Sheik directed a ball of fire magic into the stone target, blowing it to pieces.
"Why?" she muttered angrily, "Why does this always happen?" Another ball of superheated magic and
another explosion.
"It doesn't even make sense..." Sheik curbed the flow of magic and went to inspect the damage. The
stone walls she had been aiming at were blown to smithereens, leaving large ditches in the sand
where her magic had struck. It had been four days since the main group of Sheikah had come. They
had been given supplies and directions as promised, but not allowed to stay longer than a day.
Nabooru's disappearance had put all of the Gerudo on edge, leaving them suspicious of the Sheikah,
especially of Sheik, who was the last one to have seen Nabooru.
"I didn't do anything, and she works for Ganondorf, so then what happened?" Sheik asked herself.
Nabooru was a capable warrior, and Ganondorf's servant, so anyone kidnapping or killing her seemed
unlikely. It was as though she had vanished into thin air. Sheik had gone back to the temple to
investigate when Nabooru didn't return after a day. She had found their horses, spooked, but
unharmed. There had been no blood, no signs of a struggle, and no Nabooru. She had even gone back
and investigated the entire temple. Nothing. With the ever changing sands, Sheik hadn't expected to
find tracks, but all of their gear was in it's correct place, nothing had been removed, even Nabooru's
scimitars were still in their sheathes strapped to the saddle. It was like magic.
Sheik walked away from the wrecked walls and back into the Sheikah's camp. They had found the
desert Sheikah tribe about a day ago, and had been welcomed with open arms. Izzati and Haytham
were trapped in one of the large tents with the leader and elders of the desert Sheikah tribe. They had
been there for hours, discussing the matters in Hyrule, and whether or not they should take action or
precautions against Ganondorf. Sheik had left after the first hour, leaving Raven to report the decisions
made later. Sheik wandered slowly down the path between the tents that served as the nomadic
Sheikah's homes, having no obligations or set destination.
"Sheik!" Raven called, running up to her and breaking her thoughts. Sheik looked at her questioningly.
Despite the lack of visible expression, Sheik knew Raven understood what she was trying to convey.
"They decided to put you under the apprenticeship of a man named Emril," she
said hastily, "They want you to meet him right now." Sheik nodded and motioned for her to lead the
way. This might be interesting. Raven turned and walked briskly down the sandy path between tents.
They arrived in front of a larger than average sand colored tent and pushed inside. Seven faces turned
to regard them, all of them tanned and with red eyes. Sheik found it a bit odd not to see any Hylians as
she was used to Zelda's court. Raven bowed, watching out of the corner of her eye to see what Sheik
would do. Sheik looked around the circle of Sheikah, deciding whether or not they deserved such
respect. She decided to reserve judgment, and made a shallow bow, acknowledging their status, but
not putting herself below them. Raven straightened.
"You are Impa's apprentice, correct?" asked one of the elders. Sheik nodded, meeting the elder's hard
eyes calmly. Undaunted by their glaring and looks of judgment. They were not frightening at all
compared to Impa. They took a few seconds to stare at Sheik, assessing her. Sheik returned their
stares, taking in how confident they all seemed in themselves, how rigid their backs were, how straight
they sat. How doubtful of her capabilities they were.
"Sheik, we received a letter from Princess Zelda," Izzati said, breaking the silence. "She has reason to
believe the Hero will awaken within the next few months," she continued. Sheik's heart jumped. Once
the Hero came, she could stop lying to everyone, and Hyrule would be safe again. Everything would get
better. They could find Nabooru, and armies would stop slaughtering innocents. Zelda would not have
to suffer so much responsibility.
Sheik waited for Izzati to continue, careful not to show any signs of her inner reactions.
"We have decided that it would be beneficial for you to train here for a time, as
the Princess says she has an important task for you when you return," Izzati told her. Sheik nodded.
That was nothing unusual. In fact, it happened very often, especially with Sheikah.
"Who will I be training under?" Sheik asked. A man stepped forward. He was tall, well muscled, and had
silver hair. He wore the traditional Sheikah armor in the desert's colors of tan and brown and looked to
be fairly old.
"That task falls to me," he said. Sheik met his eyes, they were sharp and confident, but not as harsh as
Impa's.
"I am called Emril." he told her, smiling.
"Sheik," Sheik said.
"We will start our training immediately, if the council agrees?" he turned to face the circle of Sheikah at
the last part. They nodded, dismissing them.
"Come," he said, leading the way out.
-0-0-0-
Zelda drew back the bowstring, held it for a moment while she aimed, then released. The arrow struck
it's target, a little to the left of the center. She blew a strand of golden hair from her face with irritation
and drew another arrow from the quiver mounted on her back.
"Take a deep breath," Impa instructed. Zelda obeyed and closed her aquamarine eyes, drew in a deep
breath, and let it out again before raising her bow and taking aim. This time her arrow hit closer to
center.
"You are improving," Impa said. Zelda grinned. That was as good a compliment as she was likely to get
from Impa, and she would happily take it.
As she reached for another arrow, the screech of a hawk split the air, causing them both to look up.
Zelda out of curiosity and Impa to make sure it was not a threat.
Impa held out her arm for the hawk and it landed gracefully on her armguard, folded it's wings, and
stuck out it's foot. Swiftly, Impa removed the letter tied to it's ankle and unrolled it, reading it quickly
before handing it to the princess. Zelda read it, her excitement growing with each sentence.
"They made it to the Sheikah in the desert! And Sheik is going to get some training from the best
warrior in the tribe, then she will come back!" Zelda pumped her fist in the air and danced around in a
circle. Impa watched her with an amused smile. The princess really was still a child. Zelda composed
herself, straightened her clothes, and grinned, princess training kicking in.
"Sheik's coming home! I've missed her so much."
"She may not be home for a long time yet, Princess. Please be aware of that."
"I know, but still! At least now I know she will be coming home." Impa smiled. Yes, that would be
something to look forward to.
"Then let us resume practice. When Sheik comes back, we can host an archery competition. It will boost
morale and cheer everyone up a bit," Impa suggested.
"Yes! I will host a return party for Sheik at that time as well!" Zelda said excitedly. Impa smiled as Zelda
ran back to the shooting line and picked up her bow.
"I'm going to win that competition!" Zelda called.
-0-0-0-
"Prepare yourself!" Raven watched as Sheik's new instructor dashed toward Sheik and swung his
sword. Sheik leapt out of the way and threw a knife at him. The knife was blocked by the sword's broad
blade, and with incredible speed the man launched himself at Sheik again, the tip of the sword
whipping past her face as she stepped back.
"Too slow!" he snapped, swinging again. Raven watched in amusement as Sheik twisted around his
blade and tried to stab him with her wakizashi. She was blocked and flung backwards. Emril may be
getting old, but he was strong, and still very much capable of beating almost everyone in the tribe, the
exception being their leader.
"Sometimes, it is necessary to block," Emril instructed, stepping neatly out of the way of more knives
and tossing one of his own.
Sheik growled and jumped over the knife, landed about three feet away from her instructor, ducked
below the slash aimed for her neck and kick at his ankles in an attempt to knock him down.
"Like I said, It is sometimes necessary to block," he said, "You could have made an opening." He
stepped out of Sheik's range before the kick connected. Sheik sprung back to her feet and attacked
again, three throwing knives preceding her. Emril dodged and blocked Sheik's blade as it aimed for his
throat. Then, quick as a viper, he grabbed Sheik's wrist and flipped her over, sending her sprawling in
the sand a few paces away. He waited patiently while Sheik picked herself up and shook the sand off
of her clothes.
"Try again." Sheik glared, and the sparring session continued.
Five days had passed since Sheik's training had begun, and they were advancing at an incredible rate.
Sheik picked up on the skills she was taught very quickly, and Emril always had more to teach her.
On the sixth day, Raven woke from her nap to the sound of Emril's deep voice and Sheik's quiet sounds
of acknowledgement at whatever he was saying. She sat up and blinked the sleep from her eyes. It
was noon now. Sheik and Emril were sitting next to her in the shade of the tarp they had set up next
to the training ground. Emril was waving his porridge spoon around as he explained something, and
Sheik sat across from him, legs crossed and back perfectly straight. Her bowl of food was untouched.
"Do you understand, Sheik?" Emril asked. Sheik nodded and turned to Raven, silently offering her a
bowl. Raven's stomach growled, and she gratefully accepted it.
Emril stopped talking and focused on his bowl of food, Raven did the same. When she looked up again,
Sheik's food has somehow disappeared, although Raven couldn't say she had heard Sheik move at all.
"Now," Emril said, standing and dusting himself off, "I will test your magic skill."
"I apologize for interrupting," Raven began, standing as well, "But do you think you should be using
magic after such a long sparring session?" This particular one had lasted for around three hours, with
only short water breaks in between.
Emril turned to regard her. He was at least a foot taller than she was, his eyes were dark red and
when you looked directly at them, it was as though you would sink into their depths and be lost in the
infinite wisdom within. It was similar to looking into Impa's eyes, except her eyes were harder, sharper,
and felt as though they could see into your soul.
"If she cannot handle this, then we will have more training ahead of us than I anticipated," he
eventually replied.
"I can do it," Sheik interjected, "Impa and I trained similar hours." Raven briefly considered how much
harder Sheik's training had been than most, but nodded and sat back down.
"You may join us, if you wish," Emril offered. Raven stood up.
"Thank you, I will." The three Sheikah walked to the center of the circle marked by a rope and the two
younger turned to Emril, waiting for his instructions. Emril took a deep breath and began.
"The most commonly used magic is wind magic." He cast Farore's Wind and reappeared behind Sheik
and Raven.
"It can be used to warp, and to fly, which are it's most common functions, but it can also be used for
combat." He raised his arm and Sheik and Raven were flung several feet backwards.
"All magic has more than one use, to master it is to master the elements. It is a gift from the
goddesses, and should not be thoughtlessly used. To use it, you must have clear intentions and a calm
mind. Let us begin by first understanding the elements within us."
Their training began, and by the time the sun was setting, both were covered in bruises, scrapes, and
burns. They had covered wind and fire magic, and practiced combat and other usages with both. Raven
had learned more than she thought her previous teacher knew, and although she had never been
good at anything besides light and shadow magic, she felt her abilities with the others were at least
average. Most of it had been review for Sheik, since Impa was a very thorough and highly skilled
teacher, but she still had a lot to improve on, and by the end of the day they had begun learning things
that Sheik had yet to learn.
Worn out and sore, Sheik and Raven trudged silently back to the tent they shared. The desert Sheikah
were nomads, so there were no permanent houses. Which meant no warm baths. Something Raven
was desperately wishing for at this particular moment.
Raven lay down on her bed and groaned, rolling to ease the pressure on one of the burns on her
shoulder.
"Hello Sheik, Raven," Izzati stepped into the tent and eyed it's two inhabitance with concern.
"Hello," Sheik dipped her head in respect and continued rubbing ointment onto one of the numerous
burns covering her body. Raven just lay face down on her bedroll.
"Are you two all right?" Izzati asked, assessing the damage to the two Sheikah before her.
"Yes," Sheik replied.
"Raven?" Izzati asked. Raven pulled herself into a sitting position, clenching her jaw as the fabric of her
tunic rubbed against another burn.
"Yes, we simply had a tough training session." She proceeded to rip the already torn and burned leg off
of her pants and used what little strength she had to heal the incessantly bleeding cut on her leg.
"Alright. Is there anything I can do to help?" Izzati asked, passing the burn ointment from Sheik to
Raven.
"Some food and water would be appreciated," Raven said. Izzati smiled.
"I will be right back." She left the tent, and the two injured Sheikah tended their wounds in silence.
-0-0-0-
Frightening shadows writhed and formed half solid shapes before vanishing into the misty blackness
that surrounded her. When she turned to look, there was only
thick darkness, impenetrable even to her low light vision. Habitually, she checked for her weapons.
Nothing. She glanced down at herself, and found she only had a loose tunic and leggings on, no knives
or other weapons anywhere. Still, she knew this was only a dream and wasn't worried. On silent feet,
she advanced, long black hair trailing behind her. She made a mental note to cut it later.
"Ahh!" The scream came from somewhere in the blackness to her left. When she turned to look, the
blackness cleared, and Raven could see a battlefield. Curious, she walked towards it. The black faded,
and she found herself standing in the center of a field, bodies strewn across the dying grass, shouts of
pain and battle cries shattering the previous silence. It felt as though she had just surfaced from under
water and suddenly her ears were clear, her sense functional, her eyes open. Everything was in high
definition, every scent, sound, and feeling. The gentle touch of the wind stung, the feel of the grass
beneath her bare feet was sharp and dry. It was always like this in one of her visions. Looking around,
Raven could identify one army as the Hylian one, the opposing force was one of monsters. At the back
of the Hylian army, Zelda sat atop a pure white horse, her bow in hand, a grim look on her face. When
Raven blinked, Zelda was replaced by a Sheikah, head wrapped in white cloth, a fringe of blond hair
covering one blood red eye. It was Sheik, Raven realized. She blinked again, and it was replaced with
Zelda, their two forms overlapping, merging, and glowing blindingly bright until Raven was forced to
look away. In other parts of the battle field, she watch Hylian soldiers get cut down by the monsters,
their strangled screams cut short by rusted blades.
The battle wore on and it became clear that the monsters would win. Zelda shouted something and the
troops began to rally around her. They had been reduced to little over a hundred, but couldn't retreat.
Something very large must be at stake here. Just as they were about to be overwhelmed, a glowing
figure in green emerged from somewhere behind the enemy army, Raven would never have noticed him
in real life, but in this dream world, he glowed as brilliantly as the sun. With a shout that would have
drowned in the clamor of battle but now rang loud and clear, he charged forward on his chestnut mare,
his sword raised, a beacon of hope for the troops.
Raven heard Zelda raise her hopeful voice in a cheer, saying something which had the troops pounding
their swords and spears against their shields and yelling in joy. One word was dominant among them.
"Hero."
Their hero had come. Raven watched as the battle progressed at fast forward. The monsters turned to
look at the figure in green, and the hero, for that is what he was, cut them down mercilessly.
Reinforcements arrived for the Hylian troops, and they renewed their attack. It looked as if they had a
chance of winning and Raven was beginning to feel hope for Hyrule rise again in her chest. Suddenly,
their was a shout of pain, much louder than it should have been. Raven ran towards the noise, a sense
of urgency overcoming her. She followed the shout to the hero, where she found him fighting off a
horde of monsters, trying to get to something in the middle. In the middle of the horde Raven saw a
familiar figure.
"Sheik?" she asked, even though she was aware that they couldn't hear her. Sheik had been on the
horse, leading the army, right?
No, a little voice in the back of her mind told her, that was Zelda, this is the real Sheik.
As she watched, a monster came up from behind Sheik and raised it's axe, intent on taking off Sheik's
head. Something blue and grey shot past, knocking Sheik out of the way and killing the creature. Sheik
rolled nimbly to her feet and turned around in time to see the blue and grey thing get speared by a
darknut. (Darknight? Sorry for incorrect terminology.) Sheik fought her way over to the fallen figure and
knelt next to it, ignoring the gaping wound in her side. At this rate, Sheik would bleed to death.
"Raven! Get up, please!" Sheik's voice prompted the observing Raven to refocus, and she looked
closer. Laying in Sheik's arms, was Raven. The Raven watching took a step back in shock. Never before
had she seen a vision of herself. She had seen Sheik's imprisonment at Ganondorf's castle, her
promise, and a few of her missions. She'd seen the Sheikah's hidden village burn to the ground, she'd
seen Zelda become queen, but she had never been given a look at her own fate.
"Don't die, please! You can't die!" Sheik begged. The Raven of the vision smiled, and said something, a
speech of sorts, judging by how long it took. She strained her ears, but observer Raven couldn't make
out what was said.
"No... Not you too..." Sheik trailed off, dropping her head.
"Sheik! We have to move!" the Hero yelled, wheeling his horse in a circle. The dying Raven whispered
something, and Sheik's eyes widened slightly. Sheik nodded sadly, and Raven smiled, her eyes slipping
shut. Sheik closed her eyes, her shoulders were shaking, whether from anger or sorrow, Raven couldn't
tell. She gently lay down the now probably dead Raven, promising to come back for her, then ran back
to the Hero's side and rejoined the battle. The whole scene took about ten minutes, and the alive
Raven was left to watch in horror as she died. Under other circumstances, she probably would hade
registered how skilled the hero was, and how much he appeared to trust Sheik, but emotion overrode
her training and she gave in to the unstoppable wave of fear and hopelessness. She was afraid to die.
Raven gasped as a sharp pain cut through her body. Everything hurt, it was sudden, and for a moment
she thought she'd been killed in her sleep. The pain was blinding, and the world flashed in and out, the
blackness began to return.
"I don't want to die!" she whispered. For a moment, she could feel all of the pain fear the other Raven
must have felt before she had died, and it left her gasping for air and screaming.
"Raven?" She shot up gasped. The white noise that had filled her head vanished, and she felt a cool
breeze touch her skin. She was back in the world of the waking.
She checked herself over for injuries, than looked at Sheik.
"Are you alright?" Sheik asked. Raven nodded. It was just a dream. She cut herself off. No, it wasn't. It
was a vision. It would come to pass. She was going to die a violent death at the hand of some
monster. Raven felt sick.
"Yes... I am going outside," she said, lurching unsteadily to her feet. Sheik watched her go, whether
she was worried or not, Raven couldn't tell. Sheik had stopped showing emotions completely as of late.
Raven disregarded the observation, struggling to hold down her dinner as her stomach rebelled again.
"Oh Goddesses... I am going to die..." she whispered. Tears began to gather in her eyes and she ran
out of camp.
"I don't want to die...Not so soon... I don't want to die!"
-0-0-0-
A/N
I think I may have mutilated Raven's personality... Oh well.
Also, something is wrong with the way I am writing Sheik too, sorry about that, I am trying to fix it.
More importantly, I want to thank everyone who read, reviewed, favourited, etc. It means a lot to me, so thank you so much!
I'm not sure how I feel about this chapter, so your feedback is greatly appreciated.
Thanks again!