Disclaimer: The Legend of Zelda, its characters and locations are all property of Nintendo. Any and all OCs and original locations belong to me unless specifically stated to belong to someone else.
Plans and Worries
Ink stained his fingertips as he crossed out yet another possibility. That was the tenth one; his map of Kakariko Village and the surrounding lands was covered in aborted attempts at sketching out the location for the fortress. Every time a site presented itself, he either found a surveyor's report that stated it was unsuitable for such a construction or realised that its tactical value would be less than zero. His least favourite reason by far was the little annotations from the surveyors, 'm'. Mud. How there could be so much of it so close to the mountains was beyond him, but there it was...
Sheik sighed and dropped his pen, rubbing his eyes. Five hours of information network reports, financial planning and architectural development. It was enough to make his head ache, and knowing that the piles of paperwork would continue to grow made him wonder why he'd ever accepted the earldom in the first place...and then he remembered that he hadn't actually accepted anything. Zelda had practically forced him to take it, and Link had said yes on his behalf. The look the Hero had given him when he'd suggested that perhaps someone else ought to take it...
He sighed again and glanced out the window. It was snowing quite heavily. Unusual, for the spring season, though perfectly in order according to the Hero. It had been the same way back...then. Sheik shook his head, focusing on what he could actually see rather than what his mind wanted to imagine. He felt sorry for whoever was caught out in that weather. Well, everyone except Link, who never wasted an opportunity to recapture a bit of his lost youth and get into snowball fights with the closest group of children...and dragging Sheik into it, though that usually resulted in the children running away because the scary Sheikah would probably slit their throats. Or the millions of other horrible things their parents had told them his kind did...
He reached for the recruitment roster and scanned the names. He'd gone out of his way to recruit from every level of society he could, resulting in some signatures being elegant curves, while others were hasty scrawls. One was even just a simple 'x'. It was dawning on him that there was a lot he would have to teach his...students? Apprentices? Goddesses, he hadn't even started thinking about a rank structure!
It had all seemed like such a good idea at the time. Link's exuberance at Sheik merely mentioning it had certainly fuelled his imagination and desire to go through with the plan. Of course, when the Hero began making suggestions, Sheik was struck with the feeling that he'd probably done this before. He was half-tempted to ask Link how it all went—but that would require the Hero of Time to delve into the painful memories of the time where everything went wrong, and he refused to do that. The nightmares were bad enough as they were...
Zelda had been positive as well. Now that they were possibly moving out of Link's area of future knowledge, intelligence would be more important than ever, and it would give Sheik the opportunity to pass on the skills his people had cultivated for centuries...and possibly a bit of culture, as well. She made no demands either, trusting him to teach them everything he thought necessary for both the safety of themselves and Hyrule as a whole.
And he had no idea if he could. He had nothing to go on other than his own experience and what he remembered of his own training sessions with Impa years ago. And his aunt was hardly available for casual conversation, leaving him with no choice but to wing it and pray to whoever was listening that he was doing it right...for the idea of sending his future charges to their deaths because of his less-than-adequate training was...abhorrent. It was already infecting his dreams, leaving him as exhausted as his lover in the mornings, each haunted by their own minds at night.
He scanned the list of names once more, finding the newest addition to the first group of youngsters he would teach at the bottom of the page. Nikal. No last name...or none that she would willingly give up, at any rate. It didn't matter, really. The girl was an orphan, her family wiped out during Ganondorf's occupation. Technically a ward of the state...if only she would voluntarily come to an orphanage, which she had absolutely refused to do.
Cheeky girl. Not particularly trusting, especially around nobles (a group he still struggled to include himself in now), which was understandable. A talented thief, according to Link, and he was inclined to agree. She'd gotten her hand halfway into his pocket before he even realised she was there. That childish grin, combined with the big, innocent eyes...if she could cultivate that skill, Sheik was convinced she'd be able to talk her way out of any situation...perhaps even a crime scene where she was caught with the bloody knife in her hand.
Link had been there immediately to defuse the encounter, explaining who she was. Sheik had not needed much convincing to extend her an offer to join his new...school? She'd hesitantly accepted, with the caveat that she would be allowed to leave at any time she desired should the training not be to her satisfaction. Sheik sincerely hoped it would be.
But he still needed more recruits, more names. The future was dark and uncertain, and Hyrule needed protection. Knowledge is power, and the knowledge he needed could not be gathered through the regular means. Spies—and, on occasion, assassins and saboteurs—were truly the greatest asset to a kingdom such as this. And he would train the best. With effort, and a good bit of luck, Sheik would leave behind a well-oiled machinery—a school that would churn out the best future protectors Hyrule could need for years and years to come. Under their watch, Hyrule would never fall.
Or so was the theory and hope, at any rate. Truth be told, at the moment he would simply be happy with getting the damn place built and moving the students into their dormitories, as opposed to the random collection of inns and hotels around Castle Town they were staying in now. Money was not an obstacle, or so he was informed. But first he needed a solid foundation for his fortress academy. School. Guild. Whatever he ended up calling it.
But until he could have another meeting with the architect and finally decide upon a spot, he would have to make do with another round of recruiting. He'd yet to ask House Layr for any volunteers. They were no friends to the Sheikah, and he doubted the patriarch's loyalty to the crown at best...but his children could still be salvaged. Link had provided him with the name of one member of the house that was guaranteed to agree. Eren. Youngest son of Lord Layr.
Sheik wrote the name on the list, leaving ample space for the boy's signature. He would go there the next day, he decided.
Now, where was the geological survey of the slopes of Kakariko? There were rumours of a possible diamond mine, but he did not want to waste rupees on a useless venture...
There was a knock on his door.
"Enter," he said, still searching for the survey report in question. There was no doubt as to who had knocked.
"You're still working," Link noted, closing the door firmly behind him. The small study barely had any room to stand for the ever-growing piles of paperwork. It was generous of Zelda to offer him this space of his work, but it would not be adequate for much longer. Another reason to get the construction of the fortress underway as soon as possible.
"I'd work in my sleep if I could," Sheik replied, catching a glimpse of the paper he was looking for and reaching for it. Link's gentle grip on his wrist stopped him. "Link..." he began.
"Dinner will be ready in five minutes," the Hero said firmly. "Zelda told me to tell you you're not allowed to take it up here tonight. We're having a special guest."
Sheik blinked and looked up, studying his lover. There was a slight tremor to the Hero's grip, stiffness in his smile. Sheik wracked his mind, trying to figure out why Link would be nervous. The answer came quickly, and he felt foolish. He'd forgotten. He nodded and relented in his attempt to grab the survey, rising from his chair.
"Tonight is the night, is it?" he asked, to which the Hero nodded. "You needn't be nervous."
"How can I not be?" Link countered. "This is a lot to hoist upon her. What if she doesn't believe me? What if she doesn't know?"
"She will, and she does," Sheik assured him. "If she is anything like you, your sister will realise it immediately. The important thing is to let her know that this will proceed at her pace."
"I know," the Hero said, his smile loosening a little. "I just...we met under very different circumstances last time. I just hope such a situation isn't required..."
"It will be fine," Sheik emphasised once more, knowing better than to ask about the circumstances. It would only make Link clam up. He would tell Sheik someday. In his own time. "I cannot wait to meet her."
"Well, if you like me..." Link trailed off, grinning a little. Sheik grinned back, leaning up and kissing his lover gently on the lips.
"I do."
Regrettably, the dinner bell rang shortly after, leaving them with no opportunity to deal with the suddenly rising temperature in the room. Sheik thanked the goddesses for the washbasin in the corner, filled with icy-cold water. As he quickly redressed in a clean, somewhat formal outfit, he glanced at the paperwork. It would only keep growing...as would his worries.
Tonight, however, he would let them.
Was originally going to post something for Christmas and New Year's, but that clearly didn't happen...so, on a very belated note: Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year!
