Thanks for the reviews for my prologue, guys. Do I need to post another disclaimer? I hope not. After all, everyone knows I'm not creative enough to make all those awesome characters. ;) Now, for chapter one. REVIEW!!

Chapter one

I tilted my head curiously, perking my pointed ears up to catch the low voices in the room below. I wanted to hear what they were saying . . . but they were talking so damned quietly! It was frustrating!

I leaned forward on my heels, gripping the wooden beam I was balanced on more tightly, a few strands of my ruby-red hair falling down into my violet eyes. I squinted my eyes, trying to get a closer look at the people in the room below.

Where was I? In Hyrule Castle. Eavesdropping on a 'secret' meeting of the Sages and the Hero of Time. I knew the names, but I'd never actually seen the people in person. It was exhilarating, the thrill of being able to intrude upon a 'secret' meeting between the Sages and the Hero of Time. But if I were caught . . .

I was only doing this because I was bored and I needed some entertainment. I hadn't told anyone in the members of my clan(I called it a clan because technically, we weren't exactly welcomed in society)because I knew they'd want to come, or select few(I wouldn't mention any names)would rat on me if they found out. I wanted to do this by myself, to prove that I could, so I could know information that no one else knew.

I leaned forward on my knees, crossing my arms underneath my breasts, chewing on the inside of my cheek thoughtfully as I listened to the Hero of Time as he spoke. He was very handsome, with lightning blue eyes with long golden lashes, pale, fair skin, thick golden hair, and clad in a green tunic and matching cap. There was a brilliant blade strapped across his back, but it wasn't the Master Sword. According to rumors, that was stowed safely in the Temple of Time.

". . . last night in Kakariko village." Link was saying. "Right now, he's being nursed back to health by Impa, who happened to be staying at the inn as I. She isn't sure what he went through but whatever it was, it was pretty harsh. He can barely talk, much less stand, and he doesn't remember much of what happened to put him in that state. What I don't understand is that while Sheik is there in Kakariko village, why you, Zelda, are here." By the time Link's melodious voice grew silent, his tone was hurt, mistrusting, and his brows were furrowed.

Zelda sighed. "I wish for you to listen to my entire tale, Link, without interrupting, and I want you to refrain from growing angry. As a matter of fact, I want all of you to listen.

"After Link was sucked into the Temple of Light, where his soul was sealed for seven years to sleep, I set about making a disguise for myself so as to prevent being discovered by Ganon, and being captured. However, I also knew that I had to aid Link in his quest; without my help, he probably would have taken longer to succeed as he did.

"I went to Impa, to ask for her assistance, and she took me under her wing and began to train me in the ways of the Sheikah, teaching me the battle styles of her people, their culture, everything about the shadow people that no one else was brave enough to learn. After seven long years of training she deemed me ready to disguise myself as a Sheikah. So, with the shadow magic that she had taught me, I adorned the garb of the Sheikah and disguised myself as a male.

"However, I was not aware that there was actually a Sheikah by the name of Sheik. And apparently during the some of the time that Ganondorf held reign over Hyrule, the real Sheik was being held captive by Ganondorf himself. As to why? I'm not completely sure.

"How I found this out, though, is through a vision I received, of when we were escaping from the crumbling castle, Link," Princess Zelda turned her cerulean eyes upon the hero, addressing him. "I saw Sheik escaping from the ruin and vanishing from sight before the final battle with Ganondorf took place. To where he went, I don't know. And this goes to show that it is very strange why Sheik has shown up now." Zelda concluded, running a hand through her long blond tresses.

I absorbed this information, intrigued. Of course, I'd heard the entire story of how the Hero of Time had saved Hyrule, and I knew all about Sheik's role. Learning that Sheik was indeed a real person, however, was fascinating. I felt a sudden desire to meet him, but my thoughts were interrupted as the Princess of the Zoras(Ruto, I was sure)began to speak.

"Well, it's obvious that we'll have to nurse Sheik back to health before we trouble him with stressing matters," Ruto said with a sigh, her fins flicking almost impatiently. Her gorgeous violet eyes were fixed upon Zelda as she spoke, and her voice had an aquatic, watery quality to it that was both strange and exotic. "It's rude to demand these answers of him when he's hardly coherent."

"Yes, Ruto, we are all aware you feel indebted to Sheik for his rescuing you from the ice," Rauru, the light Sage with the balding head, blue eyes, and thick orange and red robes replied, almost wearily. "But you must remember; it was not Sheik who saved you, but rather Zelda. We all feel as if Sheik was a separate person, and alas, he is, as we now discover, but as we all knew him seven years ago, it was actually Zelda underneath the cowls and bandages."

Ruto exhaled sharply, lifting her violet eyes heavenwards. Not exactly rolling her eyes, but not exactly respectful, either. "I know, but . . . it just seems as if I am indebted to that man. My apologies for disregarding you, Zelda." Ruto wasn't pleased to apologize, I could see, but at least she did.

Zelda inclined her head. "No offense taken, Princess Ruto. Faced with the situation as we are, we will have to come to some sort of decision. After Sheik is fully recovered we will extract what explanations and answers from him that we can, and after that, we will make our decision on what to do from there. For now, I think it best to let Impa derive what information from him that she can, because he is more likely to entrust information to her rather than anyone else here. After all, she is of his race, and I learned that many Sheikah are not very . . . sociable, with other races." Zelda finally settled on. She glanced at Link. "If Impa fails to extract information from him than you and I will meet him . . . Link?"

Link wasn't paying attention to her, though. His eyes were fixed upwards, in the rafters of the Sages' room, where I was crouched. I was frozen, my eyes wide, as his lightning blue orbs locked with mine. I only received a flash of his eyes before I heard a loud puft sound as a chain slithered through the air toward me faster than the eye could follow, and a large metal hook embedded itself into the wooden beam beneath my feet. I tensed, but just as I had began to move Link was there in an instant, grabbing me around the waist and dropping to the floor, dumping me almost roughly to the stone tiles and pressing the tip of his blade to my throat, all in one smooth movement. I was speechless.

"An intruder, perhaps?" The Gerudo Sage, Nabooru, narrowed her golden eyes at me and grinned wickedly as she withdrew her scimitar, pressing the tip of it to my throat as well. Her vibrant red hair was pulled back high on top of her head, and a pink jewel was embedded into a small circlet upon her forehead.

Darunia, the Goron Sage, cracked his knuckles and his deep blue eyes sparkled with the excitement of dealing out punishment as he moved over, towering over me. I detected the scent of earth and stone, and looking slowly up and down at the huge, muscular, rock-covered body, I began to sweat bullets.

The little Forest Sage, though, Saria, seemed to dance over, her large blue eyes laughing down at me as she grinned, cocking her head at me. I wasn't in the least bit relaxed, despite the reassuring look in her eyes.

"All of you, back!" Zelda pushed her way through all of them, standing over me, now. She studied me for a moment, lifting an elegant blond brow. "Nothing but a mere girl. And yet, all of you act as if she possesses all the shadow magic of Ganondorf. Ridiculous. Give me your name."

I realized she was talking to me, and swallowed nervously, glancing about the Sages and Hero watching me carefully, all ready to jump to action should I dare make a hostile move. I was angry when my voice trembled when I spoke. "M-melainia."

"Melainia? That's an unfamiliar name." Zelda mused to herself, studying me in a way that made me feel self-conscious of my patched clothes and disheveled appearance. "You look very young. How old are you?"

"Sixteen, Miss . . ." I mumbled, looking at her shoes, so I didn't have to look at her. Reminding myself how cowardly this appeared, I lifted my eyes swiftly back up to hers, holding her gaze steadily.

"And I suppose you were eavesdropping?" her tone was stern, now.

For some reason that tone made me want to squirm and hide under a table. "Y-yes. I didn't hear anything important--" I began to lie.

"Liars often suffer the penalty of having their tongues cut out," Nabooru said almost pleasantly, thoughtfully running the tip of her finger across her blade. I blanched.

"Nabooru, hush," Zelda chided, before turning back to me. She slowly crouched down to my level, her cerulean eyes locking with mine. "What did you hear?" she asked quietly.

I swallowed. "N-nothing--"

I jumped as a bright golden light began to shine on the back of her left hand, and Zelda turned her hand over, lifting it, so I could see the symbol of the Triforce glowing lucidly upon it. "I know if you're lying," she said quietly. "Every time you tell a lie, this symbol will glow. And you'll get off easier if you just tell me the truth. You might as well, don't you think?"

I said nothing. Taking a deep breath and steadying my voice, I said, "I heard everything."

"Everything? And you understood everything?" she questioned, eyeing me now with something closer to curiosity, rather than mistrust.

I nodded. "Yes. I understood it."

"Fascinating," she murmured. "You managed to escape the notice of all my protective fields and sound barriers, and not to mention you escaped Link's notice. He, of all people, should have been able to see you. Did you use magic?"

I shook my head. "I don't know any magic."

Zelda seemed even more dumbfounded by this. I now noticed that the Sages and Link had looks of utter stupefacation on their faces. Highly amused by this but not daring to laugh at this kind of time, I added, "I just slipped through the sewers in here, and once I entered the main hall I found a vent leading up into the ceiling, and once I was there, I found this room and slipped down into the rafters and overheard this meeting. So I decided to listen."

"Is it possible that the girl possesses magical shielding?" Rauru murmured, leaning down close to me and squinting his already small eyes, scrutinizing me carefully.

"Impractical!" Ruto snorted. "How would she be able to possess power like that if she can't cast magic?" she reasoned.

"Perhaps she possesses an artifact?" Darunia was now poking and prodding at me, and my eyes widened with fear. Hey, you would be scared spineless if a huge rock Goron were poking you, too.

"Or a fairy!" Saria piped up in her cheery voice. "Fairies have been known to offer special magical protections with the fairy dust from their wings."

"She isn't from the forest," Link interjected, his voice reasonable. "She doesn't look like a Kokiri, and Kokiri don't age. She's Hylian."

"Not quite," Zelda interrupted. "Look at her eyes. I have never seen any normal elf, or Hylian, for that matter, possess violet eyes. I've seen Zoras, but nothing else. It's strange."

It was a bit annoying, being talked about as if I weren't there. "I'm right here, you know," I said, annoyed. All of their eyes turned to me.

"So am I free to go?" I asked Zelda.

Her eyes widened. "Of course not! You know information that no one besides the Sages and Link should know. Of course you aren't going that easily. And plus, the fact that you could so easily slip past my magical guards means I want to examine you with magic, and study you more closely. You could be useful to us . . ."

I didn't like the sound of that. "Useful?" I asked in a whisper.

Zelda smiled slowly. "Of course."

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Link dug his heels into Epona's sides, his eyes fixed on the large staircase leading up into Kakariko village. It had been three days since Sheik had been found, and Impa still had not returned, so he was going with Zelda to question Sheik himself.

Link tied Epona up to the wood post outside the inn upon reaching it, and waited until Zelda dismounted her mare, as well, tying up her horse. Zelda slipped her hand through Link's arm, her hood up to mask her features(people overreacted when seeing the Princess in uneventful places like this), before they headed inside.

They were confronted by the scent of wine, alcohol, and the shouts and laughter of drunken men and women, and the loud buzz of chatter. The round tables strewn about the wood floors of the room were filled with people, all who either disregarded Link or waved to him, lifting their mugs of ale in greeting. Link inclined his head in return, but didn't bother to talk to any of them. Instead, he led Zelda to the counter, where Telma, the innkeeper stood.

"What can I get for you, Link?" she asked, winking at him as she polished a mug. Her red hair was pulled back from her face in a ponytail, and her plump lips were in the form of a kind smile.

"Nothing. Can you tell me what room Impa is staying in?" Link asked.

"Here to pester that poor boy you found the other day?" Telma lifted an eyebrow. "Well, I suppose I can't stop you. She's with him in the first room on the right."

"Thank-you. I'll fill you in on details, later, if I can." Link promised, before leading Zelda up the steps, turning to the right room.

The room inside had two simple beds swathed in white cotton sheets, one window, an old oak dresser, two nightstands, and a small fireplace. Other than the wood-paneled walls, the room was empty. Impa was knelt in front of one of the beds, speaking in low tones to a young man propped up on pillows. Just upon examining him again, Link froze.

One of his blood-red ruby eyes was revealed, but the other was masked under thick locks of golden blond hair. His tanned skin had almost a bronze sheen to it, and the top of his head was wrapped in bandages, and a cowl covered his face up to his eyes. He wore the same black and blue outfit, skin-tight, with bandages wrapped about his arms and fingers and chest. The red eye of the Sheikah was inscribed upon his chest. Link could see the harp strung across the Sheikah's back.

The red eye lifted up to Link, and Link met his gaze. "You must be the Hero of Time." the Sheikah said quietly. His voice was serious, guarded, and Link could tell each word was considered carefully before spoken.

"Yes. I found you in the well three days ago." Link replied, just as quiet.

The Sheikah inclined his head. "As I'm sure you're already aware-- I am Sheik, one of the last of my people. The real Sheik, for that matter. You have my gratitude for saving me. I believe if you had not found me I would be dead."

Link nodded, slowly. This was going to take some getting used to. "You're welcome." Link glanced at Impa. Her red orbs were also fixed upon him. Her armor was similar to that of Sheik's, but hers contained more silver, the white-silver of her hair, and she was more muscular than the slender Sheikah male on the bed.

"It's about time you got here," Impa said quietly. "Sheik has refused to tell me his tale until you and the Princess arrived to hear it, as well. He feels that you two are just as deserving to hear it as anyone else."

Link looked to Sheik. "Well, I'm all ears."

Zelda, who had been silent up until this point, pulled back her hood and said, "As am I. Please, explain to us your story."

Sheik turned his head, fixing his eye at some point out the window, and when he spoke, despite the fact that Link could hear more strength in his voice than three days ago, he could still hear the slight weakness. "Fourteen years ago Impa used her shadow magic to seal the evil spirit, Bongo-Bongo, deep within the well, to prevent him from escaping and corrupting the Shadow Temple. I was friends with Impa, at the time, as we were some of the only Sheikah still alive in the world. We had a connection through my mother, who had been a friend of Impa's through their childhoods.

"Anyway, I was fully grown by this time, and upon reaching a certain age, Sheikahs can completely stop their age process so they do not gain anymore years. I stopped my aging process at the age of twenty-five, so I was considered fully mature.

"Because of that, and also the fact that I was a strong warrior in the Sheikah tribe, Impa instructed me to maintain her seal on the well as long as I could do so. So I dwelt within the well for seven years, maintaining the seal with my magic, strengthening it over the years, holding it as best I could.

"However, after these seven years, disguised as me, Zelda could feel the seal beginning to weaken, as the force of Bongo-Bongo had grown so strong. I couldn't maintain it, against his strength, and just as Zelda and you, Link, reached Kakariko Village, my magic waned and broke, and Bongo-Bongo burst forth from the well, and attacked both of you after he finished attacking me.

"While Zelda worked to help the villagers and you went off to the Shadow Temple to kill Bongo-Bongo, Link, I was unconscious down within the well, unable to even get up and move. Ganondorf discovered the means of the seal upon his shadow monster, and went down into the well himself to extract me and force any information from me that he could possibly get."

Sheik's tone was angry, when he spoke again, and it sounded as if he were speaking through clenched teeth. "Ganondorf used many forms of torture to try and convince me to tell him the truth, but I knew who you were, Link, and who you were, Zelda, and I knew I must not reveal any information. However, the evil king proved just as stubborn as I.

"A truth serum certainly is potent . . ." Sheik went on, quietly. "Using that, Ganondorf managed to find out that Zelda was posing as me, and that was how he discovered your whereabouts, Zelda.

"Ganondorf held me prisoner there, leaving me in a cell to rot, and I lost all hopes of escaping when all my attempts failed. I had no weapons, no spells, nothing. Every method of defense, offense, everything, had been extracted forcibly from me and I was vulnerable," Sheik nearly spat the word out. "What I didn't expect was for your plan to succeed, Link, and for you to be able to defeat the evil king. But you astonished me, and while the castle crumbled, I made my escape and forced myself not to interfere in the battle with the evil king that I knew was so rightfully yours.

"After Zelda transported the two of you back into time, and seven more years passed, I traveled about other lands, other dimensions, learning and training, building up my skills again, so in case Ganondorf ever returned I would be ready to assist you in whatever ways possible.

"I returned to the well a few months ago, to make sure that everything was well, but I discovered evil spirits down within it that should not have lingered there. I killed them, but I began to find that in other places, other than the well, such as the Temples, and in Hyrule Field, monsters were beginning to stir again. Evil was coming from the depths of the earth and I didn't know the source.

"I was attacked, three nights ago, by strange figures cloaked in black. They surrounded me and used dark magic on me as a method to quickly knock me out and conquer me. I'm ashamed to admit I was unprepared for their ambush and I didn't get to put up much of a fair fight." Sheik concluded, quietly.

Link absorbed this all, a bit stunned. First, he looked to Impa. "Why didn't you tell us Sheik was a real person, if you knew?"

She only shook her head. "His mother asked that I keep his identity secret, so that his enemies could not seek him out and kill him. She did it as a means of protection. And I do not break my promises."

Zelda nodded. "I know that all too well. Thank-you, Sheik, for sharing your tale with us. So much is clear to me, now. However, you are right. Link, as well, has noticed evil stirring yet again and we are unsure of the source. I have a fear that our seal upon Ganondorf could be breaking . . ." she trailed off worriedly, biting her lower lip.

Link glanced at her sharply. "Impossible, isn't it? That seal is far more powerful than any normal magic."

"Naive, hero." Sheik shook his head, his red eye narrowing thoughtfully. "Ganondorf possesses the Triforce of Power. How can you possibly believe that he wouldn't eventually break free? He is the only source that seems even possible, right now."

Link glared at Sheik, but said nothing. To distract the two men from each other, Impa interjected, "Have you not noticed that the symbol of the Triforce on the back of your hand has grown brighter of late, Link? It is surely a warning that Ganondorf is returning."

Link raked his hands through his hair. "If that's true, then we have to prepare immediately! We can't allow him to get as far as he did the last time. And we won't be able to just simply 'seal him up' this time. We'll have to kill him. For good."

Sheik's visible blond brow furrowed sharply. "You say that as if it were an easy task, the first time."

"It would have been easier if a certain someone hadn't been trying to keep from 'interfering with the battle that was so rightfully mine'." Link retorted.

"Enough!" Zelda interrupted, exasperated. "Sheik," she turned to the young man on the bed. "We've discovered something that we hope you might know something about. Recently, a young girl snuck into my castle and eavesdropped on a meeting between Link and the Sages. She managed to sneak past all my magical spells, alarms, and traps, and Link never noticed her, something completely unnatural. Either she has a strange magic about her, or she possesses the stealth of a Sheikah. I think she may be useful, if she were trained . . ."

Sheik didn't blink. "I would have to study her closely to see if I could figure out what shields her from detection, but I can't just make an assumption, no."

Zelda nodded. "I didn't believe so. Impa," she turned to the sturdy woman. "I would like to ask you to train this girl in the ways of the Sheikah, and teach her the means of stealth, shadow magic, fighting skills, et cetera. I believe she could make a good addition to us."

Impa sighed. "I do not have the time, Princess. I am sorry, but I have obligations to your father and I do not have endless hours to spend tutoring some young runt."

Zelda bit her lower lip. "Well . . . Maybe I could teach her . . ."

"I'll do it."

Three pairs of eyes turned to stare at Sheik. He lifted his eyebrow.

"It's the most logical solution, is it not?" he questioned. "I am indebted to the three of you, anyway, for your assistance and hospitality; the least I could do is aid you in your dilemma. That is . . . if you would have me."

Zelda slowly nodded. "I would be honored to have you teach Melainia. I must discuss it with her, first."

"If Sheik does that, I can teach her to sword fight." Link offered.

Zelda nodded. "She'll take all the training she can get."