Meryl's eyes widened in recognition. "Sheik…"

Sharp was unimpressed. "And…?" He crossed his arms, scowling and trying to look imposing. "How do you know so much about us? Why were those monsters attacking you? What do you want from us, and why are you following us around?"

Sheik blinked slowly, like a red-eyed owl. "Where to start? Let us begin in reverse order… I am following you to lighten the load of your journey, and because I believe, though our circumstances are quite different… our paths may, for the present, be the same." He hesitated, his gaze flickering over each of them in turn. "Since monster activity is at such a low peak in the kingdom, I can only assume that the moblins were an ambush, put in place to confound you… and they nearly confounded me."

The Sheikah looked awkward for a moment, almost embarrassed. "I… thank you, for your service, and apologize for concealing myself from you for so long. I assure you, my intentions are to help you in whatever way I can. Whether you trust the information I give is up to you, but my sources are sound. Will you listen?"

"I…" Sharp trailed off. He looked at Gwen, who shrugged cheerily.

"I don't see why not," she said. "He seems okay to me."

"And it can't hurt us, either way," remarked Meryl quietly. "We may as well hear him out, whatever he may say."

Sharp nodded, and turned back to the man, licking his lips nervously. "Go ahead, then. Spill the beans."

Sheik closed his eyes, as if deep in thought. His voice resumed its recitative, musical tone, each word spoken with musical preciseness, as if the simplest of statements were a poem.

"The three of you have overcome many hardships, to reach this barren plain… but the road stretches still before you. Your path will lead you now to Lake Hylia, whose blue waters flourish still, replenished by the Hero of Time. But all will not be well for you there, for yet more troubles await you. Those pious Pharisees, the Ubiquitous, hold a festival gathering upon the shore's grassy banks.

"But do not despair – their own hidden transgressions, as well as your own swift flight, may lead you yet to victory. They are not yet aware of your criminality, so take the time to search there as much as you please… you will find among their ranks a certain immoral woman, with whom you may find salvation for our kingdom, though such a jewel will come at a high price."

Sharp blinked in perplexity, casting another glance at Gwen, who had whipped out a small notebook and was jotting down what Sheik had said. Thank Nayru, he thought.

Sheik blinked again, slowly and implacably. "That is all I can tell you now. Good luck, friends. We will meet again…"

"H- Hey, wait!" Sharp yelled, darting forward and catching Sheik's arm just before he could release the tiny Deku Nut that would allow his escape. Relaxing slowly, he found himself pinned by the dark gaze of the man's dull red eyes. Something there held him, frozen, for moments on end, some hidden thrill of recognition… he tore himself away at last, averting his gaze. "You can't just go like that," he said in frustration, glancing upwards again. "What about you, Sheik? What is it you're looking for?"

Sheik drew away at the question, almost as though the words themselves had hurt him. "I… I am searching for someone."

"Someone?" Sharp pressed, his hand straying toward his coat pocket.

Sheik nodded, with an almost-miserable air. "Someone very important. I must find them."

Sharp frowned, shuffling the cards in his pocket. "And you believe we can help you?"

Sheik glanced up. "You remind me of them," he muttered guiltily. And, before Sharp could stop him, he had whipped his arm down, and disappeared in a flash of blinding light. Sharp cursed, rubbing his eyes; then he drew a card out of his pocket. He stared through the fog of green dots on his vision to see what it read.

"King of Hearts," he muttered, sitting down on the grass as Meryl drifted toward the great obelisk. "Interesting."

"How come?" Gwen asked conversationally, seating herself next to him. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Sharp glanced at it again before flicking his eyes upward to meet her own. "He's looking for a man… interesting, I guess, that he wouldn't come right out and say that. But it's someone he cares for very deeply. Someone he …truly loves."

A beat. Gwen asked slowly, "So you're saying that Sheik is…?"

Sharp threw up his hands. "I'm not accusing him of being gay or anything. I'm just saying what the card says. It could well be wrong, or I could be reading it wrong, but that's what it says." Something was nagging him, but he didn't want to think on what it could be. He dropped the card into his pocket and stood. "Let's just go. Lake Hylia, like he said. Something about seeing some dame there?"

"Indeed," Meryl said quietly, drawing near like a lost shadow. Gwen quirked her head.

"What's up, Meryl?" she inquired brightly. "You look like you just went into shock or something. Did you find anything interesting over there?"

Meryl shook her head, still with the same air of wonderment. "No, it's not... Don't worry about it."

Sharp glanced at her puzzledly, then shrugged it off. "All right, then." He extended a hand to Gwen to help her up. "To Hylia we go."