Yo, I would like to thank Kill Bill for this chapter and next chapter because if it weren't for that film then this would still be a WiP. No seriously... I hadn't touched the doc since the beginning of January, and then the other night my ass watched Kill Bill for the millionth time and this chapter just... clicked for me. It's weird how fate works. So beware the first part of this chapter is slow and not very well put together but it get's hella juicy. Lots of exposition though. And I think ya'll will like it. Also from this point on, this will follow Twilight Princess more in tone than in story telling, so please beware.

On a side note, I am still looking for a beta!

enjoy!

The small party pressed forward. Niah had been pleased with the fact that they stayed shaded from the morning sun. There was no clear answer what time of the year this was, however - from the experience yesterday crawling through the plains on horseback, and the fresh breeze that swiped away the fear that so adamantly donned her; it must be early spring. The light however still warmed her skin to hopefully fight back the rather bitter chill that would occasionally run up her spine - they tread once again over the field, yet this time, there was a mild feel of what she believed to be euphoria. Mara had become a pleasant aid on her journey. No longer did she have to deal with the judder of a shield in front of her as she clung to Link on horseback.

Just before the passage that connected the fields, it may have been a little after nine or ten in the morning. Instead of the sun beaming a soft glow, it was brighter and more alive. They stopped by a drab tree for a break. It had the right amount of shade to not roast them in the sun. In the distance - the castle could be seen embedded in Twilight. Link hadn't said much, he seemed to be thinking, and Niah wasn't going to bother him with it. Small handfuls of food was taken from the satchel, Niah had taken berries, while Link had retrieved some bread for himself, just a small scrap, he didn't appear too hungry, and in fact seemed adamant to avoid stopping all together.

Niah's breath came like ropes, she had stared long enough into the abyss, 'Damn you,' She thought to herself, 'Damn this life, why must it speak in riddles?' But that left her with another thought. She was merely a strand of life from elsewhere, and that it was just her, or maybe it wasn't just her. She turned her gaze from the castle to see a hawk fly above and let out a crow, a lone squirrel that was attached to the sad tree they had sat by quarreled. There was no peace for her, or Link especially. He would continue to be reincarnated, continuing to be reborn into a torn world. From the moment he was forced to leave his peaceful forest there will not be a time anymore where he would be able to stand in a single place.

But the Triforce was three pieces - there was Link and Zelda, and even Ganondorf to fill that weird lonesome void, perhaps there were others for her, 'I suppose they're hiding, or even waiting for me. In need of my help.' A painful flash erupted from her skull. It was only a second, but it was enough to make her gasp for breath. It was a terrible thought, a bad memory maybe?

"Are you okay?"

Niah barely noticed the voice, but met him with a weary nod, "Yeah, just a weird headache."

Link shrugged, "Sorry about earlier though, it was a bit much wasn't it?"

"Not really, people like to be alone and not talk, it's not that big of a deal."

Link pulled himself together and managed to look at her, "I know this is a bit early, but…" He stopped for a moment, thinking of his words, "When this is all said and done, what do you actually plan on… doing?"

"I don't know," She began to swiftly choose her words. "- I mean, I could go home now. But I feel like I'm here for a reason." Niah dug into her pocket and pulled out the brooch, "I just wish I knew what for."

Link for the most part laughed, "Let's face it, we're both pawns in the game of life." He scooted down from leaning on the tree to lie down on the grass, his arms pillowed his head. "-Or pawns for the Gods in my case."

She smiled and rolled her eyes, at least his attitude had shifted to something slightly more comical. "Yes, of course. Who knew you were a philosopher."

Link let out a laugh, it's the kind of laugh that would take anyone out of a sour mood, and for the most part it did the job well, for just a moment large questions were pushed aside. Fortunately as the mood lightened so did their conversation — it rang in her ears for a solid minutes before it dissipated. Link's eyes were closed and he relaxed and for Niah's part she didn't disturb him. The soft breathing of drowsiness almost swept her as well, but they were on a mission back to Kakariko, preferably before dark.

"I guess it beats being constantly reborn to enslave an entire kingdom, murder it's people, slaughter their lives almost to pieces and completely embed a world into Twilight. But hey, it's just me." The words left Link's mouth like a tight menacing grip that dripped sarcasm. And Niah isn't ashamed to not have a response to that.

They stayed like that for a few minutes longer. Instead of forcing themselves to ready for their departure - they both lay idle in the grass, with the spring air rising around them, and even then, not even Midna rose from her shadow to pressure them to move forward. Niah wasn't even sure if she had the energy to. Link seemed to be lost in thought, and it was rude to implore him elsewhere. But it was a surprise when the silence was again broken by a mere glance from her, and she didn't expect for him to look at her back.

"I think the struggle to find and fill your place in a confusing world is that it's insistent that little time is left to consider the forces themselves. You have been thrust into such a world without will or knowledge of it." She stole a breath, "...or whatever my uncle used to tell me all the time."

Link rolled his eyes, his lips were quirked in amusement at the last part, but he suddenly sat up, "We need to get going, we have a world to save or whatever." He stood up and held out his hand.

Niah took it with no grace, as she stumbled slightly, but eventually straightened herself out.

_/\_

The ride wasn't as silent as before, and in fact, the atmosphere brightened. They rode together, and this time no one felt the need to cower behind needless emotion. But it was real and light, Thankfully for the rest of the ride, small discussion was made - but there was a small nook of disappointment. And as no enemies revealed themselves, Niah was starting to wonder if she would ever actually get to see Link in combat.

However, they inched closer to Kakariko, as they set a small steady pace, Niah wasn't quite sure where they were exactly, but she was starting to recall some of the scenery. The small cliffs and ledges, even a patch of grass caught her eye, but it only felt familiar and not emotionally intimate as she had originally thought.

But as they moved on, Niah was becoming more restless and somehow filled with more questions. They gnawed at her brain, but it would be absolutely useless to get answers right now, but that didn't mean she couldn't try…

"So um," Niah starts, "I never got to ask, what's it like being the hero, meant to save everyone?"

Shrugging, Link turns in her direction and begins a more leisurely pace beside her, "It's no more of a trade than butchering or brewing. But it has its perks. Never really believed I would get this far if I'm going to be honest, considering where I come from."

Niah laughs, and leans against the neck looking at him, "Well, sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast." Surely that would go over his head, and he seems to not notice it or respond to it. And for a good moment, their chemistry drops for a small amount of time, they're slowly dragging through the valley, as she didn't remember it being this long before - this eeri.

"I would take a different route, but I've always been told that short cuts make long delays, and I don't want to delay anything much longer."

"...That sounds familiar."

"Hm, Rusl says it all the time, no idea where he got it from. He goes to Castle Town often, probably some sad bloke over there."

For a sudden moment Niah was going to respond, but there was a sound, barely audible through the cliffs and trees, but it was most certainly there. Link even seemed to take the reigns of Epona, halting the small party to a stop. The sound was small, but it was definitely getting closer every second that past, and even the horses reacted to it, worry settled into Niah's skin, as goosebumps pricked over her. Mara wouldn't remain still, but Niah could try to be as she watched the corner of her eyes looking for an escape if this were to be a violent endeavour, but alas the noise grew louder, and rough and ragged voices could be heard over the galloping. But where? The voices were echoing around them.

"Link-" Just as Niah spoke, there was a shadow in the front of her vision just above the cliff.

Before either could react, there was an arrow shot, it barely graze Link, just it cut through the fabric slightly, skimming the chainmail, Epona reared and whinnied, Link almost toppled over, but there was chanting among the trees and even the rocks that Niah had never heard before. An arrow had again sliced through the air, and into the ground just in front of Mara, she realized quickly that this was just a sudden burst to frighten them, however that did not ease their troubles.

There were feet, and life, and noise all around them, confused doubled into her instincts, but gaining control of the situation was near impossible. She has a scrawny man jump just from the hillside in front of her, behind Link. Niah made her attempt to dismount, save him from an impending doom even if it was just her bare hands. She has handled herself before. Her foot had barely hit the ground before she was tackled by someone. Their arms wrapped around his throat. She squirmed and thrashed for escape but as she slowly lost air, her vision became impaired as the world seemed to fade, and her ears were only listening to her heart beat and blood rush through her veins, and air hurried from her lungs..

She knew this was trouble, a compromising position. Niah let herself relax, emitting the thought that maybe she had given up. Fortunately the technique worked, their arms slacked, but she was still held down by the body, and it suddenly hit her that no. These men were not trying to kill her.

The opportunity seized her when the man slackened just enough for her to rip from his grip, forcibly hobbled away. Her senses were slowly regaining as she stood on her two feet, looking at them with desperate eyes. Like the man before, he was scrawny, and clumsy. He ran towards her and swung at her blindly. His fist had nearly connected with her jaw, but just in time she was able to take hold of the grappling fist, using the momentum he built up from his sudden thrust forward, she twisted the arm behind his back. An audible pop could be heard, unsure if that was his shoulder or his arm breaking she didn't care. The man however, screamed in pain.

Niah pulled apart from him. Almost tripping as she scampered back towards… nothing. Finally her mind cleared enough to look behind her.

Her eyes widened comically as she saw the man rope Epona, Link was limp and… The thought vanished from her mind forcibly. He wasn't dead, the God's wouldn't kill him now. But there were more clothed figures surrounding her, moving inward, and her breath caught. She was going to surrender to these men or die trying to escape. But no, she hissed as her throat burned, and adrenaline pushed through her body. Parting her feet, and raising her hands. She had intended to not go down without a fight. None of them however, seemed to move towards her exactly, they roped the horses, and she could hear their cries for release, but none of them had stepped towards her with the intention of capture as well. But there was a thud behind her. The ground shook with the force of the weight. Wearily, she turned herself around and saw just who it was.

Niah didn't recognize him. He was wrapped in a garment that only revealed his eyes. They were a golden brown, but they didn't look upon her with disgust or scorn, but curiosity instead. The skin was dark from the sun from the little that was revealed, built and tall, very tall.

Niah wasn't discouraged though. She kept her stance whilst staring them down. His arms were crossed as he wasn't even concerned with her ferocity. But his gazed pierced through his soul, only for him to mutter in a deep calming voice.

"It's strange you are. I haven't seen your kind in a long, long time."

Niah's voice caught. 'Kind?' She thought bitterly. Her defenses dropped slightly leaving her vulnerable. So many questions with no answers…

That was a mistake.

The man ran towards her, with finesse, his hand outstretched to grab her throat, but using her height to her advantage, she ducked beneath him. Jumping through the spread legs and twisting herself more upright to connect her fist with the lower back was the best she could do for the moment. It was a hard punch, but the man didn't need to recuperate as he rounded back towards her, but his foot connected to her chest, air rushed from her lungs but she held her ground. Grabbing his leg she was about to throw her weight to the beneath them if he hadn't flipped himself, and sent his foot crashing against her chin. Niah fell backwards on the ground, but raised herself up once more. She had never experienced someone of that height before, but she didn't fall too far from him. Her left foot balanced her and she vaulted, her left fist connected with the temple. This time, he staggered harshly, putting a reasonable distance between then. Niah's breath was short, but this was her chance. As he clutched the side of his head she took her left leg for a rear kick, right in his nose. He clutched it, as it must have broken.

Niah tumbled backwards, and as she looked up in the trees and saw grinning faces all around her.

There was an opening as he stood tall once again. Something from the long past clicked in her head. And this time she didn't stop.

Niah let her foot connect with his right side, he still staggered and swayed, and he again attempted to grab her with his hands but she was able to take hold of them and hurl his body over her shoulder. The loud thud gripped her mind as they stared at each other for a short moment. His nose was bleeding and his hood was coming off. But there was a mask just beyond that. Niah had to use both of her hands to wrap around the wrist but she hadn't noticed when the man used his other hand, and immediately something swiped against her cheek. Niah was distracted with the feeling of blood that dripped down the side of her face, stupid she didn't notice the knife in the first place. She should know better But the opening let the man shove her aside head first into the ground, but this time she couldn't get back up.

Before she knew it, the man had wrapped his hands around her throat and squeezed her breath away. Something beckoned her to rest. And so she did.

_/\_

The first thing she recognized was the smell of an ashtray and stale laundry left to sit out. Before even opening her eyes, it was chilled, like she laid on stone or brick and even considered cement because it was cold and damp like an unfinished basement back home. Niah didn't even need to open her eyes to realize that she was thrown into pitch darkness - leaving her only to the smell of mold and the chill of condensation from the air.

For just a second, Niah had thought that it was all just a dream, and she would open her eyes and be welcomed to the pitch darkness of her room at her apartment with a hangover from the night before, waking to the very early hours in the morning, but the weight on her cheek that was of stitches hastily sewn together and her throat that was raw from the abuse of hands wrapping around it, she knew better than to hope for the best.

Before opening her eyes, she tried to force herself up by stretching her arms forward and lifting, but tripped a few times, and after minutes of struggle; battling with the comfort of sleep and the scare of her predicament, she straightened herself up, and sat on her legs. When she was finally situated, she opened her eyes, and realized that she had been right.

It was a cell. With stone, and rusted bars, but she didn't smell the old hay or the wood basin in the far corner. There were torches that dimmed outward, fortunate enough that she wasn't left in total darkness. And with the revelation, she staggered on her feet and tried to catch her balance on the wall. She was having a terrible time as she tried to stay awake, but whatever had happened to her afterwards was still trying to escape her, but she slumped against the wall, and just a moment after, she lost balance and fell, and with nothing to catch herself on, she fell hard.

A pained nose escaped her lungs, and a tremble ripped through her. It was odd and uncomfortable, like nothing she had ever felt before, but it was certainly there. Dried sweat clinged to her, and her hair stuck to her face which was caked with dirt and dust, but she remained unbothered by it as heat spread through her veins, and her body shook in pain. The feeling reached towards her lungs as she began to let out retched coughs. Something had begun to fade from her body, but it was slow, and bitter, and directionless, and it was painful.

"Midna," Niah rasped through short breaths, "Midna, I…" But there was no weight to the room, her shadow was barely visible, but it was there, and she could no longer feel the presence of mischief and solitude. Niah was left high and dry.

However, whether it was hours or minutes of agonizing pain as something dark and powerful ripped through her body like an illness, it faded into obscurity, and left her drenched in cold sweat and tired once more. Leaving her to struggle on her hands and knees, Niah was finally able to relax. As her sense came rolling back to her mind, and her thoughts left uncrowded by… whatever it was that crowded her. She was able to pick herself back up once more. With small stumbles, she finally stood tall.

She needed water.

Niah walked with thought, not wanting her legs to weave together and make herself fall, she walked like a toddler looking at her feet to make sure they were doing what they were meant to be doing. She was mostly in her right mind, yes, however as she took her first step it became abundantly clear that her mind was still calibrating itself and would need time to adjust. This made the walk far from the wall to the basin longer and more challenging than it was supposed to be.

By the time she reached the basin. It was hardly full, Niah wouldn't even be able to cup the water with her hands to drink it. She groaned in defeat.

She was pissed, and royally fucked.

Nothing could be done except sit and wait.

And she did so absolutely.

This time, she sat with her back pressed up against a near wall, however her torso was relaxed, her feet were flat on the ground, ready to make quick haste. Anything related to physical activity at the moment would make her more thirst and desperate than she already was. Niah closed her eyes, leaned her head back. And waited.

_/\_

'They can't keep me in here forever.' Niah thought.

Well, they could, but at what cost? A dead body, deprived of water for as many days or weeks that she would last, it wouldn't matter in the end because the only thing she wanted was her phone, the brooch and Link.

'Link!' How could she be so stupid?! Was he dead, or was he brutally annihilated at the hands of the man, with nothing but his wit and broken bones. Her breath had become unsteady with worry, but quickly straightened herself up and had to remind herself that no, Link was not dead or they all would be in peril against the forces of Twilight. Midna would be here beside her with a warning and her brooch as a means to escape. Or would she? Merely a shadow; could she even take hold of it or normal objects?

A stupid question to have, and she didn't even want an answer, clearly there to occupy the boredom and quiet, but it quickly vanished as the sound of a heavy door was being open startled her with loud footsteps. Somehow though, they weren't loud or obnoxious, they were swift for sure. But as they neared the cell, she closed her eyes, ready to face the music.

The presence was almost immediate as they stood at the front of her, the only things keeping them apart was the bars, and even then - it was useless because they were the ones that held the key to freedom and her escape but another rush of adrenaline was starting to pump through her veins, even if she definitely wasn't going to make it through this time. An aura of something dark lingered in the air, replacing the smell of mold with the smell of burnt oak. It wasn't unpleasant. In fact - it was inviting, but she fought against the inhibition to finally stare at her captor.

"You're awake." The man said without question, his voice was deep, rich and expressive. But it was somehow young and new to her.

Niah refused to grace the man with her voice, and hardly nodded at his dull tone. Only stared at him with vigorous eyes.

The man had reached beyond the corner of her cell and pulled forward a chair. "I expected you to be much more trained for your kind. Especially because of the hell they wrought during the war." The aura of darkness and crass lifted as he let out a genuine laugh. It lacked the malice that she felt surrounded her.

"-Why the hell would they let an amature on the road in broad daylight." Last bit was said mostly to himself as if he didn't expect an answer.

"...or perhaps the spell hasn't worn off yet." Again he said to nothing but himself.

"Spell?"

"Oh! So she now speaks, forgive my rambling. But yes, a spell. A sleep spell, You were easy on the magic side of things, but,"

The man pulled the covering that surrounded his face down, and she was met with a trimmed dark beard and scars, some new and faded with time, but the most obvious thing was the bruising on his nose, "-You did get me pretty good. You're sloppy, but not untrained. I'll give you that. Certainly gave my men a good show." Laughter shot forward into the room, but Niah still cowered against the stone unmoving.

"T-there's never been a spell on me before." Her voice shook with confusion, why hadn't he sneered at her yet, why hadn't he-

"And there has never been a world in which I was truly known. I am Burvis." He bowed his head towards Niah, and she was not quite sure what to do with the sentiment.

"...I'm Niah."

"Pleasure to meet you. Especially one as young as you and of your caliber. Over half a decade later, and it's unfortunate that the Sheikah are legend-"

'Sheikah?!' Her eyes went wide. Protectors of the royal family?

"No, no, no, no, no. I am not a Shei-"

"Oh please," He started unceremoniously, "-No need to hide yourself, Frankly you should be thanking us. You were on the road hunting for your own death, and I know exactly where it awaits you." Burvis leaned back on his chair, a grin was still spread on his face, however it was not of mockery but of glee and excitement. It confused her to no end. "When we went through your belongings we found an accolade of you achievement with the Gerudean tribe-"

"I am not a Sheikah!" Niah hollard, "I am not a master of illusions, I know nothing of deceptions or mirages! So, do not act like you know me!"

Niah had stood up and pressed herself towards the bars, her throat was dry but she spoke with vigor. She thought that a tear might have slipped because of her frustrations, but Burvis remained planted in his spot, idly staring at her as her voice rang through her imprisonment. But what was even her imprisonment at this point? Her voice was hoarse from her parchment, but she preferred the silence of the cell, when the man wasn't here eyeing her as if he wanted to eat her alive. Wanted to hide away back home even if it was just with the clothes on her back.

Niah had expected him to yell at her, threaten her, open the cell and beat her, throw her to the ground and…

"I'm sorry," Burvis stood, the movement made Niah stop her thoughts and stare into his eyes through the bars and she was met with pity and even… respect. "I didn't mean to anger you." His voice was sincere and Niah did believe him. Believing someone was sincere was a mistake before her dad died, and perhaps that's where the sudden anger came from. The grief keeps straying from her mind, only to be reeled back in, but that was no excuse to be a loose canon.

Niah replied low with her hand pressed on her forehead, she felt the impending migraine, formed from her frustration, she let out a breath she hadn't known she was holding.

After she had relaxed herself, she spoke once more, "My friend… where is he?"

Burvis pulled a canister from his belt and handed it to her through the bars, she looked him in the eyes as he took it, almost expecting it to be held to where she could not reach, but there were no tricks, just a simple gesture of kindness.

"Alive just as you are," he replied. "He's tried to escape, and the sentinel at his cell complains that your friend talks to himself."

"Oh, we all tend to do that from time to time, don't we?" She replied idly as she took a swig of the drink, "What are we here for?"

Burvis raised an eyebrow, "You travel with the hero of this realm. We figured that since you're a Sheik-"

"I'm NOT a Sheikah!"

"Fine, but since you're traveling with him, we'd figure that you'd have information about the Sheikah being chased down the roads long ago."

Niah set aside the canteen and traced her gaze back towards his eyes, a golden brown, but when she could stare at them no longer, she paced silently around the cell, listening to his words, but paying no mind to his actions. But he said nothing else, only stared at her movements, while his voice was silent, his thoughts were loud, and could be heard very clearly by anyone who would listen.

"For a moment, I would assume you were lying about the ordeal. But I've come to learn that the few that escaped the king's grasp are very forthcoming when it comes," He cleared his throat, "-came, to their position. Imagine it, having favor with the royal family for centuries must have its perks, but perhaps that is why when they rebelled, the consequences were gruesome and monstrous. But everyone knew that one." He let out a soft laugh. But there was a sense of despair that came with it. Sorrow lingered there as well, and Niah would comfort him if she knew how.

"I didn't," Niah said earnestly, "Please, tell me more."

Bruvis frowned, "Legend says that only the true magic of a hero could break Hyrule's several millennium long curse. But time has passed and hero's have risen with the deed, however - the curse persists. The Sheikah unfortunately, had the brunt of the pole and were casted out and pushed all the way to the edge of the kingdom. It is said that hundreds, if not thousands of army-men chased them down the dirt paths and covered their footprints."

"They're Sheikah, how come they didn't just fight back?"

He shrugged and settled one arm against the bars, "Who knows? Maybe they felt guilt for the rebellion in the first place. Or perhaps they're new master told them to obey the order and be sealed away. But I do know this,"

Burvis pulled the brooch from his belt and held it up, "Do not go swinging this out in front of the Gods and everyone, if the wrong person sees it, you're dead. The magic is the work of Din and she is the antithesis of anger and bitter regret. Be very careful."

Niah is weary to take hold of the brooch when it does cross through the bars. But she took hold of it regardless, but this time with more care and thought.

They stand in silence. Niah had begun running with her thoughts. She should have known from the beginning that this world was not as simple as she had experienced. The royal parties, the golden shams, the battles and the fights. She had heard of, played through - but has never experienced herself. She was a fool to think she would even live with the basics. And the idea of keeping this as close to the game as possible vanished, and she stuffed the brooch in her pocket. The only thing she needed to do started at this very moment, and that was to survive. The script had been thrown out the window the moment she arrived into the wretched world. Perhaps when they somehow found their way to Kakariko, there would be no Bublin, or at least she hoped not.

She let out another breath. "What must I do to get out of here?"

"I will not tell the others of your predicament, they're hopeful and their spirits are high. Tomorrow you will meet with Master Kóesha at dawn. You have naturally gained favor with the man. Your friend however has not. And will need to seek his approval before anything is set in stone. He can be a cruel man when angered. So be careful."

"Thank you," was all she could reply with, "How can I ever repay you?"

He turned more towards her, "I am unsatisfied with payment. But even knowing what I know now, you and your friend are more than enough to save this kingdom once more."

The man began to walk away, but Niah rushed back towards the bar and called out.

"Wait! Where are we?"

Once more he directed himself towards her and smirked.

"Welcome to the Yiga hideout."

Uh oh :)