Hey! Guess what! Almost time for the second temple! Yeah! And it only took...like...13 chapters! Woo!
[I shall vanquish that accursed robin YET!]
The cheerful twittering outside his window wrenched sleep from our heroic sheikah. Sheik sat up, hair sticking out in all directions, one eye open slightly wider than the other, the very picture of grace and beauty. He stumbled over to the window and leaned out. The female robin was in the nest, and the male wasn't too far off. Sheik shook his fist at the red-breasted fowl. "Buddy, if you didn't have a wife and kids, I'd pluck your feathers out one by one, roast you over an open fire, and eat you!"
The robin paused in its joyous song of the morning, looked straight at Sheik, and left a happy little birdy present on the branch. Then it started chirruping again.
Sheik narrowed his eyes in an icy glare. "One of these days, bird. One of these days..."
"Sheik, who are you talking to?"
Sheik spun and saw Zelda standing in the doorway, a look of concern on her royal visage. Sheik sputtered, "I was just...um...it was.........nothing." He suddenly took a great interest in the floor. [I still haven't swept it...]
Zelda rolled her eyes heavenwards. "I worry about you sometimes..." She remembered why she'd come upstairs. "So I've gotten a job with Widow Spinkly."
Sheik wasn't expecting that, and his groggy mind took a few moments to process what Zelda had said. "You mean that crazy old lady next to the windmill?" Sheik had a theory that the windmill had a sort of aura that induced mental illness in those living near to it. It was not entirely without merit.
"Yes, that lady. And she's not crazy, Sheik; she's very nice, just...eccentric."
"Right." [If she's just eccentric, I'm the Great Fairy of Rutabagas...]
{I heard that, Great Fairy.} "I'm helping her with her potions, and I'm to live there so she has someone to help her, in case she falls down or somesuch. She's not as young as she used to be."
"I guess that sounds okay..." Sheik knew Zelda would be safer there than at home, what with Impa gone and him traipsing all over the countryside, and the money would be helpful, but still... It was going to get lonely.
"You can visit, of course. I'm sure Mrs. Spinkly wouldn't mind. And it will give me something to do."
Sheik shrugged. Well, that was that taken care of. "I suppose it sounds all right. I'm okay with it if you are."
Zelda nodded. "I am. Besides," she smiled devilishly, "she lives next door to Victor." Zelda had had an off again, on again crush on the clerk of the potion shop for the last three years. It wasn't serious, after all, Zelda was royalty, but hormones will be hormones. Unfortunately, because of their link, Zelda had accidentally made Sheik act like a giddy teenage girl anytime Victor was in the general vicinity, blushing, nervous stammering, and stupefied gaze included. Needless to say, the poor clerk avoided Sheik like the plague.
Sheik crossed his arms, sounding and looking alarmingly like Impa. "And you'd better keep your distance, or should I stay here and watch you?"
Zelda laughed. "Now, now, there's no need to be jealous of the fact that some of us have functioning romantic lives."
"Why do I need one, I get too much of yours as it is." Sheik knew Zelda would never try anything, she was far too aware of her social status for that, but he had to say something. Impa would have.
Zelda giggled. "Well, I'd better get going. She seemed very enthusiastic about finally having some help, and we're to start cleaning house today."
"You? Clean a house?" Sheik sounded incredulous.
"I'll have you know that I am perfectly capable of housework!" Zelda stuck her tongue out and turned to leave. Then, she turned and ran back. "You got me so peeved that I almost forgot," she said. "Rauru contacted me last night. Link's freed the first sage, and he'd headed back to Castletown."
"Already?" Sheik's eyes widened in disbelief.
Zelda nodded. "That's what I said. He should be there by tomorrow morning, or tonight. Rauru wants you at the temple by this evening, just in case."
[Perfect.]
Zelda made for the stairs again. "I'm going to be late if I stay much longer. Oh, and Spinkly's feeding me as part of my payment, so help yourself to whatever's in the kitchen." With that, she hurriedly scampered down the stairs and out the front door. [Well, don't smother me with tearful farewells, or anything...]
{Crybaby.}
Flopping down on his bed again, Sheik decided, since there was nothing especially pressing that needed to be done as of yet, to lie like a slug for a few minutes. Upon looking out the window, he saw a very lovely and charming sunset. [Sunset?! I fell asleep!] Grabbing his harp and rewinding his bandages, Sheik crossed the room. A thought occurred to him, he walked back, snagged his bottle o' poe off of his dresser, and walked downstairs. "Might as well take care of you while I'm in Castletown, right, Murry?" The poe swirled around in the bottle bemusedly.
After a few minutes of rummaging through the klivingchen cabinets, Sheik came up with the last chunk of bread in the house. "Hmmm..." Choking it down hastily, Sheik pictured the Chamber of Sages and slipped into the void. [Ha! I won't be late THIS time...]
Alighting on the largest of the pillars again, Sheik noticed a smallish green circle glowing softly next to Rauru's golden one. [That one must be for the Sage of Forest...]
"Well, even at my age, it seems I can be surprised. You're early."
Indulging in a small, triumphant grin, Sheik turned to Rauru. "Well now, I suppose I AM a little on the early side, aren't I?"
"Of course, seeing as that is what is expected of you, I hardly see any need for recognition."
Crestfallen, Sheik nodded assent.
Rauru sighed quietly. "I was about to sit down to dinner. I highly doubt that you've eaten, correct? You're welcome to join me."
Sheik perked up at the mention of food. "Thanks, you Excellency!" [When has Rauru ever fed me? There must be an ulterior motive...]
He felt himself teleport; it shocked him, Sheik still wasn't used to the idea of an outside force moving him. He reappeared in a small, spartan stone room with one small window. He glanced outside at the ruins of Castletown, the charred, skeletal support beams of houses reaching toward the darkened sky.
"Well, are you waiting for a written invitation? Sit."
Sheik jumped and looked at Rauru, who was already seated at a little table and eating something that looked like soup. Sheik took the seat across from the wizened old sage, and looked into his own bowl. Whatever it was, it was white, and sort of milky-looking. Sheik picked up his spoon and warily swirled it around in the soup a few times. It smelled nice; that didn't mean it was safe. "It's poisoned, isn't it?" Sheik couldn't believe he'd said that, and braced himself for the scolding he was bound to receive for his impertinence.
Instead, Rauru's wrinkled face wrinkled up even more in a smile. "I assure you, Sheik, it's perfectly harmless. Why, if I wanted to do you in, I'm sure a sage such as myself could come up with a more original way of going about it, don't you?"
That seemed sound reasoning, and, at that point, Rauru could have told Sheik that the secret ingredient was cyanide; Sheik was too hungry to care. It turned out to be clam chowder, very good clam chowder, and Sheik had the bowl scraped dry within two minutes. He looked up to see Rauru staring at him slack-jawed, eyes wide in astonishment. Sheik's face suddenly matched his eyes. "Um....This is really good...Eheh..." He forced a weak smile.
Rauru forced a weak smile of his own. He had forgotten how young men could eat. And eat. And eat... "Erm....Would you like some more?"
Sheik beamed. "Oh, well...I really shouldn't, but...Yes. I think I will." Sheik ladled himself another helping of chowder, which soon enough met its terrible doom. [This stuff is @#$%ing good! No wonder he's five feet tall and five feet wide...] "Did you make this?"
Rauru finished his own bowl slowly, taking small sips. "Well, I should hope that after nine hundred years I would be able to manage a decent clam chowder."
Sheik blinked. "Oh, yeah."
"Now, if I could tear your attention away from eating for a moment..."
[I knew it! The ulterior motive!]
"I'd like to speak with you before Link arrives."
"Oh?" Sheik couldn't keep a worried frown from gracing his features. [Great. What did I do THIS time?]
Rauru met Sheik's eyes steadily. "Are you aware, Sheik, of how important this is?" No clarification on 'this' needed to be made.
"Yes, sir."
"If we fail to overthrow Ganondorf now, we cannot try again. Ever."
Sheik nodded meekly. "I know, sir."
Rauru sighed once more, and shut his eyes wearily. "I understand that sheikah take longer than hylians to mentally mature. I bear that in mind. I also see that it is in your nature to cope with stress by flouting the stressor." Sheik really wasn't sure where this was going, but he felt oddly chastised. Rauru opened his eyes and continued. "If I seem harsh toward you, it is merely through frustration. Sheik, I see in you great potential, yet you seem to settle for mediocrity. You answer a summons when you feel like it; you get your work done, but barely. Why, you nearly missed the Hero both times you've met with him! If this is going to be a habit with you, I need to know. This is not a matter to be taken lightly."
Sheik stared at the tabletop for a moment. He hated lectures, especially when the lecturer was right. "I'm sorry, you Excellency... I don't mean to be...flippant, or anything, it's just that...."
Rauru finished his sentence. "You're scatterbrained. I know you're trying; fortunately, memory and organization are things that can be improved over time. I want you to remember that you are more important than you may think; perhaps that thought will sharpen your mind a bit."
"Yes, sir."
"And I am as well aware of your strengths as I am of your shortcomings. You are very intelligent. More importantly, you are also very compassionate, more so than most people in these times. Sheik, you guide Link well, and you teach him the songs he needs to move safely here. But I could pull any hyrulian off of the street, and he would fare just as well. You were chosen for other reasons." Rauru stood, and Sheik followed. "That's all I wished to tell you. If I were you, I would await the Hero."
Seeing that as his dismissal, Sheik made a polite bow and envisioned the sanctuary of the Temple of Time. "Thank you, you Excellency," he managed to say before the void pulled him from the room.
Mindful of the threadbare, fading carpet of the sanctuary, Sheik wandered about for an hour or so, sifting through small piles of rubble where a particularly nasty storm had stripped holes in the roof. Some of the roof tiles weren't even broken, and could be used again, once it was safe enough for anyone to make the repairs. [Hopefully, that will be soon.] He leaned against the cool stone wall, picking out melodies on his harp. The tune fell into a nice, comfortable little rondo, for a while, at least.
-I know a zora maiden,
and she paints all the lilies,
She goes about the rivers,
and visits all the cities,
Exa Thirty-One's her name,
her kiss is sharp and chilly,
It's how she makes her paint red,
so she can paint the lilies.-
[Curse that Dominic! I'll never get that out of my head!] Putting his harp away, Sheik eventually wandered into the inner chamber. Sitting, staring at the Master Sword's pedestal and generally being bored out of his gourd, Sheik wondered how much longer Link would be. As if in answer to his silent complaint, footsteps made their way through the sanctuary of the temple. Standing, Sheik stayed back in the shadows, so Link wouldn't see him immediately. Listening to the uneven steps, Sheik surmised that Link had taken some wound to a leg or an ankle-he seemed to limp or stumble rather than walk. [And he had to walk all the way here. What good is that fairy of his if she doesn't even heal him?] He slowly paced into the middle of the room, careful to keep himself between Link and the sword pedestal.
"You destroyed the wicked creatures that haunted the temple and awakened the Sage..."
Link jumped as much as his injuries would let him, startled and noticing Sheik for the first time. Sheik caught sight of tears as Link was reminded of his dearest friend. The sheikah felt a twinge of guilt, but kept talking, hoping to get his instructions over with, and perhaps distract Link in doing so.
"But there are still other Sages who need your help." Sheik saw Link's face fall a bit more than it already had. "In order to awaken all the other Sages, you must become even more powerful." [There's a vague generalization, if I ever heard one.] "You must travel over mountains...um......." Link brightened, just a little, as he watched his solemn and extremely absentminded guide tried to find his words. After a few moments, Sheik had it. "Oh! Yes...under water...and even through time..."
He wasn't sure if he had set it off, or if it was merely stress, but as Sheik looked more closely, he could see Link's breath hitching, as though he was biting back sobs. [Oh, wonderful...] It was easier to comfort someone when you shared a mental bond with said person, but in the absence of that... "And you are clearly in no condition to listen to my dry words or play music." As he walked toward Link, the hero's frame shuddering with silent weeping, one hand covering his eyes, Sheik was accosted by the pale blue fairy that had flitted out from Link's hood.
"Of course he's not! Does he LOOK like he wants to stand there and listen to you prattle on like one of those stupid statues?" The little fairy rammed herself lightly against Sheik's chest, indicating the insignia dyed onto it. "You even look like one of those stupid things..." If she had intended to continue her tirade, Link silenced her.
"Navi, stop." The fairy seemed to sigh, her aura pulsing with anger. She floated back to her charge and seated herself on the hylian's shoulder. Link looked up at Sheik after wiping his eyes on his sleeve. He wasn't fooling anyone, of course; his eyelids were red-rimmed, and twin tracks had been carved through the grime on his face. "I'm sorry; she doesn't usually fly off the handle like that."
Sheik shrugged. "It's all right." He dropped his formal speech style. "I probably deserve it." He held out an arm; Link took Sheik up on the offer, leaning heavily on the sheikah for support. The reek of blood and stale sweat wafted through Sheik's facemask. Link was in worse shape than Sheik had thought; the hylian shivered from exhaustion and pain, each step taking more and more effort. Finally, they made it to a wall, where Sheik helped the aching man to sit down on the floor, leaning back against the stone. Link sighed gratefully. Sheik plopped (gracefully) down onto the floor next to him, regarding the hero for a moment before realizing that Link must have used a Phoenix Tear potion (or Red potion) to heal his injuries. Something like that would seal any wounds and broken bones, but would do nothing for pain (narcotics were a bad idea when in battle). [Well, not much I can do about that...]
Taking out his harp, Sheik idly plucked at the strings, then settled into the Song of Songbirds. He wasn't really all that adept with conversation, especially when delicate words were needed. Zelda was the orator of the pair. He set his harp gently on the floor. "Your return to the forests must not have been a happy one."
Link sighed, his voice shaky. "Nobody knew me." He shifted a bit, grimacing as some part of him protested. "...They just called me 'mister.'"
[Impa would have been better at this...] Sheik spoke softly, "It's been seven years, Link. They weren't expecting you to leave the forest a Kokiri, and come back a full-grown hylian. Goddesses, they don't even know what a hylian is..."
"I didn't tell them; I was afraid that they wouldn't believe me."
"Well...look on the bright side. At least you weren't attacked. I was nearly savagely beaten with a large stick!" Sheik clasped his hands and batted his eyelashes. "Is that any way to treat an innocent bard?" he whined plaintively. The fairy giggled; the corners of Link's mouth turned up, just a tad, not quite a smile. Sheik leaned his head back against the wall, glancing sidelong at Link, waiting for the hylian to go on. Link stared at his boots for a minute, then spoke.
"Everything's changed so much. It's like a different world. Dampe's gone, no one remembers me but Malon, and she's so miserable...Saria...S-saria..." Link couldn't finish, the tears he had been working so hard to suppress came, and with a choking sob, he rested on Sheik's shoulder and wept.
Sheik fidgeted uncomfortably. If Link had been a child, this would be considered a normal reaction to what he'd just gone through. [Actually, I suppose he is a child, in a way.] Sheik hadn't a clue what the proper thing to say to Link would be, if anything, so he took up his harp again, the strings barely sounding, letting the instrument wander on its own, the Song of Songbirds melting into Zelda's Lullaby. Link's grip on the sheikah relaxed a bit, and his breathing steadied; Sheik realized that the hylian had fallen asleep. [Great. That's my noblest ambition in life, that's why I'm here: as a pillow. I'm going to have one mother of a backache...again.] He heaved a sigh; he was afraid that if he tried to move much, Link would wake up. A faint, bell-like sound caught his attention.
"Your playing was very beautiful," the little fairy said, by way of starting conversation. She alighted on the old harp's curled scroll.
Sheik couldn't help but blush. He grinned sheepishly from behind his mask. "Harps can't help but sound beautiful, no matter what clumsy doofus plucks at them..."
Navi laughed, silvery and tinkling like small bells. "Link says something similar about just about everything...What was your name, again?"
"Sheik."
Her aura had faded considerably since she had landed, and Sheik could see her smack a hand against her teensy forehead dramatically. "Now, how did I forget that? Sheik the sheikah," she murmured to herself, "I'll remember it this time." Navi seemed to shift slightly to get herself comfortable. "I'm sorry I got mad at you."
Sheik shrugged. "Like I said, no harm done. I'm used to it."
Navi pondered something a moment, then... "Hey." She said it so briskly that Sheik's heart nearly leapt into his throat. The little fairy didn't appear to notice how shrill she could be. "How old are you, anyway? I thought sheikah were disciplined and wise, and all that stuff."
The red-eyed minstrel counted on his fingers, rolled his eyes up to the sky in mental strain, looked down to his fingers again, then started counting fingers and harp strings. Finally, he gave up. "I don't know. Somewhere around twenty, I guess." He frowned. "I'm still considered a juvenile. I won't even reach my majority for another ten years!"
"Oh," Navi giggled again. "I'd forgotten about that. I'm 357, myself."
Happy for idle chitchat, Sheik chuckled as well. "My village's chief is around your age."
The fairy flitted up an inch from the end of Sheik'd nose, glowing brightly with the motion of her wings. "Is he cute and two inches tall?" she purred teasingly.
"Actually, she's six foot seven and looks like she's been drinking nothing but vinegar for the last few decades."
"Oh, poo."
Link uttered a small groan and stirred, sitting up. Navi floated back to her charge, and Sheik helped the young man to stand. It seemed easier for Link, now that his leg had gotten a rest. Navi bobbed in the air lazily. "Do you feel any better, Link?"
The hero looked rather distraught, and both Sheik and Navi wondered what he had dreamt. "I want to go home..." He was hardly more than audible; his ten-year-old side making him look smaller and frailer than he was.
[Perfect.] Sheik cleared his throat, reassuming his formal tone. "If you want to return to your original time, return the Master Sword to the Pedestal of Time." [What, do they just tack 'time' onto the end of everything they name?] "By doing this, you will travel back in time seven years..." Link looked past his guide into the room containing the pedestal, but was stopped by a sharp glance from Sheik. [Where do you think you're going, buster; I'm not done yet!] "The time will come when you will have to return here quickly...I will teach this to you for when that time comes..."
Link knew the drill, and fished his ocarina out of...that void place where travelers keep their stuff.
Sheik picked up his harp, cradling it in his left arm. "The song to return you to the Temple of Time...The Prelude of Light."
Link got the song right on the first try; after a few run-throughs he was fairly confident that he would remember it. Sheik nodded, squirreling away his harp and taking a deku seed in his hand. "As long as you hold the Ocarina of Time and the Master Sword, you hold time itself in your hands..." [Not that time is anything more than a man-made theoretical concept...but...] "Link, we shall meet again!" Throwing the seed to the stones, Sheik envisioned his room in Kakariko, pulling into the void and leaving a surprised and very much confused Link and Navi in the Temple of Time.
Navi jangled in irritation. "Why does he DO that?"
Her companion shrugged, limping resolutely to the pedestal and plunging the sword into it. A glaring blue light filled the chamber, and when it receded, the temple was empty.
[I shall vanquish that accursed robin YET!]
The cheerful twittering outside his window wrenched sleep from our heroic sheikah. Sheik sat up, hair sticking out in all directions, one eye open slightly wider than the other, the very picture of grace and beauty. He stumbled over to the window and leaned out. The female robin was in the nest, and the male wasn't too far off. Sheik shook his fist at the red-breasted fowl. "Buddy, if you didn't have a wife and kids, I'd pluck your feathers out one by one, roast you over an open fire, and eat you!"
The robin paused in its joyous song of the morning, looked straight at Sheik, and left a happy little birdy present on the branch. Then it started chirruping again.
Sheik narrowed his eyes in an icy glare. "One of these days, bird. One of these days..."
"Sheik, who are you talking to?"
Sheik spun and saw Zelda standing in the doorway, a look of concern on her royal visage. Sheik sputtered, "I was just...um...it was.........nothing." He suddenly took a great interest in the floor. [I still haven't swept it...]
Zelda rolled her eyes heavenwards. "I worry about you sometimes..." She remembered why she'd come upstairs. "So I've gotten a job with Widow Spinkly."
Sheik wasn't expecting that, and his groggy mind took a few moments to process what Zelda had said. "You mean that crazy old lady next to the windmill?" Sheik had a theory that the windmill had a sort of aura that induced mental illness in those living near to it. It was not entirely without merit.
"Yes, that lady. And she's not crazy, Sheik; she's very nice, just...eccentric."
"Right." [If she's just eccentric, I'm the Great Fairy of Rutabagas...]
{I heard that, Great Fairy.} "I'm helping her with her potions, and I'm to live there so she has someone to help her, in case she falls down or somesuch. She's not as young as she used to be."
"I guess that sounds okay..." Sheik knew Zelda would be safer there than at home, what with Impa gone and him traipsing all over the countryside, and the money would be helpful, but still... It was going to get lonely.
"You can visit, of course. I'm sure Mrs. Spinkly wouldn't mind. And it will give me something to do."
Sheik shrugged. Well, that was that taken care of. "I suppose it sounds all right. I'm okay with it if you are."
Zelda nodded. "I am. Besides," she smiled devilishly, "she lives next door to Victor." Zelda had had an off again, on again crush on the clerk of the potion shop for the last three years. It wasn't serious, after all, Zelda was royalty, but hormones will be hormones. Unfortunately, because of their link, Zelda had accidentally made Sheik act like a giddy teenage girl anytime Victor was in the general vicinity, blushing, nervous stammering, and stupefied gaze included. Needless to say, the poor clerk avoided Sheik like the plague.
Sheik crossed his arms, sounding and looking alarmingly like Impa. "And you'd better keep your distance, or should I stay here and watch you?"
Zelda laughed. "Now, now, there's no need to be jealous of the fact that some of us have functioning romantic lives."
"Why do I need one, I get too much of yours as it is." Sheik knew Zelda would never try anything, she was far too aware of her social status for that, but he had to say something. Impa would have.
Zelda giggled. "Well, I'd better get going. She seemed very enthusiastic about finally having some help, and we're to start cleaning house today."
"You? Clean a house?" Sheik sounded incredulous.
"I'll have you know that I am perfectly capable of housework!" Zelda stuck her tongue out and turned to leave. Then, she turned and ran back. "You got me so peeved that I almost forgot," she said. "Rauru contacted me last night. Link's freed the first sage, and he'd headed back to Castletown."
"Already?" Sheik's eyes widened in disbelief.
Zelda nodded. "That's what I said. He should be there by tomorrow morning, or tonight. Rauru wants you at the temple by this evening, just in case."
[Perfect.]
Zelda made for the stairs again. "I'm going to be late if I stay much longer. Oh, and Spinkly's feeding me as part of my payment, so help yourself to whatever's in the kitchen." With that, she hurriedly scampered down the stairs and out the front door. [Well, don't smother me with tearful farewells, or anything...]
{Crybaby.}
Flopping down on his bed again, Sheik decided, since there was nothing especially pressing that needed to be done as of yet, to lie like a slug for a few minutes. Upon looking out the window, he saw a very lovely and charming sunset. [Sunset?! I fell asleep!] Grabbing his harp and rewinding his bandages, Sheik crossed the room. A thought occurred to him, he walked back, snagged his bottle o' poe off of his dresser, and walked downstairs. "Might as well take care of you while I'm in Castletown, right, Murry?" The poe swirled around in the bottle bemusedly.
After a few minutes of rummaging through the klivingchen cabinets, Sheik came up with the last chunk of bread in the house. "Hmmm..." Choking it down hastily, Sheik pictured the Chamber of Sages and slipped into the void. [Ha! I won't be late THIS time...]
Alighting on the largest of the pillars again, Sheik noticed a smallish green circle glowing softly next to Rauru's golden one. [That one must be for the Sage of Forest...]
"Well, even at my age, it seems I can be surprised. You're early."
Indulging in a small, triumphant grin, Sheik turned to Rauru. "Well now, I suppose I AM a little on the early side, aren't I?"
"Of course, seeing as that is what is expected of you, I hardly see any need for recognition."
Crestfallen, Sheik nodded assent.
Rauru sighed quietly. "I was about to sit down to dinner. I highly doubt that you've eaten, correct? You're welcome to join me."
Sheik perked up at the mention of food. "Thanks, you Excellency!" [When has Rauru ever fed me? There must be an ulterior motive...]
He felt himself teleport; it shocked him, Sheik still wasn't used to the idea of an outside force moving him. He reappeared in a small, spartan stone room with one small window. He glanced outside at the ruins of Castletown, the charred, skeletal support beams of houses reaching toward the darkened sky.
"Well, are you waiting for a written invitation? Sit."
Sheik jumped and looked at Rauru, who was already seated at a little table and eating something that looked like soup. Sheik took the seat across from the wizened old sage, and looked into his own bowl. Whatever it was, it was white, and sort of milky-looking. Sheik picked up his spoon and warily swirled it around in the soup a few times. It smelled nice; that didn't mean it was safe. "It's poisoned, isn't it?" Sheik couldn't believe he'd said that, and braced himself for the scolding he was bound to receive for his impertinence.
Instead, Rauru's wrinkled face wrinkled up even more in a smile. "I assure you, Sheik, it's perfectly harmless. Why, if I wanted to do you in, I'm sure a sage such as myself could come up with a more original way of going about it, don't you?"
That seemed sound reasoning, and, at that point, Rauru could have told Sheik that the secret ingredient was cyanide; Sheik was too hungry to care. It turned out to be clam chowder, very good clam chowder, and Sheik had the bowl scraped dry within two minutes. He looked up to see Rauru staring at him slack-jawed, eyes wide in astonishment. Sheik's face suddenly matched his eyes. "Um....This is really good...Eheh..." He forced a weak smile.
Rauru forced a weak smile of his own. He had forgotten how young men could eat. And eat. And eat... "Erm....Would you like some more?"
Sheik beamed. "Oh, well...I really shouldn't, but...Yes. I think I will." Sheik ladled himself another helping of chowder, which soon enough met its terrible doom. [This stuff is @#$%ing good! No wonder he's five feet tall and five feet wide...] "Did you make this?"
Rauru finished his own bowl slowly, taking small sips. "Well, I should hope that after nine hundred years I would be able to manage a decent clam chowder."
Sheik blinked. "Oh, yeah."
"Now, if I could tear your attention away from eating for a moment..."
[I knew it! The ulterior motive!]
"I'd like to speak with you before Link arrives."
"Oh?" Sheik couldn't keep a worried frown from gracing his features. [Great. What did I do THIS time?]
Rauru met Sheik's eyes steadily. "Are you aware, Sheik, of how important this is?" No clarification on 'this' needed to be made.
"Yes, sir."
"If we fail to overthrow Ganondorf now, we cannot try again. Ever."
Sheik nodded meekly. "I know, sir."
Rauru sighed once more, and shut his eyes wearily. "I understand that sheikah take longer than hylians to mentally mature. I bear that in mind. I also see that it is in your nature to cope with stress by flouting the stressor." Sheik really wasn't sure where this was going, but he felt oddly chastised. Rauru opened his eyes and continued. "If I seem harsh toward you, it is merely through frustration. Sheik, I see in you great potential, yet you seem to settle for mediocrity. You answer a summons when you feel like it; you get your work done, but barely. Why, you nearly missed the Hero both times you've met with him! If this is going to be a habit with you, I need to know. This is not a matter to be taken lightly."
Sheik stared at the tabletop for a moment. He hated lectures, especially when the lecturer was right. "I'm sorry, you Excellency... I don't mean to be...flippant, or anything, it's just that...."
Rauru finished his sentence. "You're scatterbrained. I know you're trying; fortunately, memory and organization are things that can be improved over time. I want you to remember that you are more important than you may think; perhaps that thought will sharpen your mind a bit."
"Yes, sir."
"And I am as well aware of your strengths as I am of your shortcomings. You are very intelligent. More importantly, you are also very compassionate, more so than most people in these times. Sheik, you guide Link well, and you teach him the songs he needs to move safely here. But I could pull any hyrulian off of the street, and he would fare just as well. You were chosen for other reasons." Rauru stood, and Sheik followed. "That's all I wished to tell you. If I were you, I would await the Hero."
Seeing that as his dismissal, Sheik made a polite bow and envisioned the sanctuary of the Temple of Time. "Thank you, you Excellency," he managed to say before the void pulled him from the room.
Mindful of the threadbare, fading carpet of the sanctuary, Sheik wandered about for an hour or so, sifting through small piles of rubble where a particularly nasty storm had stripped holes in the roof. Some of the roof tiles weren't even broken, and could be used again, once it was safe enough for anyone to make the repairs. [Hopefully, that will be soon.] He leaned against the cool stone wall, picking out melodies on his harp. The tune fell into a nice, comfortable little rondo, for a while, at least.
-I know a zora maiden,
and she paints all the lilies,
She goes about the rivers,
and visits all the cities,
Exa Thirty-One's her name,
her kiss is sharp and chilly,
It's how she makes her paint red,
so she can paint the lilies.-
[Curse that Dominic! I'll never get that out of my head!] Putting his harp away, Sheik eventually wandered into the inner chamber. Sitting, staring at the Master Sword's pedestal and generally being bored out of his gourd, Sheik wondered how much longer Link would be. As if in answer to his silent complaint, footsteps made their way through the sanctuary of the temple. Standing, Sheik stayed back in the shadows, so Link wouldn't see him immediately. Listening to the uneven steps, Sheik surmised that Link had taken some wound to a leg or an ankle-he seemed to limp or stumble rather than walk. [And he had to walk all the way here. What good is that fairy of his if she doesn't even heal him?] He slowly paced into the middle of the room, careful to keep himself between Link and the sword pedestal.
"You destroyed the wicked creatures that haunted the temple and awakened the Sage..."
Link jumped as much as his injuries would let him, startled and noticing Sheik for the first time. Sheik caught sight of tears as Link was reminded of his dearest friend. The sheikah felt a twinge of guilt, but kept talking, hoping to get his instructions over with, and perhaps distract Link in doing so.
"But there are still other Sages who need your help." Sheik saw Link's face fall a bit more than it already had. "In order to awaken all the other Sages, you must become even more powerful." [There's a vague generalization, if I ever heard one.] "You must travel over mountains...um......." Link brightened, just a little, as he watched his solemn and extremely absentminded guide tried to find his words. After a few moments, Sheik had it. "Oh! Yes...under water...and even through time..."
He wasn't sure if he had set it off, or if it was merely stress, but as Sheik looked more closely, he could see Link's breath hitching, as though he was biting back sobs. [Oh, wonderful...] It was easier to comfort someone when you shared a mental bond with said person, but in the absence of that... "And you are clearly in no condition to listen to my dry words or play music." As he walked toward Link, the hero's frame shuddering with silent weeping, one hand covering his eyes, Sheik was accosted by the pale blue fairy that had flitted out from Link's hood.
"Of course he's not! Does he LOOK like he wants to stand there and listen to you prattle on like one of those stupid statues?" The little fairy rammed herself lightly against Sheik's chest, indicating the insignia dyed onto it. "You even look like one of those stupid things..." If she had intended to continue her tirade, Link silenced her.
"Navi, stop." The fairy seemed to sigh, her aura pulsing with anger. She floated back to her charge and seated herself on the hylian's shoulder. Link looked up at Sheik after wiping his eyes on his sleeve. He wasn't fooling anyone, of course; his eyelids were red-rimmed, and twin tracks had been carved through the grime on his face. "I'm sorry; she doesn't usually fly off the handle like that."
Sheik shrugged. "It's all right." He dropped his formal speech style. "I probably deserve it." He held out an arm; Link took Sheik up on the offer, leaning heavily on the sheikah for support. The reek of blood and stale sweat wafted through Sheik's facemask. Link was in worse shape than Sheik had thought; the hylian shivered from exhaustion and pain, each step taking more and more effort. Finally, they made it to a wall, where Sheik helped the aching man to sit down on the floor, leaning back against the stone. Link sighed gratefully. Sheik plopped (gracefully) down onto the floor next to him, regarding the hero for a moment before realizing that Link must have used a Phoenix Tear potion (or Red potion) to heal his injuries. Something like that would seal any wounds and broken bones, but would do nothing for pain (narcotics were a bad idea when in battle). [Well, not much I can do about that...]
Taking out his harp, Sheik idly plucked at the strings, then settled into the Song of Songbirds. He wasn't really all that adept with conversation, especially when delicate words were needed. Zelda was the orator of the pair. He set his harp gently on the floor. "Your return to the forests must not have been a happy one."
Link sighed, his voice shaky. "Nobody knew me." He shifted a bit, grimacing as some part of him protested. "...They just called me 'mister.'"
[Impa would have been better at this...] Sheik spoke softly, "It's been seven years, Link. They weren't expecting you to leave the forest a Kokiri, and come back a full-grown hylian. Goddesses, they don't even know what a hylian is..."
"I didn't tell them; I was afraid that they wouldn't believe me."
"Well...look on the bright side. At least you weren't attacked. I was nearly savagely beaten with a large stick!" Sheik clasped his hands and batted his eyelashes. "Is that any way to treat an innocent bard?" he whined plaintively. The fairy giggled; the corners of Link's mouth turned up, just a tad, not quite a smile. Sheik leaned his head back against the wall, glancing sidelong at Link, waiting for the hylian to go on. Link stared at his boots for a minute, then spoke.
"Everything's changed so much. It's like a different world. Dampe's gone, no one remembers me but Malon, and she's so miserable...Saria...S-saria..." Link couldn't finish, the tears he had been working so hard to suppress came, and with a choking sob, he rested on Sheik's shoulder and wept.
Sheik fidgeted uncomfortably. If Link had been a child, this would be considered a normal reaction to what he'd just gone through. [Actually, I suppose he is a child, in a way.] Sheik hadn't a clue what the proper thing to say to Link would be, if anything, so he took up his harp again, the strings barely sounding, letting the instrument wander on its own, the Song of Songbirds melting into Zelda's Lullaby. Link's grip on the sheikah relaxed a bit, and his breathing steadied; Sheik realized that the hylian had fallen asleep. [Great. That's my noblest ambition in life, that's why I'm here: as a pillow. I'm going to have one mother of a backache...again.] He heaved a sigh; he was afraid that if he tried to move much, Link would wake up. A faint, bell-like sound caught his attention.
"Your playing was very beautiful," the little fairy said, by way of starting conversation. She alighted on the old harp's curled scroll.
Sheik couldn't help but blush. He grinned sheepishly from behind his mask. "Harps can't help but sound beautiful, no matter what clumsy doofus plucks at them..."
Navi laughed, silvery and tinkling like small bells. "Link says something similar about just about everything...What was your name, again?"
"Sheik."
Her aura had faded considerably since she had landed, and Sheik could see her smack a hand against her teensy forehead dramatically. "Now, how did I forget that? Sheik the sheikah," she murmured to herself, "I'll remember it this time." Navi seemed to shift slightly to get herself comfortable. "I'm sorry I got mad at you."
Sheik shrugged. "Like I said, no harm done. I'm used to it."
Navi pondered something a moment, then... "Hey." She said it so briskly that Sheik's heart nearly leapt into his throat. The little fairy didn't appear to notice how shrill she could be. "How old are you, anyway? I thought sheikah were disciplined and wise, and all that stuff."
The red-eyed minstrel counted on his fingers, rolled his eyes up to the sky in mental strain, looked down to his fingers again, then started counting fingers and harp strings. Finally, he gave up. "I don't know. Somewhere around twenty, I guess." He frowned. "I'm still considered a juvenile. I won't even reach my majority for another ten years!"
"Oh," Navi giggled again. "I'd forgotten about that. I'm 357, myself."
Happy for idle chitchat, Sheik chuckled as well. "My village's chief is around your age."
The fairy flitted up an inch from the end of Sheik'd nose, glowing brightly with the motion of her wings. "Is he cute and two inches tall?" she purred teasingly.
"Actually, she's six foot seven and looks like she's been drinking nothing but vinegar for the last few decades."
"Oh, poo."
Link uttered a small groan and stirred, sitting up. Navi floated back to her charge, and Sheik helped the young man to stand. It seemed easier for Link, now that his leg had gotten a rest. Navi bobbed in the air lazily. "Do you feel any better, Link?"
The hero looked rather distraught, and both Sheik and Navi wondered what he had dreamt. "I want to go home..." He was hardly more than audible; his ten-year-old side making him look smaller and frailer than he was.
[Perfect.] Sheik cleared his throat, reassuming his formal tone. "If you want to return to your original time, return the Master Sword to the Pedestal of Time." [What, do they just tack 'time' onto the end of everything they name?] "By doing this, you will travel back in time seven years..." Link looked past his guide into the room containing the pedestal, but was stopped by a sharp glance from Sheik. [Where do you think you're going, buster; I'm not done yet!] "The time will come when you will have to return here quickly...I will teach this to you for when that time comes..."
Link knew the drill, and fished his ocarina out of...that void place where travelers keep their stuff.
Sheik picked up his harp, cradling it in his left arm. "The song to return you to the Temple of Time...The Prelude of Light."
Link got the song right on the first try; after a few run-throughs he was fairly confident that he would remember it. Sheik nodded, squirreling away his harp and taking a deku seed in his hand. "As long as you hold the Ocarina of Time and the Master Sword, you hold time itself in your hands..." [Not that time is anything more than a man-made theoretical concept...but...] "Link, we shall meet again!" Throwing the seed to the stones, Sheik envisioned his room in Kakariko, pulling into the void and leaving a surprised and very much confused Link and Navi in the Temple of Time.
Navi jangled in irritation. "Why does he DO that?"
Her companion shrugged, limping resolutely to the pedestal and plunging the sword into it. A glaring blue light filled the chamber, and when it receded, the temple was empty.
