic"
Zelda slaps the Prince on his shoulder "You must be allergic to survival. That would explain so much."
My sis keeps throwing insults at Kid. It's kind of cute seeing how worried she actually is about Link dying on her. He still needs help though, and as much as I want to save him, I believe Robert has a better chance at dragging him out of death's embrace.
"Robert… maybe you should be the one doing the blood transfusion. 98% is better than 95%"
Li looks at the Pirate completely pissed "WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT? BE A MAN AND SAVE HIM!!!"
"But…" Zid struggles to for a sentence.
"3 points are not much of a difference, and it will take time to infiltrate me... time Link does not have" Rob sighs and pulls Zid's neckline to drive him close to his mouth and whispers "Save my brother or I will kill you"
Zid nods and sits on the chair as Mable uses a heated branch to reheat the wax that had been used to seal the end of the quill. With the wax soft again, she connects it with the Prince quill and molds the wax to seal both quills together.
"Is there anything we can do?" asks Count Dorian.
The Princess points at the sleeping bag they had been using "You could bring that and carefully lift Raziel to place it under him, just so he is not laying on the ground"
Dorian taps on Aereth asking for help, and they both get their hands on doing what the Princess asked. Meanwhile, the King handed Zid a rock.
"Use this to do some curls, which will get your blood pumping faster and could save my son"
Zid smiles taking the rock "Thanks, I swear he will be fine dad"
That made everyone lift their heads in surprise, the Princess soon started laughing. Zidane was applying the same logic that made Zelda his sister. It was not legal but the Pirate couldn't care less.
8 minutes later, Link was regaining consciousness and blinking. He touched his neck and smiled.
"Nice, no marks" he said winking at Zelda "I am sure all of you have some harsh word for me, but can the scolding wait till tomorrow?" Link pleaded "And where is the scalpel?"
Mabel makes a war cry and kicks his legs hard, making Link groan in pain. "YOU DON'T GET TO PULL THAT STUNT AGAIN, IT COULD HAVE KILLED YOU" She immediately turns to the King "I am sorry my lord, it won't happen again"
Derrick slowly turns to look at her "You should have kicked him more… for all of us. Can you still do it?"
The Nurse stumbles "I… can't. Sorry my King. I already broke client protocol kicking him once; doing it again can be considered career suicide"
Mable turns around to check on Zid, he was getting pale and his heart rate had increased. She signaled the Princess before pulling the quill out of the Pirate. Zelda immediately rubbed some ointment on Zid's arm.
Zid stared at his already healing arm "This thing is impressive… you made this sis?"
"Yes, I did. And that does not make me a witch… Mable, are you removing Link's too?"
The nurse shakes her head "No... I plan on just letting him bleed out so he can be ready to receive another donation in 5-10 minutes approx." the nurse turns to look at the Prince with a smile "Since he seems to be worried about not validating entrance for the Quantum boys today… this is as much as I can do to help speed things up"
Link sits up to grab Mabel's hand and kiss it "Thank you… I think I see your scalpel over there" he points at a few bushes "Don't go losing your fathers equipment"
Mable laughs "I kicked it there to hide it and prevent you from using it once more. Apparently, I cant hide anything from you" she heads to the bushes to recover her father's scalpel. Then Raziel starts to chuckle.
The nurse rolls her eyes at that and starts prepping Robert cautiously. She hesitates before introducing the quill on his arm.
ROBERT POV
"Mabel, just insert it. I won't bite you" Li says lifting a palm and smiling.
Mable blinks "Right" she says as she before sliding in the quill that was already sealed on the other end with wax. Link suddenly laughs boisterously.
Li rolls his eyes at the Hero of time and looks at the nurse "Can I ask you something? Why are you afraid of me and not of Zid? He is the one with the tail…" Li decides to ask the nurse.
Mabel hesitates before answering "You move with an air of danger and I don't know what to expect from you. The monkey has a danger vive too, but he is easy going and has a cute tail"
Robert smiles at that "Cute tail? You are not afraid of him because of it?"
"Why would I be, it's just a tail. It's not like when we have to treat a Goron… those are rock people by the way" the nurse notices Li's confused stare and smiles.
"You should meet them, they look big and terrifying but are the most gentle people you will ever come across" she suddenly widens her eyer "Oh, and there are the Zora tribe, those are beautiful fish people" she sighs "Compared to those, Zid is perfectly normal"
Wow, this is great. They fear me more than they fear Zid, it's a complete turnaround. It's like he belongs here.
"HEY, don't touch that stuff, that thermometer and the stethoscope is not Mable's… it belongs to Dr. Keaton, if you break it, I will have to pay it and so will she" Link said to nobody.
Both the nurse and the Robert turn to look at the Prince, he was still laying on the ground and loosing blood. They expected to find a Noble or the King playing with Keaton's medical equipment, but no one was there.
Who is Link talking to?
"I believe it's time for the next transfusion; since he is already delirious. Do I have permission to proceed?" the nurse asks the nobility.
The King looks at the nobles who nod their approval "Of course, he has been pointing at random stuff and speaking at nobody for a while now… it was getting kind of scary" says Derrick.
The Nurse immediately connects the quills to begin the transfusion. Link looks somewhere in the distance and wave's good bye to the figure only he could see. A figure that reassembled him, only taller, with white hair and face paint. The figured tilted his head and waved back before disappearing from the Hero's consciousness and memory.
"I am getting scared, he is ok right?" Robert asks.
"Just checked his pulse, he is all right… I mean, delirium is a common symptom of lack of blood, but he is not as far gone as he was before; he should recover in minutes now. You on the other hand, will feel sleepy, I suggest you to follow Zid's example" She point at the Pirate who currently slept next to Link.
The King clears his throat before speaking to the nobles "Since… Raziel's color seems to be coming back; can we conclude that the three of them are blood family?"
"I would not have believed it had I not seen it myself. Yeah… I would not mind sharing living space with these two freaks. I mean, I already have a psycho Prince." Count Malakar said.
Link started chuckling at Aereth's comment. The other two nobles nodded their approval at the King too.
"Good… I brought the papers with me, but I don't have the ink to sign it, once we go back to Hyrule, we will sign the papers at the castle" Daphnes said making the Duke and the Counts frown.
Zelda smiles "Or we could sign it here with blood… that would allow all of you to go back home as soon as possible" the Princess suggests laughing.
Zelda had been joking when she suggested it, but the King, the Duke and the Counts were seriously considering the idea.
Duke Ashvale coughs to draw attention "I am not against the Princess idea, it would mean we resolve this once and for all"
"I am also up for it" said Count Malakar "I would like to return to my wife and kids as soon as possible"
Count Veil frowns shaking his head, he hated the idea of getting cut, but after a long sigh he also agrees. "Mable… please cut me on the side of my finger, so it doesn't hurt me as much"
Zelda could not keep her mouth closed after that; she was in shock. King Derrick lifted her chin to close her mouth and laughing, he proceeds to cut his finger with Mabel's scalpel and signs. He also left his fingerprint next to his signature, just so there was no doubt. The nobles followed his example by also leaving their fingerprint next to their signature.
While that was happening, Mable unplugged Robert from Link. Zelda applied some ointment on Link and then on Robert. The Nurse then approached the table to give a small cut to Dorian's finger, and her own since she was to sign as a witness and as the nurse in charge.
Once they all signed, it was time for them to leave, but when Daphnes turned around he noticed that all of the boys were asleep. Ziel and Zid sharing the sleeping bag, and Li had fallen asleep sitting on the chair, his head hanging up front.
"Let's not bother them and just leave" Mabel said.
"Agreed. Zelda, would you come with us? I believe the three of them would be fine if left alone." The King suggested.
"No my King, I have not seen them in years and missed them a lot. Besides, we are kind of used to camping together" she beams at the memory.
"Fair, do you need food? I brought a few sandwiches that I left on the boat."
"No dad, we have enough food stored. Ziel hunted a water buffalo for this occasion and I cooked it before you got here"
The Princess said her goodbyes to all of them, and assured the King that they will be fine and heading back tomorrow.