The Legend of Zelda: The Return
"Let us live!
Let us love!
Let us share the deepest secrets of our souls!
You first."
– Anonymous
Chapter 17
The world turns to blue as the Flow of Time sweeps me up into its embrace. At least I'm ready for it this time. I cling to the hilt of the Master Sword tightly, picturing the Sheikah Caverns . . . picturing the last thing I remember seeing.
Black lightning flies towards Hunter. I gasp and start towards him, but the distraction costs me and a second bolt flies towards me. I don't get the Master Sword up in time. Hunter flies back into the wall. I fall back against the pedestal. My sword hand lands in the clear water.
"Take me there . . ." I whisper, closing my eyes and focusing on the image. Oh man I hope this works . . . maybe I should have asked the Great Deku Tree for instructions . . . "Please . . ." The Master Sword grows warm in my hand and I feel the now familiar lurch of being throwing out of the Flow of Time and back into the stream of it. I stagger and look around wildly, hoping I did it right.
Detsu's standing right in front of me! I can see Hunter over there, and I can see me over there . . .
I'm back in the Sheikah Caverns!
I did it!
Detsu raises his hands and black lightning flies towards Hunter. The other me jumps towards him but I know he won't make it. Black lightning strikes them both and sends them flying backwards. Blue light infuses the room for a half-second as the other me is swept up into the Flow of Time. Hunter pushes himself to his feet and stares at the Pedestal in Horror.
"Link!" He cries. "Damn! Link!" Detsu laughs and advances on the Sheikah, unaware of my presence behind him.
"Foolish boy!" He crows. "I hope he ends up in the middle of a battle during the Great War. Or better yet . . ." I can't see his reflection but I can picture it. "I hope he goes back and gets to see his parents die . . ."
"What are you talking about?" Hunter demands, trying to take a step back but getting stopped by the wall. "Crazy son of a bitch!"
"He's talking about Brayden and Natalia," I say, my voice hard. Detsu and Hunter both gasp and whirl around to stare at me in surprise. Hunter frowns at me in confusion – I'm sporting new bandages I didn't have two seconds ago when he last saw me and a few new bruises and scrapes – but Detsu fixes me with his trademark look – his eyes two crimson pools of liquid hatred. A slow, cruel smile twists his lips without changing his expression.
"So," he says, "it was you who fought me all those years ago. I thought it might have been . . . hard to say though. It's been quite a few years . . ."
"For you," I hiss, gripping the Master Sword so hard my knuckles turn white. "It's been a few hours at most for me . . ." He smirks.
"Good," he purrs. "So the wound's still fresh . . . tell me . . . did she suffer much before she died? That Gerudo harlot Brayden claimed he loved?" My eyes narrow and my hatred and rage surge up within me. I'm going to snap . . . I can feel it . . .
"You unbelievable bastard," I hiss, my voice just above a whisper. "You've got no right to talk about her. Or about him."
"Truth hurt?" Detsu sneers and turns his back on Hunter, facing me fully. "You don't honestly think he loved her did you? A Sheikah and a Gerudo? I don't know why he even brought her here. He had no right. Tainting our home with Gerudo blood." He narrows his eyes at me. "Tainting our race with Gerudo blood." My breathing is labored due to the anger I can barely control. I almost don't notice him edging towards me, or Hunter edging towards him.
"Insult me all you want," I say, "but I'm warning you now . . . leave them out of it. Don't you dare talk about them. Don't you dare." I almost can't hear what he says next over the blood pounding in my ears.
"You know the best part?" He asks. "No one remembers them. No one but you, Link. Miserable, Gerudo mongrel that you are. No one misses them. No one cares that they're gone. But that's not important. You didn't answer my question. Did she suffer?" His eyes gleam hungrily. "Don't spare me any detail. I want to know all about every scream of agony, every groan of pain, every –"
"LINK! NOW!" Hunter shouts, leaping forward and throwing his shoulder into Detsu's back. He didn't need to say anything. I'd jumped for that bastard's throat before Hunter even moved.
Everything slows down.
Detsu lurches forward, trying to keep his balance.
Hunter falls to the ground, still hurt from the black bolt.
I run forward, never loosening my grip on the Master Sword.
My parents faces flash in front of my eyes.
The look on Detsu's face as he struck my father down flashes in front of my eyes.
My rage explodes inside me as I pull my arm back and drive it forward, putting all my strength behind the blow.
Blue light erupts from the blade of the Master Sword.
Detsu's eyes widen in a sudden, unbelievable realization.
He's dead.
The glowing blade erupts from his back.
He's been struck down by a miserable, Gerudo mongrel.
Everything seems to move back to normal speed as I twist the blade inside Detsu. Tears run down my face as Detsu's life escapes him in one last breath. I rip my sword free of his body with a trembling breath and watch as he falls to the ground.
For a long moment, there's no sound in the Quisrol except my ragged breathing as I try to get my emotions in check. It's finally Hunter who breaks it, groaning as he struggles to get to his feet. I set my blood-covered sword gently on the ground and rush over to him, offering him a bloodied hand up. He accepts it and climbs wearily to his feet. We look down at Detsu's body and Hunter scratches his head.
"What do we do with him?" He asks, walking unsteadily over to him and kicking him in the side – presumably just to make sure he's dead.
"What's the worst possible disrespect you can pay to a Sheikah after they die?" I ask flatly.
"Cremate them," Hunter says, looking back at me. "Shows that they're not worthy of rejoining the earth." My eyes harden as I look down at Detsu's still form.
"Then we cremate him," I say harshly, picking up my sword and wiping the blood off of it as best I can before sheathing it again. I'll give it a good clean later.
"Link . . . are you all right?" Hunter asks, staring at me in concern. "You look like you've been through Hell and back. Where did the Pedestal take you?" I look down at Detsu's body again.
Maybe . . .
Since he's dead . . .
"Hunter . . . do you . . . do you remember any of your extended family?" I look up at him. "Your dad's brother? Brayden?" He blinks at me.
"As in the Brayden who stood up to Detsu forever ago?" He asks in surprise. "He's my uncle?" My heart falls. I guess he doesn't remember. His eyes widen suddenly and his mouth falls open. "Farore," he swears in a low voice. "He is my uncle!" He shakes his head furiously. "Why didn't I . . . how could I forget . . ." I stare at him, hope once again beating in my chest.
"Do you remember the rest of his family?" I ask. He frowns in concentration.
"I dunno . . . it was a long time ago . . ." He scratches his head again. "His wife . . . my aunt . . . she was funny . . . I remember . . ." His eyes lose focus as he tries to remember. I hold my breath. Is it possible? Is Detsu's spell wearing off? "She had red hair . . . like Neesha's . . . and they had a son! I remember! His name was . . . oh for love of . . . I know this! I used to play with him all the time . . . his name was . . ." His eyes widened suddenly and he stares at me in surprise. "Link . . . his name was Link!" Somehow, despite the whirlpool of emotions that are still storming wildly inside of me, I manage a grin at him.
He remembers . . .
Detsu was wrong . . .
They'll be remembered now . . . by more than just me.
"Hey there, Cousin," I say. Hunter stares at me for a moment then abruptly busts into laughter.
"You," he says, "have a lot of explaining to do."
"Later," I say. "We've got to get back to the others . . . Neesha . . ."
"Neesha's fine," Hunter says. "At least . . . she's in good hands. Zelda's with her."
"Who?" I ask in surprise as we start back towards the exit to the Quisrol.
"Sheik," Hunter says, raising an eyebrow at me. "You going deaf or something?" I blink at him.
"Sorry," I say. "I thought you said Zelda."
"I might have," Hunter says. "They are more or less interchangeable. It doesn't really matter does it?" I stare at him in confusion.
"Why wouldn't it?" I ask. "You didn't hit your head or anything did you?" His eyebrow goes higher.
"I'm starting to wonder if you didn't," he replies. "Sheik, Zelda . . . why do the names matter so much? It's not like they're two different people or anything." I stop in mid-step and gape at him. He freezes at my expression and his eyes widen suddenly. "Uh-oh," he says, turning to face me. He winces visibly. "Please tell me you knew that already . . ."
"WHAT?" I cry. He buries his face in his hands.
"She's gonna kill me," he moans. He looks up suddenly. "We should . . . uh . . . get going," he says quickly, turning around and starting off again.
"Woah! Hold on!" I cry, catching his arm and spinning him around again, my expression dark. "Explain." He looks at me pleadingly.
"Link . . . don't . . . she'll probably never speak to me again as it is . . ." I glare at him.
"You said there were no secrets between Sheikah," I say. "I'm a Sheikah, aren't I?"
"I . . . well . . . yes . . ." He says. "But . . ."
"Hunter, please," I practically beg him. "I'm tired of having no clue what's going on . . . I'm beyond tired of it. Don't leave me in the dark . . . please . . ." He sags in defeat.
"Sheik and Zelda are the same person," he says with a sigh. "Before you changed Time, after your spirit was imprisoned in the Sacred Realm, Zelda was forced to take on the guise of a Sheikah in order to hide from Ganondorf. Impa took her here and kept her protected for a while, disguised as a Chosen Sheikah named Sheik, until Impa disappeared into the Shadow Temple . . . I . . . she kept the disguise after you changed time. She . . . never told me why."
"Zelda is Sheik?" I ask. He nods.
"Yes," he says. I frown at him.
"Zelda is Sheik?" I ask again. He raises and eyebrow and nods.
"Yes, Link," he says. "Zelda is Sheik. Sheik is Zelda. They are one and the same. They are the same person. There is no difference between them." He pauses. "Mentally speaking. Physically speaking, I dunno . . . don't really think I want to go there."
"Zelda is Sheik . . ." I repeat.
"Yes, we've covered that," he says. "Can I have my arm back? I'm gonna need it when Sheik tries to take my head off for telling." I let go of him and start off towards the exit again.
If it's true. . . a lot of things make a little more sense than they did before . . .
His secrecy . . . his nervousness around all things female . . . the way he'd disappear for months at a time without so much as a warning . . .
Or should I say her secrecy, her nervousness around all things female, and the way she'd disappear for months at a time without so much as a warning.
I shake my head.
It can't be.
Sheik can't be Zelda. He can't be.
He couldn't do that to me . . .
I mean . . . he's lied to me before . . . but . . . this is different . . .
He can't be.
"Link, what are you going to do?" Hunter asks, struggling to catch up to me. I slow down. He's hurt. It's not his fault. I shouldn't take it out on him.
"I'm going to go check on Neesha," I say, my voice low and uneven. "And then I'm going to go find somewhere with a sky where I can be alone for a while and try and deal with . . . everything . .. in a way that hopefully will not involve curling up into the fetal position and crying like a baby."
"And what, exactly, has happened?" Hunter asks, unable to curb his curiosity.
"I went back in time," I say. "I met my parents. I watched Detsu kill them. I came back. I killed Detsu. I found out the closest thing I've had to a best friend since I left Kokiri Forest has apparently been feeding me a rather large lie for the past seven years or so – not that I believe it. I won't believe it. I have an arrow wound in my back, a sword wound on my arm, and a painful headache." I reach under my tunic and pull out the chain I wear around my neck. Someone – probably Saria – fastened the emblem my father gave me to it. Hunter's eyes widen when he sees it.
"That's . . ."
"I also somehow managed to pass my Quisros, without having a clue what I was doing. Oh! And did I mention I've gotten maybe five hours of sleep in the past four or five days?" We walk into the room with the statues and as they did before they turn and look at me.
"Ook toln reimos, Dweio Kar?" It asks me. "Ciar toln dafili teln quisros?"
"Help me out here," I say to Hunter. "I don't know the words."
"Mel nest ara cen Dweio Kar," Hunter says. "Mel ciar dafili mas quisros." I repeat the words and the emblem on my chain flashes brightly. The statues resume their place and the walls spin, blocking the door to the Pedestal and reopening the door to the Caverns.
We exchange a glance as we leave.
There's no sounds of battle.
The fight's over.
But who won?
We start off down the long corridor as fast as Hunter can go, and find our suspicions confirmed and our fears laid to rest when we make it out into the main cavern. Bodies litter the ground, Sheikah and Moblin alike, but the ones still standing are all Sheikah.
They won.
We won.
Thank the goddesses.
We make a beeline for the spot where I last left Neesha. Sheik's crouched over her body. He looks up when Hunter calls out to him, relief flooding the little bit of his features visible under his shawl.
He's not Zelda.
He's not.
"You're all right!" He cries as we run up to him.
"We're fine," Hunter says. "How's Neesha?"
"She's pretty badly hurt," Sheik says. "But . . . she's tough. I've bandaged her up and Detsu seems to have missed most of the important things inside her. I think she'll be all right." I drop to my knees beside Neesha and stare down at her. She looks like my mother . . .
"What happened? Where's Detsu?" Sheik asks. I frown.
He's not Zelda.
He's Sheik.
He's not Zelda.
"He's dead," Hunter says. "Link killed him. We left him back in the Quisrol. By the pedestal."
"Pedestal?" Sheik cries in surprise. "There's a Pedestal in there? Link . . . did you . . ." I don't answer, closing my eyes.
"He did," Hunter says. "He . . ." his voice lowers to a whisper and I can't quite make out what they're saying. Not that I'm listening. I'm still trying to deny the obscene amount of sense what Hunter said about Sheik makes.
"Link, I'm sorry," Sheik says softly.
He's not Zelda . . .
He can't be Zelda . . .
"Are you all right?" He asks. I stand up suddenly, staring at him urgently.
"Sheik, let me see your hand," I say. He blinks at me in surprise and raises his hands. I shake my head. "Take the glove off." I say. He frowns at me and reaches for his left glove but I frown at him. "Not that one. The right one." He doesn't move.
"Why?" He asks, his eyes narrowed in an odd combination of suspicion and panic.
"Just do it," I say. "I need . . . I need to see . . ."
"Link, I don't see . . ."
"Do it!" I cry. Sheik turns to Hunter who looks horribly guilt-ridden.
"I thought he knew," he says softly. "I didn't mean to tell him . . ." When Sheik turns back around to face me his expression is different. He looks . . . almost afraid . . .
I don't like this . . .
Sheik reaches for his glove.
He's not Zelda . . .
He's not Zelda . . .
The glove comes off . . .
He can't be Zelda . . .
He can't be . . .
A golden triforce mark glitters up at me from the back of his hand.
"I'm sorry Link," he says softly. "I – I wanted to tell you . . ." I stare at the triforce disbelievingly and shake my head.
"This whole time . . ." I whisper. "You've been . . ."
"Link . . . please . . . "
"No!" I cry angrily. "No! Don't start with the 'Link please'! I can't believe you'd do that to me! How could you do this to me, Sheik? How could you lie to me like that?" I glare at him. "Or I suppose it's Princess now."
"Link, don't . . ."
"Shut up," I hiss harshly. "I don't want to hear it anymore. Nothing you say is the truth anyway. Some friend." I turn on my heel. "If anyone wants me I'll be curled up in the fetal position somewhere crying like a baby. See you later, Princess."
"Link, wait!" Ha. Fat chance. I have to leave now or I'm going to hit something. Probably Sheik. Hunter will make sure Neesha's taken care of. I'll check in on her later. Right now . . . I need to be alone . . .
I'm starting to regret leaving the desert . . .
xxx
Someone's climbing the stairs behind me.
"Hey," Hunter says, approaching me from behind. "You all right?" I sigh in answer and continue staring out at Kakariko Village from my vantage point in the windmill.
"I don't even know what all right is anymore," I say. Hunter folds his legs underneath him beside me and joins me in my useless vigil.
"You want to talk about it?" He asks.
"Yeah right," I say with a short laugh. "The last two times I've 'talked about it' the people I was talking to got hurt somehow."
"Well that's a relief," Hunter says. "I'm not really into that whole heartfelt thing you understand. Stiff upper lip and all that stuff. I more or less suck at it. But apparently it helps people, and, no offense, but you do look like you could use some help." I grin half-heartedly at him.
"I'll look you up should you I ever feel the need to talk," I say. "You can try your hand at it." He raises his hands.
"No thanks," he says. "Sheik's better at that than I am."
"You mean Zelda, don't you?" I ask, hoping I'm keeping the bitter note out of my voice . . . painfully aware of the fact that I'm not.
"Again with the pickiness about the names," Hunter says. "You're way too caught up in those, man. They don't mean anything. A name is just . . . a word you give to a person so that you don't have to run around shouting 'Hey you!' anytime you want to get someone's attention." I raise an eyebrow at him. "No seriously!" He insists. "All a name is, is a collection of syllables that somebody thought sounded nice and gave to someone else so they'd know what to call them. It . . . describes a person, but it doesn't define them. So Sheik has two names . . . so what? See her, down there?" He points down at where Anju is frantically trying to keep her cucoos in their pen without touching them. Honestly. If she's that allergic, why doesn't she just get a different profession? "I can call her Anju. And you know who she is just from the name. It describes her. Or, I can call her crazy-lady-with-the-cucoos. And you'll know exactly who I'm talking about, just from that name. The names don't make a difference. The person's still the same." I stare down at Anju who's watching her cucoos fly away with a dejected look.
"Just a word," I repeat. I sigh. "It still doesn't make it all right for him . . . her to have led me on about it."
"No," Hunter says, "but I bet it puts in a bit of a less evil perspective, doesn't it? The point is, Link, that whether she's calling herself Zelda and walking around with a crown on her head, or dressing in drag and calling herself Sheik, she's still who she is. That doesn't change with her name. So it's not like Zelda's a different person than Sheik, or Sheik is a different person than Zelda. She's still your friend. She's still the person you hung out with when you were younger and played with and fought with. That hasn't changed. All that's changed, is you have a new word to describe her with." For a moment we watch as the cucoos run rampant around Kakariko Town and Anju watches helplessly.
"So . . . where is she now?" I ask. Hunter grins crookedly at me.
"Curled up in a fetal position in her room crying like a baby," he says.
"Maybe I should go talk to her," I say. I sigh as Anju starts crying. "After I go get Anju's cucoos back for her."
"After we go get her cucoos," Hunter says with a grin. "And I'm thinking we should build her a better fence while we're at it. The Carpenter Brothers will never get around to it . . ."
xxx
I knock twice. There's a brief pause and then:
"Come in." I push open the door and walk in, shutting it quietly behind me. Sheik looks at me in surprise and trepidation.
"Link, I . . ." I hold up a hand to stop him.
"Listen," I say, keeping my voice even. It's easier than I thought it would be. "We're not okay yet. You and me. We're a long way from it. I don't want you to think that just because I'm here means I've forgiven you for everything. I haven't."
"Yet! You said yet," Sheik points out. I take a deep breath.
"Yet," I repeat. "I've been . . . thinking . . . and compared to everything else that's happened to me lately, this is pretty small . . . and . . . maybe . . . I over reacted just a bit. I'm just . . . frustrated. We have a serious issue here regarding trust. Or a lack thereof." He winces. "But . . . that can be fixed . . . over time. A long time." I look at him seriously. "But only if you start being honest with me now." I hold out my hand. "Hi," I say. "I'm Link. Who are you?" There's a bright flash of light and when it fades Zelda's sitting there. She looks at my hand, then reaches for it, but I snatch it back. "You shake my hand now you're acknowledging that we are friends, and all inherent in that." I say seriously. "No more disguises, no more lies, no more acting like you control who I am and where I go, understand? Friends don't do that." She looks at me in surprise, hesitating for a minute, weighing her options. She finally nods, apparently arriving at the conclusion that my friendship is worth more than her secrets and bossiness. Good.
It's a start.
I take her hand and shake it firmly.
"I'm Zelda," she says. "Please to make your acquaintance, Link." We pause for a moment, still holding hands. "So . . . we're friends still, right?" She asks finally, looking at me. I grin at her and turn back towards the door.
"Have been for a while apparently," I reply. "I don't suppose you know how to use a hammer do you?"
"I'm aware that you hit nails with it," she replies, getting to her feet. "Why?"
"I left Hunter back in town trying to scrounge up some building materials for us," I answer. "We're going to build Anju a fence to keep her cucoos in. We were . . . uh . . . wondering if you wanted to help?"
"Well . . . I've never built a fence before," Zelda admits. I shrug.
"Neither have I and neither has Hunter," I answer. "And I don't think Neesha has either, but Hunter thinks Detsu had some fairy spirits stashed in his room somewhere, so we can use one of them on her and then she can help too. I'm sure between the four of us we can work it out."
"Right," Zelda says, changing back into Sheik before she leaves the room. "How hard can it be?" I grin at her.
"This," I say, "could be the start of a beautiful friendship."