It was the day of Link's departure and Sheik was helping him get all of his gear together and ready Epona. Sheik hefted Epona's saddle on to her back and Link quickly buckled the billet strap. They worked in relative silence around each other, preparing for the trip with mindless precision, tying bags to the saddle, checking and double checking supplies, and making sure everything was secure. When they'd done the last thing needed the two stood facing each other with tension racing in the space between them.

Link let out a huff of breath and shook his head while looking away from Sheik. "You're not coming."

"Like hell I'm not!" Sheik cried in outrage. "You're going out there," he threw an arm in the direction of the gates leading out of the castle, "without me. You're riding in to an ambush with no one to help you fend them off."

Link looked at Sheik patiently and waited till he had to stop to take a breath before speaking.

"I'll be alright, Sheik. Zelda's got marksmen on the outer wall that are going to watch my back when I leave. Besides," Link took Sheik's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze, the wounds not completely healed but closing rapidly because of Sheik's magic, "you're still hurt and I'm not taking the chance that you get separated from me and captured. We both know that Ganodorf wants to use your powers and that he'll stop at nothing to get what he wants." Link's eyes strayed to the bandages still wrapped around Sheik's hands and Sheik looked down too. Link was right, Sheik knew this, but it was his job to protect Link. How was he supposed to do that if he was stuck here in the safety of the castle?

Link pulled Sheik into a hug and whispered against his ear, "If you won't stay for your own safety, then stay for me, please. I don't want to worry about you." Sheik nodded against Link's chest and brought his arms up to hug Link back. He felt guilty because he fully planned on following Link after he'd left; he'd been given a job and by the goddesses he was going to do it.

A throat cleared itself from behind them and the two turned to face a stable boy. "Are you Link?" He looked at each of them waiting for an answer. Link said he that he was and the stable boy continued speaking. "Zelda requests that you bring all of the sages back to the castle."

"Consider it done," Link says, he then turns to Sheik. "I've got to leave, I'll be back before you know it." Sheik gives him a grim smile and takes the scarf he'd given Link for Yulemas and wrapped it around Link's neck.

"Be careful and take care of yourself, alright?"

"Of course."

Link mounted Epona and gave her a small nudge to get her going. Sheik watched Link until he was out of sight before turning to the stable boy. "Do you need anything else?" He crossed his arms over his chest trying to warm up his chilly hands. The stable boy shook his head and scurried off to do some unknown chore. Sheik stood outside for a little while longer before deciding to go inside to warm up.

xXx

Link had been gone for a couple of days and Sheik was getting ready to sneak out that night to trail him. He was in the midst of packing clothes when Impa came into his room. She looked at the half packed bag that was on the bed and gave him a look of disapproval but said nothing on the matter. Sheik paused in his packing and turned to face his mother with a question visible in his eyes.

"Zelda would like to see you at some point today, preferably after dinner," Impa said.

"Okay, where are we meeting?" Sheik asked, turning his attention back to packing.

"In her study," Impa sighed as Sheik placed the last of the clothing in the bag and closed it. "She has something extremely important to tell you," she continued. "Could you wait to go gallivanting off after your knight in shining armor until afterwards?"

Sheik leveled a glare at his mother. "I'll try," he said sarcastically. He set the bag down on the floor by the foot of his bed. He still needed to nick some knives from the weapons room and grab some food before he could even think about how he was going to get his horse outside the castle walls.

"I hope you know what you're doing," Impa said quietly.

Sheik looked over at her, she'd decided to perch herself on the arm of one of the overstuffed chairs that sat a little ways away from his bed. "I do."

"You're all healed then?" She gestured to her son's hands and feet.

"Yeah, not much left to heal but a few scabs," he answered.

"Be careful, use the storm drains under the castle to get out. They lead to the fields just west of here." Sheik nodded at Impa, he'd thought of using the drains but had no knowledge of where they lead. "I've only got one son, Sheik, and I'd like to see him again."

Sheik gave his mother a small smile. "I'll be careful," and in a rare show of affection Sheik gave Impa a hug. Not just any hug though, this was a bone crushing, heart stopping, I love you hug, he didn't give those out often and Impa soaked it up like a sponge.

They let go of each other and Impa gave Sheik a peck on the cheek. "I'll see you at dinner." Then she got up at left the room, leaving Sheik to continue preparing.

Sheik went down to dinner later that evening and was surprised to find himself the last one to arrive. Zelda was sitting at the head of the long table with Impa off to her right and politicians of all sorts with their wives seated in the other chairs. Sheik found an empty chair down towards the other end of the table and seated himself there. Dinner was filled with the usually chatter of politics and simple conversation. Sheik was content to just listen to the gossip around him and enjoy his meal, he participated in a few conversations when the others around him inquired about his life. He gave them simple answers, not telling them what he did for a living of course, but where he grew up and other generic things like that.

After dinner Sheik didn't go straight to Zelda's study. He waited for a little bit outside the door to the kitchen wanting to go in when all the hussle and bussle from dinner was over. He managed to slip in and out without causing trouble.

He took the loaves of bread and chunks of hard cheese up to his room and placed them with his bag. He'd come back up here after his talk with Zelda and then make a stop by the weapons room on his way out to the stables. After that he'd be free to go help Link with his quest like he should have been doing in the first place.

Sheik walked down the dark hallways carrying a candle in a holder, casting flickering shadows that were in conflict from the ones the sparsely distributed candles on the walls thew. The walk to the study wasn't long and Sheik made it there at what he thought was an acceptable time since dinner had ended.

When he reached the solid oak door he didn't bother knocking, but instead walked right in. Zelda was next to her desk with her back to the door busying herself with something. Sheik heard the clink of silverware on china and assumed she was fixing herself some after dinner tea. He walked over to one of the wingback chairs that were turned in slightly so there was easy access to the small table between them and sat down in one. Zelda turned to him when she had finished and offered Sheik an already prepared cup of tea while she set her own down on the table. Sheik took the cup and blew on the steaming liquid as Zelda settled herself in the chair across from his.

"I was told you have something rather important to impart to me."

"Ah, yes," Zelda fidgeted in her seat, her hands clenching and unclenching in her dress. That tipped Sheik off that whatever this was, it was a big deal to her, and that had him sitting up straighter. "I don't know how to tell you," she said looking down at her hands and then over at the dark window.

"Just say it, it can't be that bad. Can it?" Sheik took a sip from his tea and gave her a moment to gather her thoughts. It took her a few minutes to figure out what she wanted to say and to then find the courage to say it.

"Sheik . . . You and I, we're- we're brother and sister," Zelda admitted quietly.

Sheik froze in shock, and as he stared at Zelda he vaguely heard the sound of shattering china. It was as if the world had stopped for him, time coming to a standstill, but his mind and heart not getting the memo. They both raced to the point where it caused Sheik pain, and it was this pain that finally made him say, "what?"

"We're siblings, Sheik." Zelda reached out a hand to put on one of Sheik's shaking ones, but drew it back when Sheik shot to his feet. His face was heartbreaking mixture of disbelief and slow creeping distrust.

"We're not siblings," Sheik said firmly, backing away from Zelda who was standing up as well.

"Yes we are. Sheik, come si-"

"No! Don't you dare tell me to calm down or to sit back down!" Sheik interrupted, his irate expression enough to keep Zelda from talking. "You can't just lie to me about something this big and expect me to take it calmly!"

"But it's true! You and I are twins, we are related by blood!" Zelda pleaded with Sheik trying desperately to get him to see it wasn't all a ruse.

"How!" Sheik yelled. "How are we siblings and you're the only one who possesses this information?"

"Our village was attacked just after we were born, our mother was the only one who managed to escape and she brought us here. She left me on the castle steps in the middle of the night and left you on Impa's. I don't know why she split us up, or why she didn't just go into hiding after the attack. But you've got to believe me Sheik, I wouldn't lie about something like this." Zelda had edged closer to Sheik as she had talked and now placed a hand gently on his shoulder.

"Why was our village attacked?" Sheik asked, still not quite on board with all of this.

"It was a village of Sheikah. The raid happened towards the end of the Sheikah Hunts, the time when the general public was fearful of the Sheikah and sought to eradicate them. Our's was the last village left that was purely Sheikah and so we were seen as a large threat that needed taken care of," Zelda explained. Sheik was quiet for a long time, contemplating all of what had been said to him. It all seemed plausible now that he looked back at it. Impa had told him there had been only one Sheikah village left around the time he'd been born, she'd also told him about the hunts and the reasons why they continued the practice of the Sheikah, but more importantly why they only practiced at night when they were less likely to be seen. He nodded to himself, tentatively accepting the truth Zelda had offered. A small blossom of hope made itself comfortable in Sheik's chest as the idea of family became known, the thought of it being more than just Impa and himself had Sheik excited. It was something he'd always wished for when younger, when he was done with long, grueling hours of training he had wanted someone to play with or share the misery of aching muscles after lessons on combat or weapons use.

"Okay," he whispered quietly into the silence. Zelda's face cracked in to a large smile and she hugged Sheik tightly, squealing with joy. Sheik wrapped his arms around her and couldn't help the smile that had his lips parting to show his teeth.

When Zelda pulled back and held Sheik at arm's length she couldn't help but laugh a little, too ecstatic about the situation to not. "So, do you have any questions?"

"Who's older?"

"Me of course," Zelda said in a fake haughty way, placing her hand on her chest and sticking her nose in the air for added effect. Sheik rolled his eyes at her and smirked, of course she was the eldest.

As Sheik was opening his mouth to let loose a witty retort a searing pain raced from his back where the Dragon mark was and out to all his limbs. He cried out in agony as the burning got worse and his thundering heartbeat drowned out the rest of the world. Though his vision was blurred on the edges and only a small section of it was clear he realised in a detached thought that the floor was racing up to meet him before it jerked to a stop. As his eyes focused and unfocused on the floor the burning Sheik felt continued to spread. It wrapped around his limbs like vines on a tree and curled itself around his lungs and heart, it released waves of pain that got stronger with each pulse and finally sent Sheik screaming until his throat was bloody and his body gave out, sending him into a black void that did nothing but dull the pain.

When Sheik had let out the yelp of pain and doubled over Zelda had immediately sprung into action. She had raced to the door and thrown it open yelling for help then went and grabbed Sheik just as he was crumpling to the floor. She had an arm wrapped around him waist to keep him against her as she lowered them to the floor. Sheik was leaning against her front, head on her shoulder, giving sounds of pain that kept getting worse. She tried calming him by talking to him and petting his hair and arms but none of it seemed to help. Just before help arrived Sheik let out an earsplitting shriek and fell silent.

Impa raced through the door and quickly over to the siblings. She knelt next to them and took Sheik's face in her hands looking from any telling signs as to what was happening.

"We need to get him to the medical bay," Impa said as she hooked her arms under Sheik and stood up carrying him bridal style. Zelda stood also and followed Impa out of the room and towards the medical bay, never taking her eyes off the pale face of her brother as blood ran from his nose and the corner of his mouth and as angry red lines inched their way across his porcelain skin.