Hello again. 'Tis I, Shinjiru Kokoro, back from the dead! Well, it's only been a month… a month of thinking of an amazing sequel for you guys! I hope you guys are as stoked as I am. Here you go! I expect reviews…
Shea: Isn't that like blackmail?
Shinji: Shuttup and do the disclaimer.
Shea: -sigh- Shinjiru does not own Zelda besides Ocarina of Time, Wind Waker, Oracle of Ages, A Link to the Past, Four Swords, and Twilight Princess. The game versions. Just to clarify things.

Shinji: Shea, shuttup and let 'em read..

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Chapter 1

Zelda paced the halls worriedly. Her mind whirled with the things that made her worry. Her kingdom was threatened by Exelians; the majority of the people were impoverished; and her son hadn't woken up since being rescued.

A month… and he still hadn't moved. His eyes hadn't opened; not even a muscle had moved. At times, she wondered if he was evil alive. Link often gave her the comforting fact that he was, at least, still breathing. Shouldn't that calm her nerves, at least?

Sadly enough, it didn't.

Zelda stopped by a window, and watched as a girl with vivid red hair flung a sword around at Link. This brought a smile to Zelda. Ah, Claire. The girl never had left Shea's side. Except now. Link had offered to teach her to use a sword, and obviously, it was the most dangerous thing he had taken on. Claire was swinging it around, having no control over the weapon. Poor Link was dodging left and right, yelling at her.

Zelda shifted her eyes over to a lone figure that was resting against a tree, attempting to read a book, but was watching the practicing with amusement. She looked down at the book, and turned a page, pushing a strand of brown hair behind her ear. Emri had been the closest thing that Shea had to a mother on their journey here, from the stories that Claire told. It made Zelda laugh. Emri was the one who would rather sit down and read a book than fling a sword around, even though she was a better fighter than many men. In fact, she didn't wield a sword at all. Rather more, a bo-staff.

And there had been another member of the group, but they refused to talk about him. They only mentioned that he was a 'dirty traitor who deserves to live in the lowest pits of a volcano.' Well, that was in Emri's words, at least.

Zelda frowned. From what Link had told her, Blaize had been Shea's best friend, despite what they let on. Until they crossed the border, that trust had been a tying bond between them. And then it had been severed in two. That was all Link could tell her.

"…Trace! We need you over in the training ring. New recruits… you know how they are." A soldier's voice echoed up to where Zelda was standing.

Ah, yes. Link's alias: Trace. Almost seventeen years ago, Zelda remembered being frightened out of her wits when her normal 'routine' never occurred. Link had returned three months later, and that's when she found out that she was pregnant with Shea. It forced them to go into exile, to Termina, to avoid being found out, and getting Link in trouble.

And now, to keep that safety, he had changed his name.

Termina… I remember those six years well. Zelda smiled warmly. She had raised Shea for six years, until she was forced to come back to Hyrule. Those were probably the best six years of her life.

Zelda watched Claire unceremoniously plop down next to Emri, and read over the girl's shoulder. Emri turned her head to snap at Claire, before the latter laid down on the grass.

Moving away from the window, Zelda continued walking down the corridor. She was somewhat relax, despite the previous listed worries. There were no problems that she had to deal with so far; no landlords complaining about Exelian attacks… it had been nothing but peace in Hyrule Castle.

She passed a tapestry of her and Link on Epona while in her private wing of the castle. They were much younger, of course. She'd had this painted for her use only… there were many months when her best friend had been gone, seeing the world, while she had been stuck here dealing with politics. So, she'd had this tapestry done to curb her loneliness. She ran a hand over the paint.

Zelda turned a corner, and opened a door. She entered the room as a nurse was walking out, pain coming to her purple eyes as they laid sight upon her lifeless son.

Zelda opened the window, and brought a chair by the bedside, and took Shea's hand. She had been looking at a calendar, and it dawned on her that on this day, Shea turned sixteen. The third day of summer. And he wasn't even awake to know.

The prospect pushed more pain into Zelda's eyes. She remembered her Shea being full of life, back in Termina. She remembered the spontaneous bursts of energy he always seemed to get, the bright eyes at the ideas that seemed to only get him in trouble.

Where was that Shea now?

She gently massaged his hand, reminiscing on what used to be, when there was the slightest movement of a finger.

Zelda tilted her head to the side as she leaned forward, hope expanding inside of her. She shook his shoulder, whispering, "Shea?"

His eyebrows came together as he rolled his head over to the other side. He muttered something that sounded like, "Leave me 'lone."

Zelda's eyes widened, before she ran out of the room, screaming, "Link! Link!"

----

Claire was lying on the grass next to Emri, who was still reading, watching the clouds overhead. Her green eyes were half open as drowsiness began to overtake her mind.

"Hey, Emri."

"Hm?"

"You ever wonder why the sky is blue?"

"…"

Claire looked over at Emri to see her giving her the strangest look she had ever seen.

"Yes, Claire. That is the exact question ravaging my mind day after day." Emri drawled before returning to her book.

Claire returned her eyes to the sky, pursing her lips, "It certainly wasn't created like that, I don't think. Someone must have chosen it to be blue." She shot up, looking horrified, "What if the sky was pink?"

Emri snapped her book shut, "Claire, I'm never going to finish my book, am I?"

"Nope!" Claire grinned, before turning her sight towards the arena where she had recently been sparring with Link.

Her eyebrows furrowed as she squinted towards a group of people… Link was definitely there, and Zelda… they were supporting someone who looked like-

"Emri…" Claire grabbed the girl's knee and started to shake it excitedly, "Emri! Who do you see walking towards us?" She pointed at the group.

Emri squinted, before they widened, "It's Shea! Oh, thank the Goddesses, it's Shea!" She threw her book a good five yards as she shot to her feet, and took off running, Claire behind her.

Shea looked up, and his eyes widened when he saw the two girls racing towards him at full speed. He let out a sigh of relief when Emri stopped in front of him, "Shea! It's so good to see—oof!"

What he didn't see coming was Claire not seeing Emri stop, thus creating the domino effect of her crashing into Emri, sending Emri flying into Shea. The three of them descended into a crumpled heap on the ground.

Claire shook her head and looked around, "Shea? Shea?"

Emri twisted her head around, "Maybe you would be able to see him if you got off of me!"

Claire rolled off of the pile, and ascended to her knees. As Emri stood up, Shea was still, eyes squeezed shut and tense from the impact.

Claire shook his shoulder, "Shea-a?" She said in a singsong tone.

Shea opened one eye, "Good to see you too." His voice was raspy.

Claire stood, and held out a hand for Shea. He grasped it, and as Claire pulled him up, he stumbled. Claire caught him, and put his arm over her shoulder.

Shea exhaled. He really didn't like depending on other people… at all. But his legs felt like lead; he had absolutely no idea how long he'd been out.

"About a month." Emri vocalized Shea's thoughts. Shea looked at her with confusion-

"I thought you couldn't read minds."

"I can't. But the shifted Balance has intensified everything."

Shea continued looking at Emri with confusion, "Shifted Balance? What?"

Link and Zelda shared a glance, before the latter said, "We'd best get you inside before we explain everything that has happened."

----

They all were seated in Zelda's chambers, away from anyone else in the castle that might overhear, when it was anonymously chosen that Emri would tell Shea what happened during the final 'extraction.'

After all, she had seen him in his fury.

"When the Exelians were... finishing the extracting process –I'm not sure what happened here—I think you might have lost yourself to the powers of Rhairu, eventually letting him take over. Shea, I don't think you can fully understand what he can do unless you've seen it for yourself. You blew the entire place apart! A good portion of the Exelian army was dead, and you were unconscious when we found you. Rhairu left a warning: 'Cross me one more time, and I will strip the Holders of my sisters' powers,' or something like that." Emri shrugged, "But during this month, the Exelians have been tearing villages apart, probably searching for you."

Shea was looking down at the ground, tapping his foot. "And people have died, haven't they?"

"Not so much as the month before." Emri offered, "I've looked at the census records!" She explained to Zelda, who was giving her a look.

Shea didn't say anything as he continued staring at the ground. He pushed himself up, leaning on the chair for a bit before walking to the door, using the wall to support himself. He opened the door, stumbled out of it, and slammed it shut. From outside, there was a sudden crash, and then-

"OUCH!" proceeded by a long line of colorful words.

Zelda sighed, "I should probably go help him…" she muttered as she stood, slipping out the door.

---

It really bothered him that he couldn't light things on fire at random anymore. It had been a favorite pastime of his, especially when he had something on his mind, when things weren't going right, or when he was just plain bored out of his wits.

Ever since that night, he hadn't been able to use his powers. He couldn't remember why, though, which was odd in its own self. He couldn't remember anything from that night, except that it was supposed to be the greatest night of Exelian history.

It certainly didn't feel that great.

And he couldn't shake the feeling that Shea had something to do with his memory loss.

He remembered waking up the next day, finding the room in ruin, and bodies were laying everywhere.

And then he learned of the Hylian prisoners. There were five of them that had been caught only moments before he had woken up. And Shea was gone.

So, naturally, one would assume that the Hylians knew where Shea went. The five had been interrogated, but they claimed they had no clue where Shea was, or who Shea was.

He looked at his left hand. It was blank, like it had been for an entire month. And that's the way it would probably stay, unless he figured out what happened to his memory, and why he felt so… powerless.

Power. That had been the original goal that his entire existence revolved around. Now, the very man that he bent over backwards for was treating him like any other Exelian.

But he didn't know why.

He rolled over on his side, facing the wall. In this past month, he had started to question everything that he believed in, everything that he had known. He had started to ask himself, 'is it all worth it?'

The image of Shea in unbearable pain made it seem like it certainly wasn't. Was watching the people that he had probably cared about in pain worth it?

One man might say it was, if the reward was power beyond compare. Another might say that power was nothing without friends to share it with.

Friends… Emri, Claire, Shea… he had let them all down. He closed his eyes in attempt to block out the faces that had haunted his nightmares. The sheer guilt was completely weighing him down; like a lead block had expanded all throughout his body. He felt lethargic all the time, and he never wanted to do anything or go anywhere.

He remembered Emri's last words: "Do something! Prove my thoughts wrong!"

And he had done nothing.

-----

Shea felt the desperate need to pace around in his room. But the funny thing was… he couldn't walk. At least, not without support. And he hated having to depend on things or other people… hated it with a fiery passion.

He supposed he got that from his father… who, he had just learned within the last hour, was the man who had accompanied him for the majority of his journey. Needless, to say, he was a bit shocked. Shock turned to anger, and then anger turned to… well, forgiveness?

And his mother… the first voice he had heard since waking. He had heard it in dreams, seen her in his dreams, but he had never imagined her to be more perfect. He was still in shock that she was actually real.

Although, for him, today was a sad day. Because today, ten years ago, was when his mother had left him. She had explained the entire story to him, and it brought back some of the memory that had been absent the majority of his teenage life.

He fingered the amulet that had been around his neck since the Exelian king had so mockingly put it on him. He remembered wearing it until he had been captured for the first time.

Now, it felt right; it added that sense of completion that he had been lacking ever since it was stolen from him.

Looking out the window, Shea noticed a column of smoke. His eyes narrowed. Somewhere, people were dying because of him. And he could do nothing to stop it.

He guessed that this sense of chivalry and valiancy had also been passed down to him from his father. But the grand genes that he had been given did nothing to soothe his rampaging nerves. How was it fair that innocent families were being torn apart, just as his had been so long ago, when he was now safe within a palace; united with his family no less? Shea turned away from the window in disgust, his insides feeling as though they were snakes coiling and uncoiling, slithering around in an attempt to break free from their cramped prison.

It wasn't like he wanted to be in this position. But what could he do in his condition? He was practically worthless… and he doubted that Emri and Claire could do much either. They were also confined between the walls of this ancient castle until 'the time was right'. Whatever.

If it were up to him, that time would be now. But, confound it! Shea sighed in frustration, running a hand through his hair.

He could do nothing.