Note: Hello and welcome to Time - Part III. I've been working on this for a while now and it's still unfinished, but I thought posting some of it now would motivate me to complete it sooner. I have a few chapters written already, and will be updating as often as I can. As always with the Time series, things may not make sense at first. Part 3 is a little bit different than the others. Please go in with an open-mind, and enjoy what is turning out to be the conclusion to my little time-paradox romance trilogy featuring Sheik and the Hero of Time.

Thank you all for being here.

"The minute I heard my first love story I started looking for you,

not knowing how blind that was.

Lovers don't finally meet somewhere.

They're in each other all along."

~ Jalal ad-Din Rumi

The main hall is quiet this time of night.

The light tapping of my boots as I walk across the marbled floor resonate throughout the enormous space. It is dimly lit and ancient, the history permeating off the walls with stories I can't even begin to fathom.

Everyone is asleep now as I play out my nightly routine; my only solace away from the many who also stay here whom never engage with me or seem to know I even exist. I walk past the large, carved archways, breathing in the scent of centuries past. How those who study here can think so nonchalantly of this place is beyond me; I feel the ghosts around every corner.. eyes peering, watching. Spirits of Hylians long since passed from this world.

They say I am a reincarnation of a Sheikah, a tribe of shadow warriors from centuries ago. It's my eyes, they say, red like blood. Like fire. I had also begun to wonder if they were mocking me, teasing me for being different. That's more likely the case. However, I researched them then, these shadow beings, in the old books that remain in the school's library. I found an entry on one in particular, one that caught my eye.

'The Last of the Sheikah', it had read. His name was Sheik.

In the drawings depicting him he had been tall and strong, but thin and very swift. His face stares at me from beyond the torn pages, lifeless eyes, unblinking. He speaks to me, and as strange as it sounds, I feel like I am beginning to understand. He wears fabric over his mouth, and I touch my lips, wondering what it must feel like to wear such a thing over my own. As I look into the lifeless eyes, I feel a strangeness in my chest, and I have the urge to cry. Why I do so, I do not know, but this Sheik.. he's telling me things, things I believe he wasn't able to say before it was too late.

There is a description below the sketch:

Sheik was a guide to the Hero of Time, aiding him on his quest to rid Hyrule of the dark power Ganondorf had placed over the land.

My finger had trailed over that sentence on the rough page. I reread it a dozen times.

And this is why I escape to this cavernous room every night, the main hall, decorated with stained glass images of Hyrule's heroes and formidable foes. I stand before them, their eyes looking down at me. What were you like? I wonder.. I scour the portrayals for any sign of the Sheikah, and he is nowhere to be seen. Why were you forgotten?

The hero's portrait is beside the Princess Zelda. He stands strong and brave, the tip of the sword on the ground with his hand atop the hilt, shield raised mid-height with the other hand. I feel possessed by it. I sit on the floor in front of it, staring up, mouth slightly open. I am enamoured with him. He looks at me with such a serious expression. Were you always like that? I wonder.. He doesn't answer me. My eyes switch from the Hero to the Princess as I read between the lines, subtext floating through my mind as I ask her, "Were you lovers?" It's strange that the subconscious answer I receive is, "No." And why is that so, I ask myself.. why were you not?

It fascinates me, the hidden stories, truths, behind these people from so long ago. It pains me that more are not so intrigued by these figures - the other students walking past them everyday without a second glance. The few classmates I manage to converse with ridicule me for caring so much. I'm too much of a history nerd, they say. Maybe they're right. And then it saddens me, for how must it feel to be dead; your only likeness frozen on plates of glass as a lesson in history?

Truth be told, I'm not really surprised I'm friendless. I'd rather talk to dead people, anyway. They're much more interesting.

After an hour or so, I take the books on Hyrule's history with me to my room. I open the door slowly, it creaking slightly with age. My roommate wakes none, thankfully, and I tread softly across the stone floors, reaching my desk in the corner. It's far too late but I sit anyway, opening one book in particular with more information on the Sheikah. And as I peruse the contents, I come to a chapter describing shadow magic. This is some of what is says:

While in varying degrees depending on the caster, the Sheikah tribe were known to have proficiency in Shadow Magic. Notable spells ranged from simple elemental control, agility boosters, and prophesying, while some were said to gain teleportation abilities, even crossing between parallel universes. How much of this is true is up for debate, as the only evidence we have are physical remnants (see photo below) or crudely written reports based on "witness" interpretation during the time of the Hyrulean Civil War.

The photo below shows a temple in a graveyard, in a town called Kakariko, with what looks to be a large white design drawn onto the ground before its entrance. There are many torches scattered, an unsettling amount, and a large stone in the center of it all.

I'm intrigued by this information, to say the least. I had no idea the Sheikah were so powerful. Why were there none left then, besides one, after the war? How and when did Sheik die? I return to the contents of the book, skimming the chapters, looking for one that may answer my questions. I find then, in the chapter titled 'The End of the Hyrulean Civil War' a short paragraph with cryptic information.

Sheik followed the Hero of Time in his quest to defeat Ganondorf, however perishing just before the epic battle itself.

What? That can't be true. I imagine then the scenario, the Hero and Sheik fighting side by side through the dismal castle. Then, struck fatally in the heart by a Stalfos, he falls, the Hero running to him, catching him in his arms before reaching the floor. They exchange words and Sheik passes, the Hero's companion leaving him alone to face the evil that awaits. How depressing. I sit for a moment, thinking, brows furrowing, displeased. I close the book and open my laptop, the screen illuminating as it wakes. I bring up a search, and in it I type 'Sheik, Last of the Sheikah'.

Strangely enough, the first result is a link to a forum entitled, 'Secrets of Kakariko Village'. I click on it, and what loads seems to be a forum for people who still live in the town, who have visited, or others who are just interested in its past. The thread in particular it sends me to reads something like this:

OP: Can anyone shed any light on what exactly happened to Sheik? I've heard that he didn't actually die in the castle. Is that true? I'm writing an essay and would like a conflicting viewpoint.

Hero_of_Time1: From what I've read it seems that Sheik really did die before the final battle. Sucks for him.

ZoraGirl: SixSages would know. She lives in Kakariko and moderates this forum. She's been inside Impa's house.

OP: I thought Impa's house was sealed shut?

SixSages: It is, but I found a second entrance near the roof on the backside.

Hero_of_Time1: lmao. Right.

SixSages: You can choose not to believe me. That's your own problem. I scanned some letters I found and put them up on my blog yesterday. Check them out. OP I think you may find them interesting.

Well that's hard to resist.

I visit the blog, clicking on the link provided in the forum. It takes me to an image heavy page, with what looks to be handwritten letters which were scanned and uploaded. One in particular catches my eye, one entitled 'Sheik's last letter to Impa'.

The handwriting is faded from age, but immediately I am distracted by it. The letters are tilted a bit to the right, the shapes slightly feminine, not how I've seen most men write. It looks as if he took care when writing, almost as if the art of it was important to him. I'm lost in thought as Sheik becomes more human to me, now that I have seen this. I take a deep breath and begin reading.

This is my final letter to you.

Link and I have made it safely out of Hyrule. Here the air is light and knows not of evil kings or monsters. The path of destruction created by Ganondorf had yet to touch these parts. It is a good thing it never will.

We will continue on as far as we can muster, until we reach a place where no one can claim to know us. It is better off this way, for we choose a life which neither of us cares to share or explain to anyone.

It will take many years for Link to adapt to such a peaceful life, but he deserves it. He deserves a chance.

Thank you for all that you have done for the Hero, for myself, and for Hyrule. Please live the rest of your days without fear for us, and think warmly back on what friendship we managed to create through such dark times.

Farewell.

- S

I sit, unmoving, rereading the letter a dozen times.

we choose a life which neither of us cares to share or explain to anyone..

Does that mean..?

Whoa.

I lean back on the chair, eyebrows raised, eyes wide. I feel as if I almost have to validate my thinking, so I return to the forum and PM SixSages. I carefully type out a message, not wanting to seem like a troll trying to cause a stir.

I read one of the letters on your blog, the last one from Sheik to Impa. Did I read it correctly? Were Link and Sheik involved? I am attending Hyrule Academy in the city, and I've never read anything about this before. Could you shed some light on this? Thank you.

I click send, and slowly close the lid to my laptop. I look at the clock beside my bed. 2:29 a.m. Wow. I yawn and stand up, stretching. I don't even bother to change before falling into bed, and as I lay there, I stare at the ceiling, imagining things in my head I feel ashamed to talk about.

The alarm buzzes faintly, growing louder as I slowly wake, my eyes peeling themselves open. I akin waking up to something quite painful, and this morning more so than 's what I get for only four hours of sleep. It's my own damn fault. I swipe the screen on my phone, silencing the persistent buzzing. I raise my hand to my forehead, sighing audibly, waiting for the motivation to sit and remove myself from the bed. Oh. I reach for my phone again, raising it eye level. I access the internet, checking my inbox at the forum I visited last night.

Nothing.

Feeling now even less motivated than before, I manage to pick myself out of bed and into the shower. The water is cold as it fails to heat up by the time I'm done. I notice as I step out and glance in the mirror, that I look like shit. Dark circles persist under my eyes, only worse now after the lack of sleep. I finger through my hair, smoothing it slightly, the usual blonde hue now a wet, light brown. I've thought about dying it that color. But then I'd probably be made fun of for that too, and well.. I just don't feel like drawing attention to myself.

I walk the corridors to class, down from the dorm rooms through the main hall. I steal a glance at the Hero as I walk past like I always do, but this time, it's different. It's almost like I know his secret. He stares at me, blue orbs, lifeless and unblinking. I stop, returning the gaze. My heart flutters. I curse myself for having a crush on a dead guy. I wonder if he knows my secret, too. I realize then how much I hate my life, and how much I'd rather be somewhere else. In a different time, altogether. I continue walking to class, my head down, my mind in another place.

I sit in my usual spot, rows back, empty seats to my left and right. The few who used to be my friends look at me from further ahead in the room, glancing back with disapproving looks in their eyes. I shrug it off. I used to care. In their world, they'd probably be happier if I just sat by them and pretend to be interested in their meaningless conversations. I feel too old for that.

I check my phone from underneath the desk. I reload the forum, hoping to see a message in my inbox. And what do you know? There is. I click on the envelope icon and wait as the page loads briefly.

[ Message from SixSages

Hi there. Glad you found the information useful. Yes, I do think they were involved. There's more proof than just that letter. Stuff I haven't posted. Funnily enough you are the only one who seems to have noticed that little bit. Very perceptive of you.

So, you go to Hyrule Academy, huh? Is it full of jackasses like I've heard? Not that I mean you're a jackass. What are you majoring in, by the way? ]

I'm not sure at first if I think this girl is a bitch, or if she just has a twisted sense of humor. I decide to be optimistic for a change and decide on the latter. I respond back to her. I'm really interested to find out more.

[ Message to SixSages

I've only read through that one letter so far. Is there more info in the others? So basically Sheik didn't die like they say in the history books? He left with Link to another place and they just disappeared?

I'm majoring in History.

And I can't deny that I'm not a jackass. ]

I laugh to myself at that, but as I send it I wonder if she'll take it too seriously. Oh well. Too late now.

The Professor continues lecturing, and I zone out. It's a class I don't really care much for anyway. Almost fifteen minutes pass before I check my phone again.

[ Message from SixSages

I don't think you're a jackass. A smart ass, maybe.

The other letters are correspondence between the two starting from before he met Link right up to the point he and Link took off. There are some gaps though, missing letters that I think Impa kept with her personally. What's interesting to me, is why would there be later correspondence from Sheik to Impa when she, during the latter half of the fight against Ganondorf, was with the sages in the Sacred Realm? It makes me wonder if the sages were, in fact, able to leave the Realm at will. Or maybe the letters were delivered there by accident, and she never read them? Regardless, there's a whole lot of stuff in her place still. The village sealed it off as a historical relic, but I was just way too interested to live so close by and not check it out. It's like hearing a place is haunted and being curious to know if it really is.

You're majoring in History? So this stuff must be very interesting to you. We have something in common. I may not be studying at the academy, but I'm a history buff, like yourself.

What do you think about Link and Sheik being an item? I don't think I asked you that yet. ]

I read through the somewhat lengthy response, strangely enjoying a conversation, something I haven't done in a while. All this deliberating about the past and its rumours is really interesting to me. Yet I feel a bit of hesitation when thinking on how to answer that last question. How open should I be about it? It is the internet after all, if she gets pissed we can always stop talking.

[ Message to SixSages

Well then the feeling is mutual. I think you're a smart ass, too.

I wonder if there are missing letters from Link. I'd like to know how he spoke, what his handwriting looks like. Do you know anything about him, apart from what's been written in every book imaginable?

In my opinion, I think it's very brave of them to fight so unconditionally for Hyrule together, and then take off on the back of a horse to wherever the fuck they wanted so they could live in peace. Maybe it's not the story everyone wants to hear, but I could give two-shits what gender the Hero of Time preferred. I actually think it makes him more appealing, because he followed his heart. He had the Triforce of Courage, after all. Balls of Steel.

I wonder how Princess Zelda felt about all of that.

You? ]

I hesitate a moment before hitting send, wondering if I am consciously sabotaging whatever friendly camaraderie SixSages and I may grow to have. I send it anyway, and slump back in my chair, blowing a held breath from my lips that rustles the slightly overgrown sections of hair that fall in front of my eyes. I peer up at the classroom, noticing everyone's heads bent down, scribbling notes like their lives depended on it. I look at my notebook, full of random doodles. Productive day. I refresh the forum.

[ Message from SixSages

Shouldn't you be paying attention to class? It's midday on a Wednesday.

I'm also assuming you're a guy by the way you write, which I find interesting due to the fact you are so intrigued by the idea Link was gay. Nice to meet someone who isn't an unbiased asshole.

And I'm assuming again that Princess Zelda knew, because from what the history books say, she had a close, telepathic relationship with Sheik. But you should know that.

I'm going to PM you something I think you're going to like. Not until later though. You should listen to your teacher. ]

I place my phone in my lap and set my focus on the professor, but mentally my mind is racing. She's a perceptive girl. Also, she knows way more little details than I do about the personal interactions between these historical figures. I don't remember seeing the information anywhere about Zelda's and Sheik's relationship. I'm going to have to be really annoying and ask her more questions. Not only that, but she's PM-ing me something later? I wonder what it could be.

The day dragged on perpetually. I tried very hard to stay focused on my studies, but I found it increasingly difficult as my mind kept wandering to everything I had learned less than 24 hours ago. Finally with the last class of the day over with and the evening sun setting well below the horizon, pink and orange glow radiating through the many windows, I sat in my usual spot in front of the Hero of Time. I take a bite from an energy bar I had originally planned to eat earlier on in the day, and I chew slowly, my eyes never leaving the blue orbs that stare expressionless down at me. I thought for a bit on how Hyrule has changed - how long ago there were Princesses and castles and Heroes and big ugly villains with hordes of monsters. I hear that if you travel far enough to the outskirts of Hyrule you can see a stray monster or two, but I find that hard to believe. The main reason I came to this academy above all others, was the fact that it used to be Hyrule Castle. I couldn't resist seeing it for my own eyes. And boy, did I spend the first couple of years scouring every inch of this place. Sadly most of it had been renovated or remodeled - it had been a long time, after all, since there was actually any royalty here. That's why I like the main hall so much.. to me it seems like the least-changed area of the whole building. Other classmates say this place is haunted. I'd be crazy to not agree with them.

I pull my eyes away from the Hero down to my phone, refreshing my inbox to see if I've received any new messages.

[ Message from SixSages

I'm sending you something now.

Why don't you just text me? I'm sure you're going to want to talk about this. +7234-1355 ]

I'm startled for a moment; I didn't expect her to give me her number. Is she hitting on me? I refresh the page again, and see another message. However, this time, it's an image. A scan of a letter that wasn't on her blog. It's hard to see on my phone, so I make a mad dash up to my room. Once inside, I open my laptop and bring up the message. Here I can see it better. Thankfully my roommate isn't around.

I am not the best with -.

I am even less eloquent when I speak.

Before I met you, I - - - was - - love. You have proven - - that - is possible.

Thank you for - - life. Thank - for - me.

- L

I stare at the writing, rushed and tentative. The script is old, and words and letters are barely legible. It's not elegant like Sheik's handwriting had been, but it's beautiful nonetheless, sharp and strong, bold.

It's a love letter, I realize.

I die a little inside.

I can't help but to place a hand over my mouth as my eyes digest this information. It's like finding a hidden piece of ancient history no one has discovered before. I don't give myself much time to think as my hand is racing to add SixSages' number to my contact list. I text her.

You're right. I have to talk about this.

Haha. I thought so.

It's a love letter.

Yes.

This is from Link?

Yes.

To Sheik?

There is a momentary pause.

I assume so. It's not addressed to anyone.

How did you find this?

In a locked chest at Impa's.

You broke into a locked chest?

Another pause.

Wouldn't you?

Why would Impa have it?

From what I've gathered by looking around,

it seems as if the two stopped there before

leaving Hyrule.

Did they leave a lot behind?

I'm surprised most of it was still there.

Someone wanted to protect it.

That's why it was locked up so well.

Hello, by the way. How was your day?

I'm caught off guard for a moment, her question snapping me out of my fervent question asking about the letter. It's strange to have someone actually ask how I am.

Sorry. I got all excited. Not very polite.

Another pause. I wonder if I pissed her off somehow.

My day was okay. Yours?

spring break is next week, right?

Yeah..

Curious.

Why don't you come out to Kakariko

and check it out for yourself?

I can just be your guide,

show you around and stuff.

I'm stunned momentarily. I just met this person and she wants to meet already?

I know we just started talking.

I'm not asking you on a date or anything.

Purely an educational excursion.

I'm not sure how I feel about it, just yet. I'm not the most trusting guy, but I do really want to see Kakariko, see where Link and Sheik stayed for a time... it's tempting.

I'll think about it.

I nod to myself.

you do that.

I sigh. Bitch.

Note: There are no OC's. Don't worry.

Keep in touch, won't you?