War is an awful thing.
Staining the world in blood and anguish, filling peoples hearts with sorrow and fear, one
of the most destructive and horrible things to exist on this earth.
Sheik and Zelda sat silently on the roof of the farmhouse looking out at the destruction. The once green field was stained red with blood, dead lay in piles all over the place.
Zelda's army had won this battle, but the price had been too high. Nearly one third of her army was dead, another hundred seriously wounded.
Sheik's party of Sheikah had done their job, but Kahalil had been killed, and Anise badly wounded.
Closing her eyes, Sheik remembered the attack.
They had killed nearly all of the commanders, two of which had been Gerudo, and were about to go after the last. The last one was commander of the fifth infantry, and had a guard of ten people. Word of the other commanders' death had reached him and he was trying to save himself. This one was a Hylian, the son of one of the nobles who had betrayed Zelda, a descendant of one of the nobles who had betrayed the Royal Family in the Civil War, coincidentally. Sheik remembered his name was Andrew.
Amur and Anise put poisoned throwing knives and needles through half of the guard before they were noticed, then Kahalil joined the fray while Sheik and Raven had cloaked themselves in shadows and gotten next to Andrew's horse. Raven's blade found his throat and he toppled from his horse, dead before he could utter a sound.
Rearing up and thrashing it's hooves, the horse took out the remaining two guards and anyone within range of it's hooves. The Sheikah quickly moved out of range, but one of it's massive hooves smashed into Kahalil's head as he pushed the limping Anise out of the way. He died because of that, and Sheik thought it was a awful way to die.
The remaining four had escaped with his body, but he was already dead when they reached the medics.
"Sheik..." Zelda's sorrow filled voice brought Sheik back to the present, which was only slightly better that the past.
"Yes Princess?"
"How do I tell their families back home that their sons and husbands are dead?" Always worrying about her people first, that was Zelda. Even though she herself had been injured by a stray arrow, and she had lost use of her right leg for about a month, Zelda was still trying to be a good leader.
A feeling of inferiority washed over Sheik. Zelda was such a good person, she wished she could be like that. But a servant of Ganondorf cannot be a good person as well.
"There is no way to adequately capture the meaning of their deaths, but I think a speech and a royal thank-you will do." she responded, tone flat. Sheik was surprised at her own lack of feeling.
Zelda smiled sadly and nodded, wiping unshed tears from her eyes. It was unbefitting of a ruler to cry in front of her people, even if said people were her best friend.
Sheik helped her down and they entered the barn, which was being used temporarily as a meeting place. It was time to plan their return to Kakariko, what to do with the injured, and set up a proper burial for those who had fought and died.
-0-0-0-
Returning to a schedule had been difficult, but Sheik was back to training again, Zelda was stuck in the hospital while her leg healed, Amur was on another mission with his mentor, and Anise was stuck in the hospital as well.
Sheik mastered the magics quickly, learning to fly, walk on water, and use light magic within five months. Her light magic was weak, since the Sheikah race were creatures of shadow, but she could do it and that's what counted.
Recently, Zelda had sent Sheik to bring information to the Zora and check if they needed any sort of assistance, that's where she was headed now.
Before Ganondorf had attacked, Impa had taken Sheik to the Zora's Domain on multiple occasions to learn how to swim, dive, and use water magic. She had come to like the Zora people and their element and was eager to see them again.
Climbing the familiar rocks that led to the water fall, Sheik noticed a cold wind blowing from the Zora's Domanin, that was alarming since the Zora's home always stayed a comfortably warm temperature.
Quickening her pace, Sheik sprinted the remaining distance and quickly played Zelda's Lullaby on her harp. The water parted and she jumped the gap and ran inside.
The Zora Domain's usual calm was shattered, the air hummed with dark power, and Zora were screaming and running about frantically.
Sheik could smell blood in the air, and the Zora army stood with spears pointed up at a floating figure in a thick black cape, other Zora filled the rivers and were diving to the bottom of the main pool trying to escape.
The person laughed evilly, a laugh Sheik knew only too well. The laugh of Ganondorf.
Raising his arms, Ganondorf began to gather lots of power. Zora yelled battle cries and swam as fast as they could towards him, leaping out of the water at the last moment to come within a hairsbreadth of Ganondorf only for him to float just a bit higher so that the tips of the Zora's spears sliced passed the soles of his boots.
With an inhuman roar, Ganondorf slammed his palms into the water below him, the water freexing instantly where he touched. Ganondorf resumed his position in the air and laughed maniacally as the ice spread across the water, trapping the unfortunate Zora within.
Angrily, Sheik gathered her own magic and tried to force back Ganondorf's ice. It wasn't right to kill off an entire race simply because they might have a Sage among them.
Hissing, Sheik strained against Ganondorf, she knew he was powerful, but this was off the scale.
Things began to click in Sheik's head, things like Ganondorf's plan, his possession of the Triforce of Power, things that she thought she should have realized much sooner. Before the thoughts could complete themselves Sheik was lifted off her feet by Ganon's phantom hand.
"Hello Sheik, what do you think your doing?" Ganondorf asked in a conversational tone. Knowing Ganondorf's violent tendencies, Sheik opted not to respond, instead focusing on keeping Ganondorf's magic back, although she knows it's futile. Hopefully the Zora will have time to escape.
"Are you still trying to stop me?" Ganondorf laughed. "Foolish child. You are much too weak to even contest with my power!" flicking his wrist, Sheik is sent flying into the wall where massive icicles have begun to form. Sheik can hear a crack as her head collides with the rock and she crumples to the ground.
Something warm and sticky runs down her head and neck and she has to focus just to stay conscious.
The screams of young Zora echo around the large cavern as the ice reached them, imprisoning them in the water.
"Soon it will reach the Princess!" Ganondorf said happily. He must have had too much coffee or something. Sheik thought blearily. He didn't usually talk this much or act this insane.
Pushing herself painfully up from the wall, Sheik staggered toward the passage that would lead to the throne room.
"Ahh, no Sheik." Ganondorf said, floating over and grabbing her by her hair. "We can't have you messing up my plans now can we? As your master I am telling you not to help the Zora." Sheik growled, her vision blurring into colored flashes as she reached for her tanto.
Sorry Zelda. She thought, cutting through her hair and tumbling to the ice below. Hurriedly scrambling to her feet, Sheik ran toward the throne room again, flinging knives and needles back as she ran in a futile attempt to delay Ganondorf.
The ice had almost reached Lord Jabu Jabu's fountain, it was too late for the king, but she could hear the princess's screams from near the fountain.
Ganondorf's voice echoed through the halls, telling her that her attempts were useless, that all the Zora would die and she with them if she did not stop.
Dashing across the ice, Sheik arrived at the pool where Jabu Jabu floated lazily in the water, unaware of the Zora's crisis. The princess was standing in the ankle deep water, stuck because of the ice creeping down the stream.
"Help!" she screamed. Sheik pumped her remaining magic hastily into her knife and slammed it into the ice at Princess Ruto's feet, causing a wave of intense heat to ripple from the knife, melting the ice around the princess's feet and freeing her.
Sheik stood and grabbed the princess.
"You won't escape!" thundered Ganondorf, throwing a ball of fiery magic at the princess. In the second before the fire hit, Sheik swung the princess out of the way, taking the damage and flinging a deku nut to the ground.
-0-0-0-
"Wake up." Sheik opened her eyes to see Ruto standing with her hands on her hips, glaring down at her.
"You let Ganondorf freeze my home, nearly get me killed, and still call yourself a man?" Ruto huffed and turned away. "Clean yourself up then explain to me what happened. I healed the worst of it for you."
Sheik rolled to her feet, groaning as her head throbbed and spun painfully. Ruto had healed the burns, so all she had to deal with was her head.
She reached up and touched the wound, her hand coming away covered in blood. Hastily wrapping the wound in bandages, Sheik looked at the princess and tried to focus on what was being said to her.
Apparently Ruto didn't want to hear Sheik's side of the story, instead she said a bunch of things about Lord Jabu Jabu, the Water temple, monsters and then taught Sheik a song, which she struggled to learn and remember, and then yelled at her a bit.
By the time Ruto had leapt into the water and disappeared into the Water Temple, all Sheik could gather was that she was going to check on the temple to try and vanquish the monster there that she was sure Ganondorf had anchored his magic too, causing Zora's domain to remain frozen forever. Oh, and she thought Sheik was male. That was odd, didn't she remember when Sheik was young and had come to visit to learn how to swim? Well, whatever. Picking herself off the ground, Sheik used the last vestiges of her magic to warp to Lon Lon Ranch, in hope of food and a place to sleep. She could deal with anything that had to be done after that.
A/N
Thank-you all who read, reviewed, Favorited, ect. this!
So, this chapter was dedicated to my new friend, (if you want to be my friend) LagksZ! Thank you so much for being so encouraging and helpful!
Also special thanks to Hasenpfeffer for your continued support and help throughout the story.
Thank you all so much! I hope you liked it.