Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to the Legend of Zelda, with the exception of this storyline.
Author's note: I'm glad to see I'm still bringing in reviewers! Thank you very much, Phantom Mist, . , Embyr-75, and Ves! Embyr, thanks so much for thinking of my story that way ^-^. For Zelda's eyes, I found different pictures with different color eyes, so I just picked one. And your fic doesn't suck! I'm reading it as I write this, and it's great! Anyways, how bout I just stop talking and let you all read ^-^;. Talk to you guys in the next chapter!
The sky was dark, the sun having set nearly an hour ago. Zelda sat with her father inside the grand dining hall. Her father, once a robust and burly king, had wasted away in Ganon's dungeons during the rule of the evil wizard. For seven years he had been kept alive solely for Ganon's amusement. During the past year, as the land recovered, he did too. He was still half the man he used to be, a thin frame, gaunt and pale, but his mind had recovered and there was a gleam in his eye that was never there before. The King was on his way towards a full recovery.
This night, he could see that his daughter was preoccupied by something. She had been silent all through their meal, saying hardly a word, and the King was beginning to get worried. She had been that way for quite some time, quiet and reserved, despondent to the world. She was everything but herself.
"Zelda," the King began, "is something bothering you? You've been very distant lately."
The princess looked up from her untouched meal, startled out of her thoughts. She looked at the King and flashed a sad smile. "I am fine, father. Do not worry yourself over me."
The King set down the goblet holding his drink and looked his daughter up and down. "My dear… it seems as though your mind is distracted. You look very troubled, very unlike your usual self."
Zelda frowned. She had been changing…slowly, but she had. She silently cursed herself and smiled to her father. "Do not worry, father. I am perfectly all right. I do have many things on my mind, but they will fade." She picked up her fork and began to eat.
Zelda…
Her fork clattered to the floor, food spilling onto the stones as she leapt to her feet. Her father also rose, startled by his daughter's sudden outbreak and the pale sheen of her fair skin.
"Daughter? What is the matter?"
Silently, Zelda fled the dining hall. Her footsteps echoed down the corridor as she dashed to her room. Her heart pounded in her chest. Why was he doing this? Why did he want so much to come back?
Princess…I want only to help you! Why will you not listen to me?
"No!" The princess screamed. "Leave me alone!"
I have the power to bring you to Link, princess. It is your heart's desire, is it not?
Zelda pushed her door open and ran across her room, falling onto her plush bed. "Leave me alone!"
The door slammed shut as the windows blew open, a fresh breeze sweeping through the room. Zelda cried, her tears streaming down her face. The world seemed loud around her, the slightest noise deafening to her ears. She clasped her hands to them and tried to block out the noise, but she could not stop it.
And then… all at once… everything, everywhere… stopped.
The onslaught of sounds that assaulted her ears ceased. The noise of the wind, of the clattering shutters, they all stopped. There was not a sound in the room. She looked up from her bed, and found that realty had fallen away.
Her room was dark, shadows stretching out in all directions. All that was left of her furniture was the lone bed. Darkness enveloped her on all sides as a fine mist drifted upon the floor. The princess looked from side to side, but could not see any trace of where she was. There were no walls, no ceiling, and even the floor remained hidden. She gently wiped a tear away and tenderly placed a foot into the mist.
Zelda stood carefully, trying to make sense of what had just happened. She took a few steps forward. What had just happened? Wasn't she in her room a moment ago?
The beautiful music of a harp drifted through the dark realm. Zelda froze on the spot. The tune… so familiar…. She dreaded turning around, but she had too. She did not have a choice. The princess turned slowly.
Her worst fears were met. Upon her bed sat her dreaded specter, the figure that haunted her both in waking and in sleeping. Sheik sat cross-legged on her covers, cradling a harp in one hand as the other played. His crimson eyes were closed, one closed lid hidden behind bangs of gold. The apparition seemed more solid, more real this time. Zelda could feel him sitting there, rather than just seeing him. His blue armor gleamed dimly in the darkness, his form glowing softly. The song he played was the most familiar song Zelda could think of… her own lullaby. He played the same song her mother use to play to her as a child.
Doing the only thing she could think of, Zelda clenched her fists and tried to will the apparition away. The beautiful music drifted to a halt, but the figure still sat upon her bed. Crimson eyes watched her as she desperately tried to sort things out as well as try to send him away. The princess knew that she was mentally exhausted from holding him off, and now, her defenses had finally broken down. She was at Sheik's mercy.
The armored-boy watched her before speaking in an actual voice… her own voice, yet distinctly different. "As I told you before, I will not act against you. I wish only to help you."
Zelda felt utterly alone in this dark world as she stared down her largest adversary. "You may help me by leaving me in peace…"
Sheik stood and walked slowly over to the trembling princess. "I could… but that would not get you Link back. I am you, and you are me. I feel what you feel, I know what you think. I remain someone else to you because you refuse to acknowledge me. You would see the truth of my words if you would only let me back into your life. Please…"
Zelda took a step back, watching the figure as he approached. It was wrong to say she wasn't scared. She was. Her fear grew as she realized the truth of Sheik's words. Yes, she wanted Link back, and was willing to do anything it took. Even… even let Sheik back into her life.
The tortured princess fell to the floor of this dark world, tears streaming down her cheeks. She wept without a sound, admitting defeat to the presence that stood over her.
Sheik kneeled, lowering his scarf as he did so. He gently placed an arm around the broken Zelda, and the princess leaned into him. All through his essence he could feel her sadness as he gently comforted her. After a moment, he gently took her shoulder as the princess looked up at him.
"Cry not, my princess. You will be whole, and soon, you shall have the one you've been dreaming of."
Zelda nodded her head slowly as Sheik lowered his head. He gently kissed the princess as his body sunk into hers. The princess shivered at the sensation, feeling as though a hole long emptied was now being filled.
The door shook as guards threw their weight against it. The shouting voice of the king could be heard. The kneeling form of Zelda sat in the center of the room, head resting against her chest. Her father's voice reached her, though Zelda did not hear it. The princess stood slowly and looked towards the door. Her eyes shimmered…eyes of crimson fire. She raised her gloved hand and spoke in a mystic tongue as a small orb formed inside her palm. The princess, now no longer the princess, swung her arm down and threw the orb into the ground. A thick mist sprang up around her body, hiding her, changing her.
Wood gave way as two guards stumbled in, followed immediately by the king. His eyes were locked on the figure crouched in the window the moment he had entered. The figure clad in blue armor and white cloth. Orbs of red looked back from beneath bangs of gold before the figure dropped out of sight and out the window. His daughter was gone.