Disclaimer: I do not own anything in the Zelda Franchise... I wish I did.
Chapter 36 - The Great Shadow of Drums
In the blur of the bridge between dreams and reality, Link felt his body stir in a rigid motion. Slowly his nerves pronounced themselves in a fiery pain, pulling the pale warrior from the blissfulness of his slumber.
In the faintest of breezes, his voice sounded rasp past his lips in a small sigh of discomfort.
Slowly, Link felt his awareness come to light. With a twitch or two of his head, his eyelids began to flutter open, revealing his glossy and still unfocused scarlet eyes.
Tilting his head to the left, the pale blond gazed at the shadow hovering at the side of his bed.
"Ahhh…. what an amazing surprise." He said in a quiet and dry voice, the corner of his lips twitching in a small smile. "The sight of your pretty face is… a balm to my tired body."
Azure eyes frowned in their gaze, twisting the already cold-stern face into a scowl of annoyance. "Don't test me, you monster." Link snarled, showing his white teeth.
"Ouch… you wound me." The red-eyed blond tried to make a mocking expression, but the sudden exertion only made him grit his teeth in pain.
Folding his arms against his chest, Link leaned against his chair. His golden locks swayed left and right as he slowly shook his head. "Mock and taunt all you want, fiend. This is not a game and I don't trust you to not make something evil without breaking a sweat."
Scarlet eyes stared firmly onto the azure ones. Gone was the glassy look on the pale Link's gaze, his expression neutral and cold, yet his bright red eyes conveying the heat of rage starting to burn inside his chest.
Then, as Link waited cautiously for his doppelganger to rise from his bed and jump at him, the other blond let out a long sigh and shifted his gaze away.
His eyes quickly landed on the tall figures standing at the end corner of the cloth wall. One eyebrow quirked upwards right before glancing back to his counterpart. "Two? Are you serious about this? You know two soldiers will do shit to stop me, don't you?"
The pair of soldiers standing in attention guarding this part of the clinic shifted in discomfort, both trading a glance with one another.
"Not my choice." Link replied with a shrug. "If it was up to me, we would let your stinky carcass rot in the forest."
A grunt of laughter came from the pale warrior, a glint of mirth dancing in the light of his eyes. "Well, lucky me you are not the one in charge."
From the corner of his ruby eyes, Link saw the guards stiffen in their posture, both embracing the pole of their spears closer to their armor in a rigid salute.
"Is that so?" Zelda's melodic voice sang with a hint of tease in it despite the seriousness of the situation. "How lucky are you feeling this evening?"
With grace and a powerful presence, Zelda walked further into the room, standing at the foot of the bed, her big blue eyes watching the red-eyed Link's every movement. And despite Link's previous mockery and relaxed grin, he quickly stiffened into a serious frown again, his gaze meeting hers but with less intensity than when he had done the same with his counterpart.
"My, oh my. I didn't expect you to be the quiet type." The Princess continued, once more pressing harshly with the faintest hint of tease. "So, where is that sharp tongue I heard about? Can't you talk?"
Link flinched, his red eyes faltering away from her fierce gaze. "My apologies, princess." He cleared his throat to try and get the hoarseness away from his voice. "One finds it hard to speak when his friend has the look in her eyes as if Ganondorf was standing in front of her."
Instantly the blue-eyed Hero reacted to such a declaration. Pushing his feet forcibly against the ground, Link jumped to his feet, tackling his chair to the side as he took a powerful step toward the bed.
"She is not your friend!" Link's voice roared within the clinic, the intensity of its sound making everyone but Zelda and his counterpart flinch and step back. "Your little sob story may have worked with Sheik, but you can't fool me. So, I will say this slowly just so you can understand my words; You. Are. Not. ME!"
"No…" The pale warrior paused, making the effort to raise his chin in a defiant stare towards the other blond. "I am better."
As soon as the taunting words fled past the blonde's lips, Link released a ferocious snarl; his hands tightening into fists as he stomped closer to the bed.
"Link!" Sheik's shout stopped the fuming tall blond in his last step. Hidden from the curious look, the Sheikah, who found the time to redress into his normal attire minus his turban, stepped out from the corner, his gaze firmly fixated on Link's blue eyes staring at him incredulously. "Maybe you should take a few calming breaths… under the fresh air outside."
If Link felt betrayed and vexed with Sheik before, now his eyes conveyed a look of pure anger. "Fine…" He growled, taking another glance at the man with his face. Without another word, Link kicked the toppled chair further away and stormed his way out, leaving only Sheik and Zelda alone with his other self, as the princess dismissed the two standing guards.
"He looks quite crossed." Link said in a snarking comment, his red eyes still staring at the corner where his counterpart disappeared to.
"And you promised…" Sheik cut right in, stopping whatever would next come from the red-eyed Link. "You promised me, Link."
Hissing under his breath, Link pushed himself up to at least sit and lean his back against the bed's modest headboard. "Have I not kept my word?" He said, raising one eyebrow. "The boy still breathes."
A soft sigh escaped the Sheikah, casually he walked towards the bed to stand next to the princess.
Zelda, in return, glared at the blond resting on the bed. Pressing her hands together, she studied the man's bruised face, torn between feelings of concern for his scars and cold indifference.
"Are you fond of making bold claims?" The Princess' regal voice rang with a firmer tone. Slowly she walked around the modest bed, casually leaning down to reach the chair Link kicked in his outburst as he left. "Do you believe yourself capable of it?" She asked drily, pressing her hands against the top rail of the battered and old furniture.
Licking his lips subtly, Link properly locked his red eyes onto the princess's azure ones for the first time. "You think I wouldn't?"
Zelda scoffed. "Oh, I don't doubt for a moment you are willing to act on it." She calmly pushed the chair aside, taking a few steps to stand beside the bed. "My question is whether you could do him harm." She shrugged, eying the bandages covering the blonde's body. "The way I see it, you cannot."
His pale face slowly twisted in a look of displeasure, tracking to the very line between annoyance and furious anger. Yet, he controlled himself; something that reassured the blond Sheikah watching the exchange.
"Is this a test, your Highness?" Link began, studying her reaction to his words. "Do you expect me to curse and shout profanities in reply to your provocation? Maybe I should crawl my way out of bed just to try and prove a point?"
"Please, no need to get condescending with me." She said back, amused and surprised by his reaction.
"And how should I behave?" He replied with a hiss, biting his lips to contain the venom trying to spill into his words. "You don't show much care about my person, Princess." His voice shifted slightly on her title, a shade of mocking bluntness to it. "Why should I have any for you?"
"Link!" Sheik tried to intervene but stopped when Zelda looked at him with a silent command in her eyes.
"You are an anomaly…" Zelda stopped herself, unsure of what to call him, and her uncertainty showed in her gaze.
"At least have the decency of using my name." Link growled, averting his eyes away from hers.
Retaining the regal calm to her features, Zelda pressed the back of her hand to her lips and cleared her throat. "As you wish… Link." She felt the name leave her lips, and her brow furrowed slightly. Saying this name, while not feeling quite like a travesty as she had imagined, also didn't ring entirely right for her as well.
At the concession on her part, Link closed his eyes and sighed. Turning his attention back to her, his expression lost the unnerved edge it had ever since the Princess appeared. He feels and looks mostly abated, open to hearing her words.
"Right, Link. For a reason still eluding me, Sheik has decided to put his trust in you." Zelda began, deciding to take a seat next to his bed. "I believe you are smart enough to understand why I can't do the same." As she heard the low growl escape the blond, she raised one hand to stop him. "However, in respect to Sheik's opinion, which matters quite a lot to me. I will give you a chance to prove me wrong."
Drifting his gaze away from her, Link saw Sheik staring firmly at him. The blond Sheikah gave him subtle nods, in his rigid way, trying to reassure him about the Princess' offer.
"Such a generous offer, your highness." Link replied with a smirk. "Pray tell, does my word count for something?" He met her challenging gaze with his own. "I guess not… What, do you expect me to reveal Ganondorf's severed head inside a pouch under my bed? That ought to earn your favor, no?"
Giving Sheik a glance, Zelda shook her head letting out a small sigh. "It appears that this conversation will get us nowhere." She quietly stood up, smoothing her dress as she turned to leave.
Frowning at himself and at how the conversation ended, Link gave Sheik a small glance, only to see the blond looking at him with a look of disappointment. This made something tug inside his chest, it disturbed him enough to push the pale warrior to cough and raise one hand toward the Princess.
"Wait…" He said; grimacing as his right eye began to trouble him again. "There is something… something you should know."
"Please, I'm all ears." Spite it all, the Princess turned back to him and smiled, even if her smile carried almost none of its natural warmth.
He started with a long breath, and then he fiddled with the rough texture of the mattress. "Ganondorf will attack Kakariko."
"Is he?" Zelda replied curly. "Like he has attacked for the past years? Like his craven minions have assaulted my country for nearly a decade?" She glanced at Sheik and then back at Link. "Was this an attempt to appease me?"
"No, it was not." Link replied firmly, gone was his fidgeting. "The man himself told me during one of those… when he came to see me. If I recall it properly, his words were; Little Kakariko has outlasted its usefulness."
"Oh and just like that he told you this?" She remained rigid like a stone in her stance, going as far as scoffing at the troubled look the other blond is giving her.
"What in the blazing hells do you want me to say?" Link snarled, gritting his fists tightly only to then buckle forward in pain. "Who knows what goes on in that warped mind of his? Maybe he felt chatty after stabbing me in the guts a few times." He pulled down the small blanket covering his abdomen, showing the blood-stained bandages tightly wrapped around his pale skin. "Do with this information what you will, Princess. But just keep in mind that this is not a clever little lie to gain your trust. Do nothing and Kakariko will burn, together with everyone there."
Taken back by the brazenness of his words and the sincerity in those oppressive bright red eyes, Zelda held one hand close to her chest and simply nodded. "I will take your words to heart. That I promise." Her reply was genuine, just as her somber expression softened in truth towards the familiar stranger.
Biding her farewell to him in a proper curtsy, Zelda turned to leave one more time. She glanced at Sheik, waiting for his input on whether he would follow her or not; the Sheikah just shook his head, biting his lower lip in a nervous tick.
Reassuring him with a small smile, the princess left them alone, walking fast and with a myriad of thoughts racing across her mind.
"Such information should not remain a secret." Sheik said addressing a subdued Link staring down at his hands. "Why haven't you told me about this earlier?"
Link scoffed. "Do you blame me for holding it a bit?" He replied softly, still not raising his gaze toward the other blond. "Even if it was the first worry in my mind, what else could we have done at the time? Why burden your thoughts in advance?"
Pacing around the bed, Sheik walked until he stopped where Zelda was standing before. He leaned closer, taking one of Link's hands in his in a firm grip. "I don't like secrets." His voice came as a warning.
This declaration made Link chuckle and then grimace from the aching in his chest. "A master in the arts of subterfuge that dislike secrets." Finally, Link raised his gaze to Sheik. "Or maybe you dislike not knowing the secret of others."
Sheik's first reaction was to frown and release his hold of Link's hand. He felt perturbed by the almost mirrored words coming from one Link just after the other one had called out the same thing.
But then his attention turned to the bright glow of this Link's red eyes. Despite the weakened look on his pale face, those eyes feel more alive than ever, as if they are burning with an unknown power within them.
"Y-You should leave." Link whispered under a quiet hiss. "The buffoon was quite angered when he left, it won't end well if you linger in my presence alone."
A frown took over Sheik's expression. "Didn't think you cared." He watched the other blonde's reaction to his words, growing suspicious at the weak grin he received.
"Maybe I do care. Or maybe I don't. Either way, it doesn't make my statement any less true." Link shifted uncomfortably in the bed, slowly resting the back of his head against the small headboard. "Go on, I won't be going anywhere. It's not like I could even if I wanted to."
"Link, what are you trying to hide from m-"
"Just leave!" Link's agitated voice cut Sheik's words before he could finish, startling the smaller blond. "P-Please… just go." Closing his right eye, he gave the Sheikah a pleading look.
While confused and alarmed at the sudden change of behavior of the pale warrior, Sheik felt inclined to appease this request. Pressing his lips in a thin line, he raised one hand towards Link but stopped before he could touch him.
Giving one short and firm nod, Sheik turned his back to the other blond and marched his way out in a quick stride.
As soon as the soft sounds of Sheik's steps faded away Link's upper body lunged forward, his right-hand gripping tightly at the side of his bed, the left one digging its nails at the scarred skin around his right eye.
Gritting his teeth with enough force to make them grind, he forced himself to endure the mind-numbing pain erupting from his eye. It felt like a burning inferno just alighted itself inside his ocular socket.
In one wave after the other, these sensations kept coming faster and stronger, very closely followed by the humming of voices storming inside his head; like a choir of drowned voices emerging from within a darkened lake, they kept singing in this dark tone; indiscernible to his thoughts, like ramblings of mad souls.
Then, his concentration was broken when a set of steps came from a vacant spot within this very room. His left eye shot up just to see the spymaster herself tread into the light.
"W-What?!" Link's voice came broken and twisted in a gurgle, a line of drool running down from the corner of his lips.
Without much notice of words, Impa just approached his bed and forcibly removed his hand from his face. Even the seasoned Sheikah released a quiet gasp at the sight of Link's right eye; The orb's sclera is almost completely black, and its iris warped in a fiery tint of orange burning with an eerie hatred.
In a haste, Impa held his head in place and placed one of her hands above his right eye.
Link, who had managed to withstand the burning pain until now, had to bite his lower lip with enough force to draw blood to contain his scream of pain.
They remained in this position for long two minutes, until Link's trembling arms relaxed and the expression of utter agony left his face.
Only then Impa released her hold of his head and stepped back, allowing the pale young man to gasp and breath rapidly.
"For how long has it tried to take you?" Impa asked without detour, trusting the young man to know exactly what she means.
Shotting his head back, Link felt completely exhausted. His shoulders slumped as his body just fell limp against the wooden frame of the bed. "Y-Years…" He managed in a weak voice. "Always… always there. Talking, howling." A hoarse cough exploded from his lips. "N-never this intense… before."
Impa's stone-stoic face shifted very slightly into a look of sympathy and horror. Closing her eyes, she placed one hand over her forehead before letting out a sigh. "You are very brave, boy… and very much despised by fate." This got a weak laugh from Link. "My condolences for it, no one else should fall victim to this curse."
Still trembling weakly, Link pulled himself a bit straighter. Blinking a few times with his right eye, he stared at Impa with a suspicious look. "What do you know about this? H-How can I make it… stop?"
"You can't." She replied quickly and directly. "If it has this much hold over you, trying to face the source of it would be suicide. As for what this is." Pressing both hands together in front of her, Impa stared directly into Link's red eyes. "My responsibility, my burden, and my destiny."
"Destiny…" He scoffed in exasperation. "I am rapidly growing tired of this word."
A faint sound slipped past Impa's lips, too subtle for one to identify it as a sigh or a chuckle. "You are different from our last meeting." The spymaster pointed out, making Link frown under her scrutinizing stare. "No need to be squeamish, I don't mean your scars." Her eyes glanced over to his naked shoulders, noting the lack of rigid self-confidence. "Would you share it with me… what snatched away your bold indifference?"
His shoulders shuddered at the question. In a jerk reaction, Link pushed his gaze away from her, a harsh scowl twisting his tired expression. Biting down his lower lip, he tried to contain the lump forming at his throat as words began to form at the tip of his tongue without his consent.
Impa almost gave up on her inquiry when Link slowly brought his eyes back to hers, gone was the cold and apathetic glint always present on those bright red orbs. Instead, the look in his eyes took the tall Sheikah woman by surprise. Staring back at her is the eyes of a scared boy, forced to grow up by the evil forced onto his path.
"I-I am scared." Link confessed, looking ashamed of even acknowledging such a feeling.
"Why is that?" Impa gently urged him to continue. "I take Ganondorf is not the reason, is it?"
He scoffed again, shaking his head slowly, ashen-gold locks of hair swinging in the motion. "Ganondorf only managed to make me want to kill him even more." He grinned weakly. "And I already wished that very much so." A small chuckle threatened to come from him, but Impa's silence pushed Link to just withdraw into the comfort of his own arms hugging his sides. "You were here the entire time, weren't you?" He asked.
"I arrived a little before the Hero came to see you." She replied, unfazed by the small glare she received at the mention of said Hero.
Link sighed. "You saw how they look at me, didn't you?" He pressed one hand to his forehead, guiding the other to grab a handful of his pale-blond hair. "Impa, you take away the mask of an evil monster, what remains?"
Once more surprised by the young man in front of her, Impa found herself without words to answer his question.
Taking her silence as an answer itself, Link continued. "A pallid husk that inspires spite more than fear. A pariah, a target." He closed his eyes, letting his head hang down. "What will they do to me when fear doesn't work anymore? I'm scared Impa. I wish I could've stayed in that cell, that Sheik hasn't come for me, that I never had to see that look in Zelda's eyes as she glared at me."
His words resonated with the Sheikah, the fear and desperation of his confusion sounding very much like her own doubts. "True terror is something that is found only when one is confronted with their mortality." Her voice came slightly shaken, not noticeable if the one speaking was not so usually apathetic.
Link's eyes widened at her confession, his mind quickly putting part of the puzzle together with this minute amount of information. "When?" He frowned when Impa just stood in place, staring at him in silence. "Sheik… you have to tell him." Letting out a few pained grunts, he pulled himself to the edge of the bed, threatening to get on his feet. "You can't leave without telling him about it. It will… crush Sheik. Don't leave this to me. Don't, don't you dare!"
Pressing a firm hand onto Link's shoulder, Impa held him in place, making him glare at her. To his surprise, a small smile is tugging at the corner of her lips. "You truly care for him." She stated rather than asking. "How bizarre. I feel so very inclined to believe in you, that you are somehow a lost piece of our Hero… You know, to be honest with you, I don't fully agree with their bond, those two are very close to one another. And like another part of Link, you feel the same way towards my nephew."
"Is this a distraction?" Link hissed, trying to stand up but failing miserably at it. "I won't let you do this, Impa. Even if I have to scream like a lunatic to keep you here, I won't allow you to leave."
Her small smile grew a little, changing to a knowing grin. "Despite your offending words towards him, you are still so very similar to that boy." She then moved one hand to the back of Link's neck, pressuring her fingers with such precision that simply forced his body to shut down, his consciousness slipping into a dreamless sleep. "You have a good heart underneath all the nastiness, brat." A faint chuckle escaped the tall woman as she gently laid him down on the hard mattress. "I shall pray for the Goddesses to extend to you their kindness at least once before the end… Farewell, Hero of Time."
Solitude is an impertinent curious affair. At times it can be scary and petrifying; to feel as if no one else in the world notices your presence. Then, sometimes, it can be so very calming; as if you are allowed to grieve and cry over your pain without unwanted eyes peering at your bare soul.
For someone that has wrestled with the complex feeling of loneliness for quite some time. Link is for the first time, grateful that he found seclusion in the lush green shore of the small lake providing water for their camp.
While this is the reason why Zelda's entourage has decided to set their base here, almost no one visits this place alone, save only a few workers coming to gather water for the next few days. Most Hylians are scared of the outlandish creatures and spirits that roam free inside the Kokiri Wilds.
As a child of the forest himself, the young Hero doesn't understand their weird panic about the spirits. The little orbs of light never harm anyone, at least not people that don't deserve it. To Link, they were always warm, full of light and kindness. It is this feeling of home that he came seeking when he retreated into the forest.
A place he can understand, a place where he can be just himself. Yet, the peace he was looking for is nowhere to be found. He came towards a place to be just Link again for a little while, however, who is he anymore?
A warrior?
A friend?
A lover?
A hero?
He sat at the margin of the lake, staring down at his waving reflection staring back at him. This thought kept coming back over and over again; What makes Link, Link? He is himself, of that he is sure, but what does that even mean?
It should make him Zelda's and Vahn's friend, General Val's pupil, Sheik's partner. But the appearance of someone wearing his face makes the person he trusts the most almost a stranger to him, bringing forward lies and awkward outbursts.
Is this his fault? Another instance of his inexperience being a burden to people, maybe he shouldn't be so angry with Sheik, maybe there is something deeper to his partner's action.
But then why does his chest tighten so much when he remembers that Sheik lied for the sake of someone else, for the sake of that… him.
Grabbing a fistful of grass to the side of his left leg, Link ripped the wet green blades from the ground, frowning down at it as he stared at the broken pieces in his hand. Glancing at the spot where he had ripped them from, he felt guilty and sorry for ruining the natural green carpet.
Letting out a sigh, he dropped the twisted blades of grass down into the water, watching as they floated calmly around his reflection on the lake's surface.
"Who are you?" Link asked his wobbling reflection.
A softly hustling of his tunic startled Link away from his deep thoughts. The tugging at his right side turned into something fluffy pressing against his right arm. Looking down he saw a small silver-haired head forcing itself in between his arm and chest.
Quirking an eyebrow, he just watched as a small girl quietly made herself comfortable in his lap.
"Hi there, little girl. What are you doing here?" Link smiled at her, this one little rascal being a little familiar to him, as ever since their group arrived, she has appeared by his side more than once.
"Fie." She said back in a monotone voice, her big red eyes looking right at his.
"What's that?" Link asked slightly confused at the word.
"Fie, I'm Fie." The girl said back with a little more vigor, grabbing his green tunic with one small hand.
"Oh, okay. That is a pretty name. Fie…" Link's smile grew as she just nodded at him, her serious look never changing. "What are you doing here by yourself, Fie?"
Fie tilted her head to one side and then to the other. "Sad…" She simply said, pointing one finger toward his face.
"That doesn't… really answer my question." He replied with a soft grumbling, not finding himself capable of frowning at her.
"You should smile." She suggested and then pushed her lips with her small fingers to simulate a very awkward smile. "Link is very pretty with a smile, not very pretty when sad."
Surprised by her words, Link felt his lips tremble, and then his voice came out in a very sincere laugh. "You think so?" He smiled at her and Fie nodded very firmly. "I think you are a cute little girl too." He pinched her left cheek, much to Fie's chagrin, who waved his hand away.
Turning away from Link for a moment, Fie began to twiddle with the pocket of her long baggy pants. After a small moment of difficulty, she pulled a folded piece of cloth.
Fie poked the bundle of dark fabric, unwrapping it like a small gift. When it rested folded just in the middle, she held it in both hands and presented it to Link.
"Took good care of it." She said proudly, her eyes twinkling with a quiet glint of joy. "Yours, Link."
Link stared at her gift, puzzled by the sight of it.
In her small hands, Fie is holding Link's Kokiri hat. Its color is unmistakably grey to black. There are quite a few strings of white lines stitched on the side as if someone had fixed tears that had opened in the fabric.
Getting impatient at his lack of response, Fie hold onto the hat with one hand and promptly began to climb onto his shoulder. After a second or two of tiring effort, she scaled his tall form and casually placed the Kokiri headwear on top of his blond hair.
Sliding down to his lap again, Fie looked up at him, tilting her head left and right a few times before nodding in approval of her work. Then she proceeded to press her back against his body and just sat there, watching the lake wave around a few leaves floating on its surface.
Clenching his fists to the side of him, Link frowned at nothing, feeling very dirty and wrong about the hat resting on his head. "This is… not mine." He said softly, despite his inner turmoil.
"Link's hat." Fie said back. "Fie kept safe, now gave it back." She snuggled against his tunic. "Fie's a good girl, not a brat." Her head shook left and right. "Not annoying, not a brat. Fie promises."
Her heartfelt declaration made Link swallow his next words in denial of her gift. Instead, he patted her head with one hand, getting a content sigh out of the little girl.
In these quiet moments of companionship, Fie fell asleep in his arms, still holding the fabric of his tunic as she breathed softly against his chest.
As for Link, while not alone with his thoughts anymore, felt even more immersed in his brooding confusion.
He isn't so aloof as to not understand the meaning of the hat now in his possession, but the implication makes him that much more uneasy.
Fie has shown him genuine care, something that such a young child would not have for a stranger like him. Moreover, this sentiment of hers implies so much more, things that should never be real.
The questions from before have only gotten louder inside his head.
Who is he?
Who should he be?
Is there even a single answer to a question like this?
Hidden beneath the shadow of a very big Kokiri Deku Tree, Sheik has been quietly watching Link for a little while.
The young Sheikah had decided to seek out his partner, holding a worn-out notebook in his hand, he came to defuse the Hero's fears and distraught. However, as he found Link sitting quietly by the lake's shore with a small silver-haired girl sleeping in his arms, Sheik simply couldn't push himself to break such a serene moment for his beloved.
After today's events, no, after this whole week, Link more than anyone deserves such a moment of reprise.
And so, Sheik has been watching Link from a distance, chewing on his lower lip and taking little steps to quickly retraced them each time he fails to muster the courage to go towards his partner.
"Inaction changes very little." Impa's quiet voice sneaks behind Sheik, making him take a step back startled by his master's sudden appearance. "In this case, it will only make things worse." Her thin lips twitched in a small smile, so gentle and strange to her usual expressionless face. "Go talk to him."
"Master…" Sheik acknowledged her presence with a small nod, conscious of his lack of awareness to get surprised so easily.
Impa regarded her pupil and nephew with a pointed stare, her analyzing eyes making the young man stiff with uneasiness. "You've grown lax in your skills, at least whenever he is around." She gave a small nod toward Link, and Sheik followed with his eyes. "Brash decisions, action without thoughts. Where is the Sheikah I've trained to be distant and always objective in his assessment?"
Sheik shrunk against the tree, clutching the old book with a little more strength in his hold. "Master…"
Before he could say anything more Impa continued. "You are very perceptive, so I trust you have noticed that I don't approve of this union between the two of you." Right then his ruby-colored eyes went wide as they stared at her, and his mouth hung open. "I do not approve of it." She said again, driving her point harder with these words.
His pale cheeks turned red; his chest puffed out in defiance in the face of her higher-ranking stature. "I won't leave him." He said firmly with not a shred of hesitation, even with the faint glint of fear in his ruby eyes. "Link is important to me. I lo-"
Impa raised one hand, making his words freeze at the tip of his tongue. "This is your choice to make, nephew." She said with a resigned look, a small smile tugging at the corner of her lips.
"B-But…" He stuttered, flabbergasted with shock. "What about the Sheikah's future?"
"You expect me to shove that responsibility solely onto you? It would make me a hypocrite, wouldn't it?" Lowering her hand, Impa slowly walked closer to Sheik, grabbing his left hand onto hers. "Sheik, you've grown into such a remarkable young man. It doesn't matter your choice of partner or the road you may take going forward in life. I only want you to know that… I am very proud of you."
Once more Sheik's expression completely changed in surprise, this one making his chest deflate and the corner of his eyes sting.
Impa never mistreated him as a child, and never left him wanting for anything in his needs. But being the stern woman and Sheikah that she is, she has never shared a whole lot of emotion with Sheik. She would reprimand him when something went wrong and nod in approval when he met her expectations.
To hear these words, to feel that his master, that his aunt is proud of him. This came crashing like a boulder against his chest, turning his heart into a rapidly beating mess. Sheik never knew how much he wanted her approval, to hear a few words of love.
"Hey…" Impa tapped his chin with a finger, smiling sincerely at her nephew for probably the first time in their life. "Go talk to him. Nothing will be fixed with you just watching him from afar."
Sheik smiled, leaning softly onto the touch of his aunt's hand. "Yes, I should." Pressing the book onto his chest, he gave Impa a small nod and began to turn away. "Aunt… thank you." He looked at her with a glossy tint in his eyes. "Your words, they mean a lot to me."
"There is no need to thank me, Sheik." Impa allowed herself to smile one last time. "They were meant for you since a long time ago, if only I had not delayed saying it until now."
Smiling at his master, Sheik properly turned away, quietly walking towards Link who still is very much unaware of their presence.
"I will always watch over you, Sheik." Impa's voice came out like a brief whisper, too faint and weak to reach her nephew who is slowly getting farther and farther away.
"You made a new friend…" Sheik's voice caught Link off guard, the hero still a bit lost in his thoughts had to blink twice before looking to his left as the Sheikah sat beside him.
"Maybe…" Link replied a little aloof, but not on purpose or out of spite. "I think she mistook me for someone else." He raised his right arm and gave a light poke with a finger onto the grey hat sitting on his head.
Link slid down his arm, letting the back of his hand lie on the grass. Looking at Sheik he glanced at those red eyes, then down to his cheeks and up to his eyes again.
A gust of air flew past his lips, his tongue tingling as if working with a mind of its own. Clearly, Link has something to say to his partner, he just doesn't know what or how. So instead, he sighs deeply, drifting his gaze back toward the peaceful lake.
"Link, we need to talk about this." Sheik began, and quickly noticed the frown that appeared on Link's handsome face. "Fine, you don't have to talk. But can you listen to me?"
Link replied with a small nod, turning his bright blue eyes back onto Sheik.
"I understand my actions have bothered you, that I have done something which doesn't feel right, especially for you." Sheik felt glad that despite the twitch in Link's lips, the hero remained quiet just listening to him. "And I admit, there wasn't much thought given when I decided to save him. I simply couldn't be calm and collected, it was not very Sheikah of me."
A soft snore came from Fie, the small girl shuffling slightly in Link's arms; her right-hand clutching firmly at the green tunic. With one hand Link secured her firmly on his lap, smiling gently at her.
Sheik, who watched the two of them with a tender look in his eyes, continued with his words all the while his fingers fiddled with the book in his hands. "If you are wondering why… why would I do something so strange?" He let out a sigh and then chuckled quietly. "The answer is simple and so scary… Link, I love you. I truly love you."
"Sheik…" Link reached with one hand, resting it on his lover's knee.
"It's true. I never knew I could have this feeling, I… I never wanted it." He shook his head. "I don't regret loving you, never. But it changed me. There is no more rational thinking when you are involved, the thought of you being in danger, suffering in the hands of that monster. It drove me crazy."
With a weak groan Link relented with a nod, his gaze drifting ever so slightly to the side. "And him?" He asked with a small voice. "How does he fit in this?"
"Here." Sheik presented the plain book in his hand toward Link, making the other blond quirk one eyebrow at it. "I want you to read this, then you will understand."
Link made the motion to take the book, but Sheik pulled it back slightly, red eyes pointed in their staring.
"I want you to promise me that you will read it." Sheik said firmly with pleading eyes.
The Hero nodded, eyeing the worn-out book with a lot more suspicion than before. "I promise."
"That's all I ask." Sheik this time gave the book to Link. He watched as Link stared at the book, holding it in front of his eyes as if the plain rugged cover would talk to him. Smiling softly at the adorable silliness of his lover even when sulking, Sheik moved closer towards him; close enough to rest his read on the blonde's strong shoulder.
"It's going to be one very good book if it helps this all make a lick of sense." Link commented, resting the book on the grass next to him.
"It will, I promise." Letting out another chuckle, Sheik grabbed Link's chin to make the blond look at him. "Again, I'm sorry for hurting you." He leaned in slowly, giving Link a chance to pull away if he wanted to but he never did.
Gently and softly, their lips pressed together in a chaste kiss.
"I…I love you too, Sheik." Link declared right before pressing another kiss into his lover's lips.
A giggle escaped the Sheikah as Link tried to snake an arm around his waist, pulling them together into a passionate kiss. "L-Link…" Sheik sighed out his name, giggling again when Link groaned in complaint when their lips parted away. "Not right now, okay? We still have your little friend with us." He glanced down at Fie, still happily sleeping in her comfortable spot.
"Okay…" He pouted but not for long as he smiled when Sheik smiled at him.
"Hey, we will have time for us later." Sheik said softly, brushing two fingers on Link's cheek. "But maybe we should look for this little one's guardians."
Link nodded. "We should, a little kid shouldn't be walking in the forest alone, isn't safe anymore without the Kokiri." Link began to stand up, carefully securing Fie close to his chest, resting her head on his shoulder. "Your parents must be worried about you, Fie."
She mumbled softly in her sleep, a thin line of drool running down her pale cheek. "Link… sleepy."
"Don't forget this." Sheik grabbed the book from the ground, placing it on Link's free hand.
Standing side by side, the pair of young lovers locked their arms together, relishing in the warmth of one another. They walked like this, smiling happily in this private moment, going as slow as they could, because when the large trees giving them privacy are left behind, they will be faced again with their respective roles in Hyrule.
A duty that will keep them apart in this manner until the end of this war. For the Hero of Hyrule cannot be seen so close to one of the shadows despised by the common people they are fighting to save.
Chapter End.
