What the hell.
I skipped a chapter and I never knew about it. What the fuck is wrong with me.
...
AND IN OTHER NEWS, I haven't been writing a lot. I've got most of the next chapter down, but I need to fix the end of it. Sorry 'bout that.
Enjoy this in the mean time!
Eventually Link had found the way back to the village of Skyview, where children ran about chasing one another in a game of tag. Besides the kids, nobody was outside.
"So, who is it that you want me to meet?" Zelda asked with an irritated tone. Link looked to her, confused.
"What's wrong with you?" he asked.
"Ugh, I've got a headache from this knot on my head; it started a while back. My arm is killing me too." she replied, the same tone of voice present.
"Sorry," Link said, turning away from her as she began to massage her temples. "If I could do anything for you, I would."
"Yeah, thanks." Zelda replied, a hint of sarcasm in her voice. Soon, one of the children spotted Zelda and Link and rushed over to them. The child was a boy with dark blue hair and red eyes that had a brown tint to them (unlike what Sia's were). He looked up to the two and took in both Zelda and Link's appearances.
"Who are you?" he asked finally. Link crouched down to eye level with the boy.
"I'm Link, and this is my friend Zelda. We're looking for Sia, would you happen to know where she is?" Link asked kindly. The small boy paused a moment before responding, but nodded.
"Yeah, I'll go get her. I'll be back!" The boy called as he ran off. Zelda looked to Link with slightly furrowed brows.
"Sia? And who is she?" Zelda asked, still rubbing her temples.
"Sia's a girl I met when looking for you. She told me where to find you and took me there." Link informed.
"Oh. Anyway, where are we exactly?" Zelda asked.
"We're in the village of Skyview. I take it that it's relatively close to home provided that I was found not too far from here by Sia." Zelda let out a simple huff in reply. The two stood together in silence as they awaited Sia's arrival. Soon enough, the little boy returned leading Sia into the village. He pointed over to Link and Zelda's direction and she looked up to them. Smiling, Sia thanked the boy and headed over to Zelda and Link with her flute in hand.
"Greetings, Link! It's good to see you've returned so soon from your journey into the temple." Sia said as she nodded to him. "I see you've found your friend, and- oh my!" she exclaimed as she looked at Zelda. "Are you all right? You look as though you've been into some trouble yourself!"
Zelda looked up to Sia and shook her head. "It's not too bad." Zelda replied. Sia gave a half frown.
"Would you two like to join me in my home? I have some tea I could make to help ease your pains." Sia offered.
Link flashed his eyes over to Zelda and could tell she would say no, had she the chance to. Before Zelda could refuse Sia's offer, Link spoke. "Only if it wouldn't be too much trouble for you, Sia." Link said politely.
Sia shook her head and smiled. "It is no trouble at all. Come," Link and Zelda followed Sia into her home where she led them to the back room that Link had awoken in earlier in the day. "Sit on the bed if you wish, or one of the chairs. I do not mind." Sia told them as she placed her flute onto a desk in the corner of the small and cluttered room. Link and Zelda both took their place sitting on the bed.
Sia went to the stove and opened the bottom of it, releasing a warm burst of air into the room. She picked up a piece of wood lying at the foot of the bed and put it within the oven. Following that, she put her hand into the oven and let it hover over the pieces of wood that were left in it. She spoke a few cryptic words which Link and Zelda didn't understand, and suddenly, she formed a flame below her hand and set the logs on fire.
"You can use magic?" Zelda asked, now interested with this girl. Sia turned as she shut the oven.
"Yes, but not much. I have been trained to use a limited power, and know only a few spells. Why, do you possess a magical quality?" Sia asked, turning back to the stove.
"I guess you could say that," Zelda answered quietly as she watched Sia preparing a kettle for the stove.
"So tell me, you are the one Link was looking for?" Sia asked over her shoulder as she began to put some herbs into the kettle. Zelda nodded, though rubbing her temples. "Well it is good that he found you. He was worried about you on his way to the Temple." Sia paused and looked up in thought. "Perhaps not worried... he was more, forlorn about your absence." she said as she looked over her shoulder with a small smile.
Zelda looked to Link with her own small smirk. "So you were sad about me being gone?" she teased.
"Not in the slightest," Link replied, rolling his eyes.
"How sweet." Zelda and Link looked up to Sia as she turned around to her right. As she did so, Zelda's gaze caught the sight of Sia's tattoo; a crying eye. She drew in a short breath.
"What is wrong?" Sia asked, concerned. Zelda continued to stare at Sia's arm. Sia soon picked up on Zelda's line of vision and looked down to her arm. "My tattoo?" Sia asked. Zelda nodded as she still gawked at the red eye. Sia slowly wrapped her hand around her arm, covering the tattoo. Zelda looked up to her and was confused with Sia's sad expression.
"This," Sia started, "is the symbol of my people. We are the Sheikah. My people were created by the Goddess Hylia to protect her descendants, and since the descendants of the Goddess are in the Royal Hylian family, our tribe is closely associated with them." Zelda urged Sia to go on, for she was thoroughly interested. "This tattoo was given to me by my mother and Grandfather when I was a young girl, no older than four. It was given to me in memory of my late Grandmother who served and helped to protect the Royal Family. She died during a raid after sending away the king and queen and their child."
"….their child?"
Sia nodded.
"My Grandmother sent her away with a knight, separated from her parents. My Grandfather told me that she was taken here and given into the care of the queen's mother, her Grandmother, and that her Grandmother left with her as soon as she could. No one knows what happened after that." Zelda stared at Sia with her mouth hanging ajar. She let out a breath that she had been holding and looked down to her hands, letting out a small laugh as she did so. She frowned.
Link looked to Zelda, worried. He knew that she must have seen everything clicking together in her head.
"Are you okay, Zel?" Link asked, not knowing what else to say as he placed a hand on her shoulder. After a moment of silence, Sia took an inward breath, everything clicking together in her own mind.
"Oh!" she said. Both Link and Zelda looked up to her and saw he place a hand over her mouth. "Oh, I understand now..." she whispered. "Zelda... P-Princess Zelda! It- It's you, isn't it? Where have you been? Did you even-?"
"Know?" Zelda asked with watery eyes and a smirk, now looking back up to Sia. "No, I didn't." She closed her eyes and let the smile fade as she gently placed her head in her left hand. "And your Grandmother... was her name Impa?" Sia's eyes widened a bit, but she nodded her head.
"That is correct." Silence. "Was Impa your care taker?" Zelda nodded and then sighed. "You must be their child, you have to! The Princess... the Princess of Hylia. Where have you been all of this time?"
"In Ordon village. I've lived there since I was a small kid with my Grandmother. I had no idea..." Sia cocked her head at Zelda.
"You had no idea?" she asked, curiously. "But, didn't your Grandmother ever tell you of it? She certainly knew of the history of the land and was close with her own daughter, the queen. Had she never told you?" Sia asked. Zelda looked up with squinted eyes.
"No, my Grandmother never even mentioned it. How much does she know?" Zelda asked, her tone irritated once more.
"As far as I have been told, your Grandmother should know a vast amount of information of the Royals. She knows much about the history of Hylia as well, far more information than you could ever possibly hope to find within a book. I do not understand why she never would have told you of your past, though. It makes no sense." Zelda looked to Link and sneered, though the expression wasn't directed at him.
"That's because you don't know her." Zelda stood up and walked towards the door. Turning, she looked to Sia. "Let me tell you something, Sia. My Grandmother is a very vile woman. She is rude, conceited, controlling, and overall a very unpleasant person to be around. While she is cunning, she does not use her wit for joy. She lies. That's why she never told me. She never wanted me to know!"
With that said, Zelda opened the door and walked out, slamming it behind her. Sia and Link stared at the door, awestricken. Only when the kettle on the stove began to whistle did Link and Sia look away from the door. Sia quickly removed it from its place and set it upon the counter next to it, silencing it for the most part. With a sigh, she turned to Link and looked him in the eye.
"She is angered." Sia stated simply. "I have the feeling she tends to get like this a lot?"
"Unfortunately..." Link replied. "Her Grandmother upsets her the most, any little thing. But this..."
"This is not a little thing." she finished.
"Yeah." The two shared a moment of silence, trying to come up with something to say.
"Link," Sia started, "go and find her. Return to Ordon, for I feel she will want to return there as well. Find answers to assure that she is the Princess, which I have no doubts about. Once that is done, leave for the Capital of Hylia. There you will find a large castle town surrounding the royal castle. Schedule a meeting with the king and queen, and convince them that Zelda is their missing daughter. Get her to safety. I now know you had to rescue her, Link. Whatever evils are after her are obviously larger than a simple threat, otherwise you would not be dressed as you are, and you would not have been asked to carry out such a task." Link nodded, noting every instruction in his head.
"I'll keep her safe and get her to Hyland. I'll do anything in my power to protect her; regardless if she's a princess or not." Link said to assure Sia. Sia smiled at him and pushed off of the counter that she had been leaning on.
"Do not do anything out of your power, Link. Your task is to protect Zelda, but it is also to keep yourself safe. Do not wear yourself out." Sia commanded with a stern tone. Link smiled and nodded once more. Sia extended a hand for Link to shake. He took it.
"And should you need anything, anything at all, come here to Skyview." she said, their hands slipping away from the other's. "I will gladly help, as will my Grandfather, Elder Padralot. I will tell him of the circumstances, and I am sure he will understand."
Sia paused and the two stood, waiting for one or the other to officially say goodbye. Finally, Sia spoke.
"I wish you luck, Link. I wish the best to the both of you."
"Thanks," Link said with another small smile. Link left Sia's home and headed outside where he found Zelda leaning up against the side of the house, eyes closed, and one hand raised to a temple.
"I want to go back to Ordon." Zelda declared, opening her eyes. "I want to find answers. She has them in that house somewhere, and I know it." Zelda began to walk off towards a dirt path that led out of the village and back to the road, according to a nearby sign. Zelda turned to Link, impatience written across her face. "Well? What are you waiting for? Let's go!"