Link stood and paced the garden courtyard, thinking. Zelda had suddenly become very interested in a rose pedal and Impa was staring at Link. He finally stopped and turned to Impa.

"So…what do we do? Just pretend nothing has happened?"

Impa nodded sadly. "Yes. I'm afraid so. Sheik will have no memory of the curse, or of even going to the Shadow Temple. Neither of you must tell him anything."

Zelda nodded and Link crossed his arms over his chest. "This…is weird." He sat down.

Zelda turned to him. "I'm sure it must be…I'm…I'm sorry for not telling you before. I just couldn't, not if I was going to keep my cover."

Link nodded. "I understand." He looked down in his lap. "Zelda?" He asked.

Zelda looked at him. "Yes, Link?"

Link looked up to meet her eyes. "What's he like? Sheik, I mean. Is he like you? I mean…is he like the you when you were him?" Link paused. That even confused him. "What I mean to say is-"

Zelda giggled. "Actually, yes. I mean, maybe not the same. But if I was going to make anyone believe I was Sheik, I had to act like him. I knew him well enough that I could do it quite easily."

Link nodded. "So…So this will be like…like I already know him…"

Impa knelt next to Link. "Yes, it will. But you must keep the secret. You must Link."

Link nodded and stood up. "I'll keep it. I promise." He said and turned to leave.

Zelda stood. "Where are you going?"

"I have to return the Goron Ruby to Death Mountain. The Great Deku Sprout told me they would be safer if they were with their owners again." He said over his shoulder as he walked to the exit.

"Oh…" Zelda jumped up and ran after him. "Okay, but be careful." She said and kissed his cheek.

Link felt his cheeks flush and he looked down, suddenly very shy. "I…I will." He said and quickly ran back down the path. This turned out to be a very bad plan as it seemed that getting out of the palace was much harder than getting in. He finally managed it just as the sun was going down and he was exhausted.

"This…is…stupid…" He panted as he tried to catch his breath after just outrunning a guard who thought he was chasing a lizard.

Suddenly a thought struck him. "It probably won't work…but…" He reached into his pack and pulled out the fairy ocarina. He looked at it for a moment then brought it to his lips. Softly and slowly he played one of his favorite songs: The Bolero of Fire. The notes echoed through the deserted town and when he lowered the ocarina from his lips, he paused. After a moment of silence, Link lowered the ocarina sighed.

"I didn't think it would work…this ocarina doesn't have magic…" He placed the ocarina back into his pack and began walking through the town. The dogs were just starting to come out and Link smiled as he watched them play. He reached the drawbridge and suddenly felt discouraged. He forgot that they locked it up at night. He sighed and leaned against it.

"I'll just…wait till morning." He said and closed his eyes.

He woke the next morning on the floor. A guard was staring at him curiously. Link blushed and stood up.

"You alright boy?" The guard asked.

Link nodded. "Yes…Yes I'm fine. I must have…fallen asleep."

The guard looked like he was about to lecture him so Link turned and ran outside. "Thanks though!" He yelled over his shoulder as he ran. Epona was just a few feet away, grazing happily, when Link ran up. She nuzzled him affectionately before he mounted her and they rode off to Karakiko Village. Without waiting to see if he could find Sheik again, Link ran through the town and straight to the closed gate.

Oh no…what if he doesn't let me through? He thought suddenly. He ran to the man who looked down at him and smiled.

"Oh it's you! The boy who brought me the Keaton Mask!" The guard laughed heartily. "Goin' p the mountain, eh? Okay, but don't say I didn't warn ya!" He laughed again and tapped his spear on the ground. The gate opened slowly and Link felt a wave of relief flow through him.

He waved personably at the guard and ran up past him and up into the mountains. The dangers were still there, as Link quickly learned when a large Red Tektite decided to jump on him from the upper cliff. Link screamed and rolled as the large leg sliced right through the skin on his arm – luckily his shield protected his back. He quickly pulled his sword and shield and stood in front of the beast as he turned, preparing for another attack. Before it could turn full circle, Link pounced and with a couple of slices, the creature laid motionless a trail of green blood running from the gaping wounds.

Link sighed and collapsed on his knees a moment to rest. He looked down at his arm, which was bleeding freely. It stung, but he'd seen worse. He ripped the bottom of his tunic and wrapped his arm tightly to stop the bleeding. Once he had it tied off, he sheathed his sword and continued running up the mountain, this time much more careful.

He knew he was drawing closer to the home of the Goron's when he heard the familiar tumbling sound. Turning the corner, he spotted Dodongo's Cavern surrounded by several Gorons, one of which happened to be Darunia. Link smiled when he spotted his old friend and ran to him.

"Hurry now, we must get the harvest. You know rocks are better when they're fresh!" Darunia was shouting. He turned when he heard Link approach and smiled.

"Ahh! Brother Link!" He smiled and held his arms wide.

Link hesitated and didn't come any closer. Darunia, not getting the hint moved forward and embraced the boy in a tight bear hug. Link choked and Darunia laughed.

"It's good to see you, Brother!" He said and finally let the boy go.

Link collapsed to the ground holding his chest as he tried to breathe again. He panted several times, trying to make words form, but when he couldn't, he just held up the Goron Ruby to Darunia.

"Ahh!" He said and took the stone. "Wonderful! Look everyone! Brother Link has returned the Goron Ruby!"

The other Goron's began cheering loudly and began to approach Link to thank him. Link shouted and backed up.

"I'm sorry but I have to go!" He shouted and ran in the opposite direction, back down the cliff. He stopped when he saw the carcass of the Tektite and sighed. "I love those guys…but they're dangerous…" He shook his head and walked the rest of the way down the mountain.

Link reemerged in Karakiko and looked out at all of the busy people. He smiled. It was nice to look out at the people and know they were living lives without fear of Ganondorf. He walked happily back into the village but paused at the large staircase leading back to the center of town. Over by the well, Sheik was, again, filling a large bucket. How much water did they need anyway? Link hesitated slightly, thinking.

When he first met Sheik…or who he thought was Sheik…they were in the Temple of Time. He had just been awakened after seven years of slumber and Sheik told him that Saria was in danger. Link remembered being slightly confused by the way the boy spoke, always in riddles and such. He wondered if that was the Zelda part…or if Sheik would really do that one day.

When Link found out that Sheik was in fact Zelda in disguise, he remembered being disappointed. He was hoping that Sheik was a real boy because he had never had any male friends. His only true friends were Saria, Epona, Navi and Zelda. He had hoped that Sheik could be his friend too. Link smiled. This was his chance to have a male friend. Watching the young blond stumble through the town with the bucket of water Link made a decision: Sheik would be his friend. Smiling with the thought, Link ran down the stairs heading straight for, what he hoped, would be a new best friend.