((Prior warning: Sheik's opinion does not necessarily reflect my own. In this chapter, she will express some quite negative views of past Zeldas—views that I don't share. These views have only to do with Sheik's general dislike of the Royal Family, and her own lack of understanding of history. Please keep that in mind as you read. Thank you!))
Ardock was colder than she remembered. Of course it wasn't far from Snowpeak, so it tended to always be cooler than the rest of Hyrule, but this time of year it was usually a moderate temperature, at least. And yet, as Sheik tied her horse to a post outside the city, all she could think about was how cold it was.
Strange happenings in Hyrule were nothing out of the ordinary, really, but when so many were happening at once, they usually served as signs, warnings, of a greater evil that was coming. They told the people that they should prepare for the worst and pray for the best.
And between the missing women, the soldiers all being sent to the desert, and now this strange phenomenon, Sheik was beginning to worry about the state of Hyrule.
It was always a good idea to investigate, though, so Sheik pulled a dark shawl from her travel bags and wrapped it around herself. With a start, she realized she could see her breath.
It was late summer—it shouldn't have been so cold.
So Sheik shook her head and started towards the town itself. Maybe one of the villagers would have answers for her—maybe someone would have checked the mountain and the valleys around for a reason. But then, citizens of Hyrule weren't always the most proactive bunch. At the best of times they cared only for their families—and at the worst of times, they lived in either a state of constant fear, or a denial that anything was even wrong.
Perhaps that denial was the reason Hyrule was so prone to being taken over. They'd certainly had enough history, by now, to warn them of dictators on the rise—Demise, Vaati, Ganondorf, to name a few—but Hyruleans never learned.
Its citizens were either too weak or too cowardly to do anything about evil when it came, leading all too often to conquest or a fall to ruin.
Only a select few citizens, she knew, ever seemed to step in.
Impa, being a longstanding servant to the Royal Family, had access to much of the true history of Hyrule—and she'd shared that history with Sheik. They'd merely been bedtime stories for the young girl, once upon a time, but when Sheik grew up, she'd researched them on her own. What she found, much to her surprise, was that many of the stories were true. What's more, she had more information on those stories than most resources could provide.
So she knew about the destiny of a hero to rise up and stop any great evil that stepped into Hyrule. And she knew of the presence of a princess, more often than not, who had aided the hero on his quest with her ability to seal away the great evil, or help him conquer it. Of course, the princess usually went missing or required saving, which always irritated Sheik. If she was so important, shouldn't she know to keep herself safe? If she was captured, she merely added another task to the hero's burden.
Apparently the Triforce of Wisdom wasn't much use, if the princesses of the past didn't possess even enough wisdom to keep them from getting captured.
When she thought on them, Sheik couldn't help but feel angry with her father for having been named after them. The only Zeldas she had much respect at all for were Zeldas who had helped their heroes. Impa had once, long, long ago, told her a story of a history that didn't quite happen, of a Zelda who had aided the Hero of Time on his quest. She had chosen the pseudonym of Sheik—the inspiration for Sheik's own new name.
But, sadly, this story seemed to have no truth to it; when Sheik checked libraries for any mention of this tale, she found nothing.
This had, after all, been her favorite tale, even if she'd only heard it once. To know that the only Zelda she felt true kinship with was merely a character in a bedtime story hurt—and Sheik couldn't help but feel rather let down.
But it only confirmed her feelings about the Royal Family—even the Zeldas of old.
There were still a few, of course, that did something to aid the heroes—one had ridden with him into battle; another had sealed herself away for ages so she wouldn't be captured. But the rest, she felt, were quite ordinary, despite the magic they had sealed within them.
When she was younger, she'd expressed these views to Impa only once—but Impa had merely clicked her tongue and told her not to speak ill of her ancestors, and that most of the princesses had gone through very difficult times alongside their heroes. There had been a sad smile on her face, too, and Sheik supposed it was because Impa had served the Royal Family all her life—but Sheik still couldn't bring herself to agree with her guardian.
It was hard to have pity on princesses who'd been catered to since birth.
It was even harder to have pity on them when Sheik knew that, had her life not gone the way it had, she might have had the same privileges they'd had.
But there was no use feeling bitter, so Sheik shook off her jealousy, continuing to explore Ardock as best she could.
To her surprise, though, she found no one. And the closer to the center of town she walked, the colder it got, till ice coated the streets and doors were frozen shut. The statue at the center of the town was coated in a thick layer of ice—so thick, indeed, that Sheik could no longer make out what the statue was of.
The most concerning thing, though, was the utter silence of the town. Between the quiet and the cold, Sheik was starting to grow very concerned about this town.
At least that explained why no one was here—the people must have evacuated because of the bizarre ice at work. But where had they gone? And what had caused this?
Sheik's supplies were dangerously low, and she knew she'd run out before she could make it to the next town—and who knew if some strange fate had happened to the next town, too? It wasn't worth the risk to go back on the road, Sheik decided. She'd just have to find something here to tide her over.
So she pulled her shawl tighter and pressed on, finding that once she'd passed the center of town, it got a bit warmer. Whatever was causing the curse must have been centered in the town square—but there was no one in the town—and certainly no explainable weather phenomena. There wasn't a cloud in the sky, and no wind, either.
After a thorough inspection of the town, she found no cause at all. The houses were empty, and many were unlocked and a mess inside. After her fruitless final search was concluded, Sheik decided to simply restock her supplies and stay somewhere in town for the night, despite the chill.
Maybe whatever was wrong with this town would show itself at night. If it didn't, she could always leave come morning.
Whatever the case, it was worth it, to her, to avoid another night spent on the ground. (And if she could fix this anomaly for the people here, well, that was just a bonus.)
When Sheik woke, the first thing she was aware of was the cold.
Though it had been cold enough when she'd come close to this house—on the outskirts of town, far away from the frozen town center—the temperature had drastically dropped since nightfall. At night, she expected only a few degrees' difference, but this was leaps and bounds beyond.
When she looked around the room she'd stayed in, she was startled to realize that everything in the room had a thin sheet of ice coating it. The blankets she'd wrapped around her—a thick cocoon of every blanket she'd been able to find—were the only thing still warm about the room. But even the topmost blankets were starting to freeze, she realized, and quickly pushed them off of her.
Without their warmth, though, Sheik felt frozen to the core, so she grabbed the blankets that had been closest to her. Once they were snug around her, she started back for her horse.
Despite Sheik's usual careful steps, though, she found herself slow, her reactions clumsy. It took several tries to get the door open, her freezing extremities lacking the strength to open the doors in front of her. And the closer she walked to town, the slower she got.
There was no wind, no snow, and still no sign of anyone else in this town—
But even in Sheik's sluggish, half-frozen state, she could understand that something was causing it to get colder and colder.
With a start, she looked up to find the full moon rising higher and higher in the sky.
Every instinct of self-preservation she had was telling her to grab her horse and break into a full gallop away from this cursed town, but something deeper within her was telling her to come closer.
And once she'd come closer to the town center, she suddenly understood.
There was dark magic at work here in Ardock—and no dark magic came about on its own.
So Sheik started for the statue at the center of town, its figure quickly being built upon by a thicker and thicker layer of ice.
The presence of dark magic was almost tangible now—and Sheik felt something within herself rise up in defiance. It felt similar to the magic she used to replace the glamour over her eyes—still in need of recharging, though she was far too cold and tired to do anything about it now.
But there was an urge in her to do something.
Not entirely sure what she was doing, all Sheik could do was hold her hand and raise it against the block of ice hiding the statue. It seemed to have a magic to it, and Sheik had a feeling that it could freeze her on contact—but the bandages on her hand blocked her from feeling its effects.
The moment she touched it, though, she felt something cold envelop her, and she knew instinctively that this was something alive, and something that possessed very dark magic.
In an instant, adrenaline coursed through her, and she jumped back, kicking off against the statue. Her kick had enough force to leave a small impact on the ice, but it wasn't enough to crack it entirely.
The living dark magic, though, didn't like that at all. Sheik felt as if she was battling with a ghost—and for all she knew, she was. But when she'd cracked the ice enveloping the statue, she felt a chill run up her spine and she swore she could hear a howl of pain near her—and she swore she saw the outline of something near-translucent to her side.
But, if breaking the ice was hurting it…
Sheik leapt away from the space she'd seen the figure's outline, and then jumped towards the ice from another side. She landed another kick, her full body armor once more keeping her from the solid ice of the statue.
This kick was more forceful, and soon the ice in that area fell away in sheets. But there was an awful lot of it left, and across from her, Sheik heard a cry—louder this time.
The figure she'd barely seen before was now visible, if only just.
It was dark, but had a humanoid form, hidden away in a cloak. Chills ran down Sheik's spine as she realized she could see red eyes behind its cloak—but not like her own.
They were glowing, and stretched to cover where the whites of its eyes would be.
Sheik hardly had enough time to react before the creature lunged at her, icy cold wind coming behind it in droves. While the presence of wind was certainly welcome to break the eerie stillness of the town, Sheik felt it chill her to the bone.
As she'd long since dropped her blankets to fight against this creature, she knew she had to end this soon and get warmed up—or else there would be no recovering from this supernatural cold.
She lunged for the statue once more, coming at it from yet a new side. As she'd already hit it twice, it seemed it was growing weaker, because even more ice fell away.
When Sheik looked up, the creature was barely see-through anymore—but Sheik knew instinctively that a fully tangible enemy was dangerous in its own way. If she were to be touched by it when it was like this, she knew it would leave physical damage—and not just the cold it might have left before.
So when it rammed at Sheik, she dodged as best as she could, but the ice beneath her feet was slippery, and she landed much further back than she'd wanted to.
The creature came towards her once more, likely to finish her off now that she was so far away from the statue and couldn't damage it from here. But Sheik wasn't willing to give up—not when she'd come so close. So when it dived for her, she dipped underneath it, just scraping the hem of its cloak. It froze her outermost clothing, but Sheik didn't let it slow her down.
She came at the statue from its final side, and kicked with all her might.
As before, the ice covering it fell away, finally revealing the gray statue of a hero of old underneath.
The creature gave a deafening final howl, but slowly, ever so slowly, it faded back into nothing—and with it went the ice.
A mountain's worth of ice retreated back towards the statue, vanishing within it, till there wasn't even a trace left of it. Summer had finally returned to the town.
It wasn't until Sheik felt great pain in her fingers and toes, though, that she realized just how close to freezing she'd been. It was entirely too close of a call, she knew—and part of her wondered if it had really been her place to end that spirit.
But the town was thawed, now, and Sheik's energy was too spent to dwell on what-ifs. Exhausted, she trudged back to the house she'd been staying at. Perhaps she could get a few more hours of sleep before starting the trek to another town.
Later she'd figure out where the people had fled to—and what that creature was.
For now, all she could think about was sleep.
Considering she'd saved their town, Sheik didn't feel too bad about stealing plenty of food and most of the expensive jewelry she found. If she stole, she could never admit that she was the one who'd saved their town, but Sheik wasn't exactly looking for credit.
More than anything, she just needed to stay alive—especially now that she was being hunted. Girls her age were being targeted and kidnapped, just because they might have a resemblance to the long lost King's daughter.
That in mind, Sheik hastily reapplied the glamour to her eyes. Her punishment for being so careless was over, she decided—and she needed to head back to a real civilization, anyways.
Despite her plans to lie low for a while, jewels were useless to her. If she wanted to keep on traveling from city to city, she needed rupees to tide her over—and she needed a pawnbroker to get her those rupees.
As much as she hated it, it seemed that her only option was traveling right back to Solen.
She'd have to avoid Link after the rushed exit she'd made last time she saw him. The last thing she wanted was to have to explain her outburst—and she was sure she couldn't come up with a good reason for leaving so hastily.
But she needed to visit her pawnbroker. He was the only one she completely trusted, even though Solen had recently lost its standing army. Her pawnbroker, Ravio, was the only one who'd yet to betray her, even when some of her jewels had been ingrained with initials of nobles and posted 'missing' just days prior. Either Ravio was somehow attached to a criminal ring himself, or he truly didn't care where she got her goods, but he was the only one she could count on.
She'd just have to lie low and not cause trouble while she was there. She'd already had enough trouble to last a lifetime, after all—surely a day or two wouldn't be too much trouble.
And so she set off for Solen, a bag full of jewels and jewelry.
When she arrived at Solen, it seemed Sheik's reputation as a Royal Family's Sheikah preceded her. When she arrived at a tavern close to the center of town for something to drink, the bar's owner had quickly waved away the charge.
"I have a friend who was saved by a Sheikah with your description, honey," the woman said, a strange twinkle in her eye. Sheik furrowed her brows, already irritated if this woman meant Link—but she couldn't help her surprise as she continued, "I was told to put your drinks on her tab, if you ever came by."
Her tab?
Recently there had only been one girl she'd saved, and that was—
"Ilia?" Sheik asked, looking up at the bartender with wide eyes. "How is she?"
"Doing just fine—still safe in Ecchar, last I checked." The woman poured a light drink, just as Sheik had asked, and pushed it her way. "It's some ways away, but after she learned they were after her, she's been lying low. I hear she's planning on coming this way, though."
Sheik frowned, realizing all too late that her mask didn't hide her expression now that it was off. Damn—this was why she hated eating or drinking in public. "Is it safe?"
"It's safer here than there, I'm afraid." The woman tsked and shook her head, wiping down the counter. "Bad as it is now that the guards are all gone, it's gotten even worse there, honey. Even though they were understaffed as it is, now there's no one to keep the peace."
"The king is a fool," Sheik muttered into her glass, knocking back a drink. It didn't occur to her till after the words were out, though, that it was strange for her to speak badly about the king if she was supposed serving. "Apologies. It's… it's been a frustrating day. His decisions affect many, not just Castle Town. Surely there's a better solution than sending all the soldiers to the Desert…"
A solution to what, Sheik had no clue—but she couldn't allow her lack of knowledge to interfere with her cover.
The bar owner didn't seem to notice her slip-up though, and instead just pushed another drink her way. "I couldn't agree more, honey."
Sheik drank this drink slower, not wanting her judgement to be impaired later, if she should find a threat. Normally she was fine for several drinks, but she didn't know this bar very well, and as nice as this bar owner was, Sheik wasn't about to let her guard down. She'd have another one—maybe—and then be done for the day.
If she wanted to get black-out drunk, she'd save it for Ordon.
"I didn't catch your name," Sheik said after a moment, looking back at the bar owner.
"It's Telma, honey. And you're Sheik?"
Sheik nodded, swirling her drink around a few times before taking another sip. "How do you know Ilia?"
Telma smiled and shook her head, going back to wiping the counter. "Same way as most people around here. I met Link first, and he introduced me. That boy's always busy with something, I tell you."
"Link," Sheik repeated. "You know him, too?"
"Most of us in Solen do," Telma said. "He's a busybody, that one, but he does good. How do you know him?"
As Telma raised a delicate brow at her, Sheik quickly shook her head and knocked back another drink. "Nothing special," she said, thinking back to how she'd saved his life twice. "I just… came across him a few times. That's all."
"Well, he's one of Solen's finest," Telma said, proudly enough to be the boy's mother. For a moment, Sheik wondered if he was, but she figured Telma would have mentioned it if that was the case. "If you ever need something done, he's the boy to ask."
"I'll keep that in mind." Sheik tried not to roll her eyes as she sipped her drink down. "Does Ilia need an escort to come here?"
"Likely." Telma looked up at Sheik, smile turning amused. "Were you planning on volunteering?"
"I might have." Sheik shrugged a shoulder, trying to appear nonchalant. It was much more difficult without her mask, that was for sure—but she could be convincing when she wanted to be. "How long till she leaves?"
"Probably in just a few days. I'd recommend going out there soon, if you plan on visiting her."
Sheik nodded and finished off her drink. "I'll do just that." Just as Sheik started to put her mask back up as a deterrent to more drinking, though, she heard a familiar voice announce his presence. Maybe it was the alcohol, and maybe it was her nerves getting the better of her, but her fingers were clumsy as she pulled her mask back up and moved her scarf back into place.
Though it certainly didn't matter if Link saw her face—he wouldn't recognize her, anyways—Sheik found that she couldn't be too cautious, knowing that she was the one Link was searching for.
"You alright, honey?" Telma asked, furrowing her brows as Link strode over towards them. "You look like you've seen a ghost."
"I'm fine," Sheik said. "Just surprised. I didn't think he'd be coming."
"Link?" Telma raised a brow, glancing at the boy as he came closer. "Why would he be a problem?"
But Link came within earshot before Sheik could explain—not that she had the words for it, anyways—and she simply shook her head.
Of course she couldn't have a night of peace. What was she thinking?
"Hey, Telma," Link said, hopping up onto a stool not far from Sheik. "Sorry for comin' in late. I was busy with the search, you know how it is."
Sheik felt her ears burn as he spoke.
"Any luck?" Telma asked, fortunately not sparing Sheik a glance. She seemed to know that Sheik didn't want to be recognized right now, and that was all well and good—but it was only a matter of time. If she moved, her motion would draw his gaze, and if she didn't, he was sure to glance her way eventually.
Maybe it would be best to wait and see if she could pick up more information from him. She was supposed to already know this if she was a Royal Sheikah, wasn't she?
"None whatsoever," Link said with a sigh. "I just need a solid lead to go off of!"
"Maybe you could finally make your way outside of Solen?"
Link shook his head, resting his crossed arms on the counter. "Solen sees the most traffic out of anywhere. She's bound to come through here eventually."
"And if she already has and knows you're looking for her?" Telma raised a brow. "If she's evaded capture for this long, she must be a smart one. Clearly she doesn't want to be found."
"But the King and I are just trying to protect her," Link said, voice little more than a mutter. "It's not my fault someone's threatening the Royal Family."
Sheik had to force her neck stiff to keep from whipping around to look at him. Someone was threatening the Royal Family?
And the King had hired Link to keep her from them?
Sheik realized, a beat too late, that this meant she didn't just have to keep hidden from Link—oh, no. There were two groups hunting her now.
The thought made her just want to sink down into her seat and have at least three more drinks. But it would be unwise, she knew—and if she spoke, moved, or so much as breathed too hard, she was sure to attract the attention of—
"Sheik?"
Sheik turned her head away, hoping he'd somehow lose interest.
"Sheik, is that you?" In an instant, Link had gotten up from his place and hurried over to her, resting a hand on her shoulder and turning her so he could see her. "It is you! I didn't think I'd ever see you again—especially not here!"
"The feeling is mutual," Sheik replied coolly, all attempts at keeping her voice deep lost, considering her outburst last time. Not wanting his touch to linger for any longer than necessary, she knocked it off her shoulder—but he remained undaunted.
Link had the audacity to laugh. Didn't he realize she didn't want to talk to him?
"I'm glad you're here, Sheik," he said, shaking his head. "And so soon, too! It's only been, what, a week?"
Sheik didn't dignify that with a response.
"I'm just glad to see you're okay," Link finally said. "When you left in such a hurry last time I was worried!"
"I can tell." Sheik frowned, hidden behind her mask and scarf. "You've been in Solen all this time?"
"Haven't been able to leave. Seems like my best bet of finding you-know-who." Well. He wasn't wrong—he'd run into who he was looking for three times now. But Sheik didn't allow her expression to give anything away. "How has the Castle been?"
"I wouldn't know," Sheik replied, irritation creeping into her voice no matter how she tried to sound neutral. "Not all Sheikah spend their days at the Castle."
Link looked truly taken aback, just for a moment, and Sheik wondered if she'd blown her cover. Had Sheikah policy changed since Impa had told her about it?
But Link's expression slowly turned into understanding, and he brightened immensely. "You've been looking for her too, then?"
"Along with the rest of the missing girls, yes." –It wasn't a lie, exactly. But it was better than the truth. Sheik had a feeling that wasn't quite the right way to phrase it, though, all considered. Sheikahs served primarily the Royal Family. If she was off getting 'distracted' by other missing girls, then she could have been dismissed from service.
Yet another reason to hate the Royal Family.
They cared first and foremost for themselves. That alone wasn't terrible, but for them to expect others to value them above all else? Sheik wasn't impressed.
"Well," Link finally said, scratching the back of his neck. "I guess—I just wanted to thank you. Again."
Telma, who'd been quiet while Link recognized Sheik, suddenly piped up. "For?"
Link turned to look at her, that same sheepish expression on his face. "For, um. Saving my life. Twice."
The bar owner put her hands on her hips, wash rag still in hand. "And when were you going to tell me about this, exactly?"
"It didn't come up!" Link looked almost comically worried as he looked between them. "And Sheik seemed really worried about keeping anonymous, and—"
"Save it," Sheik said. "It's fine."
There was no point in getting so irritated by Link, especially for things he couldn't control, but goddesses, she couldn't not be defensive, knowing that he was hunting her. Though she'd kept her identity a secret for eight years, knowing that she was being hunted by not one, but two groups, understandably had her on edge.
Telma was the first to pick up on how tense she was. "Do you need another drink, honey?" she asked, already getting out the ingredients to mix it.
"I'll pay," Link said with a smile, taking a seat in the stool next to her.
"Ilia's already put a tab on for this one," Telma said, a bit of a smirk on her face. "Seems someone's taken a shine to Sheik."
"Ilia?" Link blinked at Sheik. "I don't understand."
"Sheik saved her from a kidnapper," Telma said proudly, setting a drink in front of Sheik despite never having had a confirmation from her. "She's the reason our Ilia is still safe and sound."
"Sheik did that?"
"There are only so many Sheikah around, you know."
"I need to go," Sheik finally said, taking the drink passed her way. "Can I buy a mug for that?"
Sheik could only half pay attention as Telma poured her drink into a mug and sent her off with it, assuring her that she didn't have to pay for the mug so long as she came back and returned it later. Sheik was sure she'd thanked her, but past that, she was lost, too caught up in what she'd learned tonight to keep her oriented till she came outside.
Once she'd stepped outside, the cool night air brought some clarity back to her, but all the same—her world had been turned on its head in just a few minutes.
Trying not to dwell on it too much now—there would be plenty of time later, as she was riding to Ecchar to escort Ilia here—she instead made the familiar trek to Ravio. Maybe once she got some rupees back in her wallet she could calm herself.
But Sheik had a feeling that her paranoia of being hunted wasn't something that any number of rupees could spare her from.
((Well! Ravio's been introduced, and so has Telma. What will their roles be in this? Time will only tell. As always, thank you so much for your kind reviews, and I hope you'll continue to support this. I meant to have this done earlier today, but I had to rework a lot of it, so it ended up taking me longer than I anticipated.))