I don't own anything to do with Zelda.

--

The two Sheikah stared at Link, the eyes wide in shock. Slowly, they both dropped to their knees, bowing their heads as they pulled off their head wraps, their hidden knives clinking against one another in the process.

"Forgive us, Scion," Jah'na whispered, "We did not know."

"Did not know?" Link hissed angrily. "You are the keepers of Hyrule's past, of its history. I can understand you not knowing who my son is, for he was not born in this land, but not to know of what happened before that? Impa was given the tale, she was in it! and she passed it on. And you try to tell me you did not know?"

Both were silent, their silver heads bowed even lower. Link's eyes flashed, and he opened his mouth to speak, only to be quieted when Zelda placed her hand on his arm. Looking back at her, he sighed, his anger partly dissipating.

"You will take me to the Council, where I will discuss with them Shi'ah's behaviour," Link said darkly. "And once I have my son and have made sure he is alright, we will then talk about forgiveness."

"But Scion!" Haise protested, looking up as well, "It was Shi'ah who took your son, and without informing the Council!"

"I do not care!" Link thundered, his eyes hardening. "It was you who taught her to hate, it was you who fostered the false tale! I hold your entire tribe responsible for this deed, for it is you who are supposed to check the Leader! This is not the Hylian system where the King has supreme power!" The Sheikah had bowed their heads again, lower this time. Link stared at them for a few moments, trying to calm himself.

"Now, will you take me to the Council?" he whispered.

"Yes, Scion," Jah'na answered.

"Orca," Link said, turning to face him. "Are you able to reach your own tribe?"

"Yes, I still have my return powder," the elder Sheikah said.

"Then go and bring as many of the Council as you can, and your Leader as well. Tell them I order it if they will not come."

"I understand." Link then turned to Zelda, who smiled sadly.

"I'll watch over the girls, don't worry," she said softly in old Hylian. "Just bring him back."

"I will," Link replied in the old tongue. "Don't worry."

--

Link was dreaming again, lost in the grey world of mist and shadows. He now bore a long gash on his side. Though it was not deep, it had become infected since Shi'ah had inflicted it on her last visit. He did not know how long ago that was.

So what do you want to ask? The tall woman asked, smiling down at him. Link leaned back, supporting himself on one of the grey clouds.

"My father, who was he?" he asked. "You've told me what he was like, but you didn't say who he was."

An oversight he will probably prefer, the woman said, laughing. But I will tell you as much as I can, without giving too much away. If you figure it out on your own, it's due to your own brain power.

He was an important man, in two lands. The second is still above water, for it does no interest Ganon. It is called Termina, and there your father is known as the Mask Hero.

"The Mask Hero?" Link asked, confused.

Masks were very important in Termina when your father was there. In Hyrule, for he is part Hylian, he had many titles: Scion, Prince, Hero, and Sage.

"Scion?"

A Sheikah title.

Link froze, looking at the woman in shock as she sat down beside him. Sighing, she turned to face him.

You must understand this part Link. The Sheikah were once one tribe, led by Leaders who were both rational and just. The Scions were the heirs of the Leaders. But not long after the goddesses flooded the land, the tribe split, one following the tale passed down by Impa and the other branching out on its own, growing more bitter by the year.

"And she is part of this bitter tribe?" Link asked softly, looking down.

Yes, she is Leader. She and her twin were captured by Ganon and imprisoned. They, as were many Sheikah, were tortured, and her brother had his eyes burned out in front of her. When Ganon cleared the fortress before you arrived, they were split. Her brother died not long afterwards.

I do not wish to belittle her actions or to excuse them, the woman said quickly as Link opened his mouth angrily. But that is what is behind her. Now, back to your father. He is old, older than the King of Red Lions, and even older than the kingdom of Hyrule. His father was a Sheikah Leader, and thus he is a Scion of the Sheikah.

"So that means that I'm…"

A Scion as well.

Link sighed, staring down at his feet again. The woman smiled softly, placing her hand on his shoulder.

Let's talk about something else, ok? Don't worry about that right now; your father will sort it all out.

"K," Link muttered, still looking down. The woman started to speak again, but stopped when she heard a distant voice.

I must go, she said sadly. My sisters are calling. Don't give up hope, young hero. I don't know if I'll be able to return before your father arrives, so I will say goodbye, Link 'al Inja'in. Link looked up in shock as she said his name.

It is your full name, she said softly as she disappeared. Never forget it.

"Link… 'al Inja'in…" he whispered. "Wonder what she will do if I tell her?"

--

Fin looked up in shock as Orca entered his office. The two had grown up together, but Fin had not seen the other man for nearly thirty years.

"Orca! What brings you back?" he asked, greeting his friend with a smile. The other Sheikah chuckled, embracing Fin in greeting.

"Sit down," Orca said after the obligatory teasing of his friend's position. "You don't want to fall over from shock." Fin looked up as he sat, surprised.

"What do you mean? And no teasing."

"I'm completely serious," Orca promised, no longer grinning. "You remember why I left?"

"There was a prophecy portending the coming of a hero who would defeat Ganon; yes, I remember."

"Well, he did come, as you know. Link is his name, and he was kidnapped by one of the other tribe just over a week ago. She claimed that he was the son of the Hero." Fin frowned, not liking how the story was turning out.

"Is he?"

"Yes," Orca said, "And the Hero has returned." Fin stared at his friend, speechless.

"It is the truth," Orca said softly, sitting as well. "The Hero and the Princess were returned to the land because Link sealed Ganondorf with the Master Sword. Thus, their bodies were no longer required for the seal. They were sent to Forest Haven and were going to find Link and Aryll from there when Tetra, Aryll and I arrived at the island to ask the Deku Tree for help."

"You went to the Deku Tree instead of coming here for help?" Fin asked, slightly upset.

"I did not know if Link was the Hero's son then," Orca said apologetically. "I was almost certain, but, well…"

"Still," Fin said softly, "We are your kin." Orca closed his eyes and nodded sadly.

"Well, what it is that you need?"

"I need you to get as many of the Council as possible to come with you and me to the complex of the others."

"Why?" Fin was surprised; no one had ever even thought of going to where the other tribe resided.

"The Hero requests it. He said if you would not come, that it would then be an order."

"Does the Hero have a name?" Fin asked, thinking the matter over.

"Link 'al Inja'in." Fin looked up, disbelieving. Orca held his gaze, emphasizing that this was the truth.

"I'll get the Council," Fin said softly, standing. "Come, you'll have to tell this tale again."

--

Link was dreaming again, only this time he was alone. Shi'ah had come and gone, but he had refrained from telling her his full name. What was the point; he would only be beaten more. She had become more and more vicious, and he did not know if he would be able to hang on until his father came. If his father came.

He heard soft footsteps in the distance, and he looked around for the cause of them.

"Whose there?" he called out.

A tall woman came out of the clouds, startling him. She stood almost a head taller than he, and her short white hair was pulled back in a tight ponytail. Her face was expressionless as she looked down at him, her arms folded.

"Who are you?" he asked softly.

"I am the Sage of the Shadows," the woman said, her face softening some. "I too knew your father, Link."

"You did?" he asked, surprised. He started to push himself to his feet, stopping when the sudden movement caused a pain in his side.

"Sit," the woman commanded. "Sudden movements will cause the pain from out there to come in here." He sat and, after asking permission, she sat beside him.

"Yes, I knew your father," she began in response to his earlier question. "We fought together, and I even taught him some. You could say that we were good friends."

"What was he like?" Link asked, eager to hear more of his father. The woman looked down at him, smiling slightly.

"He was a good man, a just and courageous one. He could be indecisive and over emotional, but he was someone you could count on no matter what." Link looked down at his feet, remembering his earlier uncertainty of whether his father would come or not. A small pang of guilt nagged him, scolding him for ever doubting that his father would come.

"Can you tell me his name?" Link asked after a few moments. "The other woman said that he would not want her to tell me."

"Then I won't remind you of it either," the tall woman said, turning her face back to look before her. "But I will tell you that you already know it."

"I do?" Link asked confused.

"Yes. But there is something I can do. Come," the tall woman said, standing. "I will show you the land of your father." Link stood slowly, suddenly apprehensive.

"You still haven't told me who you were," he said softly. The woman chuckled, shaking her head.

"I have. As I said, I am the Sage of the Shadows. I just haven't told you my name. Now, look."

The sight took Link's breath away. He stood in the middle of a great field, full of knee high grass that waved in the breeze. To his left a huge forest rose, but despite its shady depths, he felt only comfort from it. He looked right, only to see a ranch sitting on the top of a small cliff that overlooked a winding river.

The river wove its way past a majestic castle, its drawbridge down and covered in people going in and out of the town within the walls.

"That's Hyrule Castle, right?" Link asked, looking up. The woman nodded, her eyes proud.

"That it is. Look, see the mountain? That is where my home was; Kakiriko Village. Above on the mountain top is where the Gorons lived. They are the rock people, the other of the people made by Din."

"Did the flood…?" Link asked, trailing off.

"No, the goddess sent them beyond the waters, to Termina. There they still live, as strong and as proud as ever.

"That forest to the left is the Kokiri Forest, home to the Great Deku Tree and once the Kokiri. Now they are the Koroks. Your father lived there for quite awhile before he came out to Hyrule." Link looked up, surprised.

"Is that why the Deku Tree thought I was . . . him? He said he thought I was someone else at first." The tall woman laughed, surprising him.

"Yes, that would be why. Give you blue eyes, and you'd look just like him. You received his grandmother's eyes; good Sheikah ones. And don't look so surprised boy, even we Sheikah can laugh."

Link tensed at her statement, relaxing slightly when he realised that the green haired woman would not have sent someone who would harm him.

"Any idea who I am now?" she asked softly, turning her eyes to look at him.

"I don't know any Sheikah!" Link protested, "Well, besides her."

"Always say the name boy," the woman said sternly. "Otherwise that person becomes one you will fear, and there is no reason to fear someone who uses force and anger to gain power over another. Even if she is of my blood." Link looked up at the woman after her last comment, and he swore he saw sadness reflected in her eyes. But then she blinked, and her face was impassive again.

"Well?"

Link gnawed on his lip, thinking. He did know one other Sheikah name, but he was not sure if it was this woman or not. The green haired woman had mentioned her name in passing, as one who knew the true tale of his father. And this woman said she knew him, and quite well, so maybe…

"Are you Impa?" he asked slowly and was rewarded by a turning of the corner of her mouth.

"Pleased to make your acquaintance, little cousin," she said wryly, walking forward. "Now come, there is more to see." Link stared at her, confused, before running after her.

"Wait, what did you mean by that?" he demanded when she stopped by the river.

"My ancestor was the niece of your grandfather. Thus we are cousins, though very distant ones." Impa smiled a bit at the shock on Link's face.

"You'll find you're related to pretty much everyone in the Sheikah Leading family and the Royal Family of Hyrule," she explained. "You can thank your grandparents for that."

"Oh. Ummm… what are we doing here?" Link asked, looking around.

"Waiting." Impa was looking out past the river, up to where she had said her home was. Link followed her gaze, but soon grew bored of staring at the rock face and began to look around him.

"So boy," Impa said once he turned his eyes back to the mountain. "What has Shi'ah told you?" Link winced at hearing her name, and Impa frowned slightly.

"You have to get used to hearing her name," she said sternly. "Otherwise it will become a weakness."

"I understand," Link said softly, looking at the ground. "But… well… I don't know. Every time I hear someone say it, I just want to scream."

"Do you hate her?" Link looked up, shocked at Impa's question.

"No! No … at least, I don't want to kill her or anything. I do wish I could fight back; maybe hurt her so she'd stay away for a while. But I don't wish she was dead, or that she had never been born." Impa looked down at him, and Link was surprised to see the respect in her eyes.

"Then you will be fine, little cousin. You just need to learn to direct your emotions at the person, not the name. And that is for all cases." Link raised an eyebrow skeptically, unsure if what she spoke of would ever happen. Impa chuckled, shaking her head.

"It will take a while," she warned. "Your father still has not gotten the hang of it; it's the Hylian blood in him, and you as well."

"Uh huh," Link muttered, looking back towards the castle.

"Ah, here we go," Impa said smiling. "There they are." Link followed her gaze to see a raft floating up the river. It bore two people, a man and a woman. The man's eyes were ice blue, and his facial features, as well as his white hair, reminded him of Impa. The woman was Hylian, her hair honey gold and her lavender eyes sparkling.

"Welcome your grandparents Link," Impa said, grinning.

--

A/N: Whoo, this one got up sooner, eh? Hehe, thanks to everyone who reviewed! Sorry for those of you who were hoping to see Link Sr. meet Shi'ah; that'll be the next chapter!

Oh, and Fin's name comes from the Fin Whale. Since Orca is named after the Orca Whale and such. Yeah…