It was getting close to dawn when Sheik returned to the castle. He considered returning to his room and getting some rest, but the deserted training ground was too good of an opportunity to miss. He removed the Gerudo recurve bow from where he'd strapped it to his pack and then attached the quiver to his waist. Even though the training ground was in the center of the castle and there was a good chance someone might see him training, Sheik guessed he'd at least have a few shots before he was noticed. If he was terrible, he'd switch to his daggers; he couldn't have anyone see him fail after all.
He tested the weight of the bow, careful not to let his fingers slip and dry fire. It was heavily weighted, but Sheik was confident he could handle it. He took an arrow from the quiver and placed it. It was odd that the movement felt so natural. He had only tried the bow a few times after all. He stood straighter and held the bow up. Then he drew back, his fingers brushing his cheek. Then he aimed at the straw target and released. The arrow whistled through the air and embedded itself an inch from the edge of the target. Sheik bit his lip in pain. The bowstring had glanced off the side of his forearm painfully. Sheik mentally scolded himself, he knew better than that. He'd made the same painful mistake months ago when he had tried the bow in the forest.
He'd been trying to be sneaky since Impa was opposed to him touching the bow for some reason. His yelp of pain had woken her up, and she had given him her stern reprimanding look before pulling back to the camp. Then she had removed a piece of equipment from her pack that he'd never paid attention to before. The strip of leather had two straps on each end and Impa demonstrated how to put in on his arm right where the string had hit. Then she'd given him that odd look. He'd seen it a few times. It was like she was trying to make sense of Sheik. It was a mix of puzzled and sad that Sheik had feared meant he had disappointed her. Yet that night, whatever had been going through her mind was resolved, and she handed him the bow back and waved him away. He had practiced for the rest of the week but stopped after. He couldn't really explain why, just that whenever Impa saw him with a bow she looked sad, and Sheik felt guilty.
Sheik would have to acquire another strap since that one had been in Impa's pack. For now, he quickly wrapped some extra cloth around his arm, and prayed no one had noticed. Then he tried another arrow. This one barely made it closer to the center than the first. Sheik was annoyed; with the other bow he had always at least made the second ring. Asoka had said these bows were less forgiving. He tried again, carefully timing the release with his breathing so it didn't affect the bow. He got closer this time. I can do this!
After retrieving his arrows for the fourth time, Sheik called it a night. The sun was steadily rising, and he wanted to get some sleep before reporting back to Captain Knuckle. He had needed all his focus to shoot straight, and couldn't have been certain if anyone was watching him. But he felt his performance was satisfactory enough not to risk his image. As he left the training yard, however, he saw the other Gerudo Captain, Naoku, watching him. He gave her a nod and she returned the courtesy. She had an amused look on her face, but Sheik could tell she was studying him intently. He wondered if he'd get a visit from her as well.
He entered his room, and there was a startled squeak as the maid dropped the breakfast platter. He had opened the door while her back was turned, and she'd jumped when it clicked behind him. Sheik had been thinking about Naoku and had forgotten how skittish the servant was. She whirled around, and her hands flew to her mouth as she saw Sheik there. Her eyes were fixed above his eyes, and Sheik realized that once again he had arrived bloodied. After a second, the girl started babbling apologies, leaned down and started to clean up the scattered crockery. The main plate had already been placed on the desk, but a cup of milk and what Sheik guessed was his dinner last night had spilled. He felt awkward as she trembled and cleaned up the mess. He couldn't lean down and help her, but she was also blocking the path into the room.
Someone like Captain Ross would probably have yelled at her or punished her. Ruba would definitely have insulted her clumsiness. Sheik thought about who he was in her eyes and decided to say nothing. Instead he crossed his arms and watched her. He'd noticed already how uncomfortable Hylians were with his red eyes, they often couldn't hold his gaze yet they would stare at his face when they thought he wasn't looking. The girl shakily gathered the mess and used her apron to dry the floor. Then she nervously stood up, staring at the floor. Sheik was now blocking her way.
"I-I'm sorry. I'll b-be more careful."
Sheik nodded, "I hope so. What is your name?"
As he expected, the question made her even more panicked; she seemed to shrink under his gaze. She looked about a year or two younger than Sheik, and he couldn't help but wonder how she'd come into this position.
"L-Leigha, sir."
Sheik nodded again, filing that information away. Then he stepped to the side.
"Are you the only one who tends this room?"
She nodded, still staring at the floor. Her brown bangs hid her eyes.
"Alright, bring me a bucket of water and a towel as quick as you can."
"Yes, sir," Leigha breathed as she slipped past Sheik and opened the door. As the door closed Sheik wondered how fast she'd be back. She no doubt wanted nothing more than to never be back in a closed room with him again. Was she the daughter of one of the Hylian troops? A former resident of Castletown with few options? Was she a slave?
Sheik wished he could just ask her, but he'd learned his lesson from Malon. It was too easy for him to lose his threatening shroud of mystery. However, it was good to know how many people had access to his room and who they were. Leigha didn't seem capable of assassination or espionage. Although, if her situation was dire, who knew what someone could convince her to do? Would escape from the castle be enough? Was she here of her own free will? Sheik added her to his ever growing list of variables and then began to unpack his bulging pack.
Weapons stowed, his extra clothes folded away, and his pack reduced to a mission ready state, Sheik began to feel more at home in his room. He was just finishing up the meal Leigha had left when there was a small knock on the door.
"Come in."
Sure enough, Leigha walked in, lugging a bucket of water and a towel over her shoulder. Without turning towards her, Sheik pointed to the space between the wardrobe and the desk, near where his mirror was. "Put it down there."
When he heard the bucket thud to the floor he turned around. Leigha quickly dropped her gaze, but Sheik could tell she had been staring at him. He walked towards the bucket, and she quickly stepped back and began collecting his plate. Ignoring her, he reached for the towel she had left hanging on the chair. He dipped it in the water and started cleaning the blood off his face. Out of the corner of his eye he saw her glancing at him. She moved to the door and hesitated for just a moment, giving him one more look before exiting quickly.
With a few more dabs of the towel, Sheik finished cleaning his wound and looked at the scabbed cut with satisfaction. With the excess blood cleared off, the cut itself was mostly hidden by his bangs. Sheik ran the wet towel behind his neck and wiped away the dried sweat there. He thought about Leigha; she'd been back as quickly as Sheik figured it would take to get to the kitchen, then the well and back, so her job was a higher priority than her fears. He didn't know if Leigha would ever come in handy for any plans he might have, but he did know that keeping a close eye on someone who would inevitably see him more than most was important. Like Malon and her father, Sheik needed to stay in control of as many variables as possible. He winced as he lowered himself into bed; his legs and back ached from his equestrian training. He let himself drift off into a light sleep to burn time before noon.
A/N Hello everybody! I started a new job back in August, and not that I'm in the groove of things, I've decided my goal is to update every weekend. You may get the occasional bonus weekday chapter but count on a new update every week somewhere between Friday and Sunday night! Thanks for reading my story! Please review and let me know what you think!
