For a heartbeat their was silence. Then Impa began moving hastily about the room, packing some things into a Bottomless Bag.
"Sheik, I need you to go to the Temple of Time and meet the Hero," Zelda said. "You will serve as his guard until he completes the task set before him. Guide him, protect him, and lend him aid where you can." Her voice sounded stressed.
"I understand," Sheik replied.
"Then please take these vows." Zelda stood up and Sheik knelt before her. The princess said the necessary words, and Sheik vowed to do everything within her power to carry out Zelda's orders. Once her vows were complete, Impa placed the bag she had been packing in Sheik's hands.
"In here are the supplies you will need for this trip. We don't know how long you will be away, so I have supplied you with enough provisions to last for a week," Impa told her.
"We'll have to leave Kakariko for a time, as the Hero will have to come here to stock up on supplies. So take good care of him, okay?" Zelda smiled and stood up.
"Go now, quickly," Impa said. Sheik quickly changed into her armor and strapped on her weapons, then walked outside.
"Take care, Sheik! Oh, and one other thing. Impa has included a map of the temples in your bag, as well as any information we have on them." Sheik nodded and took a few steps back. Zelda covered her eyes, and Sheik smashed her deku nut onto the ground, warping away.
-0-0-0-
Sheik stumbled as she reappeared into the Temple of Time. She had miscalculated the amount of energy required to ward from Kakariko Village to the temple, and had had to use two green potions already. She closed her eyes. Her eyesight was fuzzy, and the world was spinning dangerously. Leaning against the wall, she fished a green potion from her bag and drank it, feeling some of her magic return.
The fuzziness cleared and she blinked. The entire temple was filled with beams of bright blue light emanating from the crystal that had long encased the Hero. Sheik had to shield her eyes as the crystal cracked further and the light grew more intense. Slowly, the light died away enough for her to look back. The hero, dressed in green as the legends foretold, was hovering a few inches above the ground. The last of the light died away as his feet gently touched the ground, and he opened his eyes for the first time in seven years.
"Look Link! You're big now! You've grown up!" Navi said. The Hero looked at himself in slight panic, his eyes wide.
"You're big now, but… Have seven years really passed?" The fairy flew around Link again. "Well, I guess we should get going, right?"
Link nodded, and Sheik could see his shoulders rise and fall with a deep breath. He stepped off of the platform, stumbling slightly, unused to his new body.
Sheik decided that now was a good time to make her presence known. She leaped off the ledge she had been standing on, her landing was almost silent but the small sound it made was enough for the Hero to notice. He spun around, drawing his sword slightly clumsily and sliding into a defensive stance.
"I've been waiting for you, Hero of Time…" Sheik said, careful to make her voice sound non-threatening. "When evil rules all, an awakening voice from the Sacred Realm will call those destined to be Sages, who dwell in the five temples. One in a deep forest... One on a high mountain... One under a vast lake... One within the house of the dead... One inside a goddess of the sand... Together with the Hero of Time, the awakened ones will bind the evil and return the light of peace to the world…" Sheik recited. That legend had been told to her many times as a child. It was one of Zelda's favorite bedtime stories, and she had asked Impa to tell it often. Back then it had seemed like just a story.
"This is the legend of the temples passed down by my people, the Sheikah," she continued. "I am Sheik. Survivor of the Sheikahs…" She allowed herself a small smile, despite the fact that the Hero could not see it. "As I see you standing there holding the mythical Master Sword, you really do look like the legendary Hero of Time…" Link had since lowered his sword, but now he looked at it again, as if just realizing that it was indeed the Master Sword.
"If you believe the legend, you have no choice. You must look for the five temples and awaken the five Sages... One Sage is waiting for the time of awakening in the Forest Temple. The Sage is a girl I am sure you know…" Zelda had told her that a long time ago, when Link had first come to the castle as a child carrying the Kokiri Emerald.
"Because of the evil power in the temple, she cannot hear the awakening call from the Sacred Realm… Unfortunately, equipped as you currently are, you cannot even enter the temple… But, if you believe what I'm saying, you should head to Kakariko Village... Do you understand, Link?"
The Hero nodded, and Sheik raised her arm.
"Then I shall see you again, Hero." She threw the deku nut to the ground and warped outside.
-0-0-0-
Link blinked slowly. Everything was in ruins. The outside of the temple was cracked and dirty, the reflecting pools were dry and filled with dead leaves from the grey trees that ringed the temple. The once beautiful gardens of flowers were dry and dead, and the pathway was cracked and covered with small weeds. Even the sky was dreary and grey.
"Rauru said that much had changed in the past seven years, but…" Navi trailed off. Link nodded. He understood how the little fairy felt. This was horrible. Steeling himself for whatever was ahead, he began walking again. He felt his heart die a little as he snuck through the remains of castle town, dodging Re-Deads and rubble as he made his way to the gate. Even that was ruined. The drawbridge was destroyed, so he had to wade through the cold water of the moat. Outside was no better. The grass was brown, and he could see poes floating around in the distance, the irregular flickering of their lamps giving the dim field a ominous feeling. Link jumped when he heard a guay screech overhead.
"Look at that cloud above Death Mountain," Navi said, "It looks really scary." Link glanced over. That was where the Gorons lived. He wondered if they were okay.
"Should we believe what Sheik told us and go to Kakariko Village?" Navi asked. Link hesitated. Sheik was rather suspicious, but the Sheikah served the Royal Family, right? Also, Sheik was the first person he had met in the adult world, and Link felt that was special somehow. He nodded, and began walking again, Navi flying along beside him.
-0-0-0-
It took nearly two days for Link to reach Kakariko Village, and when the long stairs leading up to it came into view, he gave a shout of joy and began to run. How wonderful it would be to finally get some warm food, and a nice, soft bed, and a bath. Link really wanted a bath. It felt weird knowing he had been asleep for seven years and had not once taken a bath, eaten, or done anything, really.
By the time he reached the first flat platform he was breathing heavily, and collapsed to his knees to catch his breath. The sound of armor clanking caused him to look back up.
"Identify yourself!" commanded the guard now blocking his path. Link stood up, still gasping for breath.
"I'm Link!" he said, smiling. It was great to see more people. He was afraid they were all dead when he'd seen Castle Town. The guard did not seem as happy to meet him as Link was though, and he frowned heavily.
"I haven't seen you 'round before, what's your business?"
"I'm here to get something. A special item I think," Link replied cheerily.
"A special item? What makes you think it's here in Kakariko Village?" the guard asked, sounding very suspicious.
"Well, because Sheik told me it was…" His smile faded a bit. Was he wrong to trust Sheik? The guard stepped back a bit.
"I'm very sorry for delaying you, sir! I didn't know you were a friend of Master Sheik!" he said quickly. He motioned for Link to pass. Link was confused, but he smiled and thanked the guard before continuing up the staircase.
He was once again stopped at the town gate. He mentioned Sheik's name and it worked like magic. The guard let him pass, and even saluted him!
Once inside, Link was greatly relieved to see most of the people from Castle Town had made it here. The village was much more lively now, and Link was surprised at the amount of soldiers walking around. The scenery had changed a bit too. More houses had been built in the past seven years, and there were some tents pitched as well. Link's stomach grumbled, pulling him out of his thoughts and prompting him to head for the inn.
He opened the door and grinned as the warm air surrounded him, carrying with it the scent of fresh bread and some kind of stew.
"Hey! I'm talking to you!" Link snapped his head toward the source of the shout. His eyes were caught by a large group of really big guys surrounding a table in the corner of the room. The serving girl was hovering nervously behind them, clutching tightly to her tray. When Link approached, she hastily backed away.
"What's going on?" Link asked her.
"These men were complaining about there being a Sheikah here, they wanted me to kick him out, but I told them that he wasn't causing any trouble and to leave him alone, so they decided to take matters into his own hands, and now I think they might start a fight!" she explained, eyes wide. Link stood on his tiptoes trying to see over their shoulders. The serving girl nervously twirled the end of her hair.
"Don't get involved, mister, these guys have been drinking, and they're pretty strong…" Link lowered himself back down and smiled at the girl. "Don't worry. I'm strong too," he said. She opened her mouth to argue further but just then there was the sound of wood scraping against wood and the crowd went quiet.
"Please move." This voice was much softer than the others, and perfectly calm. Link instantly recognized it.
"Don't try to order me around you Sheikah dog!" yelled one of the men. Link pushed through just in time to see one man throw a messy punch. There was a sudden flash of movement and the attacker was slammed into the ground. The other people began shouting and throwing insults, then they too began attacking.
"Sheik!" Link called, struggling to reach the Sheikah in the center of the brawl. Red eyes snapped up and briefly met Link's before someone moved into the way. Link began trying to pull people back, yelling at them to stop. Someone shoved him aside.
"Out of the way, kid! You shouldn't be trying to defend this traitorous freak of nature!" He snapped. Link gaped at him. Traitorous freak of nature? Sheik? What was going on? Link didn't understand why they were trying to hurt the Sheikah. Wasn't this the Sheikah's village? Didn't they help defend the people and the peace? Link had thought they were friends.
Someone grabbed his arm and he twisted to the side, ready to knock whoever it was off, but he saw it was Sheik and stopped.
"Come with me, Hero." Sheik began to pull Link towards the door, and he obediently followed.
They ran until they reached the Windmill, where Sheik finally released her iron grip on his wrist.
"I apologize for that, Hero. Are you hurt?" Sheik asked. Link shook his head. Sheik looked him and and down quickly to make sure that was true, then turned to leave.
"The item you seek once belonged to Dampe the Grave Keeper. You may find a clue as to it's location at his house. We'll meet again." Sheik jumped onto the roof and vanished from sight. Link opened his mouth to tell Sheik to wait, but she was already gone. He frowned. He had a lot of questions he wanted to ask, and he had just found the Sheikah again, too.
"What was all that about? Why were those people so angry at Sheik?" Navi asked, flying out from under his hat. Link shrugged. Whatever the reason, he could find out later. First he had to get the item Sheik had mentioned. Then maybe he could rest for a bit and get something to eat. With a tired sigh, Link descended the stairs and walked toward the Graveyard.
-0-0-0-
That was misfortunate. Sheik thought as she leapt down from the cliff she'd been perched on and walked over to the hole where Link had just jumped in. It was under Dampe's grave. She considered following him, but she had no wish to descend into the labyrinth that ran through the ground. Not to mention that those tunnels were connected to both the Well and the Shadow Temple. Neither were places Sheik wanted to go near. She remembered Impa telling her stories of how the temple had once been a sacred place where one could go to consult the dead. Or in the Sheikah's case, a place to train, gather, and store their vast knowledge. Deep within the temple Impa said there were still many scrolls containing Hyrule's history and all of it's secrets. Information only the Sheikah would ever know. But now it was filled with evil and stained with blood.
Sheik turned away from the open grave. The Shadow Temple was sealed now, and perhaps it was best that way.
-0-0-0-
It had begun to rain, filling the air with a heavy grey mist that clung to the rooftops and rolled across the ground. The village had gone quiet, making it seem deserted. Sheik readjusted her scarf and kept walking. Already she could feel the water soaking through the leather of her armor and making her wet. She would have liked to curl up in front of the fire with a book and some tea, but she had a duty, and right now that duty demanded that she report the Hero's status to Princess Zelda.
She crouched down in front of the Sheikah Stone and softly hummed the song to activate it, as she was unwilling to take her harp out in this weather. The stone glowed and vibrated, then the center of it turned transparent, like water, and showed Zelda's grinning face.
"Hey Sheik!" she greeted.
"Hello, Princess."
"So? How is he? Is he handsome? I bet he's really tall now, right?" Zelda leaned forward and pulled her cloak tighter around her body.
"He is well. Currently he is in the tunnels beneath Dampe's grave searching for the Hookshot," Sheik informed her.
"That's good. But you didn't answer my other questions, Sheik."
"Nor am I going to," Sheik replied.
Zelda sighed. "Then I suppose I will just have to wait and see for myself," she said.
"If you have nothing more you need to know, then you should get out of the rain," Sheik told her.
"Alright. You too, Sheik. Call me again as soon as he reached the Forest Temple, okay?" Sheik nodded. "Goodbye, Zelda."
"Bye, Sheik. I'll talk to you soon." With that the connection was cut, and the stone returned to normal. Sheik stood up and glanced toward the sky. She couldn't see the sun, but she guessed it was around six in the afternoon. Sighing, she headed back towards Impa's house.
It was sad, how much Zelda trusted her. Zelda was so innocent, she had never killed anyone. Yet Sheik had killed many people, often by order of the King of Evil himself. Sheik frowned. Why was she thinking about that now? She decided to blame it on the dreary weather. Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, she focused on the Hero. Once he reached the Forest Temple, she would teach him the song she had written for the place, and maybe tell him the poem that went with it. That would hopefully make his quest easier.
She touched the pouch that hung around her neck, wishing Emril had left her some note of guidance instead of a small vial of some unknown substance and advice to use it only in the greatest of perils.
She sighed and lowered her hand. Her wishes didn't matter. As long as the Hero succeeded, everything would be okay. That was all that mattered.
A/N
Sorry for the ridiculously long wait. I had no inspiration, and no matter how many times I re-wrote this it wouldn't come out like I wanted it to, so I wrote this and posted it so I could move on.
Also, I can't remember if I said anything about the Shadow Temple before, but it's history and purpose have change in my mind, so sorry for inconsistencies. (Again)
Anyway, thank you very much for reading!
Constructive criticism and happy reviews are greatly appreciated! Constructive criticism especially, as it could potentially make my writing better, and give you something better to read.
Thanks again!