A/N Sorry it's been so long, but I'll update again soon. Feedback is appreciated.

I wanted to stay where we were for at least a few more hours. Sheik wanted to leave. Guess who won? At least he didn't have us ride full speed; just the thought made me wince. Instead we were on foot leading our horses because it would "help loosen my muscles". I'm not entirely sure when this was supposed to take effect, as after a half hour nothing felt loose.

"So who exactly are you?" I asked him. I usually didn't mind traveling in silence, but anything that could take my mind off my sore body would be welcome. Also, I was curious about him.

"I am Sheik."

"That's not what I meant, and you know it," I said, stopping to give him a look. "Tell me where you're from, or how you know Zelda, or how you became like you are, or something."

"I am Sheik, last of the Sheikah, servant of the rightful princess of Hyrule," he said with his head held high. "I am here under her orders to transform you into who you need to be. That is all you need to know about me."

"Oh, come on. If we're going to be traveling together, we might as well get to know each other. If you tell me about you, I'll tell you anything you want to know about myself."

"I already know everything I need to about you," he said dismissively.

"Really? All you need to know is that my name is Link, and I have the mark of the hero chosen by the goddesses?"

"To be fair, I could probably make due without knowing your name."

"Are you kidding me?" I said raising my voice. This guy was absolutely unbelievable. Here I am making an effort to be civil, and he treats me like I'm not even a person, just a means to an end.

"Yes, I am," he said with a glint in his eyes. It was actually necessary for me to familiarize myself with your preferences and history so that I can effectively train you, so I did."

Well, I'll be darned; I think Sheik just made a joke that wasn't a cutting remark. Kind of. "Sorry, but you don't know anything about me besides the fact that I have a strange mark on my left hand."

He raised an eyebrow. "You were raised as one of the Kokiri after your mother left you in the Great Deku Tree's care. Around the age of ten you left and found yourself in Castletown, which is where you met Princess Zelda. However, you never stayed in one place for long because you have a compulsion to travel. You make decisions hastily and stick to them stubbornly. You have a great sense of loyalty, which is only outweighed by your compulsion for honesty. You hate the mornings, you are constantly running late, you have an irrational fear of cuccos, and your favorite color is green. I know more than you think."

I was completely taken aback by his answer. I tried to form a coherent question several times, but I finally settled just asking, "How?"

"I am one of only two companions Princess Zelda has been able to confide in during the last several years. At first, she could be. . . chatty. When the occasion struck her, she would go on about you. My disinterest did nothing to make her descriptions or stories any briefer. When I learned you were the first suspect for the hero, there was little research I actually needed to complete."

"Zelda talked about me?" I asked, slightly stunned. Sure, I thought about her a lot, but that was partly because I thought what happened to her was my fault. Besides, she was royalty while I never had more than a few rupees to my name.

"Yes, but do not think too favorably upon that. She struggled adapting to her new life of disguise. She needed to talk about something familiar, but the very thought of her family or old lifestyle caused her severe distress. You were the one thing about her old life that was apart from everything else, so she used to talk about you."

"Used to? What happened?"

He shifted his eyes towards me for a second before looking back ahead and saying, "She grew up."

I digested the new information for a minute before deciding I'd take it. "I guess that makes sense. So what are the Sheikah anyway?"

"Not of consequence anymore," he said dismissively before adopting a sour expression on his face. For once his anger didn't seem to be directed at me though. It was as if he was angry at himself for revealing as much as he had. Then again, maybe he was just mad that he hadn't called me lazy or unreliable even once during our chat.

After that, he refused to answer any more of my questions, and we walked in silence. We traveled for a few more hours before stopping for the night.

"Are you seriously always going to be that quiet when we're not traveling or you're not lecturing me?" I asked as I started to set up camp.

"I told you that I would prepare you to be the hero this land needs in every regard. However, I am currently breaking in your body. I believe it unwise to break your mind at the same time. Do not despair, the right time will soon come upon us."

"But you make it sound like such fun," I said sarcastically as I laid out my bedding.

Before I lied down to sleep, Sheik said, "Oh, it would do you well not to eat in the morning until after our training is complete."

I groaned as I turned my back to him to try and sleep.

Never before had I been in such pain as when I woke up the next morning. The slightest movement lit a thousand fires throughout my body. Trying to stand up was comical. Training was, well, is there a stronger word than torture?

Bad as that was, the next couple of days were even worse. Sheik told me I was learning what was necessary for now. I felt as if all I was learning was a new threshold for pain. In any event, I tried not to dwell on it too much. Dreading training was almost worse than experiencing it.

When we finally made it into town, I could have jumped for joy (except, you know, that would cause me to scream in agony). I wanted to find Landon and Trenton as soon as possible, but the meeting time Sheik set up was still about an hour off, so instead we located the town shop.

"Ah, come in, come in," said a man with short ginger hair when we entered the shop. "How may I serve you today?"

"Shields," Sheik muttered in a low tone.

"You're in luck, we have a great selection," he said as he led us over to the far wall. "We have shapes for all body types and preferences. They also come in variable types of weights and. . ."

I stopped listening as a shield at the top of the wall caught my eye. It was noticeably different from any other shield displayed. Most of them were in simple circular or rectangular shapes and various shades of gray. This one, however, was breathtaking. It curved gracefully to four different points: one at the top and bottom and one at both the upper left and right sides. The base was a beautiful deep blue with a design of the golden Triforce atop a red design of the eagle of the Hylian crest.

"What about that one?" I asked, interrupting whatever the shopkeeper had been telling Sheik.

"Oh, I've had that shield for years. It was made before the burning when people had extra money to spend on design and fashion. I think of it more as a decoration now, since no one can afford the price at which I would be willing to sell, given that this shield is one of the last of its kind. No, some of these," he pointed to some lower hanging shields, "might be more in, uh, your price range," he said giving me a look over.

Hey! My tunic didn't have that many holes. Then again, seeing as how I couldn't afford even the cheapest ones, I guess he had a point.

"Which is?" Sheik asked.

"Huh?"

"The price at which you would be willing to sell. What is it?"

The shopkeeper kept a tight large smile on his face, but I could tell he was frustrated, like he felt his time was being wasted. "I don't know. A hundred rupees at the very least."

I gasped, which made him smile a bit more. I knew there was no way I could afford it, but that was just plain ridiculous. You could buy two horses and a cart for that price.

Sheik, however, didn't even bat an eye. "I accept."

"Excuse me?" the shopkeeper asked, clearly thinking he misheard.

"I will pay your price."

After a few beats of shocked silence, Sheik asked if he should get the shield down himself. Finally the shopkeeper was spurred into action and apologized as he went to find a stool. "Is there anything else I can help you with?" he asked still seeming shell-shocked.

"Yes, I would also like to purchase these two," he said, pointing to a couple of the lower quality metal shields. Sheik gave the man a pile of red rupees, and I carried all three shields out of the store.

"Thank you for the shield," I said when we were alone, "but that was really unnecessary. I can't pay you back."

"Maybe not necessary, but the best option in the long run."

I looked at him questioningly. "How?"

"The craftsmanship that went into making that shield does not exist anymore. The design is obviously more pleasing to the eye, but it is also of much better quality than any made after the invasion. If you are to fight the best, you should have the best tools at your disposal. Besides that, it will help you look the part, or at the very least, help distract from your garish green clothing."

I frowned. Why was everyone always picking on my clothes? "I'm not sure you should really be criticizing anyone else's fashion given that a good portion of your body is wrapped like a mummy. These people," I said gesturing with my head and eyes as we walked down the street, "aren't giving us strange looks because of me."

He just grunted in reply.

"So are we going to meet Landon and Trenton now?" I asked.

He looked up into the sky at the sun. "You can go ahead. Your reunion might go a little more smoothly if I am not there. You can give them those other shields I bought. I need to look around to see if I can find a teacher for you anyways."

"Uh, thank you," I said, surprised he would give any thought at all to my relationship with the twins. "Where should we meet with you?"

"Do not worry about that. I will find you when I have finished my work. Until then," he finished with a nod.

I smiled as he hurried off. He was an interesting man to say the least. Maybe not quite as bad as I thought. I remembered the training and insults. Then again.

"Aye, Link!"

I looked and saw Landon and Trenton at the gate, waving at me.

"Hey guys, good to see you," I said as I approached them.

"Yeah, nice to see you survived."

"Well, it was close," I said with a smile. "Uh, Landon, listen, I just want to apologize for how everything went down."

"No need."

"No, seriously I-"

"Seriously, don't. We're good. I overreacted, but I'm over it. I guess Sheik really knows how to push my buttons. Where is he anyway? Not that I'm dying to see him or anything."

"He's off doing his own thing. Oh and he got these for you," I said as I pulled the two gray shields from my back.

Trenton eyed them skeptically. "He got those for us? Why?"

I grinned. "Would you believe out of the goodness of his heart?"

"Not for a second."

"Yeah, well I have no idea, but they're yours, so enjoy."

Landon frowned as he examined the shield in his hands. "I don't know. I don't like the idea of being in that psychopath's debt."

"Well they're already paid for, and the shopkeeper was sure to let us know that there is a no return policy, so. . ."

"I'll keep it. I have a feeling if I keep traveling with you, I'll need it," he said giving me a look. "But I'm going to try to pay him back. I'll pick up as much work as I can as we travel."

I understood his desire, so I left it at that. "Oh, speaking of work, did you guys find any while you were here?"

Two identical mischievous smiles appeared across the brothers' faces. "Oh yes. You'll like this one."