Chapter 14: Caves
Zelda sat in a small cave that was set in the mountains not far from the border of Hyrule. Brandt was sleeping and she watched his chest rise up and down. He looked peaceful sleeping and Zelda noticed that he always did. When she first met him he did, when he conjured the fire, and when they were on the horse racing to safety. Zelda wondered why he was always at peace.
Zelda stood and transformed into Sheik. She would have to make up an explanation for who she was when Brandt awoke, but for now she would rest as well. Sheik sat on the ground and leaned against the stone wall. She hugged her knees to her chest and let out a long sigh.
Outside, rain was beginning to fall and Ashwin, the horse they had ridden, was whinnying. The horse was good and Sheik knew it wouldn't run off even in the worst conditions.
"Who are you? Where is Zelda?" asked Brandt who just woke up.
"I am Sheik. Zelda had to flee so she asked me to watch over you," Sheik said making things up as she went along.
"Oh. I pray she is now in safety."
Sheik nodded and looked at Brandt curiously. "Zelda had mentioned the four Great Elements to me before she left. She told me exactly what you told her. Continue what you were saying about them and the Gift."
Brandt was beginning to look uneasy then he nodded. "Well, the four Great Elements are divided into many pieces. Rumor says that Earth is divided into twelve, Water is seven, Air is nine, and Fire is three. So, as you can tell, Fire is more rare then the others. That is why I am proud to be a fire-boy!"
He paused and then quickly continued. "If the Elements are restored, the person who did so gets the Gift. Some say that it gives ultimate power, some say peace. No one really knows what it is though. There is more to the history, but that is all I know. My brother doesn't have an Element, not my sister, father, or mother. I never met anyone with another element and I am afraid to tell anyone for I don't know what they will do with me."
"So what do you plan to do now?"
"I don't know."
"Then I am taking you with me. There is someone I want you to meet. He should be able to help us."
"No!" Brandt cried jumping to his feet.
"Why?"
"I exposed my power to the evil men. They now know about me. I don't want to danger the lives of anyone else! They will hunt me and will do anything to get me. I know they will."
Sheik sat in silence, not knowing what to say. After a few moments she opened her mouth. "What do I look like to you?"
"A man."
"What else?"
"I don't know. What else is there?"
"I am a warrior. And I will not allow anything to happen to you. The person I want you to meet is a warrior as well. Except he uses the sword as his attack. If we find him, you will be safer."
"Do we have to go?" he asked, looked down at Sheik with wide eyes.
Sheik sighed. The boy couldn't understand, he was after all, only eleven. "Yes, we do. Once we find the other warrior we will figure out what to do from there." Sheik stood and began walking out of the cave.
"Aren't we going to wait for the rain to stop?"
"If what you say is true, that Zant and Tinek will be after you and do anything they can to get you, then, they will wait for the rain to stop. Meaning we must go now for a head start."
Brandt nodded slowly and unsure as he followed Sheik out into the rainy night. He was lifted onto the horse and Sheik kicked it hard with her heels, causing it to rear and Brandt to squeal in surprise.
"Hold on tight," Sheik said over her shoulder. She felt Brandt nod and she kicked Ashwin again.
They raced across the fields and Sheik decided to first head to Kakariko, where she was last with Link.
"Honestly, you have to go to bed eventually, Link," Midna complained. She was growing bored as Link just sat by the window and looked out at the rainy night sky. "You can't stay there all night."
"Why not?" Link asked in a daze.
Midna fumed and transformed into her real form. She stood behind Link and grabbed his arms. Pulling him off the small stool he was sitting on, she roughly pushed him onto the bed. "Go. To. Sleep," she ordered with her hands on her hips.
"Why? I am not tired."
Midna rolled her eyes. "It's not good for your health. Now please go to bed."
Link grinned and grabbed Midna. He wrapped his arms around her waist and she stood there in surprise. "I told you already. I don't want to." He kissed Midna softly on the forehead and caressed her cheek with his thumb.
Midna continued to stand still and finally said, "Link, please go-" She stopped talking as Link planted a kiss on her lips. She felt him smile softly and she began to kiss back. She wrapped her arms around his neck and her hands got tangled in Link hair. They continued to kiss until a loud knock sounded outside the door.
Just as they broke apart, the door swung open, not giving Midna the time to transform into an imp and hide in Link's shadow. To their surprise, Sheik stood at the door with his arms folded across his chest.
"Enjoying time alone are we?" Sheik chuckled.
Midna blushed as she frowned and began to glare at Sheik. "Why are you here?" she growled.
"Why not?"
Midna opened her mouth to talk but Link cut her off. "It is good you came. Maybe not at this moment, but it still saves us the time to look for you."
Sheik slowly nodded and smiled. "There is someone I want you to meet." Sheik turned and Midna and Link looked at each other.
"Why are you so nice to him?" Midna asked once Sheik was gone.
"Because. You heard what the elders said, Mid. We need him. Now come on." Link headed out of the room as Midna transformed into an imp and hid in his shadow.
They walked to the kitchen where Renado, Luda, Colin, Beth, Sheik, and another unknown boy were sitting. The boy was wrapped with a towel and he was talking with Renado and Luda who were listening intently. Beth and Colin were talking with Sheik whose eyes were closed.
"Ah, Link. There you are. This young boy is Brandt," Renado said indicating the boy sitting at the table. He had to be at least eight years old by the looks of it.
"Hello," Link said warmly.
The boy smiled and said nothing.
"Well, I will leave you three to talk and the rest of you, you get to bed. It is late," Renado said urging Beth, Luda, and Colin to their rooms.
"Sheik, who is this?" Link asked the warrior as Midna appeared beside him, making the boy jump.
Sheik's eyes opened and she eyed Link. "This, as you were already told, is Brandt. The second Prince of Namatur and younger brother of the prince who Zelda is to marry."
Brandt looked at Link with wide eyes and a feeble smile. "Hello."
Midna ignored the boy's greeting and turned to Sheik. "What's with this? We already have enough on our hands and you bring us back a damn prince?"
Brandt looked surprised at Midna then frowned. "I told you, Sheik. You should listen to me more often." He grabbed the towel and wrapped it tightly around his body.
"Listen, Midna," Sheik spat. "I do not have to be here. Will you at least listen to his story?"
"Yes," Link answered instead.
Brandt looked up again and smiled. "Okay, then. My name is Brandt. Second Prince of Namatur. I am eleven years old and I am a fire-boy."
"Fire-boy? What's that?" Midna asked.
"Well, where I am from, there are four Great Elements and I have a piece of the Fire Element inside me. Making me a fire-boy." Brandt paused and sighed, preparing himself for another long explanation.
Lightwolf8: hi everyone! You should be glad to hear that my insanity has cleared up finally. Well theres chapter 14, it is a bit shorter than ususal but i hope yas enjoyed… man it gets pretty darn annoying typing that every single time I write a new chapter so from now on I will say HYE in place of that. Review please (RP from now on) and random fact time!: Cat pee glows under a black light… ewww. Anyhoo RP! Bye for now I guess