And so here we are once again my dear readers, at another chapter and another apology for being so late in posting this! School has been busy and whatnot, writer's block happened, or whatever and yeah... This is a really lame apology... Anyway, thanks to Beforethedawnbreaks for following and favoriting! Now for the reviews!

Mekuda-You think Veress' past it tragic with the little snippet I gave in the last chapter? Well let me just say that it only gets deeper and even more tragic as we uncover it more in later chapters. And yeah, I like portraying Zelda as a lady of action. It always irks me when she's not, because she has so much potential to do more than she actually does!

Lovely Girl 10-Well to be clear, Link does have the Ocarina, but at the moment, Sheik is carrying the harp with her. That's not really important for this chapter, but it will be in the next one!

ShadowNinja1011-Aren't those feels just great? ;D

Zelink005-Veress will only get more and more evil as things go along! And don't worry about Zelda, she has a few tricks up her sleeve... ;)

Beforethedawnbreaks-Thanks! Keep reading! :D

And with that out of the way, let's get started with this chapter, which i had a really hard time coming up with a title for by the way ;D

Chapter 11: A Promise in the Night

"Sometimes the best way to help someone is to just be near them."
-Tris, Divergent

Sheik couldn't help but crack a small smirk as she glanced back at Link, no doubt lost in thought as the two of them rode towards the forest. She had to admit that she was intrigued by his unshakable determination, even if she did also view it as hardheaded stubbornness. But at the same time, she felt sorry for him. It was rare for the often cold and indifferent Sheikah leader to have pity for someone, but she knew that Link had been through much recently. From the loss he had suffered at the hands of Veress and her gang, to loosing the goddess that he had sworn to protect, to having to deal with whatever was slowly but surely wearing down his mind, the hero had not had it easy. And because of that, Sheik felt herself moved with compassion for him in his plight and aside from the fact that it was her responsibility to rescue the goddess, she found that she actually wanted to help the hero do it out of her own free will.

It was as the Sheikah leader was pondering this in silence that she realized how low the sun had sank towards the western hills, casting long shadows over the wide fields as they neared the forest. They were still quite a distance away from it however, even though Sheik had intended for the two of them to make it to the temple by night fall. With a quiet sigh of exasperation, she brought her horse to a stop with Link following suit shortly after.

"What's wrong?" the hero asked, anxious to help Zelda as soon as possible.

"Its getting late," Sheik said as she looked towards the setting sun. "We need to set up camp for the night."

"We can't do that!" Link protested, frowning as he watched the Sheikah girl slip off her gray steed. "We have to hurry to the temple and get the Master Sword! I thought you wanted to help Zelda too!"

"Well of course I do!" Sheik glared at him. "But you can't honestly expect to make it through that forest at night alive now. Its not safe anymore. Veress's followers are hiding everywhere. They're Sheikah, masters of stealth and and skilled at hiding within the shadows. And, knowing Veress, she'll be eager to finish the job that she started this morning and kill you."

"I'm not afraid of them like you are," the hero said defiantly. "If you're not coming, then I'll just go by myself, without your help."

"Who said I was afraid?" Sheik scoffed. "I'm just being careful and I suggest you do the same. Running into danger head-first doesn't make you brave; it makes you stupid." She paused for a moment and sighed quietly when she took notice of his conflicted expression. "Listen..." she said tentatively as he slid off Epona's back. "I understand how you must feel. Upset, frustrated, disappointed... and all with yourself... Well... I might as well confess that I feel the same way. I... guess I owe you an apology for being so harsh earlier... Being friendly has never really been my strong suit..."

Sheik was instantly set to ease when she saw that Link was returning her relaxed smile. "Its fine..." he said in slight resignation. "I guess you're right... I won't be much help to Zelda if I let them get the better of me again."

"Oh, so the great hero of the goddess is able to humble himself enough to admit that he's wrong?" Sheik said with a sarcastic smirk as the two of them began to gather some nearby wood to start a fire. "Then there might just be hope for you yet. But I wasn't kidding when I said the Sheikah are masters of the shadows. They're nothing like the mindless monsters you're used to slaying. They're cold, calculating killers, with no sense of honor or compassion left. They will not hesitate to murder you if you give them that chance. So, whatever you do, do not give them that chance. Got it?"

Link frowned, but nodded nonetheless. "Yeah... but if they're as elusive as you say, then how do you beat them?"

"A trained, skilled Sheikah can only be defeated with Sheikah techniques. That's how our tribe has survived and prospered for so long, even when Demise's followers roamed the world freely. The key to fighting like a Sheikah is to think like one."

The hero listened carefully to her words, knowing to trust her advice. At the same time though, he was apprehensive. From the way Sheik spoke, his new adversaries were unlike anything he had ever faced before, including Demise. He knew that the only way he could possibly stand against the Interlopers and win was to implement the practices that the Sheikah leader had suggested to him. "Sheik?" Link asked with resolve, gathering the girl's full attention. "Will you teach me how to fight like a Sheikah?"

Sheik grinned widely and nodded almost immediately. "I was wondering when you were going to ask me that..." she said, sending him a small wink. "Of course I'll teach you. We'll start tomorrow, once you get that fancy sword of yours. But for now, we should both get some rest. We've traveled pretty far today." She smiled softly at him as he nodded his gratitude.

"Thank you, Sheik," he said with newfound respect for the Sheikah leader. It seemed that he had just found another advantage to having her as an ally.

"Its nothing," Sheik said with a grin. "After all, this could be fun... There is one catch though..."

"What?"

"Well... you have to agree right here and now that you'll do everything I say," she said, crossing her arms and giving him a long wink. "Think you can manage that, hero-boy?"

Link smiled at her with determination and slight levity as he noticed her joking tone and simply nodded. However, it was as Sheik grinned back that she noticed something that she hadn't before about the hero during the brief interval that they had been speaking. As the dying light of the setting sun shined upon both of them, the Sheikah leader caught sight of something different about his face and she was disconcerted by it, as she had no idea what it meant.

"Um... Link?" she said hesitantly, catching the hero's attention as he continued to help set up camp. "There's something you should probably see."

Despite being curious, he didn't question the Sheikah as she lead him to the nearby stream. Likewise, Sheik said nothing else to him as she simply motioned for him to look down into the gently flowing water. Link raised a somewhat confused eyebrow at her but looked down into the stream nonetheless. The clear water's surface was reflective, allowing the hero to see his mirror image in it. Upon a first glance, he found nothing out of the ordinary, but as he looked again, he finally saw what Sheik had seen and he almost immediately knew what it meant. Though they were very faint, he could make out the shapes of small, symmetrical red marks surrounding his eyes, almost looking as if they had been painted on. Cresting the top of his forehead was a blue design, though it was just as faint as the red markings. They weren't all that noticeable at the moment, but he had a feeling that they'd only get clearer and clearer with time. These markings were almost identical to the ones that the Fierce Deity bore on his face, and for Link, they were no doubt an ominous sign that his corruption was deepening. Terminus had not warned him that any physical transformation would start before he was fully corrupted, but it was obvious now that not only was Majora continuing to twist his will to its own evil desires, but that the demon was also exerting a visible influence upon him. And that fact alone brought the hero even more worry and apprehension than he already had about the situation as a whole. If the demon's corruption could do that to him, them how else would it be able to change him in the very near future?

Sheik remained silent as she watched him, though she could see the clear look of surprise and dread on his face. It took her less than a moment to figure out that Link at the very least had an idea of what those markings had appeared and she was determined to get answers. After a giving him a few moments to examine the marks, she spoke up, her tone firm and resolved. "Alright, hero-boy," she said as he broke the gaze he had set on his reflection. "What's going on here?"

"What do you mean?" the hero asked somewhat diffidently.

"You know exactly what I mean. And you can lie to me about it all you want, but know that eventually I will get the answers I'm looking for. I always do..." she gave him a broad smile, one that she knew would wear him down into telling her the truth.

Link sighed in resignation, knowing that Sheik was too smart for any excuse he could try to give her. And even so, he saw no harm in telling her the truth. Even though he knew there was nothing she could do to help him, at the very least it would feel good to finally tell someone about what he had been keeping a secret from Zelda for so long.

Once the two of them had finished setting up their small camp, they sat near the fire as the hero told the Sheikah leader everything. He told her about Termina and how they were guided there through the forest. He explained the tragic story of Terminus and her fallen hero and of the demon Majora and the Fierce Deity. And then he recounted the battle that he fought against the Deity and how his victory was only won thanks to his first spell of corruption. From there, he told her about what Terminus had warned him about the corruption, and finally he went on to explain how it had been adversely effected him mentally, and now physically. Sheik was silent throughout much of the tale and didn't react much beyond asking a few questions. And when Link was finished explaining it all, she just sat there staring into the fire, trying to make sense of everything he had told her.

"So... basically what you're saying is... You're... not going to make it through this alive?" she asked quietly.

"Basically?" the hero asked. "No... I won't..."

"And there's no way to stop this?"

"I starting to think that there isn't..." he sighed, looking up to the sky as the stars started to appear. "Its getting worse every time. I thought that I'd be able to fight through it, for Zelda's sake, but... I don't think I'll be able to in the end..."

Sheik frowned as she glanced over at him. "I wish I could tell you that there's some hope for you..." she said with genuine sadness. "But, honestly, the way I see it, there is none... I'm sorry that this happened to you... No one deserves to suffer the way that you are. But if I could offer you some advice, I think the best thing for now would be for you to keep trying to fight it... At least until her grace is safe and the threat that Veress poses is no more. But when its all over... well, I don't know what to tell you."

Link said nothing for a long time as he continued to stare up into the evening sky, his expression contemplative and pensive. Noticing his melancholy, Sheik let out a quiet sigh and stared into the glowing fire in front of her, the dancing flames reflecting in her red eye. After what seemed like hours of stillness however, the hero finally broke it as he turned to the Sheikah leader and spoke up. "Sheik?" he asked quietly and for the first time she picked up on the hint of fear in his voice. "Can I ask you to do something for me?"

"Yes," she said with a solemn nod. "Anything."

"If... or, maybe I should say when I'm corrupted, will you keep Zelda safe for me? Please, don't let anything happen to her. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if something did..."

"Does she know about any of this?"

Link shook his head as Sheik glanced over at him and as she did, she noticed the mournful expression on his face as he stared into the fire. She also spotted something that made her mind swim in thought. A small, lone drop of water was streaming down his cheek. A tear. She watched carefully as it rolled down his face and then vanished into nothingness. Though she did not consider it a sign of weakness, this was the first time that she had ever seen him so vulnerable, so hopeless. She didn't know how to comfort him, as she had never been much for consolations, but she knew that it was not needed. That lone tear had not been shed for his own sake, but rather for the sake of the goddess that he had went to such great lengths to protect. Despite what he knew was going to happen to him, his greatest concern was her welfare rather than his own. And as Sheik realized this, her feelings towards the hero started to change. She genuinely admired his noble selflessness and inner strength. Not many people would have been able to fight the kind of pressure he was under and it showed that his heart and soul were very strong. But at the same time, she also knew that, like her, he harbored great inner pain and turmoil over things that could never be changed. She pitied him greatly, but at the same time, she also respected him and his noble intention. And that was why she gave him a ghost of a smile as she gave him a quiet answer to his request. "For you, I'll do it... I promise."

The next morning was sunny and warm; a stark contrast to the cloudy chill of the previous day. Link and Sheik rose early so they could finish their trek to the Sealed Temple and, thanks to the much-needed rest that both of them had gotten, they made it there while the day was still fresh. For both of them, their thoughts still rested on their discussion last night and so neither of them had really spoken much during their travels. But the casual manner they had carried towards each other yesterday resumed when they arrived at the temple.

"Alright, so we're here, hero-boy," Sheik crossed her arms as they entered the sunlit temple. "Let's hurry and get that fancy sword of yours and be on our way."

"Don't worry. This will only take a minute," Link said, giving her a confident smile as the two of them walked across the length of the temple towards the back room of the complex. The stone doors of the room were wide open as usual, revealing the Master Sword, resting stately in its ancient pedestal as it shined in the morning light. The Sheikah leader remained standing just outside the doors as the hero approached the sacred blade, and as he did so, the sword started to glow in a faint blue light. Both of them stopped and stared at it in wonder as the light intensified until it was blindingly bright. And when the light had cleared and they regained their vision, they saw that an angelic being rested above the sword's hilt, someone who the hero had once traversed the surface with and whom he trusted with his life.

"Fi..." Link smiled when he saw the sword spirit who had acted as his guide and companion throughout his first journey. Fi nodded respectfully to him as she floated above the Master Sword in her usual manner. Sheik, on the other hand, stared at her with wide eyes, amazed by the sight of her ethereal and mystical form.

"Greetings Link, my former master..." Fi spoke in her monotonous, emotionless tone. "It was wise of you to come here. We have much to discuss. First, we should address the matter of Zelda's recent capture, do you agree?"

"Yes," Link nodded solemnly. "Do you know where she is, Fi?"

The sword spirit locked eyes with the hero as she spoke, making sure that he absorbed every word. "Yes," she said calmly. "I am able to track her grace's aura using dowsing, as I used to do during our initial journey. I am unable to ascertain a direct location, but I calculate that she is located in some sort of underground strong hold. The entrance to this hidden place is located in the mountain range near Eldin Volcano."

"What?" Sheik spoke up, giving Fi a questioning look. "But that range is right behind Kakariko Village! We were just there! We came all this way for nothing!"

"No," the hero said, glancing back towards the Sheikah leader. "We came here to get the sword, remember?"

"Excuse me, Master," Fi cut in respectfully. "But there is still more that we must discuss. Though the matter of finding Zelda is of the upmost importance, we both know that there is another issue that is just as grave. And, it is one that I must speak to you about in private." As she finished her statement, she gave a cold glance to Sheik, wordlessly instructing her to leave the immediate area. Sheik scowled, but took her leave nonetheless, silently heading for the entryway of the temple. "Master Link," Fi continued once the Sheikah leader was gone. "Know that I am well aware of the pressing corruption that haunts your spirit. At the moment, my sensors are able to indicate that your corruption levels are only at 15%, but as you know, the ancient demon Majora will continue to press its evil influence upon you until you are completely under its control. It is unfortunate, but I must tell you that there is little I am able to do to help you put an end to it completely, but at the very least, I am capable of slowing the process down. Because the Master Sword is a sacred blade of purity and light, it has the ability to drive away evil spirits in most cases. However, the demon's presence within you is already too strong to be chased off now. The only thing that can be done is for you to take up this sword once again. Its presence will protect you from Majora's influence for a time, but not forever. Gradually, the sword's shielding will wear down and you will become fully susceptible to corruption once more. But for the moment, I highly recommend taking this course of action for the purpose of locating Zelda."

Link sighed and nodded, both relieved and anxious about what she had just told him. He was glad that Fi would be able to forestall the corruption, but no matter how long she could possibly try to, the hero would never truly be free from it. The protection that the Master Sword would give him could only serve as a temporary sense of security at the most, but at a crucial time such as this, when Zelda's life hung on the line of his success or failure, Link intended on taking all of the help he could get. However, as he began to approach the blade to draw it from its pedestal, Fi was quick to glide in between him and the sword, blocking his path to it.

The hero frowned and raised a curious eyebrow at the sword spirit. "Fi, what's wrong?" he asked, wondering why she was stalling longer than necessary, especially considering that time was of the essence in locating Zelda.

"Master, forgive me, but before we go, I must tell you something else," she said, inclining her head respectfully. "In order to protect you from the further onset of corruption, I must unlock a forgotten piece of the Master Sword's power, thereby altering myself in a variety of ways. You should be aware that these changes will enable me to provide you with further aid in this new mission. To initialize the alteration process, you must raise this blade to the heavens and unleash a Skyward Strike. You may do so now, Master..."

As Fi finished speaking, she returned to her vessel in a flourish of light, waiting for her former master to take up the sacred sword once again. Link approached the blade and drew it in one swift move, not hesitating to raise its tip towards the sky. The sword took on a shining blue glow as it was filled with sacred power. The quickly intensifying light caught Sheik's attention as she stood within the temple's main hall and she slowly approached the hero as the light enveloping the sword became blinding. It did not diminish for several minutes, but when it finally did, the sword flashed brightly as the light faded altogether. Yet even after it vanished, the Master Sword still retained a faint blue glow that did not go away. Both Link and Sheik stared at the sacred blade as the hero lowered it, looking over its pure, empowered metal. However, he only had a moment to examine it before the sword flashed again, shining brilliantly as it enveloped the hero in its heavenly light this time. An instant healing warmth shot through him as the ache that had been lingering in his chest since his last spell of corruption vanished altogether. As the light surrounding him dimmed once more, he felt completely rejuvenated, ready to take on any threat the Interlopers could present and ready to save Zelda once more.

With a slight smile, Link sheathed the blade, but no more than a moment after he did so, its hilt lit up as Fi emerged once more, only now, her appearance was quite different than before. She looked largely the same as she used to, though there were several noticeable differences. The most visible contrast was the fact that she now had arms that were in clear view. They were lithe and delicate, baring the same banded pattern that her legs and the hilt of the Master Sword did. Around both wrists were golden bracelets and her blue and violet cloak, which normally covered her arms, now cascaded down her shoulders and flowed down behind her back. She wore a long light purple headdress made of shining ribbon, the length of which swirled behind her in twists and twirls, defying gravity as it loftily dangled in mid air. Unlike before, Fi also let her feet touch the ground as she stood before her master. She was neither tall, nor short, but rather about the same height as Sheik, and her figure seemed even more fine and curvaceous than she had before, as if she was meant to be a dancer rather than a sword spirit. Her expression was also different; her pupil-less eyes were still cold and calculating, but they seemed fiercer somehow, more piercing. She bowed low to the ground in front of Link respectfully, closing her normally unblinking eyes for perhaps the first time.

"Alterations and re-recognition complete," she said in a voice that still seemed cold and robotic, but at the same time it sounded infinitely more human. "Master Link, I am ready to travel with you once more." As Fi rose her head, she did something that the hero had never seen her do before. She smiled, clearly and fully. It was clear that not only had her recent alterations been physical, but they must have also been emotional as well. During their initial travels together, Link had hardly ever seen Fi show any form of expression or feelings. But now as he stared at his regained companion in awe and amazement, he realized that she was now completely capable of expressing those things.

Fi noticed his surprise as she gave him a sly grin. "I see that you are bewildered by my transformation," she noted with a hint of casualness in her tone. "That is normal. It is of human nature for one to be amazed by changes to things that they once knew. Allow me to clarify. It is true that I have undergone a physical change, but that is far from the only alteration that has occurred. In addition to my previous functions and the ability to slow the threat of corruption that plagues you, I am now able to be free from the Master Sword for extended periods of time, as well as use several of my new abilities to aid you in combat. Also, I have found a previously unknown change; I am now able to understand and express human emotions. I am still trying to determine a reason for this seemingly useless alteration, but when I uncover one, I will report it to you immediately, Master."

Unable to hold her impatience back any longer, Sheik finally spoke up. "Well that's all fine and good and all, but when are we finally going to go look for her grace?!" she said, glaring at the sword spirit suspiciously. "While we're standing around here talking and making 'alterations', who knows what Veress and her followers could be doing to her?!"

"Sheik's right," Link said firmly, turning to Fi. "We need to start looking for her as soon as possible."

"Yes, I am aware of that," she said somewhat sharply, directing a slight glare at the Sheikah leader for undermining her explanation. "And, I do believe that we are ready to depart and begin our search."

"Its about time..." Sheik muttered under her breath as she rolled her eyes. Despite her newfound genuine respect for Link, she didn't have as much faith in the largely cynical sword spirit as he did. The only value she saw in bringing Fi along as a companion on this journey was in the fact that she was the only one who could really tell them where to find Zelda, but other than that, the Sheikah leader only really viewed her as deadweight.

"See?" Link said, smiling to both Sheik and Fi as he tried to break the obvious distain between the two of them. "We're leaving right now, Sheik. And if they've done anything to Zelda, then they won't get away with it. I'll make sure of that."

"Oh, I wouldn't be so confident, hero..." all three of them were quick to look up to see Veress herself peering through the large hole in the roof of the temple along with several of her followers, looking down at the three of them with a wicked smirk on her face. "After all, the only reason she's in our grasp now is because of you..."

Yay! Another chapter done! So... this one was kinda boring in my opinion, but if you liked it then good! I can promise you that the next chapter is gonna be chock full of both emotion and action though! Ya know, cause I left it on a cliffhanger and everything. Oh and in case you're wondering what I imagine Fi's redesign to look like, I plan on posting a drawing of her on my deviantART account really soon! And if you want to see deisgns for Sheik, Veress and Terminus, go there now by going to and searching MiniJen or something like that... idk lol. That's all for this time, please don't forget to leave a REVIEW! Until next time :D