Author's Note: I'm afraid I don't have much to say except that this was a spark of inspiration that I had during the middle of last week! I've wanted to write a romantic story about these two characters for a while and it seems I finally had my chance. :) I hope you enjoy!
Wilderness - Chapter 1
There was the sound of crows cawing in the distance, the sun would be up soon. The mans eyes flickered as he sat surveying the cool morning, a blanket of mist rolling through Kakarico Village. Sheik felt the biting wind against his body, and grabbed the cloak he had on, securing it closer to him. He slid quietly down the shingles of the roof, plummeting to the ground and landing with a roll.
He got up and looked to see a woman who had been shaking a rug out on her porch stop and stare. A group of children who had been playing previously were now standing a good distance from him, frozen in curiosity. Sheik rose to his feet and walked towards the exit to the village, sighing as he walked down the carved stairs to Hyrule field.
"He's not coming..." Sheik growled as he walked. The light from the rising sun turned the summer fields of Hyrule into a golden landscape. The wind fluttered his leather cloak. Sheik adjusted his mask out of habit, staring at his horse as she grazed nearby, flicking her tail.
"I guess this is expected, the Hero is too busy to bother with silly things like vacation..."
Sheik frowned at himself, regarding his horse again. The mare's head bobbed and turned to look at him, lazily intrigued as he sat there, thinking.
It had been a year since Ganondorf's defeat, and Hyrule was in a mess, politically charged groups from the various races quarreling over land, resources and power in the capital. It was enough to make Sheik sick. He sighed, trying to push those thoughts from his mind. This time was not for those thoughts.
Sheik mounted his steed, kicking her into a steady walk over the bridge that lead into Hyrule field. He should just put it out of his mind, but that was easier said then done. Maybe a ride would clear up his annoyance, and maybe Link would show up a bit later, who knows.
-----
Link stumbled over himself as he raced through his bedroom, sweat on his forehead, stuffing clothes, rations and wherever as he could think of into the pair of saddle bags.
"Shit, shit, shit!" Link said, frazzled. Zelda was sitting on his bed, looking amused. She smiled warmly at him.
"Calm down... you're only an hour late." Zelda teased.
"Sheik is going to be pissed! I promised I'd take this week trip with him through the mountains and I forgot until you reminded me! What kind of a friend does that!?"
Zelda sighed, gathering her dress in her hands as she rose and walked towards him. Link stuffed a last pair of clothing into his bags, then jolted nervously when he felt Zelda's hand rest on one of his shoulders. Link looked up towards her, he must have been making an interesting face, since Zelda burst out in laughter.
"Link, Sheik should be just outside, there's no need to panic!"
Link's eyes hovered nervously on Zelda's face, glancing towards the window out of the Impa's guest room, his shoulders relaxed and he stared down at the messy packing job. The sun was shining through the windows, making beautiful shadows across the floor. Link stared off into space before slowly closing his bags and standing up, staring down at Zelda. She smiled.
Link leaned forward, looking worried. "You'll be okay? You're sure you don't need me here during your meetings with the sages, or the city council? Anything? Those meetings your having on the Solace day... I..."
Zelda firmly pressed two fingers over Link's mouth. "I'm fine, I can take care of it. Go have fun!"
Link let out a sigh and Zelda removed her fingers, stabbing him in the chest with them instead. Zelda frowned at him, smiling oddly. "Get out of here!" She chuckled, half shoving him towards the door. Link gave an awkward bow before leaving, closing the door clumsily and running loudly down the staircase. Zelda found herself picking up the haphazard room and returning the shreds of clothing to there proper places. She picked up the brewed cup of tea that Link had forgotten to drink that morning and sipped it, sitting curiously on the brim of the window sill and looking down over the scant village.
She shook her head as she saw Link running from the house, his saddle bags over one shoulder. He looked so desperate and funny. "That silly boy..." Zelda chuckled. She turned as Impa peeked into the room.
"He finally left?"
Zelda nodded, smiling. "Those two, you know, I think they're in love."
Impa smiled slightly, opening the door more. "As if anyone didn't already know..." Impa said. Zelda looked up at her wisely, a sneaky smile across her face. Impa frowned at the princess, and Zelda smiled wider.
"Oh Impa, I have sinned! I'm afraid I've made a dreadful mistake in helping Link pack." Zelda said, faking a distressful facade, fanning herself comically with one hand. Her smile returned.
Impa's eyes widened a bit, she crossed her arms over her chest. "Princess...?" Impa said curiously, confused.
Zelda fingered a potion bottle sitting next to her on the window sill, taking another quick sip of her tea. "I switched this out with something else while he wasn't looking, I'm a bad girl!" Impa's eyes widened considerably. She leaned forward, inspecting the semi-translucent red potion. Zelda twirled the neck of the bottle, chuckling to herself as it sparkled in the sun.
"You didn't!" Impa frowned, excited.
Zelda laughed, handing her the empty labeled bottle previously hidden in her dress. Impa took a long, stunned moment to read the title. Then in a spark of recognition, her cheeks swelled and Impa burst out laughing, trying to catch herself before she fell to the floor.
-----
Link stumbled over his footing as he ran down the stairs exiting the village.
"Stupid, stupid, stupid!" Link cursed, frowning as he tried to keep his balance. He planted his feet into the solid earth of Hyrule field and gazed around, looking anywhere for a sign of Sheik, but he was no where in sight.
Link dropped the bags and plopped himself on the ground, letting out a defeated growl. He gazed at the quiet scene, the grass wavering in the wind and the midmorning mist rolling in the distance and obscuring his distant view of Hyrule castle. The walled city was nested between two mountain ranges, one of which he had promised to climb with his friend.
Link kicked the bags on the ground angrily. "He's probably halfway there... I bet he didn't wait for me. Damn it!" Link nervously ran a hand through his hair, then stood up, gathering his bags. They'd both agreed to taking one horse, but Link thought maybe if he could ride now; if he could find Epona, he could find Sheik before he disappeared into the wilderness.
Link began to half jog out into the field. He looked around hopefully, listening for anything besides the quiet, the sound of a horse, or of someone calling him name. Link's ear twitched as he heard a faint moan over the wind. He stopped and listened.
There was the faint rhythmic sound of horse feet clamoring in the northeast. Link saw the figure as it cantered over a hill several hundred meters away. The horse danced beneath him as he stopped, raising a hand in greeting. Link waved back, then began to jog towards his companion at a steady pace.
Link's eyes widened as the figure began to gallop towards him. Link's excitement turned to fear as Sheik's gallop become faster. He was leaning down into the saddle as his horse raced right towards Link. Link defensively stopped, stunned.
He rolled to the side as Sheik playfully missed him by a few feet, clotted earth hit Link in the face and he sputtered. Link fumbled with himself in the grass, being weighed down by his saddle bags. He pushed a tuft of long grass out of his face and sat up, looking in Sheik's direction as he heard loud, spirited laughter.
Sheik's mare skittered as she sweated, panting and pacing in a slow circle.
"You all right?" Sheik yelled. Link stood up, brushing himself off.
"Yeah..." Link said, a little shaken.
"That's your payment for being late." Sheik joked, his steed steadying to a walk and coming to stand right beside Link. Link looked up into the man's concealed face. Most of him was covered with a thick leather cloak, his hands, lower legs and head were the only things visible. Link scratched the back of his neck, lowering his eyes.
"I'm sorry... I totally forgot."
Sheik was quiet for a while before replying. "It's fine. Are you all ready?"
Link looked back up into his face, smiling. "Yeah! Let's do it!"
Link slipped his left foot into the stirrup and swung into place behind Sheik. Sheik kicked the mare lightly and she moved into a steady, slow walk. Link secured the saddle bags as they walked, looking out into the field. The mare that they'd rented was Lon Lon breed, a large Clydesdale. Link admired her creamy coloring, and for a minute wished he had Epona here as well.
Sheik shifted in front of him, and Link sat up straighter in the saddle. The Sheikah was looking at him over his shoulder, his one visible red eye searching his face. Link was sure he was going to say something, but he didn't. Link felt an odd sensation in his stomach, he smirked at Sheik briefly before turning away to gaze out at the field.
Sheik kicked the horse into a slow run and Link lightly wrapped his arms around Sheik to steady himself. Link frowned, that odd feeling returned, but he couldn't make out what it was. Link ignored it. He looked back at Sheik curiously before resting his face on Sheik's back and closing his eyes.
-----
There were the sounds of crickets cheeping. Sheik sat slightly hunched in his saddle, looking back on occasion when Link stirred a bit. It took a certain personality to be able to fall asleep on horseback. The sky was turning orange, and fading into the pink of twilight.
The mare snorted, walking slowly through the thinning grass. They were closing near the northeastern foot hills and by tomorrow they would be up the mountain and into the wood. There was a little noise from Link and Sheik felt Link's strong arms tighten around his waist, pulling him back a bit into him. Sheik's eyes widened at this. He felt the contours of Link's body press into him deeper, his warmth was soothing. Sheik's heart began to jump around in his chest like a retarded rabbit. Sheik closed his eyes and shook out his head, suppressing the hot feelings in his nether regions and looking at the ground to distract himself as the horse walked. He had loved Link for a long time, but somehow he'd never had to courage to show his feelings even in the slightest. Sheik felt his face turn hot and wiggled a bit, trying to loosen himself without waking Link up.
Link's grip loosened and Sheik relaxed for a moment, then felt Link's warm body nest closer to him, more aggressively this time. Sheik thought uncomfortably for a moment that maybe this trip had been a bad idea. He stiffened a little, scooting away. Link made another small noise and again pulled himself right against Sheik's back, gently but firmly. Sheik felt goose bumps over his arms and pangs of pleasure in his stomach as Link's body flexed, the contours of his stomach and chest rubbing against him. He looked over his shoulder slightly, and realized that Link's face was inched from his, his mouth open slightly in sleep. Sheik stopped the horse for a moment, and Link stirred awake.
Link looked groggily up into Sheik's face, pulling back slightly. "Are we camping here?" Link asked.
Sheik nodded, willing to comply to get Link to let go. Link stared at him, frowning, then looked down at himself. His eyes widened then in a strange quick movement, he scooted back from where he had been practically straddling him before.
Link laughed nervously. "Oh, uhh... I'm sorry!" Link said, slipping off the saddle onto the ground, he didn't look back up at Sheik, and began to rummage through the saddle bag on that side.
"Are you cold?" Sheik asked cooly. Link looked back up at him
"Y... yeah, I think so."
Sheik unbuttoned the heavy cloak around his shoulders and handed it to Link. Link seemed confused.
"But... you'll be cold instead." Link protested.
Sheik shrugged. "I'll be fine, I have a spare."
Link took the cloak, wrapping it around himself and returned to unfastening the supplies and laying the bags on the ground. Sheik looked at him longer as he unpacked and felt slightly calmer now that Link wasn't touching him. But his masked poise covered up those uncomfortably feelings, and Sheik managed to keep his mind on the task of making camp.
-----
Link felt like a moron. He'd fallen asleep rudely after they had departed and left Sheik by himself all day. On top of that, he was practically iron pressed against him, holding him there. He wondered why Sheik hadn't bothered to wake him up, but then it didn't really matter now, Link just felt stupid. Sheik was rummaging through one of the other bags, kneeling on the ground away from him. Link's eyes lingered on his slender form for a strange moment. His stomach fluttered and he found himself staring dumbfounded at Sheik.
This feeling had gradually come to him now and again when the two were together. Link knew he had always been attracted to men, but his shyness got in the way of everything that wasn't related to his duty as a savior, including relationships. Link sighed to himself, he'd always felt socially awkward, quiet, but Sheik had told him once that he was very kind after he'd given a girl in the market his hat while she was crying about losing her teddy bear. Link had blushed at him after that, then felt embarrassed at obviously making Sheik uncomfortable. Link came back to reality, his hands loosening on the grip of the bag, his eyes fixated on Sheik's supple body and buttocks. Sheik turned to look at him briefly.
He's your friend, what are you thinking?! Link turned, embarrassed back to what he was doing, pulling out and rolling his bedroll on the ground. He flopped down onto it, wondering since he slept all day if he was actually going to sleep at all tonight. He did still feel tired.
The stars were beginning to come out, and they were beautiful against the clear sky. Link's attention was diverted at the cracking sound of two stones being clinking together and a spark lit the small kindling fire Sheik had put together in the last few minutes. The spark sizzled, popping as it ate up grass and twigs, creating a small warm glow for the two of them. Link sat up on his elbows, staring into the blaze, relaxed.
"You certainly seemed to need sleep," Sheik said suddenly.
Link's attention drifted to him, crouched on the other side of the fire and looking at him with a cool sort of grace.
Link sighed, looking back at the fire. "I've been sleeping a lot these past weeks... I'm just so tired lately."
Sheik's brow furrowed a bit, he stood up and walked to sit cross-legged beside Link, propping himself back on his hands. "You're still recovering from the months of traveling... Ganondorf's defeat and the chaos afterward?" Sheik turned to look at him. Link nodded slightly.
"Yeah... it's hard... even now it's going to take years to get this country back in order." Link's expression pained. "I just wish that I could do more." He turned to Sheik, staring into his eyes as they reflected the orange fire, they seemed to dance a bit. Sheik turned away.
"Do you think he's gone... forever?" Link asked.
"Ganondorf? ... I believe so, yes," Sheik said, leaning back onto the ground, his arms stretched over his head.
"Sometimes I dream about him..." Link's voiced became lower. There was a loud pop from the fire.
"Good dreams?" Sheik asked. Link shook his head.
"No, but it's not too bad. Zelda told me she's going through some similar stuff." Link rolled his head to look at Sheik again, and noticed that Sheik was staring at him with a sad, soft gaze.
"Apparently it's common to have the experience of this after going through scary stuff, when I got checked out by a healer a couple weeks ago, the lady called it soldier syndrome... said they're not sure how to treat it yet, that it surfaces during stress and you tweak out... but... rest should help a lot I'm hoping."
"I'm sorry." Sheik said.
Link smirked. "Don't worry about it, I'm fine. I just need to rest. This trip will be great for that."
Sheik stood up to get his bedroll. Link watched him walk, his eyes drifting up to his ass again and watching him intently. His toned legs and back revealing his attractive form through his skin tight suit. Link shifted his legs uncomfortably, forcing himself to look back into the fire. What are you doing, idiot?! Link rolled into his bedroll and closed his eyes, the exhaustion hitting him again as he slept through the night.
