Disclaimer: I do not own anything of the Legend of Zelda—characters, locations, plot, etc. It is all property of Nintendo.
Chapter fifty
The Hero in the Hidden Village
Part two: A Horrible Lack of Respect
Sheik led Link back through the village after walking Alaema to the medical tent when she decided it was time to go, (Navi miraculously in Link's hat after the little girl all but demanded the fairy to stay with her) saying he wanted to show the Hero something.
They passed all the tents, including Sheik's own, to an empty plot of land. Sheik pointed out the Gossip Stone with which he and Link communicated. It was rather exciting for the Hero.
"This is where I usually train," said Sheik, gesturing over the land.
Link jabbed a thumb behind him, brows furrowed.
"Yes, there is a training ground at the front of the camp, but I'm not exactly welcomed there," Sheik answered the silent question. "It's for the recruits and soldiers."
"That's stupid," Link muttered.
"I've stolen a few wooden dummies to practice on in the past, but I haven't gotten any recently."
—
Training with a Sheikah was difficult. Link had never traditionally trained with anyone and jumping right into with Sheik was proving to be an ordeal. Sheik taught Link that basics of his Sheikah training: how to grip his sword more efficiently, complicated footwork, and deadly strikes—all things the Hero was capable of learning, but he struggled with that very factor. That in turn made him come off as disinterested and he sensed Sheik's frustration under his cool exterior.
Training Link was difficult. The Hero was amazing in battle; his strength and experience served him well, but soon it was painfully obvious he had no professional training. Link did things his own way, and getting him into even the easiest routine with a sword that Sheik knew required a bout of patience. If Sheik became authoritative, Link's temper flared, and when Sheik decided to try something else, Link apologized profusely. He would eventually win the Sheikah over with one of his choice smiles.
However, shortly after one last dispute, Sheik managed to wrestle Link into cooperation and they found some kind of flow. Just as the Hero began to grasp the lesson, it changed. He argued, but Sheik assured him that they would have plenty of time to continue as they waited for the arrival of the Gorons. Link was relieved Sheik revealed that bit of information without him having to ask. He didn't want to admit to missing that much of their meeting with the army earlier today.
"Besides, struggling to remember the steps tonight in bed might actually help and make you want to relearn them tomorrow," the Sheikah had scolded.
Sheik instructed Link to discard his weapons. They were going to spend a lot of time focusing on his uncommon muscles, the ones under the bulk, and building his hand-eye coordination. That, of course, didn't sound very appealing to Link, not just because he felt naked without his weapons, but because dueling with a Sheikah in hand-to-hand combat actually scared him quite a bit.
The Sheikah demonstrated what Link would be learning today and it seemed easy enough, but when the Hero got cocky, Sheik displayed an unnecessary and impossible amount of his skill just to goad him. Link was rarely envious, but when he witnessed Sheik's flexibility, saw how muscular, dexterous, and powerful he was, it sparked that dreaded longing emotion in his heart. The Sheikah was glorious, perfect in every way. He was skilled beyond comprehension, and worth about a thousand soldiers just with his hands.
Link resigned his control to Sheik, finally allowing himself to be taught. It was a pleasant surprise to learn he wasn't completely hopeless when it came to Sheik's favored style of fighting, and Sheik was actually a good instructor when Link gave him the reins and listened. He helped position Link's feet, and any time he'd accidentally move before Sheik could even show him where to hold his arms, Sheik calmly helped him back into the stance. Then he would gently walk him through step-by-step until the Hero gained his rhythm. The tension between them dissipated the more they worked together, and it became an enjoyable, intimate time for each other. Almost fun, Link might have said.
Although, eventually, Link found an opportunity and slumped to the ground, exhausted. Sheik turned and caught sight of Link resting, so decided he could break as well. He sat next to the Hero, the wind cooling the perspiration trapped underneath his exoskeleton over his back. Link offered the canteen he carried to Sheik with a small smile.
"How are you so light?" he asked suddenly.
Sheik snorted and wiped his mouth, opting to leave his cowl down for the time being. To anyone else the question would've been rather rude, but he knew Link was just curious. "Sheikah aren't necessarily lighter, more so built limber so our movements are."
"But I carried you through the desert, and yeah it's not like you weighed nothing, but you didn't exactly break my back," Link joked. "My weapons are heavier than you."
"I am just... a Sheikah. I can't explain it to you." He shook his head and shrugged as if he tried to think of a better response and came up short.
Link groaned and leaned back on the grass, folding his arms behind his head, watching Navi float above him. "That's your answer for everything."
Sheik outright laughed at the Hero's pout. "I'm sorry I cannot offer a further explanation," he said formally through his smile.
"Well, Sheikahs are lucky."
Sheik's smiled faded and he watched Navi zoom about as she stretched her wings. "Lucky? How so?"
It was Link turn to shrug from his spot on the ground. "You're beautiful people, and really skilled. And you look like you do it so... just... well, without doing much work."
"Effortlessly."
"Yeah..."
Sheik idly ran his fingertips over the grass. "Some things are effortless to Sheikah, yes. We are born with natural skill and a keen sense. If I'm still, I can sense the life in this grass... and the wind before it blows."
Link had to admit he was impressed when a soft gust of wind blew the Sheikah's bangs over his closed eyes, and Sheik had to admit he was showing off a bit for his Hero. With a hand holding his bangs away from his face until the win ceased, his eyes found Link, "but that doesn't make us lucky."
The Hero sat up with a grunt at the twinge in his back. "Why not?"
Sheik's fingers slid lamely through the rest of his hair. "A Sheikah is made that way and expected of that. Others lead unique lives. They are not born with natural abilities: they work for it... or are allowed to choose not to." He sighed, then fixed the Hero with a stern look. "They work hard to succeed and achieve goals, and their work is commendable, no matter its focus."
Link only frowned.
—
Both of their heads snapped up at the sudden commotion sounding from the main part of the camp. Sheik jumped to his feet, his jaw set as he stared in the direction of the noise. Link joined him. He could only make out shouting voices, unsure of what they were saying.
They exchanged a look, gathered up their weapons, then took off towards the ruckus.
Only for a moment did Sheik stand horrified at the sight before him. A Sheikah rarely grew angry enough to act on impulse, keeping a level head in situations of even the most brutal conflict. But this time was different. This time made him shout loud enough his voice tore through his throat. This time made him grab the soldier in front of him and rip him away from the Gerudo on the ground.
Link just watched, shocked rather than scared. Curiosity got the better of his fairy, and she revealed herself only to gawk at Sheik as well.
Sheik felt his blood boil as he stood protectively in front of Neema, glaring at all those who dared look offended. "She swore her allegiance to you, to us," he growled, his flashing eyes boring into the soldier's that he had manhandled. "Does her word mean nothing to you? ANY OF YOU!?" He whipped around as he yelled, making some of the soldiers in the tight circle take a step back. "And YOU SWORE to me and Princess Zelda not to harm her!"
"She sold us out!" yelled a soldier towards the back of the crowd, and shouts of agreement followed. "How else would they have found us?!"
"What are you talking about?!" Sheik roared over them, and they quieted. "This is absurd! Kakariko isn't exactly hidden!"
"They were close to finding the camp!"
"They know it's here somewhere!"
"Where was she the night of the attack?!"
The Hero watched Sheik clench his hands.
"Were we not the ones who initiated an attack and failed? Did we not provoke them? Do you honestly think there isn't a chance that they tracked us?!"
As the Sheikah and the soldiers continued to shout back and forth, Link caught sight of Neema behind Sheik and his eyes widened. She wasn't helpless, nor vulnerable, but she knew to keep still lest she make matters worse. However, the Hero saw Nabooru in Neema; on her knees and unmoving, her shoulders hunched and hugging herself tightly. Link's feet began to carry him over to the Gerudo. He had failed Nabooru, lost her to the dark magic of the witches, but he wouldn't fail Neema, even if this threat was much weaker.
A hush fell over the crowd as Link strode over to Neema. Whispers of, "That's him. The Hero of Time," followed him as he went, but they were ignored. Sheik's distraught look turned to shock when Link offered his hand out to Neema. She grinned, winking at him, before taking it and standing.
"She saved my life," Link announced, his voice probably not as loud or as strong as it should be. During these few days he learned that he was far from a public speaker. He stared around at all the eyes fixated on him and his skin grew hot. Neema squeeze his hand, prompting him to keep going. "And helped me wh-when I had... when I needed it most. And, well, I... I don't know about you, but I, er... I trust her."
The soldiers murmured amongst themselves and Sheiks stared incredulously at the Hero. Link met Sheik's sad eyes and thought maybe he had done something wrong.
Moments later, before the soldiers could further persecute Neema, a higher ranking officer appeared. He discharged Neema along with dispersing all his foolish subordinates, giving the Hero of Time an apologetic smile and smoothing it over as a misunderstanding. Everyone was just on edge these days, he said.
At a table inside the medical tent, Sheik refused to eat anything, clearly sulking. On the other hand, Link and Neema had many things to catch up on. Sheik couldn't help but notice it was as if Neema knew Link as long as she had known him. She had adapted well to Link's quirks and his usual silence, and so could make the conversation easy for him, letting him engage when he wanted and filling the spaces when he kept quiet.
Alaema interrupted a few times, but neither of them minded as she was just excited to tell her mother what she did that day or something along those lines. When she wasn't talking, she eyed Sheik, wondering why he was still so mad. She eventually left her seat by her mother and crawled up on the other side of Sheik where he sat next to Link. She got all the way up on the seat, shifted to her knees, stood up and leaned over to Sheik.
"What's wrong?" she whispered.
Sheik forced a smile under his cowl, throwing a leg over the bench and steadying the little girl so she didn't fall. "It's nothing, baby girl."
"It's something," Neema intervened.
He shot her a look, but said nothing.
Link's hand came up and rested on his shoulder. "Yeah... what is it, Sheik?"
Despite Sheik's efforts to keep Alaema safe, when she saw Navi, she hopped back down off the bench, catching herself on her hands.
Sheik sighed heavily before gritting his teeth, staring definitely across the room the instead of any of them. "It's just— I could've stood there and screamed at them all day... and all you have to say are a few words." He blew his next breath out his nose, trying to keep his anger at bay. "Everyone respected my aunt. And no one... no one here..." His menacing voice trailed away and he threw Link's hand off. Before anyone could say anything, he stormed through the kitchens, ripping the curtains back and vanishing.
"Sheik!" Link made to get up, but Neema's voice called him back.
"Let him go. He's just angry," she said, sounding as if she had dealt with this a thousand times. "Sheik doesn't know how to deal with his anger, or any emotion, really. He tries so hard to be his stoic, apathetic aunt, and sometimes he has the apathy down, but he's too emotional. And I say that in the sense that he's a Sheikah and not half as emotional as a normal person."
Link bristled at that. Sheik was normal.
"You know what I mean," she added, picking up on his body language. She relaxed in her seat, waving a hand. "If you want to go, then go. But I'm telling you, you just have to let him be mad, otherwise he'll just be rude to you, you'll get upset, and he will feel bad afterwards. It's not worth it. He'll be back."
Link huffed, deflating. "Yeah, but... I think it's me who he's mad at."
"Even worse."
He fixed the Gerudo with despairing eyes. "Really?!"
Neema nodded with raised eyebrows and pursed lips. She tried to restart their conversation to get the Hero's mind off it, but it did the exact opposite. Link was distracted and distant, watching the curtains as if he expected Sheik to be over his anger and waltz back in. Neema finally rolled her eyes.
"Alight then," she announced sharply, even making her daughter look up where she was playing with Navi. Neema shooed Link with her hands. "Go on. Go find him. He won't be that mad at the sweet little Hero of Time. So go get him."
"Really?" Link questioned again.
Neema nodded seriously, then grinned. "He probably wants you to follow him."
Link said his quick, gratitude-filled goodbyes and then rushed after Sheik.
Link scanned the camp, looking high and low for any sign of Sheik before beginning to prowl around, searching between tents and even inside the open ones.
After only about ten minutes, he huffed and placed his hands on his hips. Even calling for Sheik had proved pointless as it just caused villagers to cast Link strange looks. He knew if the Sheikah didn't want to be found, there was no way in hell he would be, but he supposed it was worth a shot.
It was getting late, and on a whim, Link decided to just head back to Sheik's tent to wait for him there, but he came to the realization passing the rows of tents that he didn't remember which way to go. He knew it was a fairly large tent, but from his standpoint, he couldn't see it. He needed a bird's-eye-view, but even Navi wasn't any help when she flew high to look over the camp.
That panicky feeling began to set in the more lost he got in the maze of tents, evening creepy upon the camp and the sky growing dark. It was never a good feeling to get lost, especially when Link knew he had a decent sense of direction.
"Lost, Hero?" came a smooth voice from behind when Link backtracked through an alley.
He whipped around and forced a little smile at the soldier in blue approaching him. Just from one look at this man, the term 'tall, dark and handsome' now made perfect sense to Link. "Erm... yeah."
The man looked concerned, and stepped close. Too close. "Where are you going?"
"To Sheik's tent. I was just gonna wait for him there," Link muttered. He supposed he should offer more of an explanation, but the way this man stared at him made his skin grow hot, and not in a good way. He felt flustered and even a bit angry.
The man crossed his arms. "Sheik? He lives here?"
Link nodded, disappointed that this soldier wasn't going to be able to help him.
"Huh..." the soldier scratched his chin, then looked the Hero right in the eyes. "Well, uh... why don't you come to my tent and wait for him there?"
His brows furrowed with the thought that maybe Sheik had some business with this soldier and would be stopping by. "Why?" Navi tugged on his hair from inside his hat.
"Link."
The Hero looked over his shoulder while the soldier was tall enough to see over his head. At the end of the alley stood Sheik, glaring at the man in front of Link.
"Oh! There he is," the soldier said. Link missed the sneer.
"You always know where to find me," Link commented as he started to turn away.
Sheik jerked his head to the side, summoning the Hero. Link gave a halfhearted wave to the soldier and followed.
"Nice to meet you, Hero of Time," the man called, his voice alluring once more.
Link shot a grin back to him. "You too."
It felt familiar to traipse behind Sheik like this, Link thought. They walked back to the big tent almost in silence until Link just had to ask if Sheik was mad at him.
"I'm not mad at you," Sheik replied vaguely, his voice tight.
"Meaning..?"
Link could almost hear the eye-roll.
"Meaning that since you stepped into this camp, I've become horribly aware of the lack of respect on my end here."
Link fell back into abashed silence.
"I don't know what I've done wrong," Sheik vented. "You're absolutely correct in saying that I led them to safety. I am also the last Sheikah in Hyrule, and yet I've been treated this way my entire life, and probably will be for the rest of it."
"Everyone deserves respect no matter what," Link said, noticing how Sheik's steps fell out of rhythm. "That's what I've been taught."
Sheik picked up his pace again and didn't answer.
Link felt he was making matters worse, so, naturally, he changed the subject. "Are you hungry?"
"Not really."
Link jogged a little to get in front of the Sheikah. "You have to eat," he said earnestly, rubbing Sheik's shoulders. "Y'know, dinner? We should go back to the medical tent and get you some food there. Instead of going back to that... place." His lip snarled a bit at the memory of the food tent and the server there.
Sheik's expression softened and he agreed.
—
They changed course, and got Sheik a Link-approved dinner. Thankfully he didn't cause a scene this time, the kitchens must have heard about what took place in the food tent, and under the Hero's hawk-like surveillance, they served Sheik with smiles. Maybe some were forced, but smiles nonetheless. The servers in the medical tent were always a tad nicer to Sheik, anyway. Neema and Alaema were gone and Sheik told Link it was to their tent. Neema must've been exhausted.
Afterwards, Link asked Sheik a question that had been bothering him for quite some time now. He never understood how Sheik and Neema met each other, and how exactly the Gerudo ended up here and as a Hyrulean ally.
Sheik felt a pang in his chest. The answers to Link's questions were not exactly pleasant, and he hesitated telling the Hero at all. But he grinned to hide the grim memories. "Are you alright to wait until we get back to the tent for the answers to those questions? It's a bit of a long story."
Link nodded eagerly: He loved Sheik's stories.
In the tent, Sheik had taken a seat on his bed, and Link faced him from a spot on the floor. The Sheikah started his story out slowly, choosing his words carefully and testing them in his mouth. He had never told this story, or even thought to, as everyone he knew had basically experienced it with him.
"When I met Neema about five years ago... I... was sent to kill her." Maybe that wasn't the best phrase with which to begin his story. Link, however, seemed unfazed. He nodded seriously, and Sheik figured the Hero could guess, because she was a Gerudo, she had been suspected as an enemy.
"I was on an assassination mission with Faron, do you remember them?"
At the Hero's second nod, Sheik continued:
"They had located the meeting place for the enemy: a place where the higher ranking soldiers of Ganondorf's army were hiding and dealing their secrets. It was a broken building inside the ruined Castle Town."
Link thought back to what Castle was like: the burnt and decaying houses, the cobblestone jagged and ripped apart, the horrid smell, the monsters roaming through the square. He wrinkled his nose.
"At nightfall, we attacked. A whole squad of us came swooping in from the broken roof, and well... you can guess what happened next."
The Hero gulped, but nodded.
"But, clever little Neema," Sheik said, almost fondly, but his rueful smile overshadowed it, "escaped. I was sent after her. I chased her through the town, and her agility was astounding. She almost winded me. Almost." He reached up slowly and ran his fingers down the scar over his cheek. "She gave me this."
Link gaped. He knew Sheik's scar was a sensitive subject by how he reacted when Link mentioned it in the Gerudo Desert, and he never expected Sheik to disclose on such delicate information.
"We used our magic against each other, and... I am the one who burned her, and... and I also took the vision in her right eye."
A slow inhale and a bout of self-control, Link succeeded in keeping a sharp gasp at bay. He knew if he interrupted Sheik, reacted poorly to his story, that might fluster the boy into silence and he wouldn't finish.
Sheik hoisted his legs up onto the bed, holding his knees. "I still regret it to this day, and would give anything to go back and never cast that spell. I was ruthless and would do anything to win—to prove that I could best anyone who crossed my path." He rested his forehead on his knees, taking a moment to resurface. "Neema forgave me years ago, says she understands and would have done the same, that she had two eyes for a reason. I have trouble believing her, and I'm not sure if I've forgiven myself, or if I ever will."
Minutes ticked by, and the rather hotheaded Hero amazed Sheik when he remained patient. He sat quietly, petting what little grass that still grew under the tent as if, if he showed it enough love, it would grow. For all Sheik knew, it might.
"I finally caught her, disarmed and cornered her. I was prepared to strike, but she shouted something at me that froze me where I stood."
Link clenched his jaw in anticipation, waiting with bated breath.
"She told me she was pregnant."
Then Hero let out the breath he subconsciously held, now staring at Sheik who refused to look back. He spluttered a bit, but then remembered not to throw him off his story, and fell silent again. Sheik waited for Link's questions, but they never came.
"I, of course, didn't believe her at first. I scoffed in her face. But then something made me lower my weapon... take a good look at her." Sheik's eyes narrowed like his was peering into the memory. "She was crumpled on the ground, bleeding, panting... and I imagined she was telling the truth." The next words he whispered, afraid of his shaky voice. "And at that moment, I was a monster..."
Link finally spoke up. "No—Sheik... You were doing what you thought was right—!"
"Was I, though, Link?" The question seemed almost rhetorical, then Sheik huffed. "I was so overcome by rage. I was blinded and believed there was no humanity left in the soldiers of Ganon's army. But then here is this woman that I chased down, almost killed, and she's pregnant." At the break in his voice, he covered his face with his hands.
During Sheik's pause, Link got up. Next to Sheik, he threw an arm around him, waited, and then scooted closer. He expected the Sheikah to pull away sooner than he did, and was pleasantly surprised that probably two minutes had passed before.
"She saw the change in my stance, in my eyes," Sheik finally continued, his tone low and his words slow, "and she started to talk. She told me her husband had been murdered when suspected of treason, and that they had previously planned to run away after finding out about the baby. She said she knew she had sinned against Hyrule, but she never wanted to be in the army. Ganon had recruited her for her skill and she couldn't refuse, nor could she ever leave, and now neither her or the baby had even a chance at surviving if Ganon found out."
Link tentatively reached out, hesitated, but then began to rub Sheik's hunched back. Thankfully, he didn't shrug him off this time.
"So, I had a choice... and it was easy. I bent down and put my arm around her," Sheik grimaced at the memory of Neema flinching, "and warped us to the Hidden Village. I knew she wouldn't be of any harm in her current condition if she was lying, and if she was telling the truth, I had to get her to the hospital.
To this day, I can't believe the medics actually listened as I ordered them to care for a Gerudo. It must have been the work of the goddesses. After they stitched me up, I waited outside room they took Neema in. Finally, they came out and confirmed she was indeed pregnant, and that she and the baby were saved just in time. Any later and it might've been impossible for the baby."
Link clenched his jaw when the Sheikah began to tremble. "C'mere..." he mumbled, trying to usher Sheik into an embrace.
"I'm fine," he said, but dropped the act when Link enveloped him.
"They're okay, Sheik," the Hero said, feeling Navi curl tighter into his hair; that being due to the story or his solemn voice was unknown.
Sheik allowed Link to comfort him, even hugging him back briefly before pushing away and rubbing his eyes.
"When she recovered, Neema swore her allegiance to Princess Zelda and the Hylian army. You can imagine the distrust and discrimination she faced, and for a while I was scared the only thing keeping her alive was the little life inside her. I made it my mission to protect her."
He looked to Link and saw something in those bright blue eyes he didn't expect: admiration. Link was smiling warmly at him, his eyes droopy and yet focused.
Sheik cleared his throat. "I wasn't around much in the months after, but the pregnancy went miraculously normal, as Neema informed me. Alaema was born healthy. Thankfully, I was in the camp when she was born. I was with Neema, and after she named Alaema, she handed the baby to me... and named me godfather."
He then cracked a smile, remembering the warm bundle in his arms that was Alaema, her clean scent of soft soap and fresh blankets, her tiny, crying face. She truly was a miracle and a promise that Sheik would never lose control like the night he met her mother. He would be an honorable Sheikah and never strike down an unarmed enemy. He would never try to prove anything to his aunt ever again.
"What's that mean?"
"I'm her guardian."
Link blinked slowly. "Are you... my godfather?" He knew it was a dumb question, but Sheik never laughed.
"No, it's different. I'm more of a parental figure in Alaema's life. If anything would happen to Neema, I would be responsible to care for her. With you, you are my charge, assigned only to me by order of the Royal Family."
Link hummed, nodding.
An hour after Sheik's tale, the Sheikah had calmed down and the two were ready to go to bed. Sheik tied the tent flap closed and offered Zelda's bed to Link.
"I'm positive she won't mind," he said.
Link grinned. "Can't we share again?"
Busying himself by turning down his bed served to hide Sheik's blush. He only nodded.
"Thanks," the Hero mumbled.
Sheik crossed the tent and gathered Zelda's bedding and arranged it next to his own. He quite liked sleeping on the outside of the bed—it gave him quick access in case someone unwelcome were to intrude, and so he let Link climb onto the mattress first.
They settled in, Navi finding her spot at the foot of the bed after telling them goodnight, snuggling into the hat Link left out for her. Link's hand found Sheik's and Sheik scooted in closer. Then they talked until their voices grew tired and faded away.
To be continued...
You've heard every excuse in the book, especially the ones about school, and this one is about school, so let's just skip the excuses! I'm so so so sorry about the wait. I know it's horrible to wait on a fanfiction, and that's why I hate it so much when I make you guys wait. It's depressing to talk about this.
Thank you all so much for being so patient. Thank you for reading, following, favoriting, reviewing and just sticking around for this. I know these haven't been the most exciting chapters, but we're actually coming up on the end, so hopefully here in about two or three more chapters it picks up. Next chapter will be more about Sheik and his plans for Link (that he couldn't discuss in front of the army) to get to Zelda and also confront Ganondorf! I wrote a good portion of it already, but I couldn't make you wait any longer for this chapter, so I broke it up into another part. Thank you again! It means so much to my that you are still reading this story after so long.
