Link's P.O.V

The desolate land that had slowly been overrun with bandits after Ganondorf's takeover saved a lot of time, but it was still over two day's journey. That was two days without sleep for both Sheik and me. Anywhere else we could have taken turns keeping guard, but it was so dangerous here, we needed to both be alert even when we were resting our horses.

After twenty-four hours without even a glimpse of another human being, I started to wonder if we should relax our stance on sleep. Not that I was taking this place lightly. When we were actually moving, it took all our focus to avoid the plentiful, varied traps scattered around. Thank goodness Sheik had eyes like an eagle, or we would have bit it within a couple hundred feet of entering.

However, exhaustion was already starting to take a heavy toll on me, and I dreaded the thought of staying alert for another twenty-four hours. As we rested our horses I thought of suggesting we take turns also getting some rest, but I knew Sheik was too cautious to ever agree. Arguing would only frustrate and tire me further.

I knew I'd fall asleep regardless, my back leaned against Sheik's, if we remained silent, so I tried to think of a topic that would catch his interest.

I settled on, "So you believe in destiny, huh?"

"I do not understand your meaning."

"Well you're putting everything you've got into the assumption that the prophecy that says I'm destined to defeat Ganondorf is true. So I figure you've got to believe in destiny."

There was a pause, and I wished I could see his face until I remembered that it wouldn't have helped much anyway.

"I suppose you could say that. Though I also believe in free will."

I chuckled. "How? The two seem mutually exclusive to me."

I could feel him shake his head. "Because if the goddesses had not given us our agency, there would be no evil in the world. We would live in a utopia, a utopia full of empty shells. Instead, we live in a world where evil is free to blossom in people's hearts, and in turn, slowly infect the land itself.

"Yet even so, the goddesses always provide a path to overcome such evil. I do not see the prophecy as a guarantee that you will defeat Ganondorf. I believe it is a promise that you have the ability if you're willing to unlock it. And I believe that if you were to fail, another would be chosen to take your place."

"Wait, someone else could take my place?" I felt like I had been beaten over the head by people telling me I was Hyrule's only hope, that I was going to save everyone. But if it wasn't all on me...

Sheik suddenly stiffened against my back, and I knew he wouldn't be answering my question. I twisted around, trying to see what made Sheik tense like that. It took me a moment, but then I saw the small cloud of dust on the horizon.

"It could just be another monster," I said hopefully.

"No." He said the word with such resolve that I didn't even think to argue. I just tried to process exactly what that meant.

"Should we run?"

Sheik shook his head. "We still have a day in front of us. We would kill the horses. Better to take a stand now."

I slowly stood and drew my weapon. "You've heard the stories?" I asked.

Sheik didn't need to ask me to clarify. The stories of what the bandits did to those stupid enough to wander into their territory... None of the many gruesome things I'd seen came close.

"Exaggerations."

Sheik's voice was missing its usual layer of confidence. Until now, I never thought I'd miss it.

"Strategy?"

Sheik tightened his grip on his swords. "Stay alive."

His words were less than comforting, but I felt better as he mirrored my stance, our feet forming a V. We fought well together, maybe even well enough to get through this.

I stared intently as the cloud of dust got bigger, trying to mentally prepare myself for a fight of this magnitude. How many would we face? Though I was surprised the cloud hadn't grown more than it had.

"Something is wrong," Sheik said, echoing my thoughts. "There cannot be more than two horses coming, and one is injured."

I squinted, trying to see what he had. "You think it's a trap?"

"I think we need to keep vigilant."

The riders finally became visible, and I was completely taken off guard. One was girl around my age with long braided black hair. Sharing the horse was an older man who was pitched forward, grabbing his shoulder as if in pain. Beside them was a riderless horse with a hitch in its step.

I had thought we were their targets, but they halted suddenly when we were in sight, as if they weren't expecting to see us.

I looked over to Sheik to see if he had a better understanding of what was happening, but his eyes were focused intently on the strangers. His guard certainly hadn't dropped.

My attention was drawn back to the strangers when the girl called out, "Please, we have nothing. We don't want any trouble. Just let us pass."

I lowered my weapon, confused. "Aren't you bandits?" I asked.

The dark haired girl scoffed. "Who among us look like a bandit?" Her eyes were burning through Sheik.

I couldn't help the small smile that formed on my lips. "Okay, point taken. My friend has a rather unique sense of style. But we're not bandits. We're just trying to get to Kakariko. If you want to pass, then by all means," I said as I stepped to the side.

The girl's eyebrows came down suspiciously. "How do we know this isn't a trap?"

I shrugged. "You don't. Just like we don't know your true intentions. But our options seem pretty limited. We can fight or we can find a way to trust each other for the minute it takes you to pass. Your choice."

She looked back at her companion uncertainly, but when she saw how pale he had become, she seemed resolved. She slowly urged the horse they shared forward, but that's as far as she got. His eye rolling back into his head, her companion jerked forward and fell off the horse.

All thoughts of them as potential enemies fled from my mind as I ran forward to help. I heard Sheik call out my name in frustration, but I didn't really care about his caution. It was obvious these two weren't a danger to us.

"Papa," the girl cried in desperation as she jumped from the horse and clutched him. "Papa please."

The man's shoulder was heavily bandaged, but I could see red and black liquid seeping through. I was about to tear my tunic to replace those soiled bandages, but Sheik grabbed my hand.

"I have extra wrappings in my pack. As well as an antidote to the poison."

As he moved to get his pack, the girl looked up at him in confusion and said, "Poison?"

"Did you not think it strange that his wound would not stop bleeding or question the black color coming out? It is from a poison called black dart, a favorite of this region." When he returned he held a small pouch made from a leaf that held a dozen purple berries and a roll of the white wrapping that covered significant parts of his body.

He rolled the berries into one hand and squeezed them over the older man's shoulder. Then he tossed the roll of material along with the leaf that held the berries to the girl. "Wrap the leaf on top. It will draw out any lingering poison." He turned back to his horse and said, "Come on, Link. It is time for us to leave."

I looked at him like he was crazy. "Are you kidding me? These people need our help. We can't just leave them to die."

He turned and focused his intense red gaze at me. "We have helped them enough already. This place is so dangerous that we cannot afford any dead weight slowing us down."

I shook my head in disbelief at his callousness. "They're not dead weight, they're human beings. Besides if we all travel together, we can rotate sleep when we stop, helping to keep us sharp."

"You are foolish to already trust them enough to consider sleeping as they watch."

"Look at them! What danger could you possibly think they pose?"

His eyes never moved from mine, and I could see the anger start to flare. "If you plan to abandon your mission every time a pretty girl is in distress..."

My eyes narrowed at his insinuation. "I'm done arguing. Leave if you want. I'm staying with them."

Sheik's fists clenched at his side, but in a characteristic moment of restraint, he turned and walked away to collect himself.

I turned my head towards the strangers on the ground to see the girl following Sheik's instructions. I also noticed their eyes were looking anywhere but our direction.

"Sorry about that," I said sheepishly.

"No," the girl said. "It is I who should be sorry for the tension my father and I have created between you and your companion."

I shrugged her apology off and forced a smile. "Nah, it was about time for us to be at each other's throats again. He's a bit... high strung. But I don't see why all four of us can't get out of this desolate land together. That is, if you think you can trust us."

"First you save my father from the poison. Now you're going to help us get out of this goddessforsaken place alive." Her eyes started to get misty, so she looked down at the ground. "Thank you. Thank you so much."

As we waited for her father to gather the strength to continue, I learned the girl's name was Zira and his was Ari. They had lived in a small village north of here I had never heard of, but they barely made it out with their lives when Ganondorf decided to burn it to the ground. What that was supposed to accomplish was beyond me. An isolated town like that was no threat to him, and chances were good that no survivors would make it to spread tale of his ruthlessness.

They had been so desperate to get away, they had cut through bandit country against their better judgment. They hadn't seen any people until Sheik and me, but Ari's horse tripped an unseen trap, burying a poisoned arrow in his shoulder. His horse had stumbled awkwardly on the trip wire, so they transferred all their supplies to it, while sharing Zira's mount.

The way Zira spoke was captivating, and I found myself more and more comfortable with her as she told her tale, but Sheik's watchful eyes never lost their suspicious glint. Here I thought we had been making such great strides, but it was all wiped away with how he was treating Zira and Ari. He hadn't changed, not in the slightest. His eyes held the same distrust and loathing they had when we had visited Malon. What was his problem?

"What brings you here?" Zira asked, bringing me back to the present. She smiled, but then cast her eyes down, as if she were afraid she had asked too much.

I trusted her, but something inside me cautioned against talking about the sword I had just acquired. Like it was too sacred to be brought up casually. Though I didn't understand it, I decided to heed it. "We have important business in Kakariko that cannot wait. We had to take this shortcut."

Zira's eyes widened in surprise and she raised an eyebrow. "What business could be so important that you would take such a risk?"

It was at that moment, I realized I had no idea why we were even going to Kakariko, much less why it was this important. When had I gotten to a place where I was content to just follow Sheik without knowing why? Why didn't I question him more? I felt a bit like an idiot to realize I was willing to do something this dangerous just because a man (who I often hated) told me it was necessary.

Too embarrassed to admit that, I vaguely said, "It's complicated, but a lot of people's lives may depend on it." True enough, I figured.

Zira bit her lip and nodded, clearly curious, but she didn't pry for more information and I didn't offer any given that I didn't actually have any more.

Though it didn't matter because her father had finally mustered the energy to climb back on their horse. Sheik was back on his horse within seconds and though he didn't voice his irritation, his eyes very clearly said Finally.

I rolled my eyes, sick of his lack of compassion. He was being even more rude than he was with Malon, which I didn't realize possible. Was he going to do this every time I was nice to a girl? I shook my head in frustration as I jumped on Epona. No, after we made it through this, things needed to change if we were to continue working together.

We nearly made it that day, we pushed so hard and came so close, but when darkness fell, we still had a few miles, maybe a half hour of desert left. But as much as we wished we could press on, it was too dangerous. There were still too many traps, and it would only take one for this venture to meet a tragic end.

We couldn't set up a true camp, but Zira prepared food for us. Since a fire was too dangerous, the best she could do was jerky, apples, and little stale bread, but it was very appreciated. By me anyways. Sheik was still insistent on being a jerk and refused.

He separated himself from the rest of us, claiming he wanted to be on lookout without distractions. It was so far away from the night before, when we sat back to back, literally looking out for each other.

He was stupid to refuse sleep. It had been two days; he had to be as exhausted as I was. Staying up the whole night unnecessarily would only cause him to be more susceptible to making mistakes in the morning.

I would not follow him on this issue. When Ari offered to take first watch with Sheik given that he was more rested, I wanted to shout for joy. My eyes were so heavy. My body had never felt this way, a sort of numb weight. I didn't want to sleep too deeply because I needed to be ready at an instance's notice, but I could already feel the world slipping away as I laid down, and before I had closed my eyes, my vision turned black.

Sheik's POV

My mind was hazy as I slowly regained consciousness, but even so, I sensed something was very wrong. I tried to focus on my deep, slow breaths to remember, but my mind remained clouded. Why could I not think clearly? Why could I not shake this sleep? Wait, why was I asleep?

The realization came flooding into me, and it brought with it enough adrenaline that I finally began to regain my senses. My legs and hands were bound, and I could feel a man standing by my feet, his position suggesting he was holding a weapon over me, waiting for the moment I would wake up. At least I had managed to conceal my alertness.

The man at my feet was joined by one other by my side, but I could hear many others in the distance, closer to where I imagined the others must be. I strained my hearing, and heard what sounded like muffled screaming. Link must have already gained consciousness. There was a lot more movement, a lot more men where he was. We were in serious trouble.

If I feigned sleep longer, I could gain more intelligence before making a move, but I was terrified of Link making a move on his own. Though probably bound, he had a talent for knots. Eventually he would free himself, and I had no idea how long he had been at it. I needed to act before he got himself killed.

With all the strength I could muster, I shot my bound legs up into the air, tangling the arm of the man standing over me with the rope. I then yanked down, disarming his curved blade as he tumbled down with a yelp. I heard a crack as his head connected with the earth, and switched my attention to the other man at my side. His eyes were big, still needing time to process and react, time which I did not afford him. I kicked my legs his way, sweeping his own out from under him. I swung my hands down onto the man's throat, eliciting a gagging noise and allowing me the time to cut through my bindings with the first man's discarded sword.

I jumped up and saw the all the men surrounding Link for the first time. They were all staring at me, until one of them yelled, and they started running towards me, swords drawn.

Link's POV

Sheik never ceased to amaze me. His move was so quick, I wouldn't have seen it had I not been looking directly at him when he struck. Within seconds, he had completely reversed his fate. And my own, as it turned out, since he drew all the attention off me. I used the distraction to slip my pre-loosened bonds. I tensed my legs, preparing to spring, when Sheik's eyes met mine. He clearly wanted to communicate something, but it was too late; I had already started my leap. I tackled one of the few remaining men near me and slammed my fist into his face when we hit the ground. I scrambled after his dropped weapon to be prepared for the other two men, now that I had lost the element of surprise.

My movements seemed slightly sluggish, but I still had little trouble dispatching the two men. It seemed crazy how much my time under the General and observing Sheik had improved my abilities. I looked over to Sheik, but given there was only one man left standing, I knew he would be fine. Instead I turned to Zira to cut her bindings. She looked anxious, and I tried to assure her that everything would be okay. I gave her my sword, hoping that would give her some sense of security, and I turned to recover the master sword from the pile the men had made of our possessions. Sheik's screaming snapped my head up, terrified that somehow that lone swordsman had bested him. Instead, I saw him running towards me, desperately trying to get my attention. He was shouting, "Turn around! Turn around, Link!"

His words took a second to process, but then I spun around, looking for the man I had missed. Instead I saw Zira, sword drawn back with a look of hatred on her face, before she lunged forward, impaling me.

I let out a choked gasp as the pain started to register, and I finally put it together. I thought sleep had finally claimed Sheik after being awake for 48 hours, but in reality, we had been drugged. Zira and Ari were bandits; they had set us up.

Zira leaned in and whispered, "We were going to give you to him. After learning everything you knew. But I'm sure he'll appreciate your corpse just the same."

She pulled the sword out, but armed or not, she was no match for a furious Sheik who was on us in two strides. I fell to my knees, but my ally ignored me, instead rushing to our supplies, moving them all onto his own horse, and for a minute I thought he was going to leave me. It would serve me right. When he finished though, he came over and scooped me up, clearly struggling with my weight as he draped me over Epona. He jumped up behind me, and it crossed my mind that it was strange that my horse was allowing him on her. She had always been extremely temperamental with everyone but me and Malon.

I hissed in pain when Sheik applied pressure to my wound with an old rag as he urged Epona on. The movement multiplied the pain, and I started to see black dots around my vision. I wasn't sure if it was the pain or the blood loss that would make me pass out first, but I knew I wasn't waking back up. There was so much I wanted to tell Sheik, so much to apologize for, but all I managed was a weak, "I'm sorry. Tell her I'm so sorry."

He made no indication of hearing me or doing as I said, but as I closed my eyes I heard him angrily mutter, "Don't you dare. Don't you dare die."

A/N: Hey been a long time. I figured no one really cared about this story any more, but then someone favorited/followed it, and I've had this chapter nearly complete for so long that it gave me the motivation to finally finish it. I also have the next chapter finished, so that won't be much of a wait. And a certain character will finally be making an appearance, so hopefully it's a good one.