Author's notes: I know I told you the plot of this chapter at the end of the previous one, but I decided to make a few changes to it, which you'll see as you're reading. I apologize for the mix-up and hope you'll enjoy the chapter nonetheless. Thank you.

Chapter 3: Link's rescue and Sheik's breakdown

Link awoke the following morning to sunlight pouring in from the skylight over his bed and the window to his left. He moaned and buried his face in his pillow in a desperate attempt to drown it out, but to no avail.

"Much too bright for this hour of day," he mumbled, turning to look at the clock. It read 9:25, so he jumped out of bed and threw on his tunic and boots. He then headed towards the dining hall to eat some breakfast. When he arrived, he found Ganondorf preparing a large fruit salad.

"Good morning," said Ganondorf. "I hope you slept well."

"G'morning," yawned Link. "I did, but the sunlight woke me up."

Ganondorf chuckled. "Too bright, eh?"

Link nodded. "You should think about buying some curtains for the windows."

Ganondorf smiled. "Maybe I will. Are you hungry?"

Link smiled back. "Starved."

"That I believe, after watching you eat last night," he replied. He gestured toward the fruit salad. "Help yourself."

"Thank you," said Link, reaching for a plate. He filled it up and ate silently for a few minutes. He glanced at Ganondorf questioningly. "Did you mean everything you told me last night?"

Ganondorf, however, was busy filling his own plate and did not hear Link's question. "Hmm?"

"I said, did you mean everything you told me last night?" he asked.

"Yes," replied Ganondorf. "You kept your end of the deal by staying here last night, so I will keep mine. I will not try to ruin your relationship with Sheik."

"Okay," said Link. "I was just making sure."

"You really love him, don't you?" Ganondorf asked.

"Sheik, you mean?" Link asked. "Yes, I do."

"Out of curiosity," said Ganondorf, "why?"

Link sighed. How did he begin to explain why he loved Sheik?

"Well," said Link. "Sheik has always been there for me when I needed him, so I guess I just, you know, fell for him."

Ganondorf nodded. "I understand."

Meanwhile, back at the shop where Sheik was being held hostage, he suddenly came to. He rubbed his head and looked around at his surroundings. He saw nothing save for the chair he was tied to and some empty boxes that were strewn about here and there.

'That's odd,' he thought. 'Where am I? What happened yesterday?'

"Ohh, my head," he moaned. "I feel like I was run over by a cart."

Then it came to him. He had been getting ready to enter his house when someone kidnapped him. He had been forced into this place, tied to the chair, and made to swallow some liquid smelling of a dead animal. It had made him pass out until now.

'Who did this?' he thought. 'What was their motive? One thing's for sure, I'm not going anywhere soon.'

"HELP!" Sheik yelled. "I AM TRAPPED!"

In about five minutes, the door opened and Sheik's best friend, a young woman by the name of Thraviel, was peering at Sheik curiously.

"Oh, my goodness!" she exclaimed. "Sheik! Who did this to you? Are you all right?"

"I don't have a clue," he answered. "Just please help me."

Thraviel tried to smile but what came out was a sob.

"Oh, S-Sheik," she sobbed. "You were k-kidnapped."

"I know," he replied. "But what I can't figure out is why and who could have done it."

Thraviel had undone the rope tying Sheik to the chair and was now holding out her hand to help him stand up. He took it gratefully and followed her out of his prison and to his house. On the way, she started to cry again, and Sheik, who was still clutching her hand, began to rub it soothingly, as if to say, "I'm here. Don't cry so."

"Shh," said Sheik. "It's going to be all right. I'm okay, if a little groggy."

"Your kidnapping was my fault," Thraviel sniffled. "I saw your kidnapper on my way home from the market and did nothing to save you. I just let you get kidnapped. Oh, Sheik…"

"Come here," he whispered gently.

She obliged and he wrapped his arms around her. "It's not your fault I was kidnapped. I thought I was alone. Whoever it was acted quieter than a mouse."

He released her and looked into her eyes. "You going to be okay?"

She sniffled and nodded. "Yeah."

"Good," Sheik answered. "I'll see you later, okay? I'm going to talk with Princess Zelda now. Maybe she knows who kidnapped me."

"Okay," she agreed. "See you later!"

When he arrived at the castle, a guard stopped him and asked what business he had with the Royal Family. Sheik told him about all that had happened yesterday and was admitted into the Castle Courtyard. Princess Zelda sat on a marble chair next to her attendant Salye. She smiled when she saw Sheik enter the courtyard.

"Sheik!" exclaimed Zelda. "What brings you here?"

"A very strange thing happened yesterday, Your Highness," he replied, and told of his kidnapping.

Zelda frowned thoughtfully. "I have been reading the Royal Scriptures and have learned something that may help you. Just yesterday, Ganondorf kidnapped Link and took him to his fortress in the Twilight Realm for some unknown purpose. One thing I do know is that he also kidnapped someone else as well."

"Who would that be?" inquired Sheik.

"I'm afraid you will not like the news," Zelda replied, "but you were also kidnapped yesterday by Ganondorf. I think he wanted you out of the way for some reason."

"Me?" gasped Sheik. "Why me?"

"I do not know. Go and save Link," Zelda said.

"Thank you for your time, Princess," Sheik said, and disappeared in a flash of white light.

"If Ganondorf was the one to kidnap Link, he must be in his fortress. I must get there as soon as possible," Sheik murmured. "His fortress is in the Twilight Realm, and that is—let's

see—southwest from here."

Sheik turned southwest and continued on his mission to rescue Link from Ganondorf. Unfortunately, there was no direct path and very few signs to help point Sheik in the direction of Ganondorf's fortress. He had to rely on his wits and a bit of plain old logic to get him there.

When at last Sheik arrived, he boldly opened the gate and told a guard why he had come. The guard, a young man named Elladen, shook his head in disbelief, but admitted him inside at any rate. Elladen could not see why Sheik would actually want to rescue the most popular man in the land, but did not say anything.

"The man you are searching for is in the room at the end of the hall," Elladen said. "You cannot miss it because there is a large Triforce inscription on the door."

Sheik smiled. "Thank you, sir."

"Elladen. I am called Elladen," he replied.

"Well, Elladen, I will forever be in your debt and cannot find words enough to describe my thanks," Sheik said humbly. "Good-bye."

"See you later, then," said Elladen, and walked off.

Sheik walked down the large, flame-lit hallway and paused in front of the door inscribed with a large Triforce and knocked. In a moment, Sheik heard Link say, "Come in!"

Link was lying on his bed, staring out the skylight and did not realize who had come to call. Sheik knew this and took the opportunity to perch on the bed next to Link. He reached for Link's hand and laced their fingers together. Link felt the weight of Sheik's hand and jumped a mile, but relaxed when he discovered it was only Sheik. Sheik? Wait a moment. Why was Sheik in his bedroom? And how did he get inside unnoticed?

"Sheik!" Link gasped. "What are you doing here? How did you get past the guards? Does Ganondorf know you are in his fortress?"

Sheik laughed quietly. "I have my ways. We Sheikah are highly skilled at being unseen, you know."

"I know," said Link. "I just can't believe you are here."

"Neither can I," Sheik admitted. "I was kidnapped and knocked out with a potion yesterday. I thought that was the end of me and our relationship."

"I know," Link said again.

"How do you know that?" Sheik questioned, surprised.

"That," said Link, "is a really weird story."

"We have time," said Sheik. "Tell me the story."

Link sighed. "Okay."

"Lay your head in my lap and tell the story?" Sheik asked.

"Not here, love," said Link. "What if we get caught?"

"You're right," Sheik agreed. "We cannot risk Ganondorf and the guards finding out about us."

Link gulped nervously. "He--er—kind of knows about us, Sheik."

"Kind of knows?" Sheik said.

"Oh, all right, he knows," Link confessed. "Here's the thing. In exchange for me staying here last night, he swore not to ruin our relationship."

"And that's why he hid me in that shop and brought you here?" Sheik asked incredulously.

"That's part of it," Link replied.

"Part of it?" Sheik repeated. "You mean there's more?"

Link nodded. "You are not going to like this, Sheik, but I'm afraid Ganondorf—er—has a crush on me as well."

Sheik's crimson eyes got very bright and he began blinking more than normal. "H-he likes you, too?"

"Yes," Link replied. "But I could never love anyone but you, my lovely Sheikah."

Link's words made shivers run up and down Sheik's spine and he pounced on Link and gave him a heated kiss. Link pushed him away and shook his head, as if saying, "Not here."

Sheik understood and cleared his throat. "Shall we leave?"

"All right," Link agreed. "Just let me grab my weapons and write a thank-you note to Ganondorf."

In ten minutes time, the young couple was ready to depart. Sheik gave Link a stone and told him to copy what he was doing. Sheik threw the stone on the ground and so did Link, and in the blink of an eye, they were in Link's house.

"Whoa," said Link. "How did we get here so fast?"

"The stones we threw are magical teleporting stones," Sheik explained. "The Sheikahs use them all the time because it's easier than running every place."

Link nodded knowingly. "Do you want to hear the full story?"

"If you don't mind," Sheik answered.

Link slid his hand into Sheik's and led him to the couch. "Sit on my lap and I'll tell the story."

Sheik obliged and waited for Link to begin. "200 years ago, when Ganondorf was imprisoned in the Sacred Realm, he had a chance to think about his life and our future."

Sheik nodded and leaned his head on Link's broad shoulder.

"He realized he had to make a choice," Link continued. "He could either plot revenge or be a nice person. Fortunately, he chose to be a nice person."

"Okay," Sheik said, "but what does this have to do with our capture?"

"When Ganondorf was finally freed from the Sacred Realm, he saw us together and developed a crush on me," Link answered. "I'm afraid he was jealous and tried to take me for his own."

"I see," Sheik said. "Link?"

"Hmm?" asked Link.

"Don't you ever scare me like that again!" Sheik burst out. "I thought you were gone forever!"

"Oh, Sheik," Link said. "How could I leave my one true love?"

Sheik's eyes filled up with tears and poured down his already pink cheeks. Link gently removed Sheik's turban and ran a hand through his hair. Sheik clung to Link and would not let go. Link kept trailing his fingers through Sheik's hair and holding him.

"Link," Sheik sobbed, "d-don't ever leave my side again. I would not know what to do!"

Link smiled and pressed a kiss to Sheik's forehead in an attempt to soothe him. This only made Sheik cry harder. Link did not know what in the world to do.

"Do you want me to play my ocarina?" Link asked. "Would that help?"

"No!" Sheik sobbed. "J-just stay here."

Link sighed. "Can you at least let me stretch my legs? You're heavy."

"I guess," Sheik sniffled.

Link smiled and gently helped Sheik to sit on the couch. He handed him a pillow and told him to hold onto it until he returned. Sheik buried his face in the pillow and resumed crying. Link exited the room and went to the pasture to feed his animals. He returned a half-hour later to find Sheik still bawling his eyes out. Link sat back down and patted his lap, into which Sheik crawled gratefully. Link wrapped his arms around the still sobbing Sheik and began to give him a back rub. This seemed to work because Sheik was crying less and less. He relaxed into Link's chest and wiped his eyes.

Sheik sniffled. "Promise you won't leave me?"

"I promise, love."

"Link?" asked Sheik. "Could we get in bed? I'm sleepy."

Link smiled. "Yes. Come on."

Sheik followed Link to his room and waited while Link changed. Then they both climbed into bed and fell asleep in three seconds flat.

Whew! That was the dickens to write, but I hope my work was well worth it.