A/N: Set in the same setting as the previous one shot… I should really just rename this fuckin' series, aye?
This one's set before the first.
No porn. Sorry.
"Look at that, Link... Together, you and Princess Ruto destroyed the evil monster! Once again, the lake is filled with pure water. All is as it was here." Sheik the Sheikah prosed to the Hylian man, stepping carefully off the small island's stone glyph.
Link nodded as Lake Hylia glistened before him, the sun's rays bouncing off the water's crisp, free ripples. Tektites scrambled away like Keese outta hell, as their master's dark taint was purged from the area. The pair of strapping young lads stared out and onwards, admiring Link and Ruto's work. Sheik sat up on a small patch of wooden fencing as Link leant against it.
Sheik stared on at the Hylian man as the smile never left his face, simply giggling to himself.
"Would you like to play some music with me, Link?" He asked. Link shook his head, silently, and took a breath, his smile fading.
"I… I was hoping we could… Talk… About some things." Link spoke, deeply shocking the Sheikah warrior. Though he'd heard him speak before, it never ceased to surprise the harpist. Nevertheless, Sheik kept his cool composure, and shrugged his shoulders, his hands coming away from his harp.
"Of course, Link. What did you want to talk about?" Another small grin spread across Link's face. He always appreciated the calm aura the Sheikah seemed to radiate, and how at ease he could be around the warrior. Sometimes having another guy to talk to helped Link's psyche, as well! Often he'd be flocked by hordes of fans, and the likes of admirers, and old friends, all who seemed to be women!
Women…
Funny to think that's all Link wanted to talk about with Sheik.
"I… I don't know how I can put this…" The Hylian man stammered, his words coming out painfully slow.
"Take your time, Link. We can afford a little thanks to your work here." Link could see Sheik smile through the garb covering his mouth, and couldn't help but grin wider at the fact.
A small blush blemished the boy's cheeks.
"I've… I've been thinking, recently… About…" Sheik's own smirk grew as Link almost visibly squirmed at the subject matter he'd not spoken about, yet. In his most calming voice, Sheik spoke;
"Music? Life? Your quest, or… Perhaps love, Link?" He spoke, smoothly, his last words catching Link's attention. The Hylian man's eyes practically snapped to Sheik as if to say "WHOTOLDYOU!?"
"I can see these things clearly, as all Sheikah do. Your heart is telling you something your brain can't possibly comprehend." Sheik said, knowingly, assuming the majority of his knowledge from Link's body movements.
"I… I… D-damn it…" Link's grip on the wooden railing surrounding the small island he and Sheik stood upon tightened, and Sheik stabilised himself briefly as the fence shook with frustration.
"You have nothing to be ashamed of, Link. I am your friend. Nothing said here will ever be talked upon again, if you so wish." Sheik assured his companion, who sighed, and thanked him.
"I've been… I've been thinking about someone…" Link uttered. Sheik nodded, knowingly.
"Princess Ruto, no doubt." Sheik chuckled, a mix of mirth and sadness lacing his tone. Link nodded to the Sheikah man, but continued to grow uncomfortable. Silence hit Sheik's ears, and he reoriented his gaze back to Link.
"Recently, of course, but… It hasn't been just Ruto."
Sheik's eyes widened.
"Oh?"
"Though Rauru aged my mind, I still have vivid, clear memories. Memories of my childhood, and my days spent playing with Saria."
"The Sage of the Forest…" Sheik nodded, motioning for Link to continue.
"And… Of my time, my foray into Hyrule Castle to meet with Princess Zelda…" Link continued as such, his eyes shimmering, then dulling against the reflected sun of the Lake. He broke his gaze away from Sheik, and stared out into the waters again. Sheik's eyes narrowed as he studied the Hero of Time.
"I swear, with all my heart, that… I love them all. As friends, as family, and as more, I love them. I don't know why, or how it came to be, for the likes of Zelda and Ruto, particularly, but…"
Coolly, Sheik replied;
"Love is a fickle God, Link. Not many know of how Love works, or for what purpose… For how long have you had these feelings?"
Link sighed, the weight of his confession off his shoulders, and his retinas scorching with the heat of the sun.
"Since I received the Zora's Sapphire from Ruto. As she spoke of marriage, a proposal, and the ties that bound us because of the Sapphire, something…"
Sheik remained silent, curious as to what Link went through in saving the young Zora Princess.
"Something made itself clear in my mind. Time seemed to pass slowly after that, and on the way back to the Temple of Time, I began to wonder what life I would lead after my Quest had been completed." Link went on.
"I knew… I owe it to the Great Deku Tree… For taking me in to his village, for saving my life… And I owe it to those in Hyrule who need my help. B-but…"
"You want to lead a life that is your own, after this Quest is completed." Sheik finished.
"Is that selfish of me?" Link immediately responded, turmoil evident in his stare. Sheik shook his head, and smiled to the Hero of Time.
"At every moment since you left the Temple of Time an adult, you have put the needs of others so far ahead of your own that Farore herself granted her gift unto you, as if to say "slow down, Link". So, no, I don't think to wish for a life of your own, especially after all you've done, is selfish in the slightest."
Link sniggered heartily, weight further clearing off his shoulders.
"Tell me about this life of yours you wish to lead, Link."
The Hylian man's smile faded once more, as his stare became resolute and firm, towards Hylia Lake.
"I wish for a future of happiness for Hyrule. A future in which I can build a family to love and cherish, in safety. I…"
Sheik chuckled again, dispelling any and all tension that built inside Link.
"You wish to make Zelda, Saria, and Ruto a part of this family?" Link nodded, and his mood fell dramatically. Sheik caught his own words, and, having been aware of Saria and Ruto's recent awakenings as Sages, sighed.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make light of your situation, Link."
Link nodded in understanding to the Sheikah warrior.
"It is my destiny, and I shall bear it, as will Saria, as will Ruto. Though a part of me still wishes I would've gotten to know Ruto a little better." The Hero of Time let out a small chuckle at the thought, as did Sheik. Link's hand drifted to his lips, his mind replaying his last encounter with the teary Zora Princess.
"What of Princess Zelda? Have you heard anything from her?" Sheik asked.
Link shook his head.
"She is running. I understand her plight. It doesn't make this Quest any easier, however." The boy-turned-teen relented.
"Hmm…" Sheik mumbled, staring out to Lake Hylia alongside Link for a little longer, trying to think of some comforting words.
"Destiny has always ordained our roles in this world, for even longer than you or I have been alive. But, rarely do we ever hear of the Heroes after their cataclysms. Every good story ends with "And they lived happily ever after", but do we truly know of the "ever after", Link?"
"What are you saying, Sheik?"
The Sheikah hopped down from the fence, and paced around the small island, lost in thought. As he gathered words, a large smirk cracked across his hidden lips.
"You're a hero, a story in the making! Your very own, very happy "ever after" awaits you at the end of your Quest, Link! The Three Goddesses gift the saviours of Hyrule greatly, and though it may hap that your gift might not be what you expect, a bright future for Hyrule holds endless possibilities for its next Hero!" Sheik's bravado went to work in wooing the boy before him, as he appeared at Link's side. A tiny grin stretched across Link's face once more, and he nodded.
"I don't wish for rewards, but the thought is entertaining, at the very least." Link jested.
"Ah, if I have at least entertained this story's Hero, then my job is done expertly!" Sheik boasted with a mighty chuckle. A hand wrapped around the laughing Link's shoulder as the friends stared out to the Lake before them, the setting sun rippling orange over the calm waters and frolicking, unfrozen Zora.
"Saria and Ruto will be with you always, whether through your childhood, or through the magical medallions you now carry." Sheik insisted after settling down, patting the Hylian's chest proudly.
"And… Princess Zelda… A whisper on the wind tells me she is closer than ever, Link." With a beaming smile, Link's heart was reinvigorated, and his drive, replenished.
"I… Thank you, Sheik."
"Don't mention it, Link."
A/N: *eh*
Also! If you need music for a video game, check out my ad on Lemmasoft! (Under "Red Robotix")
SPOILA:
Also, real quick – the Ocarina of Time manga says that 'ole Zelda had her mind "sealed" by Impa after they first escaped Ganondorf's clutches, and that it would reawaken when "Zelda" was needed. I am aware of this, and, for the Zelda sticklers reading this story, I did NOT care for this at all. I wrote this as if it's a conscious Zelda putting on an act.
If you'd like, re-read the story as if Zelda is fully aware of Link's confession of love to her. It makes it more fun.
