The hero, the broken, the saviour

Disclaimer: '1 + 1 2, and that's just not damned enough to buy the Zelda series!' :Sobs.: Not mine. Shadow (unimaginative for an explicit reason, I assure you), however, is, as is her home island, 'Opacus Isle.' (I'm taking 'Opacus' to mean 'shaded' in Latin, in this instance.)

In the last chapter, we were introduced to Rufus, the destined new Hero of Time. And now, we are going to meet the descendant of a rather long, and infamous line. Strap your seatbelts on (no, wait, if you're reading in the car, stop, and look at the road! Gah! That's awful driving, how did you ever pass your test?) OK, we'll try that again – just read it. And if you're driving, find somewhere to pull over.

Thoughts in italics and : single colons :. Visions or dreams are in italics.

Shadow: Vague recollections

Dark storm clouds were billowing all over the Great Sea, and I watched as lightning forked back and forth, and heard the thunder rumbling deeply. I shivered, and found my eyes drawn to the northeast – drawn to where I knew…I knew something terrible was occurring. I could feel a darkness, spreading outwards, tapering fingers trying to grab, to wrench me away from my home, from all I held dear.

I shrank back as one wisp of cloud broke away, and floated towards me – sparks of lightning danced in the misty piece, and tiny little grumbles came from it, making it sound almost hungry. I ran from it, but it never got any further away – nor did it gain on me. It stayed a comfortable dozen yards away from me, and when I stopped, it did as well. What did it want? I wasn't entirely sure…

A ray of bright light shot up from the south, breaking through the clouds many miles away. It bathed the whole Isle in light, and the tiny cloud seemed to shy away, and fled back to the sky. What did it mean? What did all of this mean? Another light, dimmer and closer to, flared up in the east. It too cut through the clouds, and there, high above, I thought I saw a glitter of gold. I blinked, and the gold had gone. I blinked again, and it was there. Three, shimmering triangles; the Tri-Force of the old legends.

Looking down, I saw a fragile blue ocarina in my hands – I clutched it close to me, feeling the magic within it envelope me like a blanket. Whilst the darkness still came from the northeast, the enveloping magic of the fragile instrument I held seemed to somehow diminish the fear I had experienced before. And when it came towards me, malevolent and cold, I stood my ground, ready to face whatever terror it would bring.

The morning sun flooded full force through my window, and when I rolled over, it fell directly onto my eyes – cursing, I rolled even further, and fell straight from my bed, and onto the floor. "What's going on?" a voice shrilled, and then I found a multitude of pillows being thrown at me.

"Shadow! How many more times are you going to do that to us? It's only six for Gods sakes' – go back to sleep!"

"Sorry," I rubbed my back, and pondered the dream. It had been coming and going for a few months now, and still I wasn't quite sure what it meant. Getting up, I reached up to my bunk (the top one), and grabbed my blanket. Pulling it from the bed, I wrapped it around myself, and left the bunkhouse. Dawn was already in full swing, and I made the small trek to the cliffs around the bay in order to get a better view. Ochre and vibrant pinks lighted the sky, and I sighed as the brisk northerly breeze cut through the thin blanket clasped around me, and dispelled the last of the sleepy haze from my mind.

As usual, the Isle was practically silent this early in the morning. Not even the designated farmers got up until at least the seventh hour of morn, so it seemed I was the only one awake. I quite liked it like this to be honest – Opacus Isle was so very peaceful in the smaller hours of the morning, and it seemed I was the only one ever to enjoy them.

Apart from Mother, that is. As if on cue, she came wandering up the cliff path to my right, and on spotting me, she waved hello. Her bodysuit was completely soaked, and looking down to the quay, I saw that her net was full of night-fish. She had taken off her facemask, and it was lying in a soggy mess around her neck. Guiltily, my hands flew up to my own bare face, but Mother just shook her head. "Don't worry, there's no one else who will see you."

"Sorry, I always forget," I apologized anyway, pulling a face at my forgetful nature.

"That's quite all right. And, well, it's understandable this early in the morning… Since you're awake, would you care to help me bring last night's haul up?"

"Of course – I'll just go and get dressed."

"Good girl. Oh, and Shadow."

"Yes mother?"

"Do remember that it's your induction today."

"How could I forget?" I muttered to myself as I hurried back to the bunkhouse, and crept inside, careful not to reawaken the other adolescent warriors within. I took my clothes from my own shelf, and then went into the bathroom in order to splash some water on my face, and of course, get dressed. This early in the morning, my indigo bodysuit seemed to give off a horribly bright glare, and the white shirt that went over the top, daubed with the eye of truth, was quite simply glowing.

I tied my bandages around my middle, bringing in my white shirt, and hoped that the sloppiness of them wouldn't be noticed too much. I never was any good at tying bandages onto myself. On other people, yes, it was easy enough, but it's just so difficult to do them on yourself. And, well, I'd even had five years of practice, and I still couldn't do them properly!

Yanking my facemask into place, I stepped out of the bathroom, tiptoed through the bunkhouse, and then went back out into the dawn-lit morning. Mother had already made her way back down to the bay, and once I was assured that my mask was in place and wouldn't fall off, I too made my way down to the wooden arm that extended a good twenty yards out, where she was already unloading the nets into large wooden tubs. "Which store do you want me to put these in?" I asked over the sounds of the still weakly flapping fish.

"Hmm – I think the salt store for these – they're deep water fish, so they'll keep well until winter." Nodding, I grabbed one of the tubs, and heaved it onto my back. Ever thankful for the strong frame my warrior training had given me, I started back up the cliff path, bent nearly double under the weight of the fish. The handles of the tub (made out of dried seaweed twined together) cut bitterly into my hands, and again I wondered when the promised new tubs would be commissioned.

As I climbed the steep path, I found my eyes being drawn to the sky. :It looks almost as dark in the northeast as it does in my dreams: I thought with alarm. When I reached the top of the path, I turned around, half-expecting to see the twin lights in the south and east as well. :There's nothing there you fool! Grow up and stop thinking about all these fanciful fairy stories: I berated myself further as I made my way to the conical shaped salt store.

Once inside, I was able to deposit my load, and then I began to take the fish out, ensuring the ach and every one was dead (sometimes with the aid of a wall and a great deal of speed) before I dropped them into our huge store of salt, turned them over, and hung them up on one of the hundreds of hooks that were all over the walls, and hanging from the ceiling. That only took me a few minutes, as I was so used to doing it after years of practice, and then I was able to pick up my empty carrier, and make my way back down to the bay.

Mother was already just at the stop of the cliff path when I arrived there, a load of her own on her back; I stood out of the way and allowed her past, before going back down to get my second lot. :I hope there aren't too many people at the induction: I cringed at the very idea of it. I, like all Sheikah, could handle crowds of people if I had to, but I would really rather just stay with my close friends and family. And even then, there was the religion that had been drummed into me as a child – the face shall be masked at all times in public – the body and mind must both be trained to equally great strength – life must be lived boldly but with reserve. And all serve the great Gods.

Pretty strict stuff really, but the rules were the rules, and I was so used to them that I didn't mind them at all. I did often wonder about the other islands I saw from the lookout point when it was turn to be on guard duty. How did they live? I'd heard rumours about this one place – Windfall Island – where there were all sorts of people, none wearing facemasks, and everyone talking to everyone else:Unbelievable: I'd thought when I first heard these things, and I'd scoffed the merchant traders who'd said this when they bought goods back from the other islands – but, when I asked mother and my trainer, the great lady Impa, they told me it was true.

:Other races are just so strange…: I had to stop contemplating this when one of the fish, more lively than the rest, decided to escape my grip and go flapping across the sun-bleached wood of the dock. "Drat!" I cursed under my breath, making a calculated dive for the creature, and managing to grab it just before it went flopping back into the sea. "Got you," I threw the offending creature back into the half full tub, and then plunged my hand back into the neck of weakly wriggling creatures to carry on with my task.

"Look out below!" a shadow passed overhead, and instinctively I ducked – something flew over me, barely a hair's breadth away from the top of my head. Looking up, I saw one of the winged postmen :what are they…? Rye – Ree – Rito, I think that's it…: tumbling over and over in the air, whimpering softly. I caught flashes of red, and realised that one of its wings was badly damaged. Mother would still be a few minutes more up in the salt store, so it looked like it would be down to me to try and help this poor creature.

It was being blown back out to sea by the brisk breeze, so I hopped into Mother's boat, and pushed it away from the wharf, quickly untying the rope as the current drew me out. The net of fish tumbled into the water :oh Gods, Mother'll be angry, but the imperative was to rescue the poor injured soul above. "Try to fly against the wind," I called, as loudly as I could, but, well, my voice never was accustomed to shouting like those of my peers. Nonetheless, I believe they heard me, because they did as I suggested.

I hurriedly unfurled the sail, and the boat was taken by the wind northwards, after the injured Rito. Soon enough, I had overtaken them, and I grabbed the rudder of the fishing schooner, and tugged hard to bring the vessel about. The struggling Rito was being bought towards me on the breeze, and looking back, I knew I had only a very limited timeframe in which to save them before they were too far away from land. :I'm already dangerously close to the north-south current: I worried, even as I yanked on the sail ropes, causing the red fabric to sag.

The boat was now bobbing practically dead in the water, and I was able to shimmy up the tiny mast. Once at the top, I wrapped my legs and left arm around it, and stretched out my right arm. "Grab my hand!" I yelled as the Rito came close, and hoped they would hear me. They extended their uninjured arm (wing?) and I managed to grab hold of it.

I held on tightly, and then bodily threw them down onto the deck. They landed and remained still – hurriedly, I descended, and went to roll them over. Now I could at least tell that 'they' happened to be a 'he'. Luckily, he had only fainted. His injured wing had flopped uselessly at his side, and I could see that there was in fact bone poking through the vermilion mess of muscles and nerves. :It's lucky I've got all these bandages on me: I thought, shrewdly grateful of my peoples' fashion. I unravelled the bandages that held my shirt in at the waist. :It's not like I really need to be streamlined right now…:

That done, I was able to use the bandages to securely dress the wounds he had (steering clear of the main one). The arm/wing I left until last, and for that, I used one of the harpoons I'd whittled during the poor fishing months, snapping off half the shaft, and using it as a splint. As I applied pressure to the limb to force it straight, he whimpered and opened his eyes. "Wh-where am I?" This was followed closely by a hissed swear word as I deftly lashed the splint in place.

"This is Opacus Isle. I fear you're rather off course," I answered, yanking the sail rope to bring the fabric right down to the deck. It had been catching the wind again, and I didn't want to go any further out to sea. Then, using the on-board oars and rudder combined, I swung the schooner about to face back to home.

"Helmaroc…" he murmured, and I looked at him. :What…: Those were those vicious black bird people…old legends.

"Excuse me?" I queried, but he was out cold. "Weakling," I chuckled slightly, and then began back towards shore, my muscles protesting that it was too early to be doing all this work.

I could see Mother standing at the foot of the cliff path, waiting for me. Even at this distance, her stance told me that she was not best pleased. :Oh dear…: The tub of fish I'd left untended had overturned and all the fish were slewed across the wooden boards of the quay. :Drat: I hadn't secured the blasted thing properly in my haste and about a quarter of the entire catch was ruined:Well, at least I have a good excuse.:

"What by Gods do you think you're doing?" she yelled as soon as I was close enough to hear. Her foot was tapping rapidly as she waited for me to dock. Both hands were on her hips. The idea of suffering her wrath wasn't very appealing, so I started to protest my case before I actually reached shore.

"But Mother, this Rito man was in trouble. I had to help him!" I moved out of the way of the Rito man and allowed the boat to drift the last dozen yards or so to the wooden platform. Mother's eyes widened and she dropped her angry stance, hurrying to grab the tether rope that I threw out. "Thanks," I breathed softly, bending down to take another look at the Rito. "Hey – hey, do you think you can stand?"

I tapped him lightly on the side of his face, only just realising that he had a beak where a nose should be:How didn't I notice that before: When he managed to get into a sitting position, I realised; his hair was very much in the style of a Sheikah, covering half of his face in a white sheet. A few feathers also sprouted from his head but for the most part, it was covered with normal hair. "Where am I?" he asked for the second time in so many minutes.

"This is Opacus Isle, good sir," Mother called softly, grabbing hold of the side of the schooner, and pulling it so that it was directly next to the jetty. "What happened?"

"A helmaroc," he said, repeating the name of those mystic creatures. "The helmaroc king – he flies abroad again, and makes his nest in the Forsaken Fortress!" Mother blanched, and I drew a sharp breath. The Forsaken Fortress? But that was…surely, the rumours couldn't be true! But here was the proof, right here before us… The Rito coughed loudly, and then groaned.

"Come along, we'll get you up to the village – Shadow, go and get one of the cloth carriers and bring it here." I hopped from the boat, and rushed to the storehouse that was set into a shallow cave in the bay. As quickly as I could, I extracted one of the cloth carriers from the rack on the wall, and tied the fastenings on the poles with double knots to make sure they were secure. Then, just as quickly, I made my way back to the boat.

Mother had already scooped him up from the deck, and smiled tightly when she saw me coming back. I lay the cloth carrier on the ground for her, and she gently lay the Rito down on it. Then, I took the back end, and she the front, and we lifted him up. He was much lighter than I had anticipated, and we had to pause whilst I made up for my miscalculation. :It must be something to do with all those feathers. I wonder if he has hollow bones like birds do: I wasn't able to think about this too long because I had to concentrate on going up the cliff path without dropping the Rito.

A few stones shifted underfoot, and I hurriedly took another step forwards, jolting the poor Rito man as I did so. He moaned, and closed his eyes tightly. "Sorry sir," I whispered apologetically, tightening my grip on the handles of the carrier, and nodding to Mother when she looked over her shoulder at me. She went a little more slowly, as we were coming to a less stable part of the path, and I took the reprieve in pace gratefully indeed.

"Coryn, how's his wing?" Mother asked, as physician Coryn inspected the Rito man (who was again unconscious).

"Not good, I'm afraid Hester," he replied, standing straight again, and veritably towering over both Mother and I with his seven foot stance. "I doubt he'll be flying again for a good couple of months."

"Won't his people worry for him?" I asked, tentatively breaking into the conversation – after all, I wasn't officially an 'adult' until after the induction.

"That I don't doubt," Coryn answered, somewhat distracted, as he replaced my bandages around the Rito's wounds with freshly sterilised ones. "When the next voyage goes to Windfall, we shall send a message to the Rito concerning their man," he said matter-of-factly. I just nodded, knowing that he could see me from the corner of his eye. A slight crinkling at the corners of them told me he was smiling beneath his facemask.

"Come along Shadow, we'd best see what we can do with the fish we still have," Mother whispered, touching me lightly on the shoulder.

"No, Hester, wait," Coryn inclined his head towards us both, pushing his silvery hair back from his face with the back of his bloodstained hand. "I'd like Shadow to stay here for a few minutes – if that's convenient, of course…?"

"Of course it is; unless you have other plans…" Mother looked down at me, and dropped a swift wink. I returned it, grinning beneath my cowl.

"Yes, I'll stay if you wish."

"Very good," he nodded, and again pushed his hair away from his face.

"'Til this eve then." Mother bowed stiffly, and then left the ward.

"Why did you wish me to stay sir?" I asked, as soon as her footsteps had died away. Carefully, I made my way forwards, and looked down at the Rito, who was tossing and turning even as Coryn tied off the last bandage. Coryn turned and studied me for a few seconds, which immediately set my skin prickling. I had to fight the instinctive urge to curl my hands into fists and drop into a defensive stance. Thankfully, after those few seconds, he whirled away from me and went over to one of the three seats in the room.

"Please, sit," he invited, and I took the smallest of the seats (a three legged stool), and dragged it to sit opposite him.

"First of all, I just want to commend you for your courage this morn. Especially with the strength of the north-south current at this time of the year – that was very brave."

"Or one could also perceive it as very foolish," I countered, managing to raise a laugh from the usually sombre physician. :I've always had a knack for making people laugh…:

"Well, foolish or not, I shall commend you for it anyway," he paused, and looked at the Rito. "Now – tell me again exactly what this Rito said."

"He was quite delirious…I'm not sure he knew what he was saying," I said, scratching the back of my head in bewilderment. Why were both he and Mother so worried by the mad, pain-driven ravings of this creature?

"All the same, I would like you to tell me what he said; sometimes people can talk more truths in delirium than at any other time."

"Oh… All right then… He spoke of the helmaroc, and then of the helmaroc king flying abroad, making its nest in the," I hesitated on the name of the dread place, but Coryn finished the sentence before I could;

"In the Forsaken Fortress… Did he say anything else?"

"No, not really. He just asked where he was."

"I see…" he made a small sound in the back of his throat, and then must have noticed my incredibly inquisitive (and thus incredibly rude) stare. "I just wanted to make sure I knew all that he said," he gave by way of an explanation.

"Why? Do you believe there could be something to it?"

"I'm not sure," he said softly, and then started, seeming to realise to whom he spoke. "You should get off to help Hester," he commanded.

"But, what of the Rito, and-" he cut me off,

"The Rito will be fine. Now, if you please, do go child."

"Yes sir." I got up from my stool, and bowed, before leaving the ward, taking care to close the door softly behind me, even though I was fuming. :'Child' indeed? Child! He calls me a child on the very day of my induction and adulthood? The – the cheek of it: I frowned angrily as I strode through the physician's hospital, and took great pleasure in being able to slam the outer door without reprimand.

I stalked from the south side of the Isle, towards the quay on the north side, and looked down from the top of the cliff path. Mother was already there, sweeping ruined fish into baskets, and then hauling them two at a time to the waste house. This was where all ruined food went, to either be used as compost when rotted, or for bait. Nothing was ever wasted on Opacus Isle, because we simply couldn't afford to waste. Trips to Windfall were long and arduous, so we made do with what little we had.

Breathing deeply, I made my way down the track, and I forced the anger from my mind. :Tomorrow, I'll be a full adult, so there's no point fretting over this.: Thoroughly pleased with my new 'calm' state of mind, I patched a smile onto my face, and went over to Mother to offer my assistance.

"What did Coryn want to speak to you about?" she queried as soon as she spotted me.

"Oh, he just wanted to be sure of what the Rito said," I replied nonchalantly, picking up two loaded baskets, and tottering over to the waste house.

"Anything else?"

"Nope." :I know it's a lie, but getting angry over something so petty is ridiculous:

"You sure?" Mother asked shrewdly, picking up her own two baskets.

"I…yes. There were other things, but they weren't important," I said; it was a half-truth at least, and seemed to satisfy her.

"All right; there we are, that's the last of them," she threw the fish into the pit of the waste house, and then shut the door, which immediately diminished the smell it gave off.

"I'm so sorry for ruining the catch…"

"That's quite all right. You did have a viable excuse after all," she gave me a brief hug, and then we walked back up the cliff path, arms linked together.

Once at the top, I was able to see that the hour hand on the temple clock was nearing seven. Soon, it would strike, and everyone would be up and about. "This is where I leave you for now, my dear," Mother said, withdrawing her arm. "I must go and make sure all the details are sorted for your ceremony!" I made a small groan, and she laughed. "Come on, it isn't that bad – every warrior has to go through it eventually!"

"I know, but I'm so much younger than the other warriors usually are. People will still see me as a child!"

"Is that the 'other' thing Coryn said?" Mother guessed, and I nodded.

"I know it shouldn't have angered me, but I allowed it to…"

"Don't worry, I had the very same problem. Remember, I was exactly your age when I had my induction ceremony."

"I know, I know," I said ruefully.

"Sixteen is young, yes, for a warrior, but don't fret. If anyone wishes to call you a child, all you need to do is show them your agility and magic. What was it Lady Impa said? 'Shadow sometimes advances so quickly-"

"-that she might almost be teaching me the meaning of speed'." I blushed as I recited the well-known words of praise. Such praise from the Lady Impa was high praise indeed, and I felt proud that she'd noticed me.

"Exactly," Mother nodded, and she slapped me heartily on the back. "Now, you run off and see just how well you can waste twelve hours."

"Yes Mother…'bye!" I made my way back to the bunkhouse to get some weapons and do some training.

"'Bye dear," she called after me.

When I entered, the bunkhouse was still silent, and I crept past the many sleeping bodies so as not to wake them up. I'd already done so once that morning, and I doubted they'd appreciate being woken before time again.

I finally reached my bunk, and passing that, I came to the store cupboard that I shared with Firen. :He's done it again: I grumbled internally, as I had to carefully shove his ankle boots out of the way. The chalk from the training square had clung to the soles of them, and thus had left white footprints upon the floor, that would need to be cleaned up before inspection. :Ah well, he can do it this morning. I've got other things to do: I decided, winching the cupboard door open.

As I had (rightly) suspected, he also hadn't secured his crossbow properly, and had I not opened the door so slowly, it would have fallen onto me (creating a lot of noise). :And so the morning routine repeats…: I reached through the small crack between doorframe and door, and grabbed the weapon, before proceeding to open the door fully. Then, just as I had done every morning for the past two years I'd been sharing this store with Firen, I clipped the crossbow into place, put his boots onto his shelf, and then withdrew my own weapons.

My pouch of needles had yet again come off of the belt, so I had to sit there and fiddle with it to get it back on. As I was doing this, I heard the bells in the temple go off to strike the hour. At the same time, the small clock in the dorm began to chime. All around me, people started to move groggily – I noted with amusement that all Firen had done was turn over, and shove his thumb into his mouth. :You'd hardly believe he was seventeen, looking at him now: I shook my head in disbelief, at the same time strapping my belt around my waist.

I'd also taken out my whip, which I slotted onto its rightful hook on the right side of my belt, and lastly, I had my daggers. These too lay on a belt strip, which I hooked over my shoulder, so that it ran from left shoulder to my right side under my arm. I was going to withdraw my Deku-nuts and casting amulet as well, but I decided against it. I couldn't be bothered with them today… Instead, I took out a new roll of bandages, with which to replace the ones I'd used for the Rito. After all, if I was going to train a little, I could hardly do it in the un-streamlined manner I was in, could I?

"Morning' Shadow," Delia swung down from her top bunk so that she was hanging upside down over the edge. "Gods, you're getting started early enough! Didn't you go back to sleep?"

"Nope – Mother bought in a catch, so I went to help her."

"You're mad," she stated, yawning, and she then pulled her torso back onto her bed.

"Remember Delia, I'm not the one with the red hair…" I called with a smirk on my face, and she flapped her hand at me.

"You're just jealous because it suits me my dear!" she claimed, and then threw a terribly misaimed pillow at me – it was so badly aimed that it hit Firen instead. He spluttered, thumb exiting mouth very quickly, and opened his eyes. Delia peered over the bars of her bunk, wide eyes nearly blending in with her hair. "Oh…sorry Firen…"

"Dratted madwoman," he muttered, pummelling his eyes with his fists. He threw the pillow back to her, "Ah well, now that I'm up, happy birthday Shadow."

"Thanks," I answered, glad that the dimness of the bunkhouse masked my blush. :Don't make a big deal of it, please don't…: Delia gasped, and I knew my prayer wouldn't be answered. She leant so far over that she fell off of her bunk entirely. "Are you all right?" I rushed over, and she just blinked tiredly up at me.

"Yes… I just forgot it was your birthday! Sorry!"

"Hey, don't worry about it," I laughed, pulling her up. "You have to suffer my induction later; that's more than enough of a gift to me!"

"Phew," she breathed, pretending to wipe sweat from her brow.

"I, however, remembered, so do I not get a birthday kiss?" Firen called, sounding angry at being ignored.

"I thought it was customary for the birthday person to get kisses, not give them," Delia said, nudging me and winking suggestively. I nudged her back, and rolled my eyes. :I wonder what the adults would think if they knew of all the scandals that occur here…: I thought with a grin.

"Oh, fine, that'll do." Suddenly, Firen had dived from his bed and latched onto my legs.

"Uh – what exactly are you doing?" I hissed, surprised to find him lying full length on the floor at my feet. :Interesting, but also very worrying.:

"Having a nap," he answered contritely. Then, he let go, and scrambled to stand, dusting himself off. "Well?"

"Well what?" I asked, hoping that the fall had knocked some sense back into him.

He sighed, yanked my facemask down (to which I squeaked indignantly), and then grabbed me, and tipped me back as though we were doing some sort of Hylian dance. "Hey!" I tried to protest, but was cut off when he placed a swift, chaste kiss on my lips. This received a wolf whistle and clapping from the rest of the dorm. As soon as he let go of me, I rapped him sharply over the head with my coiled up whip, though I was laughing all the same.

"You're such a theatrist!" Delia exclaimed accusatively to Firen, as I straightened my mask.

"Is 'theatrist' even a real word?" I asked.

"Well, I suppose it must be now," Firen said sagely, fanning himself dramatically with his hands.

The moment was broken (thankfully!) when Artemis and Laurie entered the bunkhouse. Artemis was professor of magic, and exceptionally good at it, and Laurie was both his wife, and the general teacher of history, languages, geography and mathematics. "All right everyone, settle down!" Artemis called, and many people made a hurried scramble for their facemasks (including Firen and Delia). "Shadow, Delia, Firen, would you come over here please? The rest of you may carry on." The three of us looked at one another, and Delia did her best to flatten her ruffled hair as we wound our way through the bunks to where our professors stood.

"Good morning," the both of them said in unison, and we replied with tired nods of recognition. "Now, as Shadow's induction is today, and you two are going to be part of the ceremony, we decided that you could have a day off from lessons in which to collect yourselves."

"Yes!" Firen punched his hand into the air. Artemis glared at him. "Oh…sorry sir."

"Indeed…as I was saying, you needn't attend lessons. However, the training grounds are free for the whole of this morning, so you may wish to use them to your advantage."

"Yes sir," I agreed and he nodded to me.

"That's all," Artemis then raised his head to survey the whole dorm. "Now hurry up and get dressed everyone. Breakfast's in ten." With that, the two professors swept out again.

"A whole day off! I knew there was a reason we liked you," Delia cried joyfully, throwing her clothes for the day from her cupboard and onto her bed.

"Definitely a bonus…but, do we have to go train?" Firen whined pitiably, and both Delia and I shot him withering looks. "Fine, it was just a question…"

"Look, we'll train in the morning, and then…oh, I don't know, we could swim or something in the afternoon. That sound all right for you?"

His eyes lit up childishly at the mention of the word 'swim', and he nodded his head vigorously. "Sounds great! Now, where are my boots…?"

All three of us ate our breakfast swiftly, and then I led the way to the training grounds, intending to use the training square for most of the morning. It was quite useful having Delia and Firen with me, as we all specialised in different weaponry. Firen was a master of arrows and crossbows, Delia was able to pick up almost any sword and wield it as though she had been doing so for years, and I was master of all the traditional Sheikah weapons; needles, whip and daggers. Which meant we could all practice without getting in each other's way.

"Shall we meet here again at twelve then?" Delia queried, already marching towards the storeroom to pick up her favourite broadsword.

"Sounds good – that all right Firen?"

"Fine."

"All right – I'll see you two later then." We went our separate ways; Delia was in the storeroom, Firen had walked off down the closed corridor to the firing range, and I made my way through the central courtyard of the training grounds, into the paddock at the back. For a few seconds, I paused to survey the chalked surface of the training square, half of which was glinting in the morning light.

Then, I walked onto the chalked square, and a familiar fluttering sound came to my ears. A Poe appeared before me, waving its lantern gently. "Ah, the little adult wishes to train this morning I see. The same programme as usual my dear? Or would you prefer to start with a Stalfos rather than a gibdo this time?" I pondered the question, and then decided,

"Actually, I will try starting with a Stalfos – I haven't for a while, have I?"

"Not since," the Poe conjured a scroll to its hands, and checked it, "last autumn, no."

"Well, the Stalfos programme will do me, thank you."

"Very good – ready?" I nodded. "Off you go." The Poe disappeared, and a Stalfos melted up from the magic-laden ground of the training square. No monster could leave the confines of the chalked area, so any warrior who was having difficulties need only step outside, and then call for the Poe to end the training programme.

I sank low into my normal battle stance, left leg extended straight out to the side, right leg crouched beneath me, the fingertips of my left hand spreading my weight on the ground, and my right hand reaching to my whip (my definite favourite weapon). The Stalfos, of course, charged, as they always do, and I leapt agilely over the thing, flipping in the air as I did so. As soon as I landed, I lashed out with my whip, which wrapped around the creature's neck. With a bare minimum of concentration, I sent sparks of lightning down the whole length of the leather weapon, which burnt at the already weak muscles of the Stalfos.

It screeched, and I yanked the whip back towards me, which took the thing's head off. Now, of course, Stalfos can still manoeuvre quite well even without their heads, so I sprinted to it's left, ducked under a sword swing, and in one sure movement, threw a handful of needles into it's chest cavity – they stayed dormant for less than a second, and then exploded in a dazzling array of colours.

"Oh, how I do love magic…" I murmured in a singsong voice as a Moblin made itself present in the square.

Almost five hours later, I heard the sound of the temple clock chimes reverberating over the Isle, and I jumped out of the training square, the Darknut I was fighting straining to follow me. "Poe, I'm done." The Darknut vanished. "Thank you." I'd taken a break after the first two hours, and had spent almost an hour just lying on my back in the paddock, looking up at the clouds – it'd been a long time since I'd ever done anything like that…

The clock was on the tenth strike when I reached the designated meeting place, and I found the other two already there, chattering away. As soon as they saw me, they waved, and I hurried over. "How was training?" Delia asked.

"You did have a rest, didn't you?" Firen interjected sternly. I nodded, scratching the back of my head guiltily. One time, we'd been doing a tandem assessment of endurance, and I'd managed to keep on going for four hours straight, even after Firen had to drop out after three.

"Yes, I did."

"Good!" He threw an arm over my shoulder, and then threw his other over Delia's. "Shall we?"

"Do we have to? I mean, with you leaning on us?" Delia asked disdainfully, and I snorted. Firen looked sharply at me, and I bit my lip to keep back a laugh.

"Well, fine, if I'm not good enough for you, I'll just leave, shall I?"

"If you like," Delia shoved his arm off, and then grabbed my arm and dragged me off. "Oh, come along you sap! Let's get to lunch before all the good food's gone, shall we?" At the mention of food, Firen rushed forwards, and we all sprinted the half-mile from the training grounds to the mess hall. Luckily, not many people were there yet, so we were able to get our food pretty quickly (bread, cheese, salted fish left over from winter, water or milk and some honeyed fruit.)

"Shall we go down to the bay now and take this with us?" Firen suggested.

"Well, we need to get some towels from the bunkhouse first – unless you fancy walking around sopping wet?" Delia pointed out.

"Ah…oh well, we may as well just eat and then go."

"Good plan," I nodded, swinging onto my usual bench, Delia sitting to my right, and Firen sitting opposite us. To anyone looking in right at that moment, we'd make an odd group indeed, especially for Sheikah. I, with the stereotypical Sheikah build and looks; (platinum hair, pale skin, medium height, small build), sitting opposite to Firen, with his raven hair and short stocky build, and sitting next to Delia, nearly gracing six foot at only fifteen, with her dyed red hair and non-standard uniform (also mainly red). A very odd group of youths indeed… But, we'd been friends for as far as I could remember, which in itself was also odd…

"I'm done, can we go now?" I blinked, and looked in shock at Firen's plate, which was now sparkling clean. Looking down at my own, I saw most of my food still left, and the same for Delia.

"Where does the food go?" Delia asked in awe, reaching across to poke him on the chest. "Do you reckon this bit's hollow?"

"Nah, I reckon that bit is though," I said, pointing to his forehead.

"I'm right here you know," he said huffily. "Look, hurry up and eat, I want to go," he rocked from side to side on his seat, and both Delia and I rolled our eyes at each other.

"They never grow up, do they?"

"I doubt it."

"Eat!" he commanded, and we both complied.

"Oh Gods, we've got to go!" Delia exclaimed, starting from her sunbathing stupor. I rolled over lazily, and looked up at my two friends, who were already standing up and dusting sand from their damp clothes. "Hurry up you, or we'll be late," Delia yanked Firen after her, and then stopped. "Oh – we'll see you in a couple of hours."

"All right," I mumbled, closing my eyes again and lying down. I didn't need to make my way up for another hour yet to get ready. So, I could afford to continue my lazing around for a while longer. I brought my arms up and crossed them behind my head, using them as a pillow. Slowly, I drifted off again, and found myself once more looking out over the Great Sea, which was plagued with overbearing dark clouds.

The electricity of lightning was tangible in the air, though not one single bolt flew this time. Thunder rumbled without a visible cause, this time centred around the northeast – where that terrible thing was happening… The darkness called to me, reached out to me, promising everything, delivering nothing. I wanted to go.

I wanted to stay. Everything I held dear was here. But what if the darkness could give me more? No…I had to stay. Wanted to go…

"Sheikah," a commanding voice called me, waking me from my trance. "Sheikah, turn away, turn to me." I was paralysed, split equally between the empty promises, and no promises at all.

I turned around.

I woke up suddenly, to find the sun had dipped its head behind a cloud, and shivered in the sudden cool its absence made. "Sheikah!" the voice from my dream came again, only this time, to my waking ears. I started, and peered around. "In the cove Sheikah – you shall have to swim to the shingle here." Unable to resist the command, for some reason I couldn't fathom, I rose from my comfortable place on the sand, and waded into the water.

So late in the afternoon, the water was beginning to lose its warmth, and I drew a hitched breath at the change in temperature. All the same, I carried on, until the sand was too far beneath the water to reach my feet, and I made my way around the small peninsula of rocks and to the cove, which most often saw young lovers sitting and watching the sunset together. A vibrant red boat, with an intricately carved dragon-prow bobbed in the shallow water, and I looked about for the owner of it.

However, I could see no one, and immediately, this put me on guard. :I shouldn't have been off guard in the first place: I reprimanded myself, and felt glad that I at least still had my whip with me. Slowly, I left the water, wading until it was lapping around my ankles, and then stopped. "Hello?"

"Over here," the voice seemed to come from the boat itself, and I shook my head. :Of course, that's not even possible:

"Where are you sir?"

"Here girl – the boat!" This time, I looked at the boat, and as I looked, I saw the wood of the prow move fluidly, in order to turn and face me. With a scream, I backed up, and fell over into the water. "Shush! You've nothing to fear from me Sheikah!" The boat turned around so that the prow faced me, and I came face to face with the proud dragonhead, whose eyes were a kindly black.

"I – I," I stuttered, unsure of what to say. "I – uh – I mean… Who are you?" I finally managed to ask, at the same time rising from the water, and standing there shivering.

"I'm not sure if you will have yet heard of me, but all the same…my name is Daphnes Harkonnen." At the name, I almost collapsed again. In a flash, all the old legends ran through my mind, and every single lesson Mother had given me about our ancestors came flooding back. I pictured that fragile blue Ocarina, sitting in a glass box in the Temple, waiting for me to take it tonight. I thought of the maps of Hyrule before it was flooded, and the terrible stories of how it had come to be. And lastly, my mind turned to the Rito, and his talk of the helmaroc king. :It must all be true…:

Remembering my manners, I sank into a bow before the boat, too shocked to even feel foolish. "Your highness-"

"Don't Sheikah, there isn't the time. The Great Sea and all who live on it are in mortal peril, and I require the assistance of your bloodline. Of you."

"Of me…? But, what can I do sir? I'm still a child…I can't even leave the Isle!"

"The dreams," he interjected quietly. I blinked, and hung my head for a few seconds. "You've seen it, haven't you? Just like all those with the sight before you, you've seen the clouds gather. But, not until your visions started have those clouds sent lightning through the sky, or has the darkness pervaded the land so readily… He's back. He's returned to reclaim what was never meant to be his."

"You mean…Ganon himself?" I gasped, my mind again filled with rushing images from history books of monsters and evil, and the one shining light of the Hero of Time.

"That I do… He has come back, and he means to collect the Tri-Force all to himself, and take power, as he was unable to do it in years past. And, this cannot be allowed to happen."

"What can I do though?" I asked, biting my lip, and fiddling with the edge of my sopping cowl.

"You must go see your Mother, and gain the Ocarina from her. Tell her that Daphnes Harkonnen has commanded it. If she doesn't believe you, show her this." A green stone on the end of a long silver chain suddenly appeared, floating before my face. "Take it." I did as I was told, wrapping my fingers around the ice-cold gem. "Show this to her, and she'll know that you tell the truth. When you have the Ocarina, come back here to me. Bring food, weapons, and clothes. We must set off at once."

"But…"

"No buts Sheikah! Do this now! The fate of not only your Isle, but of the whole world, may very well rest upon your speed and co-operation in this matter." When I still did not move, he became angry. "GO!" I pivoted, and dove into the water, not caring about how cold it was now, as I hurried to do as he had said. :Oh Gods, what's happening? Help me, please, I don't know what I'm doing:

It was about ten minutes later that I arrived upon the steps of the Temple, having sprinted the whole way there, dripping cold seawater all over the pristine marble steps. The doors were closed tight as the inside was being made ready for my induction, and I hammered on them as hard as I could, drawing in great gulps of air as I did so. "Come on, open these doors!" I called to whoever was inside.

Finally, after what seemed an eternity of waiting, the doors were winched open, and I found Mother poking her head around the door to stare at me. "Shadow, what are you doing here? It doesn't start for another – dear Gods, you're soaked!"

"Mother," I panted. "I must speak with you, now!" On hearing the desperation in my voice, she opened the doors further, and beckoned me inside. As soon as I was in, I slammed the doors myself.

"What is it?" she asked anxiously.

"Down in the cove – a boat – Daphnes Harkonnen. Here's his seal. Need the Ocarina, and I have to go with him right now!" Her eyes widened. "Please, hurry!"

"Oh my great Gods," her legs collapsed from beneath her, and she slid down the wall to come to an abrupt stop on the floor.

"Mother?" I bent down next to her. "Are you all right?"

"I can't believe it. I never thought…no…not in my lifetime…nor yours. Oh no. Oh no, oh no!" her head was in her hands, and I backed away, slightly afraid of her behaviour. As if I wasn't scared enough already, having been confronted by the spirit of a long-dead king of myth in the form of a boat, without my Mother also acting strangely.

"What are you talking about?" I asked, grabbing her by the shoulders and shaking her roughly to get her to snap out of it.

"Ganon's return," she answered meekly, switching off her panic as quickly as it had switched on. "Not you my love, you don't have to go. Send someone else – I'll go."

"No Hester!" The green stone on the end of the chain jiggled in my palm, and I opened my hand to see that it was now glowing. "Shadow is the first born of the last generation in your line – as such, she is the one to inherit the Ocarina, as you well know. Alas, it seems that I came but a few hours too early, so I shall have to explain this all to her as we travel."

"But, your highness, she's still only a child!" Mother whimpered, shaking slightly on the floor.

"She is on the day of her proven adulthood! She will cope just fine. Now, please, the Ocarina. Say your goodbyes, and hurry! Shadow will return to you, but first, the world needs her assistance."

"I understand, sire," Mother said in a subdued manner, and the stone's glow faded. She looked up at me, and extended a hand – I took it, and helped her up from the floor. "Come along love, come and receive your inheritance." She led me by the hand down the central aisle, to the glass box. Within, I saw the intricately carved pearlescent instrument glinting in the waning daylight. When we reached it, Mother withdrew a key from a chain around her neck, and inserted it into the tiny lock that held down the lid – next, the lid came up, and she delicately picked up the Ocarina.

She dropped it into my hands, and it immediately warmed them with it's magic. I held it close, and looked up at Mother. :I don't want to go: I thought desperately, as I saw the fear I felt reflected in her eyes also. :But I have to…: "I… Goodbye Mother," I said stiffly, looking away. :I have to go.: I whirled away before she could reply, knowing that I wouldn't be able to leave if she did, and made my way swiftly from the Temple.

Luckily, at this time, the bunkhouse was empty, so it was easy to throw open the store cupboard (ignoring Firen's crossbow as it clattered to the floor beside me), and remove all the belongings I would need, and could feasibly carry. I took out my canvas knapsack, and threw in my spare bandages, another bodysuit, a couple of red potions (just in case), some chocolate I'd been saving for a special occasion, rope, and the Ocarina. Then, I strapped my Deku-nuts to my belt, and tied the casting amulet around my neck as I ran out of the bunkhouse.

Barely twenty-five minutes after leaving the cove, I had returned, and I waded out of the water as quickly as I could, going towards the red boat. I drew his majesty's attention with a loud cough.

"Well done, Sheikah. Now, get in and hoist the sail – I will steer us, and tell you exactly what's going on as we go."

"Now? Right now?"

"Yes – please, hurry!" he urged, and yet again, I did as I was told. As quickly as I could, I climbed into the boat, which was difficult, as it was much smaller and less steady than the boats I was used to. This was more racing boat than anything… The sail was pooled on the deck in a mass of white, yellow and red. The ties had come loose from the short, retractable mast, and I spent a few fumbling minutes tying them back on as securely as I knew how to. "Good – now, the easiest way to hoist is if you take it from the prow side, and winch it up," he instructed.

I cautiously traversed the deck of the small boat, and grabbed hold of the thin mast in both hands, also holding onto the bottom corner of the sail (which I hadn't yet tied off) with my left hand. Then, bracing myself, I pulled it up from the floor, and by leaning backwards, was able to get it into the upright position. By reaching my foot around it, I kicked the pin into place, and the mast was secure.

"Good, now, let the sail catch the wind, and I'll direct you as soon as we are far enough out."

"Yes, your highness."

"If you must called me anything, call me the King of the Red Lions – Red for short. There are some people on the Great Sea who it would be best didn't know my name."

"Oh…" I nodded, even though he couldn't see me, and tied the final corner of the sail to the mast. Then, I threw the sail outwards so that it caught the wind. :Off we go…:

Hum. Not quite the way I wanted, but I was trying to get across a more relaxed Sheikah way of life, as opposed to the sometimes 'borg-like' way that they're portrayed. For some reason, I've always seen the Sheikah as a race that are only like that to non-Sheikah people, perhaps because of a betrayal against their kind in the distant past. Or something along those lines.

'Shadow' I'm taking to be a bog-standard Sheikah name, just like 'Sheik'. 'Artemis', 'Firen' and 'Delia' are names I stole from 'Thievery'. 'Coryn' is a bastardisation of 'Coryphaeus' which means leader in Latin (I used to the first four letters and then added an 'n'.) 'Hester' and 'Laurie' are just names that I happen to like, and the 'Lady Impa' referred to isn't the 'Impa' from OoT; I'm just taking Impa as another popular Sheikah name. Oh, and the name for the King of Red Lions – I took 'Daphnes' from TWW, and then added 'Harkonnen', which seems to be an 'official' unofficial last name for the royal family of Hyrule in the fan fiction world.

And now that that's out of the way…:point: go review. You know you're just itching to!