My Kingdom for A Horse [Rularu and Marianne]

Rularu's adventuring had been put on hold due to a family matter coming up that she couldn't exactly ignore. Luckily, it wasn't anything serious, but it wasn't any less annoying for her to deal with, so she was eager to head back out once it was finally cleared up. Thus, she was on her way out when she spotted a lone Hylian walking down the road. At first glance she just assumed it was a random traveler; there had been a lot of those coming and going from The Zora Domain lately. The man who taught her how to use a sword was one such traveler. However, as they passed each other, Rularu's concern grew when she got a good look at them.

This person looked as though they'd gone through hell, yet there was an unmistakable fire in her eyes. Something about that caught Rularu's attention. She wasn't quite sure why, but something about them made her pause when she wouldn't normally have. She could only begin to guess how they got here, especially in such a state, but Rularu decided not to pry. At least, not for now. 

When the Hylian approached her with a question, she let out a sigh. It was one thing to be lost, but she couldn't shake the feeling that there was more going on here than meets the eye. Nevertheless, not even she could abandon someone after seeing them like this, so she spoke. Her tone was haughty, yet not overly harsh "...well...you must be quite lost...Hyrule Castle is quite a ways away...and in the opposite direction you were just heading. Lucky for you, I was planning to go to the castle town...and I suppose I don't mind letting you tag along. Be honored. You'll be traveling with Rularu Groupan, the Princess of the Zoras."

She gave the Hylian a smile that was somehow incredibly smug and condescending, yet equally warm and inviting. She was full of herself, sure, but no one would ever be able to accuse Rularu of never helping someone in need. And this person definitely looked like they were in need of all the help they could get. Is this what "pity" felt like? Regardless, Rularu reached into her satchel and produced one of the snacks she had been saving for the road; a smoked fish "Here...you look like you could use something to eat. I've got plenty, so help yourself."

Rularu's eyes widened when the other girl actually turned to face her, and she was able to see the truest extent of how badly she was injured. It was far worse than she initially realized, and she was officially done putting on airs. This was so far beyond simple being worn and exhausted; she was in desperate need of healing. "What in the world happened to you?...no...that doesn't matter! In your condition, you won't even make it to the edge of Lake Hylia, let alone all the way to the castle. You're coming with me! Right now!" Not even giving the Hylian a chance to protest, Rularu immediately took matters into her own hands.

Walking up to Marianne, she showed herself to be a lot stronger than her slender frame would lead one to believe by lifting the Hylian up and physically princess-carrying her in her arms. "At the very least, I'll be taking you to a healer in Zora's Domain to get these injuries treated. After that, I'll personally escort you to the castle. You'd better be grateful." She let out a sigh. And here she was looking forward to leaving the Domain again. Of course, there was no way she could possible ignore this and be able to sleep at night. She was selfish, but not heartless.

Rularu frowned as the other girl proved to be a but stubborn and began thrashing around in her arms a bit. It was hardly bad enough to make her lose her grip, but it was annoying nonetheless. "H-hey! Stop resisting. Like I said, you're in no condition to be traveling right now! What if a monster attacks? You can barely walk in your current state as it is. I don't know why you're so obsessed with going to Hyrule Castle, but it's not going anywhere. As I already said, I'll be happy to escort you there myself, but you'll only be a burden in the shape you're in right now. This is for your own good."

As such, Rularu continued to ignore Marianne's protests and walk back towards the Zora's Domain in search of a healer. At this point, she was just being stubborn. This random Hylian will be healed, whether she wants to or not. "Honestly...just have a little patience. It's not as though I intend to prevent you from going there. But there are all manners of wild beasts and monsters roaming Hyrule Field. Someone as injured as you would just be an easy target for them."

Even though this was someone Rularu didn't even know, this was hard to watch. She could only assume that there must have been some sort of psychological damage inflicted with all of these physical wounds, which further begged the question of just what kind of hell this girl had been put through. All she could do at this point was hope that some healing and rest would do the trick. It was abundantly clear that she was in desperate need of both. Then, once she's refreshed and a bit more coherent, she can actually ask them some questions; i.e., what in the name of Hylia happened for her to end up in such a ragged state and why she's so desperate to get to Hyrule Castle.

Finally, she seemed to be realizing that Rularu was on her side. Or, at least, she was starting to, anyway. That said, she couldn't help but let out a slightly annoyed huff at the question "Of course I care...I can't just leave someone alone when they're in such obvious peril. I'm not some heartless monster, you know." Before much longer, they'd arrive at Zora's Domain, and Rularu would immediately take Marianne to a well-respected healer among the Zora people. Entering his home, Rularu spoke with a tone of seriousness that genuinely caught him off guard. "Hey, old man! Look alive! We've got a Hylian girl in really bad shape here!"

Despite Rularu's less-than-pleasant way of addressing him, the Zora healer was quick to take notice of Marianne's condition. Rularu laid Marianne down on a bed and spoke to her "Just sit tight for a little longer. We'll get you fixed up, then we can go to wherever you want after you've had some time to rest. And don't even think about trying to run off on your own, either." After that, the old Zora went to work, using magic to heal the worst of her injuries, then began cleaning and dressing whatever his magic couldn't fully heal with some simple-but-effective medicinal herbs.

Overall, the process would take about fifteen or twenty minutes, depending on how much the determined Hylian would cooperate. After that, the rest would be up to Marianne.

Rularu let out a sigh as the girl continued to fight the attempts at aiding her. But it was also becoming increasingly clear that she was deeply scared of something. The more she watched, the more she was getting annoyed with it, but, in a rare moment of patience from the Zora Princess, she kept her cool and didn't take it seriously. This girl clearly wasn't in her right mind, and she hadn't exactly been a ray of sunshine in all of this. However, the straw that broke the camel's back was when Marianne broke down into sobs. The Zora princess' heart sank at the sight, and she was now officially worried about her, rather than simply concerned for her health.

In a sincere effort to comfort her, she gently placed a hand on her shoulder. She had chosen not to pry before, but at the rate things were going, it was probably going to be impossible to avoid it. Either way, she began speaking in a far more gentle tone, not wanting to scare her any more than she already had. "Hey...hey...it's okay. I'm not going to hurt you, I promise. I only want to help. But please...what happened to you? How did you end up in such a horrible state? And why are you so desperate to get to the castle? I have no intentions of stopping you from going, but I'm going to need to know exactly what happened before we do anything else."

Rularu let out an annoyed sigh. At the very least, she had hoped this girl would wait a bit longer for the healing magic and medicine to take effect. Ideally, something to eat so that she could regain her strength would be great as well. But it seemed as though she wasn't having any of that. She didn't like it, but maybe she'd be a little more forthcoming if she just agreed to let her go to the stupid castle. Come to think of it, didn't she just say she actually lived at Hyrule Castle? Surely, she wasn't...no. There was no way. The royal guard would never let something like this happen to a member of the royal family...right?

Either way, she let out a defeated sigh. She really wanted her to wait until she was a bit more healed, but, the medicine would slowly-but-steadily repair the damage to her body, so it'd be fine as long as she didn't sustain any further injuries. Probably. She spoke once more, trying very hard not to sound as annoyed as she felt. "Alright, fine. You win. You can go to the castle. But I'm going to personally escort you there, and I'm not taking no for an answer. Just stay by my side and I'll have you there in no time. Got it?"

Rularu was understandably shocked and upset when the Hylian girl suddenly collapsed, so she was relieved when the healer informed her of what he had done, which also explained his slightly odd behavior just before said collapse. Under normal circumstances, she wouldn't approve of someone drugging a person without their knowledge or consent, and while she chose not to say anything, her expression made this quite obvious to the healer. But seeing how peacefully the girl was now sleeping, she couldn't help but feel like it was the right choice. One that she would probably hide from her once she woke up.

Now, her wounds would have more time to heal, and, hopefully, she'll be more coherent and capable of listening once she's actually rested. Rularu couldn't even begin to imagine what must have happened to her for her to end up in such a horrible state, and, to be perfectly frank, she was far too curious not to see this through to the end. Rather than bother with trying to carry her somewhere else and risk waking her up or aggravating any of her still-not-fully-healed injuries, Rularu took the healer up on his offer, pulling a chair up and staying at the hylian's side. Before long, she'd fall asleep herself.

She'd sleep through the night, while the healer kept an eye on both of them. He was surprised to see his princess, who had a reputation for being a bit of a brat, acting so selfless and mature. As much of a surprise as it was, it was a pleasant one nonetheless. Either way, Rularu would wake up early the following morning, looking around in a drowsy daze as her mind takes a moment to remember what all had transpired the following day and why she was waking up in a random chair. Once she was more or less awake, the first thing she did was immediately check on Marianne.