DISCLAIMER: Same as before. I don't own anything related to Zelda or Nintendo or its creators or affiliates. And if you think I do, then you are a sad little person.

Flames are appreciated. Call it masochistic if you will. ;)

And to all you who've read it: Wow! I didn't think anyone'd actually read it. Much less review it. But thanks a ton, I do appreciate it, and sorry for the lack of updates. Computer crash and all that. I'll do more soon and hope to have the rest of it up by the end of the next coupla weeks if all goes well. Thanks:3

Sheik turned to face the sunlight, shielding his eyes irritatedly. Fantastic. He'd have no way in by cover of sunlight, but it couldn't be helped, after all. He needed to speak with Nabooru and he needed to do it now. Hopefully Link was nearly finished with the fire temple, but he had work to do: Ruto had had to be saved, for one.

She'd protested. "Eugh, you're a Shiekah! I want my Link-darling to come save me!" and she'd pouted. In the end, however, it came down to the fact that Sheik had more muscle mass and just plain wanted her to get the hell out of there more. Zoras or not, she was in danger being so close to such a large amount of ice. Well, he'd left her at Lake Hylia, hopefully safe under the fishing man's care for the time being. He was an honest sort of fellow.

His horse was tired. He patted her withers comfortingly and then urged her on, up the slope. "Come on, Renna. Just a little longer."

Well, at least Ganondorf hadn't been here yet. Or at least, it didn't look like it: The Gerudo camp was the exact same as it had always been. There were rumors around Hyrule that Ganondorf himself was a Gerudo; if that was true, then maybe he'd left this place alone. Destroy the world, save your home, that sort of thing. If the dark king was even into diplomacy, and that could hardly be expected seeing as how he'd refused to negotiate with any of the other monarchs in Hyrule.

Sheik thought back to the night seven years ago when he'd been standing in the royal throne room. The king had been alive then, and sitting on the throne, just as fat and stupid and oblivious as ever. But what could one do but advise? And that's what he'd done.

"Your majesty," he'd said, kneeling. "I bring terrible news. There is an evil uprising in the east, near the desert. Please, listen to me. The dark forces know that something is about to happen, and they're going to come for you if you don't move your armies now."

"Nonsense, nonsense, my boy! If there was any sort of thing going on, my royal spies would have told me!"

Sheik coughed. "Sir. I am a royal spy."

"Yes, but you're also Impa's student, and we all know how capricious she is." He traded a knowing look with the dark skinned man on his left. "Isn't that right, Ganondorf?"

Sheik had turned his red eyes up to the Gerudo king. "…The boy is clearly lying," Ganon drawled. "Assuming facts, jumping to conclusions. Looking for a promotion, just like the rest of them." He'd sneered at the guards standing along either wall. Sheik had risen onto one knee, gritting his teeth. Damn you, Ganon. Damn you and your lies.

"Father," princess Zelda had said from the other side. "What if he speaks the truth? I had a dream last night…"

The king gave a long winded sigh. "Zelda! No one believes your silly little dreams. They're the nuances of being a girl. Kindly shut up and let me rule, dear."

Sheik looked over to the girl, wanted to comfort her. She sat silent on her small gilded chair, her face turned towards her lap, hands clenching her skirt. But she wouldn't cry. Not in front of the entire court, and not in front of that demon. The Sheikah and princess exchanged looks, then looked towards Ganondorf simultaneously.

Ganondorf sneered. "Your majesty. If you wish, I shall accompany this…" he spat. "Runt, out of the castle. He is, after all, no more than that. How old are you, runt?"

"…Eleven," Sheik had responded, his eyes dark and glittering. He did not enjoy being made a mockery of.

"Yes, thank you, Ganondorf." The king smiled peaceably and sat back on his throne. The Gerudo walked forward and lifted Sheik up as if he were nothing more than a piece of paper, and then guided him towards the front entryway by one shoulder. Sheik stiffened; the fingers on his shoulder were moving as if they belonged to the hand of a friend, even a father, or a lover. It was a disconcerting feeling.

"You won't get away with this," he'd said as soon as they reached the palace entry. He didn't care who heard, though none were around, but apparently Ganondorf did. He struck Sheik across the face, hard. The boy flew back a few feet and hit a wall, sinking down:

"But I will. You see, now that the Hero of Time has been so kind as to open the Door for me, I possess the power to make any wish. And that's exactly what I've done. Hyrule will fall into a state of decay over the next seven years. They will try to fight, and try to resist me, but eventually I'll have everything I desire. Even that girl, Zelda. Even the Hero of Time will be mine to do with what I will.

Sheik fumed and got to his feet. "That's not true! The Hero will destroy you before you even get a chance to do that! And don't you DARE TOUCH ZELDA!" he roared, swinging wildly at the man. He didn't even care when Ganondorf grabbed him up by the scruff of his shirt and swung him out the gate, then signaled for it to be closed behind him. Sheik, however, did. He had risen to his feet and ran back to the wooden gate of the city, pounding violently against it with gloved hands. "LET ME IN! YOU'RE NOT GOING TO KILL THEM! GUARDS, GUARDS! SOMEBODY!" he'd yelled, banged, screamed. But none had come, and none would dare disobey the king's orders.

He was an outcast of the city now.

Sheik looked up as they reached a tent, then stopped and dismounted, tying Renna to a fence. "Heyo," he called. "Anyone home?"

A short, haggard-faced man appeared. "What do you want?" he snapped.

"Passage into the Gerudo temple."

The man gave a short, barking laugh. "It's the Gerudo's Hideout now, man. Don't you know that?"

Sheik nodded. "I haven't been in some time, but… tell me. Is Nabooru still the head?"

"As much as she ever was, man. But you'd best not go there. They're not kind to anyone they meet who isn't Gerudo."

Sheik gave a smirk and pulled the hood of his cloak up over his face. "Then they won't meet me," he said, and began to sprint towards the opening of the valley, where the city sprawled out beneath, a twinkling gem in the midday Hyrulian sun.

Guards everywhere. Why all the guards? What was there to be guarding? Sheik swung down from a rock pile into the fray of people, and was instantly halted by a Gerudo woman with a spear. "Who the hell are you?" she asked, her voice thick. "Pale-skin. Get the hell out of the valley and we won't hafta torture you, ya?"

Sheik shook his head. "I'm here to speak with Nabooru. It's a matter of political importance."

The woman narrowed her eyes. "Izzit now? Such an important man. Who the hell are you, anyways?" She reached up a hand and snatched off the hood of his cloak, revealing his face, still garbed in the customary white and blue of the Sheikah and hidden from view. But now the red eye talisman on his personage was apparent to all around. People stopped and stared, and the woman herself snatched him by one shoulder, then called out: "Stop! It's him!"

Instantly guards poured in from everywhere. "Wait!" Sheik protested. "I'm a friend of the country! Impa's student—" there was nothing more to say. They'd kill him. He retracted dual knives from his hips and began flaying them about, striking down guards wherever they grabbed him. He moved back through the throng of people, leapt up and over three, onto a ledge of a building. "Damn you, get away! Don't make me kill you—I'm looking for Nabooru!"

Apparently they didn't care. One woman snapped out a crossbow, two others a chain and flail. Well, wasn't this a happy little party? Sheik dodged the first round of bolts, leaping down and striking her across the face with his knife. She went down easily.

Now where were the other two?

In one second his ankle was caught by a chain. He went down, hard, and hit the ground with a muffled thud. A third guardswoman came running with the flail, and he sent a dagger through her arm before she had time to use it. He lunged out, knocking people off him as he did so, and leapt to a crouched position, ready to fight.

Two more attacked. He deposed each of them, though less easily now. He was losing his power quickly. He'd have to resort to magic if this kept up.

"If you resist, you will be killed!" someone yelled, and he turned to see five more guards, each aiming a crossbow at his chest. "Damn," he muttered, but didn't say anything more. He could avoid one, maybe two fleets of arrows, but not five. "Say and do nothing," one warned. "Drop your weapons."

"Wait," he said, dropping his weapons and putting up his hands. "I'm coming in the name of the kingdom of Hyr—" he didn't get any further. One of the women unleashed an array of arrows into his chest and abdomen.

What the fuck? He was trying to make peace here.

"I said not to speak," she said. "That was very foolish of you." And then he faded, and there was nothing but darkness to swallow him up. Endless, endless darkness with no beginning and no end and no way to get his bearings. .It was as if he was walking through a hallway, but every step was nearly impossible to make.

When he awoke, the first thing he did was remain completely and entirely still. The first rule of capture: never alert your captor you are awake.

Apparently whoever was there knew anyways. "Ah, so you're alive," the voice said.

Well, there was no use now. He opened both eyes tentatively to find he was strapped down by both ankles and wrists, his head against—what was this? Some kind of wood, and there was wood under him, too. He was on some kind of interrogation table. A row of devices lined the walls, and on the other side was a black wall with no windows or doors visible.

"They healed you. I wanted you to be kicking and screaming for this next bit. It's no fun if there's no fight involved."

Right, there was someone in the room, wasn't there? That voice sounded disgustingly familiar. It wrenched his stomach. But he couldn't see the face that belonged to the body. Until… until…

The figure stepped into the light, hands clasped leisurely behind their back.

Ganondorf.

He smiled at the Sheikah.

"Welcome back, Sheik," he whispered.