Blades of grass were covered in a rainbow of colors as the light beat through the multi-colored facets of the stained-glass windows. An elegant foot, clad in blue, appeared red as the light danced across the ground. Gentle harp music permeated the still air, adding to the already serene feeling that hovered around the small castle courtyard. The last surviving Sheikah warrior lay situated on the stone steps leading to a solitary window, where the Hero of Time and the Princess of Hyrule had first met.

His thin fingers danced across the taught strings with ease, playing the melody they knew by heart. Thanks to the careful ministrations of Zelda, and even more careful watch by Link, the wounds had been healed for a few days now. All the physical wounds anyway.

The usually stoic Sheikah had been even more distant from everyone lately. Talking less than usual and spending most of his free time in the palace gardens, alone. A certain Hylian swordsman had noticed this, having been watching over the wounded man almost obsessively. The music in the grotto halted as soon as said swordsman walked into the grove, his face yielding an apologetic smile.

"Something told me I'd find you here."

Sheik yielded a small smile of his own beneath the mask, knowing it was a welcome sight to his best friend, after so many failed attempts to cheer him up. Sheik knew he was worrying Link, but he just couldn't shake the feeling of jealousy whenever Link and Zelda were so much as in the same room. Now that Link and he were alone, he suddenly found it easier to smile.

The green-clad warrior sauntered over and sat next to Sheik and down a few steps, a smile now plastered on his own lips. Despite the beauty of the clearing, at that moment, Sheik couldn't imagine anything more beautiful than that smile.

"It's good to see you smile again, I had begun to worry that you had accidentally drunk a poe or something." Link chuckled.

Sheik gave a small laugh himself, before looking towards the sky.

"Afraid not." Sheik joked, in a subdued manner.

"Good, they taste disgusting."

At Sheik's incredulous stare, Link's smile widened. Sheik sighed, knowing he had been worrying the hero, the guilt he felt at this knowledge eating at him. As Link's smile faltered, Sheik made an executive decision.

"You'll have to forgive me Link, I have not been in the best of spirits as of late, but I promise the reasons for my morose behavior have nothing to do with poes." He tacked a small smile on the end of his sentence, hoping to alleviate some of the worry seeping into Link's gaze.

"Then what is the reason?"

Sheik looked cautiously at Link from the corner of his eye. He hoped anything he said wouldn't give his feelings away. That, he was not ready to risk.

"You don't have to worry, I'll get over it soon enough." Link frowned at that, before taking Sheik's hand in his. Sheik could feel his cheeks warming slightly.

"Sheik, whatever it is, you know that you can tell me. I want to help." Sheik felt a multitude of emotions at Link's words. Seeing the strong sadness in Link's gaze made him feel like scum, and he knew he would have to give some explanation. Embarrassment or no, he couldn't stand seeing Link so distraught.

"Being the odd man out isn't something I strive for, Link."

Link's confused stare made Sheik role his crimson eyes. Despite everything he had been through, Link was still horribly naïve. Sheik found it rather endearing, though the point of his conversations could often be lost on the hero, such as right now.

"You and Zelda."

He stated as clearly as he could manage, but for all his effort, Link seemed even more perplexed than before.

"What about me and Zelda?" Sheik shot him an incredulous stare. Offhandedly, he noticed Link was still grasping his hand tightly. "I know you two are to be wed eventually, I guess I'm just not ready to let either of you go." His smile felt fake, even to him, though he tried to hold it on his face anyway. His pitiful smile faded, however, when Link's face shifted yet again. Sheik had not expected the anger radiating from Link at that moment.

"Zelda and I aren't getting married. What gave you that idea?" Sheik felt bewildered by all the passion in Link's voice. Had he offended Link somehow? He had only seen Link this mad a handful of times before. The angry man had begun to lean closer to Sheik, and though he doubted Link would ever hurt him, he didn't want to risk the well-being of his hand.

"You two just seemed as though you were in love, I thought it was inevitable." Sheik mused that the new emotions on Link's face would always surprise him, as the hero's expression softened. What he was feeling was too hard for Sheik to decipher, but he could have sworn he noticed sadness in the hero's gaze. The grasp around his hand loosened considerably, and Link gave the Sheikah a weary smile.

"I don't love Zelda. And I'm positive she doesn't love me either." Sheik gave Link an unsure look. By the expression on his face, Link seemed to be steeling himself for something.

"I can prove it." Sheik blinked, but nodded anyway, not knowing what to expect from Link now. "There are three ways to tell if I'm in love with someone." As he said this, he used his free hand to hold up three fingers. Sheik absently noticed that they had drawn closer to one another, for different reasons he was sure. "And what are those?" Link smiled, glad Sheik was playing along.

"One," He dropped the first finger, "if I never touch them on their shoulder." Sheik gave Link a puzzled look, and the hero seemed more than happy to explain. "When I grew up with the Kokkiri, patting or touching someone on the shoulder was a sign of friendship. Touching someone anywhere else could be taken as a sign of something more." Sheik nodded, some cultures had customs such as those. "When I first came to Hyrule, I was surprised by how often people touched me on the arm or back, I thought everyone was coming onto me." Sheik chuckled, if only Link knew that most of those people most likely were hitting on him.

"Anyway, it's always just been second nature to me. If I love someone, I won't touch them on the shoulder." Sheik nodded. Try as he might, he couldn't stop his mind from trying to recall a time when Link had ever touched him on the shoulder. He couldn't think of one, but maybe he just hadn't paid enough careful attention during their journey. Though he doubted he wouldn't have realized if Link touched him, seeing as he took due note of any and all contact between them. He didn't have a chance to finish his analysis as Link's voice interrupted his mind's ramblings.

"Two," another finger down, "if I talk to them, I never avoid eye contact." Sheik nodded, actually understanding where this one came from. He had noticed Link didn't like to keep eye contact with people for too long. Most didn't notice, seeing as the hero masked it rather well; looking at what someone was talking about and nodding, or just appearing to contemplate what to do next. But Sheik knew better, he didn't think he had ever seen the hero keep eye contact more than a few seconds, unless he was fighting, and Sheik was sure the Hero of Time wasn't in love with any of the monsters they came across on their journeys.

…now there was a thought.

His shoulders shook slightly in a mixture of laughter and a shiver of disgust. Luckily, Link didn't seem to notice, and began to elaborate his previous point. "I don't know why, but I've never liked it when people look me in the eye. I'd much rather they just send me off on a mission and be done with it. If I can actually look them in the eye, it means I feel like I can trust them completely." As he was talking, his eyes seemed to bore into Sheik, and Sheik was finding it increasingly hard to breathe. Only one finger remained up on Link's hand now, and he dropped it slowly.

"Three."

Link's voice came out as a whisper, and Sheik felt himself shiver slightly from the sultry tone coming from the hero's throat. He found that he couldn't help but lean a little closer. Link seemed to be leaning as well, but he was probably just imagining it.

"If I give them this necklace." Link gently pulled a delicate looking necklace from underneath his tunic and chain mail. Sheik's eyes locked on the tiny necklace and widened marginally. It was a simple necklace, braided by some kind of thin string or cord, but it was obvious how much care and love had gone into making it. Looped through the string were a collection of small red and blue gems, each hand carved into a delicate looping pattern. Sheik tried to imagine how long it would take to carve the gems into such delicate sequences. It was a simple necklace and by no means a work of a professional, but to Sheik, it was the most beautiful piece of jewelry he had ever set his eyes on.

"When my mother left me with the Deku Tree, he said this was the only thing she left me. It was a necklace she had made for my father as a sign of her love for him before he died." Sheik nodded in sympathy, looking into Link's eyes that reminded him so much of the blue gems on the necklace. This necklace was the only thing linked to his mother that Link had left. "What's the string made out of?" Sheik wondered. It seemed to shine in the light like no other twine he had ever seen. "My mother braided it out of her hair," Link chuckled at the marveling look on Sheik's face. "It took her over a year to make it…"

Sheik couldn't seem to look away from the necklace, everything about it mesmerized him. The hair seemed new, not like it had already been worn for a generation. Link's words seemed to mirror Sheik's thoughts, "Because it's made out of hair, it can last much longer than a regular string, even metal since it doesn't rust…symbolizing that her love would last forever. If I ever give this to someone, for any reason, it would be the same as a proposal for marriage."

Sheik could feel his chest tightening; he wanted to be the one to be given that necklace. The silence in the tiny grove magnified as Sheik was caught in a sort of trance. He couldn't look away. The light shimmering off the gems and dancing over the carefully smooth braided string trapped his attention and wouldn't let go. Everything about the simple object was beautiful to him, even the calloused fingers holding it. The entire thing molded together in a show of beauty and radiance, as the beads of light shimmered off the entire thing seemed to make it glow.

But what he found most beautiful, were the deep blue and crimson gems. They reminded him so much of him and Link; opposites in everything, but oh so perfect for each other. He imagined someone had crafted his necklace with them in mind, and his breathing became halting and short. The small adornment seemed to be drawing closer, and through the fog that had encircled his mind in the moment, he seemed to be leaning towards it as well. It drew him towards it, taking him with it as it went. His back was aching from the stress of leaning down for so long, but his mind didn't even register on it, focused on just one thing.

Just as the necklace seemed close enough to slip over his head, his eyes snapped up towards Link. He was entranced again, but this time by the unbreakable gaze pinned on him. Link seemed to be unsure of something. Just as Sheik's mind awoke from the heavy fog and began to quickly calculate what was happening, a voice cut through the clearing, severing the moment as it went.

"Begging your pardon gentlemen, but the princess requires your presence." Sheik's head snapped towards the guard, who seemed taken aback by the two piercing gazes pointed in his direction. Decided it would be in his best interests not to talk anymore, he simply waited for them to follow, the silence once again permeating over everything, though this time less peaceful and more strained.

As the surprise of the situation died down, Sheik noticed just how fast his heart was racing. He looked over to Link, noticing with a pang of sadness that he had returned the necklace to inner folds of his tunic. As they both sat up and began to follow the soldier, Sheik couldn't help but sneak a glance at Link. He smiled beneath his cowl at the thought that Link had said all that just to cheer him up, he just hoped he hadn't looked to dumb staring at the necklace for so long.

He sighed to himself, and tried to calm his racing heart. Despite the fact that his mind was trying to analyze the situation as nothing more than a friendly gesture to cheer him up, his heart couldn't help but plant a hope inside him that the hero had aimed that wonderful speech at him somehow. He wanted to be the one Link touched, he wanted to be the one to experience the full effects of the hero's gaze, and more than anything, he wanted to be the one to receive that necklace.

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Sheik felt slightly peeved as they approached the throne chamber where they were to meet Zelda. As the princess came into view and saw the annoyance on his face, she sent him a questioning glance. He just shook his head. Link came up to stand next to him, clasping his hands behind his back in a sign of respect. Sheik smirked, as he bowed himself, even though the three of them were so close, the two male heroes still felt the need to show due respect when others were watching. As soon as the guards had left, however, he resumed his previous upright position and Link's arms relaxed and fell to his sides. Zelda sent them a fleeting smile.

"I apologize for the sudden summons, but urgent news has just reached me. A letter was intercepted by the Gerudo from a land beyond their borders, called Rael."
Sheik nodded, having heard of it once or twice in passing. "Nothing has been confirmed, but there are hints of them amassing an army to attack Hyrule. Why they would do this, I do not know, but I can't take any chances. I would like both of you to travel to Rael, undetected, and scout out as much information as you can. If it seems they will attack, do your best to sabotage their plans, and report back to me."

Zelda's countenance softened. "Normally I would arrange a squad of soldiers to do the job, but I feel you two would be much more capable." She smiled at them lightly, and despite Sheik's annoyance from earlier, he felt a returning smile form on his lips. Link wore a smirk of his own.

"I think we can handle it." Link looked over to Sheik, who confirmed the thought with a nod. He looked back to Zelda, only to see her giving the pair of them an odd smile. He raised his eyebrows, and looked to Link. But the hero was just giving Zelda an odd shake of the head, and the smile on Zelda's face disappeared.

That was odd.

Whatever it was, he would get Link to tell him later. "I will go get my things." With that, the Sheikah left the chamber, heading to his own private room to prepare for the journey.

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Link sighed, his shoulders slumping slightly.

"What happened Link?" Link cracked one eye open to look at the princess, who had by now walked down the steps to his position.

"Well, I said everything perfectly, just as I had planned it. He even reacted better than I thought he would." Zelda's brow furrowed, "Then what went wrong?" Link sighed again, his hand going up to scratch his head. "I had just shown him the necklace, and I was about to put it around his neck, and the guard came." Zelda's eye's closed and she brought a hand up to her face.

"I was so close!" Link cursed under his breath, kicking a nearby suit of armor. Neither of them even flinched as it clattered to the ground in pieces. "I'm sorry Link; I thought I had given you enough time." Zelda consoled, putting her hand on his shoulder in a comforting manner. His shoulders were tense, and he let out a bitter laugh. "It's not your fault; I should have had the guts to do this sooner." He clenched his fist, looking at the triforce of courage that glowed brightly through the gauntlet. "Some courage."

Zelda shook her head. "Link, those are two very different types of courage. This kind of courage is even harder to deal with than most people give it credit for. Everyone is scared to admit they love someone." Link nodded curtly, still not totally believing her words. "Link." He grudgingly looked at her. "Would you doubt my wisdom?" She smiled. He smiled back. "No, I wouldn't." She nodded in approval. "And I don't doubt your courage. Don't worry, you will have your chance soon enough."

He sighed again, looking back towards the doors the Sheikah had exited from. "I just don't see how much more obvious I can be with him. Even after all that, he still doesn't seem to get the message." He paused, his thoughts turning doubtful. "You don't think he knows, and is just trying to ignore it do you?" His voice held an edge of worry and sadness. Zelda firmly shook her head.

"No, you know Sheik better than that. He would never skirt around the truth. He would face you head on about it." Link nodded, that was certainly true about Sheik. "Besides," she drew his gaze to hers again with a delicately gloved hand, "I don't doubt your love could win anyone over. And I don't doubt that he loves you too." Link could never express in words how much her little pep talks cheered him up. She winked at him.

"And don't worry about the proposal; you'll have plenty of chances to tell him how much you love him during the trip." Her words were followed by a sly smile. Link swallowed, now intimidated by the prospect of traveling alone with Sheik. As good as Zelda was at calming him, she was just as good at bringing him back down to earth and reminding him of what had to be done, consequently making all the relief disappear in a few seconds.

She sent him one more fleeting smile, "You better go gather your things, Sheik is probably waiting out by the stables for you already." Link nodded, and they exchanged one last fleeting smile before the Hero of Time walked dejectedly from the throne chamber.

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The sun was setting on the plains of Hyrule field as the two most skilled warriors of the land prepared for their upcoming journey. Sheik handed Link a rolled up sleeping mat, which the hero tied securely next to other various packs on Epona's saddle. Link was just strapping on the last item when Zelda approached them, looking all the more out of place as her elegant clothing contrasted with the simplicity of the surroundings. She nodded to them both in greeting, to which they both nodded back stiffly. The situation called for some propriety, and they all knew it.

"I wish you luck on your journey. I know you will not fail Hyrule."

They both nodded in a salutatory manner, and Link climbed up onto Epona. He didn't even have to time to offer Sheik his hand up, before the Sheikah was already situated behind him on the large horse's flank, one foot resting on her haunches and supporting his arm, the other dangling off the side. Link would have been skeptical had it been anyone else riding with him, but for Sheik, Link knew the precarious riding position wouldn't prove the least bit difficult.

Zelda smiled faintly at the sight, they did make a rather cute couple. She made sure to erase the smile before they turned towards her again, awaiting her last farewell. She was happy to oblige them.

"The journey will be wrought with many obstacles, be sure you keep to the shadows and remain undetected as long as possible. The fate of Hyrule could be decided on what happens next." The two statuesque warriors nodded, and Zelda was momentarily amazed that the two extraordinary men in front of her were her best friends. "Farewell, and good luck." With fire in their eyes and jaws firmly set, they turned away, Link angling Epona with pressure from his knees.

"Oh and boys," Their heads snapped back around as the moment was broken, their eyebrows lifting simultaneously in question. "Be careful." Zelda said it with a slight smile on her lips. The fire in their eyes was replaced with a soft warmth reserved only for the closest of friends, and they both nodded to her in promise.

Zelda assumed her regal pose, and sent Link one last glance loaded with meaning before the large horse turned once more. Link gave her a final, jerky nod, and looked away. The princess of Hyrule allowed her guards to escort her back to the town gate as the two men rode off on horseback towards the desert. She was glad the guards didn't hear her whispered words.

"Good luck Link."