Hello one again, my friends! I hope you enjoy this installment. ^_^

Disclaimer: I don't own any part of the Legend of Zelda. All other original characters belong to me.

The Good Fall Harder from Grace

Chapter Thirteen - Drowning

"William, are you in love with my brother?" Zelda flicked her eyes up from her breakfast to watch William while he gave his answer, waiting to see how he would react. He was standing over by the door, trying to play the part of a good guard, she supposed. The day after their talk in the courtyard, she'd had her father install him as her own personal guard. She wanted someone who knew of Marguerite's treachery close to her, just in case. She didn't even feel safe in her own home anymore; after all, Link was already gone. Who's to say she wasn't next?

William's head jerked up, and he stared at her with wide, round chestnut eyes. She didn't miss the way his hand tightened on the pommel of his sword. "Well," she said "I just mean that you seem rather bitter every time I bring him up."

"I…" His nose scrunched up. "No, I'm not."

She leaned back in her chair and raised an eyebrow, pushing her spectacles back up her nose. "What then, did you two just…?"

He shrugged, looking away. "A few times."

Zelda was trying very hard not to imagine what their acts of… congress might have looked like, but she was finding that the idea wasn't altogether as unpleasant as she had expected it to be. In fact, she found it to be…

Her face started to go red around the cheeks at the thought, so she covered her face with her hands.

"My Lady?" William questioned, breaking off from the wall to come over to her and see what was wrong.

"For the love of the goddesses, William, I'm fine. Stop mothering me," she huffed, fanning herself.

He sighed heavily, leaning back against the wall again, chestnut eyes flicking up to the ceiling, almost as if he were rolling his eyes at her. Zelda watched past her spectacle the way his dark, tousled hair fell off of his forehead as he raised his chin. "Like I said to you the other day, I liked him very much, but he—"

"My Lady." A page stepped through the door, bowing low at the waist.

Zelda nodded at him, indicating that he should speak.

"A guest of the King and Queen is arriving shortly, and King Daniel requested your presence for his arrival. He said it's very important that you be present for his arrival."

Zelda set down her fork. "With that woman there?" Her lips curled. "You think I'm going to step foot in the same room as her?"

The page furrowed his brow, looking decidedly uncomfortable. He clearly had not been expecting her to react like that. "Uh… That is, my Lady, I—"

"Thank you, Tal," William interrupted, and the page glanced back at him, sending him a grateful look. "I will escort her Highness to the grand hall in just a moment."

The page named Tal nodded to William and then looked at Zelda and bowed once more before turning to leave. Zelda didn't miss the grateful smile he cast at William before ducking out.

Zelda scooted her chair back and stood to her feet, crossing her arms. "I'm not going!" she hissed. "And I'm the princess, so you can't make me go, so don't even try. My father's guests are no goddesses' damned concern of mine! I'm not even supposed to be living here anymore! I'm supposed to be married! To a man I still don't know! Because my father was saving the announcement for my birthday, and then I was going to know, but then my brother gets taken! My father is a good man, but he's a bloody idiot, William, so I am not going!"

William crossed his arms as well. He'd grown a little sterner and more assertive since he'd become her personal guard; of course, when she'd asked him why, he'd simply muttered 'duty,' and left it at that.

William shrugged, looking helpless. "None of that matters, my La—"

Zelda wrinkled her nose and narrowed her eyes, silently daring him to finish addressing her with that title.

William grimaced. "Zelda, right. None of that matters, Zelda. Your father wants you there, and I know how you feel about the Queen, but we—you—don't have a choice."

She straightened a bit, raising her eyebrow. "We?" she questioned.

"I said you," he mumbled, looking away.

The tiniest of smiles pulled at the corner of her lips. "You said we."

William gave her an odd look, his eyebrows pricking. "I'm with you at all times, Zelda. I have to be."

They stared at each other for what felt like a very long time, and William was the first to turn away, again, raising his chainmail-clad arm to scratch the back of his neck. It only took a few more moments of the pregnant silence for William to speak up again. "We should go."

Zelda rolled her eyes, but she complied, walking out of the room behind William once he had checked the hallway.

Who in the world was this guest that William was insisting she go see?

Castle Town was a large city, and as such, it had been clearly visible on the horizon for the last hour. It was early morning, and the fifth day of their travels. Admittedly, Sheik knew they could have been making better time, but… well, he had been dragging his feet a bit… Being rid of Link was something that he had felt like he needed so badly before, and now it was something that he was dreading.

He knew it was a better option for the both of them; Link would be safer, and Sheik would have that peace of mind that he was so adamant about.

So why did it feel like every new minute of travel was death? Another nail in his pine box?

This was what he needed—what they both needed—and he knew that; so why did it feel like he would never again possess the capacity for happiness? Why did it feel like every step that he took was another step towards something he desperately didn't want?

But Sheik was good at ignoring his feelings; and besides, he had a new mantra for himself to help with his indecision. Instead of reciting in his head over and over that this was better for him, healthier for him, he was telling himself that it was all for Link now. All for Link's safety and well-being; because honestly, if he was still doing this for only himself, he was fairly sure that he would have succumbed to the ache in his chest by now and turned back. It was an ache that liked it when Link touched him, and liked the way it felt. It was an ache that was able to ignore and transcend his fears, because it made him feel like entirely new things were possible. It was an ache that made it seem like he could maybe one day experience the kind of love he'd counted on never having. The type of companionship that would come from being with Link was certainly something he had never considered for himself; not since he was a child with fanciful dreams of growing up and being in love in a world where everything was right and fair and good.

He could tell that Link was just as sad and somber as he was. It was evident in the way the boy kept sneaking small touches from him and giving him those heartbroken looks that just made Sheik want to weep. Link's arms would slide away from around his waist, the boy's hands instead resting lightly on Sheik's hips as they rode; or he would catch moments when Link would inhale quietly but deeply against his neck, and Sheik knew that he was taking in his scent.

"We'll reach the city in about an hour," Sheik murmured. It would take less time if they were using the main road, but Sheik was steering clear of that, just in case the roads were being patrolled. They were approaching the city from the south east, avoiding the direct route to the gate.

Link lifted his head from where it had been resting against Sheik's back. "You're not coming in, are you?"

Sheik snorted, keeping his gaze fixed firmly ahead. "Not on my life."

"Want me to stay with you?" Rowan asked, spurring his horse forward to catch up to theirs. Sheik glanced over at him, only to find Rowan aiming an intense, deep stare at him. Sheik frowned and looked away.

"That won't be necessary," Sheik said, his brow drawing down low over his eyes. "I'm…" he cleared his throat, looking down at the horse's reins clutched in his bone-white hands. "I'm looking forward to the solitude. I'd prefer not to have anyone with me at all."

"You're a liar, Sheik," Link said softly from behind him.

Goddesses, what did the boy want from him?! "Among other things, Link," Sheik replied curtly. He was exhausted from playing this game for the last five days. For the last three weeks, if truth be told…

Link sighed, nuzzling his face against Sheik's back. "'A liar among other things,'" he echoed, and his hands repeated their pattern of moving from Sheik's waist to his hips, the boy's thumbs brushing down along them on either side. Sheik allowed it, but he swallowed thickly. He knew it was a sensual touch, and Link knew it was a sensual touch, but Sheik was going to pretend as if he hadn't any clue. That way—if he remained seemingly oblivious—it wouldn't seem out of character if he didn't raise his voice in protest to the action. Link didn't mention his lack of complaint either; because if he did, then Sheik would be forced to let out that biting remark, and the pattern that they had both become used to would start again… And then Link would have to stop... It had become their dance, the way they moved about one another, and Sheik knew it was his fault that things were that way.

"You two are awfully touchy-feely over there," Rowan muttered, and when Sheik looked this time, the young man's eyes were narrowed in thought beneath his dark bangs. "Remind me once more why you never want to see each other again?"

"Rowan," Sheik said, turning his head sharply towards him. He met the young man's eyes. "Shut. Up," he hissed, and then flicked the reins, causing his horse to jump forward and leave Rowan behind once more.

"He doesn't understand," Link mumbled into Sheik's back.

"Goddesses, Link, shut up," Sheik hissed, spurring the horse into a near-gallop; Link's hands had to let go of his hips and move back around his waist just so he could hold on tight enough as the horse moved. "I don't even understand anymore."

Link didn't answer, but he shifted a bit against Sheik, lifting his head. Sheik thought their banter was done and they were going to have a few more minutes of silence, but he was wrong. He hadn't been expecting it, and that's probably what made him react the way he did.

Link bit down on Sheik's right shoulder, hard. It hurt like the way he imagined the bite of a wild animal would hurt, pulsing and stinging without mercy. But really, the action startled Sheik most of all. He was cross about the pain, but he was most of all alarmed that Link would even do such a thing.

His initial surprise and panic caused him to yank back on the horse's reins harder than he ever would have. The creature whinnied in protest, rearing back on its hind legs, sending the both of them falling to the damp grass in a tangled pile. The horse snorted and cantered away, keeping a wary distance from them.

"Are you fucking crazy?!" Sheik demanded, trying to extricate himself from Link. "You fucking bit me!"

Link glowered at Sheik, his large blue eyes flinty with a temper that Sheik hadn't seen on him in weeks. He wiggled a bit, trying to get free, but Sheik had landed on top of him; the boy was pinned. "I was frustrated!" Link shouted back, sounding cross, like he thought that this was a perfectly reasonable explanation.

"So you bite me?!" Sheik thundered. He sat up on top of Link and slammed a hand down into the boy's chest, ignoring the wince on his face when the blow landed.

Link sat up underneath him, pushing Sheik back until he was resting on the boy's hips. They were nose to nose. "Well, you're leaving me!" Link spat, his teeth bared and a deep scowl marring his face. Sheik blinked in surprise at the outburst, mouth slack and open. "So if I bit you, it's because I'm bloody angry! And I've a right to be!"

Sheik's eyes narrowed. He leaned forward, bringing their faces even closer. "Are you always going to try to solve your problems by throwing a fit?!" he hissed in the boy's face.

Link fixed him with an impatient look, his lips twisting up in a half-grimace. "Are you, Sheik?" he countered. "You're always shouting at me, and you just go and hit me whenever you're upset!" Link squared his jaw, his flinty eyes studying every contour of Sheik's face. The boy's upper lip curled before he started speaking again. "Have I upset you, Sheik?! Have I?!" He shoved Sheik with both of his hands. "Well, I'm upset too!"

"You're being a petulant child, Link!" Sheik hissed, grabbing the collar of the boy's jerkin. "And what are you even throwing a fit for? Because I don't want to stay with you? Because I don't want to be with you?! Get over it!" He smacked Link in the chest again, hard, and did not miss the boy's flinch.

"Quit hitting me!" Link yelled, and his hand fell upon Sheik's stomach, pushing him back a bit, but Sheik would not move.

"You just don't like hearing the truth!" Sheik spat.

"No, Sheik!" Link shouted, pushing back against him still. He put his hands on either side of Sheik's waist, trying to dislodge him. "It's you who doesn't like hearing the truth! That's why you keep doing this to me! That's why you do this whenever we talk of your past about you! Whenever the subject comes up, you blame me for it all, saying it's my fault, and that I'm the one who's being hotheaded!" Link looked away for a moment, squaring his jaw, and Sheik followed his line of sight to see Rowan standing near his horse a dozen feet away, watching the two of them with a steady gaze. Link sighed in defeat, looking down and to the side at the grass for a moment before turning his large blue eyes back onto Sheik. "And yet," he said softly, and his eyes flickered down to Sheik's mouth for a moment. "All I want to do right now is fucking kiss you, and make you feel like you matter to me. Because you do, Sheik. Maybe this fucking goddess inside of me knows why, because I sure as hell don't, but it's the truth." He bit his lip, and slowly, he lifted his hands and placed them on either of Sheik's hips again. "I'm sorry you hurt so much," he murmured. "I'm upset, yes. And I keep pestering you because the only thing I can seem to get you to do is push me away, and… You're pushing too far, Sheik."

Sheik looked away, his heart pounding.

"Sheik," Link said.

It was too much. It was too much!

"Sheik!" Link cried. "Would you at least look at me?!"

Sheik leaned in, and before he could even give himself a moment to think, he fit their lips together with a soft gasp, and there it was. Were you supposed to feel vibrance and electricity and fire when you kissed another person? Was it supposed to send warmth that felt like safety and devotion deep into the pit of your stomach? Link inhaled sharply against him, his hands moving from Sheik's hips to the small of his back, pressing into his skin. Sheik choked on a sob, but he opened his mouth further over Link's, kissing into him with impatience, feeling the strain of their dwindling time together like a knife in his belly.

Link moaned into his mouth, loud and keening. It was as though, with that one carnal sound, he was letting out all his pent-up frustration and desire. Sheik reached up and cupped Link's face in his hands, tilting it back so that he could rise above him, ease over him, nip at his lips, do everything he could to make sure that he knew that Sheik understood. He understood Link's intentions, finally; and he understood the weight of what he had to do.

Goddesses save him; he cared for Link.

But that meant… Oh, sweet goddesses, no... No… Caring meant doing what was right for Link, and that meant sending the boy to where he would be most safe… And that was in his home, in the Castle.

And if Sheik followed him there, he faced death or worse.

That's when he realized that he still had to carry through with something that he now knew, with all his heart, he really didn't want to do.

He pulled his mouth away from Link's, wincing inwardly at the sound of their parting lips. Link's eyes flickered open. He looked at Sheik, his cheeks a rosy, flushed color and blue eyes dazed and fluttering in confusion. "Sheik," he murmured with heavy, swollen lips. "What—?"

"I'm so sorry," Sheik whispered, looking down at his lap, legs stretched around Link's waist. "I just… I'm sorry Link, but you still have to go."

Link's eyes left his, and he blinked a few times, taking in what Sheik had said; and then his face crumpled into a heartbreaking mess. "But, why? How can you still say that?" he whimpered. "I don't understand how you can still want that! Don't you want someone to care about you? And you kissed me just now; don't you want that? Don't you want this with me?"

Sheik grimaced. "It's not about wanting or not wanting anymore, Link. I'm going to do it because it's the right thing to do. It's the un-selfish thing to do. I'm trying to do right by you this time."

Link cocked his head, his face pinching with sorrow. Tears were starting to pool in the corners of his eyes, and his small body was vibrating with a high-energy that Sheik knew at any moment could dissolve into distraught, shaking tremors. The kind that Link had helped him work through only a few nights ago.

"Since when do either of us care about that?" Link whispered, his voice a confused mess, strained with the effort he was putting into holding back the sob wanting to leap from his throat.

"Link," Sheik said hoarsely, looking away; he couldn't stand to see the sorrow in Link that once again, he had been the cause of. As per usual, he could only grant sorrow. "Please," he whispered. "I'm sorry. But, you know, it would do you a lot of good to just forget about me. You know it would."

Link's eyes snapped up to lock with Sheik's, and he looked on the verge of panic. "I can't let you go! Not after this. I'm afraid for you," he whispered, voice barely more than a hoarse tremble.

Sheik swallowed. Best to just cut it off at the head, then. Sweet mercy, save him.

He stood up off of Link, brushing the boy's hands away when they caught onto his jacket and tried to pull him back down.

"No, Link," he said in a soft voice, trying with all his might to feel steady on his feet. This was something Sheik had never felt before, a feeling he'd never experienced. It was Link's bite, only a thousand times more excruciating; it was a pain he was unfamiliar with and yet he somehow knew there was no sooth or salve for it. It made his chest ache. It was, in its own way, much worse than anything he had suffered through in the prisons, because that had been… that had all just been trespasses made on his body.

Link had gone deeper than that.

"I'm going," Sheik said. He crouched next to Link, taking a short moment to study the boy's face and all of his fine, handsome features. Goddesses, even as a weeping mess on the ground, he looked like royalty. Link had been persistent and unwavering with him, and that was much more than Sheik had ever deserved. He only wished that the poor boy hadn't wasted his time, heart, and love on him. Because… wow, what a waste. Link had so much, and such special things to give. But he needed to give them to somebody else; somebody who deserved them, even if Sheik wanted with every fiber of his being to be the one to receive them.

But things like that were not for him.

He leaned in and cupped Link's face in his hands, kissing his cheek with loose, pliable lips. His breathing was shaky, coming out in fits and starts, but he stayed crouched, lingering near Link and taking in his heat and scent. He stayed like that for at least a full minute, telling himself that he just wanted to remember that someone had felt this way about him; that Link's quiet sobbing meant something. That Sheik meant something, even if it wasn't very much.

That was enough. Sheik closed his eyes and his brow knitted together; he could feel a powerful headache forming in the front of his skull, but he allowed himself one more kiss to Link's warm cheek before forcing himself to stand.

He turned away and stomped briskly over to where his horse was still whickering nervously. Swinging up into the saddle, he nudged his heels gently into the creature's sides, urging it into a gallop. Rowan could take Link the rest of the way, but Sheik couldn't. Sheik couldn't ever allow himself to see him again. He'd said his goodbyes and now he needed to go.

"I envy what the two of you have," Rowan murmured. The hoof beats of Sheik's horse had faded, and Rowan had walked over to where Link was still slumped in the grass, nursing his tears and the stiff, painful feeling in his chest.

"We don't have anything," Link said in a dead voice, wiping at his eyes. "He's gone. We've got nothing."

"No, you definitely have something," he replied. "If you didn't, I don't think Sheik would have done that. I mean, you had to have known that he didn't want to go."

Link bit his bottom lip. "This wasn't supposed to happen," he said, staring vacantly at the city on the horizon. "I wasn't supposed to… develop… feelings for him."

"Well…" Rowan said, drawing out the word.

"I was supposed to go on hating him for doing this to me until he hated me back! Hated me back enough to get rid of me!" Link could hear his own voice, and it sounded like a ghost: vacant and distant. "And then he left me with you." Link shook his head, scrunching up his nose. "I don't even like you."

"Hey," Rowan muttered. "I think it's clear I'm not overly fond of you either, Prince. Through no fault of your own, of course, but…" he trailed off. "Gah, sorry!" Link glanced up at the young man to see him bouncing on his heels and vigorously running his hands over his face. "I'm supposed to be treating you fairly, judging you by your own character and all that. Not just because you're the son of the man who made it so I had to grow up in the streets."

Link looked away. With Rowan being irritating as per his usual, he couldn't even grieve in peace. He raised his arm to wipe at his eyes, but stopped when he saw the off-white, overly-washed fabric of the tunic that Sheik had made him wear. He looked down at his chest and saw the brown, well-worn leather of Sheik's jerkin. It was a bit too big on Link… But that was because Sheik had worn it, and it had stretched and molded to the shape of his body, not Link's.

It was like a punch in the gut. Link was quite sure that these little things—little remembrances like these—would plague him for a very long time. And all he'd wanted to do was give his love.

He really didn't want to cry any more in front of Rowan. He already felt strange inside, almost as if Farore was weeping at his loss as well. It felt peculiar, like she didn't like Sheik being away any more than Link did.

"Take me home," Link said in a monotone, standing to his feet and turning to face Rowan.

Rowan's brow creased. "Yeah… about that… How exactly do I escort you back to your…" He clasped his hands in front of him. "Your… home," he said. "Without being arrested and publicly executed, exactly?"

Link narrowed his eyes, but shrugged. "I'll just tell them that you rescued me. I was going to do something similar for Sheik, anyways, but…" he sighed and looked down at his worn leather riding boots. They were also Sheik's.

"Right," Rowan said, nodding. "So long as you can guarantee I'll walk free from this, let's get going. Sheik mentioned that he wanted you back there in one piece." He smiled at Link. "I think I owe the guy at least that much."

"You didn't even know him," Link hissed.

"And you two were so well acquainted?" Rowan challenged, aiming a smirk at him.

"Kind of hard to get to know a man who doesn't even want you," Link muttered.

"Oh, look at you. Poor thing." Rowan walked over to him, giving him a weak smile. "He wanted you, Link. He's just… He's…" Link glanced up to see Rowan scratching the back of his head and looking up at the sky as he thought. When he noticed Link's stare, he shrugged and offered a sheepish grin. "I just get the sense that he's quite… proper, you know? Like, he has his own sense of right and wrong, and he's going to stick with it despite what anybody—and himself included, I think—wants or feels."

Link's head hung forward as he pulled himself onto his feet. "Let's just go," he mumbled. "You probably want to be rid of me as well."

Because Sheik was no longer with them, Rowan and Link moved to travelling on the main road for the short remainder of their journey. There were a few other travelers making their way towards the city, as well; mostly merchants that were hoping to peddle their wares in the capital.

One man, leading a run-down horse that was pulling a rickety cart stared at them for so long that Link was sure that he knew who he was. Rowan spurred their own horse on faster when the man opened up his mouth to say something to them. Link supposed it was all for the better.

They were about a hundred yards away from the bridge that led to the eastern gate of the city when the soldiers finally noticed them. Three men in uniform came galloping towards them, their hooves harsh thunder on the wooden bridge.

Rowan pulled their horse to a stop. "I suppose this is it," he said. "The big 'see you later,' or whatever."

Link grunted in affirmation and dropped his hands from around Rowan's waist, eager to be rid of him. He dropped off of the horse, nearly falling to his knees when his legs didn't want to support him. He stood there for just a moment, staring at nothing, thinking about how in a few seconds, everything would be completely different.

Would Zelda be gone? Off and married to whomever their father had chosen for her? Would Marguerite still be there? Would he even be safe? Sheik had said that he would take care of Marguerite for him if need be, but then… Sheik had said so many things, and now he was gone.

"You sure I'm not going to be arrested for this?" Rowan shouted over the cacophony of stamping horses and shouting men.

Link glanced up in time to see the first of the three men reach them, pull out a crossbow that was fixed to the horse's saddle, and point it at Rowan.

"Dismount!" the man shouted.

Rowan put up both of his hands in surrender. "Hey, no, wait a second here, I'm—"

"Dismount right now and get on the ground, you son of a bitch!" The soldier bellowed again, his mount tossing its mane in agitation. Link couldn't see the man's face through the helmet he wore, which just added to how surreal everything was at that moment. Before he could even think of something to say to answer Rowan or call the soldier off, another of the three had arrived and reached down, plucking him off of the ground and lifting him up into his lap. The soldier wrapped his arms around him and turned the horse on point, tearing off back towards the gate. Link had to turn and hold tight to the man's waist, tucking his head into his chest just so that he wouldn't fall. The third soldier passed them on their way back, he and the other soldier screaming at Rowan to get on the ground. Link hoped that the young man would have the sense to listen.

As soon as they were back through the gates, Link's mind was taken elsewhere, because all hell broke loose.

There were at least twenty more soldiers now, all in uniform, running around like mad around the small guard's station by the gate. The townsfolk who had been nearby when Link was spotted were standing off a few dozen feet away, watching the scene unfold with wide eyes and open mouths.

"Get a squad together, and get him on a horse!"

Link was passed from one man to another as they all sorted themselves out. Before he could say much of anything, he was being held onto tightly by a soldier, surrounded by at least five others, and they were thundering through the streets, taking off at a full gallop through the city. Two of the men riding with them pulled ahead and began shouting at the civilians in the street to get out of the way. They passed the fountain, they passed the bridge, and came to a harsh stop in the courtyard where all of this had begun, with Sheik beguiling him into finding somewhere to be alone together.

And then, before he could pull himself completely out of his remembrances, he was being lifted off of the horse and ushered forward, up the steps of the castle. The large double doors were pulled open, Link was ushered through, and then…

His father, rushing down the front steps; his striking, handsome face looking older and wearier than Link remembered it ever being. Despite his weariness, his presence was large and commanding, and all of the sudden, Link felt very small. He raised his arms, hugging himself, and swallowed.

But then his father's eyes fell upon him, and all of the sad, tired lines were gone from his face, replaced with pure elation. His trimmed golden hair shone like a halo as he passed under the light of one of the tall windows set into the wall, his robes billowing out around him as he hurried across the large, echoing marble floor.

Link figured he had better say something, or at least explain. "Father, I—" But he didn't get the chance to finish, because once his father reached him, he swept Link up off of his feet; arms wrapping around him, squeezing him in a tight, warm embrace. His father laughed, sounding happy and lighthearted.

More than there were word for the telling, Link was happy to see his father. He loved his father, dearly and with all of his heart; and there had been times when he was with Sheik, in their early days together, when Link didn't think he'd ever get to see him again. But his happiness was tainted.

Here he was, wrapped up snug in his father's strong, safe arms; but for the life of him, it didn't matter, because the pain Sheik had left him with was still there, and it still fucking hurt.

"Oh, praise the goddesses for your safe return!" his father crowed, finally setting him down again. Link stumbled a bit when he couldn't find his own footing, but his father just pulled him in tight again, pressing his stubbled, scratchy cheek to Link's, his entire body vibrating with laughter. His father did pull back from him, however; but only to hold Link's shoulders at arm's length and stare at him, his crystalline blue eyes trailing up and down his body. "Heaven's above, son," he said, a chuckle bursting forth from him, past his grin. "Your clothes are positively filthy."

Link looked down at himself. His white tunic was stained, yes, and his clothing was rumpled, but they had been on the road for so long… "Oh," Link said, blinking several times. Honestly, he was just trying to collect himself. He felt so frazzled… "Well, I've been on the road for the past week, and—"

"You must tell me everything, Link," his father interjected, slinging a heavy arm around Link's shoulders, starting to usher him back up the staircase he had just descended.

Where to even begin? With Rowan, whom Link still had to make sure was alright? With the goddess inside of him? With the man who had kidnapped him and then left him? What on earth was he supposed to say about that? 'Oh, yeah, dad, I tried to shack up with the guy, but he wouldn't have me, so…'

That just would not do.

"I…" Link hesitated. He had no idea what to say; and honestly, it felt as though his mouth wouldn't form the words even if he did have them. "I don't know what to tell you."

They were only about halfway up the stairs, but when Link's father pulled away to look down at him, studying his face. Link looked back at him, knowing his face was starting to pinch from the effort to keep himself contained. Tears were forming behind his eyes, and he felt lost, but he didn't want to cry.

"Link?" His father's brow creased, but his steady blue eyes did not waver. They were almost as piercing as Sheik's. Link wanted to feel calm; he was grasping blindly in the dark, searching for that calmness, but it wasn't doing him any good, because his heart was beating out of his chest, a creeping anxiety starting to drape itself over him.

"I…" Link took a deep, gasping breath, shutting his eyes and pursing his lips, trying to hold everything in. "I'm just… very…" He missed Sheik. He was worried about Sheik. How on earth was he supposed to just forget about Sheik? What was he supposed to tell his father? "I—I'm happy to be home, I guess…" he said finally, opening his eyes again to find his father frowning down at him.

But then his father's frown slowly melted into a kind smile. "You must be feeling quite drained. A lot has happened to you, and…" his father's hand came back up to rest between Link's shoulder blades; he nudged Link further up the stairs, into the next hallway. "I realize that you need your rest after what you've been through, but we've been going mad over you, son. I just need a couple of minutes with you, if only to convince myself that you're really and truly back. Help give a father his sanity back, yeah?"

Link lowered himself down onto the sofa that his father had led him over to. He ran his hands along the plush upholstery, biting his lip. "I'm here," he said. "I'm back." He wasn't sure if he was saying it to his father or to himself.

"Yes, praise the goddesses," his father said.

Link glanced up sharply at that. The goddesses? Praise them? The Three were the cause of all this.

Link shrugged, tucking his hands under his legs and staring off at the floor, feeling glum. "Well, I—" He bit his lip. "I need to start off by saying that the man I was found with is not the same one who…" He bit his lip, feeling so out of sync. "The same one who took me, and I don't want any harm coming to him because of me."

His father wore a perplexed expression, with his brow in a knot and a frown on his lips. "Link," he said, voice gentle. "I'm afraid I don't understand."

"His name is Rowan, and he offered to take me back," Link lied. "He was very honorable, so I don't want to see harm come to him on my account. He only did a good deed."

"What of the man who threatened to kill you?"

"Sheik?" Link responded immediately, and then sort of wished he hadn't. His father raised his eyebrows in surprise, pursing his lips.

"You call him by his name?"

Oh, for the love of all hell. Now what? Link shrugged. "Father, he… Well, you see, he really wasn't all that bad…"

His father's face set into a deep scowl. "Not that bad?" he scoffed. "He threatened you with a poisoned knife, son. I'm afraid of just how strong his influence over you was."

"It was strong," Link murmured without thinking.

His father's frown deepened, and a look of cautious concern came over him, like he thought Link would start at the slightest provocation. "What did he do to you?" he asked, leaning forward.

Link shrugged, ignoring the question. "You know, the knife wasn't poisoned. He didn't want to hurt me. He was hired to kill me, but he… he didn't." Link had all but forgotten about that night and the terror and panic he'd felt with the edge of Sheik's knife pressed into his throat and his chest pressed against his back.

"Why in all bloody hell did he take you, then, if he wasn't going to kill you?" his father snapped. Link glanced up at him, aware that the man was losing his patience with Link's vacant behavior.

Sheik had taken him because that night had been the first night that Farore had channeled her power through Link.

Link sighed, leaning forward and resting his elbows on his knees. "Because there's something… something wrong with me."

"Nonsense!" a feminine voice exclaimed, causing a pit of dread to settle in Link's stomach, because he knew that voice. He knew that voice!

Link whirled around on the couch to find Marguerite standing at the mouth of the hallway that Link and his father had just come through. Her pregnancy still wasn't showing too much, but her hand was resting over her belly. Link suspected she carried herself that way because she didn't want anyone to forget that she was carrying his father's child. Marguerite smiled at him then, and her face was a completely false mask of concern.

"Darling!" Link's father called. Link whipped his head back around to stare at his father, who was all smiles, completely oblivious to that woman's lies and scheming. Hadn't he gotten Link's letter?

"I see that our son has been safely returned, my love," Marguerite purred. "I do hope that he isn't too traumatized by—"

"I'm not your son," Link muttered. He may have been tired, and he may have been sad, but he would be damned if he was going to let her blither on like that, especially after what she had tried to do to him. "My mother is dead," he spat. He made sure to lock eyes with his father, and then he repeated himself. "My mother is dead."

"Link!" his father scolded, rising up off the couch. "I'll not have you speaking to her like that! I'm grateful you're back—you're my son—but you're also the future king, which means things are expected of you, and you will not speak to my wife in that way!"

"Didn't you read what I told you about her?!" Link shouted back, hands clenching into fists. "I told you what she did! She did this to me!"

His father squared his chin, grinding his teeth together. "Son, you were under the influence of that man, you just told me yourself that he was manipulative, and—"

"I did not say that!" Link shrieked, jumping to his feet.

"—And there is no proof that that letter was really written by you," his father continued, shouting over him.

"No!" Link shouted. "Sheik didn't do anything! He didn't write it, I did!" Link pointed an accusing finger at Marguerite. "This was all her fault! Why can't you see that?! Is it because she's carrying your child?" Link put his hand over his chest. "I'm your child! Me! And Zelda!"

"You think I don't know that?!"

"You can't replace mom!" Link screamed, gesturing behind him, at Marguerite. "Least of all with her!"

His father's voice came out like a roar. "You are out of line!"

"Now, now, what's all the commotion in here?" a deep, warm, rumbling voice spoke from down the hallway, its owner still not visible.

Link felt a chill run up his spine, and his insides started thrumming with what felt like intense excitement. His heart was beating too fast. "Ah!" he choked, hand flying to his chest. He was buzzing with excitement and euphoria—pure fucking elation—but it wasn't his own.

Half bent over himself, hand still clutched to his chest, Link looked back at the newcomer who had spoken, wanting to know why Farore—for he had a suspicion it was She who was buzzing inside of him—was having such a happy fit.

What he saw emerge from the mouth of the hallway was a man—large and broad with tanned skin and bronze hair like flames. He looked unusual and striking all at once, draped in lavish black and gold clothing. He could certainly be considered handsome in an exotic sense, and when his tawny golden eyes slid over to meet with Link's, something hammered in his chest. His stomach cramped, and he felt lightheaded, swaying on his feet.

"Ah," Marguerite said in a soft voice, offering a gracious smile and nod to the strange man. Her icy eyes flicked to Link, and the corners of her eyes crinkled as she grinned at him. "Link, meet our guest. His name is Ganondorf. Your sister has already met him, of course. He's been quite concerned with your plight. Very worried you wouldn't be coming home to us."

The man parted his lips, and a cool laugh leaked from between them. "Yes," he said, and his voice was liquid, like a drug. This was a dangerous man. "It was such a sad thing to hear, that you had been taken. My heart went out to your family as they suffered without you, of course. And please, call me Ganon."

Link's upper lip curled back. "Why would you care about me?" he growled. It was difficult for him, his own mistrust battling with Farore's odd rapture.

The man pricked his eyebrow, giving Link a patronizing look. "Well, since we're soon to be family ourselves. Has the lunatic who took you been apprehended yet?"

Link's jaw tightened. "What?"

"I should think," the man said. "That he should be punished for his crimes."

"No, what do you mean that we'll be family soon?" Link demanded. He felt very small in the room of adults.

"Link," Link's father murmured, coming to stand behind him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "This is the man who your sister will be marrying."

"It was supposed to be announced at the ball," Marguerite cut in. "But… well, you know what happened better than any of us, don't you, poor love?" Link grimaced at the pet name. "It became an inappropriate time for such an announcement," she continued. "Luckily Lord Ganon was gracious enough to overlook our postponing of the publication."

The man gave Marguerite a gracious smile. "Please, my Lady. You need not use titles with me. And of course I understand. You were experiencing a family tragedy."

Link's first thought was that this man—this Ganon—was too old for Zelda, but that was just his protective, brotherly side showing its face. However, he already knew that he didn't trust the man, though he couldn't put a finger on why that was. Call it a gut feeling. "Where is she?" he asked. "I want to see her." He wanted her embrace and her reassurance.

"I don't actually know if anyone's notified her of your return yet," Link's father said. "That new guard of hers keeps her under pretty tight watch. Thank the goddesses that there are still some in this world worth trusting."

At that, the man's eyes flicked up to Link's father, narrowing ever so slightly.

Everyone was quiet, then. It felt like they were all waiting for something to happen, someone to speak.

Link closed his eyes. Dear heavens above, he wanted to be in Sheik's arms. Everything felt so starkly different. Things was changing, and he wanted his sister. He wanted someone that he knew without a doubt he could trust. "I want to see her," he said again, glancing up.

Ganon stepped forward, capturing Link's gaze with his shining golden eyes. "You must still be quite shaken up. I would be much obliged if you would allow me to escort you to her rooms."

Link swallowed thickly, wanting to look somewhere else but not being able to tear his eyes away from the man's. His body was singing, still so happy, so relieved to be in such close proximity to this guest of his father's. This man who was going to marry his sister. This man who made his insides croon.

Link just somehow knew. Farore was screaming it inside of him. Sister. Sister. Her sister.

Everything fell into place. This man had Din.

Sheik wasn't sure where to go. He didn't… well, he didn't have anywhere to be. He didn't have anyone that needed him or wanted him. So… go back to accepting assassin's contracts? Go back to anonymously dropping off money at poorhouses? Go back to forcing himself to sleep with a boy every six months, just so he could feel like a normal person?

It was dark out. He should stop riding. He should build a fire.

He should turn his horse around right fucking now, ride back to Castle Town, and throw himself at Link's feet.

"Fuck!" Sheik yanked his horse to a stop and pushed himself off of it, dropping down into the grass beside her stamping hooves. It was dark, and he couldn't see a thing, which he supposed suited him. The grass was damp and soaked him through almost immediately, but what did it matter? He could die right there in that field, and it wouldn't make a difference to anyone.

Wet grass between his fingers. Col dampness on his skin. An aching despair in his heart.

In all his life—all his miserable life—he'd never felt this empty. What had he given away today, when he'd left Link?

He'd given away his chance at life.

"He's stopped now," Karametra hissed, raising her arm parallel to the ground for balance as she crouched in the grass.

"You let him run too far," Chandra, her younger blood-sister muttered from behind her, a few paces back and to Karametra's left.

"Wait until their vulnerable, and then strike," Karametra murmured, her eyes not straying from the dim smudge in the distance that she knew to be the Sheikah. It was black out, and night was heavy, but she could faintly make out the shape of the horse and the young Sheikah himself, sprawled on the ground. She could hear him weeping.

"He has been on his own for hours," Chandra snipped back. "We could have taken him long before now, and then we would be back in front of a warm fire by now, instead of crouched in this grass getting our asses wet!"

Karametra whipped her head around, yanking down the heavy black fabric that shrouded her face. "Shut up, Chandra. You just want to be back in Castle Town so you can try and bed some poor unsuspecting Hylian man."

"Well yeah! That was the whole point of coming out of the desert, yeah? Well, wasn't it?" She sniffed. "Might even try a shot at that Sheikah if I can."

"We're done talking about this," Karametra snapped. "If we had tried to take him before, there's a chance that he could have been injured. Do you think the Master wants us to bring him a broken Sheikah? We'll take him now, while he's still on the ground."

"Just take him with the darts," Chandra hissed.

"Only if you want to carry him the whole way back," Karametra growled.

"Who cares? Should be easy," Chandra muttered, creeping forward until she was shoulder to shoulder with Karametra. "He has a horse. Just load him on that. Sneaking up on him will be easy, too. The fucking loser isn't even aware of his surroundings right now, look at him." She jerked her chin in his direction.

"Shut up," Karametra snapped, following her gaze. It was true, the Sheikah was curled on the ground, oblivious to all else and being more than a little stupid; however, Karametra knew what he had been through. She had been spying on him long enough to understand what that young man had endured, and… well, it was admirable, the way he was trying to hold on. She and her sisters were supposed to drag him back to the Master, who would do goddess's knew what with him; so in Karametra's opinion, he at least deserved a bit of understanding and gentility on their part.

They weren't heartless.

Sheik rolled over onto his back, heaving out a huge sigh now that his tears were spent.

"All the freedom I could ever fucking want," he muttered, staring up at the stars, his mind and expression blank. "And I don't fucking want it."

What should he do? Where should he go? A part of him wanted to go back to Sol, just so that he could have someone to fall back on. Somewhere deep in the back of his mind, he knew that being alone was harmful to him, especially in his current state of mind; and having lost what he just had, he—

A few feet off, Sheik's horse tossed her mane and snorted loudly. Sheik glanced over at her to see her shifting nervously, stamping her hooves in agitation; but from what?

Sheik frowned, sitting up. He may have given up, but he still had instincts, and his instincts were telling him that something was wrong.

He narrowed his eyes, scanning the dark landscape around him, but he couldn't see anything.

"What in the world—" Sheik's mouth dropped open, and his hand flew to the back of his neck, where he'd just felt something sharp prick him. His fingers closed around something thin and cylindrical, and when he tugged on it, it came out of his neck with a sharp pain.

He felt almost light headed as he brought the small object close to his face so that he could see what it was. His eyelids drooped and his limbs felt heavy, and in the part of his mind that was still alert, he knew he'd been poisoned.

The dart dropped from between his slack fingers and fell somewhere on the ground, lost.

And then Sheik slumped to the ground, lost as well.

Yikes. Things aren't looking so good, are they? And ideas on what's going to happen to Sheik? Do you think Link is actually safe now that he's back home?

I'm very eager to start on the next chapter, because some very interesting things will be happening. As always, please don't hesitate to contact me via review or PM if you have any comments, questions, or just want to say: 'Why are you doing all these horrible things to these poor characters?' to me. XD

Later, friends!