|2. Warning|
"The herd is half a league southwest, towards the other peak."
Sheik crouched down in the snow next to the tree Link had been waiting behind, sweat plastering golden hair to his dark forehead and adrenaline shining in his garnet eye.
Link was glad to see such an animated look on his friend's face—they had been cooped up inside for nearly a week due to the most recent, unforgiving storm. It had worn on them both…but perhaps on Sheik a bit more. There had been a restlessness about him in the past few nights and when that morning brought clear skies, they nearly tripped over themselves to force their way out of the cabin, the deep snow against the door hardly an obstacle in their vigor. Though they had plenty of food still, they went out in the woods hunting for game more for their minds than their stomachs.
"Good," Link said quietly, checking over his bow out of habit and moving to his feet. But Sheik reached out and stilled him with a firm grip over his leather gauntlet. "What is it?"
Link mistook the animation in the sheikah's eyes for excitement; it was actually worry.
"I found something else," Sheik replied, voice uneasy and eyes flitting back to survey the area around them. "Link, how many people do you know of that live in these mountains?"
A creeping chill began to roll over Link's shoulders, mind firing off in five different directions of apprehension. But he answered obediently. "Only a few. They all keep to themselves, however. I don't even know their names."
"Come with me."
Link followed closely to his companion, weaving through trees, and stepping methodically through the deep snow. A few minutes passed in muted light, Link a bundle of nerves at Sheik's unspoken revelation. He imagined Sheik was not the type to spook, so whatever the man had found didn't bode well.
The smell of smoke greeted his nose as they stepped down into a small dip in the terrain. Before he could wonder at its origins, he saw the source in front of them.
Three men lay dead, half-buried in the snow, two of them solitary men of the mountain and the other—
"This is a soldier of Hyrule," Link whispered, instantly equal parts stunned and stressed. "I would recognize that uniform anywhere."
"As would I." He glanced over at Sheik and saw mirrored tension there.
Link surveyed the area, the campfire still embers, half hidden in the white landscape. Evidence of the raid could be seen in the items strewn across the camp. Clearly someone had riffled through the mountain men's belongings. Any other signs of the skirmish were hidden under the freshly fallen snow, however. It must have been several hours since it occurred, the now brownish remnants of blood still visible under a shallow, frosty layer.
But that wasn't the most alarming thing they found.
The hylian soldier lay straight, hands crossed over his chest on the hilt of his sword—it was the position of a soldier put to rest. Some or many had survived the fight to ensure their comrade did not die without honor. There were no longer any tracks, the number of soldiers hidden from their knowledge by the weather.
Nonetheless, it was enough to disturb Link deeply.
"We're leaving. Now." His words were short and quiet to the sheikah, who gave a quick nod in return and followed Link's lead.
The travel back to their cabin was not a long one but Link worried for the tracks they would leave. Sheik was a step ahead of him, casting a spell to erase their footprints after the moment they were made. Grateful to have a skilled mage with him, Link quickly led the way back to safety.
Every shadow seemed a bit sinister now and Link couldn't determine why. It wasn't as though the scene far behind them now had anything to do with either of them. It wasn't out of the question that any adventurous hylian was perfectly capable of crossing the ocean. Perhaps the King had sent soldiers to explore new land, looking for kingdoms to trade with.
They might have decided to travel north of the mountains to the city Link had heard of and caused an altercation with the strange and reclusive nomads that frequented the mountains. Hyrule soldiers were never known for their tact or placid nature, so they may have taken any provisions the mountain men were carrying.
There were so many reasons for what he had seen, least of all that these soldiers' presence had had anything to do with them. But even as they reached their cabin, nervous eyes swept the landscape around them and stress coiled in their shoulders as the door was closed and latched tightly shut.
Neither of them spoke for some time, no efforts made to rekindle their fire and make tea—there was an unspoken consensus that creating smoke was unwise. Sitting in their seats at the crooked table, staring sightlessly out the window, it seemed Sheik would be the first one to break their silence.
"They were looking for something," Sheik remarked, eyes dark and brows furrowed. "That much is clear."
As much as Link wanted to convince himself that the event wasn't the result of an aggressive search, the truth was too loud to ignore.
"I agree," Link said, "but it's hardly our business."
"That site is two leagues from this cabin. I believe that would qualify as our business."
"Who knows why they're out here," Link deflected. "It's foolish to think that, just as easily as you and I travelled here, men from Hyrule couldn't as well. The reasons for their presence here are endless."
"Since you arrived here, have you encountered a single person from Hyrule? Am I not the first you've met?" the sheikah asked, a desperate quality to his voice that sent a tremor of worry through Link's chest.
"You…are correct."
"Then don't you think it's too coincidental that, in the middle of a dense mountain range, during more savage winters than Hyrule has even known, hundreds of leagues from the capital to the south, that an unknown number of hylian soldiers just stumbled here?" Sheik gave him an expectant look.
Link growled in frustration, rubbing at the cold sweat on his forehead. Sheik was right, of course. He had kept himself safely in denial on the way home but now, in the face of those hard, contrasting eyes and the cowl lowered to reveal a scowl, Link could escape it no more.
"Okay. Yes, you're right, Sheik. But if they were here for us, for whatever reason, how could they possibly know to come here?" Link insisted, tone as reasoning as he could manage.
A look of dread passed over Sheik's face like a shadow.
"Not us," Sheik corrected in a far quieter voice. "Me. They're here for me."
Link began shaking his head before he could even find his voice to negate the statement.
"No, Sheik, you weren't involved in the war. I was a captain. My father was a general. It would be me—"
"Link, I lived in the capital city for a time, before my travels here," the sheikah said, speaking over Link's argument, and shaking his head as well. "I have no answers for what they could want from me, but there's no reason they would know you're up here. It's me, Link. I brought them here."
It had been a month since Sheik's sudden arrival, but Link still remembered every single one of their conversations in perfect detail. He'd been curious about the city, asking for stories of the coast he'd never seen. Sheik had spent months in that city, living at an inn and working at its bar. People would know him, know his name, and be able to easily describe him to anyone that came asking. Unfortunately, Sheik was probably right. Whatever had brought the soldiers to the mountains, Sheik was the most likely candidate.
But then, why would they attack and search a camp of innocent men?
Too quickly, the sheikah was on his feet, moving to gather his things. "I'm so sorry, Link. I've brought this upon you. I'll leave now before they find this place."
Link was on his feet too, faster than he realized, pulling at Sheik's arm to stop him. "No, be quiet. I will not allow you to leave if you think you've burdened me in some way. You brought nothing upon me. You know I only stay here for the winters. We'll just leave early this year."
"I cannot ask you to risk your life—"
"You're not asking anything of me," Link argued, voice growing hard. "Neither of us have any idea what these soldiers are actually looking for. Sure, perhaps they followed you here based on what the people in the city told them, but what about the camp we just saw? Those dead men and their searched belongings leads me to believe they don't know who they're looking for. It seems like they're looking for an object instead. If it's a Hyrulean object, of course they would follow the lead of a sheikah mage heading for the mountains. But what makes you think leaving will somehow benefit me when they find a defector of the Royal Army living in a cabin, still carrying his crown-issued sword?"
Logic was clearly winning as Sheik paused his efforts. It also spared Link from being herded into an attempt to articulate the more emotional reasons why he didn't want them to part ways. Even Link didn't understand what he felt, but the visions of his dream that first night had never left him, as though it were a vague shape that had imprinted on his vision after too long a glance at a campfire. The companionship they had fostered in just a month was enough to solidify his resolve.
"We pack and leave before nightfall. It will be cold and arduous, but we're not safe here any longer." Link finally released Sheik's arm, having not noticed he still held it. "Neither of us."
It was midday when they left, although it hardly looked it.
They pulled their frozen food from the snow and filled their packs to the brim with all they could. If not for the threat, it would've been another three weeks before Link would normally leave. Luckily, Sheik had long subscribed to Link's nomadic lifestyle—there was no terrain he was unwilling to traverse and no desire to settle anywhere.
As Link secured the door to his cabin until next winter, Sheik waited behind him and said, "I still don't understand."
Link glanced back curiously.
"I was shocked enough when you invited me to stay, a perfect stranger despite our shared homeland," Sheik told him slowly. "Though I didn't know if it was out of kindness, loneliness, or both, I was content to stay in such good company. But now…" his eyebrows knitted even closer together, warping the scar through his eyebrow, "when it's clear I am a liability, you are willing to keep me in your company. Forgive me for my rudeness—I don't mean to question your motives. But I want to know why."
Link knew the inquiry would eventually be spoken. Abridged versions of the question had been prompted here and there throughout the past month but Link had answered each one vaguely. It was mutually beneficial in such a harsh winter. It was good to have the company. Where else would Sheik go? The winter could easily kill him. They were all valid reasons. But, of course, Sheik would sense something deeper beneath it and Link wasn't sure he was ready to concede the dream and its message.
"I'm bad at words," he finally replied. "But, would it not suffice to say that I consider you my friend?"
There was surprise in the sheikah's face. Surprise and a warm expression he had never seen before.
"That would suffice."
With that, they left the cabin behind them and began their trek to a pass that could potentially be impassable. But their options were limited—in the heart of the mountains, the western path was their best chance out of the enclosing cage of peaks. It was also the way to the Glass Lake, which lie northwest. The northern pass was too high in altitude, the mountains too tight together making the path narrow and winding. If a sudden storm hit, an avalanche would likely claim their lives. Sheik trusted Link's knowledge of the range and agreed to the plan.
Their journey through the sheer climbs and steep drops was trying. The frigid wind whittled at their strength, as the meager light from the winter sun slipped by for only a handful of hours. Link swiveled his head behind them so often, the muscles of his neck cramped tightly in protest. Sheik seemed no better; every stop for rest was held in tense silence and ever-wandering eyes.
When they found a small cave before darkness fell, it was the sweetest of blessings after such a stressful day. They chased out an angry wolf and took refuge from the unforgiving wind. A storm hit soon after their arrival, making them all the more grateful for its shelter. With the whistling blizzard to obscure the smoke, they allowed themselves a fire to cook their meat without fear of discovery. Paranoia had lingered over them like a heavy fog all day and the reprieve from it finally cleared their minds.
"The chances of us being followed are slim," Link said after a while. "Especially with that little spell of yours covering our footprints."
"That little spell of mine is more complex than you think," Sheik said with a tired sigh. "It's using a lot of my energy…but it's worth it. I agree—it's doubtful we're being followed."
Link gave him a worried look. "Don't overdo it, Sheik."
But the sheikah waved him off, pulling his bit of cooked meat from the hastily made skewer and eating it impatiently. Link couldn't blame him either—they were both famished and willing to burn their mouths for the benefit of their empty stomachs.
"So," Link began after a while, "have any ideas what they're after yet?"
Sheik shook his head, pushing back his wind-blown hair. "Nothing dire enough to bring hylian soldiers across the sea to Iryo and into the harsh White Keaton Mountains."
"Iryo?" Link repeated. "Is that what this kingdom is called?"
Sheik gave him a puzzled look. "You've been here for years, but you never bothered to learn its name?"
Before he could stop it, a laugh bubbled up in Link's chest. No, he hadn't once stopped to ask anyone the name of the land or its rivers or its mountains. It was a nameless landscape that he had made his own and learning their names now after so long was almost hysterical to him. And before he knew it Sheik was joining him, their guffaws echoing back and forth in the misshapen cavern.
"Yes, o' observant one. This kingdom is called Iryo and its capital city is Gold Harbor on the coast to the south." Sheik shook his head, red eye bright with amusement. "They are barely aware of Hyrule or any other countries across the sea, I've learned. The people of Gold Harbor especially, keep to themselves, an attractive quality to me when I first arrived."
"Is it beautiful?"
"Stunning."
Silence returned save for the squall outside the cave and the light crackle of flames before them. Although it was getting late, neither moved to sleep or discuss watches. Link's mind was sluggish in his exhaustion but still buzzing from nerves. The sudden departure from the cabin hadn't bothered him as it likely would have most people—being a nomad for so long had trained him to understand that everything was temporary. The unknown did bother him, however. And, more than anything, he couldn't seem to ward a sense of guilt from his thoughts.
What if they were after Link? What if they had used some sort of tracking spell to find him? The Princess Zelda was known for her premonitions—what if she had seen where he was? Were they there to take him back to Hyrule and try him for his crimes against the crown? He was an officer that had deserted in the middle of the war. But was it really so serious they would cross the sea to find him? As Sheik had said earlier during their travels, it was all conjecture. But perhaps this was a favorable unknown—their plan was to put as much distance between them and the mountains as possible.
As if Sheik knew the subject of Link's thoughts, he nodded towards the weapon resting against Link's shoulder and asked, "If you deserted the Royal Army and detest the crown, why do you still carry their sword?"
There was no judgment there; only curiosity.
"It's a reminder of…what I've done, I suppose."
The sheikah frowned, a common expression over the past day. "You deserve to move on, Link. Even if the war forced you to commit acts you regret, you deserve a chance to start over."
"Starting over isn't so simple, I've learned. War doesn't just happen; it marks you in a way that lingers even after its passing," Link said quietly. "Violence changes people. Sometimes you can see it," he gestured to Sheik's blind eye, "sometimes you can't," he finished, pointing to himself.
Sheik gave a grim smile, reaching up as though out of habit to run his finger over the scar. It stretched from eyebrow, over eyelid, and down to cheekbone. It was the kind of scar the boys in Link's battalion talked about getting. They thought it was cool, the badge of a ruthless and brave warrior. Link, maybe sometime in his early youth, might've agreed with them. But now, seeing the damage and the solemnity in which Sheik carried it, he knew it had nothing to do with bravery.
The scar was a consequence of living, proof that men were evil and staying alive was far braver than fighting because a tyrant with a crown ordered you to.
Since Sheik's arrival in his life, Link had caught himself several times, nearly risking rudeness to ask about that haunting, white blind eye. Now that a month's companionship had brought them close enough for Sheik to ask about Link's sword and the Hyrulean Civil War, perhaps it was appropriate to finally scratch that curious itch. But Sheik beat him to it.
"I found a ruined city on the coast, before I crossed the ocean. It was there I was captured and held for two winters by rogue, evil men that believed dark skin was a sign of impurity. My scars are evidence of their hatred. I just barely escaped, on death's doorstep and desperate. A much kinder man found me, starving and bleeding out in the dirt. He saved me without hesitation, as though I were his kin. When I was well enough, he gave me one of his boats to cross the sea. I knew nothing was left for me in Hyrule and this stranger was willing to help me leave. When I asked him why he was helping me, he told me that kindness was an exchange, only not in the circular way most think it is. Kindness is paid forward, not back. The man told me someone had helped him long ago and only asked for one thing in return: I helped you find sanctuary, so now you must help the next person find it too."
Sheik fell quiet for a moment, studying Link's face for a long moment. And Link couldn't bring himself to look away from such a powerful gaze.
"Perhaps…I found you to somehow pay it forward," Sheik said in a soft voice. "Perhaps I'm here to help you find your sanctuary."
Don't let him leave.
The dream was a heavy reminder in Link's mind, as though a tree had begun to sprout from a single spot; it was getting bigger each day, replacing some of his self-imposed loneliness with…hope.
Hope.
"Yes…perhaps you are." Link couldn't help but smile.
Sheik just smiled back.
An enormous thank you to my best friend Mariah for beta-ing this chapter and last chapter. I might be a professional proofreader but my skills don't seem to apply to my own work.
Thanks for reading!