Disclaimer: I do not own anything of the Legend of Zelda—characters, locations, plot, etc. It is all property of Nintendo.
Chapter fifty-two
The Hero in the Hidden Village
Part three: Hope for the Future
Sheik was woken violently by the overwhelming sense of being confined. For a moment he feared that everything from the prison in the Gerudo desert up to this point had been a fever induced dream and those dreadful chains were the source of the weight on his back. He struggled against them with more strength than he remembered possessing while in captivity. Instead of the haunting clinking from the chains, Sheik heard a rather disgruntled yelp. He froze at the noise; and over the hammering of his heart, he heard the soft bed underneath him creak.
"Sheik?"
Sheik could've cried with relief. Upon rolling over quickly, he faced the sleepy but rather worried looking Hero of Time. "Link... I'm sorry."
"What'd'ya do that for?" Link slurred, rolling to his back and rubbing his eyes.
"I'm not used to sleeping with others," Sheik lied pathetically; he and Princess Zelda used to curl up together all but every night years ago, and they still did when the temperature would drop. Sheik was a still sleeper, so much that Zelda often said she would have to watch intently to check his breathing.
Link hummed, sitting up on his arms and sniggering as Navi climbed up onto his toes that poked out of the blanket.
"Everything all right?" the fairy asked, her normal squeaky voice taken over by sleep.
Sheik felt a little ashamed as he nodded. Any minute now they could start making a fuss over him if they woke up enough to process the situation.
Link slung his arm over Sheik's shoulders and kissed his cheek. The Sheikah instinctively tensed, but felt a twinge of remorse when Link let go.
"You sure you're alright?" he asked, sounding much more alert.
Sheik nodded once more, then laid his hand over Link's on the mattress. To his surprise, Link's face broke out into a cheerful grin and he enveloped Sheik in a proper hug. He patted the Hero's back awkwardly, about to voice his questions but Link spoke first.
"Happy birthday!"
Sheik's words were lost in his throat, coming out as mere stutters as Link released him and clambered over him out of bed.
"Be careful, Link!" Sheik groaned when the Hero's foot got trapped in their blanket and he tripped, catching himself on a hand.
"Neema told me yesterday," he explained, his tone gleeful. Sheik hadn't heard him sound like that in ages. It was quite adorable. "You have to close your eyes," he said when he turned back from his adventure pouch on the table.
Sheik held back an impulsive scoff, deciding to humor the Hero. Plus he couldn't lie to himself — he felt a jolt of excitement at Link's words. It was his birthday! No, he never had a "normal" birthday in his life, but he guessed that child-like thrill twinged in everyone's heart on their birthdays at least once. He had completely forgotten until Link's well wishes, and even though he turned a year older today, he was happy.
He sensed Link's glare, no doubt checking if his eyes were indeed shut, and smirked. "Should I hold out my hands?" he asked, skepticism guising his curiosity.
"Sure," said Link, stepping closer.
Sheik did so and forced his eyes to stay shut when he felt Link place whatever his present was in his hands. He allowed Link's warm hands to caress his and fold them over his gift.
"Okay. Open your eyes!"
Sheik's eyes snapped open and went straight to his hands. Link guided them open to reveal a thick brown string coiled up between each of Sheik's palms with a little carving of wood, no bigger than the last digit of his thumb, mingled in. He couldn't help his gasp when Link lifted up the string and dangled the necklace in front of him.
"Awh..." Sheik breathed. The wood carving cradled in the middle of the thick string was a Hylian 'S'. It was impressive, considering the tiny pendant, only a little jagged here and there. It had love and character in each of its flaws. Sheik unconsciously reached out for it, holding it gently. "Link... thank you."
Link beamed, looking over Sheik's shoulder at Navi still on the bed. "You're welcome, Sheik."
"It's wonderful," Sheik added with a smile, surveying the necklace. "When did you make it?"
Link sat next to Sheik, sighing in thought. "Uh... I guess now it would be years ago. Huh..."
Sheik narrowed his eyes in confusion, remembering that Link once said that he liked it when he did that.
"Years?" He assumed that maybe his gift wasn't supposed to be an 'S', or maybe it was regifted. Not that he minded at all, he was just curious.
Link shifted on the bed, bumping knees with Sheik as Navi perched herself on his shoulder. He scratched his deaf ear, and Sheik noticed that he sat so his left ear, the remaining good one, was facing Sheik; much like he only laid on his right side or on his back at night to free up his hearing ear.
"Er... yeah. I made that awhile ago for Saria the day after she showed me how to spell her name in Hylian." Link chuckled at himself. "I didn't remember how to spell her whole name, and it wouldn't fit on a necklace." He reached out and took the necklace from Sheik. "The Forest had a bad storm that night, and in the morning a few tree limbs had fallen down, so I got one and took it home to make things. I got the idea to carve out the first letter of a name from one of the kids there who did the same thing."
"Initial," Sheik offered softly, watching Link twist up the string and let the necklace spin. "The first letter of a name is called the initial. Whereas my initial is 'S', yours is 'L'."
"Oh. Cool," The Hero said absentmindedly.
"Why didn't you give it to her?"
Link sighed through his nose, finally meeting Sheik's gaze with an almost dejected look in his eyes. Sheik inched closer when the instinct to protect him flared.
"She, uh... she told me about how it, um... made her sad to see her friends using the fallen limbs for trinkets instead of using them for honorable things. So I was kind of embarrassed," he admitted with a lame smile accompanied by a shrug.
Sheik silently asked for the necklace back, holding it like it were made from the finest jewels in Hyrule. Then he scooted around until his back faced Link and held up his hair. "Will you put it on for me?" He offered the necklace over his shoulder to the Hero.
"You want to wear it now?" came Link's question.
"Absolutely."
Sheik could practically hear the bright smile he put back on Link's face, and he smiled himself. Link looped the necklace through Sheik's arm that held up his long blond hair and tied the string back in its tight knot to rest against his nape. Sheik took the wooden 'S' between delicate fingers and quickly noticed an issue.
"Link, the 'S' is backwards."
"Ah, shit!" Link exclaimed from behind, tugging the Sheikah by the shoulders to inspect the necklace.
Sheik started to laugh, fixing the hair that had fallen in his face when Link yanked him. "It's okay! You just need to flip it."
They repeated the process after Link apologized and even giggled at himself.
"Pull it tighter so it won't come off," Sheik instructed. He never planned to take this necklace off for as long as it lasted.
"It's Kokiri wood, so it won't rot or anything even without a finish," Link said, patting Sheik's back to signal he had finished. "But that doesn't mean the string is indestructible. I guess I could've bought a chain now, though, huh?"
Sheik turned and gave the Hero a brief hug which Link returned with the expected amount of enthusiasm. "I like the string."
Once Sheik twisted around, Navi flew up to him, repositioning the necklace on his chest like it were art hanging on a wall. "Link has been carrying this everywhere for so long now," she commented in her concentration.
"Yeah. I found it the day after I cleansed the Forest Temple," he said.
Sheik thought that maybe Link didn't want to elaborate on his finding of the necklace, but he continued speaking after he started playing with the Sheikah's hair. Sheik had to remind himself to listen and not get lost in the feeling of the Hero strong but gentle hands petting him.
"I went back to my treehouse after I found out I was human."
"I've never seen Link so mad," Navi added in a sad voice.
Link snorted humorlessly. "I put the necklace on the top of my shelf. And, y'know, I could barely reach up there as a kid. But as an adult I was taller than it." He lowered his tone, sounding apathetic, "so I kind of... tipped it over, and... broke a chair. I smashed my mirror too. It wasn't a good night for me."
"Link..." Sheik breathed, swallowing harshly. "I'm so sorry."
Link said nothing. His hands went to Sheik's shoulders where he started to rub them and Sheik released a blissful sigh. To say he was surprised at himself would be an understatement. He hated to be touched, but there was something about Link's hands that felt wonderful. Of course it was still embarrassing to allow such an intimate touch from the Hero of Time, but even more so to be this comfortable with it.
After a while, after Navi had gotten bored with their silence and flown off somewhere in the tent, the Hero's hands slid around Sheik's chest and he embraced him from behind.
"Happy birthday, Sheik."
"It's already the most excellent birthday I've ever had," Sheik admitted. Waking up next to the Hero of Time, then receiving such a heartfelt gift and a massage all before the day had properly begun made this the most precious birthday in all Sheik's nineteen years.
—
Sheik had tucked the necklace from Link inside the ruffles of his cowl, already used to wearing it. He sat on the floor inside Princess Zelda's outdoor bathroom, leaning against one of the tall walls built for privacy while he waited for the Hero of Time. There were many wooden outdoor bathrooms built throughout the camp for the residents, and although Zelda refused the building of additions to make the bathroom better, this one was private.
"Who taught you how to shave?" Sheik asked suddenly, watching Link in front of the mirror above the sink. It was quite humorous to see the Hero with a bit of scruff on his face, and Sheik only realized his disdain for it when Link tried to kiss him this morning. It wasn't as though Link was capable of growing a proper beard just yet, so it was the best for both of them if he shaved. Seeing Link do something as common as shave shouldn't stir up a feeling of remorse, but the guilt from Link's story of when he learned his true heritage still weighed heavily on Sheik's conscious. Link needed his Guide in those times of learning about his new adult body, and Sheik was never there.
Link finished shaving the delicate skin under his nose before answering. "Uh, do you know that old man who runs the inn back in Kakariko?" At Sheik's yes, he added, "it was him." His eyes focused on Sheik reflected in the bottom corner of the mirror, catching a glimpse of his morose expression before the Sheikah pulled his cowl up. "What's wrong, Sheik?"
There came no response. Link washed and dried his face before walking over to Sheik and crouching down. Before he could say anything, Sheik spoke.
"I should've been the one to teach you that," he said, meeting Link's gaze with sad eyes. He stood and the Hero followed, ready to block him in case he tried to escape.
"What are you talking about?"
Sheik shook his head, appearing a bit ashamed now. "I watched you in the Temple of Time cry over your new adult body — a body you thought you would never grow into. But instead, I hardened my heart. All that I could teach you were... songs."
Link had rescued the Sheikah from a Gerudo jail; carried him across the desert, cared for him while he was sick, and held him while he cried; but even still, he had never heard Sheik's voice crack like it just did. There weren't just tears behind his voice. It was similar to the voice he used yesterday while discussing his past. Sheik's tone was shameful, full of anxiety with an underlining of his self-loathing.
The next words Sheik spoke were through his teeth, and Link imagined just how hard he clenched his jaw. "I thought I was the good little Guide: the one from the books. The honorable Guide who led the Hero of Time to victory before vanishing without a trace."
Link winced at that, chilly pricks running up his spine despite his flushed skin that resulted from the heat of the bathroom. He didn't want to think of a life without Sheik.
Sheik began to laugh, a nervous and foreboding laugh. "I had everything planned out. I wasn't to speak to you outside of any information necessary. I even laid out the book in Impa's house with the information about my role in your journey so that I had less to explain to you. I take it that... you read it considering you knew I was supposed to leave you at the Shadow Temple."
"Navi read it," Link corrected with downcast eyes.
Sheik felt utterly ridiculous. He had gotten emotional over Link shaving, and now was pouring his heart out here in the bathroom to the Hero of Time. He took a deep breath to compose himself, shallowing back words he truly wanted to say. He wanted to apologize for absolutely everything he could think of at this moment. "I should've been there... I should've talked to you."
Link put comforting hands on Sheik's shoulders, now smiling. "You're here now."
Patting Link's hand on his shoulder, Sheik took another deep breath through his nose. "And I'm here to stay."
—
Link got Sheik back together by the time they left the bathroom by reminding him that it was his birthday and he should be happy. Sheik tried and actually succeeded in making a lighthearted joke about being old that brought a smile to Link's face. They met Navi outside (she had refused to go in the bathroom with two boys even if Sheik declared it absurd), and headed out to find a place to get breakfast. Any place would be ecstatic to serve the Hero of Time, as Sheik pointed out, but Link said nothing, pulling the Sheikah along by the hand. Sheik wasn't too embarrassed to have Link hold his hand. He felt empowered watching the expressions of onlookers turn from excitement from the sight of the Hero to confusion. Sheik tried to keep his emotions in check after the incident in the bathroom, but he could help feeling a little smug. This wasn't just the Hero of Time holding his hand, Link was his hero and no one else's. So much for turning a year older, Sheik thought. He was not acting his age.
On their way, they met with Neema and her daughter. Neema clapped Sheik on the back as her birthday wish and Alaema hugged him after giving him a scrap of paper with an unrecognizable drawing on it. Link couldn't tell the drawing was of Kakariko, but Sheik could and he would treasure it for as long as it lasted.
"I believe Alaema likes you," Sheik commented after he and the Hero set on their way again once agreeing to met up again later tonight with Neema and Alaema. "I wonder why," he added with a grin. He knew exactly why the little girl liked the Hero. He didn't act like an adult trying to relate to her, to 'get down on her level'. Link wasn't a kid anymore, and he didn't try to be a kid with Alaema—he was just her friend.
Link snorted. "I think Neema is a bad influence on you, but your sarcasm is still bland."
"I wasn't trying to be sarcastic," said Sheik, rolling his eyes. "And I know how to use sarcasm, Link. I'm just aware of when it is and is not appropriate."
"Are you saying it's not appropriate around me?" Link asked, his tone warning.
"I'll work on it, Hero," Sheik replied, hoping he wasn't pushing it.
Link threw his head back in a laugh. "There you go!"
That night Neema kept her promise and met back up with Link and Sheik in Zelda's tent. Alaema was with her, but she looked extremely tired and so Sheik let her sleep in his bed. At the back and hidden from view from the rest of the camp he, Neema and Link started their own little fire. Even if the camp celebrated Neema's birthday a few months ago, Sheik wasn't too keen on letting the camp know any more than necessary information about him, and he was relieved he didn't have a daughter to tell everyone.
Neema kept Link entertained with stories of Sheik, but was somehow sentimental in her teasing. As the night progressed, their conversations became more serious right up to when they started discussing the mission of getting inside Ganon's Tower. Unbeknownst to Link, Sheik had cast a simple charm in a sort of dome over Zelda's tent so the rest of the camp could not hear them speak freely about their plans. Neema knew Ganon's Tower and began informing the Hero and Sheik about the tricks and secrets hidden in the dreaded place. She admitted there were places she had never been and that all throughout the tower there were locked doors that could be holding anything. She could not warn the two boys enough to be careful and never separate from each other while in the tower.
"Is it just going to be us?" Link asked nervously, searching Sheik's expression, glad he wasn't wearing his cowl.
Sheik was frowning in thought. "I think when the time comes I can answer more efficiently, but I can say right now Link that I will always protect you."
Link swallowed harshly with a determined look in his eyes. "I know."
Neema interrupted the loving staring contest between the boys. "What about Zelda? I don't even know where she is."
"I can't tell you where exactly she is located," said Sheik, tearing his gaze away from Link. "But know that she is safe and hidden from Ganon. I think you know where that is without me saying."
Neema's face lit up with realization. "Ah... I know."
"And speaking of Zelda— Link, I need to discuss a change of plans with you," Sheik added, turning his head again and catching Link playing in the grass. He smiled fondly and Link grinned back.
"A change of my plans or yours?"
"Both of ours."
Link sat up a bit straighter, giving Sheik his full attention.
"I am glad you put up such a fight to join me," said Sheik, referring to their most recent meeting finalizing the mission to the Evil Tower where Link succeeded in his argument to join his Guide rather than be separated. The Sheikah smiled through his next words. "Just as I thought you would. Our change of plans will be executed without suspicion."
"You sly Sheikah." Neema smirked in approval, leaning back and crossing her legs. Sheik laughed while Link looked between the two, utterly confused.
"So... you tried to separate us... so I would put us back together?" Link asked, trying to rationalize what Sheik said. Sheik was nodding before the Hero even finished.
"I'm sorry, Hero. I had to make it look convincing."
"Convincing?"
"Yes. Remember that I am not even supposed to be here with you, Link. There are members of the army who suspect my intentions and think that I somehow deluded you into letting me stay. They believe our story to be contrived—or obviously forced—so that I may control you during this final battle."
Link's brows knitted tighter and his frown deepened with every word. "What the hell?"
Although taken aback, Sheik thought for a moment. "I mean that—"
"No, I know what you mean." Link didn't intentionally snap at Sheik, he was just angry. "Can these assholes get anyone worse?"
Neema burst out laughing while both Sheik and Navi shouted an aghast, "Link!"
Link jumped to his feet; hating that his anger had been spiked so quickly, but it couldn't be helped. "NO. I'm tired of sitting around and watching you be treated like shit, Sheik!"
He waited for the objections over his cursing but they didn't come. He shook his head incredulously, temper consuming his words. "I love you! I just... can't understand..." He sat back down in defeat, seething.
Sheik scooted closer to him, and Link was calmed by his Guide's tranquil aura instantly.
"Was that a confession?" Neema asked, though staring at the two huddled together she doubted it.
Sheik shook his head at her before leaning into Link's chest with a contented smile. Neema watched as the lines in the Hero's forehead smoothed out until his expression matched his Guide's.
"Wow..." she said on an exhale. It was like seeing her child with his first love, but that initial shock was trumped by the relief of watching Sheik bask in his happiness. There wasn't anyone on this earth who deserved it more than him.
They were interrupted by a sweet voice calling out the Gerudo word for 'mama'. No doubt Link's shouting had woken Alaema. Neema got up in the blink of an eye and rushed to the front of the tent.
"I suppose we should head to bed," said Sheik, taking that as a cue. "It's nearing midnight." He rubbed a hand over Link's chest and stood; the Hero following.
—
They found Neema at the entrance of the tent holding her sleepy child. The bid their goodbyes in whispers, smiling at Alaema's bleary expression. "Next time..." said Neema, sticking out her pinky and thumb of her free hand in the gesture of a bottle and tipping it back to finish her sentence.
"If you can find any," Sheik chuckled. She was too much sometimes, but being honest, he really wouldn't mind alcohol provided at their next gathering.
"What does that mean?" Link asked as Neema carried her daughter back to their tent.
Sheik idly ran his fingers over his necklace once he and Link had settled into bed. He knew the Hero hadn't fallen asleep yet but they were both quiet. The silence was relaxing rather than awkward, and Sheik used it to mull in his thoughts. Today had been wonderful: a birthday spent with the Hero of Time could be nothing else. They had opted to take the day off from training but still found loads to do. To think that someday this could be a daily occurrence was nearly too exciting that Sheik had to think of something else. He hoped he could stop wondering if Link felt the same. By Link's outburst this evening, his feelings should be clear.
Sheik was pulled from his thoughts when Link snuffled against him—he was falling asleep. The Hero was quite endearing sight, pressed up to him with an arm draped lazily over Sheik's chest. Sheik decided he too would resign to sleep, rolling to his side and sliding his own arm around Link's waist.
He hoped he was allowed to get used to this when the time came. The days after this night would be full of hardship, but maybe someday their lives will be good as good as today.
To be continued...
The wait for this chapter came from yet another computer crash. That's been two during this story! Thankfully my computer (somehow) repaired itself from the fan going out and it crashing. Mostly everything seems to be okay, but I lost a few things in the process of the crash. I lost two files. The only two files that I cared about of this whole damn computer. I lost the file with another story I had been writing, and I also lost the file of this entire story. Everything that I had written got corrupted, and I've tried everything in the book to fix it. I had opened my computer to update the story with chapter 52 when the fan went out. I instantly closed everything I had open and then shut my computer, but I guess it was too late by then. I somewhat recreated chapter 52, but anything I had written beyond that got corrupted. It was very devastating because I had been writing quite a lot in advance whenever I got an inspiration. Any time I left an author's note about, "writing in advance and that's why the wait was so long" was about writing the ending chapters. I took a long break from writing after that. I had been writing in that story for over two years, and losing it like that was tough.
So that's the story explaining the wait! I get sad talking about it, but you need to know. Thank you so much for reading this story, leaving encouraging reviews, and just being patient. I know that was a long frustrating wait, but no one is more frustrated than me. I am now using an internet program to write and store my stories. F**** computers. Seriously.
