AN: I am soooooo sorry! I've been fighting the most terrible cold and was studying for midterms the last two weeks, so that's why there were no updates last week =.=; HOWEVER! Expect two chapters next week to make up for it :)
I wanted to write more in this chapter, but I got tired, so . . . the "more" will be next week!
Suggested soundtrack: IT'S HALLOWEEN. Youtube "Toccata and Fugue in D Minor (Best Version Ever)" Skip to 2:40 for the fugue because honestly I find the toccata boring.
"So . . . when the the last time you cleaned your room?" Sheik asked, staring at the mayhem of Shadow's room. He had attacked one corner of the clothing bed and realized he had barely scratched the surface.
"Don't recall," Shadow answered from the living room couch. Sheik had made him swear he wouldn't enter the germ fest of his room until it had been sanitized to Sheik's Royal Specifications.
Sheik grabbed something green with frogs on it. With a mighty tug it came free. "What the—Shadow, this looks like it fits a toddler."
Shadow leaned over to look. "Oh yeah! My frog pajamas! Those were so cool!"
"Oh my deku nuts."
Sheik started taking everything out of Shadow's room and sorting it into piles in the living room.
A half hour later, Shadow took his nose out of a book long enough to comment, "I don't think this is getting any better."
Sheik stared at the mountains of stuff in the living room. "It's like your room is the Tardis."
"Now THAT would be cool." Shadow went back to reading. Sheik went back to cleaning.
A few hours later Link walked through the open front door. "Sorry I'm late! Promise this was the last job for a while."
"Link-O!" Shadow called. "We've discovered the Tardis in my room."
"The what?"
Sheik gasped, then rushed over and patted Link's shoulder sympathetically. "You poor soul."
"O . . . kay?"
"Come on, help me lift these containers."
"What, not man enough?" Link teased.
"Don't make me zap you with my Goddess powers, little human."
"Point taken."
As the noise of their voices left the living room, Shadow's ears picked up something entirely different. A deep, wooshy sound that was quite awesome. Actually, lots of them.
It sounded like an organ. Like an actual real life wind and bone keys pipe organ. Shadow stood and closed his book.
There was a door that Shadow had never gone into. It resided in the living room. Well, that door was open, and the music was coming out of it. Shadow wandered into it and followed a short hallway until he reached a giant chamber. The music echoed around the cavernous space. The walls had pillars and the ceiling was decorated with ornamental sculpting, floral patterns that just went on and on. Before Shadow was a long path to the other end of the room. The opposite wall was absolutely covered with metal pipes, twisting and turning all over each other, some shaped like the faces of gargoyles, their mouths the openings the air came out of. At the base of this enormous wall was the organ's keyboard and controls, and playing it was Ganondorf, sitting on the bench lightly, his arms flashing across the keyboard as his head nodded as if conducting his movements.
Shadow made his way to the organ, jaw dropped. When he got there, he just stood next to Ganondorf and watched his fingers fly.
Ganondorf played one final trill in the right hand, and then one more all encompassing chord. Then he removed his hands, and everything fell silent.
"YOU HAVE AN ORGAN," said Shadow.
The look of admiration on the boy's face took Ganondorf by surprise, so much the King of Evil actually flushed. "I . . . I haven't played since before your mother died."
"YOU PLAY THE ORGAN AND YOU NEVER TOLD ME."
"I . . . didn't think this style of music was your thing."
"ARE YOU KIDDING ME?"
". . . No. But in that case," he grinned, "How would you like to go to the Zora Symphony tonight?"
Shadow gaped. "ARE YOU SERIOUS?! YES!"
"Alright. We'll leave at six."
Shadow speed-walked back to the living room, minding his heart. He went in search of Sheik, and grabbed the prince. "SHEIK. WE'RE GOING TO A SYMPHONY."
"What."
"I SAID WE'RE GOING TO A SYMPHONY."
"I know what you said. What."
Shadow pulled Sheik towards him so their faces were mere inches apart. "SHEIK. WE ARE GOING TO A SYMPHONY."
Link set down a box of stuff and slapped his hands together as if to get rid of dirt. "What are you talking about?"
"Hey Nabs, look at this!"
The next day at the Lon Lon Cafe, Midna sat reading the daily gossip magazines as usual. It was Sunday, and Nabooru always worked as a waitress on Sundays, so Midna always hung out there.
The next time she had a minute, Nabooru went over to see what Midna was pointing out. How Midna was able to discern the truth from the mountain of lies in he media made Nabooru jealous, being a journalist and all. She leaned her hands on Midna's table, looking down at the page Midna held open.
Midna tapped it with a sharp fingernail and quoted, "'CEO and Mysterious Son Enjoy Zora Symphony." The page boasted a grainy photo of Ganondorf and Shadow sitting in a wing in the opera house. Shadow had both hands over his mouth and looked really emotional.
"Hm," Nabooru said. "I guess the secret is out that Shadow's Ganondorf's kid."
"That's not all. The whole article is about the 'corruption' of the Royal house of Hyrule. Look over here, Sheik's sitting next to Shadow."
Nabooru made a noise of irritation. "Why do you call her that?"
Midna shrugged. "Is it really that big of a deal? So she wants to be a guy."
"It's completely stupid. She's a woman!"
Mida puckered her lips, but said nothing. She flipped to the next page. "People are getting really angry. They think that Sheik—fine, sorry . . . Zelda has been corrupted by Ganondorf, and they're afraid the Royal Family will disintegrate along with all of Hyrule's traditions if it's allowed to continue."
Nabooru slammed her fist on the table, startling some nearby guests. "That is so racist! Just because Gandondorf is a Gerudo doesn't automatically mean he's out to get Hyrule! Jeez, honestly! I doubt he had ANYTHING to do with Zelda's problems."
"Well, she did 'come out' a few months after getting to know Shadow, so . . ."
"Tch!"
"Hey waitress, can I get a refill?"
Nabooru shoved herself off the table to go help customer.
Midna went back to reading. She didn't think Ganondorf had anything to do with Sheik, either. However, she also knew how people would find any excuse to explain what they didn't understand. So, was Sheik telling the truth, or was Zelda under a terrible spell?
"Zelda? I—I mean, Sheik?" Mrs. Harkinian's timid face appeared around the corner of the hallway.
Sheik looked up from her homework. "Yes, Mom?"
Mrs. Harkinian came around the corner, clasping her hands and asked in a cautious, careful voice and a trepidatious smile, "I was just wondering . . . it's the first of the month. Do you . . . still want to go shopping? It's okay if not, and if there's something else you'd rather do, we can do that instead."
Sheik smiled. "No, no, shopping is good!" Sheik, or, well, Zelda and her mother had a tradition of shopping on the first weekend of every month. Now Mrs. Harkinian wanted that to continue, even though it would be with Sheik. In a way, it had always been with Sheik, but now she was at least aware of it.
Sheik put down his homework and stood. "Can we get ice cream?"
"Sure! And I was thinking, ah . . . do you want to watch a sports game? Or maybe play soccer, or, well . . ."
Sheik chuckled. "I'm still the same person, Mama. I'm just not a girl. I like manicures and glitter and all that other stuff." Secret desires began to rise up in his chest, however. He hadn't been lying, but at the same time it was easy to forget there WERE some things he wished he could have done, but girls were always discouraged from doing them. "C-could we go the a Sumo Wrestling Dojo? I've always wanted to try that."
Mrs. Harkinian blinked, then burst out laughing in quite an unladylike way. "Oh my!" She exclaimed. "I always wanted to try that when I was little, too, but I never had the guts because the boys would make fun of me!" She giggled like a little girl. "And then we can get manicures afterwards."
"I think I'll have them paint little triforces on my fingers . . ."
Midna's heart thumped. I shouldn't be here. But Zelda hadn't been in school, and, well, Midna hadn't been the nicest to her. It was out of shock, really, but Midna still wanted to apologize. She didn't know what was up with Sheik, but she DID know it was none of her business, and she should be supporting her friend!
Still, coming to Royal Court was not the brightest idea, was it?
The ties between the Hylians and Twili was still very tentative. She'd never been to Sheik's home, or even in her neighborhood. Midna's people lived in the run-down side of town in a little community all their own, secluded from everyone else. The war between Hyrule and the Twili had been over for a century, but there was still a huge bias against Twilis. It was quite possible she wouldn't be welcome here. However, she was the representative of her people. She had a reputation to uphold. She had to let the Hylians know she wasn't scared of them.
Her parents died when she was young. That's why she'd been handed the responsibility of representing her people, but that didn't stop certain Twili from trying to steal the title from her. Especially that Zant guy.
Her fists clenched tightly.
Bolstering her courage, Midna strode up the long pathway to the huge castle thing that was Sheik's home, and knocked on the door. A butler answered, and although he eyed her suspiciously, he let her in reluctantly.
She found Mr. Harkinian in the welcome room. "Hello, Johannes."
Mr. Harkinian's eyes squinted. "You have a lot of gall coming here, Twilight Princess. I let you be friends with my daughter. How dare you speak to me so casually."
Midna threw up her hands and sighed. "What? It's not as if you or I actually have any political power anymore. Why CAN'T we be on a first name basis? I call all my friends' parents by their first names. Why are you so special, Johannes?"
"Why are you here?"
"I came to talk to . . ." She considered. If Johannes didn't agree with Sheik's decision, should Midna call him Sheik or call him Zelda so that Johannes would let her in without any more trouble? "Zelda," she decided.
"My daughter is not in right now," said Johannes.
"Oh. Well I'll come back later."
"You may not," Johannes retorted. "Stay away from Zelda. Keep your dark magic and bad attitude to yourself! If you dare come here again, I will call the guards."
"Are you trying to be racist or am I imagining it, Johannes? Zelda's old enough to decide who her friends are, isn't she?"
"Don't read into my intentions! My thoughts are only to protect my daughter—"
"Okay, enough with the lies," Midna interjected. "His name is Sheik and you should respect that."
Johannes bristled. "Leave, Midna!"
"Oh ho! Who's dropping official titles now?" She held up a hand. "Don't worry, if Zelda's not here, I've no desire to stay." She turned on her heel and walked back to the front door, which was held open by a smug-looking butler who was quite happy to see her off. She paused right before crossing the threshold. "Hey, Johannes."
Johannes bristled at the name, again, as Midna knew he would. Her mouth curled up in a wicked grin. "Sheik will make a better king than you ever will."
She left the house before Johannes could muster up a decent reply.
AN: I PROMISE Mr. Harkinian isn't as bad as he appears to be .
