Sheik spent the next few days drifting mad hope that Zelda was alright, and cold pragmatism that told him that Hyrule could not go on without someone to take the reins. Already, factions demanding to know who he was and who was now in line for the throne had come forth demanding answers.
Sheik had wanted to kick them out. The princess had not yet been declared dead. He felt like these people wanted to be done with his sister right away.
Only Link kept him from losing his calm.
He came forth wielding the master sword, and along with the sages that still retained the strength to project a physical form, had taken his title as Hero of Time to hold the throne in the meantime before Zelda came back.
"The upside is that I can't see their angry glares," said Link after his first appearance at court.
Farore's power had burned out his sight, and most of his memories.
"Stop joking about that," said Sheik.
"You stop being all mopey about that," said Link, unbuttoning his white court jacket. "I think I got the best deal in the vessel game. I mean, yeah, I'm bummed about not being able to play on the archery range anymore, but otherwise I'd say I'm alright."
"You won't be able to fight anymore. And your childhood in the Kokiri forest…It's gone…," said Sheik.
"Saria will have a great time telling me all about it, I'm sure. Really Sheik, I don't want you to keep blaming yourself for this," said Link, reaching out to him.
Sheik let him hold his hand. "How can I not? If I hadn't been so angry, so suspicious…"
"Then you would not be here, and my eyes wouldn't make up for that."
A loud clapping startled both of them. "Ahh, look at those cute love birds!" yelled Dark, and whistled at them. Zelda, sitting perched at a windowsill next to him, hit him slightly on the side of the head.
They hadn't been there a moment ago. Sheik was sure of it. And yet he hadn't felt any spells around.
Zelda jumped off the window sill and smoothed the creases on her plain green dress. Sheik ran up to her, hugging her before she could say anything.
"Your highness! You're back!" he said, trying to hold back tears and failing miserably. Holding her made something in his heart overflow. "I was so worried."
"You didn't believe me," said Link with a laugh, walking up to them with slow steps. He hadn't yet gotten used to walking with a cane.
Zelda stood still for a moment, and then returned Sheik's hug. "I'm sorry," she said with a hoarse, strange voice.
"Your Highness? Are you alright? Are you hurt?"
Zelda shook her head. "No. I'm fine. Just…getting used to- Uhmm, it's a long story. It doesn't matter," she said. She looked over to Link. "You lost your sight?"
"Nothing essential," said Link, but his smile had vanished. "And you? Your memories?"
"It's…weird. My memory was completely gone. Through my energy still left in the spells that bind the timelines apart I could see most of the past events as an outsider. Your shadow filled me in some other details, and the Fierce Deity in others. Everything has been falling into place slowly in my mind. Well, most of it. I know who I am, at the least. Everything else was destroyed."
"Everything else?" asked Sheik.
It was indeed a long story. One that took all night and a lot of tears. Mainly from Sheik.
All from Sheik, actually.