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Link woke just in time to see the fairy hovering above him zip away, leaving a trail of pink sparkles in its wake. Blinking heavily, he took in the expanse of blue sky above, which was immediately cut off as someone leaned over him. Someone with very large, very red hair, whose face was full of concern.
“Link? Are you okay? Can you hear me?” Groose’s hands were pressing along his body, searching for any lingering injuries, and Link swatted him away.
“‘M fine,” he mumbled, trying, and failing, to sit up.
“ Fine?! ” the other man snapped, glaring at the hero. “You fell out of the sky! If Granny hadn’t seen you in time for me to grab that fairy, you’d be a smear on the ground!”
Link glared back, his thoughts moving too sluggishly to form a retort immediately. “I just need a stamina potion,” he said finally, reaching for his pouches. “I have one here.”
“You don’t just need a stamina potion!” Groose exclaimed, his exasperation clear. He grabbed Link by the shoulders, his fingers squeezing tightly. “Did you not hear me? You. Fell. Out. Of. The. Sky!” Each word was accentuated by a shake, jarring Link’s upper body and he was glad the fairy had already healed him.
“I think I liked it better when you just bullied me,” Link snapped, pushing Groose’s hands away and struggling to sit up. “Can you go back to that?”
Groose fell away and Link felt a pang of guilt go through him when he saw the hurt expression on his face.
"Sorry," Link muttered, glancing away. "But I need to keep going, I need to get strong enough to open the Gate and find Zelda! She's waiting for me, she's depending on me, and I've barely been able to help her! She almost got caught because of me, as I am now I'm too weak to protect her. She needs me to keep going, I can't stop!" To his embarrassment, tears had appeared in his eyes, threatening to spill over at any moment. Groose was staring at him, his eyes wide, and Link blushed, hating himself for being so weak, for failing again . "What use am I to her, or to anyone, if I can't do this? She needs me and all I've done is fail her."
"You won't be of use to anyone if you're dead!" Groose retorted angrily. "When's the last time you rested?"
"I don't have time for that!" Link shouted, dangerously close to crying. How could he make Groose understand? Impa's words came back to him, shame settling heavily on his shoulders at their memory. "Every day that passes is another day that Zelda is stuck in the past. I need to find the Sacred Flames and forge the Master Sword so I can reach her!" Before Groose could respond, Link tried to push himself up. Immediately he fell back with a gasp, pain ripping up his leg and forcing everything else from his mind. He grit his teeth, clutching at his knee and willing himself not to vomit as the waves of pain slowly subsided back to a low ache. Link had assumed the pain was simply residual from his fall, but obviously the fairy hadn’t been able to heal all his injuries.
“What’s wrong?” Groose asked, looking Link over quickly, but there was no evidence of outward injury.
“My leg,” Link grunted through gritted teeth, “I think it’s still broken.” He could see the concern in his friend’s face as he reached into his pouches and pulled out a red potion. Pulling the cork, he downed the entire thing, grimacing at the bitter taste. Putting the bottle away again, he gingerly tried to climb to his feet, wincing and cursing as he put weight on his injured leg.
“Link, if it’s broken you shouldn’t be standing on it! Even with a potion, it’ll take at least a day to heal fully.”
"I don't have time to wait!" Link shouted, the tears he had held back for so long finally spilling over and he dashed them away angrily. He was sick of feeling like a failure, and yet here he was, unable to even walk properly and crying like a child because of it.
Groose recoiled, eyes wide with shock. Link looked away, holding onto the anger burning in his chest.
"I need to do this," he said, striving for self-control. Not looking at Groose, he took a step forward and immediately collapsed.
Groose was there to catch him and lowered him to the ground gently. "You can't fight like this," he said, his voice quiet but firm. "If you try to continue to fight, you're going to end up worse off." Link opened his mouth to argue, but Groose cut him off easily. "If you disagree, get up now and fight me. If you can beat me, I'll let you walk away." He glared down at Link, who met his gaze and held it for several long moments, both men refusing to back down. But finally, Link dropped his gaze, looking down at the ground.
"What use am I if I can't do this?" He asked quietly, his voice shaking as the tears started again. "Who am I if I can't be the hero?"
There was silence as Groose sat beside him, his gaze anywhere but on Link. He'd never been any good at offering help, especially to Link. They'd always had a difficult relationship, and that had only recently started to change. But it was obvious how much he was hurting, and Groose felt compelled to offer what comfort he could.
"Listen, I know I can't make this right or answer all your questions," he finally said, looking back at Link, "but I can tell you that you're more than just the hero. You're Zelda's best friend, and the next best student in class after her despite the fact you sleep through half the lectures. You're a goof and sometimes a bit of an airhead, and you're loved by all of Skyloft, and you're the only person in living memory to bond with a crimson Loftwing. And you're a huge pain in my ass. And even if you stop being all those other things, I can promise you that won't change."
Link let out a weak laugh and wiped at his cheeks, pressing the back of his hand to his eyes. "What if I fail her? What if I'm not strong enough?" He asked, glancing up at Groose.
The other man sighed, running a hand over his hair. "I don't know how this is going to turn out, I don't think anyone does. But I do know that I wouldn't bet against you, Link. I've never known you to give up, no matter how bad the odds. Wherever this journey leads, I know you'll kick its ass."
Link gave a small chuckle. "Thanks, Groose. I never would've imagined you giving me a pep talk. But you did pretty good."
Groose rubbed the back of his neck and glanced away, his face going red. "Aw, it's nothin'." He looked back at Link again, his gaze narrowing. "Now, are you going to come inside and rest willingly, or do I need to knock you out and drag you?"
Link laughed again and shook his head. "No, you're right. I'll come inside."
Groose nodded and placed a hand under Link's elbow, helping him carefully to his feet. "Easy," he said, supporting Link's weight as he gingerly tested his injured leg. Immediately it gave way underneath him and he collapsed against Groose.
"You might have to drag me in either way." Link remarked, frowning down at the appendage responsible. "I'm not going anywhere on -" he cut off with a startled squawk when Groose suddenly swept him up into his arms, one hand behind Link's shoulders and the other under his knees. "Groose!" Link exclaimed indignantly, glaring up at the other man. "Put me down!"
"What, so you can lie out here until that leg heals?" Groose snorted and shook his head, already walking towards the Temple doors. "Not a chance, Link."
"Groose, I'm serious!"
"So am I. You need to get into the Temple and you can't walk. What else do you expect me to do?"
Link continued to glare at him, but it was only half-hearted now, a small smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. "If you tell anyone about this, I'll kick your ass."
"'Course you will," Groose agreed, grinning down at Link. "But you'll have to heal that leg enough to catch me, first."
Link grumbled under his breath but shifted slightly, finding a more comfortable position.
"Hey, Groose?" He asked quietly as they entered the Temple, reluctant to break the peace around them.
"Yeah, Link?"
"Thanks. For everything."
"Don't mention it." He reached the small bedroom in the back and helped Link onto the bed he himself had been using for several days now. "Now rest. I'll come check on you in a few hours."
Link nodded and yawned widely, his eyes already slipping closed, as he finally surrendered to the welcome oblivion of sleep.