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 4
In which Link and Sheik visit Lon Lon Ranch
--
Caught in a winter's rain
I can't remember a word you said
Take away my fear please hold onto me
I'm falling
Cold "Black Sunday"
--
An hour later, they had started their journey towards the castle. Sheik had opted not to ride Epona, even though they'd make much better time with her.. He was trying to avoid any feelings he still could feel, and having Link shoved up against his back was not the ideal way to do so. He had made up some excuse about tiring the horse and, despite Link's assurances that she'd be fine, he was walking across Hyrule field.
Link had shrugged and opted to walk with him, leaving the horse to graze idly on such a fine day. He seemed certain this was fine, that the horse knew where to go if it needed something, so Sheik didn't question it.
The sun was creeping up to the nine o'clock hour and he could see the top of Lon Lon Ranch peeking over the horizon. It was a long walk, of which the ranch was only the halfway point. It would serve as a nice place to rest on the way, though.. they could go in and enjoy fresh milk and possibly rest there for a while before heading out.
He was rather unable to keep much conversation going, as his mind was wandering back and forth from what they were going to actually /tell/ the queen about unsealing Ganondorf, and who was actually going to believe them... back to the events of the night previous. He hated dwelling on it, but he really couldn't help it.
--
Link mindlessly twirled the blue-colored ocarina between the fingers of his left hand as he walked, whistling some random tune to himself as well. He couldn't help it; he was always far too cheerful for his own good, and even if the world was on the brink of destruction, he couldn't help being chipper on such a nice day.
The little tiff about the horse was a bit weird, but Link figured it was probably best to give Epona a rest anyways. He worked her far too hard sometimes, and she wasn't exactly necessary at the moment. Still, Sheik seemed awful... strange. Awkward, he thought was the proper word to the describe it. Then again, Sheik was always acting sort of... off. Maybe that was just how he was. He didn't think there was much point worrying over it.
Lon Lon Ranch... that place had a lot of memories. Where he had gotten Epona, the infamous Lon Lon milk that he still loved and drank whenever he had some (winning that cow had been pretty handy, too, even if it was in the Kokiri forest. He hoped they were taking good care of it.)
"Are we gonna stop?" he asked quietly, feeling sort of bad about disturbing Sheik from whatever he was thinking about. He seemed so contemplative, even quieter than usual.
--
Link had to have noticed Sheik's quieter than usual--even for him--demeanor. He was fairly certain that Link had, and just wasn't saying anything about it. Either because he was just nice like that, or because he didn't want to make the entire walk awkward. Well, what did it matter? Sheik was doing a fine job of the latter all by himself.
He felt a bit guilty, but simply allowed Link to believe it had something to do with exactly what they were heading to Hyrule castle to do. Because that certainly was part of it. He was still dwelling needlessly (in his opinion anyway) on how close he'd come to breaking the silent pact he'd made with himself all those months back in just one night.
Being near Link had always been something of a treat for him, even if it was just a bit of a thrill when those blue eyes focused on him. But now.. it seemed like almost a bad thing. He'd seen how close he'd come to completely losing it in front of Link and if Link found out...
A sharp pang of quiet sorrow shot through him. He hated being alone.
Well, whatever. Emotions were for hiding away under the surface, away from where others could see and use it as a weapon against him. It'd already been done, and he wasn't going to let it happen again.
Link's quiet question did indeed jolt him out of his silent contemplation, and he blinked for a moment before realizing that Link was talking about the looming Lon Lon Ranch. It was still a little ways off, but they'd likely reach it within the hour--they were making good time.
He shrugged nonchalantly. "If you want."
--
Link had been riding Epona for so long that just walking across the Hyrule Field was strange for him -- he wasn't used to it. He didn't remember just how long it could take, how much faster it was when he was on the horse, and the fact that Lon Lon Ranch was still an hour walk away was just sort of disappointing. The way Sheik said it, though, his curt response, made it seem like Link was being a hindrance, asking to stop just because he was so familiar with the place. He could always go another time. /Well, maybe not... considering... well, what Din has been doing./
But still. It wasn't the time for them to be doing such things. It was actually probably better if they just kept on their way towards the castle. And so he gave a quick toss of his head. "No... let's just keep going." He tried to sound more excited than disappointed. He didn't want Sheik to feel bad and then make them stop there.
It was pretty boring, just walking on and on and not even having any conversation. There was a bit here and there, and he supposed it was better than nothing, and probably better than Navi, who pretty much talked his ear off the entire time. He just wished Sheik would talk a LITTLE more sometimes.
Maybe he should try and make some conversation? He glanced over at the older one, and during this examination, almost tripped over a shrub. Well, now he would just be too embarrassed to do so.
--
Sheik had certainly not meant to sound as though he didn't want to stop. Because that was not the case. For one, he was rather dreading reaching their destination and having to face the queen again, the very one he'd managed to let get kidnapped. She did not hold him accountable for the incident, or if she did, didn't show it, but there would inevitably be other Sheikahs with her. And they would be less than happy about the news he had.
Not that anyone was particularly /happy/ about it, but still.
He hadn't been to Lon Lon Ranch in years, really, since training when he was younger, and even then, they hadn't ever stayed very long. It had always been a bit of a comfort for him to be there, though. The quiet atmosphere, the calm aura.. it made things seem a little better than they were. It was the possibility of losing such places that helped him to fight.
So when Link shook his head and negated the proposal, he was slightly disappointed. It only took him a moment to realize that the change of heart was likely at his own nonchalance, however.. but the damage might already be done. If Link thought he was offering to go because /Link/ wanted to stop, there was no way he'd be stopping. Sheik knew well enough about how Link's mind worked.
It was still worth a try.
"It's all right. I wouldn't mind stopping there."
He noted Link turning to watch him and pretended he missed the shrub Link nearly tripped over, but kept his sight forward. He knew it was probably rude for him not to be talking or keeping conversation, but he'd never been very good at it anyway.. and he was much more comfortable with the silence.
--
No, it wasn't going to work. Link, of all things, probably hated being a burden most. Especially to someone he so admired, someone he looked up to, believed to be so much better than him, more knowledgeable, and probably stronger, though he had actually never seen the Sheikah draw a weapon and fight. He would love to see such a thing, however, would feel almost privileged by it.
So when he felt like Sheik was taking precious time out of their journey just for /his/ sake. No, he would have none of it. He shook his head rather adamantly in refusal, doing his best not to seem childish as he worked his way around this. "We really should be getting to the castle. We can't waste time hanging around a ranch when Hyrule itself is in danger." He sounded way too serious to not be acting. Link was hardly ever serious -- like that, anyways -- even during times of crisis.
So Sheik would probably realize this and keep on pressing at it. Link was aware of this, and it was pretty obvious that they just might be fighting back and forth over whether or not to stop at a stupid ranch. Hopeless, really. It was a never ending cycle, both too nice for their own good.
They'd probably debate over it until they ended up walking right past the ranch and the reaching of the castle. Well, Link didn't mind that -- that meant it went /his/ way.
--
In all reality, Link was a much better direct fighter than Sheik was. He was certainly trained for hand-to-hand combat, as the Sheikahs did not believe in leaving oneself vulnerable in any way, but his strong point was more his long range fighting skills. His weapon of choice was his throwing knives, and darkness. His eyes were sharp, even in the darkness, and he was adept at killing off targets before they even knew he was there.
He naturally heard the serious tone of Link's voice, and knew exactly what was going on. But he had too much on his mind to really press the point further, and no matter how much he would have liked to stop, Link did have a good point about Hyrule being in danger.
/Yes, you're the only one who can warn them of the danger they're in, and you want to go see the horsies first. Wonderful planning./
He really hated that inner dialogue sometimes.
He sighed, just slightly, still avoiding looking at the slightly taller man and focusing on the hills still ahead of them. "You're right," he said softly. "I guess I'm just not looking forward to arriving there."
Well, that was random. He certainly hadn't /intended/ on sharing that much of his thoughts when he first opened his mouth to speak. Link was getting too close, too easy to talk to...
...this could be bad.
--
It was rather surprising, that Sheik hadn't persisted when he had detected Link's horrible acting, but maybe he was just too tired after the previous night. It hadn't been a very fun day for either of them, and Link still found himself thinking about it when he started to daydream. And it was hard not to when they were just walking in silence...
But he wasn't going to argue. All the better this way -- he had gotten what he wanted, right? Still, Sheik seemed rather out of it... Then again, he had been told by Din Herself that the world was on the verge of destruction yet /again/, and that he was the only one that could do anything about it. That definitely was enough to make someone feel out of sorts, and Link had to wonder why he wasn't as worried as he should have been.
Then again, he had taken the fact that he was to be the Hero of Time and savior of Hyrule pretty well. This was hardly different, and this time he wasn't even supposed to play a major role.
...and he hadn't expected Sheik to open up that much, either. Odd... one minute he was too secluded and weird, the next he was spilling his guts. Well, not exactly, but it could almost be considered such, with what little Sheik /ever/ said about himself. His feelings were as contained as Link's were blatantly exposed.
He let out a soft sigh. "I know... I really find myself not enjoying Her Majesty's company a lot of the time. It's so... /awkward/. But... we have to do it, right?" Leave it to Link to always, /always/ see the glass half-full.
--
Seeing Her Majesty wasn't exactly what Sheik had been dreading.. it was more along the lines of those who would be accompanying her. After her kidnapping, the Sheikahs were not quite as hidden as they wished they could be. He'd have to replace his mask before entering the castle, or they would not even listen to him...
He said nothing, though, fearing a little that he'd already said too much. Sharing his own feelings was something quite foreign to him.. the Sheikahs don't /deal/ with feelings, they put them away and don't use them. To have spent this much time with someone so open.. well, it was beginning to rub off, he supposed. He had already changed from who he had been in the few times they'd made contact during the war against Ganondorf.
He supposed it made sense.. to change for the one he cared about.. but he didn't like to think about that. Caring was another emotion he didn't need to drag around with him. It was the Sheikah way /not/ to care about anything but the Royal Family. That way if someone.. anyone.. got in the way of the family's safety, they could be eliminated. He still remembered warnings from the Sacred Order.. even the Hero of Time himself was not to be excluded from this.
Link added the slight optimistic ending, and he felt himself wince inwardly. There /had/ to be some way around this... they couldn't release Ganondorf.. surely Her Lady Din could understand that--
He felt her presence almost immediately.
//"So. It's not good enough to prove my wishes upon you, is it?"//
He didn't have to wonder long what She meant by that.
--
Link really could have gone for some of that milk.
But eh well. He had at least had somewhat of a breakfast, even if it could hardly be referred to as such, and he'd have to go on that until he could be fed something that actually looked edible. Maybe he'd get lucky and Zelda would decide that the Hero of Time deserved a feast -- just, out of the blue, spur of the moment. Yeah, right. That wasn't happening, especially considering the news they were bringing with them.
When he felt his insides scorning at him in disgust at these thoughts, he just placed his hand over his middle and tried to calm it down as best he could. It wasn't working so well, and he hoped Sheik didn't look his way, though that wouldn't be much of a problem, considering he had been avoiding making eye contact with him the entire morning for whatever reason.
He quickly forgot about his hunger, however. Because the very slight annoyance of his stomach was outweighed by the excruciating pain that was pelted upon him spontaneously. Or at least, spontaneous to him. Little did Link know what Sheik had been thinking, saying to Din.
It was probably the most painful thing he had ever experienced. It was as if there were literally knives inside of him, racing through him and nipping at him, burning him, cutting him, /hurting/ him, in any way possible.
It was so bad that he didn't even know how to explain it... He took in a deep breath, so sharp that it was hardly audible, and immediately collapsed to the ground, doubled over and clutching at his stomach, not because of his hunger, but because of Din's wrath. He whimpered and hissed in the pain, wincing his eyes as tightly closed as he could, fighting to stay awake, stay /alive/.
But he lost it -- it was so bad that it eventually just knocked him out, and he slumped over onto his side in the sun-bathed plains, his green tunic fitting in with the fresh grass quite nicely.
--
//"Perhaps someone you...care about would be more convincing for you, Sheikah."//
The icy feeling of dread creeping through Sheik was extinguished by a wave of complete and utter rage. It was something he had never really experienced before in this magnitude, and it might have been rather frightening for him if he had had the peace of mind to think of it. But naturally, he didn't.
But even his burning rage couldn't quite shut down the logical part of his brain, something in his training kept him from being able to get rid of that voice of reason. Which was probably a good thing, but it wasn't really helping him calm down.
Still, attacking a Goddess.. one that had no psychical form, even, made no sense. And when he heard Link's whimpering moan from aside him, he crumbled.
The anger dissolved as quickly as it came, and he fell to his knees, understanding his wrong now.
"Lady Din... forgive me... I didn't mean to go against you... please... I'll do whatever you say, just... stop... stop hurting... him..."
Link's form was still in the grass. Could She have...? No...no, She wouldn't do that. She wouldn't go that far, would She? When She had attacked Sheik himself, he hadn't passed out. But Link...
She was leaving now, he could feel Her moving away, somehow; it was like he had somehow gained some sort of connection with Her now, and could feel when She was near.. though She never really left.
He was still on his knees, still pleading, and She left, knowing She'd made Her point. Still, he remained in his penitent position, and he'd remain that way.. until She was gone.
"Please.. don't hurt him.. not him, please.."
--
Link was no longer aware of anything going on around him, having entirely delved into unconsciousness. It seemed that Din had wanted to make some sort of serious impression on him, because he had some strange dreams during his sleep mode, and it was all spurred on by his own subconscious. The Goddess hadn't had the time to plague him with visions, considering She was busy enough with Sheik. No, this dream was all his own doing...
It was Sheik... and he was telling him something. Something about not getting involved, that he shouldn't bother with helping him, that he wanted to do it all on his own, that Link was just being a hindrance, tagging along as he was, that he should come to terms with the fact that his turn to shine was over when Ganondorf was sealed, and that it was now Sheik's turn to prove himself. It was hard to believe that Sheik would ever be so cruel, but it was so... /vivid/ that Link was absolutely convinced that it was reality, not a dream.
But he was still in pain, even in his slumber, even in the dream, or nightmare, if you will. That was the one thing that made him doubt how real it was, but... maybe it was just Sheik's words cutting into him, maybe this was what betrayal felt like, he thought...
It was such a blur... he was spinning, and hurting, and he wanted to throw up...
--
It was a bit before Sheik was completely convinced She would leave them alone for now, a bit before he could find it in himself to crawl over to Link's side. Once there, it took him a moment longer to even bring himself to check the other's pulse, deathly afraid he would find nothing at all. But finally, he managed to reach down and place two slender fingers on Link's neck. He nearly cried with relief when he found it.
He rolled Link gently to his back, chewing on his lower lip and debating on what he should do. He was strong enough, but he knew he'd never make it anywhere carrying Link. He didn't know if Link was even going to wake up anytime soon, and if he didn't, he might not even be able to walk on his own. Sheik had to get him somewhere to rest...
Completely unawares to Link's dreaming, Sheik silently debated with himself if he should get Link to safety and go on alone. It certainly would protect the other from Din's attacks.. or would it? She knew how Sheik felt now.. but if he wasn't /with/ Link, She may not bother with him.
Well, he'd figure that out later. First he needed a way to get Link somewhere where he could recover.
Glancing about, he didn't see anything he could really use to help him get Link anywhere. Just grass.. some plants.. a rock.. Link's ocarina that had fallen when he did...
...wait. What about Epona?
He picked up the ocarina and tried to remember the song that Link had always played to call the horse. It took him a few tries, but he managed to play it eventually. And when he heard the horse whinny, it was probably the best thing he'd heard all day.
--
The dream was slowly beginning to fade, and it was seeming more and more like a dream to Link, the pain in his chest from the 'betrayal' was slowly drifting away, and he fought to wake up, knowing that he needed to, that he shouldn't be asleep right now, that someone needed him to be awake, to let them know he was fine, he was... okay...
He winced as the pain carried on right into reality from the dream world, still extremely severe, even if it wasn't as bad as when Din had originally assaulted him. He let out a moan because of it, but it was so half-hearted that it was more like a soft squeak than anything else. He slowly wrenched his eyes open and blinked owlishly up at the Sheikah, who was busy dealing with... Epona?
Too much was going on, and his brain was so enraptured with the pain that he couldn't process all of it. "Whuuh...?" he gurgled in wonderment as he tried to piece it all together. It wasn't really working, however...
--
Link's soft squeak was enough to grab Sheik's attention away from the horse, who was nuzzling his hand as he tried to somehow prep her for riding. He hadn't really figured out how he was going to hoist Link up on to the horse in the first place, so when Link awakened, it was a great relief for him.
Within a few seconds, he had knelt by Link's side, gently helping him to sit up, and trying to ignore the twinges of guilt welling up inside of him. This was all /his/ fault, after all.. if he hadn't thought.. if he didn't care about Link the way he did.. like he shouldn't...
He mentally shook his head against the thoughts. There was nothing to be done about it now. He'd apologize later.. Link didn't look coherent enough to really understand what had just happened anyway.
"...just relax for now," he murmured, more grateful than ever to see those shining blue eyes, even if they were blinking in confusion. "...how are you feeling?"
--
So far all Link had been able to recall was that he had been attacked by some unknown force that he couldn't remember, and he didn't know why he had been attacked, either. It had been very out of the blue... he had... been walking one minute, totally minding his own business, and had been on the ground the next. That was about all he could sift out of his jumbled head.
Why Sheik had Epona there was still a mystery to him. The idea that he was unconscious a few seconds ago and would need Epona to transport him wasn't at all considered. But Sheik's voice, his words... they calmed him down a little, and he felt like... he didn't really need to know what had happened, that it wasn't even that important. The pain he was still feeling was trying to tell him otherwise, but he didn't have the strength to think about it all at the moment, anyways.
So he did just that, relaxed, his posture visibly slouching as he released tensed muscles. It took a few moments before he could answer the question, since the words spoken were hard enough to register, he was so out of it. "Umm... it... hurts," he admitted. "But I think I'm... all right." He fell forward slightly, and found himself clinging to Sheik innocently. He didn't really know what he was doing, and was more like a confused little boy than he usually was.
"Sheik, what's wrong...?"
--
Tentatively, Sheik put an arm around Link's shoulders to keep him upright. He'd been attacked by Din before, but it had been nothing compared to what she seemed to have done to Link. He'd been fine a few moments after She had stopped.. but Link still could barely move, and had even lost consciousness.
/Because of me... if I hadn't... it's my fault.../
He winced slightly, almost imperceptibly, at the thought. Seeing Link injured and confused like this on top of knowing it was his doing that had landed Link the attack that had rendered him like that.. it was hard for him. Well.. he'd at least do everything he could to keep Link safe and make sure he recovered.
"...don't worry about it now. We should get somewhere you can rest.. that's why I called Epona. If you can get on her back, we can make it to Lon Lon Ranch within the hour.. maybe rent a room for you. Can you stand?"
He decided perhaps Link wasn't quite awake enough to consider what he knew he had to say, so he decided to save it for later.
--
Sheik's arm there, keeping Link stable, was very much appreciated, because he was about ready to fall over still. That he had managed to wake up so quickly was probably just because of his own will, because he /knew/ he would be making things harder if he stayed conked out, but now the idea of going to sleep, resting, seemed very tempting...
He blinked a few times to try and keep his eyes open, sleep trying its hardest to claim them from him. Ohh... that's why Epona was there. To help him. Well, that made sense, right? Epona was probably Link's closest companion... wait... but Sheik was there, too.
Gosh, this was confusing.
"Help? No, I'm okay... we... we have to get to the castle, can't stop. Lon Lon Ranch is a waste of time. We need to see... Zelda." Yeah, he was still pretty off. He was acting as if there was nothing wrong with him, like they were still on their way, healthy as could be, to the castle, and he had only wanted to stop at the ranch for his own pleasure. You could say, therefore, that he wasn't absorbing everything too well...
The standing question he did get, though. It was a way to prove that he could keep going, and that was clear as day to him. He nodded at the Sheikah, but even that made his head swim, so he swayed back and forth for a second as he repelled the dizziness, and then picked himself up to his feet, clinging to Epona now to make sure he didn't fall over again.
He smiled softly at Sheik. "See, I'm... fine..."
--
It was hard to watch Link struggle like that, just for Sheik's benefit. Even with Epona there to support him, Sheik could tell Link was anything but fine. He was leaning too heavily, his eyes too unfocused, and worst, he was still in pain. A flood of empathy washed through Sheik and he looked away a moment.
But he looked back up a moment later, as Link declared his well-being. "Link, you're /not/ fine. You can barely stand up. Now let's get you to Lon Lon Ranch... I'll talk to Her Highness myself."
/...and if you stay at the ranch, out of harm's way... it'll certainly make me feel better..../
Link wasn't going to put up with being left behind and Sheik knew it. Still, Link's safety was foremost in the Sheikah's mind now, and he'd tie the other to the damned bed if it came down to that. And he'd set that girl at the ranch--Malon?--to keep him in bed until Sheik returned.
/Returned?/ He hadn't even thought of coming back for Link after talking to Zelda. But he knew he certainly could use Link's help in the battle that would inevitably be coming in the near future. In fact, if they did have to unseal Ganondorf, Link may be the only one who could keep him in bay..
It seemed that the role of the Hero of Time wasn't yet complete. Sheik felt a twinge of sympathy for the younger man. It wasn't as though he was ever given the choice to be a hero.
--
Yes, Link was trying to live a bit of a lie there, acting like everything was okay. His head was finally starting to clear up a bit, the pain that had muddled his thoughts so much beginning to ebb away just a tad; either that, or he was getting used to the pain, adjusting to it, something he had been forced to do before, considering his tasks as the Hero of Time were mainly focused around fighting, and with fighting, came pain. But still, this had been worse than anything else he had experienced before, and so he was grateful that he was starting to be capable of thinking straight yet again.
And there was no arguing Sheik's point. It would have been suicide for him to try and function properly after that, even if he was feeling a bit better -- mentally. His body wasn't about ready to take that, and if he strained himself too much, he'd just end up collapsing again, and it might turn into something more serious. The Hero of Time was not expendable. He had to be careful. And so he gave a very slight nod, not wanting to cause his head to swim even more.
"All right, all right... let's go, then..." He tried to hoist himself up onto his faithful (faithful? Yeah, right. This was the one that had refused to cooperate the day prior... then again, Epona knew when she had to be serious) stead, but it... wasn't working. He was a lot weaker than he had originally thought, and didn't even have the strength to pull himself up.
He blinked childishly over at Sheik, as if he was ashamed of this. "Um..." he started meekly. "Could you... give me a hand?"
--
Sheik sighed again, inaudibly and to himself, at Link vainly trying to get on the horse's back. Link seemed to be gathering his thoughts a bit better now, that was good, and he even agreed to being taken to the ranch. But he couldn't get on the horse on his own, and Sheik helping him.. well, he knew what he was going to have to do to help.
He wondered if he'd have his thoughts about him the entire rest of the day.
Biting his lip slightly, he nodded and walked over beside the horse where Link was attempting to mount. "Here.. get your foot in the stirrup and I'll hoist you up from there.."
Why did this have to be so embarrassing? As determined as he was not to let any of his chagrin show through, he could feel his cheeks heating up a bit as Link looked at him. He felt like a complete idiot, and Link probably (hopefully?) had absolutely no clue as to what was making him so jumpy. It was stupid. He wasn't supposed to /feel/ these things. Sheikahs don't feel..
..don't feel...
He sighed. He decided he was going to /lead/ the horse to the ranch.
--
Link didn't have the knowledge to explore what Sheik helping him up onto the horse would entail. He couldn't look that far because the idea that someone touching his backside wasn't part of his brain capacity. He had just never been told such things. So he didn't really understand why Sheik was acting so weird as he give him a hand up onto Epona, but just assumed it had to do with the fact that he had to go see the queen on his own now. He felt sort of bad that he couldn't accompany him anymore, but he had at least come to terms with the fact that it was unreasonable to try and push himself that much. It would just make things worse in the long run.
So he put his foot into the stirrup, as ordered, and slowly but surely got himself onto the horse. He leaned forward and wrapped his arms around the horses neck, hardly having the energy to sit up straight in the saddle, instead having to resort to practically laying sprawled over the animal, head rested against the mare's long neck. "Okay... I'm ready..." he let Sheik know in a soft, weak, still shaky voice.
It would have felt nice to just fall asleep right there, but he fought against the urge. Even though Sheik hadn't been talking to him for this entire trip so far, he wanted to make sure he was awake in case the Sheikah suddenly decided that he needed to tell him something, or just needed someone to talk to. It was unlikely, but Link didn't want to take any chances. After all, you never know... especially with someone like Sheik.
--
Well, Sheik had lived through it, and it hadn't been as bad as he'd feared--Link had managed to do most of the work himself, and he'd only had to give a quick push before Link clambered on to Epona's back, looking more weary than ever. Sheik felt a little bad about not helping more, but he really didn't trust himself to.
"I'll lead her to the ranch," he responded to Link's weak affirmation, casting a sympathetic gaze at the Hylian on the horse and heading to the front of the horse to take the reigns. "Come on," he urged to the horse, tugging on her reigns. Fortunately, the horse seemed to be in a good mood, and followed him obediently.
It was then that Sheik noticed that the winds were picking up. It had started as a beautiful morning, and it was still nice. But the winds were getting to the point where the trees were in a constant if slight lean away from the wind, and the Sheikah was just grateful that the wind was at their back and helping them a bit.
They were making good time, even with Link half-draped across the horse (though Sheik wouldn't have left him on the horse alone if he had thought he would fall). But then, the larger the ranch loomed in the not-so far distance, the more the wind also increased. By the time they'd reached the outer gates, the wind had picked up so much that he wasn't sure he'd be able to make it to the castle that day anymore.
He wondered slightly to himself if Din realized Her endless torments to Hyrule was only hindering Her own goal.
--
It didn't seem that Sheik was going to have any sort of change of heart as they continued to the ranch, and Link found himself almost a bit disappointed. A conversation with the Sheikah was always very appreciated, considering they were so rare, even if he was bordering on unconsciousness more and more with each second. He still fought to keep awake, feeling he owed his companion that much. Knowing his odd sleeping habits, he might end up slipping off the horse if he fell asleep, and that wouldn't be good for either of them. Besides, it would be quite a hassle to transport him from the horse to a bed in Lon Lon Ranch if he was asleep.
The only reason he noticed the wind picking up was because it made it colder; he felt it stirring his hair and tunic and shivered against the bite it had. This wasn't good -- usually when a wind like this started up, it could only mean trouble. He pictured Sheik trying to get from the ranch to the castle if a storm, or something equally bad, hit, and felt horribly guilty. He wanted to express this to his comrade, but he didn't have the strength anymore. He just hoped that Sheik wasn't as bull-headed as Link himself could be and would realize that it probably wasn't a good idea to head for the castle in these conditions.
Then again, Sheik didn't /want/ to go to the castle. He'd probably see this as a perfectly good reason to postpone the meeting with the queen and just stay at the ranch. At least, he hoped that was what he would do...
The ranch was getting closer and closer -- thank the Goddesses (minus Din)... because he didn't know how much longer he could stay awake.
--
Sheik could be stubborn, but he wasn't stupid. On the one hand, he knew it was imperative to get to the castle as soon as he could. But on the other, he knew he'd do no one any good dead. He knew a bit about Din's wrath by this point, and he figured that this storm was no ordinary one. If Din was indeed behind it, it'd be far best to stay indoors until it blew over.
Besides, there was that gnawing concern for Link's well being ever present at the back of his mind. It'd be nice to be able to stay...
..but getting comfortable was out of the question as well. He now realized that remaining idle near Link was almost definitely a recipe for disaster. Perhaps there was extra work on the ranch to be done. He didn't exactly have a lot of ruppees on him to pay for boarding, so he'd be paying for their stay with his work. It was of no consequence to him.
So at least he had an excuse to keep himself busy. He felt a bit guilty at the thought, though.
Leading the horse through the gates, he caught a glimpse of a few figures leading bucking horses toward stables. The storm had come up quickly and ferociously, and it made sense that they'd need help with the horses..
The thought remained unfinished as the bubbly redhead saw them and ran over to them. "Oh, Link! Epona!"--a glance at Sheik and a sheepish smile as she realized she didn't know this newcomer--"Come inside, quick! This storm came up so--good Goddesses, Link, what happened?!"
--
Link's vision was beginning to get blurry, his eyelids were starting to close more and more over his vision, and he practically had to force them open with his hands in order to stay awake. Thank God they were finally at the ranch. This meant he could soon sleep... that was all he wanted at this moment, pretty much all he could think about. Sweet, sweet slumber. Oh, it sounded so wonderful at the moment, just being able to rest, to give into his body's screams...
He was close to dozing off right then and there, just thinking about it, and was grateful to Malon for yelling and therefore shocking him back into some form of a more awake state. He blinked his eyes open, for they had closed without him thinking about it, and he watched between shifting vision as she raced towards himself and Sheik. He managed a half-smile, all he could produce in his weakness, and would have liked to wave at her if he could have. He hoped he expressed his gratitude enough in just that smile. "Hello..." he made himself speak, tone hushed so that she would have been forced to strain in order to hear him. "Sheik... will tell you..." he murmured in his delirious manner, and then began to slowly slip off of the horse, setting weak feet that were threatening to give out onto the ranch's hay-covered grounds, clinging to Epona for dear life so that he wouldn't fall over. He gave both Malon and Sheik pleading looks, no longer possessing the energy to speak, and just prayed that they knew he needed a /bed/ now.
--
Malon let out a surprised little yelp as Link nearly fell over after getting off the horse, and Sheik quickly moved to his side, sliding an arm around Link's waist and pulling one of the hero's arms over his shoulder so he was supporting the other man. Giving a meaningful look at the girl, he said, "He needs to rest.. I'll work to pay for boarding.. is there somewhere..?"
She caught on immediately, for which Sheik (and probably Link as well) was grateful. "Get him into that building there"--she pointed towards the closest--"while I get Epona into a stable, and then I'll find a room for you to stay in. Don't worry about boarding, Link is always welcome here. The same extends to his friends. Come on, Epona!" She patted the horse's muzzle affectionately before leading her to the stable.
Sheik shifted Link's weight so that he was a bit more comfortable, and nodded toward the building Malon had indicated. "Not so far... we'll make it no trouble...," he said soothingly, very aware that Link, if still possessing that much thought (he looked like he'd fall asleep the minute he turned horizontal), would probably feel guilty about the situation. Sheik knew /he/ would have.
Still.. Link really shouldn't feel guilty if he did.. the whole situation was Sheik's fault anyway. He choked back the feelings of self-loathing--there'd be a time for them and that was /not/ now.
They made it to the door even as Malon was just getting back from putting Epona in the stables. Slow going.. at least they were safe for now.
--
Malon was so nice, he realized, to be doing this for them. True, she was one of those that he was somewhat scared of, just because she was, in a way, just another threat. There were always those people whispering to him that she might be a good choice for a partner, that she might already even have feelings for him. He had seen the looks she had given him, and slowly was beginning to realize that she felt some ounce of /something/ for him. Whether it was love, or just respect, he couldn't be sure. But emotions of any sort being directed to /him/ was something to be scared of, and so he did his best to be as formal as possible with her. And he knew that it hurt her, and he hated himself for being so difficult. He just... didn't understand. He couldn't return any of the feelings; yes, he appreciated her kindness, maybe even saw her as a friend, but that threat was always there, was always giving him a reason not to get too close.
He watched her as she took Epona off, half-dazed, and wanted to tell her thank you for everything, and say that he was sorry. But she wouldn't understand, she would just be confused. It was better just to leave it. He turned to Sheik, his only support now, and gave a soft nod as he helped him towards the building that would soon serve as his salvation. He did his best to walk along with him, put as much of his energy into getting there, rather than just forcing Sheik to drag him -- dammit, why did he have to be so weak? /But Din did this to you... you can't help it.../ But he still felt bad, as much as he tried to convince himself that he shouldn't.
Things were a bit different with Sheik, emotion-wise. He didn't feel as threatened, most likely because he was a male, and Link wasn't even aware that two males could be in any sort of intimate relationship. Another reason why he hadn't noticed how strangely Sheik acted when he was around him... "Thank you..." he gasped, as they entered the building and he saw the bed waiting for him. Oh, thank the heavens...
--
Sheik nodded slightly at the gratitude offered, and then carefully eased Link into the bed Malon had showed them, pulling the sword and shield off of the Hylian's back. Then, after he laid back on the bed, his boots and gloves as well--anything to make this slightly more comfortable for him.
"Is there anything I can get for either of you..?" Malon was still at the doorway, hovering there, looking back and forth from Link to Sheik, her expression betraying confusion, curiosity, and worry.
Link was practically out of it already, and Sheik offered him one last glance before turning back to the young lady. "On the contrary.. Link is resting, and I noticed you still had some horses out." He bowed his head slightly. "I can offer you nothing at this point but my service to you and your father in gratitude. Please allow me to assist you."
He tried to ignore the slight blush crossing her pretty elven features when he raised his head to look back at her. He had this effect on.. well...not simply a few of the females he came across, and their attention was at the very best unwelcome. However this Malon seemed to be content only to blush at him, and that was fine with him.
"Uhh... hh.. sure," she stammered. "Thanks, um... Sheik, is it?"
He nodded slightly. "Lead the way."
-----
Author's Notes
Court: I got to write hurt!Link. That made me very happy. I'm still so amused by how when I beta these I do not at all remember writing most of it. It was SO long ago. The fact that I like some of the posts I did is even more appalling. Watch SHEIK ANGST HAHAHAH. And isn't it sad that Link doens't even know that two guys can like each other yet? -__-;
Rydia: "Whuuh...?" he gurgled in wonderment... That right there is like my favorite line in the ENTIRE STORY. Just because I like to picture Link gurgling.
--
Stay tuned for Chapter 5 : In which Link assaults a loaf of bread!
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 4
In which Link and Sheik visit Lon Lon Ranch
--
Caught in a winter's rain
I can't remember a word you said
Take away my fear please hold onto me
I'm falling
Cold "Black Sunday"
--
An hour later, they had started their journey towards the castle. Sheik had opted not to ride Epona, even though they'd make much better time with her.. He was trying to avoid any feelings he still could feel, and having Link shoved up against his back was not the ideal way to do so. He had made up some excuse about tiring the horse and, despite Link's assurances that she'd be fine, he was walking across Hyrule field.
Link had shrugged and opted to walk with him, leaving the horse to graze idly on such a fine day. He seemed certain this was fine, that the horse knew where to go if it needed something, so Sheik didn't question it.
The sun was creeping up to the nine o'clock hour and he could see the top of Lon Lon Ranch peeking over the horizon. It was a long walk, of which the ranch was only the halfway point. It would serve as a nice place to rest on the way, though.. they could go in and enjoy fresh milk and possibly rest there for a while before heading out.
He was rather unable to keep much conversation going, as his mind was wandering back and forth from what they were going to actually /tell/ the queen about unsealing Ganondorf, and who was actually going to believe them... back to the events of the night previous. He hated dwelling on it, but he really couldn't help it.
--
Link mindlessly twirled the blue-colored ocarina between the fingers of his left hand as he walked, whistling some random tune to himself as well. He couldn't help it; he was always far too cheerful for his own good, and even if the world was on the brink of destruction, he couldn't help being chipper on such a nice day.
The little tiff about the horse was a bit weird, but Link figured it was probably best to give Epona a rest anyways. He worked her far too hard sometimes, and she wasn't exactly necessary at the moment. Still, Sheik seemed awful... strange. Awkward, he thought was the proper word to the describe it. Then again, Sheik was always acting sort of... off. Maybe that was just how he was. He didn't think there was much point worrying over it.
Lon Lon Ranch... that place had a lot of memories. Where he had gotten Epona, the infamous Lon Lon milk that he still loved and drank whenever he had some (winning that cow had been pretty handy, too, even if it was in the Kokiri forest. He hoped they were taking good care of it.)
"Are we gonna stop?" he asked quietly, feeling sort of bad about disturbing Sheik from whatever he was thinking about. He seemed so contemplative, even quieter than usual.
--
Link had to have noticed Sheik's quieter than usual--even for him--demeanor. He was fairly certain that Link had, and just wasn't saying anything about it. Either because he was just nice like that, or because he didn't want to make the entire walk awkward. Well, what did it matter? Sheik was doing a fine job of the latter all by himself.
He felt a bit guilty, but simply allowed Link to believe it had something to do with exactly what they were heading to Hyrule castle to do. Because that certainly was part of it. He was still dwelling needlessly (in his opinion anyway) on how close he'd come to breaking the silent pact he'd made with himself all those months back in just one night.
Being near Link had always been something of a treat for him, even if it was just a bit of a thrill when those blue eyes focused on him. But now.. it seemed like almost a bad thing. He'd seen how close he'd come to completely losing it in front of Link and if Link found out...
A sharp pang of quiet sorrow shot through him. He hated being alone.
Well, whatever. Emotions were for hiding away under the surface, away from where others could see and use it as a weapon against him. It'd already been done, and he wasn't going to let it happen again.
Link's quiet question did indeed jolt him out of his silent contemplation, and he blinked for a moment before realizing that Link was talking about the looming Lon Lon Ranch. It was still a little ways off, but they'd likely reach it within the hour--they were making good time.
He shrugged nonchalantly. "If you want."
--
Link had been riding Epona for so long that just walking across the Hyrule Field was strange for him -- he wasn't used to it. He didn't remember just how long it could take, how much faster it was when he was on the horse, and the fact that Lon Lon Ranch was still an hour walk away was just sort of disappointing. The way Sheik said it, though, his curt response, made it seem like Link was being a hindrance, asking to stop just because he was so familiar with the place. He could always go another time. /Well, maybe not... considering... well, what Din has been doing./
But still. It wasn't the time for them to be doing such things. It was actually probably better if they just kept on their way towards the castle. And so he gave a quick toss of his head. "No... let's just keep going." He tried to sound more excited than disappointed. He didn't want Sheik to feel bad and then make them stop there.
It was pretty boring, just walking on and on and not even having any conversation. There was a bit here and there, and he supposed it was better than nothing, and probably better than Navi, who pretty much talked his ear off the entire time. He just wished Sheik would talk a LITTLE more sometimes.
Maybe he should try and make some conversation? He glanced over at the older one, and during this examination, almost tripped over a shrub. Well, now he would just be too embarrassed to do so.
--
Sheik had certainly not meant to sound as though he didn't want to stop. Because that was not the case. For one, he was rather dreading reaching their destination and having to face the queen again, the very one he'd managed to let get kidnapped. She did not hold him accountable for the incident, or if she did, didn't show it, but there would inevitably be other Sheikahs with her. And they would be less than happy about the news he had.
Not that anyone was particularly /happy/ about it, but still.
He hadn't been to Lon Lon Ranch in years, really, since training when he was younger, and even then, they hadn't ever stayed very long. It had always been a bit of a comfort for him to be there, though. The quiet atmosphere, the calm aura.. it made things seem a little better than they were. It was the possibility of losing such places that helped him to fight.
So when Link shook his head and negated the proposal, he was slightly disappointed. It only took him a moment to realize that the change of heart was likely at his own nonchalance, however.. but the damage might already be done. If Link thought he was offering to go because /Link/ wanted to stop, there was no way he'd be stopping. Sheik knew well enough about how Link's mind worked.
It was still worth a try.
"It's all right. I wouldn't mind stopping there."
He noted Link turning to watch him and pretended he missed the shrub Link nearly tripped over, but kept his sight forward. He knew it was probably rude for him not to be talking or keeping conversation, but he'd never been very good at it anyway.. and he was much more comfortable with the silence.
--
No, it wasn't going to work. Link, of all things, probably hated being a burden most. Especially to someone he so admired, someone he looked up to, believed to be so much better than him, more knowledgeable, and probably stronger, though he had actually never seen the Sheikah draw a weapon and fight. He would love to see such a thing, however, would feel almost privileged by it.
So when he felt like Sheik was taking precious time out of their journey just for /his/ sake. No, he would have none of it. He shook his head rather adamantly in refusal, doing his best not to seem childish as he worked his way around this. "We really should be getting to the castle. We can't waste time hanging around a ranch when Hyrule itself is in danger." He sounded way too serious to not be acting. Link was hardly ever serious -- like that, anyways -- even during times of crisis.
So Sheik would probably realize this and keep on pressing at it. Link was aware of this, and it was pretty obvious that they just might be fighting back and forth over whether or not to stop at a stupid ranch. Hopeless, really. It was a never ending cycle, both too nice for their own good.
They'd probably debate over it until they ended up walking right past the ranch and the reaching of the castle. Well, Link didn't mind that -- that meant it went /his/ way.
--
In all reality, Link was a much better direct fighter than Sheik was. He was certainly trained for hand-to-hand combat, as the Sheikahs did not believe in leaving oneself vulnerable in any way, but his strong point was more his long range fighting skills. His weapon of choice was his throwing knives, and darkness. His eyes were sharp, even in the darkness, and he was adept at killing off targets before they even knew he was there.
He naturally heard the serious tone of Link's voice, and knew exactly what was going on. But he had too much on his mind to really press the point further, and no matter how much he would have liked to stop, Link did have a good point about Hyrule being in danger.
/Yes, you're the only one who can warn them of the danger they're in, and you want to go see the horsies first. Wonderful planning./
He really hated that inner dialogue sometimes.
He sighed, just slightly, still avoiding looking at the slightly taller man and focusing on the hills still ahead of them. "You're right," he said softly. "I guess I'm just not looking forward to arriving there."
Well, that was random. He certainly hadn't /intended/ on sharing that much of his thoughts when he first opened his mouth to speak. Link was getting too close, too easy to talk to...
...this could be bad.
--
It was rather surprising, that Sheik hadn't persisted when he had detected Link's horrible acting, but maybe he was just too tired after the previous night. It hadn't been a very fun day for either of them, and Link still found himself thinking about it when he started to daydream. And it was hard not to when they were just walking in silence...
But he wasn't going to argue. All the better this way -- he had gotten what he wanted, right? Still, Sheik seemed rather out of it... Then again, he had been told by Din Herself that the world was on the verge of destruction yet /again/, and that he was the only one that could do anything about it. That definitely was enough to make someone feel out of sorts, and Link had to wonder why he wasn't as worried as he should have been.
Then again, he had taken the fact that he was to be the Hero of Time and savior of Hyrule pretty well. This was hardly different, and this time he wasn't even supposed to play a major role.
...and he hadn't expected Sheik to open up that much, either. Odd... one minute he was too secluded and weird, the next he was spilling his guts. Well, not exactly, but it could almost be considered such, with what little Sheik /ever/ said about himself. His feelings were as contained as Link's were blatantly exposed.
He let out a soft sigh. "I know... I really find myself not enjoying Her Majesty's company a lot of the time. It's so... /awkward/. But... we have to do it, right?" Leave it to Link to always, /always/ see the glass half-full.
--
Seeing Her Majesty wasn't exactly what Sheik had been dreading.. it was more along the lines of those who would be accompanying her. After her kidnapping, the Sheikahs were not quite as hidden as they wished they could be. He'd have to replace his mask before entering the castle, or they would not even listen to him...
He said nothing, though, fearing a little that he'd already said too much. Sharing his own feelings was something quite foreign to him.. the Sheikahs don't /deal/ with feelings, they put them away and don't use them. To have spent this much time with someone so open.. well, it was beginning to rub off, he supposed. He had already changed from who he had been in the few times they'd made contact during the war against Ganondorf.
He supposed it made sense.. to change for the one he cared about.. but he didn't like to think about that. Caring was another emotion he didn't need to drag around with him. It was the Sheikah way /not/ to care about anything but the Royal Family. That way if someone.. anyone.. got in the way of the family's safety, they could be eliminated. He still remembered warnings from the Sacred Order.. even the Hero of Time himself was not to be excluded from this.
Link added the slight optimistic ending, and he felt himself wince inwardly. There /had/ to be some way around this... they couldn't release Ganondorf.. surely Her Lady Din could understand that--
He felt her presence almost immediately.
//"So. It's not good enough to prove my wishes upon you, is it?"//
He didn't have to wonder long what She meant by that.
--
Link really could have gone for some of that milk.
But eh well. He had at least had somewhat of a breakfast, even if it could hardly be referred to as such, and he'd have to go on that until he could be fed something that actually looked edible. Maybe he'd get lucky and Zelda would decide that the Hero of Time deserved a feast -- just, out of the blue, spur of the moment. Yeah, right. That wasn't happening, especially considering the news they were bringing with them.
When he felt his insides scorning at him in disgust at these thoughts, he just placed his hand over his middle and tried to calm it down as best he could. It wasn't working so well, and he hoped Sheik didn't look his way, though that wouldn't be much of a problem, considering he had been avoiding making eye contact with him the entire morning for whatever reason.
He quickly forgot about his hunger, however. Because the very slight annoyance of his stomach was outweighed by the excruciating pain that was pelted upon him spontaneously. Or at least, spontaneous to him. Little did Link know what Sheik had been thinking, saying to Din.
It was probably the most painful thing he had ever experienced. It was as if there were literally knives inside of him, racing through him and nipping at him, burning him, cutting him, /hurting/ him, in any way possible.
It was so bad that he didn't even know how to explain it... He took in a deep breath, so sharp that it was hardly audible, and immediately collapsed to the ground, doubled over and clutching at his stomach, not because of his hunger, but because of Din's wrath. He whimpered and hissed in the pain, wincing his eyes as tightly closed as he could, fighting to stay awake, stay /alive/.
But he lost it -- it was so bad that it eventually just knocked him out, and he slumped over onto his side in the sun-bathed plains, his green tunic fitting in with the fresh grass quite nicely.
--
//"Perhaps someone you...care about would be more convincing for you, Sheikah."//
The icy feeling of dread creeping through Sheik was extinguished by a wave of complete and utter rage. It was something he had never really experienced before in this magnitude, and it might have been rather frightening for him if he had had the peace of mind to think of it. But naturally, he didn't.
But even his burning rage couldn't quite shut down the logical part of his brain, something in his training kept him from being able to get rid of that voice of reason. Which was probably a good thing, but it wasn't really helping him calm down.
Still, attacking a Goddess.. one that had no psychical form, even, made no sense. And when he heard Link's whimpering moan from aside him, he crumbled.
The anger dissolved as quickly as it came, and he fell to his knees, understanding his wrong now.
"Lady Din... forgive me... I didn't mean to go against you... please... I'll do whatever you say, just... stop... stop hurting... him..."
Link's form was still in the grass. Could She have...? No...no, She wouldn't do that. She wouldn't go that far, would She? When She had attacked Sheik himself, he hadn't passed out. But Link...
She was leaving now, he could feel Her moving away, somehow; it was like he had somehow gained some sort of connection with Her now, and could feel when She was near.. though She never really left.
He was still on his knees, still pleading, and She left, knowing She'd made Her point. Still, he remained in his penitent position, and he'd remain that way.. until She was gone.
"Please.. don't hurt him.. not him, please.."
--
Link was no longer aware of anything going on around him, having entirely delved into unconsciousness. It seemed that Din had wanted to make some sort of serious impression on him, because he had some strange dreams during his sleep mode, and it was all spurred on by his own subconscious. The Goddess hadn't had the time to plague him with visions, considering She was busy enough with Sheik. No, this dream was all his own doing...
It was Sheik... and he was telling him something. Something about not getting involved, that he shouldn't bother with helping him, that he wanted to do it all on his own, that Link was just being a hindrance, tagging along as he was, that he should come to terms with the fact that his turn to shine was over when Ganondorf was sealed, and that it was now Sheik's turn to prove himself. It was hard to believe that Sheik would ever be so cruel, but it was so... /vivid/ that Link was absolutely convinced that it was reality, not a dream.
But he was still in pain, even in his slumber, even in the dream, or nightmare, if you will. That was the one thing that made him doubt how real it was, but... maybe it was just Sheik's words cutting into him, maybe this was what betrayal felt like, he thought...
It was such a blur... he was spinning, and hurting, and he wanted to throw up...
--
It was a bit before Sheik was completely convinced She would leave them alone for now, a bit before he could find it in himself to crawl over to Link's side. Once there, it took him a moment longer to even bring himself to check the other's pulse, deathly afraid he would find nothing at all. But finally, he managed to reach down and place two slender fingers on Link's neck. He nearly cried with relief when he found it.
He rolled Link gently to his back, chewing on his lower lip and debating on what he should do. He was strong enough, but he knew he'd never make it anywhere carrying Link. He didn't know if Link was even going to wake up anytime soon, and if he didn't, he might not even be able to walk on his own. Sheik had to get him somewhere to rest...
Completely unawares to Link's dreaming, Sheik silently debated with himself if he should get Link to safety and go on alone. It certainly would protect the other from Din's attacks.. or would it? She knew how Sheik felt now.. but if he wasn't /with/ Link, She may not bother with him.
Well, he'd figure that out later. First he needed a way to get Link somewhere where he could recover.
Glancing about, he didn't see anything he could really use to help him get Link anywhere. Just grass.. some plants.. a rock.. Link's ocarina that had fallen when he did...
...wait. What about Epona?
He picked up the ocarina and tried to remember the song that Link had always played to call the horse. It took him a few tries, but he managed to play it eventually. And when he heard the horse whinny, it was probably the best thing he'd heard all day.
--
The dream was slowly beginning to fade, and it was seeming more and more like a dream to Link, the pain in his chest from the 'betrayal' was slowly drifting away, and he fought to wake up, knowing that he needed to, that he shouldn't be asleep right now, that someone needed him to be awake, to let them know he was fine, he was... okay...
He winced as the pain carried on right into reality from the dream world, still extremely severe, even if it wasn't as bad as when Din had originally assaulted him. He let out a moan because of it, but it was so half-hearted that it was more like a soft squeak than anything else. He slowly wrenched his eyes open and blinked owlishly up at the Sheikah, who was busy dealing with... Epona?
Too much was going on, and his brain was so enraptured with the pain that he couldn't process all of it. "Whuuh...?" he gurgled in wonderment as he tried to piece it all together. It wasn't really working, however...
--
Link's soft squeak was enough to grab Sheik's attention away from the horse, who was nuzzling his hand as he tried to somehow prep her for riding. He hadn't really figured out how he was going to hoist Link up on to the horse in the first place, so when Link awakened, it was a great relief for him.
Within a few seconds, he had knelt by Link's side, gently helping him to sit up, and trying to ignore the twinges of guilt welling up inside of him. This was all /his/ fault, after all.. if he hadn't thought.. if he didn't care about Link the way he did.. like he shouldn't...
He mentally shook his head against the thoughts. There was nothing to be done about it now. He'd apologize later.. Link didn't look coherent enough to really understand what had just happened anyway.
"...just relax for now," he murmured, more grateful than ever to see those shining blue eyes, even if they were blinking in confusion. "...how are you feeling?"
--
So far all Link had been able to recall was that he had been attacked by some unknown force that he couldn't remember, and he didn't know why he had been attacked, either. It had been very out of the blue... he had... been walking one minute, totally minding his own business, and had been on the ground the next. That was about all he could sift out of his jumbled head.
Why Sheik had Epona there was still a mystery to him. The idea that he was unconscious a few seconds ago and would need Epona to transport him wasn't at all considered. But Sheik's voice, his words... they calmed him down a little, and he felt like... he didn't really need to know what had happened, that it wasn't even that important. The pain he was still feeling was trying to tell him otherwise, but he didn't have the strength to think about it all at the moment, anyways.
So he did just that, relaxed, his posture visibly slouching as he released tensed muscles. It took a few moments before he could answer the question, since the words spoken were hard enough to register, he was so out of it. "Umm... it... hurts," he admitted. "But I think I'm... all right." He fell forward slightly, and found himself clinging to Sheik innocently. He didn't really know what he was doing, and was more like a confused little boy than he usually was.
"Sheik, what's wrong...?"
--
Tentatively, Sheik put an arm around Link's shoulders to keep him upright. He'd been attacked by Din before, but it had been nothing compared to what she seemed to have done to Link. He'd been fine a few moments after She had stopped.. but Link still could barely move, and had even lost consciousness.
/Because of me... if I hadn't... it's my fault.../
He winced slightly, almost imperceptibly, at the thought. Seeing Link injured and confused like this on top of knowing it was his doing that had landed Link the attack that had rendered him like that.. it was hard for him. Well.. he'd at least do everything he could to keep Link safe and make sure he recovered.
"...don't worry about it now. We should get somewhere you can rest.. that's why I called Epona. If you can get on her back, we can make it to Lon Lon Ranch within the hour.. maybe rent a room for you. Can you stand?"
He decided perhaps Link wasn't quite awake enough to consider what he knew he had to say, so he decided to save it for later.
--
Sheik's arm there, keeping Link stable, was very much appreciated, because he was about ready to fall over still. That he had managed to wake up so quickly was probably just because of his own will, because he /knew/ he would be making things harder if he stayed conked out, but now the idea of going to sleep, resting, seemed very tempting...
He blinked a few times to try and keep his eyes open, sleep trying its hardest to claim them from him. Ohh... that's why Epona was there. To help him. Well, that made sense, right? Epona was probably Link's closest companion... wait... but Sheik was there, too.
Gosh, this was confusing.
"Help? No, I'm okay... we... we have to get to the castle, can't stop. Lon Lon Ranch is a waste of time. We need to see... Zelda." Yeah, he was still pretty off. He was acting as if there was nothing wrong with him, like they were still on their way, healthy as could be, to the castle, and he had only wanted to stop at the ranch for his own pleasure. You could say, therefore, that he wasn't absorbing everything too well...
The standing question he did get, though. It was a way to prove that he could keep going, and that was clear as day to him. He nodded at the Sheikah, but even that made his head swim, so he swayed back and forth for a second as he repelled the dizziness, and then picked himself up to his feet, clinging to Epona now to make sure he didn't fall over again.
He smiled softly at Sheik. "See, I'm... fine..."
--
It was hard to watch Link struggle like that, just for Sheik's benefit. Even with Epona there to support him, Sheik could tell Link was anything but fine. He was leaning too heavily, his eyes too unfocused, and worst, he was still in pain. A flood of empathy washed through Sheik and he looked away a moment.
But he looked back up a moment later, as Link declared his well-being. "Link, you're /not/ fine. You can barely stand up. Now let's get you to Lon Lon Ranch... I'll talk to Her Highness myself."
/...and if you stay at the ranch, out of harm's way... it'll certainly make me feel better..../
Link wasn't going to put up with being left behind and Sheik knew it. Still, Link's safety was foremost in the Sheikah's mind now, and he'd tie the other to the damned bed if it came down to that. And he'd set that girl at the ranch--Malon?--to keep him in bed until Sheik returned.
/Returned?/ He hadn't even thought of coming back for Link after talking to Zelda. But he knew he certainly could use Link's help in the battle that would inevitably be coming in the near future. In fact, if they did have to unseal Ganondorf, Link may be the only one who could keep him in bay..
It seemed that the role of the Hero of Time wasn't yet complete. Sheik felt a twinge of sympathy for the younger man. It wasn't as though he was ever given the choice to be a hero.
--
Yes, Link was trying to live a bit of a lie there, acting like everything was okay. His head was finally starting to clear up a bit, the pain that had muddled his thoughts so much beginning to ebb away just a tad; either that, or he was getting used to the pain, adjusting to it, something he had been forced to do before, considering his tasks as the Hero of Time were mainly focused around fighting, and with fighting, came pain. But still, this had been worse than anything else he had experienced before, and so he was grateful that he was starting to be capable of thinking straight yet again.
And there was no arguing Sheik's point. It would have been suicide for him to try and function properly after that, even if he was feeling a bit better -- mentally. His body wasn't about ready to take that, and if he strained himself too much, he'd just end up collapsing again, and it might turn into something more serious. The Hero of Time was not expendable. He had to be careful. And so he gave a very slight nod, not wanting to cause his head to swim even more.
"All right, all right... let's go, then..." He tried to hoist himself up onto his faithful (faithful? Yeah, right. This was the one that had refused to cooperate the day prior... then again, Epona knew when she had to be serious) stead, but it... wasn't working. He was a lot weaker than he had originally thought, and didn't even have the strength to pull himself up.
He blinked childishly over at Sheik, as if he was ashamed of this. "Um..." he started meekly. "Could you... give me a hand?"
--
Sheik sighed again, inaudibly and to himself, at Link vainly trying to get on the horse's back. Link seemed to be gathering his thoughts a bit better now, that was good, and he even agreed to being taken to the ranch. But he couldn't get on the horse on his own, and Sheik helping him.. well, he knew what he was going to have to do to help.
He wondered if he'd have his thoughts about him the entire rest of the day.
Biting his lip slightly, he nodded and walked over beside the horse where Link was attempting to mount. "Here.. get your foot in the stirrup and I'll hoist you up from there.."
Why did this have to be so embarrassing? As determined as he was not to let any of his chagrin show through, he could feel his cheeks heating up a bit as Link looked at him. He felt like a complete idiot, and Link probably (hopefully?) had absolutely no clue as to what was making him so jumpy. It was stupid. He wasn't supposed to /feel/ these things. Sheikahs don't feel..
..don't feel...
He sighed. He decided he was going to /lead/ the horse to the ranch.
--
Link didn't have the knowledge to explore what Sheik helping him up onto the horse would entail. He couldn't look that far because the idea that someone touching his backside wasn't part of his brain capacity. He had just never been told such things. So he didn't really understand why Sheik was acting so weird as he give him a hand up onto Epona, but just assumed it had to do with the fact that he had to go see the queen on his own now. He felt sort of bad that he couldn't accompany him anymore, but he had at least come to terms with the fact that it was unreasonable to try and push himself that much. It would just make things worse in the long run.
So he put his foot into the stirrup, as ordered, and slowly but surely got himself onto the horse. He leaned forward and wrapped his arms around the horses neck, hardly having the energy to sit up straight in the saddle, instead having to resort to practically laying sprawled over the animal, head rested against the mare's long neck. "Okay... I'm ready..." he let Sheik know in a soft, weak, still shaky voice.
It would have felt nice to just fall asleep right there, but he fought against the urge. Even though Sheik hadn't been talking to him for this entire trip so far, he wanted to make sure he was awake in case the Sheikah suddenly decided that he needed to tell him something, or just needed someone to talk to. It was unlikely, but Link didn't want to take any chances. After all, you never know... especially with someone like Sheik.
--
Well, Sheik had lived through it, and it hadn't been as bad as he'd feared--Link had managed to do most of the work himself, and he'd only had to give a quick push before Link clambered on to Epona's back, looking more weary than ever. Sheik felt a little bad about not helping more, but he really didn't trust himself to.
"I'll lead her to the ranch," he responded to Link's weak affirmation, casting a sympathetic gaze at the Hylian on the horse and heading to the front of the horse to take the reigns. "Come on," he urged to the horse, tugging on her reigns. Fortunately, the horse seemed to be in a good mood, and followed him obediently.
It was then that Sheik noticed that the winds were picking up. It had started as a beautiful morning, and it was still nice. But the winds were getting to the point where the trees were in a constant if slight lean away from the wind, and the Sheikah was just grateful that the wind was at their back and helping them a bit.
They were making good time, even with Link half-draped across the horse (though Sheik wouldn't have left him on the horse alone if he had thought he would fall). But then, the larger the ranch loomed in the not-so far distance, the more the wind also increased. By the time they'd reached the outer gates, the wind had picked up so much that he wasn't sure he'd be able to make it to the castle that day anymore.
He wondered slightly to himself if Din realized Her endless torments to Hyrule was only hindering Her own goal.
--
It didn't seem that Sheik was going to have any sort of change of heart as they continued to the ranch, and Link found himself almost a bit disappointed. A conversation with the Sheikah was always very appreciated, considering they were so rare, even if he was bordering on unconsciousness more and more with each second. He still fought to keep awake, feeling he owed his companion that much. Knowing his odd sleeping habits, he might end up slipping off the horse if he fell asleep, and that wouldn't be good for either of them. Besides, it would be quite a hassle to transport him from the horse to a bed in Lon Lon Ranch if he was asleep.
The only reason he noticed the wind picking up was because it made it colder; he felt it stirring his hair and tunic and shivered against the bite it had. This wasn't good -- usually when a wind like this started up, it could only mean trouble. He pictured Sheik trying to get from the ranch to the castle if a storm, or something equally bad, hit, and felt horribly guilty. He wanted to express this to his comrade, but he didn't have the strength anymore. He just hoped that Sheik wasn't as bull-headed as Link himself could be and would realize that it probably wasn't a good idea to head for the castle in these conditions.
Then again, Sheik didn't /want/ to go to the castle. He'd probably see this as a perfectly good reason to postpone the meeting with the queen and just stay at the ranch. At least, he hoped that was what he would do...
The ranch was getting closer and closer -- thank the Goddesses (minus Din)... because he didn't know how much longer he could stay awake.
--
Sheik could be stubborn, but he wasn't stupid. On the one hand, he knew it was imperative to get to the castle as soon as he could. But on the other, he knew he'd do no one any good dead. He knew a bit about Din's wrath by this point, and he figured that this storm was no ordinary one. If Din was indeed behind it, it'd be far best to stay indoors until it blew over.
Besides, there was that gnawing concern for Link's well being ever present at the back of his mind. It'd be nice to be able to stay...
..but getting comfortable was out of the question as well. He now realized that remaining idle near Link was almost definitely a recipe for disaster. Perhaps there was extra work on the ranch to be done. He didn't exactly have a lot of ruppees on him to pay for boarding, so he'd be paying for their stay with his work. It was of no consequence to him.
So at least he had an excuse to keep himself busy. He felt a bit guilty at the thought, though.
Leading the horse through the gates, he caught a glimpse of a few figures leading bucking horses toward stables. The storm had come up quickly and ferociously, and it made sense that they'd need help with the horses..
The thought remained unfinished as the bubbly redhead saw them and ran over to them. "Oh, Link! Epona!"--a glance at Sheik and a sheepish smile as she realized she didn't know this newcomer--"Come inside, quick! This storm came up so--good Goddesses, Link, what happened?!"
--
Link's vision was beginning to get blurry, his eyelids were starting to close more and more over his vision, and he practically had to force them open with his hands in order to stay awake. Thank God they were finally at the ranch. This meant he could soon sleep... that was all he wanted at this moment, pretty much all he could think about. Sweet, sweet slumber. Oh, it sounded so wonderful at the moment, just being able to rest, to give into his body's screams...
He was close to dozing off right then and there, just thinking about it, and was grateful to Malon for yelling and therefore shocking him back into some form of a more awake state. He blinked his eyes open, for they had closed without him thinking about it, and he watched between shifting vision as she raced towards himself and Sheik. He managed a half-smile, all he could produce in his weakness, and would have liked to wave at her if he could have. He hoped he expressed his gratitude enough in just that smile. "Hello..." he made himself speak, tone hushed so that she would have been forced to strain in order to hear him. "Sheik... will tell you..." he murmured in his delirious manner, and then began to slowly slip off of the horse, setting weak feet that were threatening to give out onto the ranch's hay-covered grounds, clinging to Epona for dear life so that he wouldn't fall over. He gave both Malon and Sheik pleading looks, no longer possessing the energy to speak, and just prayed that they knew he needed a /bed/ now.
--
Malon let out a surprised little yelp as Link nearly fell over after getting off the horse, and Sheik quickly moved to his side, sliding an arm around Link's waist and pulling one of the hero's arms over his shoulder so he was supporting the other man. Giving a meaningful look at the girl, he said, "He needs to rest.. I'll work to pay for boarding.. is there somewhere..?"
She caught on immediately, for which Sheik (and probably Link as well) was grateful. "Get him into that building there"--she pointed towards the closest--"while I get Epona into a stable, and then I'll find a room for you to stay in. Don't worry about boarding, Link is always welcome here. The same extends to his friends. Come on, Epona!" She patted the horse's muzzle affectionately before leading her to the stable.
Sheik shifted Link's weight so that he was a bit more comfortable, and nodded toward the building Malon had indicated. "Not so far... we'll make it no trouble...," he said soothingly, very aware that Link, if still possessing that much thought (he looked like he'd fall asleep the minute he turned horizontal), would probably feel guilty about the situation. Sheik knew /he/ would have.
Still.. Link really shouldn't feel guilty if he did.. the whole situation was Sheik's fault anyway. He choked back the feelings of self-loathing--there'd be a time for them and that was /not/ now.
They made it to the door even as Malon was just getting back from putting Epona in the stables. Slow going.. at least they were safe for now.
--
Malon was so nice, he realized, to be doing this for them. True, she was one of those that he was somewhat scared of, just because she was, in a way, just another threat. There were always those people whispering to him that she might be a good choice for a partner, that she might already even have feelings for him. He had seen the looks she had given him, and slowly was beginning to realize that she felt some ounce of /something/ for him. Whether it was love, or just respect, he couldn't be sure. But emotions of any sort being directed to /him/ was something to be scared of, and so he did his best to be as formal as possible with her. And he knew that it hurt her, and he hated himself for being so difficult. He just... didn't understand. He couldn't return any of the feelings; yes, he appreciated her kindness, maybe even saw her as a friend, but that threat was always there, was always giving him a reason not to get too close.
He watched her as she took Epona off, half-dazed, and wanted to tell her thank you for everything, and say that he was sorry. But she wouldn't understand, she would just be confused. It was better just to leave it. He turned to Sheik, his only support now, and gave a soft nod as he helped him towards the building that would soon serve as his salvation. He did his best to walk along with him, put as much of his energy into getting there, rather than just forcing Sheik to drag him -- dammit, why did he have to be so weak? /But Din did this to you... you can't help it.../ But he still felt bad, as much as he tried to convince himself that he shouldn't.
Things were a bit different with Sheik, emotion-wise. He didn't feel as threatened, most likely because he was a male, and Link wasn't even aware that two males could be in any sort of intimate relationship. Another reason why he hadn't noticed how strangely Sheik acted when he was around him... "Thank you..." he gasped, as they entered the building and he saw the bed waiting for him. Oh, thank the heavens...
--
Sheik nodded slightly at the gratitude offered, and then carefully eased Link into the bed Malon had showed them, pulling the sword and shield off of the Hylian's back. Then, after he laid back on the bed, his boots and gloves as well--anything to make this slightly more comfortable for him.
"Is there anything I can get for either of you..?" Malon was still at the doorway, hovering there, looking back and forth from Link to Sheik, her expression betraying confusion, curiosity, and worry.
Link was practically out of it already, and Sheik offered him one last glance before turning back to the young lady. "On the contrary.. Link is resting, and I noticed you still had some horses out." He bowed his head slightly. "I can offer you nothing at this point but my service to you and your father in gratitude. Please allow me to assist you."
He tried to ignore the slight blush crossing her pretty elven features when he raised his head to look back at her. He had this effect on.. well...not simply a few of the females he came across, and their attention was at the very best unwelcome. However this Malon seemed to be content only to blush at him, and that was fine with him.
"Uhh... hh.. sure," she stammered. "Thanks, um... Sheik, is it?"
He nodded slightly. "Lead the way."
-----
Author's Notes
Court: I got to write hurt!Link. That made me very happy. I'm still so amused by how when I beta these I do not at all remember writing most of it. It was SO long ago. The fact that I like some of the posts I did is even more appalling. Watch SHEIK ANGST HAHAHAH. And isn't it sad that Link doens't even know that two guys can like each other yet? -__-;
Rydia: "Whuuh...?" he gurgled in wonderment... That right there is like my favorite line in the ENTIRE STORY. Just because I like to picture Link gurgling.
--
Stay tuned for Chapter 5 : In which Link assaults a loaf of bread!