Revelation of Lies will be updated every Saturday until completed.
Disclaimer: Don't own it.
Warnings: Minor violence in later chapters and boyxboy (Link x Sheik). If you're not a fan please don't read.
~*~*~ Chapter Two ~*~*~
When Link reaches the steps the Temple of Time he slumps exhausted against the unforgiving stone. He closes his eyes briefly, before forcing himself to stand up. He's weary and injured, not gravely, but the minor cuts and scrapes add up, and all he wants to see is Sheik safe. And the princess too, of course.
The thought of Ganandorf's spies seeing him spurs him to move his weary, resisting body. He rises and walks to the doors of the temple and pushes them open. They groan from disuse and he enters into the candle lit temple.
He sees Sheik sitting on the steps inside and with new found energy he crosses the stone underfoot to meet him. Sheik stands and Link sweeps him into his arms and pulls down his cowl to kiss him. Sheik seems startled but kisses back, more hesitant than usual.
When they part Sheik asks, "Are you hurt?"
"Not gravely," he responds. "Navi is just outside, keeping lookout."
He frowns. "Lookout for what?"
Link stares at him for a few seconds in silence. "Are you hurt?" he repeats.
"No," Sheik says. "I am unharmed."
Link feels uneasy as he watches Sheik. Sheik is the one who always volunteered to keep watch because of his dislike of not having someone's eyes scanning for danger at all times. It worries him know that the Sheikah seems so unconcerned about having someone keep watch, especially so close to Ganandorf's castle. He blames Sheik's bizarre behaviour on lack of sleep.
"Are you sure you are unharmed?" Link asks as he pulls Sheik close to his body and slumps into him slightly, his previous exhaustion returning. Sheik struggles to balance the new found weight against him and Link pulls back.
"I told you I am fine," he exclaims and Link nods, pinning Sheik's attitude down due to fear and stress and worry over the princess as well as weariness.
"When will Zelda arrive?" Link asks as he moves to sit of the steps with Sheik.
"I have much I need to tell you, Link," Sheik says as they sit.
"What, no Hero?" Link jokes, using Sheik's nickname for him. Sheik just blinks at him and he drops the subject. There's no time for jokes and games now.
"I've been waiting for you, Link," Sheik says.
"We agreed to meet here, it was your idea," Link says, watching Sheik closely.
Sheik rests his hands in his lap delicately and replies, "There is much you must know before you can fight the King of Evil."
"Then tell me," Link says and wraps his arm around Sheik, needing to feel the comfort of having the Sheikah close. "We have no secrets, right?"
"First I must tell you another unknown legend of the Triforce passed down by the shadow folk, the Sheikah, and then all will become clear."
Link nodded and listened intently, trying to find a reason for Sheik's odd behaviour. He had chalked it up to lack of sleep and exhaustion, but he and Sheik had been in each other's company many times when those circumstances were present and the Sheikah had never seemed so off.
"…and the other who holds the Triforce of Wisdom is destined to be the seventh Sage, leader of them all…"
Link was startled when Sheik stood suddenly and turned to face him. He raised his hands and moved them fluidly before a blinding light resonated from him and Link had to shield his eyes with his arms or else risk being blinded.
When the light faded he glanced back at Sheik, heart racing.
Zelda stood in front of him.
"It is I, Princess Zelda. I'm sorry for meeting you is disguise, Link, but it was necessary to hide from the Dark King. Please forgive me…"
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Link stumbled away from the wreckage, the master sword hanging limp in his grasp and dragging through the rumble as he walked. He was exhausted. He never knew exhaustion like this before, and every step he took was a struggle to stay upright.
"Link," Zelda cried, crashing into him and wrapping her arms around him.
He staggered back in pain. He was injured badly, bleeding steadily from various wounds he'd received from Ganon. He wrapped his arms around Zelda, losing his grip on the master sword. He barley heard it when it crashed against the rubble. Vacantly he stared over Zelda's shoulder and out across the ruined Castletown and the smell of burning wood reached his nose but he didn't know where it was coming from.
"You're hurt," Zelda murmured, cupping his face in her hands. They're eyes met and Link smiled to reassure her, resting his hands on her face. She leaned in and kissed him on the lips and he kissed her back.
It felt wrong to kiss her. He was used to hard muscle under his hands, dirty blond hair and ruby eyes staring back at him. Kissing Zelda was all soft and delicate, small, pale and fine. But this was who Sheik was truly…and it was Sheik's personality he loved, not just his body.
"We have to get you to a healer," Zelda said, leading him towards Epona. "To Kakariko, and they'll help you."
Link winced as his head began to spin. "I can't ride," he managed to say, closing his eyes wearily as he leaned against Epona's shoulder.
"You must!" she exclaimed.
"Can you not warp us to the graveyard?" Link said, opening his eyes.
"I cannot," she answered. "We must ride."
Blinking blearily at her Link lost the battle with consciousness and slumped to the ground, only faintly hearing Zelda screaming at him.
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When he wakes his eyes instantly search for Sheik to make sure he's alright. But the reality of the situation hits him hard when he sees Zelda sitting vigil by his bedside. Sheik is gone…but not gone. He's sitting there, where Zelda is…but not. Zelda is Sheik. There is something, a spark, that Sheik had that she doesn't…or maybe he's just being too hard on her, or the shock of them being one in the same is too much for him to comprehend right now.
He isn't sure which it is.
"Link," Zelda says, relieved when she sees him awake. She rests her hand against his cheek and he tries to smile at her but can't. "How're you feeling?"
"Bad," he croaks, and she smiles at him faintly.
"I'll get you more tonic," she hurries away, feet clinking loudly across the wooden floor. Sheik could move silently when he wanted to…he closes his eyes and breaths heavily. Zelda could move silently, if she wanted to.
After she's returned and help him swallow some of the pain medication she sits beside him on the bed in a house that he can only speculate is located in Kakariko.
"I have to go away for a little while," Zelda said, frowning at him.
"Why?" he asks wearily.
"There are many repairs I must over look," she answered. "Of the city and of the castle. You've been out for a few days, but I have been negotiating. Every race has volunteered to help rebuild the city. It will take some work but with everyone's help we can have the city up in a few months time…"
"Months?" he asks, shocked they could rebuild so fast.
She nods. "I must go now," she says and kisses his forehead. "We will speak more when I return."
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When he wakes he's bound like an animal waiting for slaughter. His feet are securely tied together, as are his wrists. He's blind folded and gagged and the stone he is laying on digs painfully into his cheek. He tries to rise but when he attempts to roll to his knees a wave of queasiness washes over him. He struggles to breath around the gag as he attempts to roll to his knees again. This time he manages but he's not up long when someone takes hold of his shoulders and forces him back down. He struggles wildly but he's is defenceless.
"Here he is your highness, unharmed," A voice says to his left and he recognizes it as one of Zelda's guards, a man who's been serving the Royal Family for years. Very gently he's helped to his knees again and Zelda slips the blindfold off. She strokes his cheek and removes the gag as well.
"Get your hands off of me," Sheik snarls at her, but he can't move against the bond Zelda has over him.
She pets his cheek again. "My sweet, loyal Sheik..." she says. "You know deep down it must be this way."
"You can't just leave me here to rot!" Sheik snaps, hating the control she has over him.
"I promise I won't leave you here, but you can't come back."
"After the war ends he'll come looking for me!" Sheik warns her and she laughs mockingly at him.
"The war has ended, and we won and I have to thank-you for that," she says. "But he won't come looking for you, no matter what you think."
She places her hand on his forehead and in his mind he can see Link in the Temple of Time, with him, but he knows it's really Zelda in disguise. He watches as she reveals himself to her and he his heart shatters.
"No, no, no, how could you?" He cries out, ruby eyes blazing with fury. "He loves me, not you!"
"Really? He hasn't seemed to miss you much at all," she says with a smile.
Sheik just stares defiantly at her, his jaw set and his eyes cold as stone. His knees are beginning to ache from digging into the hard stone for so long but he doesn't have the power to move. Instead, he stays on his knees in front of Zelda as she towers over him.
"I have a plan though, Sheik," she says. "When I return with the necessary ingredients I will set you free."
"Free?" he echoes but she doesn't reply. Instead, the gag and blindfold are returned and he is left alone to his thoughts.
Every day he sits and waits for Zelda's return. He is allowed to relieve himself and eat and drink twice a day but other than that he left bound in what he realizes is the underground cellar in the desert, outside of the Gerudo Fortress. In the beginning he believed that Link would come and save him, but as every hour drags on he knows that Link isn't coming.
He's not sure how many days pass, but the guards are growing restless. He imagines it must be at least a week, maybe even a week and a half. She doesn't show up until the end of the second week. When she does she pulls the gag down off his face and presses a goblet of liquid to his lips. She tips it and the liquid sloshes against his lips but he doesn't open his mouth.
Annoyed, she commands, "Open your mouth," and he obeys as much as he wishes not to. The foul tasting liquid washes over his tongue and he almost gags. "Swallow," she says, and again he does.
Almost instantly he starts to feel foggy. His body breaks into a cold sweat and he shakes violently. He crumples forward but her hands catch him before he can hit the ground. Her magic seeps into him and his nerves light on fire as she sifts through his memories disdainfully.
Another spasm of pain rips through Sheik's body and he cries out in pain, no longer able to control himself. He can hear Zelda humming to him, her lullaby, gentle and sweet in his ear.
The pain takes over and he can't handle it anymore. His body gives in and he blacks out.