Yeah, so, um... I'm sorry that it was really really late. It's, well, you see, Uni got in the way. And the new job which I suck at, but not quitting for the next two or three years from both spite and the fact that I need the money for uni. Sooooo...

I'mSorryI'mSorryI'mSorryI'mSorryI'mSorryI'mSorryI'mSorryI'mSORRY. \(T0T)/

I'll update the next one as soon as I can, okay?

""""""""""""""""""""""""""

The Midseason Dream

In the dark a furtive shadow slunk across the grass, eyes frustratingly near-blind without light. There was a brief, soft glow to lead its way, and it glided, silent, till it caught a familiar snort.

It sighed.

A step that'd refused to be taken now landed beside a bundle of fur rolled on its side, belly up, tongue lolling across gleaming fangs. A wistful chuckle preceded the gentle fingers that combed the skull, flicking the ears, earning a happy whine and twitch of the paws. The shadow smiled, and, after carefully making sure the dark masked its actions, lifted the blanket off of its shoulders and draped it on the animal as well as itself, curling in on its side.

A mountain of muscle shifted and snorted, sensing a newcomer as it woke. Unhappy to be interrupted, and seeing that its companion had been claimed by another, rolled over its back and moved a surprisingly significant distance away to resume its beauty sleep.

There was a nervous shuffle under the blanket, and a hand reached out, cautious as prey, and tapped something metallic. Even more cautiously, if it were possible, it took the large ring and slipped it off its appendage, and there was a rustle and sifting of particles and air and minds and dreams, and a new shape rested under the blanket, and it snored a little before quieting.

A giggle followed, then a self-depreciating roll of the eye as the smaller being settled beside the now furless shape, touching a forehead against a shoulder, brushing a hand with the other's, not daring to go any closer.

Tears leaked unbidden from two mismatched eyes, silent as the roll of dew over petals.

…,…,…

Everything ached. He could hardly move. He didn't want to, either. It was surprisingly comfortable, and warm. There was something wrong with this ground if it was two of those things, but Link couldn't care too much, since it wasn't poisoning him or anything, so… meh.

He buried his face into the… this wasn't grass. And his face was too flat.

Link opened his eyes, blearily, and a hand, a hand that belonged to him twitched on a brownish clay-coloured surface that felt suspiciously like cloth.

Why the heck wasn't it a paw? And where did the giant blanket come from?

…Meh. He could… yeah. He could definitely see the ring a little further on the grass. If anybody kicked it it'll come back. All's good. All would be good if he could just shift the warm thing on top of his back a little…

It was breathing.

Link moaned, and fearing what he would see, turned his head the other way.

Silver hair. And the face that'd haunted his nightmares, and then his dreams.

Alright. All…right. Things were making a bit more sense… not. Why would Sheik come here, of all places? He'd been so sure that she'd be looking after the kids, not… sleeping on top of him. Not that he minded, in fact it was quite the opposite. But… doing that whilst travelling, and with nobody near, it was fine. Here, not so much. But then again, that might be a brilliant reason to be kicked out for…

Where the hell was Epona?

Oh. Over there, still asleep. Must've rolled. Huh.

So… Link turned his head back to its original position, thinking through his haze of sleep. Blanket was good. Addition of Sheik was more than nice. He liked her head nestled on top of his arm, with her strange smell of flowers and fire and blood. He was warm, in no condition or mood to move… he could pretend to sleep, enjoy while he could, and… he supposed there wasn't much to think about. Just, pretend to sleep, and… enjoy.

Sheik shattered his efforts by shifting her weight, curling a leg round his own, an arm sliding over his back as she moaned, "Mmm…"

His heart banged harder, and his fingers dug into the ground. He could feel her chest now, pressed against his side. Her leg moved, slowly, between his own. He wondered how he could replicate that sound if he ever got the chance to kiss her, if he turned around and did it now, goddesses, he was so, so glad his body lay face down. He moaned.

Right. No. Right. Calm down. Just calm… holy crap was she waking up?

She was. Shit. Alright, he had to calm down, pretend to be asleep, (not quite sure why that was the smartest plan, but still,) and see how things rolled. He could do without the awkward conversation anyway.

Link took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and let it go. Sheik's hand trailed down his back as she groaned, rolling away and leaving him cold. Link suppressed his shiver as the blankets shifted, probably from her sitting up. She muttered something under her breath, and Link winced as he moved his arm, which was completely and truly asleep from somebody lying on top of it and cutting its circulation off. Brilliant. Why hadn't he seen that coming?

"Oh." A prod against his arm which he could only half feel was followed by a whispered, "Sorry, Link."

Should he open his eyes? Should he turn around and look her in the face? Then he felt fingers combing his hair, and the words, "I wonder…"

She began scratching. Gently at first, almost tickling, but then she pressed against his scalp with her knuckles, her touch firm and kind and wandering. Oh come on. This was degrading. He liked it, but only when he was a wolf, and he had made it explicitly clear to her that he didn't appreciate being scratched, even if it did-Oh Furore. The Spot still existed, right between his neck and ear.

He could feel her bent over him, watching him smile, he could feel her shadow over his eyes and goddesses how did she make that feel so good

She giggled, teasing her whole hand against his head, massaging the Spot and scratching round it. "So you do enjoy it."

Link tried to frown and failed, moaning instead. Heavens be damned, he wanted her and she wasn't helping his desire at all. "How long've you known I was awake?"

She laughed. "I didn't. You just told me."

"Yeah, right," Link grunted, rolling onto his back, so close to her that her thigh was pressed against his side, "Din, if you've worked out I like it might as well keep going,"

She snorted and continued to draw a small circle in his hair with her whole hand, eliciting a smile out of him. The early sun slit her hair in shades of gold, and for the first time her two eyes looked balanced, equal in their shade of brilliant red.

"So why did you take off?"

He blinked. "Thought you wanted to catch up with those kids."

"I did, but they wanted to see you too, you know. And I wanted to thank you."

Link smirked. "The Fairy's finally gone soft. It's alright, we got here. We're sweet."

"I was considering… granting you a favour. Just one, mind, but still-"

"Ahem."

Link froze, and Sheik took her hand away from his head, because they knew that voice. The shadow that loomed above them had her arms crossed, and her fingers tapped said arms with disapproval. Link quickly sat up and shielded Sheik from view, even as his sister spoke, "What is going on here?"

"Nothing. At all. Really."

"Why so defensive, mortal?" Sheik whispered against his neck, prodding his spine and making him shudder as Zelda's look of thunder worsened.

"What are you doing here anyway?" Link asked, a blush invading his face.

"I'm part of the Movement, Link," she growled, "Helping father. And who is this that you're hiding from me?"

Sheik hugged Link's neck from behind and gave a feral grin, and he was given the painful honour of watching Zelda react in horror. "Sheik of the Fay."

Link reluctantly pushed her off, asking, "And what's this movement thing?"

He was ignored as his sister just stared at the fairy that unflinchingly met her blue eyes with her two very different red orbs, and Sheik seemed almost to revel in Zelda's dawning fear, the way her eyes traced the black lips, the sloping cheekbones, everything that was the abnormality of the fairy.

"Zelda…?"

She finally wrenched her eyes away from Sheik at her brother's hesitant call, and managed, "I-I'm to take you to the Group. They've… organised this whole operation."

"And that answers everything, of course," he grouched, standing on aching legs, hissing at the complaining muscles, "Sheik, you coming?"

"Of course, wolfboy," She grinned, standing easily on air, "How else can I thank them for their kindnesses?"

Link noticed Zelda's offended look and wondering what was wrong now, Link looked at Sheik.

His blush deepened.

He'd forgotten, again, what she always wore under the red hood. Her short tunic of half wool and half flora, leaves and twisting vines and petals half dying in her tattered garb, the strips of leather that crisscrossed her legs, barely covering skin, revealing almost every shape and contour of her slim limbs, her arms bare, and now that he remembered her back would be bare too…

"U-um, Sheik," Link hastily grabbed the blanket thing off the ground and handed it to her, trying to meet her eyes but failing, "You should, um, cover up, ah… the last thing we need is to attract more attention."

"Oh." She looked almost sad, and guilt gnawed his stomach as with the blanket that same feeling of loneliness seemed to smother her.

"Now, about those kindnesses," Link quickly spoke, "Are they the ones where I hold somebody down?"

Blackberry lips flickered in a smile.

…,…,…

They were made to wait outside the tent a while, out of earshot, as Zelda talked or what sounded like argued, to the leaders of the strange people.

"You can come in now," Zelda called out, waving from the tent.

Link sighed and making sure that Sheik followed, did as invited.

Inside was a ramshackle table and with five chairs, four of which were filled. Bossman from yesterday sat at one far end, next to an old, gaunt faced man wearing a blacksmith's over-alls. Then followed a robust, dark-skinned woman with flaming red hair, a large smile and a white, just as large, fluffy cat purring under her stroking hand. The empty chair then led to a young man, also red-haired, but pale and bespectacled and clearly some sort of scholar. Link didn't like the way they watched Sheik's every move; he moved to step in front of her to shield her, but she gave a warning sting with a finger against his shoulder blade.

He jumped. "Ow!"

"You're being melodramatic, mortal," she told him frankly as she stood beside him, scowling at the seated leaders.

The robust woman's smile widened, almost in interest. "So it's true; you call others than yourself mortal."

The fairy glared. "For all you know I believe myself as mortal as you are."

"You believing is a little different than being, isn't it?"

Sheik smiled. "Ah."

"Um," Link cleared his throat and raised his hand, childish and petulant. "What do you want from us?"

"What they want from you, is irrelevant." Sheik let the hood drop around her head and glared. "What I want is for you to peacefully let my familiars and myself to leave this little… community. Immediately."

The whole room tensed at the sight of her. Link glared at her for being so bold and stupid, and then at the others for looking so damn hostile. Fear was one thing, awe was another, but Link's new territorial instincts refused to let them attack in any way, shape or form.

"That's a little impossible, sorry," A new voice said, a girl, coming in from outside, "You do understand that, yeah?"

Link looked at her, and opened his mouth in awe. By the Goddesses, she was beautiful. She was honest to earth beautiful, the kind of beauty that belonged to steeples and crowns and the heavens. Her skin was pale, as befitting royalty, but rosy, lips and cheeks a healthy shade of rouge that set her whole face shining with life. Her hair was black, midnight black, blacker than black, so dark and silky it seemed like onyx had been fused into her strands.

When she smiled, apologetically, he was pretty much convinced of forgiving this group's transgressions, just because she was so… angelic.

Sheik snarled. "Who are you?"

"My name is Ashei, and I am the Horsemaster of the troops. This is Auru, the Armsman and leader of this group, and the man that brought you all in, sitting here, is Rusl. He's our Swordsmaster." In turn, the old gaunt man and Bossman gave a nod. "That woman there, Telma and her cat Louise, poisons expert and head Chef of the camp, and finally, we have Shad. The Scholar and Strategist."

Said scholar/strategist stood up and pulled Ashei's chair out for her. But he scowled as she sat down, and asked, "Do you think it's a good idea telling these… people about us?"

Ashei shrugged. "I trust Zelda."

"That's nice," Sheik drawled, "Now why is it impossible for us to leave?"

"Because this is a rebellion, and we know where they are." Link sighed, "It's so obvious it's sad. An army, leaders, a corrupt queen and all that…"

Ashei smiled. "And your father funds us."

Link smirked, derisively. "I figured that."

"This is irrelevant," Sheik spat, gaze flicking from Link to Ashei and back again, "A Fay has no interest with you mortals, and a place of violence is no place for children. You will let me go!"

"We have a few things to discuss, first," Auru asserted, weaving his fingers together as he leaned against the desk, "First, this book."

He pulled it out seemingly from nowhere, and put it carefully onto the work surface. Sheik froze. A growl rose in her throat and Link instinctively grabbed and was glad he did because Sheik was screaming and clutching and biting, clawing at the air in the direction of the book. "Give it back! You filthy cockroach-infested mortal rats! Give it back this instant give it back or I'll burn this place, burn it burn it burn it!"

Link fiercely pinned her arm and torso against his own and hissed, "Stop it. You're not doing yourself any favours, really."

Something like a sob wrenched through her but still she sounded mad. "You took my cloak from me. You took my familiars and my cloak and now my book? Give. it. Back!"

"Quiet!" Was Telma's stern reprimand, and Sheik clamped up and glared.

"We have cause to believe that this wasn't yours to begin with." Was Auru's patient explanation, "And we wish you'd tell us truthfully what happened."

"What," Link interrupted dubiously, "You think she stole it?"

The Hylian hastily covered the fairy's mouth, and she gave a hateful growl.

"My father was a bookbinder of the castle," it was the scholar, Shad, that spoke this time tapping at a symbol on the top middle of the cover, "And this character here, is his coat of arms, his trades mark, so to speak. It was dedicated to the Royal Family."

"Wait, you're saying she stole it from the Castle?"

Sheik gave a screech that would've sent the dogs home if there'd been any around. Link quickly let her go in case she had the sudden urge to bite him. "Enough! I took this book from none but a cold mortal's grasping hands in the middle of a wasteland! And I'll do the same again if need be!"

She swiped the air as if she was trying to snatch the far away book back, but then a wind convulsed and cannoned the book at her, and using its momentum she spun and darted out of the tent.

There was a collective sigh from the table of people.

"Hey, hey, hey," Link scowled, "I think that's my line."

The adults glared at the impudent teenager and Link huffed. "If you seriously thought that that was going to be useful, you really aren't going to go well with this revolution. What was the point of that anyway? You just antagonised a possible asset, you realise that? Not," he added blandly, "That she would've cooperated."

"Don't talk so smug-like, whippersnapper," the old man, Auru, responded, "If you don't intend to participate either."

"Glad you have that smoothed over." Link nodded back, "But seriously, that was a really bad move. She knows where the kids are, she has her book, she has everything she needs or wants. She'll scram as soon as she's ready."

"There's no need to worry about that," Telma grinned, letting the cat stalk over the table towards Link, "Renado's under strict orders to not let them out of his sight. Not that he needed ordering with his daughter there."

Well. Sheik was going to hate that.

"Just what do you want?"

"What I want," said a new voice in the conversation, "Is for my son to lead my cause."

Giovanni eyed Link proudly and smiled. Link gawped.

"Did… did you just say lead?"

"Indeed. Now, ab-"

"No. No way, no. No."

"Son-"

"No. I will repeat this as many times as I have to. No."

Giovanni's face turned red. "You will listen to me,"

Link said it slowly. "No. Nnoooo."

"You're a Prince, by Din, and you will do your duty!"

Link batted his eyes a few times and smiled. "Right. And you're invincible."

…,…,…

A song was being hummed when he approached the river, and he recognised both the voice and the tune. It came from the rocky bank, where the jagged stones sprouted from the sand like an island, and there the fairy was perched like a bird, turning the pages of the book. He hadn't expected her to be here, but that didn't mean much at all.

Bath forgotten, he sat himself next to her and scratched his head. "Nice work back at the tent."

She snorted, flipping a page. "They are more idiotic than I ever would've estimated."

"They're paranoid gits," he shrugged, "What with their revolution or whatever…"

Link grimly bit his lip at the thought of possible war. He wondered for a morbid second whether his father had planned the whole thing even before they'd been born. Link to the thrown. Zelda, the 'warrior princess' rising up to reclaim it. The boy shuddered, gripping the rock beneath him tightly.

Sheik was peering into his face, looking sad. "Wolfboy?"

"You know what my name is," Link ground out testily, "Why don't you just say it?"

There was silence at that, and it was a while till she spoke again. "I call Agitha my pillbug. Beth is my goosegirl. Why can't you be my Wolfboy?"

This time it was Link's turn to be quiet, with the thought that he had hurt her. "…Fine, fine, Wolfboy it is, then." Sighing he lay back, and plonked his arm against his eyes to shield them from the sun. "So… fairies have mums?"

"No, not usually."

"So how're you an exception?"

"I was exiled, as I told you. In this plane I had a body, and limbs and other such things I had little control over. The mortals I called my mothers helped me."

"…So you had more than one mother? At the same time?"

"That is unusual?"

"We usually stick with one at a time."

"I had three."

"Three. At once."

"Oh yes," she boasted, her grin fixated in a smug curl, "And no better mothers could I have asked for. They used to call me Princess."

Link smiled at that. "Every mother calls their daughter a Princess."

"Really?"

"I admit to blanket stereotyping. But that was the case with my sister." That was another thing that worried him too…

"Ah."

"What were they like?"

Sheik shrugged, rubbing at her eyes tiredly, "They were like… oh, what were they like? Their namesakes, I guess. Din was-"

"Alright sorry for the interruptions but this is getting silly." Link sat up and wagged a finger at her as she looked affronted, "Your mothers were named after the goddesses? The Holy Trinity? I think I have the right to claim that you're pulling my leg on this."

"But I'm not," Sheik stated plainly, though she tapped a finger against her chin, "Unless my memories play tricks on me. I just remember making comparisons and deciding they were similar. Din was loud and taught me how to fight with a stick and till the land, like the legends. I remember her laughing so loud it seemed to shake the trees, and always challenging me to a wrestle, which always ended in me screeching in laughter because she wouldn't stop tickling me. Then there was Furore, and she taught me how an ants' nest worked and how spiders' webs shouldn't be brushed aside because they were homes, and I hated spiders, hated them with a passion and she didn't believe me when I said they hated me too. She was perhaps the most childish, so I played with her a lot, though I think she was the reason why I ended up so filthy everyday… And Nayru, she was the law of the household, (Sheik laughed, shaking her head in nostalgia,) and she was the one that dished out punishment, too. A stone fisted tyrant, we used to say. She was more lovable than I make her out to be, though, like… I don't know. They were all angels to me."

"What happened?"

Sheik snorted and bent over her book like a hag, her shoulders giving a trembling sigh. "I grew sick, and they grew sick, and thinking it was my fault they left me. The things they left behind was my cloak, and… and this book."

She stroked the pages, yellow and brittle-edged, admitting, "This book is second only to my life."

Link wondered, briefly, where the kids were in the hierarchy of importance.

"Shall I read you your story?" she smirked at him, revealing shiny teeth, "I've nearly finished."

He blinked. "…My story?"

"Yes, Wolfboy, I write one for all my familiars. See this song? It's a table of contents; I've added my own works, over the years, and you familiars star in most. The girl of the beehives is Agitha. Beth came to me first, with a packet of salt. Colin and his devious tricks, and Luda chased down by that beastly woman, Malo and Talo and their poor parents. They all have a tale here." She caressed a page and smiled almost viciously. "I've sullied these pages with my art, my stories, my very existence; it is now solely mine, no mortal's, no lord's, none but mine."

"So I'm a familiar now?"

"Of course. Those I have touched are forever mine."

And just like that she threw herself out onto the river, but she didn't fall, didn't splash or sink. She stood on the slow water, book held aloft like a partner in a dance, and she began to sing that song, that lullaby, and list of tales, with the very lyrics he'd glimpsed on the page.

"Shadow Woods,
Fiendish beasts
Gather round in a wintered dale
Drinking dreams,
On songs they feast
Once upon a Fairytale."

She stepped, she whirled, she jumped and tapped and soared. The water rippled a path behind her as she tapered through her waltz, and Link watched her sing and dance, a fond smile refusing to leave his face.

She smiled back at him under her eyelashes, then she spun, singing again,

"Graceless Swans with pearls for eyes,
Guide lost boys through fears and lies,
Lonely Priestess frees a blight,
While thieves are caged by night…"

She floated back towards him, urging him to stand and dance with her, never wavering in her song, always smiling, floating, soaring and dancing with a grace impossible for a mere mortal. All he really did was stand and hold her hand, letting her spin him round. But he brought her closer with each of her airy steps, and she came, slowly but surely.

"Bees beat back an arbiter,
A Man is bound by chains and fur,
What beneath the Deathly Tree
Immortal eyes foresee?"

On the dying note they were so close they may as well have been embracing. Link half smirked. "You're doing that on purpose."

"Oh?"

He contemplated saying 'driving me crazy', but decided on, "Floating taller than me."

She chuckled. "Mm."

She moved forward. His heart pounded. Her hair wafted in front of his face and her small arms circled round his neck, and her berry lips brushed his ear, forcing heat up and down his spine. "Shall I tell thee what immortal eyes foresee?"

"Uh… um-"

She grinned. "Splash."

The world tilted. No, he was falling. …Eh?

There was a splash, all around him, cold and enveloping and loud and choking. Tiny fish fled as he erupted into their world in a shroud of bubbles. When he surfaced he nearly sunk again because of the hysterical laughter bogging him down, but that only fuelled his desire for revenge. She was laughing so hard she didn't even know he was coming. Link kicked off the shallow end of the river, grabbed her ankle, and plunged.

Even underwater he could hear her squealing.

The next few moments were a watery blur, grabbing and gasping and choking, water in mouth and nose and eyes. When he could properly see, he had her against some rocks, and she was laughing and admitting defeat, and for once she looked sheepish, if nothing else.

Link grinned. "Who has who now?"

She looked down, and up, and said, "…But you always have."

The Hylian blinked, trying to make sense of what she'd said. She was holding the rock to keep herself properly afloat, and the way she stared at him just…

She sharply looked to the side, glaring at nothing. Then she snarled and dove underwater and swam away, and Link was left stumped, heart pounding again Furore be damned, lurching as well because he'd missed his chance at kissing her.

He'd been so close!

"Link?"

"…Zelda?"

"Um… are you decent?"

Link snorted and swam into view. His sister was in the process of sitting herself down, and she scowled at his condition. "Why are you in your clothes? And… you haven't taken off your boots! Link, you'll ruin them!"

Link sighed and banged his head against the shore. Was this why Sheik had gone? Because she'd heard Zelda coming? Din, Nayru, Furore! His sister bloody interrupted him! Gah!

"What do you want, Zelda?" Link snapped, perhaps a little too harshly.

Her face saddened, like the little sister she always had a will be. "I just wanted to see whether you were alright."

"… I'm fine. Annoyed, but fine." The young man hauled himself out of the river and proceeded to empty his shoes. Disgustingly, a rather tiny frog squelched out of his left one.

"So… why did you…?"

"I was pushed."

"…Oh."

"Just what do you want, Zel?" Link grumbled, shaking out his hair.

She shuffled uncomfortably before beginning hesitantly, "Are you sure you… you don't want any part of this?"

"Yeah. I'm sure."

"It's just…"

"Zelda, I enjoy life as it is. I'm not saying Veran's great, far from it. She's evil. Her taxes are exorbitant and she hires too many men for soldiers. But I will not get involved."

"…What father said was true, you know."

Link wrung out his gauntlets till his knuckles turned white and hurt him. He refused to respond.

Zelda shuffled uncomfortably, and muttered hesitantly, "You'll always be my brother…"

"Oh cut the crap!" Link spat, making her jump, "Of course you'll always be my sister, what the hell do you think happened to the last twenty years of our lives, eh? Goddess."

"But-"

"It's that bastard that I'm annoyed at! Gods! He's been lying to us! The whole time! The money disappearing, the moving around the… the…"

"The keeping us safe?"

"He hasn't been keeping us safe!" Link roared, standing up and pacing, "He's been readying both of us for this! War! Bloody, damning, war! For Nayru's sake! And you knew! And you're still part of it!"

"She was my mother!"

"She was our mother!"

"Well you've acted like you've forgotten her!"

Link ground his teeth, forced himself to calm, and spoke slowly. "I haven't forgotten her. Nowhere near it. I just… we lost her. The last thing I need is to lose you too."

"You won't, don't you see?" she sighed exasperatedly, "I'm just a healer when the fight comes; right now I'm simply a spy. The Temples have been so corrupted with tithes and things, I… it's just so despicable."

Link bit back his retort, because she was probably right, but still… "Just promise me that you won't do something stupid."

"That's rich coming from you," she huffed, tossing her hair over her shoulder, "Loitering with that girl, calling herself a fairy of all things…"

"I'm pretty sure you saw her, Zelda," Link deadpanned, "You know, staring, terrified, at the giant smirk on her face?"

"Just because she's adept at magic that doesn't make her a fairy. Besides, she looks too-"

"I like her." The blunt brutality of his statement made her stop. "She's a good person. Maybe she tells some tall tales, but I like her. Alright?"

"Just the way you like Ashei, hm? I saw the way you looked at her, and it was blatant that you were flirting."

"I was not!"

"Was so. I was hoping for that, actually," she added sheepishly after her triumphant outburst, "I think you'd like her very much."

"Whatever," he grumbled, though that was admittedly true, "Just… are we settled now? Can I take my bath to 'cool down', as those… people suggested I do?"

"You do smell something awful," she chuckled as she stood, batting her skirt down as she turned away, "I'll tell the others to keep away from here. And," she added shyly, "Thank you, you know. For being my brother."

The young man rolled his eyes and waved her off. "Yeah, yeah, stop being sentimental. I need to get clean, remember?"

But even after Zelda was long gone, Link didn't really get back in the river. The thought that Sheik would come back and find him was… worrying, at best.

…,…,…

"They wish to stay." She told him before he could ask, as she put her precious book onto the small cot that the soldiers had lent her for how many nights she would remain.

Link couldn't help but feel relieved, if not sorry for her. "The kids?"

"Who else?" she grumbled, tugging her fingers through her knotted hair, growling hatefully at it, "They are not hungry, they have more children to play with, adults to boast at, a freedom to roam wherever they please without worrying of death. Goddesses!" she shrieked, clutching her head.

Link stopped her from tearing her hair out. "Stop that. Stop that right now."

"Why do you mortals have hair? It's disgusting! It keeps growing and collects grime and gets in the way and-"

"It's nice."

"It's… what?"

"It's nice. Your hair. Some people would kill to have silver like yours."

She blinked at him incredulously, trying to snort in scorn. She failed.

"It's still… it's still impractical."

"That's because yours is a bush." He told her pragmatically as he looked for and found a brush, "Come on, get over here. Let's get it into a plait."

"I believe that platt, or whatever it was that made the knot worse."

"I have a proper tie this time."

He brushed her hair, just like he'd done with Zelda all those years ago, first working out the large nests of hair before smoothing it out, which took a substantially long time. They chatted like they always did; she mocking him, him letting it slide, till there was a trail of tamed silver behind her back, tied by a length of cotton ribbon, her impish face framed by strands of moonlight and stars.

And she smiled, half surprise and glee. "No wonder you like getting scratched behind the ears."

…,…,…

Prisoners or no, the two were well treated, if isolated. Telma was coming up with a disguise for the fairy; Sheik was extremely angry about this, till they agreed to patch her cloak as well.

Link was getting better at the sword, under Rusl's tutelage, but he was getting no better at communicating with Sheik. He talked with Ashei a lot, whilst looking after their respective horses, but the one person he wanted to talk to was always buried in her book or away in the river, and Link dared not get close in case he was turned into something less than a bug by seeing something that he should never, ever see.

Days passed.

"Link?" Ashei was digging round the stables as she called his name, and as he appreciated the feminine curve of her back against the workers' clothes that she wore, he grunted in reply. "Have you seen my mirror?"

The young man blinked in confusion. "Mirror?"

"Yeah," she lifted herself from her crouch and grimaced. "It's a cheap old thing, but it's the only one I've got, and I don't want to spend good money on another one. Not to mention it was lent to me by Shad…"

Link smirked at the mention of Shad; the poor sod was so desperately in love with Ashei even she knew about it. Too bad their interests didn't seem to quite match. "Where'd you last use it?"

"At the river, while I was cutting my hair," she clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth and sighed. "But that girl's there."

They never called Sheik by her name, and they adamantly refused to believe she was a fairy. Which was fair enough; they hadn't seen what she could do. But there was a big fear, almost on the verge of paranoia about her that seemed to bug them, and it looked like they were going to make damn sure Link got on their side once they proved their fears as legit.

Which, of course, would never happen.

"Why are you so afraid of her?"

She looked at him strangely and said, "Why shouldn't we be? Why aren't you?"

"Never mind," Link shrugged almost distastefully. "I'll go see if she's seen the mirror."

The walk to the river was uneventful and quiet. He found her on the rocks, staring at something and looking depressed. She wore a priest's robe the shade of pink lavenders, the closest thing to her old cloak in both shade and shape and function; the leader of the camp had refused to allow her to walk around clad basically in nothing.

"Sheik?"

She waved a hand and twiddled her fingers to show that she'd heard. Sighing, she picked whatever she was staring at up from the ground and handed it to him, and it turned out to be Ashei's mirror after all.

"I see why you mortals are so vain," she laughed sadly at his incredulous gaze, looking down on him as she lay on her sunny patch of rock, "And so judgemental. You look at yourselves and you see all the miniscule flaws, and you can't help but compare yourself with all the rest of the world. But then again," she added, looking at the river, "It is horrifying in a way, for a monster to never know how truly monstrous it is."

Link had crawled up to sit next to her, reflecting the light of the sun wherever he wished, "Are you calling yourself a monster?"

She sat up and smirked. "Aren't I?"

Before he could stop himself he was brushing his hand against her cheek. Her eyes widened as he said, "You're not ugly, Sheik."

She giggled, recovering from her surprise. "Perhaps. But if ever a mirror existed that showed the face within… you wouldn't feel the same."

He pulled back, and just stared at the face that haunted his nightmares by crying, lit up his dreams by laughing, the eyes the colour of everything red and extraordinary, the skin the shade of polished wood, warm as fresh bread. "That's alright," Link grinned bracingly, "That goes for everybody."

"Never you, my sweet wolf," she chuckled, turning away with book in hand, "Never you."

""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""

Once upon a time there was a tower high as half the heavens, and it could withstand all powers of the weather, for no wind, rain, hail, or the beat of the sun could topple it. It was a place of great importance, for the Kings owned it.

Once it was used to honour the Gods; but as the Kings grew lax in their duties, less and less sacrifices were handed to the altar, and the gods grew angry. The Tower was forsaken, and they left the place cursed in remembrance of the fickleness of humanity. Those who approached were brought down with sickness and fear, and only the good hearted lay safe from the curse of the Gods.

The Kings were angry, so far gone in their arrogance were they, and took no effort to appease the Heavens. To spite the gods they sent prisoners of war, criminals and frauds and slaves too old or crippled to work to the tower as their place of death, in a mockery of the once glorious divine offerings.

Many a year passed since, and the place grew fouler and fouler, until twilight seemed to dwell in the air and unhappiness ooze from the earth, and that was how the Three Goddesses found it, when they descended from the Sky.

Thinking they were mortal, the prisoners and criminals jeered and attacked them, but fire surrounded them and saved them from their taint, and they lifted their arms to the sky.

Din spoke: "We Three come here not for a crime committed but a wrong done."

Nayru said: "There was a child in the tower full of wonder and beauty."

Furore then finished: "We claimed her in the name of heaven, and she shall ascend to greatnesss."

They rose to the tower as smoke, where there was supposedly a room without window or door, where a child had been forced to sleep within since the beginning of time. They circled the walls with godly wind, and carrying the babe between them like the Triforce of Old, they left the tainted land of prisoners, forever and forever.

They say, even now, the Goddesses take care of the babe.

"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""'

Ohhh, things are getting all the more confusing! Aren't you just delighted? Sorry. I'll get the new revelations clearer in the next chapter. Or maybe inprove this one later. I'm just not in the mood to prolong the update any longer, you know?

So, review replies! XD

HumanRiot: YAY FOR CONNECTIONS! And indeed they are. And now we get back to the tales from before, where they were only half finished, and they shall be more of use, digging into a dark dark past of a dark dark kingdom... lol.

Lady Alamantia: Yay for Death! Yes, definitely a rebellion. Didn't really explain much in this chapter though, did I? I wanted to concentrate more on Link and Sheik's relationship, but I think I epically FAILED. I'll work on it more on the next chapter. Which I am determined to post within the week. If not two. GOD.

Wolfslegend: Yes! Yes I did! Wow I can't believe people remembered! Yes, the beautiful queen is mentioned. And there is a BLATANT reference to Snow White. I'm sure you found it. XD I love Epona. She needs people talking to her.

simply anonymous: I'm glad you think it's interesting, because I was getting owrried that it was getting kinda old... phew. Anyway, hope you enjoyed this chapter too!

CatsGotTongue: Yes, Sheik is based on Little Red Riding hood. Only she kicks the wolf's ass. XD The cloak and other things in her possession will be explained further into the story, and, whatelse, oh yeah the fairy law. That will be explained also. And she didn't leave! Hope you enjoyed this chapter too, and leave another review behind!

Teriyaki Chicken: I agree. here it is. GOD.