disclaimer in first chapter.
a/n: getting near the end of childhood, ganondorf will be showing up next
*grins*
The Sages' Sheik
.chapter five.
He pulled off his cloak, wringing out the water in a puddle beside his damp boots. Sheik flung back a soddened fringe of hair off his face. He grimaced when it began to drip down the back of his tunic.
"Stupid waterfall." Draping the still damp cloak over one arm, Sheik headed into the Zoras' Domain. He stood at a vantage point overlooking the wide underground lake within the Domain. Impa had once brought him along with Zelda to visit with the Zora princess.
Sheik grinned, remembering how Impa had yelled at all three of them for sneaking up to the diving cliffs. He hadn't managed to jump off before Impa had grabbed the collar of his tunic.
Zelda, soaking wet in her pink finery with a broad smile, was one of Sheik's favourite memories.
He tilted his head back, spying the diving cliffs high above where he stood. There was no Impa now, Sheik grinned to himself.
He edged over to the cliff, eyes unfocusing at the water far below. It hadn't looked this high when he was with Zelda.
"Well, aren't you going to dive?" The Zora standing off to the side questioned. Sheik took a nervous step forward and froze at the edge. The Zora continued.
"There was another boy who went diving today, just launched himself off." The Zora laughed. "His little faerie was shouting after him to stop."
Sheik looked back at the Zora, then down at the pool. Link did it, he told himself, I can do it too. His body wasn't agreeing with him and remained still on the cliff.
A sigh was heard from behind, then a hard nudge sent him forward a step. A step that wasn't really there. His shriek echoed the Domain, silenced by a loud splash.
Gasping for breath as his head shot above the water, Sheik glared up at the waving Zora atop the cliffs.
"That wasn't so bad, now was it!" The Zora yelled down to him. He floated in the pool, cloak tangling as he swam to shore. It hadn't been that terrible.
Standing in his soddened clothes, Sheik grinned and dashed up the path to the cliffs. He wanted to go again.
*****
Sheik perched on one of the branches floating on the water. He frowned into the water, at the murky view of Lord Jabu-Jabu swimming below. With Link inside its stomach.
It had taken him the rest of the day, after several more dives off the cliff, to find where Link had disappeared to this time. Ruto had also disappeared, but that was normal for her. Sheik could remember a few times when the Zora princess had 'disappeared' into Hyrule Castle for weeks. He frowned, remembering how she teased him constantly during those visits.
Lord Jabu-Jabu had been underwater for two days already. Only a day after the encounter in the graveyard, Link had gone to find the third Spiritual Stone and was swallowed by an over-grown fish.
"Doesn't he ever rest?" Sheik demanded to know from a fish swimming by the log. No answer. He splashed at the water, again staring down to the depths of the lake.
What if the boy couldn't handle the enemies inside the giant fish? What if that faery told him the wrong things? Sheik winced, thinking of all the water enemies he'd run into simply by following Faery boy to the Zoras Domain. He still had welts from the shooting squids.
"He's managed two Spiritual Stones without...a whole lot of help from me. Link will make it," he tried to convince himself.
"Hey! Don't worry so much, he made it. Took his sweet time and was utterly rude to me, but he's already out of the water." Sheik nearly fell off the branch in shock.
"Ruto! You were in there too?" He asked, leaning off the branch to see the Zora princess' amused face.
"Of course I was Rubes, had to get my precious stone back." Sheik grumbled at the nickname, a mess of 'ruby eyes' that Ruto had declared him at age three. "But now Link has it. I even said it was an engagement gift and he still wouldn't leave without it!" Ruto shook her head in surprise. "Boys are dumb, don't you think Rubes?"
She waited for an outraged response and heard nothing as Sheik spotted Link running towards Zora's Domain. She recognized the look on his face, having seen a more adult version on her countless suitors previously. Something a little more than friendship, that would have to be fixed she decided.
"You like him, don't you?" Ruto poked at Sheik slyly, as he watched Faery boy run off. Sheik stared at Ruto, confused. He jumped to his feet.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Sheik snapped up a deku nut before disappearing in a flash of light.
"Yeah right, and I'm the crowned prince of Hyrule," Ruto snorted.
.end chapter five.
The Sages' Sheik
.chapter five.
He pulled off his cloak, wringing out the water in a puddle beside his damp boots. Sheik flung back a soddened fringe of hair off his face. He grimaced when it began to drip down the back of his tunic.
"Stupid waterfall." Draping the still damp cloak over one arm, Sheik headed into the Zoras' Domain. He stood at a vantage point overlooking the wide underground lake within the Domain. Impa had once brought him along with Zelda to visit with the Zora princess.
Sheik grinned, remembering how Impa had yelled at all three of them for sneaking up to the diving cliffs. He hadn't managed to jump off before Impa had grabbed the collar of his tunic.
Zelda, soaking wet in her pink finery with a broad smile, was one of Sheik's favourite memories.
He tilted his head back, spying the diving cliffs high above where he stood. There was no Impa now, Sheik grinned to himself.
He edged over to the cliff, eyes unfocusing at the water far below. It hadn't looked this high when he was with Zelda.
"Well, aren't you going to dive?" The Zora standing off to the side questioned. Sheik took a nervous step forward and froze at the edge. The Zora continued.
"There was another boy who went diving today, just launched himself off." The Zora laughed. "His little faerie was shouting after him to stop."
Sheik looked back at the Zora, then down at the pool. Link did it, he told himself, I can do it too. His body wasn't agreeing with him and remained still on the cliff.
A sigh was heard from behind, then a hard nudge sent him forward a step. A step that wasn't really there. His shriek echoed the Domain, silenced by a loud splash.
Gasping for breath as his head shot above the water, Sheik glared up at the waving Zora atop the cliffs.
"That wasn't so bad, now was it!" The Zora yelled down to him. He floated in the pool, cloak tangling as he swam to shore. It hadn't been that terrible.
Standing in his soddened clothes, Sheik grinned and dashed up the path to the cliffs. He wanted to go again.
*****
Sheik perched on one of the branches floating on the water. He frowned into the water, at the murky view of Lord Jabu-Jabu swimming below. With Link inside its stomach.
It had taken him the rest of the day, after several more dives off the cliff, to find where Link had disappeared to this time. Ruto had also disappeared, but that was normal for her. Sheik could remember a few times when the Zora princess had 'disappeared' into Hyrule Castle for weeks. He frowned, remembering how she teased him constantly during those visits.
Lord Jabu-Jabu had been underwater for two days already. Only a day after the encounter in the graveyard, Link had gone to find the third Spiritual Stone and was swallowed by an over-grown fish.
"Doesn't he ever rest?" Sheik demanded to know from a fish swimming by the log. No answer. He splashed at the water, again staring down to the depths of the lake.
What if the boy couldn't handle the enemies inside the giant fish? What if that faery told him the wrong things? Sheik winced, thinking of all the water enemies he'd run into simply by following Faery boy to the Zoras Domain. He still had welts from the shooting squids.
"He's managed two Spiritual Stones without...a whole lot of help from me. Link will make it," he tried to convince himself.
"Hey! Don't worry so much, he made it. Took his sweet time and was utterly rude to me, but he's already out of the water." Sheik nearly fell off the branch in shock.
"Ruto! You were in there too?" He asked, leaning off the branch to see the Zora princess' amused face.
"Of course I was Rubes, had to get my precious stone back." Sheik grumbled at the nickname, a mess of 'ruby eyes' that Ruto had declared him at age three. "But now Link has it. I even said it was an engagement gift and he still wouldn't leave without it!" Ruto shook her head in surprise. "Boys are dumb, don't you think Rubes?"
She waited for an outraged response and heard nothing as Sheik spotted Link running towards Zora's Domain. She recognized the look on his face, having seen a more adult version on her countless suitors previously. Something a little more than friendship, that would have to be fixed she decided.
"You like him, don't you?" Ruto poked at Sheik slyly, as he watched Faery boy run off. Sheik stared at Ruto, confused. He jumped to his feet.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Sheik snapped up a deku nut before disappearing in a flash of light.
"Yeah right, and I'm the crowned prince of Hyrule," Ruto snorted.
.end chapter five.