The Legend of Zelda, its characters and locations are all property of Nintendo. Any and all OCs and original locations belong to me unless specifically stated to belong to someone else.

The Voice
Chapter 40 - Curse the Gods

Link had a big, stupid smile on his face. He knew exactly how stupid it was, but for once he didn't care. He'd just finished an invigorating game of tag with some of the Zora kids that had taken him and Sidon all over the main streets of the Domain, out of breath and trying to catch up to their smaller foes and failing miserably. Link had felt a little guilty at first for dragging Sidon into the game, but the radiant grin on the prince's face had quickly banished the notion.

He'd been having too much fun to even notice the multitude of people they passed by, most of whom had just given them amused looks. Sure, there was the odd stare of disapproval, but for once Link had managed to ignore them, especially after they'd run past Bazz, who'd simply praised them both for training his future brigade members.

"I remember Bazz making me swim fifty laps around the lake when I asked to join the brigade," Sidon had said as they took a small break, leaning against a railing and trying to appear the dignified prince and Hero they were supposed to be.

The illusion did not hold up their hunched poses or panting breaths. Ganon's minions had nothing on the workout the juvenile Zora put him through, Link decided.

"Y-Yeah?" Link asked, looking up at the prince, trying not to be too distracted by the way the sunlight played across his scales. They were a stunning sight, truly.

"Oh, indeed," Sidon said, nodding gravely. "Bazz does not accept just anyone into the brigade, and no special privileges are granted to royalty. If anything, I think he made it even harder for me in particular to join, just to prove a point."

"B-But you m-managed it?"

"After a while, yes," Sidon said, lips stretching into a soft smile. "Said he was proud of me, even. It's one of my fondest memories—I'd just gotten praised by Bazz, who had trained with the Hero of Hyrule himself!"

Link groaned and hid his face in his hands. Of course Sidon would find a way to turn it around into praise for Link. "S-Stop that," he said weakly. "Y-You know I c-can't handle it."

"All the more reason to do it," Sidon said, patting his shoulder. "Think of it as training, Link. Mastering your mind is just as important as mastering your body."

"I th-thought th-the latter was y-your job," Link said slyly, giving Sidon a subtle wink. The slight blush that bloomed on the prince's cheeks was well worth the mortification he felt at making such an overt comment in public.

"I...er...that is..." Sidon turned away, awkwardly running a hand along the ridge of his head fin. Finally, he levelled a weak glare at the Hylian. "You win this one," he admitted begrudgingly.

Link beamed back, which soon had the prince doing the same. It was so grossly adorable (in Link's mind) that he just knew that Sheik would have made gagging sounds, had he been there.

That thought made his grin falter a little, which of course the prince caught on to immediately...because Sidon was annoyingly observant like that. Impossible to keep secrets around...which was probably a good thing in the long run, but still!

"What's wrong?" Sidon asked.

"J-Just worried about Sh-Sheik, I g-guess," Link said, scratching his neck awkwardly. "F-Felt k-kinda bad, leaving him th-there."

"I'm certain he just wanted some time alone to think and charge in the sunlight," the prince replied, though Link noticed a distinct droop to Sidon's head fin, betraying his emotions. It looked wrong, to Link. That fin should always be wagging happily. "He was rather insistent on shooing us out, was he not?"

"M-Maybe, but I s-still f-feel...like s-something's off, y-you know?" Link said. "Sh-Sheik's good at hiding th-things. T-Too good."

Sidon nodded, straightening up. "Indeed...though I do not believe he does it out of malice."

"No, d-definitely not," Link said with a nod. "B-But it's not g-good for him to k-keep th-things bottled up."

"Perhaps we should go speak to him, then?" Sidon said, putting an arm around Link's shoulder and tugging him towards the palace. "Just to make sure everything is fine, of course."

"Of c-course," Link said, smiling up at the prince.

They made their way to the royal apartments and were about to reach the doors to Sidon's chambers when one of the guards outside halted them.

"My prince," she said, bowing. "You've had visitors."

"Have I?" Sidon asked. "And who were they?"

"The Sheikah scientists, your grace," she replied. "They had something to discuss with Sir Sheik, and bore papers granting them the permission from the king himself."

Link felt his stomach sinking more and more for every word that came out of her mouth. This was not good. Purah was grating, even to him, and if she had Robbie with her at the same time...

"H-How did that g-go?" Link asked, and had his fears confirmed when the guard winced before answering.

"It...got loud," she said diplomatically.

"That could either be a good thing or a bad thing," Sidon said, trying to sound optimistic but failing miserably. "After all, Sheik doesn't really do things quietly, regardless of mood." He gave the guard a brilliant smile. "I'm sure everyone managed themselves with decorum and...and..."

He trailed off when her expression remained grave. "There were...words, your grace," she simply offered as an answer.

And really, what else did one need to know?

"I...see," the prince said, swallowing heavily. "Well, at least things did not come to blows?" he tried.

"Only b-by virtue of Sh-Sheik n-not having arms," Link said.

Then again, in Sheik's case, a physical form wasn't really necessary to do serious damage to someone. By sheer volume he could force someone into submission, and that's not even getting into what his words alone could do to a person's dignity...or sanity, for that matter.

Sidon frowned, nodding to the pair of guards. "Well, I suppose this is a good a time as any for the two of you to take an extended lunch break. Preferably a good distance away."

"Your grace, we are to remain—"the female guard began, but Sidon cut her off.

"I am quite sure no one is waiting inside to slash my throat," the prince said confidently. "At least not physically. Verbally, I have no idea, but I have the Hero of Hyrule at my side, so I'm quite sure I'll be all right. Now, off you go, and don't turn back for anything."

"Sire—"

"For. Anything," the prince repeated gravely, watching the guards carefully as they fearfully shuffled away from the doors, apprehensive about leaving their prince to face the voice within the chambers alone.

"So," the prince said once the guards were out of sight, putting his hands on the doors. "Shall we?"

Link nodded, bracing himself.

It was as if the doors chose to creak ominously, just to set the mood properly. Sometimes, it just seemed to Link that Hylia liked to mess with him for the hell of it.

Luckily, for his nerves, there was no immediate storm of angry shouting to greet them. Sidon's chambers were completely silent, and there was nothing to suggest anything was amiss. The one good thing about Sheik's anger is that he rarely had a chance to express it physically. Otherwise, they'd probably arriving at a disaster zone.

Sheik just seemed like a person who would enjoy destroying random objects when angry. Link wasn't sure why.

"Sheik?" Sidon asked, looking as concerned as Link felt. "Where are you?"

Link spotted the slate on the balcony table, tugging at Sidon's belt and pointing towards it. "Sh-Sheik?" he said, his worry growing when there was no reply.

The slate's screen was dim, but still active. That was a bit of a relief—Link wasn't sure if he could handle another period of Sheik shutting down, like he had after their first encounter with Robbie. He'd have to impose some sort of restraining order on the two, otherwise.

"Sheik?" Sidon tried again, to no avail. The screen remained dim, blinking intermittently. That meant Sheik was thinking, but Link couldn't remember the Sheikah ever thinking so hard or deeply that he was oblivious to his surroundings...unless he was purposefully ignoring them, that is.

Link reached out, waving a hand in front of Sheik's lens, raising his voice at the same time, "Sheik!"

The screen lit up, and Sheik's voice came out in a confused jumble.

"Wha...? Who's there? What're you...oh, it's you guys...hi..."

"Hello, Sheik," Sidon said with a smile, bending down so his face was level with Sheik's lens. "How are you?"

"Me? Oh, I'm...fine, Sharky."

Link frowned. There was an audible delay in Sheik's sentence, as if he needed a moment to even think of the word 'fine'. Many words could be used to describe Sheik's speech pattern (many of them unfit for public ears), but 'slow' was not one of them.

"Are y-you sure?" the Hylian asked, resting his elbows on the table so that he could look directly into the lens. "B-Because we heard P-Purah and R-Robbie were here..."

"Huh? Oh...yeah. Geek One and Geek Two, heh...yeah, they were here."

Link and Sidon waited, but that was apparently all Sheik had to say about it. Which was utter bullshit, in Link's opinion. He'd been expecting an hour-long rant.

"And?" Link said expectantly.

"And...nothing?" Sheik replied, screen flashing. "They were here, we talked, and then they left. They were going to make something for you, so you'll want to stop by their lab at some point."

"And what did you talk about?" Sidon asked lightly, like he was asking about a piece of gossip. "Anything important?"

"Oh, this and that, I guess...Robbie's still an ass, by the way."

"No k-kidding," Link said blankly, picking the slate up carefully. As he did so, he noticed what looked like a hexagonal piece of rock, no thicker than a coin, lying on the table, just beneath the slate's view. There were intricate markings carved into the surface. It looked like...no, it was a rune, the sort Purah had used to unlock some of the slate's functions back in Hateno. This one seemed different, somehow. "And?"

"There really is nothing more to it, Link," Sheik said, though his tone was anything but genuine. His screen kept dimming, betraying that he was working on something. "I may have pissed them both off this time, so hey, a twofer, right?"

"I'm not sure that is something to strive for," Sidon said diplomatically, picking up the rune. "And what is this?" he asked, studying it carefully. "Peculiar..."

"Th-That's a rune," Link explained when Sheik offered no elucidation. "P-Purah used s-some to improve the s-slate."

"How fascinating," Sidon said, his face lighting up and brimming with what was surely a million questions. "And I suppose she unlocked more with this? Something to help in your quest, perhaps?" His expectant eyes landed on the slate. "Please, Sheik, do tell!"

"Eugh...it didn't unlock anything useful," Sheik said, frustration rising in his voice. "It was a dud, all right? She was really excited about it, but it's just...pointless information of no use to anyone, least of all us. I may have been a bit annoyed by it and told 'em to leave."

"P-Pointless, huh?" Link asked, bringing the slate closer to his face. "Then wh-why are you thinking s-so hard?"

"Thinking?" Sheik asked, mock-offence in his tone. "I'm not thinking."

"Sh-Sheik, all y-you do is th-think," Link deadpanned. "Wh-When y-you're not s-screaming, that is..."

"How dare you. I'll have you know I do more than think and scream. Sometimes I brood."

"Is that what you are doing now, Sheik?" Sidon asked, frowning. "Brooding?"

"What? No, I'm not..." he trailed off, and it took several tense seconds before he spoke again. "There is nothing wrong. Just...go back outside, have fun, and leave me alone."

The old urge to fling Sheik into the nearest bush reared its head again in Link's mind, but this time for an entirely different reason than the usual frustration. This time, it was anger. Anger at how Sheik didn't seem to trust anyone—not even the people he claimed to love—with what was happening inside him. Whatever had transpired between him, Purah, and Robbie had clearly affected him to the point where the ever-present heat in Sheik's voice was all but gone, leaving only a cadence that sounded...tired, exhausted. Hopeless.

Exactly how throwing Sheik into a bush was going to help wasn't really something Link had an explanation for—maybe he hoped it would piss the Sheikah off enough to reignite the flame?

He was about to suggest it, when Sidon took the lead...and he had clearly heard enough. He plucked the slate out of Link's grip and rose to his full height, looking at the slate with a steely gaze.

"I do believe leaving you alone is partly what led to this in the first place, so I do not think we will." He broke eye contact (er...lens contact) with Sheik, giving Link a smile. "Link, I believe I shall take Sheik out for a little fresh air and a change of scenery. Will you be all right on your own for a little while?"

Link wanted to say no. The idea of letting Sheik out of his sight right now was downright unthinkable...but he knew from experience just what pushing Sheik usually led to...and perhaps Sidon would have better luck than he.

"I...g-guess," he said, looking down at his feet...at least until Sidon's gentle fingers on his chin forced him to look back up.

"It will only be for a little while, I promise," the prince said. "And didn't Sheik say Purah and Robbie were working on something for you? Perhaps now is the time to pay them a visit."

Those two were the last people he wanted to see right now, but it would give him something to do rather than just pace around the chambers, worrying. So he nodded, reluctantly. "Wh-Where is the l-lab?" he asked.

"Near the plaza," Sidon said. "You can ask Bazz to show you—I'm sure he'll be happy for the distraction."

And so, Link found himself leaving the royal apartments, casting one last, doubtful look at the pair, hoping to the Goddess that Sidon could pierce through the stone wall that was Sheik.

Sidon didn't put Sheik on his belt as he walked along the Domain's walkways, greeting everyone he passed. Sheik remained mute the entire time, his screen so dim the Sheikah eye was barely visible in the background. Presumably, this was Sheik's version of a pout, and Sidon would have found it adorable had it not been for the growing worry, which felt like a spear through his heart.

Link had filled him in on the details regarding their first meeting with Robbie, and what they had learned about the boy in the slate back then. What Sheik had apparently felt was necessary to do to himself in the wake of the revelation...without consulting anyone. Trying to assume an entirely different identity and persona, and Link nearly getting himself killed to snap him out of it.

That was a worrying trait, in Sidon's humble opinion, and one he hoped to head off as soon as possible. Whatever Sheik had just learned had rocked him deeply, and Sidon did not dare to think what would happen if he was starting to have similar thoughts as the first time.

But how to stop it? How to get Sheik to open up? Clearly, outright asking wasn't an option, at least not with Sheik in his current state of mind. All Sidon had to do, then, was change it...but that was easier said than done, and it took him a few minutes of wracking his brain and memories for something that could help.

At some point, his body had taken over the task of walking entirely, not even asking his brain for input on where to go. His feet kept moving, taking him to a spot he had visited often some months ago, when a similar worry had taken root in his chest.

His eyes widened a little when he realised he was standing on the dock that overlooked the lake where Vah Ruta had once stood, producing an infinite amount of rain that had threatened not only the Domain, but all of southern Hyrule.

His mind began racing with images of the battle that had taken place here, where he, Link, and Sheik had teamed up to weaken Vah Ruta's defences. He remembered the mixture of terror, glee, and pride he'd felt during it. Link's exhilarated shouts of triumph when his arrows struck true, his own encouraging shouts, and Sheik's...Sheik's manic laughter.

An idea struck him then, and a wave of nostalgia followed. A vague, fuzzy memory of strong arms cradling his (then) small body close, the feel of water rushing around him, an immense terror at flying through the air, quickly followed by overwhelming relief and mirth at the feel of solid ground beneath him.

He'd been young, back then. Too young to truly memorise the faces and voices of those around him, but he knew exactly whose arms he'd been in.

"Mipha..." he murmured.

"Hm?" Sheik asked, sounding positively lethargic. "Did you say something?"

"Oh, nothing important," Sidon said lightly, plastering on a smile as he left the dock, taking the small path leading to the series of waterfalls that cascaded down from Ploymus Mountain. The lake was a bit too calm to offer any excitement, but perhaps...

He quickly reached the bottom-most pool at the base of the mountain, looking up at the artificial falls, constructed long ago by the ancient Zora.

"Sheik, how are you feeling?" he asked. "Truly?"

"Hm? Oh, me? Sturdy as a rock, fit as a fiddle, and a number of other tired and clichéd sayings."

Sidon nodded. "So...tired, then?"

"What? No, I didn't say—"

"You don't have to," the prince said, carefully attaching the slate to his belt, making sure there was no chance of it falling off. "Perhaps this will energise you a bit."

"What're you doin—"

That was all Sheik got to say before Sidon took a running leap into the pool, angling his body so it hit the water in a graceful dive. Wasting no time, the prince turned towards the waterfall and used his powerful limbs to propel himself forwards...and then upwards.

Instinct and reflexes took over, his body practically moving by itself as it climbed the fall. The exhilaration was still there, Sidon's chest giving a little leap when he reached the top, exploding over the lip of the waterfall and flying several feet through the air before landing in the pool that fed it.

"What are you doing, you crazy ba—"

Once more Sheik was muffled by the water, and Sidon took on yet another step of the long way that would eventually lead to the mountaintop.

That wasn't his goal, however. When he reached the top of the next fall, he didn't aim for the pool, or the solid ground. Instead, he let gravity take over, let it pull him back down, plunging through the air.

"Sidon, we're falling! Sidon! Sidon!" Sheik's voice shrieked loudly.

"That's the point," Sidon informed him, laughing all the while, flipping through the air in a series of somersaults, stretching into a dive just before hitting the surface of the pool below. It was shallower than he remembered—or perhaps he was simply bigger than the last time he'd done this—his stomach almost scraping along the rocks at the bottom, but as long as he was careful...

He surfaced in burst of energy, landing on his feet in the grass. He crouched, taking a moment to catch his breath before retrieving the slate from his belt, studying the screen carefully. It was a lot brighter now, but Sheik was eerily silent.

"Sheik?" he asked.

"That..." Sheik said slowly. "Was...awesome! Can we do it again? Can we? Can we?!"

Relief flooding him, Sidon could do little but grin back at him. "Of course!"

He lost track of the time he spent racing up and falling down the waterfalls of Ploymus Mountain. It had been a favourite pastime of his as a child, but the responsibilities of his position had forced him to eventually give it up. He'd forgotten just how much fun it was, and even if it weren't, he'd still keep doing it for the sheer joy he heard in Sheik's excited shouts and requests to go faster and higher.

It was a bit strange, really, given how miserable both he and Link had apparently been up in the air with Vah Medoh...but then again, the heights involved here weren't really comparable. As long as Sheik asked, however, Sidon would comply, giving it his all, pushing himself to achieve more speed, more height.

"Now do...a triple somersault—no! Quadruple!" Sheik demanded, like a gleeful child. "And a full sideways rotation!"

"I shall try," Sidon promised. "Here we go!"

The sun had gone down by the time Sidon's muscles informed him that it was definitely time to stop, his legs and arms quivering, his core not quite managing to supply as much power as it usually did. When he informed Sheik of this, the boy in the slate was disappointed, but said that he understood.

"We don't have to go back quite yet, though," Sidon said, walking through the grass until they reached the edge of the cliff, giving them a spectacular view of the Domain below, which was surrounded by hundreds of campfires. "Quite a view, no?" he asked, holding the slate up so Sheik could see properly.

"Yeah, it's...nice," Sheik said, his previous mirth fading a little. "Easy to forget how big the Domain really is...what with all the cliffs and bends in the river."

"It makes it easier to defend," the prince said, sitting down on the edge, letting his legs dangle over it. "Should an enemy attempt an invasion, we can set up ambush points all along the river, harassing the enemy until they give up or...well, are all dead."

"Didn't work against Ganon's forces, though," Sheik pointed out, though it was without venom. Not mocking, just pointing out a fact.

Sidon hummed. "The rain from Vah Ruta was causing too many problems for us to be able to effectively mobilise and strategize. The river was too rapid for our normal tactics to work—some places were so clogged up with debris it was downright suicide to swim there." He hummed again. "You and Link arrived just in time, really. I dare not imagine what would transpire had you not."

"Yeah, Link's got a good sense of timing," Sheik said. "His theatrics need some work, but he'll get there."

"I'm certain he will," Sidon agreed. "Especially with you at his side." He gave the slate a purposeful glance. "Right?"

He had never been a subtle person. Sidon knew that. He simply could not stand subterfuge, and the idea of not being honest made him uncomfortable. Muzu had forever tried to drill into Sidon's skull that, as a future ruler, he had to be able to play his cards close to his chest...or at the very least not loudly announce his every single action. It was a lesson that always failed to take, and eventually the old man had stopped trying, apparently resigning himself to the fact that the future king of the Zora would be an extraordinarily open one.

"...you should never play poker, Sharky," Sheik said after a moment of screen-blinking. "You'd be cleaned out in record time."

"Duly noted," Sidon said, not wavering from his stare. "Are you going to answer my question?"

"...I've stuck with him this far, haven't I?"

"With a few bumps in the road along the way," Sidon pointed out, frowning. "Link told me about what happened with Robbie in Akkala...or, rather, what happened afterwards."

Sheik groaned. "And now you think I'm about to do it again, huh? Because of whatever information the rune contained? That I'm going to leave Link alone, or change myself into a subservient shithead, or—"

"I am simply worried about you, Sheik, about how you are feeling," Sidon said. "You may not be comfortable sharing the information, but it is clearly upsetting you...and I want to help."

"There's nothing you can do to help," Sheik spat. "It's all in the past."

"Perhaps there is nothing I can directly, but I can at least listen," the prince said softly, holding the slate in both hands. "Sometimes it helps to simply...talk about it. And perhaps it is easier to tell me first, because we have not spent as much time...shall we say, grinding against each other on the road."

It took him a moment to realise what he'd just said, and by then it was too late.

"I'll say," Sheik drawled. "I mean, when it comes to grinding, it'd be you and Link who does most of the work—"

Sidon felt his cheeks heating up, but he persevered through what was possibly the most embarrassing thing he'd ever said. So much for those speech lessons...

"I simply meant that...that is..."

They really had not been worth the investment.

"I get what you meant, though," Sheik said after a mortifying few minutes. "But...there isn't anything to do about it. I'll...admit that I am...upset."

"Thank you for telling me that," Sidon said. "And while there may indeed not be anything to do about...whatever it is, I think it would make you feel better to share the burden with me. With us. It did in Akkala, did it not?"

"Maybe. Possibly." Sheik's screen blinked on and off. "But this is...much bigger. And I'm not even sure how to react to it."

"We can figure that out together," Sidon suggested. "And react together. We will curse the gods for what they have wrought, for example. Scream it from the top of Ploymus."

"...I'd have some choice words for them too," Sheik admitted. "But they wouldn't be my main targets."

"Who would be?"

Sheik was quiet for a long time before answering. "The Sheikah."

Sidon paused. That was not the answer he'd expected. Robbie, possibly, but the Sheikah as a whole?

"And...why is that?" he asked.

Another long silence. "Because their idea of developing artificial intelligence was apparently to scoop out the minds of unwilling test subjects and force them into machines."

It took Sidon a moment to understand...and then a shiver went down his spine. "Are you saying...?" he couldn't even finish the sentence.

"I...was real," Sheik said. "I was a real, living, breathing person...and because I was troublesome, they thought they had the right to...to take me and force me into...into a...into this fucking shell!"

Sidon didn't need to ask for more. Once Sheik had gotten started, he didn't stop. He told Sidon everything he'd learned from the files stored on the slate, helpfully unlocked by the rune. About the move from creating a mind to transferring it, about where said minds had come from, what had happened to the subjects...to his own background.

"I'm not even a real Sheikah," he said, sounding close to hysterical. "I'm just half of one! My mother was Hylian—guess that's why I look the way I do in the projection! Why my hair colour doesn't match theirs! I was just some...half breed mutt they only kept around until they found a use for me! And here I am! Thousands of years later, in a fucking slate, my memories gouged out and functions limited just so I wouldn't rebel against my tormentors! The only good thing about it all is that they didn't live to see it!"

Sidon didn't know what to say. He'd expected a bout of anger, possibly despair, at yet more confirmation that Sheik hadn't been a real person...but this was...

Not only had Sheik been real, he'd been betrayed by his own people—his family! And they had forced him into a hellish existence, not even letting him keep his own memories, leaving him a complete blank with nothing to show for it.

"And you know what I did to earn it? I was difficult. That's all the report says. That I was difficult, and didn't get along with my clan because I wasn't full-blooded." His screen faded. "I know I'm not easy to be around...but was I really so bad that the only solution they could think of was to...to destroy me? If they hated me so much, why didn't they just kill me? Why did they have to do this?!"

Sidon listened. What else could he do? Was this truly what the Sheikah of old had stood for? Technological progress at the expense of everything—and everyone—else? How callous and unfeeling would one have to be to look at a living, intelligent being and only see a mind, ripe for harvesting and forcing into a metal shell? And the goal had been to force that mind into committing acts of war, to pilot the Guardians?

"And it didn't even work! They went through seven subjects before they got to me, and while they were able to scrape me out of my own fucking brain, they couldn't even get me to wake up again! They left me to rot in that goddamn slate! It took the Shrine of Resurrection to wake me again!"

Sheik's screen flickered, and then he said something else that Sidon couldn't hear.

"Could you repeat that, Sheik?" he asked, voice trembling slightly from the mix of sorrow and anger in his heart that was growing more and more for each detail Sheik revealed. "I couldn't quite hear..."

"It shouldn't have woken me," Sheik repeated, a little louder. "The Shrine, I mean. It should have left me to my sleep. Left me to die."

"You don't mean that—"

"I do!" Sheik snarled, so loudly it nearly made Sidon drop the slate. "What even am I, now?! A freak in life, even more of a freak in the slate! A thing that should not exist! A voice that should not be heard! Some fucking geniuses they were, huh? Putting someone like me into a tool meant to be helpful! I'm nothing but a detriment to Link, and everyone else we've met! I've known that all along, but I thought that if I could at least make myself useful for a little while, just a little, then I could go on being...being this..."

He trailed off, and did not speak again, his anger seemingly spent for now.

"I...I thought I wanted to be real," he said quietly. "To be alive."

"And...and now?" Sidon asked.

"I wish I never woke up."

The prince could do little but stare at the slate, holding it as close as he could. What could he even say to all that? A shiny smile and words of encouragement could do little against the sheer amount of pain in Sheik's voice, or the anguish in his words.

"Link needs you," he said quietly. "I need you."

"You don't," Sheik replied, sounding spent. "You really, really don't."

It was late at night when Sidon and Sheik returned to the chambers. Link hadn't been too optimistic about cheering Sheik up so soon, especially not after a relatively unfruitful meeting with Purah and Robbie, but he hadn't expected Sidon to fell prey to whatever was upsetting the boy in the slate as well.

"Sheik has something to tell you," Sidon, his eyes unusually dull, said, carefully handing the slate to Link before turning on his heels and heading for the door.

"Wh-Where are y-you going?" Link asked.

"I need to speak with someone," the prince replied, not seeing fit to elaborate as he closed the doors behind him, leaving Link and Sheik alone in the dark chambers.

"Wh-What happened?" the Hero asked.

"You'll want to sit down for this," Sheik replied.

Link did so, and what Sheik told him next had his heart clenching and twisting itself apart. By the end of it all, tears were sliding down his cheeks as he cried for the boy who'd been so horribly betrayed by his own people—his own family.

"I...I..." he had no words. Not even stuttered ones. He couldn't fathom what could possibly alleviate the pain Sheik was feeling.

"You don't have to say anything, Link," Sheik said quietly. "But...there's something I want you to promise me. Will you do that?"

"O-Of course," Link said. "A-Anything!"

"When all this is over," Sheik said. "When the Divine Beasts are freed, when Ganon is defeated, when Princess Zelda has been rescued and Hyrule is safe...I want you to switch me off."

Link's breath hitched in his throat, a cold feeling coursing through his veins. "Wh-What?"

"You heard me," Sheik repeated, his words warbling a little. "I want you to switch the slate off, and destroy it. Leave nothing behind that can be salvaged and repaired. Once it's off, it stays off. You understand?"

"But, I-I—"

"Promise me, Link. Please."

He should have screamed no, denied Sheik's request. He should have claimed they would find a way to undo what had been done to Sheik, that they would recruit Purah and Robbie and whoever else with technical expertise to figure out some sort of solution...but his mouth didn't move. His vocal chords did not work.

All he could do was sit and look at the slate until the screen went dark, until Sidon returned and wordlessly tucked him in, making sure to leave Sheik within reach of both of them.