Title: Deus ex Machina
Author: Court ( burningvigor@aol.com ) as Link, Rydia ( chichiri_is_hot@hotmail.com ) as Sheik and about everyone else
Disclaimer: Legend of Zelda is not ours. The characters are not ours. The setting is not ours. We borrowed it to have some fun. We interpreted it in our own way. We make no money off of this so you can't sue us. Neither of us have any money anyway.
Summary: In the year following Ganondorf's defeat, a tentative peace has settled over Hyrule. Now the Goddesses are demanding one more thing from the Hero of Time, but at what cost?
Warning: AU (Sheik and Zelda are different people, and Navi was killed at the end of OoT since no one likes her anyway). Shounen ai/yaoi (YES that means there are GAY PEOPLE OMG NUU :P), Link/Sheik.
Important Note: This entire fanfic has been written in role-play format. That means that there are sections. Court writes one, then Rydia writes one, and so on and so forth. Things are REPEATED. Why? Because when we started, we didn't intend for this to be a fanfic. Now that we're finishing it, we love it to pieces and want to share it with the world. So. All the Link sections were written by Court, and all the Sheik sections were written by Rydia. And Rydia made the chapter titles because she's weird.
--
Chapter 2
In which Sheik gets Propositioned by a Goddess
--
To sleep is an act of faith.
-Barbara Grizzuti Harrison
--
It took only a moment for Sheik's eyes to spot a hint of green amid the now roiling waters. He swam toward it, ignoring the sense of panic building in the back of his mind. Upon reaching the object, though, he saw it was only Link's discarded hat.. the one he had seen the other toss back toward the shore.
He didn't even know where to begin to look for his companion. Link was nowhere at the surface of the water, and Sheik hadn't seen him go under. Biting his lip, he made a guess as to where he might be judging from where he'd been standing, and dove under.
Nothing.
Adjusting his guess, he tried again, dimly aware of the fact that the longer he took, the less of a chance Link had of making it out of this alive. It wasn't the counsel's anger that he feared anymore, no, now it was something personal. He wouldn't forgive himself if Link lost his life...
The irony was too much. Link had saved the world against impossible odds...only to drown while fishing in Lake Hylia? It was just stupid at best. Well, it wasn't going to happen, not on Sheik's watch.
The third dive proved to be the lucky one, though he had to come up before able to get deep enough to slide one arm around Link's waist and pull him to the surface. He was already unconscious, it seemed, and Sheik only pressed himself harder to get to the shore.
Dragging the unconscious Link a few meters from the water, he let the other lay on his back before leaning down, fighting a sudden burning in his cheeks and began mouth-to-mouth.
--
/Water. Drowning. Falling. Water Temple...?/ That's what it reminded Link of. But why was he there? He'd already defeated Morpha, received the Medallion, and he had vowed never to return to the truly evil temple again. So why was he there? /...I can't breath.../ Well, yes Link. Duh. He tried to struggle, flail, do anything to get to some source of air, but he couldn't move.
/It's carrying me... where...? /
Maybe it was just from a lack of air or maybe deep down inside, he knew that Sheik had his lips pressed against his own, but his cheeks were almost just as red. It would take a while before the mouth-to-mouth actually got through to him, pumped out his lungs, and it was surely long enough to give the Sheikah quite the fright, but eventually was he woken up, sputtering and flapping his arms around in quite a fit as he came out of his Water Temple nightmare.
"Ugh..." he muttered after he had finished his coughing fit, still doing so every now and then in an attempt to get the last bits of water out. He felt like throwing up, but it was probably a better idea for him to just refrain. And now he had a headache. Great. But... what had happened...?
Oh. Right. The earthquake. But...
"Hi, Sheik," he murmured softly, a rather odd statement to make after he had almost just died, but hey, as the Hero of Time his life had been on the line practically every day. He weakly sat up, rubbing at his eyes that were now red from having them open for so long underwater, and he let out a few more coughs. "Geez... th-thanks..." he spat out, looking sheepishly up at his savior.
"What was that...?"
--
It had taken a few tries, but Link was sitting up and breathing again, still choking out water at points.. but generally okay. Sheik felt himself release a tense breath that he didn't realize he was holding and not entirely sure /why/ he was.
It was quite possibly the best sound he'd heard all day when Link murmured his name. He smiled with relief when he heard it, only then realizing that his scarf wasn't there. He'd taken it off.. sometime.. but when? It was the first time Link had ever seen his face, he knew, and to reveal his face was something very personal to him. Not many in his tribe had ever even seen his face.
He wasn't sure he really even remembered his face.
A hand was raised instinctively over his mouth and he found himself looking away from Link as Link looked up at him, feeling suddenly very much like he were naked. It was a silly thought, maybe, but it didn't stop it from happening. He drew back the hand that had been resting supportively on Link's shoulder. The situation was far too personal as it stood already.
Not all Sheikahs covered their faces. Only the lower ranking ones, or those who chose to do so. Sheik himself had once ranked high enough to show his face, but never had. Now it would be shameful to show his uncovered face in the land of the Shadow people.
"It.. was nothing." He felt flustered, still not looking Link in the eye. "Just glad you're all right."
At Link's further question, he glanced up at the mountainous peaks around them. "I'm not exactly sure, but we should probably get out of here.. there will be aftershocks, and I don't trust these valley walls. Can you stand..?"
--
It was only when Sheik reacted in such a way, looking away and trying to cover his face that Link even realized that he didn't have it covered as he usually did. He blinked, turning his head slightly to the side as he examined the Sheikah. Maybe... maybe it was not good for Sheik to let his face show. "I... I'm sorry," he stammered, closing his eyes as if it'd be worse for Sheik the more he looked at it. Now he just felt like a total dork. The Hero of Time couldn't even stand an earthquake...?
He continued to keep his eyes closed out of respect as his inquiries were responded to. "Hmm..." It seemed odd. An earthquake, now? Usually such things only happened when the land was under an assault, was in danger in some way. But Hyrule was in peace at the moment. So then why were such things happening...? Maybe it was just a coincidence, nothing he should worry over. He didn't have the time to think about it now, anyways.
"Oh..." he breathed, opening his eyes as Sheik asked him about his stability. "I... think so." Biting on his lower lip, he pushed both hands against the ground harshly and then propelled himself upwards onto his feet. A bit shaky, but he managed not to lose his balance again. He grinned at his success, and looked over to Sheik as if asking for some praise, but quickly averted his vision when he remembered that his face was still revealed. His heart jumped, and he placed one hand against his chest in an effort to quell it. What was he so jumpy about?
It was probably just because he had almost drowned. "Okay, we'll go, then. We'll take Epona, it'll be quicker." He whistled yet again to draw his horse over, who was also a bit shaken up after the earthquake. However, she could sense danger, and knew she needed to cooperate, standing still so that Link could jump on.
He patted the space on Epona's back in front of him, having left enough room for Sheik to be able to get seated in front of him. "Come on," he said, once again trying to not look Sheik in the face in order to be polite.
--
Sheik noted Link's efforts to look away and ended up feeling a bit silly. He didn't reply to the apology, though.. it just made it seem even sillier for him to be acting this way. Hylians didn't have the same cultural system as the Sheikahs, though they were essentially the same race.
He had had the same thoughts about the earthquake, only his thoughts were centered around the fact that an earthquake this bad had never hit anywhere close to Lake Hylia.. which meant one of two things. Either the quake was extremely severe in other parts of Hyrule, or there had been one in a place there had never been one before. Either way, it meant trouble for Hyrule.
Once Link made it to his feet, he was already there, and although he didn't have much of a chance to look, he didn't see his scarf anywhere. He must have lost it in the water. Pressing his lips together, he watched, although rather indirectly, never looking at the other's face, as Link steadied himself. He seemed pretty stable, which was good. He started just a bit when Link pressed a hand to his heart, but the moment passed, and soon, the majestic mount was racing to meet them.
He brushed gently at the wetness of his face, shivering just slightly in the cool breeze as he waited for Link to mount. Then he too hopped on, and though he would have rather avoided it, the physical contact was inevitable. He'd just have to grit his teeth and bear it.
Once on the horse, he took the reigns and gently eased the horse towards the entrance to the lake. "I apologize for my....diffident manners. I'm required to cover my face amid my people because of the situation with her majesty in the Temple of Time, and I'm not used to...being seen."
There, he'd apologized. It sounded stupid, but at least Link couldn't see his cheeks burning with just a slight hint of pink.
--
Link had lost something of his as well -- his hat. Though Sheik hadn't seen him with it off before, he didn't mind nearly as much as the Sheikah seemed to about his scarf. He was sure he could find another one, though he did miss his old one. Maybe it would wash up on the shores in a few days? Then again, it didn't seem the Lake Hylia area was even safe anymore...
His eyes trailed down to the sheath of his Master Sword. Would he once against have to unsheathe it, use it against more fiends? Was Ganondorf back? No... it... it couldn't be, could it? Someone else, then? Was someone inspired by what Ganondorf had attempted, and was going to try and do the same, but succeed? He let out a soft sigh... it seemed there was much more in line for the Hero of Time.
So lost in his thoughts was he that when Sheik began speaking, he straightened a bit on the horse. "Ohh. Um. Don't worry about it," he said with a grin. "It's my fault that you lost it, anyway," he admitted sheepishly. The Hero of Time wasn't supposed to do things like that, but anyone that knew Link knew that he wasn't your regular hero, always perfect in every way. Actually, most of the time he was tripping over his own feet.
He lightly tapped one of his boots against Epona's side, and then did the horse begin to speed up, heading for the gates that lined the entrance to the lake. He just hoped that the horse actually jumped them this time. Then again, Epona really just acted properly when it was important. Though, better that than never at all.
However, the horse had sped up almost a little too much, which almost sent Link flying backwards off of her. And so he instinctively leaned forward and wrapped his arms around Sheik to make sure that didn't happen. Except... well... Sheik didn't seem to want to even be within a foot of him, let alone be grasped by him. So quickly enough did he let go, leaning back slightly, and tightly gripping the saddle instead. It was a lot less stable, but he didn't want to make Sheik feel more uncomfortable than he already did without his scarf.
He seemed to be doing a lot wrong today.
--
Sheik felt himself instinctively stiffen as Link's arms wrapped around his middle when the horse sped up, but somehow, it wasn't as odd of a sensation as he thought it should have been. Then again, he reflected, not fifteen minutes ago, he'd dragged this person out of the water and gave him mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. It was like they had already maxed out the awkwardness scale and the little stuff didn't seem so weird anymore.
Besides, the brief dip in Lake Hylia had left him cold and Link's arms were keeping him from getting too cold. And when those arms left, he couldn't quite suppress the shiver that went down his spine. He wondered what Link would think if he purposely bucked the mount so that those arms would have to go around him again, and the thought granted a tiny smile on his lips.
And then.. he mentally slapped himself. What the hell was that all about anyway? The feelings should have been all of indifference. He took his customs too seriously, and Link was just overly sensitive of his feelings. That's all there was to it and all there WOULD be to it.
He supposed he knew at the back of his mind that the basis of all this had started years before Link knew he even existed, asleep in the Temple of Time with only a small band appointed by the Lady Zelda to watch over him. He remembered being severely reprimanded after touching the Hero of Time's face as he slept, oblivious to the tender care given to him. He knew what started this, and he wished he knew how to end it.
He didn't think about it much, there was no point. It would never be anything anyway, and there was no purpose in giving thought to such things. Even on the remote possibility that something did come... it meant nothing. So he tried to convince himself he wasn't so stupid as to pursue it....when there was no other reason be where he was.
It caught him slightly off guard when the horse jumped over the fence, as he wasn't really paying attention. But he caught himself immediately, and in sufficient time for the second jump.
He wished his brain would just shut up.
--
Link didn't even notice. He didn't notice that Sheik had shivered for just a second there. He didn't notice that small smile that washed over Sheik's face. He noticed nothing. Not a single thing. Mostly because he had no idea what to look for; another adding factor being that he was a bit weak still from just about dying back there. And... he was a bit worried.
He had never realized how warm that hat had kept his head. With his revealed blond strands blowing in the cold wind -- now that dusk was beginning to near -- he started shaking just slightly, but tried to suppress it. The Hero of Time was supposed to be strong, he reminded himself. Be able to face any situation with the utmost courage. A cold night shouldn't be a problem.
Sheik was right there and he couldn't even delve into the other man's body warmth. It was rather frustrating, but he knew it was best to refrain. Besides, if he were normal, he'd be thinking about how he wished he was with a girl right now, but most of the females he had met had either scared him to death they were so clingy, or... he just didn't feel anything for them.
Once again was he reminded of how he seemed to be unable to love. Even when Navi, his 'faithful' companion, left... he had gotten over it so quickly. Then again, that might have been because the fairy had gotten him caught by a Wallmaster on quite a few occasions, and he'd held a grudge ever since.
Once they were past the few fence-jumps, they were out on the huge field that he had traversed his way across countless times. Then he realized something. "Um... Sheik? Where are we going to go?" The Hylian didn't exactly have a home to go to -- there was the Kokiri forest, but that was out of the question -- so he had no idea where they could get some rest. And some warmth. Then again, considering it was starting to get dark... Sheik would probably be disappearing in a puff of smoke rather soon.
Just the thought of the Sheikah remaining around for the entire night seemed absurd to him. Sheik didn't do things like that. He'd either find some place for Link to spend the night or leave when he least expected it and leave him to find someplace on his own. And that would probably turn into him just resting out on the field, shivering the night away...
--
Where, indeed? Sheik steered the horse out of the valley, deftly aware of the fact that they both seemed rather homeless at the moment. It was hardly a new situation for either of them, he supposed, but now, without any real direction, nowhere they /should/ be, nothing that really /needed/ to be done, he was beginning to understand the awkwardness of this freedom.
All thoughts of such were immediately vanquished from his mind, though, as something caught his attention in the corner of his eye. Turning his head to the darkening east, he noted something he recalled hoping never to see again. And was momentarily rendered speechless in surprise.
Death Mountain was no longer quiet, as it had become when Link had defeated Volvagia and awakened Darunia as a sage. No, it was now fiercely aglow with the burning fires that had been a common sight when the Dark One had been in control. The volcano was erupting again.
This could only mean trouble. Granted, sometimes these things happened without reason, but when they happened all at once, like now.. "There is trouble brewing," he said softly, crimson eyes not leaving the mountain. "The fires burn atop Death Mountain again."
Perhaps there would be some direction for them again after all.
It was not a happy thought, though. Although a moment ago, distractions would have been welcome, this had not been what he had hoped for. He felt very small suddenly in a way that could only have been from being apart from the tribe. Alone, he was small, insignificant....
...but he couldn't go back yet. They wouldn't allow it.
"I suppose we should camp for the night..."
--
Link himself was thinking of where they could go. Link himself, being the Hero of Time, would probably be allowed to spend the night just about anywhere, by this time friendly with all of the tribes -- Gorons, Zoras, Kokiri (he winced slightly at this)... any of them would welcome him with open arms.
Sheik, on the other hand... He frowned slightly as he looked at the back of Sheik's shiny blond head. No, it wouldn't be nearly as easy to find somewhere to stay if he had the Sheikah in tow. Not that the Hylian minded in any way. He would rather have a companion and no place to go than the other way around. He'd been on his own for long enough.
He just as quickly noticed the red ring that circled atop the mountain, one he had come to know so well ever since he first walked out of the Temple of Time as a seventeen-year-old. He thought he had gotten rid of it with the defeat of the dragon, but it seemed things were in fact still amiss. This wasn't something that could be easily ignored.
Sighing softly, he patted Epona lovingly to instill himself with some sense of comfort. He nodded to Sheik's statements. "Seems I've got more waiting for me," he muttered. His role as the Hero of Time was not yet over, and in a way, this was a good thing for him. Mainly because Link had no idea what he was going to do now that Ganondorf had been sealed. It had been his entire purpose just to seal him away, and now that he had done that, there was nothing to do.
So as much as he wanted Hyrule to remain peaceful, the Hylian thrived off of danger. He raised an eyebrow at Sheik's suggestion. Shouldn't they go check out Death Mountain? Suddenly eager now that he was presented with such a threat, he was all ready to go and see what was wrong. Then again, he was known for rushing things. Maybe it would be better to wait until morning.
"All right," he nodded, beginning to look for a good place to camp. Maybe they would get lucky and find a cave or something? One that wasn't Poe-infested, he hoped.
--
Link's reaction to the new threat came slightly unexpected to the Sheikah, but he realized soon enough that it shouldn't have been that way. He knew he didn't know Link as well he sometimes liked to think, but he knew well enough Link's tendency to take tremendous amounts of responsibility on himself, simply because he didn't want anyone else to have to suffer through it.
It was admirable as much as it was idealistic. Perhaps the Hero of Time was a solo job, but he'd had more help than he even knew. Link had not seen the villages burned to the ground without warning in the middle of the night. Link had not seen the armies of undead sent to demolish anyone the Dark Lord considered a threat. Link had not seen the small group of Sheikahs tending to his sleeping form daily and praying that he would soon awaken and rescue them.
"Your ambition is as admirable as it is naive," he said softly, his mind still turning over the events of the day, searching for a possible cause. "This...is different somehow. It is not only for you to deal with. We need to gather information before we do anything else...."
He was more talking to himself at the end of the statement than to Link, his mind completely off the subject of finding a place to camp for the night... This situation seemed familiar somehow, as though he knew something about it from before, from a long, long time ago.
Sighing slightly, he forced himself back to the task at hand. A campsite. It'd do them no good if they knew what was going on and then died of exposure. Sharp eyes scanned the plains around them for a suitable location and finally settled on a small cave near the entrance to Gerudo Valley.
He pointed it out to Link. "That will probably do. There's not much time until darkness settles and we need a fire."
--
Yes. Link had always wondered what exactly everyone had been forced to go through those seven years when he was put to rest in the Temple of Time. He had wished that he been around to help everyone through whatever had gone on then. He was sure it hadn't been good. But those seven years couldn't be repaid, really. If he were to try and go through it all again, it would just end up in the same way. He would just have to live knowing that he had missed out on seven years of his life.
Sheik's comment wasn't expected, and he just sort of stared at him for a moment afterwards. What exactly did he mean by that? There was probably no point trying to ponder it... it would just hurt his head, really. He was sure Sheik didn't mean anything bad by it, though. But it was true -- they couldn't just rush into this and hope for the best results. They had to be careful, mostly because they didn't know what they were up against this time.
Yes, the cave seemed good enough. They were close to it, and Link was getting a bit stiff, since it was somewhat uncomfortable sitting on Epona with two people, so he jumped off and walked along besides the horse as they headed towards the cave. Not to mention actually moving rather than letting Epona do the work warmed him up a bit.
"Fire." Just then did that part of what Sheik said register. "I can do Din's Fire, if that will help," he suggested. He was trying to be a bit calmer after Sheik's comment about his ambition. Poor guy.
--
Link's slight silence was noted, and Sheik wondered idly if he'd been too blunt with the other. It was hard to remember sometimes that Link was still a boy, trapped inside a man's body. Maybe he wasn't being fair. But it was too late to recall his words. Perhaps he would just have to mind his words a bit more while around Link.
He shivered again as Link leapt off Epona's back, as what little warmth he was getting just from having another body in close proximity to his. Still, he waited until they were slightly closer to the cave before following suit and jumping off the horse. He nodded at Link's suggestion, inspecting the cave further.
"Not as large as I thought," he commented. "The horse won't fit. Will she be all right outside?"
While still speaking, he was glancing about them for fire wood and found there wasn't much in the way of vegetation. Still, a few bushes here and there, enough so that they'd likely be able to scrounge something together in the way of a fire.
--
"Yeah, she'll be fine," Link told him. Epona had spent quite a few nights outside... Link was sure she had to all the time when she was back at Lon Lon Ranch, keeping Malon company as she sang out in the middle of the field. Not to mention she hadn't gotten soaked, and they had.
Even if it was a small cave, it would be big enough. When he took a few steps inside, he realized that it wasn't any warmer in than out, as he had been hoping. Well, a fire would in fact fix that. He began to gather some brambles and shrubs and things that he hoped would burn, and once he had enough, he took the bits that Sheik had gotten as well and arranged them all in a nice pile inside the cave. Not really as much wood substance as he would have liked, but it should do.
He gestured for Sheik to move away a bit. After all, Din's Fire had quite a range and he didn't want to singe the Sheikah or anything. He was rather surprised that Sheik was even still there. It was probably because he was interested in what was going on with Death Mountain and figured it'd be good to stick with Link if they wanted to find out.
Well, whatever. Link didn't mind. He crouched down slightly, one arm outstretched in the pose necessary for the spell to be cast, then letting out a yell as he so often did and straightening a bit as he executed it.
...nothing. He frowned. Had he done something wrong? He had enough magic... strange. He glanced over at Sheik. "I... I don't know what's wrong," he stammered.
--
Din's Fire did not work.
Sheik was frowning at this development. There was something very wrong in the whole situation and the fact that he couldn't quite place a finger on what it was was quite annoying indeed. Natural disasters that shouldn't be happening... magic that didn't work... something big was coming. But he didn't know what it was.
By all rights, the spell /should/ have worked. Granted, the music portals the Sheikahs had created to warp from temple to temple no longer worked since the sages had all been awakened and the temples sealed, but magic should have still worked. Sheik himself possessed no ability to use magic, though he certainly made it seem like he did with his illusory tricks. He couldn't try anything else.
He could have Link try and use Farore's Wind or Nayru's Love... but if Din's Fire didn't work, why would the other two? It'd be a waste of magic power to try, even if they did work, because the two spells were completely defensive and there was no enemy.
Or, he corrected himself grimly, none that they could see.
After a moment of silence with Link looking sheepishly at him, as though he'd done something wrong, he broke the silence. "That's...strange. I suppose we'll have to make the fire on our own, then." He knelt by the small pile of sticks and brush and began attempting to make a spark.
--
It was one thing after the other today. First Epona was acting weird, not listening. Maybe she had sensed that something was wrong, something was going to happen in Lake Hylia, and Link had just been too stupid to notice. Granted, the horse had been rather edgy lately, and she had been more than obliged to get away from the lake. The earthquake itself after that... then the ring of fire over Death Mountain. And now this. He had never been unable to cast it before, the three goddesses had always been there to help him.
Wait.
Maybe something had happened to Din... Maybe She was just unable to help him for whatever reason. But She was a goddess, and therefore wouldn't go down so easy. He put a hand to his mouth in contemplation. He just couldn't figure out what was wrong.
"Right," he murmured softly, absent-mindedly, still thinking about all the problems as he kneeled down across from Sheik and helped trying to get a fire started. His hands kept slipping however, and eventually he gave up and threw off his gloves, hoping his bare hands would give him a better grip. Still, he just wasn't that good at stuff like this. Sheik had a better chance at actually starting a fire.
"Maybe I can't use magic anymore...?" This was the first time he had tried it after he had sealed Ganondorf, after all. But it didn't make sense. He had sealed Ganondorf, and only Ganondorf. The goddesses had nothing to do with that. But maybe they had gone into some sort of slumber now that there was no more danger...? But there was danger. Maybe their absence was bringing about problems.
He sighed. This was getting rather confusing.
--
It was indeed confusing. And Sheik couldn't get the damned fire to start either. His fingers were practically numb with the chill of the dusk that had settled quite nicely like it always did, and that was making things difficult. Link didn't seem to be having much luck with the matter either, even having thrown aside his bulky, albeit useful, gloves.
/This just isn't our day,/ he thought to himself, beginning to feel more than just a little annoyed. He was already on edge from the odd circumstances surrounding the day, not to mention they /still/ hadn't gotten anything to eat and were both still soaked to the bone. But his spirits raised a bit as a spark finally caught a piece of brush on fire and started the entire pile ablaze. He suddenly felt a little like dancing. He settled for casting a triumphant smile in Link's direction.
He remained leaning forward as Link suggested that perhaps he could no longer use magic, warming his hands by the small fire. It wasn't very big and probably wouldn't last the whole night.
"I...really don't know," he admitted softly, staring at the fire as though it would give him the answers he sought. "We're missing something, something important." But what? What could there be?
Frustrated again, he frowned.
--
Link was relieved that Sheik managed to eventually get the fire roaring. He didn't really want to spend any more time making a fool of himself, fumbling with the rock that he couldn't even get a grip on with his bare hands, and once the flames spread and erupted, the rock was tossed over his shoulder with disdain. He leaned into the warmth as well, hands pressed near to the licking flames. Now he'd actually be able to dry off.
There was one slight problem, though. When he thought fire, he thought food -- mainly because a fire was necessary for food. For fish. He recalled the one he had caught with nostalgia. It hadn't been big, yes, but it would have been enough to satiate him so his stomach didn't growl in protest as it did now. It had been the entire day. Well, at least he'd be sleeping soon so he wouldn't have to think about it.
He grinned back at Sheik, but it was wiped away as they started discussing the subject of his magic yet again. It seemed like more and more of a good idea to try using the other two spells he knew.
"I'm not sure what we're missing, but I'm going to try Farore's Wind and Nayru's Love. Just to see." There might be no point to it, but he wanted to see. And so with a huff, he got to his feet, stretched upwards (and he felt his back crack with a flinch), and then tried to cast Farore's Wind.
Lo and behold, it worked. It didn't produce the portal because he wasn't in a dungeon, but it was obvious that the spell had worked. "...that one works..." he mused.
Now Nayru's Love. The same process, and the blue-ish shield was erected around him, making him impervious to any attacks. "These work... so why didn't...?"
--
Sheik watched stoically as both the green magic of Farore and the blue of Nayru took effect with no problem whatsoever. This was getting more and more perplexing. It would have made more sense if /none/ of the magic had worked.
Din's fire... fire... but there was a fire in front of them, crackling cheerily away. There was a ring of fire around Death Mountain. If there was a problem with the fire, there wouldn't have been an earthquake, unless there was a problem with the land too... and there'd be no way to tell. Even looking at the Goddesses, they all Three had formed the land, though it had been mostly been Din...
Din.
There was something wrong with Din.
Something so wrong that the very earth was reacting to the trouble. But what in Hyrule could possibly ail a Goddess? The Goddess of Power, no less, the one credited with being the most powerful of the Three. Link had just demonstrated that the other two were fine, but what could just affect one of the Goddesses?
"Din," he said softly. "There's something...wrong with Her. But...but what could possibly effect Her and not the others?"
Again, the puzzle deepened. Little did they know it'd all be explained to them in a matter of hours..
--
Link had come to the same conclusion. It was all revolving around Din now. She had been the one that had made most of the land they now walked upon... there was an earthquake... but... weren't the Goddesses the ones that actually -caused- the natural disasters? That means that Din would have been able to start the earthquake. And there was no way someone had taken Her power.
That meant... "Wait. No. Something's not wrong with Her. She's not hurt, I mean," he said, trying to work out his thoughts by voicing them out loud. "She had caused that earthquake just fine, but She didn't lend me the power to cast Din's Fire." He frowned, then closing his eyes as he tried to calm down and think about it logically.
"Maybe I've angered Her somehow, and She no longer wants to aid me?" Just like Link to blame it all on himself. He didn't want to think that anyone else should have to deal with the burden, but instead just make it his own problem, something he would solve all on his lonesome. Because he was scared if he dragged anyone else into it they'd get hurt. Or... killed.
But he doubted Sheik would just back down this time.
Wait, Sheik was Zelda. He gaped -- he still needed to figure that out. Were they just two different people in one body? It didn't make sense. Zelda would need to be back at Hyrule, working on rebuilding the kingdom. So why was she here...?
"Sheik, umm... can you control when you're Zelda and when you're... you?" It must have sounded so stupid, but he really had no idea how it worked, and he wanted to find out already.
--
"No... not you...." Link's conclusion made sense...mostly. "She attacked Death Mountain too, and that's at the other end of Hyrule." But what could have possibly angered Her so much that She'd attack all of Hyrule? "She's angry with all of us."
He poked wearily at the fire, trying to elicit more warmth from it as Link mulled silently over what he had to say. He wasn't really looking at the other, and so completely missed the look of shock that appeared briefly on Link's face. But there was a distinct curiosity in his tone when he spoke again, asking a very odd question.
Sheik looked up and blinked at him for a moment, the thought that Link still thought he and Zelda were the same not occurring to him at first. Zelda was supposed to have told him everything, but then... she'd gotten kidnapped. So of course he didn't know.
"Oh... I thought you knew, sorry." It was his turn to sound sheepish.
"Her Lady Zelda was very concerned for you when you awoke. She wanted to aide you herself, but Lady Impa would not allow her to go--it was far too dangerous. She sent me instead, instilling a spell in me that allowed her to see what I saw, hear what I heard. I relayed her message and helped you, while she looked on from safety.
"When we fooled you into thinking we were the same person, it was for the Dark One's benefit. We knew the Temple of Time was being watched. It wouldn't have made sense for the Dark Lord /not/ to have it watched. However, we did not expect him to attack. She was supposed to 'turn' back into me so that the Dark One would believe I had the Triforce of Wisdom he sought and left Zelda alone so that you could more easily defeat him as he chased after me.
"But, as you know, things went a little wrong, and I was unable to keep the Dark Lord from attacking." His head was lowered slightly. "It was.. my fault she got taken from you. I'm sorry."
--
Well, it made sense. Link shouldn't think he was so important, to think that Din was mad at him and only him. He really wasn't that special. But he never meant to see things that way. He was just trying to do his best to make sure no one else had to get involved, not to seem egotistical or anything like that. Link just didn't do things like that. He was always trying to do everything in everyone else's benefit, and sometimes he forgot about his own well-being.
This was shown well enough by his wet, weak, shaking form and his empty stomach. He canted his head to the side as Sheik made the statement about him thinking he knew, and was suddenly dumped into even more confusion, but luckily the Sheikah was willing to explain.
Well, it was somewhat confusing, but he thought he understood. He felt sort of bad about having been tricked, but... it had been necessary for their plan, even if that hadn't worked out. "No, don't... don't worry about it. I was always sort of nervous around her, anyways. She was Royalty. I was just a fairy boy," he mumbled, remembering his old nickname that wasn't applicable now that Navi was gone. Then again, he had been growing rather weary of it, anyways. Hero of Time wasn't much better, though.
"Don't be sorry. Ganondorf is gone now, and that's all that matters, right?" He smiled cheerfully, hoping he could make Sheik feel a little better. Seemed he also liked to blame things on himself, but it wasn't nearly as severe a case as Link had.
...was Ganondorf really sealed, though? With all this trouble, it made him wonder.
--
Sheik found himself smiling at Link's reply, though it was devoid of mirth and all together rather rueful. It was one of Link's more charming qualities, his ability to see the good of anyone, to forgive and forget at the drop of a hat. But he had to look past that now. He stared into the red-orange flames.
"I only wish my people were as forgiving as you are," he said quietly. "Ganondorf may be sealed away, but..."
...but allowing your charge to be kidnapped in front of you was something not so easily forgiven by a group of people whose lives were spent serving the royal family of Hyrule. He wasn't about to say as much, though, not right now. Being reduced to a wandering hermit not allowed to show his face to others of his people was humbling enough without having to explain the whole ordeal over again.
Link would forgive him, he already had.. but he didn't know if he was so ready to accept that. Link didn't know the full extent of what had happened, /why/ Ganondorf had been able to get in... it was all the Sheikah's fault. If only he'd been watching a little more closely, if only he'd noticed....
But it was all in the past now. Dwelling on it would do him no good.
He glanced briefly up at his companion. "...do you want first watch?"
--
Sheik's comment about his people sort of confused Link, but the way he said it made it seem like he really would rather not discuss it further. The whole Sheikah race (he never did understand why there were practically considered a different species than Hylians, but he figured he might just be ignorant about it) was just sort of a mystery to him. He knew their job, vaguely, but their inner workings he knew nothing about.
He just sort of stared into the flames himself, not really thinking about anything, until Sheik posed the question. Watch, huh? He had... sort of forgotten about that. The whole idea of watches were sort of new to him since he had never had someone to travel with that he could exchange watches with.
This also meant that he'd have to sit up and listen to his growling stomach for half a night. Eh well, may as well get it over with now.
"Yeah, sure," he responded, pulling his gloves back on to bring back the warmth and the extreme strength that the golden gauntlets gave him. It was odd, how strong he was with these, and he'd scared quite a few people because of them. Not to mention the hover boots. He'd even been called a fallen angel on a few occasions thanks to them, to which he had just blushed and explained how the boots worked.
And so he moved closer to the mouth of the cave in order to be a proper watchman, meanwhile contemplating where he could get a new hat. The Kokiri would have one, wouldn't they? Egh. He'd just have to grit his teeth and bear it. 'cause he wanted a new hat, dammit.
--
Sheik watched as Link made his way to the entrance of the cave and then curled into a ball next to the fire, wishing he had something dry to put over him. He was still shivering cold. And noticed that Link was too.. but there wasn't a lot that could be done. The fire was as big as it was going to be, and there was no other source of heat.
Except, well, each other.
/Oh, shut up./ He wasn't even going to think about that.
Closing his eyes and resting his head on one of his arms, he lay there for only a few moments before falling asleep, being more exhausted than he had originally realized. Well, he /had/ been through a bit of trauma that day, though not nearly as much as Link had. Maybe he shouldn't have made him be first watch. Maybe...
...but he was asleep before he could finish the thought.
He dreamt of a cavern he had never seen before. He was standing in the middle of it, looking blankly around. He knew it was a dream, because he was dry and warm, and he had been decidedly cold and wet when he had fallen asleep. So when She appeared, he couldn't say as he was really very surprised.
"Hello, Sheikah." Her mouth was not moving, but he could hear Her voice. She was very elegant, more so than he would have expected (though seeing a Goddess wasn't something someone really expected), but an almost roguish demeanor followed Her. She was very beautiful, fairly reeking of power, and Her essence was like that of the fire spell named for Her.
Sheik fell to his knees in front of Her, bowing his head to the ground. "Lady Din...," he whispered, not really believing what he was saying, "...to what do I owe the honor?"
-----
Author's Notes
Court: YO YO LINK THE TRIFORCE IS NEEDED
FOR GANONDORF TO GET BEATED
SO GET THE SAGES, MEDALLIONS TOO
AND THEN I WILL MAKE LOVE TO YOU!
Rydia: YEAH MY NAME IS LINK AND I'M SO COOL
I'M HITTIN' THE ROAD TRYIN' TO SAVE HYRULE
I GOT THIS BUDDY, HIS NAME IS SHEIK
AND WHEN HE'S NAKED I LIKE TO PEEK
--
Stay tuned for Chapter 3 : In which Din expresses Her general unhappiness!
Author: Court ( burningvigor@aol.com ) as Link, Rydia ( chichiri_is_hot@hotmail.com ) as Sheik and about everyone else
Disclaimer: Legend of Zelda is not ours. The characters are not ours. The setting is not ours. We borrowed it to have some fun. We interpreted it in our own way. We make no money off of this so you can't sue us. Neither of us have any money anyway.
Summary: In the year following Ganondorf's defeat, a tentative peace has settled over Hyrule. Now the Goddesses are demanding one more thing from the Hero of Time, but at what cost?
Warning: AU (Sheik and Zelda are different people, and Navi was killed at the end of OoT since no one likes her anyway). Shounen ai/yaoi (YES that means there are GAY PEOPLE OMG NUU :P), Link/Sheik.
Important Note: This entire fanfic has been written in role-play format. That means that there are sections. Court writes one, then Rydia writes one, and so on and so forth. Things are REPEATED. Why? Because when we started, we didn't intend for this to be a fanfic. Now that we're finishing it, we love it to pieces and want to share it with the world. So. All the Link sections were written by Court, and all the Sheik sections were written by Rydia. And Rydia made the chapter titles because she's weird.
--
Chapter 2
In which Sheik gets Propositioned by a Goddess
--
To sleep is an act of faith.
-Barbara Grizzuti Harrison
--
It took only a moment for Sheik's eyes to spot a hint of green amid the now roiling waters. He swam toward it, ignoring the sense of panic building in the back of his mind. Upon reaching the object, though, he saw it was only Link's discarded hat.. the one he had seen the other toss back toward the shore.
He didn't even know where to begin to look for his companion. Link was nowhere at the surface of the water, and Sheik hadn't seen him go under. Biting his lip, he made a guess as to where he might be judging from where he'd been standing, and dove under.
Nothing.
Adjusting his guess, he tried again, dimly aware of the fact that the longer he took, the less of a chance Link had of making it out of this alive. It wasn't the counsel's anger that he feared anymore, no, now it was something personal. He wouldn't forgive himself if Link lost his life...
The irony was too much. Link had saved the world against impossible odds...only to drown while fishing in Lake Hylia? It was just stupid at best. Well, it wasn't going to happen, not on Sheik's watch.
The third dive proved to be the lucky one, though he had to come up before able to get deep enough to slide one arm around Link's waist and pull him to the surface. He was already unconscious, it seemed, and Sheik only pressed himself harder to get to the shore.
Dragging the unconscious Link a few meters from the water, he let the other lay on his back before leaning down, fighting a sudden burning in his cheeks and began mouth-to-mouth.
--
/Water. Drowning. Falling. Water Temple...?/ That's what it reminded Link of. But why was he there? He'd already defeated Morpha, received the Medallion, and he had vowed never to return to the truly evil temple again. So why was he there? /...I can't breath.../ Well, yes Link. Duh. He tried to struggle, flail, do anything to get to some source of air, but he couldn't move.
/It's carrying me... where...? /
Maybe it was just from a lack of air or maybe deep down inside, he knew that Sheik had his lips pressed against his own, but his cheeks were almost just as red. It would take a while before the mouth-to-mouth actually got through to him, pumped out his lungs, and it was surely long enough to give the Sheikah quite the fright, but eventually was he woken up, sputtering and flapping his arms around in quite a fit as he came out of his Water Temple nightmare.
"Ugh..." he muttered after he had finished his coughing fit, still doing so every now and then in an attempt to get the last bits of water out. He felt like throwing up, but it was probably a better idea for him to just refrain. And now he had a headache. Great. But... what had happened...?
Oh. Right. The earthquake. But...
"Hi, Sheik," he murmured softly, a rather odd statement to make after he had almost just died, but hey, as the Hero of Time his life had been on the line practically every day. He weakly sat up, rubbing at his eyes that were now red from having them open for so long underwater, and he let out a few more coughs. "Geez... th-thanks..." he spat out, looking sheepishly up at his savior.
"What was that...?"
--
It had taken a few tries, but Link was sitting up and breathing again, still choking out water at points.. but generally okay. Sheik felt himself release a tense breath that he didn't realize he was holding and not entirely sure /why/ he was.
It was quite possibly the best sound he'd heard all day when Link murmured his name. He smiled with relief when he heard it, only then realizing that his scarf wasn't there. He'd taken it off.. sometime.. but when? It was the first time Link had ever seen his face, he knew, and to reveal his face was something very personal to him. Not many in his tribe had ever even seen his face.
He wasn't sure he really even remembered his face.
A hand was raised instinctively over his mouth and he found himself looking away from Link as Link looked up at him, feeling suddenly very much like he were naked. It was a silly thought, maybe, but it didn't stop it from happening. He drew back the hand that had been resting supportively on Link's shoulder. The situation was far too personal as it stood already.
Not all Sheikahs covered their faces. Only the lower ranking ones, or those who chose to do so. Sheik himself had once ranked high enough to show his face, but never had. Now it would be shameful to show his uncovered face in the land of the Shadow people.
"It.. was nothing." He felt flustered, still not looking Link in the eye. "Just glad you're all right."
At Link's further question, he glanced up at the mountainous peaks around them. "I'm not exactly sure, but we should probably get out of here.. there will be aftershocks, and I don't trust these valley walls. Can you stand..?"
--
It was only when Sheik reacted in such a way, looking away and trying to cover his face that Link even realized that he didn't have it covered as he usually did. He blinked, turning his head slightly to the side as he examined the Sheikah. Maybe... maybe it was not good for Sheik to let his face show. "I... I'm sorry," he stammered, closing his eyes as if it'd be worse for Sheik the more he looked at it. Now he just felt like a total dork. The Hero of Time couldn't even stand an earthquake...?
He continued to keep his eyes closed out of respect as his inquiries were responded to. "Hmm..." It seemed odd. An earthquake, now? Usually such things only happened when the land was under an assault, was in danger in some way. But Hyrule was in peace at the moment. So then why were such things happening...? Maybe it was just a coincidence, nothing he should worry over. He didn't have the time to think about it now, anyways.
"Oh..." he breathed, opening his eyes as Sheik asked him about his stability. "I... think so." Biting on his lower lip, he pushed both hands against the ground harshly and then propelled himself upwards onto his feet. A bit shaky, but he managed not to lose his balance again. He grinned at his success, and looked over to Sheik as if asking for some praise, but quickly averted his vision when he remembered that his face was still revealed. His heart jumped, and he placed one hand against his chest in an effort to quell it. What was he so jumpy about?
It was probably just because he had almost drowned. "Okay, we'll go, then. We'll take Epona, it'll be quicker." He whistled yet again to draw his horse over, who was also a bit shaken up after the earthquake. However, she could sense danger, and knew she needed to cooperate, standing still so that Link could jump on.
He patted the space on Epona's back in front of him, having left enough room for Sheik to be able to get seated in front of him. "Come on," he said, once again trying to not look Sheik in the face in order to be polite.
--
Sheik noted Link's efforts to look away and ended up feeling a bit silly. He didn't reply to the apology, though.. it just made it seem even sillier for him to be acting this way. Hylians didn't have the same cultural system as the Sheikahs, though they were essentially the same race.
He had had the same thoughts about the earthquake, only his thoughts were centered around the fact that an earthquake this bad had never hit anywhere close to Lake Hylia.. which meant one of two things. Either the quake was extremely severe in other parts of Hyrule, or there had been one in a place there had never been one before. Either way, it meant trouble for Hyrule.
Once Link made it to his feet, he was already there, and although he didn't have much of a chance to look, he didn't see his scarf anywhere. He must have lost it in the water. Pressing his lips together, he watched, although rather indirectly, never looking at the other's face, as Link steadied himself. He seemed pretty stable, which was good. He started just a bit when Link pressed a hand to his heart, but the moment passed, and soon, the majestic mount was racing to meet them.
He brushed gently at the wetness of his face, shivering just slightly in the cool breeze as he waited for Link to mount. Then he too hopped on, and though he would have rather avoided it, the physical contact was inevitable. He'd just have to grit his teeth and bear it.
Once on the horse, he took the reigns and gently eased the horse towards the entrance to the lake. "I apologize for my....diffident manners. I'm required to cover my face amid my people because of the situation with her majesty in the Temple of Time, and I'm not used to...being seen."
There, he'd apologized. It sounded stupid, but at least Link couldn't see his cheeks burning with just a slight hint of pink.
--
Link had lost something of his as well -- his hat. Though Sheik hadn't seen him with it off before, he didn't mind nearly as much as the Sheikah seemed to about his scarf. He was sure he could find another one, though he did miss his old one. Maybe it would wash up on the shores in a few days? Then again, it didn't seem the Lake Hylia area was even safe anymore...
His eyes trailed down to the sheath of his Master Sword. Would he once against have to unsheathe it, use it against more fiends? Was Ganondorf back? No... it... it couldn't be, could it? Someone else, then? Was someone inspired by what Ganondorf had attempted, and was going to try and do the same, but succeed? He let out a soft sigh... it seemed there was much more in line for the Hero of Time.
So lost in his thoughts was he that when Sheik began speaking, he straightened a bit on the horse. "Ohh. Um. Don't worry about it," he said with a grin. "It's my fault that you lost it, anyway," he admitted sheepishly. The Hero of Time wasn't supposed to do things like that, but anyone that knew Link knew that he wasn't your regular hero, always perfect in every way. Actually, most of the time he was tripping over his own feet.
He lightly tapped one of his boots against Epona's side, and then did the horse begin to speed up, heading for the gates that lined the entrance to the lake. He just hoped that the horse actually jumped them this time. Then again, Epona really just acted properly when it was important. Though, better that than never at all.
However, the horse had sped up almost a little too much, which almost sent Link flying backwards off of her. And so he instinctively leaned forward and wrapped his arms around Sheik to make sure that didn't happen. Except... well... Sheik didn't seem to want to even be within a foot of him, let alone be grasped by him. So quickly enough did he let go, leaning back slightly, and tightly gripping the saddle instead. It was a lot less stable, but he didn't want to make Sheik feel more uncomfortable than he already did without his scarf.
He seemed to be doing a lot wrong today.
--
Sheik felt himself instinctively stiffen as Link's arms wrapped around his middle when the horse sped up, but somehow, it wasn't as odd of a sensation as he thought it should have been. Then again, he reflected, not fifteen minutes ago, he'd dragged this person out of the water and gave him mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. It was like they had already maxed out the awkwardness scale and the little stuff didn't seem so weird anymore.
Besides, the brief dip in Lake Hylia had left him cold and Link's arms were keeping him from getting too cold. And when those arms left, he couldn't quite suppress the shiver that went down his spine. He wondered what Link would think if he purposely bucked the mount so that those arms would have to go around him again, and the thought granted a tiny smile on his lips.
And then.. he mentally slapped himself. What the hell was that all about anyway? The feelings should have been all of indifference. He took his customs too seriously, and Link was just overly sensitive of his feelings. That's all there was to it and all there WOULD be to it.
He supposed he knew at the back of his mind that the basis of all this had started years before Link knew he even existed, asleep in the Temple of Time with only a small band appointed by the Lady Zelda to watch over him. He remembered being severely reprimanded after touching the Hero of Time's face as he slept, oblivious to the tender care given to him. He knew what started this, and he wished he knew how to end it.
He didn't think about it much, there was no point. It would never be anything anyway, and there was no purpose in giving thought to such things. Even on the remote possibility that something did come... it meant nothing. So he tried to convince himself he wasn't so stupid as to pursue it....when there was no other reason be where he was.
It caught him slightly off guard when the horse jumped over the fence, as he wasn't really paying attention. But he caught himself immediately, and in sufficient time for the second jump.
He wished his brain would just shut up.
--
Link didn't even notice. He didn't notice that Sheik had shivered for just a second there. He didn't notice that small smile that washed over Sheik's face. He noticed nothing. Not a single thing. Mostly because he had no idea what to look for; another adding factor being that he was a bit weak still from just about dying back there. And... he was a bit worried.
He had never realized how warm that hat had kept his head. With his revealed blond strands blowing in the cold wind -- now that dusk was beginning to near -- he started shaking just slightly, but tried to suppress it. The Hero of Time was supposed to be strong, he reminded himself. Be able to face any situation with the utmost courage. A cold night shouldn't be a problem.
Sheik was right there and he couldn't even delve into the other man's body warmth. It was rather frustrating, but he knew it was best to refrain. Besides, if he were normal, he'd be thinking about how he wished he was with a girl right now, but most of the females he had met had either scared him to death they were so clingy, or... he just didn't feel anything for them.
Once again was he reminded of how he seemed to be unable to love. Even when Navi, his 'faithful' companion, left... he had gotten over it so quickly. Then again, that might have been because the fairy had gotten him caught by a Wallmaster on quite a few occasions, and he'd held a grudge ever since.
Once they were past the few fence-jumps, they were out on the huge field that he had traversed his way across countless times. Then he realized something. "Um... Sheik? Where are we going to go?" The Hylian didn't exactly have a home to go to -- there was the Kokiri forest, but that was out of the question -- so he had no idea where they could get some rest. And some warmth. Then again, considering it was starting to get dark... Sheik would probably be disappearing in a puff of smoke rather soon.
Just the thought of the Sheikah remaining around for the entire night seemed absurd to him. Sheik didn't do things like that. He'd either find some place for Link to spend the night or leave when he least expected it and leave him to find someplace on his own. And that would probably turn into him just resting out on the field, shivering the night away...
--
Where, indeed? Sheik steered the horse out of the valley, deftly aware of the fact that they both seemed rather homeless at the moment. It was hardly a new situation for either of them, he supposed, but now, without any real direction, nowhere they /should/ be, nothing that really /needed/ to be done, he was beginning to understand the awkwardness of this freedom.
All thoughts of such were immediately vanquished from his mind, though, as something caught his attention in the corner of his eye. Turning his head to the darkening east, he noted something he recalled hoping never to see again. And was momentarily rendered speechless in surprise.
Death Mountain was no longer quiet, as it had become when Link had defeated Volvagia and awakened Darunia as a sage. No, it was now fiercely aglow with the burning fires that had been a common sight when the Dark One had been in control. The volcano was erupting again.
This could only mean trouble. Granted, sometimes these things happened without reason, but when they happened all at once, like now.. "There is trouble brewing," he said softly, crimson eyes not leaving the mountain. "The fires burn atop Death Mountain again."
Perhaps there would be some direction for them again after all.
It was not a happy thought, though. Although a moment ago, distractions would have been welcome, this had not been what he had hoped for. He felt very small suddenly in a way that could only have been from being apart from the tribe. Alone, he was small, insignificant....
...but he couldn't go back yet. They wouldn't allow it.
"I suppose we should camp for the night..."
--
Link himself was thinking of where they could go. Link himself, being the Hero of Time, would probably be allowed to spend the night just about anywhere, by this time friendly with all of the tribes -- Gorons, Zoras, Kokiri (he winced slightly at this)... any of them would welcome him with open arms.
Sheik, on the other hand... He frowned slightly as he looked at the back of Sheik's shiny blond head. No, it wouldn't be nearly as easy to find somewhere to stay if he had the Sheikah in tow. Not that the Hylian minded in any way. He would rather have a companion and no place to go than the other way around. He'd been on his own for long enough.
He just as quickly noticed the red ring that circled atop the mountain, one he had come to know so well ever since he first walked out of the Temple of Time as a seventeen-year-old. He thought he had gotten rid of it with the defeat of the dragon, but it seemed things were in fact still amiss. This wasn't something that could be easily ignored.
Sighing softly, he patted Epona lovingly to instill himself with some sense of comfort. He nodded to Sheik's statements. "Seems I've got more waiting for me," he muttered. His role as the Hero of Time was not yet over, and in a way, this was a good thing for him. Mainly because Link had no idea what he was going to do now that Ganondorf had been sealed. It had been his entire purpose just to seal him away, and now that he had done that, there was nothing to do.
So as much as he wanted Hyrule to remain peaceful, the Hylian thrived off of danger. He raised an eyebrow at Sheik's suggestion. Shouldn't they go check out Death Mountain? Suddenly eager now that he was presented with such a threat, he was all ready to go and see what was wrong. Then again, he was known for rushing things. Maybe it would be better to wait until morning.
"All right," he nodded, beginning to look for a good place to camp. Maybe they would get lucky and find a cave or something? One that wasn't Poe-infested, he hoped.
--
Link's reaction to the new threat came slightly unexpected to the Sheikah, but he realized soon enough that it shouldn't have been that way. He knew he didn't know Link as well he sometimes liked to think, but he knew well enough Link's tendency to take tremendous amounts of responsibility on himself, simply because he didn't want anyone else to have to suffer through it.
It was admirable as much as it was idealistic. Perhaps the Hero of Time was a solo job, but he'd had more help than he even knew. Link had not seen the villages burned to the ground without warning in the middle of the night. Link had not seen the armies of undead sent to demolish anyone the Dark Lord considered a threat. Link had not seen the small group of Sheikahs tending to his sleeping form daily and praying that he would soon awaken and rescue them.
"Your ambition is as admirable as it is naive," he said softly, his mind still turning over the events of the day, searching for a possible cause. "This...is different somehow. It is not only for you to deal with. We need to gather information before we do anything else...."
He was more talking to himself at the end of the statement than to Link, his mind completely off the subject of finding a place to camp for the night... This situation seemed familiar somehow, as though he knew something about it from before, from a long, long time ago.
Sighing slightly, he forced himself back to the task at hand. A campsite. It'd do them no good if they knew what was going on and then died of exposure. Sharp eyes scanned the plains around them for a suitable location and finally settled on a small cave near the entrance to Gerudo Valley.
He pointed it out to Link. "That will probably do. There's not much time until darkness settles and we need a fire."
--
Yes. Link had always wondered what exactly everyone had been forced to go through those seven years when he was put to rest in the Temple of Time. He had wished that he been around to help everyone through whatever had gone on then. He was sure it hadn't been good. But those seven years couldn't be repaid, really. If he were to try and go through it all again, it would just end up in the same way. He would just have to live knowing that he had missed out on seven years of his life.
Sheik's comment wasn't expected, and he just sort of stared at him for a moment afterwards. What exactly did he mean by that? There was probably no point trying to ponder it... it would just hurt his head, really. He was sure Sheik didn't mean anything bad by it, though. But it was true -- they couldn't just rush into this and hope for the best results. They had to be careful, mostly because they didn't know what they were up against this time.
Yes, the cave seemed good enough. They were close to it, and Link was getting a bit stiff, since it was somewhat uncomfortable sitting on Epona with two people, so he jumped off and walked along besides the horse as they headed towards the cave. Not to mention actually moving rather than letting Epona do the work warmed him up a bit.
"Fire." Just then did that part of what Sheik said register. "I can do Din's Fire, if that will help," he suggested. He was trying to be a bit calmer after Sheik's comment about his ambition. Poor guy.
--
Link's slight silence was noted, and Sheik wondered idly if he'd been too blunt with the other. It was hard to remember sometimes that Link was still a boy, trapped inside a man's body. Maybe he wasn't being fair. But it was too late to recall his words. Perhaps he would just have to mind his words a bit more while around Link.
He shivered again as Link leapt off Epona's back, as what little warmth he was getting just from having another body in close proximity to his. Still, he waited until they were slightly closer to the cave before following suit and jumping off the horse. He nodded at Link's suggestion, inspecting the cave further.
"Not as large as I thought," he commented. "The horse won't fit. Will she be all right outside?"
While still speaking, he was glancing about them for fire wood and found there wasn't much in the way of vegetation. Still, a few bushes here and there, enough so that they'd likely be able to scrounge something together in the way of a fire.
--
"Yeah, she'll be fine," Link told him. Epona had spent quite a few nights outside... Link was sure she had to all the time when she was back at Lon Lon Ranch, keeping Malon company as she sang out in the middle of the field. Not to mention she hadn't gotten soaked, and they had.
Even if it was a small cave, it would be big enough. When he took a few steps inside, he realized that it wasn't any warmer in than out, as he had been hoping. Well, a fire would in fact fix that. He began to gather some brambles and shrubs and things that he hoped would burn, and once he had enough, he took the bits that Sheik had gotten as well and arranged them all in a nice pile inside the cave. Not really as much wood substance as he would have liked, but it should do.
He gestured for Sheik to move away a bit. After all, Din's Fire had quite a range and he didn't want to singe the Sheikah or anything. He was rather surprised that Sheik was even still there. It was probably because he was interested in what was going on with Death Mountain and figured it'd be good to stick with Link if they wanted to find out.
Well, whatever. Link didn't mind. He crouched down slightly, one arm outstretched in the pose necessary for the spell to be cast, then letting out a yell as he so often did and straightening a bit as he executed it.
...nothing. He frowned. Had he done something wrong? He had enough magic... strange. He glanced over at Sheik. "I... I don't know what's wrong," he stammered.
--
Din's Fire did not work.
Sheik was frowning at this development. There was something very wrong in the whole situation and the fact that he couldn't quite place a finger on what it was was quite annoying indeed. Natural disasters that shouldn't be happening... magic that didn't work... something big was coming. But he didn't know what it was.
By all rights, the spell /should/ have worked. Granted, the music portals the Sheikahs had created to warp from temple to temple no longer worked since the sages had all been awakened and the temples sealed, but magic should have still worked. Sheik himself possessed no ability to use magic, though he certainly made it seem like he did with his illusory tricks. He couldn't try anything else.
He could have Link try and use Farore's Wind or Nayru's Love... but if Din's Fire didn't work, why would the other two? It'd be a waste of magic power to try, even if they did work, because the two spells were completely defensive and there was no enemy.
Or, he corrected himself grimly, none that they could see.
After a moment of silence with Link looking sheepishly at him, as though he'd done something wrong, he broke the silence. "That's...strange. I suppose we'll have to make the fire on our own, then." He knelt by the small pile of sticks and brush and began attempting to make a spark.
--
It was one thing after the other today. First Epona was acting weird, not listening. Maybe she had sensed that something was wrong, something was going to happen in Lake Hylia, and Link had just been too stupid to notice. Granted, the horse had been rather edgy lately, and she had been more than obliged to get away from the lake. The earthquake itself after that... then the ring of fire over Death Mountain. And now this. He had never been unable to cast it before, the three goddesses had always been there to help him.
Wait.
Maybe something had happened to Din... Maybe She was just unable to help him for whatever reason. But She was a goddess, and therefore wouldn't go down so easy. He put a hand to his mouth in contemplation. He just couldn't figure out what was wrong.
"Right," he murmured softly, absent-mindedly, still thinking about all the problems as he kneeled down across from Sheik and helped trying to get a fire started. His hands kept slipping however, and eventually he gave up and threw off his gloves, hoping his bare hands would give him a better grip. Still, he just wasn't that good at stuff like this. Sheik had a better chance at actually starting a fire.
"Maybe I can't use magic anymore...?" This was the first time he had tried it after he had sealed Ganondorf, after all. But it didn't make sense. He had sealed Ganondorf, and only Ganondorf. The goddesses had nothing to do with that. But maybe they had gone into some sort of slumber now that there was no more danger...? But there was danger. Maybe their absence was bringing about problems.
He sighed. This was getting rather confusing.
--
It was indeed confusing. And Sheik couldn't get the damned fire to start either. His fingers were practically numb with the chill of the dusk that had settled quite nicely like it always did, and that was making things difficult. Link didn't seem to be having much luck with the matter either, even having thrown aside his bulky, albeit useful, gloves.
/This just isn't our day,/ he thought to himself, beginning to feel more than just a little annoyed. He was already on edge from the odd circumstances surrounding the day, not to mention they /still/ hadn't gotten anything to eat and were both still soaked to the bone. But his spirits raised a bit as a spark finally caught a piece of brush on fire and started the entire pile ablaze. He suddenly felt a little like dancing. He settled for casting a triumphant smile in Link's direction.
He remained leaning forward as Link suggested that perhaps he could no longer use magic, warming his hands by the small fire. It wasn't very big and probably wouldn't last the whole night.
"I...really don't know," he admitted softly, staring at the fire as though it would give him the answers he sought. "We're missing something, something important." But what? What could there be?
Frustrated again, he frowned.
--
Link was relieved that Sheik managed to eventually get the fire roaring. He didn't really want to spend any more time making a fool of himself, fumbling with the rock that he couldn't even get a grip on with his bare hands, and once the flames spread and erupted, the rock was tossed over his shoulder with disdain. He leaned into the warmth as well, hands pressed near to the licking flames. Now he'd actually be able to dry off.
There was one slight problem, though. When he thought fire, he thought food -- mainly because a fire was necessary for food. For fish. He recalled the one he had caught with nostalgia. It hadn't been big, yes, but it would have been enough to satiate him so his stomach didn't growl in protest as it did now. It had been the entire day. Well, at least he'd be sleeping soon so he wouldn't have to think about it.
He grinned back at Sheik, but it was wiped away as they started discussing the subject of his magic yet again. It seemed like more and more of a good idea to try using the other two spells he knew.
"I'm not sure what we're missing, but I'm going to try Farore's Wind and Nayru's Love. Just to see." There might be no point to it, but he wanted to see. And so with a huff, he got to his feet, stretched upwards (and he felt his back crack with a flinch), and then tried to cast Farore's Wind.
Lo and behold, it worked. It didn't produce the portal because he wasn't in a dungeon, but it was obvious that the spell had worked. "...that one works..." he mused.
Now Nayru's Love. The same process, and the blue-ish shield was erected around him, making him impervious to any attacks. "These work... so why didn't...?"
--
Sheik watched stoically as both the green magic of Farore and the blue of Nayru took effect with no problem whatsoever. This was getting more and more perplexing. It would have made more sense if /none/ of the magic had worked.
Din's fire... fire... but there was a fire in front of them, crackling cheerily away. There was a ring of fire around Death Mountain. If there was a problem with the fire, there wouldn't have been an earthquake, unless there was a problem with the land too... and there'd be no way to tell. Even looking at the Goddesses, they all Three had formed the land, though it had been mostly been Din...
Din.
There was something wrong with Din.
Something so wrong that the very earth was reacting to the trouble. But what in Hyrule could possibly ail a Goddess? The Goddess of Power, no less, the one credited with being the most powerful of the Three. Link had just demonstrated that the other two were fine, but what could just affect one of the Goddesses?
"Din," he said softly. "There's something...wrong with Her. But...but what could possibly effect Her and not the others?"
Again, the puzzle deepened. Little did they know it'd all be explained to them in a matter of hours..
--
Link had come to the same conclusion. It was all revolving around Din now. She had been the one that had made most of the land they now walked upon... there was an earthquake... but... weren't the Goddesses the ones that actually -caused- the natural disasters? That means that Din would have been able to start the earthquake. And there was no way someone had taken Her power.
That meant... "Wait. No. Something's not wrong with Her. She's not hurt, I mean," he said, trying to work out his thoughts by voicing them out loud. "She had caused that earthquake just fine, but She didn't lend me the power to cast Din's Fire." He frowned, then closing his eyes as he tried to calm down and think about it logically.
"Maybe I've angered Her somehow, and She no longer wants to aid me?" Just like Link to blame it all on himself. He didn't want to think that anyone else should have to deal with the burden, but instead just make it his own problem, something he would solve all on his lonesome. Because he was scared if he dragged anyone else into it they'd get hurt. Or... killed.
But he doubted Sheik would just back down this time.
Wait, Sheik was Zelda. He gaped -- he still needed to figure that out. Were they just two different people in one body? It didn't make sense. Zelda would need to be back at Hyrule, working on rebuilding the kingdom. So why was she here...?
"Sheik, umm... can you control when you're Zelda and when you're... you?" It must have sounded so stupid, but he really had no idea how it worked, and he wanted to find out already.
--
"No... not you...." Link's conclusion made sense...mostly. "She attacked Death Mountain too, and that's at the other end of Hyrule." But what could have possibly angered Her so much that She'd attack all of Hyrule? "She's angry with all of us."
He poked wearily at the fire, trying to elicit more warmth from it as Link mulled silently over what he had to say. He wasn't really looking at the other, and so completely missed the look of shock that appeared briefly on Link's face. But there was a distinct curiosity in his tone when he spoke again, asking a very odd question.
Sheik looked up and blinked at him for a moment, the thought that Link still thought he and Zelda were the same not occurring to him at first. Zelda was supposed to have told him everything, but then... she'd gotten kidnapped. So of course he didn't know.
"Oh... I thought you knew, sorry." It was his turn to sound sheepish.
"Her Lady Zelda was very concerned for you when you awoke. She wanted to aide you herself, but Lady Impa would not allow her to go--it was far too dangerous. She sent me instead, instilling a spell in me that allowed her to see what I saw, hear what I heard. I relayed her message and helped you, while she looked on from safety.
"When we fooled you into thinking we were the same person, it was for the Dark One's benefit. We knew the Temple of Time was being watched. It wouldn't have made sense for the Dark Lord /not/ to have it watched. However, we did not expect him to attack. She was supposed to 'turn' back into me so that the Dark One would believe I had the Triforce of Wisdom he sought and left Zelda alone so that you could more easily defeat him as he chased after me.
"But, as you know, things went a little wrong, and I was unable to keep the Dark Lord from attacking." His head was lowered slightly. "It was.. my fault she got taken from you. I'm sorry."
--
Well, it made sense. Link shouldn't think he was so important, to think that Din was mad at him and only him. He really wasn't that special. But he never meant to see things that way. He was just trying to do his best to make sure no one else had to get involved, not to seem egotistical or anything like that. Link just didn't do things like that. He was always trying to do everything in everyone else's benefit, and sometimes he forgot about his own well-being.
This was shown well enough by his wet, weak, shaking form and his empty stomach. He canted his head to the side as Sheik made the statement about him thinking he knew, and was suddenly dumped into even more confusion, but luckily the Sheikah was willing to explain.
Well, it was somewhat confusing, but he thought he understood. He felt sort of bad about having been tricked, but... it had been necessary for their plan, even if that hadn't worked out. "No, don't... don't worry about it. I was always sort of nervous around her, anyways. She was Royalty. I was just a fairy boy," he mumbled, remembering his old nickname that wasn't applicable now that Navi was gone. Then again, he had been growing rather weary of it, anyways. Hero of Time wasn't much better, though.
"Don't be sorry. Ganondorf is gone now, and that's all that matters, right?" He smiled cheerfully, hoping he could make Sheik feel a little better. Seemed he also liked to blame things on himself, but it wasn't nearly as severe a case as Link had.
...was Ganondorf really sealed, though? With all this trouble, it made him wonder.
--
Sheik found himself smiling at Link's reply, though it was devoid of mirth and all together rather rueful. It was one of Link's more charming qualities, his ability to see the good of anyone, to forgive and forget at the drop of a hat. But he had to look past that now. He stared into the red-orange flames.
"I only wish my people were as forgiving as you are," he said quietly. "Ganondorf may be sealed away, but..."
...but allowing your charge to be kidnapped in front of you was something not so easily forgiven by a group of people whose lives were spent serving the royal family of Hyrule. He wasn't about to say as much, though, not right now. Being reduced to a wandering hermit not allowed to show his face to others of his people was humbling enough without having to explain the whole ordeal over again.
Link would forgive him, he already had.. but he didn't know if he was so ready to accept that. Link didn't know the full extent of what had happened, /why/ Ganondorf had been able to get in... it was all the Sheikah's fault. If only he'd been watching a little more closely, if only he'd noticed....
But it was all in the past now. Dwelling on it would do him no good.
He glanced briefly up at his companion. "...do you want first watch?"
--
Sheik's comment about his people sort of confused Link, but the way he said it made it seem like he really would rather not discuss it further. The whole Sheikah race (he never did understand why there were practically considered a different species than Hylians, but he figured he might just be ignorant about it) was just sort of a mystery to him. He knew their job, vaguely, but their inner workings he knew nothing about.
He just sort of stared into the flames himself, not really thinking about anything, until Sheik posed the question. Watch, huh? He had... sort of forgotten about that. The whole idea of watches were sort of new to him since he had never had someone to travel with that he could exchange watches with.
This also meant that he'd have to sit up and listen to his growling stomach for half a night. Eh well, may as well get it over with now.
"Yeah, sure," he responded, pulling his gloves back on to bring back the warmth and the extreme strength that the golden gauntlets gave him. It was odd, how strong he was with these, and he'd scared quite a few people because of them. Not to mention the hover boots. He'd even been called a fallen angel on a few occasions thanks to them, to which he had just blushed and explained how the boots worked.
And so he moved closer to the mouth of the cave in order to be a proper watchman, meanwhile contemplating where he could get a new hat. The Kokiri would have one, wouldn't they? Egh. He'd just have to grit his teeth and bear it. 'cause he wanted a new hat, dammit.
--
Sheik watched as Link made his way to the entrance of the cave and then curled into a ball next to the fire, wishing he had something dry to put over him. He was still shivering cold. And noticed that Link was too.. but there wasn't a lot that could be done. The fire was as big as it was going to be, and there was no other source of heat.
Except, well, each other.
/Oh, shut up./ He wasn't even going to think about that.
Closing his eyes and resting his head on one of his arms, he lay there for only a few moments before falling asleep, being more exhausted than he had originally realized. Well, he /had/ been through a bit of trauma that day, though not nearly as much as Link had. Maybe he shouldn't have made him be first watch. Maybe...
...but he was asleep before he could finish the thought.
He dreamt of a cavern he had never seen before. He was standing in the middle of it, looking blankly around. He knew it was a dream, because he was dry and warm, and he had been decidedly cold and wet when he had fallen asleep. So when She appeared, he couldn't say as he was really very surprised.
"Hello, Sheikah." Her mouth was not moving, but he could hear Her voice. She was very elegant, more so than he would have expected (though seeing a Goddess wasn't something someone really expected), but an almost roguish demeanor followed Her. She was very beautiful, fairly reeking of power, and Her essence was like that of the fire spell named for Her.
Sheik fell to his knees in front of Her, bowing his head to the ground. "Lady Din...," he whispered, not really believing what he was saying, "...to what do I owe the honor?"
-----
Author's Notes
Court: YO YO LINK THE TRIFORCE IS NEEDED
FOR GANONDORF TO GET BEATED
SO GET THE SAGES, MEDALLIONS TOO
AND THEN I WILL MAKE LOVE TO YOU!
Rydia: YEAH MY NAME IS LINK AND I'M SO COOL
I'M HITTIN' THE ROAD TRYIN' TO SAVE HYRULE
I GOT THIS BUDDY, HIS NAME IS SHEIK
AND WHEN HE'S NAKED I LIKE TO PEEK
--
Stay tuned for Chapter 3 : In which Din expresses Her general unhappiness!