Blind
Chapter Eleven
As promised, Link and Sheik were standing outside the door of the third healing room, on the right side. It was just after lunch, which was figuratively speaking since Sheik had no appetite and Link wouldn't eat without the Sheikah. They had spent their noon walking around the gardens before coming back to the castle.
When Zelda finally came, Lady Caladria right on her heels, the Princess had quickly herded them into the room and shut the door. The room wasn't small, but it wasn't overly large, and Link looked around a little nervously as he noticed the bare white walls and the lack of windows. It was still bright though, with large lamps hanging from the ceiling and some in torch-like holders on the walls. A high-legged table was placed in the very middle of the room, with some scary-looking leather restrains on it. Casting Zelda a questioning look, he motioned to them but the Princess just shook her head. Zelda had said she didn't like restraining the Sheikah, but Link hadn't figured she was literally strapping him down to the table.
"Sheik." Lady Caladria was the fourth occupent of the room, and Link finally realized she was Lelyre's mother. "You should take off those heavy robes; would you like any help with them?"
"I can help him," Link said, stepping towwards the Sheikah. "But thanks anyways, Caladria."
"Caladria and I have a few things to discuss anyways. We'll be just outside the door for a moment," Zelda opened the door, following her fellow Healer and magic-user before closing the door.
"Are you nervous or excited?" Link asked as his large fingers struggled with the little clasps that held Sheik's robe to his body. Sheik had tried to help but his fingers were shaking too much that he wasn't able to do it himself.
Sheik let out a long breath before replying, "Both. I try t not get my hopes up. The first few times I was too hopeful, and the pain of the treatments being failures was too great. So now I don't hope very much that the treatment will work, rather, that it isn't too painful."
Link pasued, just a little more to go to dropping the entire robe. "Sheik, what happens in here? What kind of 'treament' is more painful than it does any good?"
"Link, it's not as easy as that. Healing is usually a painful process."
"But have you healed at all? Has anything been done to come even close to it?" Link glanced towards the door as he heard the knob turning. "Sheik, you don't have to go through this."
"Good, I see you're ready then," Zelda said as she entered the room. Link turned back to see Sheik had shrugged off the robe from his shoulders and was now untying the wrapping from his eyes. "Link, if you don't mind, would you help him up onto the table?"
Sheik finished removing the cloth and was now only dressed in a pair of light, cotton pants that hung low on his hips. His fet were bare and stained grassy green from their stroll earlier; and in the pit of Link's stomach, he had a feeling that Sheik would never know about the grass stains forever on his feet or would ever again see the colour of green. While Sheik kept his eyes closed, Link guided and helped him up onto the table, which had plush white cushions filled with feathery softness.
Zelda stood at the foot of the table, assessing the situation before saying "I think we'll need some of the restraints. Not all of them, since Link's here to hold his head to keep Sheik from flinching. But you can't do that and keep him from kicking one of us in the stomach." She had a small smile, almost sad as she moved Sheik's legs into the proper position to be restrained.
"So... You're a kicker," Link stated more then questioned. It was an attempt to make a bit of conversation and to keep Sheik's mind off the procedure.
"I have strong legs and unpredictable reflexes," Sheik offered as an explanation. "I may have almost broke one of Zelda's ribs last time."
"So that was you?" Link laughed, watching the small smile spread across Sheik's lips.
Sheik gave a half nod and said "It's kind of what happens when someone's being stabbed in the eye."
"Well, we can be sure there won't be anyone being stabbed today," Caladria promised as she handed Link a wide, flat stick wrapped with leather. It was about the length of his hand, and just about as wide too. When he gave her a questioning look about it she said "It's for Sheik to bite down on."
"Are we ready then?" Zelda asked as she checked to make sure the straps were tight. "Sheik?"
"Yes." Sheik's shaking had stopped but his breathing had increased. Caladria came to where Link was standing and cooled Sheiks face with a damp cloth. "Thank you. Link?" Sheik's liped were slightly opened, leaving just enough room for where Link placed the wooden stick between his teeth.
"Link, I'll need you to stand at the head of the table and place your hands on either side of his face to hold him still," Zelda said as she came around to the right side of Sheik and his table. "Yes, I think this is much better then having his head restrained, don't you Sheik?" Sheik blinked once, where Zelda nodded and continued, "Oh right, Link you don't know the little system we have set up for questions. One blink is for yes, two blinks is for no, and if he blinks three times then he doesn't know or he needs me to repeat myself."
"Ah, I'll try to remember that now. One for yes, and two for no," Link repeated. Zelda turned to walk to the counter on the other side of the room, where Caladria was already mixing something together. "Are you doing alright?" Sheik blinked once, too fast for Link to really see. The Hylian thought he caught a glimpe of light brown, but he wasn't too sure about it. He tried thinking of a question that would earn him two blinks for no, but he looked past Sheik's hair and saw more restraints. One looked like it would have fitted perfectly under the Sheikah's chin, with another across his forehead. There was a particularily wide one that would fitted across the Sheikah's chest. Clenching his jaw, Link decided he didn't like the look of the ofeending objecst and tenderly ran his finger along the high cheek-bone of Sheik's face.
Zelda took the tall, slender container from Caladria and continued stirring the water-like contents. It was apparently the solution that would give Sheik back his sight, since Zelda was carrying it so carefully.
"Caladria?" The Hylian woman placed Sheik's cloth aside and moved to the left side of Sheik's table. She leaned down a little and used the tips of her fingers to gently pry and hold open Sheik's eye. Between the two healer's, Link's view was obstructed and so he concentrated on just holding Sheik's head still and sending positive thoughts towards the Sheikah General.
Sheik's facial muscles tensed against Link's hands and strained against whatever was being done. Link carefully crouched down so he was level with Sheik's head and began to whisper words of encouragement. He nuzzled the back of Sheik's ear as Zelda and Caladria shifted a little to do the other eye. As the pair of women moved back, Link craned his neck to see Sheik properly.
"You can let him go now, Link."
Link stood up, but only to be moved to the side where he was able to hold Sheik's hand, which had been balled up into a fist. Sheik's perfectly straight, white teeth were clamped down on the leather, and it looked like the little wooden stick was straining under the pressure.
"Sheik?" Link tried to move the poor stick but found it wouldn't budge. "Sheik, is something wrong?" Link felt the grip on his hand tighten as he watched the clear liquid run from Sheik's eyes with tears. "Zelda, something's wrong; it's not working."
"It might be working, Link, you need to give it time," the princess said as she stirred the remaining liquid in the tall jar. "Give it another minute now."
Seconds seemed to stretch on to eternity as Link helplessly watched Sheik's face contort in agony. "Zelda, how much longer?"
"Just a few moments longer. Link, please, you're making him naxious," Zelda calmly said as she watched. "Sheik? Could you open your eyes for us? Can you see anything?"
Without a hitch, Sheik's eyes flew open. They were red, so Link couldn't guess their colour, since the pupils were so dilated they looked black. They focued in nothing as they darted about before lazily looking around. Both women were crest-fallen as Sheik finally gave a sob of frustration and closed them. Link sighed before bowing his head and rested it on Sheik's heaving chest.
"Caladria." The healer came to the side Link was on and gently pushed him towards the head of the table again.
"What? We're going to put him through that again?" Link asked as he brushed away Sheik's hair from his sweat-filmed skin.
"He may simply need a larger dose, Link." Zelda was still calm as she came forward again. "A lot of it was expelled as you saw."
Link growled before saying "I won't hold him down just so you can do that again."
Zelda closed her eyes and said "Sheik, would you like us to try again." Unfailingly it was a single blink. "I could use the restraints on the table if you prefer," she continued while motioning to the un-used leather straps.
Link swore before grabbing the damp cloth and gently wiping Sheik's face. He silently apologized and encouraged the Sheikah once more. Resuming his place at the head of the table, he gave a nod to Zelda as he gently took hold of Sheik's face.
The Healer's took their places again, obscuring Link's view. Voicing his encouragements this time, it wasn't until he felt Sheik truly struggle and attempt to thrash away all three Hylians that he stopped.
"Zelda, I know he says yes but I think you have to stop."
"Just hold on, Link,: she snapped impatiently. "We're trying a continuous stream of it and if we stop now we'll need to make more, which will be quite time-consuming. Caladria, keep his eyes open." Whether Link was over-powered or not, Sheik managed to wrench his head away and to unsettle the bottle from Zelda's grip. The jar fell to the ground and smashed, sending liquid everywhere with shards of glass flowering around their feet. Sheik shut his eyes tight and spit out the leather-wrapped wood before crying "Get it out! Silas, it burns!"
"It may burn because it's working," Zelda offered as she watched.
"Or because it isn't!" Link pushed past the Princess to the counter, grabbing the bwol that had held the damp cloth earlier. "Sheik, open your eyes. It's me, Link. Your best-friend for past few months now. I have some water, so open your eyes and let me get the stuff out." Sheik blinked rapidly as the cool water ran across his face and pooling onto the floor. Zelda stood back, her arms crossed and looking none too happy about the mess that was being created. "Zelda, please help me get these things off of him." The Princess did so without objecting as she worked on the left wrist while Link freed the right. And soon enough, Sheik was sobbing and soaking, reaching for Link. "I'm sorry about this, Zelda," Link began but left it as she waved him off.
"At least he didn't break one of our ribs," she reminded him.
Gathered in his arms, Sheik clung to Link as he left the healing rooms and headed for the nearest exit. People cleared a path for him as he marched outside and around the back, no one daring to pause him on his mission. He brought Sheik to the brooke that ran behins the castle. It was where most of the drinking water came from and seemed to be the best place to take his Sheikah companion. Once told where they were, Sheik scrambed away from Link and into the running water, where he scoopd up water and splashed them onto his face.
Link peeled off his own tunic and shirt, tossing the wet garments aside. he watched as Sheik stood up, his pants dripping wet and clinging to his legs while he turned his face towards the sky. His eyes fluttered open and he stared. Link shaded his own eyes and tried to read Sheik's expression. Both had some hopes that Sheik had regained his vision again, but the more the Sheikah stared, the more his hope was dying like a little butterfly that had been dunked into water.
Slowly, Sheik reached towards the sky with one hand, feeling his way through the air blindly. He bowed his head and slowly his arm drifted to his side again as he closed his eyes. Sheik dropped to his knee's and wept, letting the tears fall to the brooke he was sitting in. Forgetting about the water, Link slid down beside him and drew Sheik into his arms.
"I just want to see again... I just want -- I want to see the blue skies, the green grass. I want purple and orange, rainbows and -- I want to know what Zelda's cousin or fiance looks like! I want to see where I'm going if I ever ride again, to see the birds." Sheik's fingers tightened around the hair he had in his grasp, nuzzled his face closer to Link's shoulder and neck. "I want to see you smile, to see the light again," he added on a mournful note. "I want to be -- like you again."
"Like me?"
"I want to be whole again. I just -- what did I do? Why couldn't one of the Goddesses take me and fix me before sending me back?"
"Oh Sheik." Link held the Sheikah tight, one of his large hands smoothing away the wet, wasit-long hair. "You wouldn't have liked them; Goddesses are nothing more then children with nothing better to do then play the lives of people. Their realms are nothing but darkness, where there is no sound, no smell. Nothing to ever taste, to touch. No one to hold you."
"I'm sorry," Sheik choked back tears.
"You kept everything inside, with no one to share it with. Don't apologize to me."
"But Link, I can't see..."
"Sheik, you don't need to see. I don't need you to love me. Just let me love you, to allow you to lean on me. Sheik, I won't let you go," Link whispered as he held on tighter. "I... Can't let you go." Until now Link hadn't realized he was also crying. "I won't cuddle you and I'll try not to embarress you."
Sheik turned his head and rested his cheek against Link's shoulder. "I'll be nothing but a burdan. The blind one that alwasy makes you late, keeping you from doing things. It would be just easier if we didn't, Link."
"If I can't do it with you, then why would I want to do it alone in the first place?" Link said quickly. "Sheik, I know neither of us intended for this to happen, but... I love you."
"I-" Sheik couldn't find any words. "I think I should go back to Termina."
"Mkay then, I've always wanted to go to Termina," Link answered as he brushed away Sheik's hair from his neck.
"I meant, I should go so you can carry on your life here," Sheik whispered as he backed away a little. "You need to stay here."
"Then you need to stay here too."
"Why can't we argue about this later?"
"Because you brought it up," Link reminded the Sheikah.
"But I suddenly realized I'm cold and wet while sitting in a puddle," Sheik nodded against Link's shoulder.
"You're also clinging to the General of the Hylian Army and nuzzling his shoulder, but you don't here my complaining," Link smiled when he heard Sheik's soft laughter. "Come on, lets get back to your rooms; where can warm up and I can have something brought up to us for dinner. Where we can kick the cats out and it'll be just the two of us. A most splended evening, if I do say so myself."
Allowing himself to be helped up and out of the water, Sheik hugged Link and unexpectedly place a small kiss on the Hylian's lips. "Thank you for gettng me out of there," he added sincerely.
"I love you," Link replied, kind of in a state of shock.
"I know," Sheik smirked.
My Note ~~
I'm gone for a week after this...
So this chapter was kind of an apology to that.
I'll up-date as soon as I can when I come back.
Thanksies~
Naku