Disclaimer: I do not own anything in the Zelda Franchise... I wish I did.
Chapter 18 - Serenade of Water
"An underground market?" Link's question resonated with his quirked eyebrow, clearly showing his doubts.
"What's with that look of yours?" A very affronted Vahn chirped up in response, pointing an accusing finger to the lopsided grin showing at his blond friend's lips. "Sheik! You were there, tell him about the market and the weird guards standing at the entrance."
Both Link and Vahn shifted their gazes to the Sheikah walking a few paces behind them. The red-eyed blond raised his head a bit confused, so lost with his thoughts that he failed to hear the ongoing argument between the other two.
"Sorry, what was that?"
"The underground place inside that tent, remember?" Vahn pointed towards the direction they just hiked past. "Mister skeptical here doesn't believe me… even though he believes in little helping fairies."
This time Link just frowned, crossing his arms against his chest. "They exist."
"Yes, they do." Sheik said to try and assuage the sudden stiffness that hardened the hero's posture. "But what Vahn said is true too, Link."
His blond hero gave him a puzzled look, enough to make the Sheikah smile faintly behind his mask.
"You guys went on an adventure without me?" Now Link's suspicious face slowly turned into a hurt one.
"Not by choice." As the Hero had stopped walking to look at him, Sheik slowly strolled over toward him and placed a hand on the blonde's broad shoulder. "In a struck of luck… or bad luck, we ran across an abandoned tent in the middle of the forest. Of course, you know me well by now, I had to inspect the location."
Link gave back a simple nod, giving Sheik the chance to continue.
"During said inspection, both Vahn and I ended up crossing an ominous portal." Giving a soft tap on the Hero's back, Sheik motioned for them to keep walking as he started speaking again. "As Vahn has probably depicted for you, we came upon a pair of weird guards. Their encounter is hardly report notice… as most of that place anyway."
Somehow Link didn't quite believe that nothing of importance happened in there, but he decided to just give a short nod back in hope that Sheik would elaborate a bit more.
As the seconds passed, it became clear that the Sheikah wasn't keen on continuing this tale. And so Vahn took upon himself to say a lot more in a myriad of details, mostly very unimportant.
And so, they continued their walk for a very busy hour, with the red-haired boy commenting about books, the weird shops, even about the isolated hall of that place, and at that moment his tone grew a bit sadder.
"An ancient book?" Link commented as Vahn finally told him about his new tome.
"Not any ancient book, no sir." Shuffling around his heavy side bag, Vahn pulled out his new pride and joy, a sparkling grin on his lips. "This here is probably the first real treasure I found on my own. My master would bite his fingers off with jealousy if he saw me now."
Vahn's happiness is very infectious, making Link sport a smile as wide as his own. Nudging himself closer to the smaller boy, the blond reached with one hand and pointed to the heavy-looking book.
"Can I see it?" He asked and Vahn nodded promptly. Carefully handling the piece of history in his hands, Link slowly pinched the sides of the cover and opened the book on a random page. He looked, glanced, and shifted his gaze all around. Then he frowned. "I… can't read this."
"That's a given. It's a very old book, you know." Moving closer, Vahn reached over and took his book back. Holding it open, he hovered with his fingers over a few symbols. "I also can't read it normally. Well, I can read a few words and sentences, but to truly understand its content I will need something to help me translate."
Despite not fully grasping what his friend is talking about, Link was nodding firmly with a serious face. His attention then turned to Sheik that is now marching ahead of them. "Oiii, Sheik! Did you get a treasure too?" Link's voice echoed faintly across the open field.
His hero's voice rang true, getting Sheik's attention in full. And yet the Sheikah didn't turn to look at them instantly. Twitching ever so slightly, his left-hand gliding in a soft touch against the pouch on his belt, his thoughts going to spectacles with odd-colored lenses.
"Sheik?" Link called out to him again, this time a touch of concern on the Hero's voice.
Slowly the blond turned back, his scarlet eye shifting back to the approaching duo. "I… Excuse me, what did you say?"
A full look of concern appeared on Link's face. Moving closer, he gave a soft touch on Sheik's arm, his eyes never leaving the other blonde's masked face. "Are you okay? Feels like something is burdening your thoughts."
Reaching with his free arm, Sheik pressed his hand on top of Link's own. A soft and warm touch was exchanged in the simplest way possible. "Link, I'm well, truly."
Link's response was a warm and genuine smile. "Then? Did you get a treasure in that market too?"
Sheik looked right onto those big blue eyes, his expression not changing one bit behind his mask. "No, I didn't. My primary concern at the time was to get out of that place safely."
"Is that so?" Link said a little disappointed.
"At least Vahn found his, right?" Sheik replied with a friendly voice, getting another smile out of Link. Vahn, however, looked at him with a hint of confusion in his green eyes.
Letting go of his hold on Sheik's arm, Link turned his attention to the road ahead, happily humming a song as he began his march anew.
Sheik and Vahn, though, stood side by side in a silent argument being exchanged with just a few short glances.
"So, I'll have you guys know that you two were not the only ones having a few surprises last night." Link proudly boasted with a puffed chest and a cocky grin. Taking both hands up, he laced his fingers against the back of his head and gave his friends a mischievous look.
This forced the other two to end their silent conversation, both eagerly waiting for the Hero to continue with whatever he was going. Yet, the blue-eyed blond just continues to walk in silence, giving them a few glances and even letting out a few giggles each time they looked at him with frowned brows.
"Link!"
"Link…"
Both called out to him, one squealing loudly in exasperation while the other just grumbled with the roll of an eye.
Their reaction pleased the hero enough for him to spin around and grin even more. "Heheh, check this out."
Clenching his right fist tight, Link raised his arm and held the back of his hand forward. With a flash of light, the shining golden form of the Triforce Courage came to life, it's color and shape more defined than ever before.
"The Triforce… it's different?" Sheik appraised the symbol with cautious curiosity, a light frown hidden on his masked face.
Vahn quickly hopped his way closer to Link, reaching with both hands to try and touch the heavenly symbol, only for his fingers to pass through the golden light and touch Link's gloved hand. "Woah, it feels so real. I almost feel that I can touch it, but still can't."
"Awesome, right?" Link beamed happily.
Sheik watched the Hero with contemplating silence, his ruby gaze going from the Triforce to Link's silly grin. For some reason, the young Sheikah felt deeply disturbed by the sudden change of that light.
"It happened last night?" Sheik asked, giving a subtle nod toward the golden triangle. "Could you describe what happened? In details if possible."
Quirking one eyebrow ever so slightly, Link replied with a nod as he pulled his hand back forcing the golden light to disappear. "After you guys trailed off somewhere else, I went back to my sword training. You know, even if I can swing it with a lot of force and precision, it feels like I lack something… maybe its experience or proper skill…"
"Link… please, focus." Sheik said in a neutral tone, trying to reign the other blonde's ramblings.
"Oh, yeah, the Triforce. Anyway, while I was training hard to gain control of my movements with a sword, my body was starting to get really tired. Then, out of nowhere, a felt a surge of energy course through me." Running his hands across his chest and belly, Link gave a visual cue of how he felt. "Gone was my fatigue. Even that sore ache I had on my shoulders disappeared. Then my hand started glowing and a flash of light went -fuush- all around me. Next thing I know the Triforce was even bigger and flashier than before."
Listening with the attention of a falcon, Sheik studied not only Link's words but also his mannerism. "Did you feel stronger at the time? Do you feel stronger now?"
The Hero glanced at his hands, closing and opening them. "I think so." He replied sheepishly.
"Like that day at the Death Mountain?" Vahn jumped in.
"Maybe… I don't remember much about that day. I felt so exhausted and then I slept for days. But yeah, my body feels different. A bit lighter." He pulled the Master Sword from its sheath and gave a few slashes against the wind as to prove his point.
"Hm… perhaps your body is adapting to this power?" Vahn theorized. "It's not unheard of. An external force invades your organism, maybe it can take some time to assimilate all of it."
"Please don't treat the gift of the Goddesses like a disease." Sheik said quietly, shaking his head.
"It's just a theory… never knows." The red-haired boy defended his point, raising both hands in front of him.
"Maybe you're right, Vahn. But whatever happened, it feels awesome. It's like I could face anything right now." Link proudly proclaimed, slashing the wind a few more times before sheathing his sword again.
Link's optimism was contagious for the red-haired scholar. Both he and the Hero began sharing silly chirps and laughter, resuming their march towards their goal without much care in the world.
Sheik on the other hand was growing more suspicious and concerned at each supposition popping on his mind.
Nothing in his life was ever so simple as just gaining power out of nowhere without a cost. It feels even worse when this unexpected miracle involves Link, nothing is really ever straightforward around the aloof Hero.
This deeply concerns the Sheikah. It terrifies him. Just the thought of what price could be demanded from Link, makes his teeth grith in tension.
"Oiii, Sheik!" Link's cheerful voice called out for him, pulling the Sheikah away from his troubling thoughts. "Look, it's Lake Hylia." The Hero pointed out, quite literally, as he is standing at the edge of the road with his arm trained towards the huge body of water.
Watching Link looking at him with a shining smile on his lips, was enough for the Sheikah to take a deep breath and just smile back.
Maybe he is just overreacting.
Maybe, just like Link always says, everything is going to be fine.
"Gaaahh… bleeergh… Aaahh!"
Vahn's coughing fit is a spectacle in itself. The sounds of his overblown theatrics bouncing around the icy-blue walls of the temple.
"Why in the goddesses forsaken grace would someone build a stupid temple underwater?" He complained loudly, arching forward with both hands on his knees, the upper part of his face hidden beneath his soaked hair.
Link, not really fazed by the strenuous task of diving into such a large body of water, just shrugged at his friend's antics. Instead, the Hero diverted his attention to the ruins around him. Without much ceremony, he began to walk and glance all around, leaving Sheik to deal with the distressed Vahn.
Noticing this the young Sheikah shot a small glare towards the other blond. Yet, despite his internal complaints, Sheik walked over to his small friend and placed a supporting hand on his back.
Vahn gave a quick grateful smile to his friend, then he sighed. "Seriously, why build this here if people have to half drown to death to reach it?" He grumbled in a complaint. "If you ask me, this makes a temple very unappealing for a prayer or whatever people used to do here."
"A temple beneath water doesn't look unappealing if you are a Zora." Sheik explained and instantly Vahn's mouth went open letting out an 'oohh' sound. "Come, we need to be alert. Remember, this is a holy temple just like the one inside the volcano. Goddesses know what may inhabit this place."
With Vahn's situation settled, the pair of friends brought their attention to the gargantuan cave system that is this temple. And of course, with a spare moment of distraction on their part was enough for Link to disappear somewhere else.
Having only but the light footprints left by the hero's boots on the wet surface, they decided to prioritize the first floor of the temple in search of any hostile force.
Their first-round went in the main hub of the first floor. A place as damp and humid as it is eerie, with each step taken getting sunk into sand or a puddle of murky water. This temple would probably be a very inoffensive one compared to the previous one surrounded by fire and lava; if not by the numerous corpses littering the sand.
More than a half-dozen Blue Tektites were left butchered without remorse, most of them split in half by what looks like a heavy slash of a powerful blade. On a lonely corner on the opposite side from the entrance, are the remains of three Lizalfos and the broken bones of a Stalfos, all sporting the same type of slashing damage in their wounds.
"I don't think we can assume Link did this… can we?" Vahn said a little scared, slowly inching closer to press himself behind Sheik.
Kneeling over the dead bodies and the broken bones, Sheik examined them with a careful touch, his uncovered red-eye going from slash to gash. "I don't think we can, Vahn… These wounds look old, at least one or two days old. These Lizalfos are already decomposing."
"G-Got any clue on what or who may have done this?" Vahn asked.
Sheik stood up, his gaze still lingering on those dead creatures. "Whatever did this, they are dangerous. That much is clear from those wounds."
"Maybe we should look for Link." The startled red-haired suggested.
"Yes… maybe we should."
After two horrible experiences in these holy temples, this one is looking to be a weirdly pleasant one for Link.
Sure, there is a lot of water and a lot of diving and swimming, his clothes are drenched too. But compared to being stabbed in the back, or almost getting burned to death, this moist stroll is a very pleasant change in his book.
Knowing how diligent Sheik is with his scouting, Link decided to leave the first floor for him and Vahn. As soon as he noticed the weird cracks on the wall as easy spots for him to shoot his Hookshot into, Link swiftly made his way to the second floor and then to the third one.
At first on what started on a nostalgic exploration of a scary old dungeon, slowly began to turn into the ugly and real situations Link has sadly grown accustomed to.
It began in a dead-end room buried into a thin hallway, hidden so far in the back of this temple that Link only found it because of his hunger for adventure. As the wet wooden door slid itself open, the humble breakfast Link had earlier almost came flying out from his mouth.
This room isolated in the back of the temple reeks of death; this room is darkened with a miasma of decay.
Link didn't have to waste more than a few seconds to see the group of dead people lying on the ground. All of them wearing long grey coats, filled with weird-looking purple runes knitted on the old clothing. All of them are now covered in their own dried blood. All dead.
Quickly the stench became too much, the sight of these dead people became too much.
With tumbling steps, the young Hero scattered back to where he came. His sight was blurred by the horrible sight in that place, by the disturbing contrast of that one single room compared to the rest of the until now peaceful temple.
The moist clean air of the main cavern came as a shock, startling Link to his surroundings. Now, for the first time since he began his careless stroll around this place, he began to notice the small but visible signs scattered around him.
From the sandy ground of the first floor to even the blueish-gray tileset of where he stands, there are monsters' corpses all around. Blinking a few times to shake away his stupor, he moved closer to the edge and stepped over the severed leg of a Blue Tektite.
A choked gasp pushed against his closed lips, the sudden change of his surroundings overwhelming Link for a moment.
Then his eyes landed on the two familiar figures walking in his direction from the first floor. Seeing Sheik and Vahn was enough to keep Link from having a short outburst.
"Liiink!" Vahn's shout echoed from down there, bouncing on the hollow halls from the second and the third level. "Be careful, okay? Sheik thinks there's a scary thing around here killing all those monsters."
A soft scoff played at his lips. The image of that cursed room behind him flashed in his thoughts.
"You guys be careful too. Just now I saw…" Something caught Link's attention, a brief glint at the corner of his eyesight. Instantly his eyes traveled to where this glint came from, for a small moment he saw a tall figure standing on the opposite end of this level. Then with a blink of his eyes, there was nothing in there just the faint lines of running water.
"What?" Vahn called out for him again. "I couldn't hear the last part."
Instead of shouting back, Link just raised his hand and gave a little wave down to Vahn. His attention and focus are now totally directed to somewhere else.
That glint, that silhouette just now. That was no illusion, it didn't feel like one. Just like the Forest Temple and the Fire temple after it, this was an invitation for catastrophe. At the first time, he almost lost his life… and in that Volcano, Darunia lost his.
"Not again…" Link breathed the words out past gritted teeth. "I will not wait for death to catch me unaware. This time I will catch you."
Pulling his Hookshot from his pouch, Link aimed to the broken panel at the wall of the giant pillar in the middle of the temple. From where he stands, the chains would never reach so far away. And so, he took a few steps back and ran forward at full speed before jumping in the air and shooting forward.
The tip hit true and the chains pulled him over the thin floor next to the pillar.
"Link!" He heard the cries from below. This time it is Sheik called out to him, a certain edge on the Sheikah's voice.
"Sorry Sheik…" Link's reply was but a soft whisper. "I can't put you or Vahn at risk. This is my fight."
Giving just one last glance down toward that scarlet eye he likes so much, Link got his sights over the wall on the other side, looking for a place for his Hookshot. As he found it, his legs broke into a full sprint, ignoring the loud cries coming from below.
"Link! Link! DAMMIT! I knew he would do something like this." The Sheikah growled in frustration as he watched the Hero jump out from the edge of a platform and pull himself with his Hookshot to another part of the temple.
"Wha—Where is he going?"
"Danger, what else? Remember Volvagia Vahn, this place is not safe. Every temple is cursed and haunted by a powerful creature. The Forest Temple was the same, this one will not be different." Clenching his fists, the young Sheikah began passing back and forward, his frown practically visible under his mask. "Link aims to fight this creature by himself again."
Glancing up to where Link disappeared, Vahn looked at Sheik with a puzzled look. "Isn't that what he is supposed to do? You told me about those trials. The trials the Hero of Time must face."
"Yes, true, but… every single time I came so close to losing him. Vahn… I saw Link bleed so much from a traitorous blow, he fainted… I thought he would die." A sinking feeling of desperation grew inside the Sheikah's chest. Something feels off, this entire temple feels disconnected, purged of its presence and curse.
And yet there is this shadow of calamity hovering over them, a sensation that keeps telling Sheik that only death is waiting up there.
Sharing the uneasiness of his friend, Vahn began to scrabble with his thoughts in search of anything that could help them. His eyes traveled up, down, left and right. He glanced at each floor and wall he could see, biting his fingernail at the mental stress.
Then, a small light flourished in his thoughts.
"Sheik." He called out the blond Sheikah. Moving through the things inside his heavy bag, Vahn pulled out a sturdy rope. "Maybe we can climb the wall?"
Reaching for the rope, Sheik gave out a small hopeful smile. However, his frown quickly returned. "If I had a bow and arrow, maybe I could tie this rope somewhere, but…" He pulled out one of his throwing knives, cursing his lack of preparation.
"Can you throw this?" Vahn offered his Chakram. "Even if I put all my strength into my arms, there's no way I can throw it all the way up there."
Taking the exotic weapon in his hand, Sheik gave his red-haired friend an odd glance. "I, probably could." He looked to the distant wall up in the third level, measuring the weight of the Chakram. "But we can't tie a rope to this. Not only it would weigh it down, as the Chakram spun in the air it would get entangled and fall."
A friendly snort came from the small scholar, his hands already reaching for something else in his back. "Sure, we can't tie a rope to it before throwing. But I sure as hell can do something about it if you land my Chakram up there."
Sheik watched quietly as Vahn pulled out a small parchment and began writing an elaborate unknown sigil on it. Then, the boy licked the backside of the paper and did his best to stick it on the handle of his weapon.
"So, can you land the hit?" He asked, giving a certain amount of confidence on his idea that in turn made Sheik node with just as much certainty.
Stepping back enough for his sight and aim be clear on his target on the highest wall at the cavern, Sheik arched his upper body, winding his left arm in the perfect spot.
Releasing the weapon with one precise swing, Sheik launched the Chakram onto the wall far up. The swirling blade cut through air and droplets of water, singing an unrefined tune in its flight.
Then the drumming of metal clashing against hard stone exploded from above, the ringing sound of the Chakram sinking deep in its target making both Vahn and Sheik smile triumphally.
"Okay… okay… If I remember this right. Then I should put the gamma pattern here…" Quickly Vahn began to scribble another sigil on another piece of paper. As he was done, he quickly tied the tip of the rope in a firm knot, placing the paper in the middle. "Please master, let this one lesson of yours be true, pleaaseeee… -Ahhh!"
"Vahn!" Sheik rushed toward his friend as a flash of purple flame erupted from within the rope.
"I'm fine, it's fine." Vahn replied, even if those sudden flames left a few black spots on his face. "It worked… Hahahah, it worked, look!"
Just as Vahn announced his success, a roll of brown rope came slithering down from above, startling Sheik's gaze towards it. Then he saw how out of nowhere the rope that was sitting on Vahn's lap, it now firmly tied onto the Chakram that is firmly placed on the wall.
"That was fantastic, Vahn. I didn't know scholars were able to cast magic like that."
Vahn's cheek grew red, but his lips parted in a smug grin. "Well, not every scholar can. That's for sure."
"Are you sure that your Chakram will hold?" Sheik asked, not particularly fond of the idea of falling from such a high place.
"As long as I don't break the enchantment, it will. Come, let me prove it to you." Without any prompts from his friend, Vahn took upon himself to climb the ropes, pulling it far enough for him to press his feet against the moist cavern wall.
It surprised Sheik, to see Vahn act with so much courage and selflessness. It was enough for him to smile and be grateful for meeting the spirited young man.
Sheik waited only until Vahn had climbed far enough to give him room, then the Sheikah grabbed hold of the rope and began climbing after his friend.
Their vertical path felt very awkward and difficult for the first half, much of it because of the running water sliding down on the wall, but also because of how spontaneous their solution to this problem was.
However, after crossing the threshold of the second level, their climbing became much smoother and practically doubled in speed. At the pace they achieved at this point it would only take a few minutes for them to reach their goal.
Yet,
"Aaah, stop. Please, stop!" Vahn screeched all of a sudden. His high-pitched voice almost made Sheik stumble his hold on the rope.
"Vahn?! What's wrong? Is the Chakram slipping?" In a matter of moments, Sheik was ready to grab his friend and try to make a forced landing on the platform of the second floor in the worst case.
"N-No, not that! There's something up there, Sheik. I saw it, I swear I saw two huge eyes looking at me." Sounding more and more scared, Vahn halted in place, now practically sitting on top of Sheik's head.
One very annoyed sigh escaped the young Sheikah's lips. "Vahn, we can't waste time here. Just climb, I am right after you. If something is there, I can handle it."
"Then you climb first." Vahn replied meekly.
"And How would I accomplish that with you above me?" Sheik angrily argued back.
"Just climb past me. I-I-I am small, you know that. There is no way I am climbing this, Sheik. Please don't make me. Someone is watching us. LOOK! IS THERE AGAIN!" Almost swinging the rope left and right, Vahn's agitation is getting to a dangerous point. "Shoo you big-eyed thing, stop freaking me out!"
"Vahn… I swear if you don't climb this rope… Don't even worry about what is up there, I will kill you MYSELF!"
"S-Sheik… that look in your eyes is really scaring me."
"THEN CLIMB!"
It hurts to leave them behind like this, it hurts even more to walk away while hearing Sheik screaming his name with so much desperation in his voice.
"No, I can't stop here. Even if he will hate me for it."
And so, the Hero pressed on. Leaving behind the two he cherishes so much; he turned his gaze to the only path ahead of him.
His cerulean eyes landed on a surprising beautiful scenery. Different from the rest of this Temple, this particular part is not in ruins. Instead, in front of the Hero, lies a charming set of pristine staircases.
Each step is made of teal-colored marbles, defined and stylized with masterful carvings. At each corner of this stairway runs a little stream of crystalline water, so pure and clean that despite its constant movements, looking at it feels like staring at a mirror.
However, as in everything that surrounds Link these days, there still are crude reminders of the corruption and evil even in this majestic piece of masonry.
A thick line of purple goo is zigzagging its way down the flight of stairs, staining its light tone with a bloated feeling of dread.
This purple liquid is very familiar to his eyes and even to his nose. He has seen it a fairly big number of times, has felt its stench, and sometimes even had the bitter awful taste when some spilled in his mouth when he defeated a bigger monster.
By this point the sight of monster blood or corpses doesn't have much effect on him, Link has grown used to it, even if deep down it unnerves him his lack of emotion about gore.
Still, there is something about this single line of blood that is disturbing him. Following this slim snaking trail of purple up the stairs, his eyes settled on the very large marble door standing imponent and immovable ahead of him.
Carved at the cold stone of this door lies only a few figures; A giant eye staring down from the sky and bellow a shining symbol of the Triforce, the whole complete set. While at the bottom there are four sets of waves, parting right in the middle, one side going to the left and the other going to the right.
Only when his fingers pressed against the wet and cold surface of the door that Link realized he has climbed the stairs. Just with a simple touch, the door began to rumble furiously, its sides shaking with force to then casually slide itself up to reveal the way in.
His next few steps went also without notice or perhaps without care.
Only interested in the heavy fog in front of him, Link entered this new room squinting his eyes to try and see anything, anyone. But his only company is the blurry color of white clouds and the soft sound of his boots stepping over a thin layer of water.
"Hello… Anyone there?" Link asked, and instantly his response was nothing but a faint echo of his own words.
Just as his disappointment on the lack of replies was starting to set in, a gust crossed from the opposite side of the room, carrying the thick mist with it and its sounds where nothing like any rush of winds Link has ever heard.
"Link!"
"This is not your destiny."
"Not your path."
"This should never have happened to you."
Each blow of wind pushing Link back carries a string of words, voices stolen and scattered in the air. They all sound the same, the same tone, the same voice, the same sadness, and anguish.
The voice of a desperate old man.
"Link… I leave you now with heavy heart, but I did what needed to be done… and so will you when the time comes." A stronger gush washed over the Hero, blowing away a large portion of the mist, making waves in the small body of water beneath his feet.
A single drop of tear escaped his right eye, almost seamless as if an emotion before unknown to him finally resurfaced from within. A feeling of longing, sadness over the departure of a beloved person.
This old man, the owner of this burdened and yet fatherly voice, feels strangely close to Link. And deep down, the hero knows he lost this person before even meeting him.
"Never falter before the darkness… Hero of Time."
"RAAAURUUUUUUUUU!" A second voice exploded around the room. Powerful like a thunderclap, seething and ravenous, carrying so much power that even a mountain would bow to its weight.
For the first time in a long while, Link felt utterly shocked. This second voice, the one carrying so much hatred and hurt. It was his voice. Never he would mistake it, yet it felt so different, so unlike him.
But before the Hero could ponder on the meanings of this weird illusion, the overlapping mist surrounding the room disappeared, it recoiled back to the sideways of the room.
This revealed chamber in its entirety, even if it makes even less sense than the thick mass of fog.
Looking left and right, Link can see only an endless horizon of nothingness. There is only the ground made of colorless marble with a thin veil of water over it. Behind him, the door from where he came from disappeared, and up ahead there is only but a single island made of sand with a dried dead tree standing in its center.
Ever the curious spirit, Link strolled over toward the small island, unperturbed by the impossibility of the chamber he is currently in.
Carefully he extended his gloved hand to the trunk of the tree. With his touch he felt nothing but cold hardness, this tree has lost its life and warmth long ago.
With the corner of his eyes, he saw the gloom of an object just above. Shifting his gaze upwards, he saw the remains of broken chains. The metal darkened and shattered, yet still carrying some of its magic despite its state.
Once again, the fearless Hero moved to reach with his hand. However, as the tip of his finger touched the surfaced of the broken chains, the entire thing collapsed down into the sand, and not long after it crumbled into tiny pieces of dust getting mixed with the golden grains.
Suddenly, the quiet sound of running water faded out of existence. A cold shiver ran down Link's spine. Startled by the deafening silence, he shifted his gaze back, right, and then left. Only when his blue eyes diverted to where he came from, he saw the shape of a person standing on the ground where he came from.
Unconsciously, Link took a set of three steps back. He blinked more than once, trying to undo the illusion presenting itself in front of him. Yet, at each time he tried to blink away, it became more real.
Standing there right in front of him is a man of perfect resemblance to him. There is no other way of describing this man, but Link. A pale-skinned Link. A Link with terrifying red eyes. A Link dressed in an exact copy of his tunic, legging, bots, and even the hat, all in a very dull grey color.
A Link wielding a darkened version of the Master Sword.
"Who are you?" Link asked with a straight voice, pushing himself forward with one step.
The person in front of him didn't reply. They only stood there, watching, always watching.
Link grew impatient, the sight of this disturbing clone of his making him nervous. "Ganondorf, I don't know what games you're playing here, but it won't work! I won't fall for another one of your illusions like in the Forest Temple!"
No response again. However, the mention of Ganondorf's name was enough to get a chuckle out of the pale-looking Link.
Taking a daring step forward, Link challenged the illusion to match him. And match this other Link did. One step, with the same distance and speed.
Link took another one, to test the other's reaction, and once more he was matched with an equal step.
A rush exploded inside his chest, an alien feeling, coming like a storm to his thoughts.
'Destroy it…' A warning flew across his mind, a warning made by the fatherly voice he heard earlier. 'Link, you must destroy it… This abomination, Destroy it!'
Shaking his head, Link tried to ignore the words. It didn't feel like him. This felt like the darkness he had freed himself after Volvagia, he doesn't want to go back to that, he doesn't need it.
'Link!' The voice desperate called out again, but this time Link shut it off for good. Still, the anger and frustration were left in him, with him.
"Enough with the tricks! Enough with the underhanded illusions. Face me like a warrior, Ganondorf!" He growled his annoyance at this dark clone of himself. The pale Link smirked at his word, grating on Link's nerves. "I said ENOUGH!"
Dashing forward, Link drew his sword in a downward arc, slashing with full strength towards the walking illusion of himself.
The sound of metal clashing against metal exploded in front of him.
Different from what Link expected, this made-up clone of him reacted with the same speed as his, meeting his weapon with a slash of their own. Stuck in a struggle of strength, Link glared at those red eyes, growing even more confused than before.
"What… are you?" He asked between gritted teeth.
His response was a low chuckle and a powerful kick in his chest.
Groaning loudly in pain, Link went sliding backward against the wet floor. Pressing the tip of the Master Sword against the ground, he managed to grind into a halt, quickly pressing his free hand against his chest.
That kick, a simple kick, hurt more than a tackle from Volvagia. It feels so real, so painfully real. If that blow had any more force to it, Link would probably have broken a few of his ribs.
Raising his gaze, Link stared at that thing with a new realization. That man looking at him with a raised sword, they are dangerous, more so than a fire-breathing dragon.
Pressing a tighter hold on the Master Sword's handle, Link pulled himself up and instantly went into another charge.
He jumped forward at full speed and holding his weapon with both hands, he brought it down into a powerful slash.
Reacting with ease, the other Link leaped to the side and as Link slashed nothing, the pale warrior jumped into a slash of his own.
Trying to prevent a fatal blow, Link reached for his shield and awkwardly raised it against the incoming blade. Without tempo and in a bad position, his block managed only to diminish the full blunt force of his opponent's strike, the dark blade still managed to graze its sharp edge onto the Hero's side, making him scream loudly in pain.
Pressing one hand against his wound, Link saw his glove get tainted with red. The adrenaline numbed the pain, but the sight of blood showed him that the wound he received is deep enough to make him bleed quite a lot.
Holding the Master Sword in front of him, Link stumbled a few paces to the left, enough for him to straighten his pose. "What in the spirits' names are you?!"
The other Link just smiled, pointing the blood-stained sword in his direction.
Leaping to the left, Link tried to elude his opponent with a fast spin of his sword. As he reached closer to his target, Link forced his right foot to take the full support of his body and jumped to the left to swipe an upwards slash onto the pale warrior's open side.
Stepping once to the right and then taking a large step forward, the red-eyed Link pushed his shield against the core of Link's stance, bashing the incoming slash before it could take full force. And in quick retaliation, they brought their darkened blade into a full thrust toward Link's chest.
Ducking right and throwing his right arm up as fast as he could, Link parried the thrust away, but the force of the blow tackled him onto the thin layer of water on the floor.
Using the Master Sword as support, Link pulled himself up, taking a long breath to try and regain his posture.
Irritation would not even begin to describe what Link feels right now. He is irate, furious, and worried. Most of the time he relied on his speed and power to overcome his opponents, some of them he relied mostly on speed, on others, he just overwhelmed them with the weight of his sword.
This enemy has him matched. Speed and power.
At each breath he takes, Link imagines a way to attack this man, yet in his own imagination, he can see them making a reaction, a counter. It is enough to give Link pause.
However, the warm sensation trickling down his side reminds him that time has turned into an enemy in itself.
'If neither power nor speed is good enough… ha… ha… then, there's only the Kokiri way of fighting left.' With his thoughts on the spirited and ingenious children of the forest, Link placed his shield on his back and focused his stance only on his right side, with the dominant arm he holds his weapon.
Bouncing left and right, Link attempted to dive in with a few fake outs. The first two attacks were met with a proper response, the other Link reaching with his sword to parry the incoming blade. After that, the pale warrior just stood there, watching as Link jumped around him, circling the area in an odd pair of movements.
Needlessly jumping around was tiring Link very quickly, the wound on his side helping quite a lot in making his body slower. But he needed to keep this up until he got to where he envisioned his position, and so he bounced and slashed, keeping in check his opponent's position.
When the figure of the man in front of him aligned with a blurry silhouette on the back it was when Link fully turned to his aggression. He leaped forward, slashing in an arc. As he was parried again, he danced to the side and tried to reach one of his opponents' legs. The other Link jumped over the swing, managing to connect a swift kick at Link's right shoulder.
Another powerful kick that hurt like a boulder, yet this was the opening Link was waiting for. Pulling his left arm from behind him, Link didn't even aim his Hookshot, he simply let the chains fly in the air toward its target.
The phantom warrior masterfully dodged to the side, letting the chains fly past him. And was ready to give Link another condescending smirk, but a loud 'thud' sound forced his attention behind him, only to see the Hookshot sting the side of the dried tree.
As the chains began to pull rapidly, Link came flying through the air, sword ready to cut in an arc.
Proving its formidable speed once more, the other Link was fast enough to raise his shield for the blow. But he was not ready for the weight and force of Link's attack.
Using both his physical strength and the momentum of his Hookshot, Link came crashing with unstoppable force upon his enemy. He felt the impact, he heard the painful scream coming from them, but he went too fast to see what he had hit and how well it had worked.
Only when he bounced against the tree and landed on his feet that he could turn and look at his opponent lying on the ground.
Gasping and coughing loudly, the other Link looked at his trembling arm, his darkened shield bent and mostly destroyed by the blow it tried to block. His red eyes then traveled to the light cut crossing the lower side of his belly, deep enough to mark his skin, but not enough to bleed much.
"Hah! How did you like that one?" Link cheered with a cocky grin, enjoying the burning glare he is receiving.
Tossing his useless apparel on the floor, the pale warrior raised to his feet yet again. Calmly reigning in his boiling anger, he reached for something in his own pouch and held his still trembling arm behind his back.
Looking down at his left hand, Link tried to reason that it would be impossible for that person to have it. Yet a little voice of his own told him that after everything that happened to him, nothing was impossible anymore.
And so, he watched and waited as his opponent began to run after him. Putting his Hookshot back on his pouch, Link held the Master Sword with both hands, already predicting what would come.
With little deviation from what he expected, this evil version of him came as close as he could and then pulled a Hookshot of his own, aiming to replicate the same trick Link just pulled.
Link waited patiently until the chains flew into the air, that was his cue to jump forward and ready himself to meet his opponent before he could pull himself with the chains.
However, as Link leaped closer to intercept his opponent, the other Link just let go of his Hookshot, letting the chains fly by themselves towards the tree, and instead, he held his darkened sword with both hands, charging it with a powerful golden glow.
Blue eyes widened in realization as that dark Master Sword came flying at him imbued with magic. At the distance they are from one another, Link had time only to strike forward and try to meet that blade head-on.
Speed, power, and now ingenuity. His opposition matched him yet again, and this time he came crashing upon Link with the full might of the holy sword.
Link's cry echoed across the room; his body went flying at full speed towards the seamless infinite horizon. Then his back crashed against a hard surface, breaking and destroying the imposing door, and still, he didn't stop going.
It was only when he flew past the beautiful staircase outside that his back touched the floor, forcing him to slide four flights before he stopped close to the small stream of running water.
Dizzy and overwhelmed with pain, Link had only a moment to gloss over his surroundings and see the blurred image of two people running towards him.
"Link!"
Sheik's voice was the last thing he heard before the world darkened around him.
"Link! Link! Damn your stubbornness, I knew you would do something reckless, why can't you wait for once?" Despite Sheik's angry scolding, the Hero showed no signs of response. Quickly the Sheikah's vexation turned into panic.
Kneeling next to the unconscious blond, Vahn pulled his friend closer, resting Link's head on his lap. "L-Look, his tunic is soaked with blood." Carefully pressing a touch of his hand on at reddened spot, his gaze went up in frantic desperation.
Working swiftly, the barely composed ninja knelt next to Link and pulled the soaked tunic and undershirt up. A low hiss escaped his lips at the sight of the open wound, his eyes lingering on the lacerated skin for a moment, while his hands instantly began to shuffle inside his pouch.
"Vahn, I'll need you to hold him tight, and please keep his tunic up." After receiving a firm nod from his red-haired friend, Sheik took a small bottle with transparent liquid from his pouch, and after pulling the lid open with his teeth, he soaked a small piece of clean white cloth and pressed it against the leaking gush.
Both he and Vahn cringed at the scream flying from the hero's mouth, the pain so fierce burning through his senses that it dragged him from his unconscious state.
"S-Sheik…?" Link faintly asked. The light in his eyes was still a bit glossy.
"Shhh, don't move, please. I need to close this wound." Sheik said softly, trying to soothe the Hero with his calm tone.
Link shook his head weakly, pushing his upper body up and causing another pain-filled grunt to escape his lips. "N-No time… He is there… He is coming. I can feel it…"
Giving a light push back, Sheik tries to press Link back down. Given how weak the other blond feels at the moment, Sheik had little trouble in his effort, much to Link's annoyance. "Link, please let me work on this wound. You may bleed to death."
"I won't let him… hurt you…" Link defiantly tried to pull himself up, but this time Vahn was the one holding him down, pressing his small hands against the Hero's shoulder.
"Who is him, Link?" Sheik asked concerned, his ruby gaze focused on Link's gloomy azure eyes. "Just sit quietly for a moment, will you? The faster you let me treat your wound, the sooner we can get out of here."
"S-S-Sheeeik!" Vahn squealed loudly, the sudden shiver on his body making Link shake as well.
Throwing a small annoyed glance towards the small scholar, Sheik saw his red-haired friend pointing with a shaking arm to something to his left.
Following the direction of Vahn's finger, the Sheikah uncovered red-eye trailed upwards on the marble staircase, until it got to a very familiar figure.
Opening his mouth to say something, Sheik could only gasp and look down back at Link. Then his gaze went back towards that person up the stairs and then down to the darkened blade stained with blood.
"Vahn, can you treat his wounds?" Sheik asked his friend without taking his eyes from that red-eyed Link. "Just make sure to pressure and wrap it with gauze."
Link tried to shake Vahn's hands away, rising a trembling hand toward the Sheikah. "You can't… Sheik, you can't. I won't let you."
"Vahn!" Sheik shouted, scaring the red-haired boy out of his stupor.
"Y-Yes! I-I can. Don't worry about us, I will keep Link safe." Finally tearing his gaze away from the familiar stranger, Vahn quickly began to work with the pieces of cloth next to him.
Giving a grateful smile to the terrified boy, Sheik reached for the Master Sword lying on the floor. As his fingers took a firm grip on its handle, he felt like the weight of the world was put on his shoulders. It stiffened his body as if something was draining his stamina without him taking a single step.
Holding the holy word in his hands made him appreciate Link even more. The realization of the burden carried by his hero, how much of a toll it takes on the body. Not a day goes by without the easygoing boy surprising him in a new way.
Shaking off his amazement for the moment, Sheik postured himself in front of Link and Vahn. He waited for that person to run at them, to try and finish the job they started. Yet, they never moved.
Staring down at them, that… Link, just kept watching them. For a moment, Sheik can swear he saw a small smile on those pale lips. Not a grin or a smirk, but a sincere and longing smile.
Looking back for a spare moment, Sheik saw Vahn working on Link's wound with diligence, the boy ignoring the grunts of protest coming from the Hero. He also saw the desperate plea in Link's eyes, begging him to stop.
Ignoring that plea felt hard, but a Sheikah duty always comes first, especially when his duty is to the last hope of Hyrule. Link's life is more important than his or anyone else, that is what his auntie would say, it is what their dogma teaches.
And so, holding to his heart the determination his people always had over their duties, Sheik began to walk his way up, only focusing his attention on the person ahead of him.
With each step taken, he waited for an attack. Each time he moved closer to that person, he waited with bated breath for a sword to come, cutting the air above him. However, it never came.
This other Link waited silently, still like a statue with just the back and forward of his breathing showing any signs of life. And he stood there until Sheik was only but a few flights of stairs away from him, then taking the Sheikah by surprise, he just turned on his back and entered the room.
Like an invitation, that person gave his back to Sheik. Like an obvious trap, he just walked away in a quiet invitation for the Sheikah to follow him.
If this were any other circumstance, any other day or time, Sheik would have turned on his back and raced down the steps to help Link and Vahn get out of this temple. However, his feet just continued walking forward, step after step he followed that person, he is walking right into an obvious trap and nothing in his mind can explain to him why.
Crossing the threshold of the broken stones that once stood as a mighty door, Sheik entered a large and odd-looking room. This chamber is enormous in its space, a giant square-shaped room with a large dried pool in the middle; inside this pool lies four square-shaped pillars with stairs at their sides.
While most of the water that once filled the giant hole in the middle is gone, there are still thin layered puddles scatted all around, most of them filled with a thick purple-colored ooze.
There, in the middle between the four pillars, stands the pale-looking Link with his back turned to him. Sheik's right hand quivered in anticipation, his mind working overlock to try and gauge if he could leap from his distance and land a hit on them.
However, before he could act, another surprise shook him out of this line of thought.
That person, that Link. He spoke. "I have lifted the curse of this place."
His voice, his tone, even the way his shoulders moved showed small jitters. It is all Link, his Link, the person he got to know so closely. For a moment Sheik waited to call his name, but the memory of Link bleeding on the floor reigned him in.
Instead, he jumped down on the pool and stopped at what he considered a safe distance. "Why?" He asked firmly. "Why would you cleanse the corruption? Who are you? What… are you?"
A soft chuckled came from this other Link, small shivering playing at the posture of his back. "I thought I was ready for this. For this question and all the others that would follow. But still hurts to hear you say it." Slowly turning, he looked at Sheik with a conflicted look in his red-colored eyes.
Raising the Master Sword, Sheik glared at him, pushing his arm forward to threaten this person with the weapon in his hand. "Answer the blasted question!"
"It's me, Sheik." He said, tapping his right hand on his chest. "I am Link. Your Link, the real one."
"A filthy liar, that's what you are," Sheik growled in accusation. "I know Link. His character and his naivety. His eyes are tender and carry so much goodness in them. Yours… yours are the eyes of a murdered, a monster. I will ask you again, and if you lie once more… I will drive this sword through your chest."
The expression on the impostor went from frustrated to pained, deeply hurt, and then resigned. "It's very confusing, I know. But don't worry, I will make everything right. Every wrong and distortion that old owl caused, I will make it right again. You will understand it, both you and Vahn will see it… after I destroy that cheap imitation."
Sheik's form went from defensive to aggressive, his red eye burning with a powerful glare. "You will not harm him again. I won't let you, never!"
"Hah… you will try?"
Their conversation came to a halt, Sheik needed to hear no more to discern what is needed to be done.
Dashing forward, he pulled a pair of Deku Nuts, creating a flash diversion on his opponent's line of sight. When the other Link snarled and covered his eyes with one arm, Sheik leaped in, aiming to end this encounter with one precise stab downwards into the man's back.
However, before the Master Sword could connect with its target, the darkened sword came flying from below and swatted him away like a fly.
Sheik swirled in the air, regaining his composure before he could land on the floor. But the other Link moved faster and before the Sheikah could get on his feet, another slash came flying his way.
Ducking to the left, Sheik managed to evade the proper blow, but the sheer pressure of the sword managed to knock him on his knee. He rolled to the side, throwing a few knives at this other Link.
With the grace of a master swordsman, the pale warrior just evaded to the side, his movement being so coordinated and precise he managed to start the motion for another attack without returning to his previous poise.
Their fight quickly became very one-sided. Sheik tried to use every move in his arsenal, he tried to cheat his opponent's line of vision with Deku Nuts and even bombs, but at each step he found himself cornered, pressed without an opening.
No more than three minutes in their duel, and the athletic ninja began to gasp and breathe unevenly. His normal stamina is almost gone, making his movement slow and sluggish. Trying to take the maximum amount of distance with a combination of three somersaults, he landed close to the top left pillar in the pool, breathing harshly with a hand to his chest.
'I… never imagined… that this… is what it feels like to go against… Link.' Swallowing dry, he felt a mixture of awe and fear. Normally he could stand his ground against the strongest and most skilled fighters he had come across. But Link, this Link. It was akin to a master playing with a child.
As much as he struggles it feels hopeless like he doesn't have any control over their exchange. And the smug look on that pale warrior's face just makes it more evident.
"Why bother?" The pale blond asked. "That thing you protect with so much fervor is nothing more than a defective copy. A lost child playing in an adult's game. Despite all his powers, all this strength. He is weak. No form, no skill. He fights like a boy holding a stick. Why put your hopes on that when I am right here?"
"Because…" Sheik gasped for air, giving a defiant glare towards the other blond. "Because he has what you lack… A heart."
Seeing that smug face turn into a fuming snarl gave way too much satisfaction to Sheik. Different as this one may be, he is still very much Link. Easily gullible.
But his smirk quickly disappeared when his opponent ran towards him with almost unnatural speed. He felt both of his arms get grappled in a powerful grip and his back get pushed against the moist and cold side of the pillar.
"Sheik…" This person said with Link's voice, Link's way of speaking. The proximity of the words, the hot breathing grazing against his cheek, all of it starting to mess with the Sheikah's head. "You cannot be more wrong, Sheik. I do have a heart, the same as him. I hate when it bothers me, I cry and it hurts… and I love what I love."
"N-No, you-"
"Look at me." Link demanded impatiently, tightening his hold on Sheik's arms. "Sheik, look at me." This time he pleaded, softly. Enough to melt the Sheikah's hesitation away, and so he looked at that familiar and endearing face. "It doesn't matter how it came to happen. If… if we came together in the strangest way. I love you."
"Stop spitting nonsense!" Sheik tried to shake himself away but to no avail.
"And I know that you love me. You can't hide it from me. The way you look at me is the same way I look at you, I saw it, every time." Letting go of the sword in his other hand, Link pressed a caressing touch on Sheik's face, slowly peeling away the mask hiding half of his face. "Nothing will keep me away from you… nothing."
Sheik tried once again to push him away, to press his feet against the pillar and force himself out of this place. The more he struggled, the more he felt hopeless, defenseless, scared. And as those red-eyes moved closer and closer to him, he felt compelled to close his own.
"Please, don't-"
A warm sensation sealed his lips. At first, it felt sweet and wet, almost intoxicating. But then he felt repulsed, dirty, violated. Fighting the urge of tears pilling at the corner of his eyes, Sheik instead focused more on his anger, and instead of crying for it to stop, he opened his mouth and bit this stranger's lower lip.
His bite is strong enough to make a cut and push this evil Link away.
Looking confused and startled, Link looked at Sheik with a small stain of blood running down his mouth. And before he could do or say anything, the zooming sound of a blade cutting against the wind sounded behind him.
As he turned to look to the source of this noise, Vahn's spinning Chakram slammed itself onto Link's side, a magical shockwave coming to life and tossing the pale warrior to the opposite pillar.
Jumping to the lower level, Vahn ran after Sheik, retrieving his Chakram on the way. "Are you okay?" He asked his blond friend, worried about the horrified look on the Sheikah's face.
Needing a moment to recollect himself, Sheik nodded at Vahn. "Don't worry about me… it was nothing." He lied and Vahn saw clearly through his lie.
But neither of them had the chance to discuss it, as the red-eyed Link got up to his feet; an enraged scowl showing on his face.
"S-Sheeik! Ah… Ah…" Link, their Link, appeared on the entrance, holding his right side with one hand. His blue eyes scanned the area, first going to his two companions and then to the man pointing a sword at them. "You freak, stay the hell… AWAY FROM THEM!"
All the focus the grey-clothed Link had on Sheik or Vahn instantly shifted towards his counterpart. Instantly his footing and position turned to face his true enemy, his target, and his mark.
Noticing the dangerous glint on those red eyes, both Sheik and Vahn ran as fast as they could to get in front of this other Link.
"I told you… never again." Said Sheik, holding the Master Sword up.
Vahn didn't say anything, but bravely stood next to Sheik, ready to throw his Chakram at any moment.
Looking between those two and his nemesis up on the other floor, the other Link held a conflicted expression on his face. In his mind, everything was set and easy. He just needed to kill that farse up there and his life would be his again.
But deep down, he knows that to reach his target he would have to hurt those two. And so, a battle raged inside of him. His hatred for that blue-eyed impostor and his feelings for Vahn and Sheik.
Arms trembling and legs stiffly frozen, the pale warrior looked at his counterpart one last time, giving a livid growl. He then sheathed his blade and pulled out his Hookshot.
"This… is not over." He declared in frustration, before pulling himself to the opposite side of the room and escaping through a hidden hole on the dark corner of the upper level.
With the imminent danger gone, Link slowly fell to his knees. The Hero pressed his side, groaning softly in pain. Both Vahn and Sheik quickly raced towards their friend, this time forcing Link to lay down and rest.
Exhaustion paired with the intense pain he is feeling, quickly subdued Link into slumber. But before closing his eyes, he wined and complained, until Sheik allowed him to rest his head against the Sheikah's lap.
"That… person. Do you believe him?" Vahn asked as Link fell asleep, his question shaking Sheik out of his silence.
"I... don't know, Vahn. What is him? An illusion? A curse? A long-lost evil brother that Link never knew about?" A deep sigh escaped the Sheikah's now unmasked face.
Shuffling around in place, Vahn looked down to the Chakram in his hand and then glanced up to Sheik. "What he did to you… do you want to talk about it?"
"No." Sheik replied with finality, the edge on his voice enough to keep Vahn quiet. "We have to go back… What we saw here, Zelda needs to know."
"The Princess?" Vahn asked with interest. "I always believed she died in the invasion."
"It will take a lot more than the greedy bastard that is Ganondorf to keep Zelda down…" A light playful smile showed on his lips, the thought of his dear surrogated sister giving him a small amount of peace. "But she kept going while holding on to the hope that the Hero of Time represents. After today, how do we go from here?"
Pinching the palm of his right hand, Vahn looks as troubled as his red-eyed friend. He looked down at Link, sleeping with a burdened look on his face. "Whatever we can… I think. Link fought a dragon and survived. And we survived today too, right? In my opinion, all that we have left is to keep going, fighting whatever comes our way."
From everything the small scholar could have said, this small speech surprised Sheik the most. Not long ago this was the same person squealing in fear of some pair of eyes he had seen while climbing, now he is speaking of facing everything the world throws at them.
It felt impossible for Sheik to contain the small giggle that escaped his lips.
"What?!" Vahn chirped, frowning.
"Nothing, nothing… I just noticed how brave you are."
The red-haired felt his cheeks get warmer, but his chest puffed proudly at the praise thrown at him. "Sometimes I can be, heh."
Giving a friendly smile to Vahn, Sheik looked down at Link, softly caressing the Hero's cheek with his fingers. 'Please Link, hurry and get better… I… I need to see your smile again.'