Haha, I had the best typo ever in my last chapter. Instead of "ran my fingers through his hair," I said, "ran my tigers through his hair." Not sure why, but I found this hysterical and burst out laughing. I went back and edited it though. I almost never do that... Anyway.
MistyMilkshakeBoss: Team Peeta all the way ;)
pyrosavvy5: I know right? I really want a magical fire wand! That would be dangerous...
Kamil the Awesome: I know right, I love torches. And thanks, I decided to add Setian in last minute. Hawaiian is such a cool language.
Thanks to ShadowNinja1011, DarkOppressor, prien12, Lauparisi, Sheikgal, Anon, and BlueMonkeyDoll. You all make this story worthwhile!
~Leila
Chapter Twenty (?)
The girl leaned against the wall, looking out the window at the inky black sky above. He stood next to her, hovering over her constantly like a guard dog. Not that she minded. Well, the free part of her minded. The other part, the part he controlled, liked it when he was close to her. She wondered where they were. The free part hoped they were safe. The other part was willing them to get kidnapped so they could win. It was a constant battle with herself, a war for control.
"The King will be returning soon," the man told her, fingering the back of her neck. "He has been thinking. We have been thinking. And we think we know just the way to break down the Chosen and get them straight to us. But..." he trailed off and leaned in closer. "We need you cooperation."
"Yes, sir," she answered automatically.
"When the King asks you a question, I expect you'll answer it like a good girl."
"Yes, sir."
He grinned, a twisted, evil grin. "Good. Very good. You know, Midna, at first I had my doubts about you. I wasn't sure I could trust you. But now, here you are. Obedient to the point of perfection. I'm quite proud of you."
"Thank you, sir," Midna said, still looking straight out the window. The King was here, she could feel it. The sky had grown darker, the stars dimmer, and the air hummed with an untouchable power. The power of the Triforce.
Right on cue, the mahogany doors to the throne room were thrown open, and a dark man stalked in. This throne room was much different than that of her master's. Everything was tasteful and expensive, usually handcrafted from the deserts. The man turned and sank into the throne. His dark skin seemed darker than normal tonight, and his gold eyes were alight with something between excitement and madness. He must have really struck inspiration tonight.
"Girl, come here," he ordered Midna.
"Yes, my King."
She walked quickly over to the throne and knelt before him. Everything about his presence was overwhelming. He was so much different than the man she knew as a child. The man who would take them to the beach and buy them shaved ice afterwards. The man who would take them to the zoo, and when she was too short to see the monkeys, he would lift her up in his strong arms. The man who let them have sleepovers and roast marshmallows inside on their wood burning fireplace. The man before her was an entirely different character.
"My dear Midna. How funny it is to have you here on my side through all of this. I guess Fate does have a sense of irony," he mused, staring down at her with his intimidating gold eyes.
"Fate does indeed seem to have its own set of plans," she agreed.
"As do I. But I need your utmost cooperation. I want to break the Hero's spirit. I know how to get to the girl, seeing that I've raised her for her whole life. She will be easier to capture. But if Fate is to repeat itself, the Hero will save her. Unless I can crush him; toy with his mind and break him down, making him more vulnerable and leaving the Princess to me. But I need to know the people closest to them for my plan to go through. Tell me, Midna, who were his closest childhood friends?" the man asked, leaning forward in his throne.
"Saria and Sheik," she said instantly. The three had been inseparable since kindergarten. But as soon as she say the last name, the free part of her felt a surge of strength. Sheik. If they had him, they'd hurt him before Link to break him down. Or possess him like they possessed her. She couldn't have that happen, not to him.
"Saria and Sheik. Very well. Zant, send a few soldiers to retrieve these two-"
"Wait!" Midna cried. The gold eyes flickered back to her, a small fire raging in them.
"Yes?" he hissed, glaring at her and making her feel suddenly microscopic.
"I... You can't use Sheik," she stuttered, looking at the ground. An amused look flashed across the Dark King's face.
"And why is that?" he asked.
"Because... I... he..." she stammered, losing her courage. "Because that's not the best way to crush Link Carstairs!" she burst out. Noe she was going to have to think of a better way.
"Really? And what might that better way be?"
"...You want to completely break and crush his soul? You won't accomplish that through his friends. Sure, that'll affect him, but not in the way you want it to. If you want to get to him, it has to be through himself. Get to him through the Princess. Instead of capturing both of them at once, get her first. Even better, find a way to turn her against him. Then, through his family. He can't stand the past. Even though I'm not sure what happened, I'm sure one of you does. Do those things, and it'll crush him completely."
The words had flowed out of her so easily. She was betraying Link, but saving Sheik. Betraying the "enemy", and saving the one who held her heart. That was all she could do at the moment. The King nodded slowly.
"I see. Crush him by taking away the one he loves and reliving the awful moment of the past. I remember that day clearly. Zant, I believe you remember it better than I."
Zant's lips curled into a feral snarl. Apparently he did.
"So you think this is the way to go?" the Dark King asked. Midna nodded.
"The only way to get to Link Carstairs is through his heart."
The short blonde girl looked at the boy sleeping. His blonde hair was mussed up from sleep, and his breathing was deep and even. Aryll Carstairs' heart won;d have been fluttering now, seeing her older brother's handsome best friend. But Hylia knew better than to think those things. It wasn't in her nature, and he was here to guide her. Nothing more.
Her tall, Sheikah companion knelt by the boy's bedside and shook him gently. Navi fluttered close to her side, never straying too far away from hrt.
"Sheik," Impa said softly. He groaned and mumbled something, rolling over so his back was facing the odd trio. Impa rolled her red eyes and shook him again, this time a little harder.
"Sheik... Sheik... You need to get up."
"S' too early..." he mumbled, his voice heavy with sleep. "Five more mins..."
"Sheik Mitchell Umbra, you get up this instant!" Impa roared. Sheik slowly dragged himself up to a sitting position, blinking the sleep out of his deep crimson eyes. Aryll Carstairs noted how he was shirtless, revealing a well-toned six-pack. Hylia simply saw that he was in shape, all the better to defend her.
"Aunt Impa? What are you- why are you in my room?" he sputtered, suddenly wide awake. He glanced towards the girl standing by his door. "...Aryll? Why are you here?"
"Not Aryll, Sheik," Impa told him gently. "Remember what I told you? What you've been training for your whole life?"
She leaned over to whisper in his ear. The girl already knew what her guide was telling him, and if she didn't know, the look on his face would have been a dead giveaway. Impa was telling him who she was. What she was doing. Why it was so vital that she accomplish what she was set out to do. What his role in all of this was. When she pulled away from him, Sheik simply stared at her. He flashed her a small, forced smile.
"Who would have thought. Aryll Carstairs, Goddess of the skies. I guess it's you and me, kiddo," he said, pulling himself out of the covers.
"And me!" Navi cried indignantly.
"Or course. We get a faerie too," he said dryly, opening his closet and searching for something.
"Wear your gear," Impa reminded him.
"What do you think I'm looking for?" Sheik snapped back. "Sorry, it's just a little bit of information to take in. My friend's younger sister is the Goddess, and I'm supposed to lead her to three Light Springs and then to the Triforce! With a faerie!"
"I'm sorry Sheik. I would protect her, but it is not my job. I'm required elsewhere," Impa said simply. The blonde girl nodded.
"You're being pulled into this rather quickly, and for that I apologize, but this is what you were destined to do. You were chosen to do this, and now as darkness rises, you have to rise up to your duty," she said, looking at him seriously. He blinked.
"I'm sorry, that just sounds so wrong coming from a ten year old," he said, yanking out a traditional Sheikah suit from his closet.
"Go get dressed," Impa instructed. "And pack a small bag. A light small bag!" she called as he slammed his door on them. She sighed. "He'll serve you well, Your Grace. I can tell you that. It might take him longer to adjust, but he will serve you to the death."
"I hope it doesn't come to that," Aryll Carstairs heard herself saying.
"I hope it doesn't either. It will be in Fate's hands."
There was a pause, and inside Sheik's bedroom you could hear Sheik, cursing out Fate and destiny, grumbling about his "poor deprived sleep." Impa cracked a smile.
"Good luck, Your Grace," she said, turning to leave. "Now is when I leave you. I was destined to guide another, and merely rescued you that one night by accident on my way to the one whom I was fated to lead. Goodbye."
"Impa, I... I'm scared. We were attacked yesterday! Attacked! A war is brewing, darkness is growing, and the chances of me making it are slowly depleting," Hylia cried.
"Oh Your Grace, don't think like that," Navi whispered.
"She is right. You must keep a hight head and have faith."
"But Impa, how can I have faith when I don't even know who I am?"
Impa smiled down at the young girl and cupped her face in her hands. "If anything, just have faith in who you are supposed to be and who you once were. That is all I can say to you. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a royal appointment."
Sheik came out just as she left, and the two young ones watched silently as the woman retreated into the night, leaving them alone.
Whew, dramaticness... kind of. They're plot developers, if anything.
1. Sheik's last name is "Umbra," meaning shadow.
That's it. Next chapter soon. Any guesses on what Impa or Ganondorf are going to do? I'd love to hear them!
~Leila
Read Beautiful by Miss Ashlynn, or Antiquis Viam by anidnawind. Both are quite good.