Chapter Eleven: Meeting Sheik

Professor: Ok, I had the hardest time waiting to post this chapter because I love it so much! I do not own Legend of Zelda or Fairy Tail. Enjoy!

"Would you please stop screaming?!" the man yelled at her, covering his ears.

"Who are you?!" Lucy just kept yelling at him, backing up only to stumble off a small pedestal she had been on. The fire in her hands went out as she fell to the ground.

The place became pitch black again, only this time Lucy heard some rustling and movement. In moments the strange man had lit a few torches around the room. It was then that Lucy finally took stock of her surroundings.

It was large and circular, filled with dozens of standing torches. A large passageway was on one wall while an equally large door stood across from it. In the very center, the round pedestal that Lucy had stood upon, bore a strange triangular symbol surrounded by three dots.

The man was dressed similarly to Lucy, in a tight fitting clothes that looked durable in a fight with a mask covering most of his face. Blond hair poked out from beneath his head covering and a white cloth that showed a red eye with a teardrop stood proudly on his chest. Overall, Lucy felt like they looked like a pair of ninjas.

He knelt down in front of her, studying her much the same way that she had him. Finally he broke the silence, "Look, the only reason that I haven't attacked you yet is because you wear authentic Sheikah garb."

"Um...yay?" Lucy said pathetically.

"There's just one problem with that," his eyes narrowed as he stared at her own, "I'm the last Sheikah. And I really don't know who you are."

"Um…" Lucy struggled to come up with an explanation, but the intimidating glare that this guy was giving her was really throwing her off.

"Who are you?" he asked her again, "One of Ganondorf's minions?"

"No!" she yelled, "I'm Celeste! I don't work for Ganondorf, I swear!"

"And how am I supposed to believe that?"

"I don't know!" Lucy said quite honestly, "I'm just looking for someone, ok?!"

"Who?!"

"I don't know his name! I just know he's trapped in Hyrule! He thinks he's a hero!" Lucy slapped her hands over her mouth. Why had she said that?!

The man seemed shocked by her words, "A hero? Trapped in Hyrule? What are you talking about?"

"I don't know, just ignore me." Lucy slumped, face held in her hands. 'Let's just blurt out your mission to the first person you see, that's a great idea Lucy!'

Surprisingly, the man didn't yell at her again, or accuse her of working for Ganondorf. Instead, Lucy heard him shift around next to her. Looking up, she saw that he had taken a seat next to her, elbows resting on his knees.

Eventually he spoke, his voice surprisingly soft, "You are either a phenomenal actress or truly innocent in Ganondorf's plans."

"What do you mean?"

"Those emotions on your face are genuine." he said, "Even I, who hasn't had much contact with people my entire life, can tell that much. If you had ever met Ganondorf, you wouldn't be able to share them that easily."

Lucy was silent, watching his profile in the dim lighting, "Care to explain?"

He sighed, "Ganondorf doesn't tolerate weakness of any kind. To him, that's exactly what emotions are. Anyone who works for him learns to keep their emotions in check or get them beaten out."

He turned towards her and, from the glint in his eyes, Lucy could've sworn he was smirking, but the mask covered the expression, "Something tells me you don't have a lot of control over your emotions."

"Shut up!" Lucy glared at him.

The man laughed, a deep throaty chuckle that resonated in her ears, "Besides, if I was able to scare you so easily, goodness knows you'd never last against Ganondorf."

"You just caught me off guard!" she huffed at him, "I bet I'd last longer than you against him!"

"Sure you would." he was smirking again, Lucy could just tell.

She crossed her arms and turned away from him, nose up in the air, ignoring his chuckle, "Whatever. What are we supposed to do now?"

"That...I'm not quite sure." he admitted, "Let's start with introductions though. We'll figure something out from there."

She turned back to him slowly, making sure he was serious before holding out her hand, "Well then, in that case, I'm Celeste."

"I'm Sheik." he took her hand, shaking it firmly.

"Nice to meet you Sheik."

"Likewise." his voice was gentler and Lucy was under the impression that he was smiling, "What brings you to Hyrule?"

"That's quite a story. You might not believe it."

"I'll do my best."

"Well then…"

"So you and your friends were sent to Hyrule to find a hero who was trapped here, but you don't know his name or what he looks like. You also split up across all of Hyrule and so you need to find them as well. All so you can help this hero?" Sheik recounted.

"Yep." Lucy nodded, proud of her summarized story. She had come up with it on the spot, sticking as close to the truth as she could, but leaving out the parts about Fiore and other worlds. Or this being a game. Now she just had to make Sheik believe it.

"I believe you."

"I know it's hard to- wait, what?" she sputtered at him.

"I believe you." he stated bluntly.

"Wh-Just like that?!"

"Just like that."

"Well...why?!"

He chuckled again at her confusion, "Because...Because of what's happened here in Hyrule."

"What's happened?" she asked him.

"I know the hero you need to find. I just sent him on his journey not too long ago."

"What?!" Lucy burst out, "Where is he?! Let's go!"

"Wait a moment." Sheik held his hands up, signalling that she should calm down, "Let me explain."

Lucy took a deep breath to calm her excited heart, "Sorry. Continue, please."

"The Hero was sealed away for seven years by the Master Sword, until he was strong enough to wield it. When he awoke, he was supposed to use that weapon to seal Ganondorf away with the help of the Sages. But Ganondorf...he got ahold of the Triforce of Power. With that and his current magical powers, he had access to vast amounts of new information. Not as much as if he had taken hold of the Triforce of Wisdom, but more than enough for him to locate the Sages."

"What's the Triforce exactly?"

"A power left behind in the Sacred Realm by the Goddesses Din, Nayru, and Farore. They controlled Power, Wisdom, and Courage, respectfully. Together, the pieces of the Triforce grant the wish of whoever lays hands on it. That is what Ganondorf did seven years ago which turned Hyrule into the land you see today. After that, he was able to keep hold of the Triforce of Power, since he had always leaned more towards Power than he had Wisdom or Courage." Sheik explained.

"So...with all of that, he found the Sages and…" Lucy's voice trailed off, but Sheik answered the unspoken question, nodding.

"He killed all but one of them. Rauru was protected in the Sacred Realm, but the others hadn't even awakened. I think the Sage of Spirit is alive somewhere in the desert, but I haven't found her yet. I've spent seven years looking and barely a rumor is all I've discovered."

"That's horrible," Lucy whispered as tears prickled behind her eyes, "I'm so sorry."

"It's alright." he muttered, although Lucy knew that it wasn't. She decided the best thing was to keep him talking, distract from the past.

"How does all that make you believe me?"

"The Sheikah Tribe protects dozens of old legends of ages long past," he said, "You fit some of them, you and your friends."

"We do?"

He nodded, "Can you tell me more about who sent you here?"

"Umm…" Lucy's thoughts turned to the strange Mr. Dragmire, "It's complicated."

Sheik nodded again, "As expected."

"It is?"

"Yes. Being sent by the Goddesses typically is."

Lucy's eyes widened, "Wait, what?! What makes you ... how did...where did you...how even-"

Sheik's chuckled cut off her rambles, "It wasn't that hard to figure out Celeste. Plus, it's mentioned in the legends."

"Um, what exactly do the legends say?" Lucy's voice was far more nervous than she wanted it to be.

"Well," he began, "I never put much stock in all the old legends until recently when they started coming true. My m-"

He cleared his throat, avoiding her gaze for a moment. Lucy watched him curiously until he continued.

"When I was told these legends, I never thought they'd come true, but I kept an eye out for them anyway, like I was supposed to. One legend said that the Hero and the Sacred Maiden would always have a Servant of the Goddess to help guide and protect them on their quest," he looked at her in pointed silence after he said this.

It took a moment for his words to sink in, but when they did, "Woah, wait! You think I'm this Servant?!"

"You like to scream a lot, don't you?" he asked her with a raised eyebrow.

"You must be insane or something," Lucy went on, ignoring his question, "I can't be this Servant. I barely know anything about Hyrule. I just got here. I just need to find this Hero and finish the job, get my friends, and go home! That's it! I-"

"Celeste," Sheik's stern voice cut off her rant, "Will you please calm down? Honestly, I've never seen someone panic so much over something that fits so well."

"What do you mean fits so well?!"

"Please stop yelling," Sheik pinched the bridge of his nose in annoyance.

"Sorry," she said, "But, seriously, what do you mean?"

"Look, this Servant is typically always a Sheikah and literally has the task of only helping the Hero and the Sacred Maiden. Be it in battle or protection. I thought that this Servant was I-one of the Sages," he said awkwardly, "But she's dead now. So it has to be you. It's the last option."

'But I'm really not here to protect…' Lucy wanted to say. Instead, she forced out, "What about you?"

He gave a breathy chuckle, his mask moving with the air he exhaled. Lucy found herself wishing that he had given a real laugh; he had chuckled so much already.

"Trust me, I'm the last person that should be trusted with a job like that. I'm the last person that should be trusted, period."

"And yet you started that statement with the words 'trust me'." she pointed out.

He shrugged, seemingly casual about it, despite his intense gaze, "Well then, I'm glad that's your mistake to make and not mine."

Lucy was very happy that she had a mask on to hide her blush, "So...um, you said that I fit into more than one legend?" she asked awkwardly, turning her gaze away from his own. Dang, these video game characters were realistic!

"Yes," If he was shocked by the change in subject, he didn't show it, "There is one legend, even more uncommonly known, about-"

His head whipped around to the entrance of the cave, staring into darkness.

"Sheik?" Lucy asked with uncertainty.

"Someone's in the Ice Cavern," he whispered, "They just tripped an alarm spell I placed."

"Could it be the Hero?"

She shook his head, "He should be heading directly to the Forest once he's done in Kakariko. This is someone else."

"Any ideas? Maybe someone's lost?"

Sheik shook his head again, immediately protesting the idea, "The entire Zora's Domain is frozen over. No one but Ganondorf and I have set foot in the place in seven years."

"Why just you and- wait, did you say frozen?" Lucy instantly forgot her first question as she realized what Sheik had just said.

"Yeah, why?"

She groaned, "I have a feeling I know who it is."

The Sheikah man's eyebrows went up as he gazed at her curiously, "Well then, would you like to accompany me?"

She nodded, then sighed, "I have to, otherwise he'd probably punch you on sight."

"Excuse me?"

"If it's who I think it is, the only apology I have is that he has some anger issues." Lucy sighed.

"Who exactly is this man?" Sheik gave her a worried look.

"That is a very long, complicated story." she said, "But I have to ask, alarm spell?"

He nodded, "I set them up in various locations to alert me when the Hero reached them. I was on my way to do the same at Death Mountain Crater after I checked on things here."

Excitement quickly filled Lucy's eyes, "Can you teach me?!" she leaned forward, inches away from Sheik's face as she anxiously awaited his answer.

"Um, sure?" he responded, "It's basic Sheikah magic. Why?"

An evil glint overtook her eyes, "My apartment will finally be safe!" she hissed, causing Sheik to sweatdrop a little

"You're a strange girl," he murmured.

Lucy laughed at that.

Sheik shook his head and stood up. Holding a hand out to her, he asked, "Are you coming?"

She grabbed it and let him help pull her to her feet, "Of course."

"To get there, you will have to trust me."

"Fine by me."

"After what I just told you, you'll trust me, 'just like that'?" he asked skeptically.

"You're my friend now," she said, "That means I'll always trust you, 'just like that'."

There was a quick pause. Then, "Good."

And although they couldn't see it, they both knew that the other was genuinely smiling.

"Let's go." he whispered.

"Ok," she whispered right back.

He snaked an arm around her waist and pulled her close, sending her heart fluttering.

"Hold on."

Lucy saw one last thing before Sheik threw something on the ground that 'popped', blinded her, and sent her spinning away into darkness, holding onto Sheik for dear life.

'Sheik has joined your party.'