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 Seven ~*~*~


The next morning Kahael wakes up with a strange nostalgic feeling resonating through him. He doesn't know what to make of it, but as he goes through the familiar motions of getting ready for the day it doesn't fade. If anything, it increases. Kaylu drags him off to the market with the promise of fresh bread with a mashed strawberry spread; the bakery's breakfast special. He doesn't think he had ever tasted anything like it before.

Kaylu tells him how Castletown has grown and changed so much since it was rebuilt. It was small before, with one entrance and a few shops. Kahael wonders if that's why being here brings no memories back, even though someone claims to know who he is, or was. The only thing that makes a lasting impression on Kahael is the old stone temple, and it makes him feel uneasy. The guards too, make him feel wary. But Link also makes him feel safe, and he's curious to speak with the man again.

When it's time for him and Kaylu to part ways for the day she heads to the shops and he heads for the large doors that lead to the field where the Gypsies set up their camp. He remembers the man's words, Link's words, from yesterday, and wonders if he will actually come to see him again.

As he walks down the stone steps his question is answered. Link has two horses saddled, a grey, and the chestnut that he had met in the field the other day. He approaches slowly, unsure. When the man finally catches sight of him, he smiles warmly, like a ray of sunshine washing over him. It's hard not to trust him.

"You're still here," Link says, once Kahael is close. "I was scared you'd disappear during the night."

"No," he replies, but doesn't know what else to say. Instead he pats the chestnut mare's neck when she nudges his arm. "Hello again," he says softly to her.

"Again?" Link asks, watching Kahael and the horse intently. It makes Kahael blush.

"She came to me on our first day here, when we turned the horses out in the field. She's very friendly," Kahael explains, meeting Link's eyes.

"Epona isn't normally," Link says quietly. "Unless she knows you, she's generally reserved."

Kahael takes a deep breath, but is unsure of what to say. He gazes at the man with his chestnut horse and he knows they're familiar, he just doesn't know who they are. When he's around them he doesn't feel fear. There is something about the man that makes him feel safe.

The man extends his hand out to Kahael and gives him the grey mare's reins. "This is Calibri," he says.

"She's Gerudo bred, built for speed and endurance," a girl's voice sounds from the left. He watches the way the grey Gerudo filly dances on the end of the lead rope, dragging the guard sideways.

"What will you name her?"

He thinks for a moment. "Calibri."

Kahael takes in a shuddery breath as he stares at the mare. He accepts her reins from the blond, and pats her neck gently. She snorts in recognition, nudging him gently with her head. When he swings himself onto her back he finds that the stirrups are exactly his length, and the saddle feels more comfortable than any other he's sat in. It feels familiar. She dances underneath him, antsy and fiery. He pats her neck and murmurs soothing words to her and she settles. When he glances at Link the man is gazing at him so fixedly that Kahael must look away.

"I thought we could ride to the lake," Link says as they ride side by side through the field.

Kahael nods. "Did…you and Sheik…did you go to the lake a lot?"

When Kahael peeks over at Link to gauge the man's reaction he's a little startled by the emotion present on the blonde's face. He looks at Kahael with longing and desperation. He doesn't answer right away, and Kahael stays quiet while he waits. He can only imagine how much this man has suffered. He feels bad that he is only a puppet of the one he loved, not the real Sheik, but a stranger masquerading in his body.

"We have…had, many memories there," Link finally says.

After a while they let the horses extend their legs in a brisk canter, and Kahael takes the time to look out over the scenery of the fields. Everything seems so familiar, so much more so than the desert ever was, but at the same time it feels wrong. It's like his memories are veiled. He knows they're there and he can make them out ever so slightly, but they are still obscured. It's disheartening. He wishes more than ever that he knew who he was.

Calibri leaps into a light-hearted buck, tossing her head high and shaking Kahael from his thoughts.

"She's sick and tired of being cooped up in the castle stables," Link comments as he watches the little mare act up again.

"Does no one ride her?" he asks as the mare settles back into a smooth, flowing canter once more.

"Not often," Link says, gazing ahead but Kahael catches the stony look present on his features.

Up ahead Kahael can see the lake, the water glittering in the sunlight. He remembers sitting by the lake, waiting. Waiting for what, he can't remember, but the memory makes him feel anxious. But the lake isn't full. The water is murky and dank, and the banks of the lake are dry. He doesn't like it. He can see the chestnut mare dozing in the shade of a tree, and Calibri is grazing not far from where to water level should lay. He blinks and the serene picture is painted in front of his eyes again. The water is crystal clear, the water level is high and deep and the sun is shining and high in the sky. A gull flies overhead, sailing effortless in the breeze.

"Was there a time when the lake was…tainted?" Kahael asks as the ride towards the water's edge. Link doesn't answer him right away, and Kahael glances at him to see why he isn't speaking. "Link?" he prompts gently.

"There is a lot about your past that you probably won't believe," Link says, with a little grin as they halt the horses beside the water.

"And why wouldn't I believe it?" Kahael asks, loosening his hold on his reins to allow Calibri to stretch her neck down for a drink and Link does the same.

"Do you know anything of the war?" Link asks as they dismount from their horses. The take their bridles off and sling them over the saddle horns on the saddles to allow them to graze freely. Kahael sits beside Link on the bank of the lake. The gentle sound of the waves lapping on the banks by their feet is soothing. His words remind him of Kaylu's while they were traveling through the mountain pass. The war seemed to have had a huge impact on the land and it's people.

Kahael toys with a piece of grass as he speaks. "Some, not much-" and then it hits him.

Kahael steps forward and winces, "Hero?" he calls out.

A blonde man steps out from around some bushes, slightly ruffled but otherwise unharmed. He comes towards him hurriedly and says, "You're hurt."

"You're The Hero of Time, aren't you?" Kahael asks, gazing at Link intently.

The man nods. "I am."

"Kaylu told me much of your feats and triumphs defeating the evil king," Kahael says quietly. "You must be very brave."

"I would have gotten nowhere without you," Link says, and the words make Kahael blush. He looks away from Link unsurely, and he cannot find words to say back to the man.

"That…I'm sure I didn't do anything that helpful," Kahael says, but hesitates when Link scoffs at him.

"You guided me, you taught me the sacred songs, you kept me from starving, saved my life, on multiple occasions I should add. You did more than you, and all of Hyrule, could ever know. You were my saviour."

Kahael stares out at the lake intently, refusing to look towards Link. He can feel the man's eyes boring into him intently. "I…I remember, some of it. Fighting creatures, riding with you, the tainted lake…"

Link shifts closer, and Kahael flinches when an arm rests across his shoulders, but after a moment he relaxes into it. Link is quiet for a few minutes, and Kahael is happy to just sit side-by-side with the him by the lake. It brings him a strange sense of nostalgia. He feels that a lot lately and he wonders if it's a good thing.

"You came to me, at the Temple of Time," Link says, out of the blue. "You told me your name was Sheik, and explained to me what I had to do. You worked for the Princess, Zelda, do you remember Zelda at all?"

The name makes Kahael cringe.

"Princess," he says, looking abashed.

"None of that I said!" she says playfully, "Zelda, say it with me."

He rolls his eyes. "Zelda," he answers and she pets his head.

He doesn't know why the name makes his head ache. "It's familiar."

If Link noticed his reaction to the Princess' name, he doesn't mention it. Instead he continues with his story. He tells Kahael all about awakening the sages, cleansing the temples, and their travels. His stories have Kahael both laughing and denying that he could have a part in something so critical to the nation's safety. But as Link speaks his words inspire images to dance across Kahael's mind, and he knows they are memories.

But most off all…they make him wonder why he ended up is a desert with no recollection of who he was.