Repaying a Debt

Disclaimer: Phht...waste of my time...

I just decided what the hell, I may as well write the next chapter for this thing. Since I'm pumped full of coffee, just got back from practice with the band (we're *still* nameless!), and I'm not going to be able to sleep for hours yet. I've also been doing an intensive Dutch language course this week, so I keep wanting to greet people with 'goedemorgen', 'goedemiddag' or 'goedenavond'. Which is slightly disturbing...

Well, anyway, our wondrous four have defeated Twinrova (with Link almost dying in the process), and Alexis is finding breaking away from Sheik an impossibility. They're having a whee break before they go in for the final battle, to stock up on weapons, sleep and such. And...err, I'm not quite sure how this chapter's going to turn out. All I know is, I can't promise anything Cassidy - Sheik and Alexis may stay together...and they may not. (Bear in mind I'm ever so very likely to write a sequel to this if I can find the time [nudge, nudge, hint, hint].) Wait - that should be hint, hint, nudge, nudge, shouldn't it?

Sheik: [Shrugs]

Soda: Meh - ah well, who cares? This bit isn't important to the story anywho - tralalala!

[] = Alexis' thoughts {} = Navi's thoughts

~/*\~/*\~/*\~

We decided that walking through the Castle-town with Ganondorf so close by probably wasn't a good idea. Link pulled out the Ocarina of Time, and quickly played the Nocturne of Shadow to take us to the Graveyard in Kakariko. Climbing up the steps, I saw that the sky outside was dark and dotted with stars - evidently it was nighttime. A few Poes were hovering around, but we just strolled past them quickly, and they didn't even raise their lanterns against us.

The gravestones loomed up before us through the night, and a couple of times I found myself almost walking into the smaller ones. Luckily, Navi, seeing my predicament, decided to come back to where I was and help me out. To the left as we left the stern silence of the graveyard was the old hut of the man who'd cared for the place years ago. It was the only testament to life, other than the ravens, in this haven of death.

Stepping out from the passage between the graveyard and Kakariko itself, we came into the devastated part of the town. It was eerie, full of strange shadows and the echoes of our footsteps as we carried on forwards. They, plus our breathing, were the only sounds in the night air, and I got that feeling that something was about to happen. The hair on the back of my neck was standing straight on end, and I slipped my hand surreptitiously into Sheik's. He squeezed it reassuringly, and also gazed around the empty piles of rubble.

Navi's glow caught a few wisps of mist that were beginning to make themselves known. A few steps further down into a small hollow in the ruins submerged all of us completely. Only the dim halo of light around Navi showed that we were indeed still in Hyrule, and had not slipped into some strange world. I was strangely reminded of street lamps on another world that also held halos on misty nights.

Finally, we clambered back out of the translucent pool, and were able to see clearly again. In every hollow or dip was a similar patch of silver- white, as though the clouds had descended to sleep there for the night. And, farther off, about one or two miles in the distance were the lights which showed us all where the outskirts were. Faint sounds of music and laughter were carrying over the air, and a bonfire was flickering to the side of one of the squares. "What do you suppose is going on?" I asked Sheik, who shrugged.

"We'd best go carefully - if it's him..." Link trailed off meaningfully, and all four of us crouched low to the ground, using the mist as a cover. It did indeed remind me eerily of the night of the party, when the bonfire blazed. I thought of all the young women and girls who had been taken off that night, and wondered where they were now. Perhaps they had been subjected to the same horrors as I would be when I fell to the house of courtesans...

{What's wrong?} Navi asked, able to gauge my mood even though my internal door was shut.

[I was just thinking about how much I'm looking forward to killing that bastard. It's about time he understood the suffering he's caused.] She agreed quietly, and forged a way through the mist in front of us, leaving a tiny jet stream of clear air behind her. Everything was still so silent and calm out in the ruins, as though the very earth itself was slumbering. However, the sounds from the outskirts were carrying further now, and we could see shadows emblazoned over the sky, dancing before a large bonfire.

"Blaise, Navi, Link, Sheik, hello!" a voice called, and all of us whirled around, weapons raised. Navi's glow lit up Eloise' face, which was smiling broadly. "Oh, I'm so glad you four are safe! We heard about your plight from a few rebel Gerudo, and we thought..." she sniffed loudly, and threw her arms around Sheik's neck, since he was the closest to her. "Oh, come on, come with me. We're having a celebration!" She lowered her voice, and beckoned for us to come closer. "There are rumours that the princess has returned, and she's preparing to help destroy that Gerudo man."

Link smiled secretively, and nodded, "We know. We...we saw her but a few hours ago." Eloise squeaked in joy, and clapped her hands.

"Then, we are saved! Oh, do come on, come and enjoy yourselves, you deserve a break!" She didn't give us much choice in the matter, grabbing onto Sheik and Link's arms, and dragging them along behind her. I followed sedately, swinging my sword aimlessly at the wisps of cloud around me. They looked rather like the clouds of the place in-between times, and I closed my eyes to see again how Loki had opened up, had let me once again see him for what he was. But, I was dragged out of this happy reverie by Eloise, who had run back to me, and began pulling me towards the bonfire as well.

I gave in and went along, clipping my sword back onto my back, and grinning slightly as the sound of jaunty music rang in my ears. Link had already found himself a dancing partner (or rather, she had found him), and was being propelled around the set aside area which was acting as a dance floor. The girl he was dancing with was blonde, busty, and seemed to have trouble keeping giggles at bay. I shot her a withering look as the twirled by, and then Link a sympathetic one as he mouthed 'help' at me.

Sheik was sitting half in shadow on the side lines, tapping his foot, one hand resting on his lyre. He looked up and grinned at me, and held out a hand. "Want to dance?"

"Uh...Mind if I take a miss?" I asked quietly. "I'm not really much of a dancer. And, anyway, I can tell you want to go and play with the band." He flushed guiltily, and nodded, placing the hand he had held out back on his lyre. "Hey, go ahead - I'm just going to sit here and watch." He smiled and leant down to place a kiss on my cheek, before bounding off to join the other music makers. How did he still have so much energy? I just sat down in the shadows and watched the people dancing.

Soon enough, I was beginning to get drowsy, and curled up on the dry grass to try and get some much needed sleep. Through squinting eyes, I saw Navi buzzing my way. "Hello Navi," I mumbled, shifting my head to a more comfortable position.

"No talk - sleep," she muttered, and landed on the point of my shoulder.

"Fine by me," I answered, and closed my eyes on the scene. By listening hard to the music, I could pick out Sheik's playing. A slower song had started up, and it lulled me to sleep.

*

A loud explosion resonated around the square, and I jumped up from where I had been slumbering, slipping my sword from my back. I looked around wildly for any sign of Ganondorf or his men, and was surprised by a blinding flash of light in the sky above. Red and gold sparkles, much like stars, drifted down around me, and I looked up to see more of them. "Blaise, up here!" I snapped my head upwards to see Sheik, Link, Navi, Xenia, Eloise and Quentin sitting on the roof of the stable across the square. "There's a great view from up here!" it was Navi who had called, and she buzzed over to me. "What've you been doing?" she hissed softly. "Sheik was looking for you earlier!"

"He was?"

"Uhuh..." she paused slightly, as though hesitating on a sentence. Finally, she said (in the dull voice of someone who is not saying what they really want to), "Come on. Watch the fireworks with us." Ah, that did explain the sparkles and the loud bang. I followed her over to the stable, slipping my sword back onto my back. It was a simple manner of clambering upon a pile of milk crates beneath the lip of the stable roof, and then vaulting up onto the straw surface. Sheik patted a space next to him, and I obliged by sitting down next to him. Quentin looked at me with slight fear, and a sour frown. The next firework however managed to draw my attention away.

"Where've you been?" Sheik asked amiably, helping me to remove my sword and place it on the straw next to us. Then, he slipped an arm around my shoulder, pulling me closer.

"Asleep," I answered truthfully, leaning gratefully against him and turning my eyes to the sky, where a series of rockets were exploding in shades of green and blue. "They're so beautiful, aren't they?" I gestured at the sky, where a carefully arranged display was now painting a giant Tri-Force.

"Aye, that they are," he murmured back, resting his chin, which I realised, was devoid of his facemask, on top of my head. I sighed and closed my eyes, feeling exquisitely comfortable. The flashes of the fireworks crept through my closed eyelids, and I found I just had to watch. The echoing bangs were accompanied by appreciative 'oohs' and 'aahs' from the towns' people. Sheik shifted slightly, inviting me to sit on his lap, rather than the scratchy straw of the roof. I did so, and was surprised when Link suddenly jumped up from his seat, and literally jumped from the roof.

"What on earth?" Sheik peered over my head to try and see what was going on. More fireworks went off (Catherine wheels this time, which gave a steady stream of light), and we could see a certain redheaded farm girl strolling towards Link below. "Malon!" I exclaimed, looking around to Sheik who was looking on with a soft expression on his face. Looking back down, I saw that Link had offered his hand to Malon, who had blushingly taken it. Now, they were dancing to music that only the two of them could hear.

Eloise sighed happily, and smiled at the rest of us. We silently agreed to give Link and Malon the privacy they deserved, and looked back to the sky. Now, there was a dragon swooping down over the town - a few people screamed jokingly, and then the dragon metamorphosed into a huge wave of purple and red flame, which swept back across the town, and disappeared as suddenly as it had appeared. "Sheikah fireworks..." Xenia breathed. "You have to admit, no one can do them better."

"And coming from a Gerudo, that's one heck of a compliment!" Sheik said - I could feel the reverberations of his voice down my spine. That, coupled by the soft rise and fall of his chest as he breathed was enough to make me feel in safe hands. Xenia just laughed, and pointed as the last of the fireworks was lit. "If I know the merchant that makes these half as well as I think I do, I know exactly what this one will be...and it could last for hours," Sheik intoned as the fuse paper burned down.

"Do tell," I begged, and he chuckled softly, his whole body juddering with the sound.

"Trust me - it's better just to watch."

"Fine," I pouted good-naturedly, and leant further against him so I didn't have to crane my neck so much to look up. The fuse paper was finally burnt down, and the ornately painted rocket launched with a whistle into the sky. It was almost impossible to follow the small light of the thing amongst the millions of stars above, but I just about managed to. It slowed, and then stopped dead - there, the light of it pulsed for about two seconds, and then all of the town, perhaps all of the field - nay, all of Hyrule! - was lit up by the flash of light that followed.

Three shining golden figures, made completely of tiny golden sparks, appeared. One had flowing blue hair, and piercing blue eyes. Another was sporting a short red haircut and red eyes, almost the same shade as Sheik's. And the third had green bunches and eyes that were brighter even than the trees of the Kokiri forest. I knew that these were the Goddesses (how the Hylian populace thought of them), and watched with interest as an old legend was played out amongst the twinkling stars.

First, the one with the short red hair (Din) set about with creating the very earth itself. Flames of yellow, red and blue appeared over her arms, as a tiny brow speck grew and grew to show Hyrule's contours and valleys.

Then, she stepped back and dulled, whilst her sister, Farore, created the trees and the grass, and all of the creatures. Her green hair floated ethereally in the air, and sparks shot from her fingertips.

Then, lastly, was Nayru, who waved her arms with an unearthly grace, creating all the peoples of Hyrule. The three Goddesses stood together, and looked at the miniature Hyrule, contented smiles on their golden faces.

With a great sweeping arc of silver stars, they shot off into the sky, and at a point about a hundred feet from the ground, they disappeared into nothingness. The display was over, and below, I could already see people beginning to move away to go to bed and rest for the day to come. I didn't really want to move - here was comfortable enough, and Sheik didn't seem desperate to leave himself. So, we sat and looked at the stars, which seemed to have brightened ten-fold since the fireworks had finished gracing the sky with their presence.

Malon and Link had disappeared, and looking around, Sheik and I found that we were the only two left on the roof. The others must have left during the last display, as neither of us had noticed. "That was..." I couldn't find the words to describe it.

"I know," Sheik said, obviously catching my drift. He sounded a little breathless, "I've never...they've never been quite so vivid before. Jacque's work has improved a lot since the last I saw of it..." He trailed off, and hugged me closer, shivering a little. "Are you cold?" he asked, teeth chattering. I just laughed slightly,

"Just a little - come on, we'd best get to Xenia's before we freeze out here!" We stood up, and reluctantly I extracted myself from his embrace to climb down from the roof. He dropped down lithely next to me, and once again threw an arm around my shoulder. [I could really get used to this] I thought dreamily, all cares gone for the moment. [I don't care what happens anymore - I've seen the light.] For some reason, this thought made me giggle, and Sheik looked down at me with a confused expression. It just made me giggle some more, and it seemed like they were infectious, because Sheik began to laugh as well.

We staggered a few more steps, almost drunkenly, before having to give up and fall to the dew-laden ground. I gained some control, and propped myself up on my elbow to look down at Sheik, who had tears of mirth rolling down his face. "Wha-what are we laughing at?" he asked, coughing and trying to keep the laughs at bay.

"I have no idea!" I answered, and threw my head back as more merry laughs bubbled up from my throat and spilled over my lips. It was heaven - complete and utter bliss - to just sit there on the ground, the dew soaking through my trousers, and to have Sheik there, both of us laughing fit to bust. It took another few minutes for us to calm down, and get over a few more outbursts, but finally we stopped, and wiped tears of laughter away.

Sheik was still lying on the floor, panting to get his breath back. His silvery hair was laid around him like some sort of halo, and I don't believe he'd ever looked so - perfect - before that moment. He noticed my scrutiny, and reached out hand. I didn't need it's guidance though as I leant down to seek a kiss. He complied, a tender smile curving his lips into an upwards arch as they connected with mine.

Soft white flakes of something cold and wet were floating down in my peripheral vision. I didn't notice anything else about my surroundings, as I closed my eyes. Sheik reached up and locked his arms around me - I wound one arm into the silver locks at the back of his head and lifted it up. The other, I used to cup his cheek (graced with a swathe of stubble). With a tiny moan, Sheik trailed his fingers across my cold back, brushing away some of those soft flakes I had spied earlier.

A tiny tumble down an inopportunely placed hill at that very moment startled us, and we rolled over and over, the white flakes soaking us through and through. I could see our breath intermingling in foggy clouds through the air, and a large cloud of this was exuded when we finally came to a stop at the bottom of the hill. Sheik looked down at me, a devilish sparkle in his eyes. In my mind, I briefly gave the finger to all the precautions Loki had set for me, and reached up to that stubbled cheek again...

"Blaise! Sheik! Get in here! Can't you see it's snowing?" Eloise' voice rang out from the direction of the mansion. We broke apart, and looked around - I could see a flush across Sheik's face, and knew I must look about the same. But, she hadn't seen us - yet anyway. Sheik turned back and placed a finger to his lips. I stifled a titter, and stayed completely still, the snow the only movement now. "Goddesses, where are they? They could catch their death!"

"I don't know - maybe we should look for them." That was Xenia, and I saw her shadow dart across the ground only a few feet away from us.

"Where do you think they could be? You don't think he could-" Navi was asking, and Link hushed her, telling her not to be paranoid. I kept my telepathic side completely silent, and shut the door inside of me, grinning as I thought of what Navi would say if she knew what Sheik and I had been doing only seconds before. Speaking of Sheik, by now, the snow had settled in a heavy blanket over the two of us, and a few flakes were clinging to his eyelashes. I reached up and brushed them away, and he blinked rapidly to remove the water droplets I left behind.

"Why not leave them be?" Quentin asked sulkily. "As that Blaise proved, they can take care of themselves!"

"That's not the point!" Xenia snapped. "Do you pay no heed to any others apart from yourself? Blaise could possibly regain her fever from being out in the cold. And none of us would want that hanging over our heads, would we?" Sheik's face flushed crimson, and he looked down at me guiltily. I silently cursed Xenia's good intentions, but was at the same time glad. If I got a fever again...it could be disastrous. We all needed to be at our full strength for the final battle.

"Come on, there's no point arguing, let's just look for them," Link suggested reasonably, and there were sounds of agreement. The party moved off, and we waited for their muffled footsteps to disappear before standing up. Sheik had to shake himself like a dog to remove all the snow that had accumulated over him, and I shivered at the sudden loss of his body warmth. He draped an arm over my shoulder for the third time that night, and propelled me to the great front door of Xenia's home.

"Come on you," he whispered, "I wouldn't want to be the cause of you getting ill again."

"Trust me - if anyone would be to blame, it would be me," I assured him. He didn't agree, and shook his head, but didn't try to argue. To be true, I was still shivering slightly, and one of my hands had lost feeling in the fingers. Apart from that though, the night had been...just...indescribable.

We scaled the stairs, and walked along to the rooms we had had before. Sheik paused outside my room, and I reached up to hug him strongly, before leaving to sleep. "Good night," he called, and I returned the sentiment. Then, I closed the door slowly, watching as he bounced along to his own room. When he was out of sight, I snapped it shut, and walked over to the bed, shedding wet clothes on the way. There was a nightshirt already laid out, and I pulled it over my head.

The covers had been warmed by a bedpan, and I sank into the soft mattress contentedly. I pulled the covers up to my chin, and closed my eyes. Within seconds, I had drifted off.

*

Something occurred in the middle of the night that was so wondrous, and unbelievable, that I almost thought it a dream. I was close enough to sleep that it might have been...

The soft click of the door woke me from a shallow sleep. A patch of pale moonlight highlighted a head of silver hair, and I knew at once it was Sheik. He was moving quietly, probably suspecting that I was still asleep, and I watched from shuttered eyelids as he traversed the floor to the edge of my bed. Luckily, my eyes were under the shadow of the tasselled hangings on the bed, so he couldn't tell that they were slitted open. I didn't feel awake enough to start a conversation, so carried on as though I really were asleep.

He just sat there for some time, looking at me with his soulful eyes. There was a tender expression on his face, and he looked slightly scared for some reason. I wanted to reach up and comfort him, to ask him what was wrong, but when he saw one of my arms give the slightest twitch, he reeled back with a look of terror on his face. I quickly faked a sleepy sigh, and let the arm lay still again. [Why?] I wondered briefly, my mind unable to supply much more coherence.

He swallowed, and returned to the side of the bed. It was like the vigil a mother would keep on a sick child - or a lover on a wounded partner. I smiled contentedly at that thought, and my eyes were drifting closed again, when he finally spoke. "Blaise," he whispered, so that I had to strain to hear him. "It's been a strange time knowing you." He smiled fondly, and stroked a trembling finger across my hand, which lay across my stomach on top of the coverlet. I still pretended to be asleep, even though breath was hitching in my throat at that one touch.

"I...I know not when it happened, but I have fallen." He took a quiet breath. "I love you." And, before I could react or answer him, he had raised himself from the floor, and left the room. I blinked up at the dark ceiling, but it quickly merged back into sleep, and I didn't awake again until morning light was streaming through the windows.

~*~*~*~

When I woke, Eloise was tiptoeing into the room, something black and gold draped over her arm. She looked over, and smiled when she saw that I was awake. "Good morning! Did you sleep well?"

"Very well thanks," I answered, and then yawned widely, stretching my arms high above my head. "What's that?" she had draped the black and gold something over the back of the chair which sat in front of the vanity in the corner.

"This?" she asked, tugging at the something.

"Yeah, that."

"It's what you're going to wear today. It's been decided (Goddesses know by whom), that you, Link, Navi and Sheik are going to go with Malon back to the Ranch for a day or so. So, I though you might like something new to wear."

"What exactly is it?" I queried, clambering from beneath the soft covers. I flinched slightly as my feet connected with the cold floorboards. Then, I stood up and walked over to Eloise, who had picked up the something or other to show me exactly what it was. And my jaw dropped in amazement.

"It's just a dress I whipped up using some black cloth I had," Eloise said modestly, dusting down the material to removed non-existent motes of dust.

"It's...wow," I finished, unable to think of exactly what to say. It seemed to satisfy Eloise however, who smiled proudly, looking at her creation. And proud she should be. It was a dress - but not just any dress. It was spectacular! Even I, a person with no particular love for dresses of any kind, could see the potential beauty in this one. The bodice was mainly of black, crushed velvet, which was ribbed and corset like. It scooped downwards to show a frill of black lace at the neck, and downwards again at the waist. The main part of the bodice was woven with gold threads, which depicted twisted vines and flowers.

It had long sleeves which flowed down to come to points at the end. The points had ties upon them, which I presumed were supposed to go over the middle finger of each hand. Then, the skirt of the thing flowed out, a fountain of black interlaced with golden threads, also showing more flowers and vines. On both sides, a slit ran through it, going up to mid-thigh, and broaching these gaps were pieces of indigo cloth (so dark they were almost black as well).

"It's not like the last one, is it?" I suddenly asked, remembering the twenty minutes it had taken just to lace the thing up. "I mean, with the laces and everything."

"No, no, I've put buttons on this one dear. But, do hurry up and start getting ready - the trip can't wait forever you know, and everyone else is already up."

"Why didn't you just come and wake me?"

"You needed your sleep!" she said matter-of-factly, as she began helping me with the buttons at the back of the dress. It didn't take as long as I had feared to do them up, and I made to leave the room, when Eloise called me back. "Oh no - we need to do something with that hair!"

"But, you said they were waiting for me!"

"They can wait a little longer," she insisted, waving her hand and reaching out for a brush and hairpins. "A well-mannered person always knows a lady has to look her best - no matter how long it may take." And with that, she set about vigorously brushing my hair (which almost made me cry out in pain as the tangles were roughly gotten rid of).

*

"Come on dear, you look lovely!" Eloise had to coax me down the stairs and out into the sunshine. I felt incredibly self conscious, as a few strands of hair fell out of the meticulously braided plait it had been set in. My sword was on my back (I had refused to let it be put in the cart), which at least was some comfort. And, at least the dress was easy enough to walk in - the side slits helped a lot in mobility.

Link, Navi and Malon were already sitting on the cart, ready and raring to go. Only Sheik stood out in the road, tapping his foot and waiting for me to come out. I noticed with some slight satisfaction that Eloise seemed to have kitted everyone out in fancy clothes for the day. Malon was in a long yellow dress, complete with a white lace flounce and yellow ribbon in her red hair. Link was bedecked in a green tunic (much like his normal Kokiri one), which was interlaced with tiny pearls around the hem and neckline.

Sheik, however, suited his new fare to a ridiculous degree. Mind you, perhaps that was because it was so similar to his old look. Eloise had supplied him with another indigo bodysuit, but had wrapped a pristine white cape over the whole ensemble, on which was stitched the Sheikah symbol in blood red. He looked up as I clattered down the stairs (almost tripping, but just managing to stop myself), and his jaw dropped.

"Blaise...you look..." he gestured to the dress, and I felt my face burn in pleasure at rendering him speechless.

"Thanks...you too," I beamed. He reached out and grasped my hand, and pulled me over to the cart. He had to give me a leg up, and I settled self consciously on the seat at the back. He pulled himself up after me, and Link whipped the reins of the horse. Immediately, we jerked forwards, and it was only Sheik's quick reactions which prevented me from tumbling off of the seat and onto the road.

"That was close," he breathed, pulling me backwards in the seat so that I was less likely to fall off.

"Yeah...thanks again!" I took his hand, and we sat swaying at the back of the cart, watching Kakariko retreat behind us.

~*~*~*~

The day was a lazy, hazy kind of day, and when we got to the Ranch, we found that none of us had much energy for anything other than lying on the sweet-smelling grass, and looking up at the clouds in the sky. All around, were the sounds of the horses cantering and whinnying softly as they grazed, and the footsteps of Ingo and Talon as they worked. Malon had been granted the day off, and was making full advantage of it, spending all the time she humanly could at Link's side, talking and laughing with him.

Sheik and I were a little more quiet. Our silences with one another were comfortable and amiable, and we spent many hours merely staring up at the sky, lying on the ground with our heads together. "That one looks like a rabbit," Sheik said quietly, pointing up at a cloud overhead. "See the ears?"

"Oh yeah...hey, that one looks kinda like a Flare dancer," I pointed up at a spindly part of cloud, one part of which had broken away, just like the head of a Flare dancer did. Sheik laughed when he finally found the cloud, and I grinned. "Oh, and that one looks like Navi," I pointed to a cloud which was almost completely spherical, bar two tiny wisps which looked like Navi's wings.

"Was I called?" Navi asked, soaring over.

"Oh, we just found a cloud that looked like you," Sheik told her, pointing up at the sky.

"Oh...right..." Navi didn't sound immensely impressed, and floated off. I stuck my tongue out at her as she went.

"Pah! She doesn't understand the joys of cloud gazing as we do!"

"Alas, it seems so. She shall miss out on much fun - look, there goes a dragon!" Sheik pointed up at another cloud, and we carried on in this strain for a good half hour or so. Then, the clouds started to gather and thicken, and it was more a case of 'search for the blue sky', than 'look for the clouds'.

"We'd best get inside folks," Malon called in her soft country voice. "It's looking like a storm right now." We picked ourselves up from the ground, and followed her towards the farmhouse. I dusted a few bits of grass from my skirt, and then reach up to pull some out of Sheik's hair. He even bent down slightly to let me, and I grinned, pretending to inspect his hair from every side, before declaring that it was satisfactorily free of grass.

The sound of galloping hoof beats echoed from the Ranch gate, and we looked up to see a skitterish ruddy brown horse, sides flecked with foam, force itself forwards towards us. The rider on top was bent almost double to the saddle, close to slipping off their steed. The beast drew to a complete stop on front of us, snorting and eyes wide and rolling with terror. The rider flew off over it's head, one hand tangled in the reins causing them to come to an abrupt stop, followed by a snapping sound, and then land heavily on the ground.

Malon quieted the horse, patting its quivering flanks and whispering to it soothingly. The rest of us turned to the rider, who was panting just as heavily as their steed. To my horror, I saw blood was soaking through their cloak, and when we rolled them over, a cough bought blood spilling over their parted lips. It was impossible to tell whether they were male or female, through the injuries and bandages covering their entire body. Only one thing was sure - they were Sheikan, by the burgundy eyes.

"The Princess..." they said weakly. "She is...taken. You must go - now...before fate claims Hyrule for darkness..." Their head drooped backwards in Link's hand, and their chest ceased to rise and fall. Link looked up at Sheik and I. We all knew what this meant. Within three minutes, I had stripped away the black dress and replaced it with my own black tunic. My sword was across my back, dagger belt at my waist and shield on my arm. Link and Sheik emerged from the Ranch house, similarly attired, and Malon led out Epona, along with two other horses to us.

Sheik cupped his hands together and gave me a leg up onto the same grey steed as I had ridden before - Nostawen. Sheik took Valar again, and Link of course rode upon Epona. Link reached down from his perch on the mare, and placed a kiss on the top of Malon's head, before kicking Epona forwards. I did the same, as did Sheik, and the three of us sped out into the field. There was no joking around or trick riding this time, and Navi was being decidedly subdued.

I didn't blame her in the slightest. This could be the last time all four of us would ride together in the bright sunshine. This could be the last time we all saw one another alive again, free and strong...it was time to end it.

~/*\~/*\~/*\~

The suspense! OOOH! I can't believe it's almost over! Yipes...the next chapter is going to be a bitch to write! But, I'll try and get it out as soon as I can. For now though, I can't stay to babble long, because I fear I may fall asleep on the desk.

Tot ziens, and for God sake, check out the stuff on my personal website. (The one at the top of my profile!) I've got some fics up there, as well as some character pictures for this. Any feedback for the site would be appreciated (over three hundred hits to it - am amazed!)

Drop a review in the box before you go as well please! [Grin] Thanks y'all!

Soda xxx