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Chapter 5: The Unwelcome Guests

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Sheik's POV—


I'm not sure what just happened, but Link seems more thoughtful than offended or tense, like he was when he first saw the young boy sitting in front of the tree trunk. I doubt I will ever forget the tune Link just played though. It was green, full of life and youth and energy. Saria's song as Mido called it. It fit the Lost Woods we are in as well as the Kokiri who lived near it.

We go through the tree trunk after more talking goes between Link and Mido, more that I don't understand because of missing context. Link had grabbed my hand again and pulled me forward through the tree trunk Mido had been guarding. Now we are looking at what seems to be multiple narrow passageways, almost like a maze.

Link walks forward fearlessly or recklessly until Navi flies out from underneath his hat and hovers just in front of his face with both hands up signaling him to stop. "You need to tread carefully here, this place is not as friendly as it was seven years ago. I sense multiple enemies here that will no doubt attack if they see you. Check before you start moving around corners." She tells him.

Heeding her warning, he pokes his head around the corner and then looks back at me shaking his head and nods appreciatively towards Navi. With a questioning glance I move and hug the wall where he had just been and glance around the corner. My eyes are widened in surprise at the sight I'm greeted by, a large creature with a bulldog-type face and large lower teeth wearing armor and holding a spear. He wouldn't stand a chance against that thing in armed combat…

I step closer to him for a second and whisper, "It will be best to fight that thing from a distance."

He nods his head and goes to pull something out of his pouch and then hesitates a second, a funny look crossing his face. He pulls out the clawshot, aims and kills the beast with one shot. Wow, that thing is a lot more intense than I expected!

He glances back at me with a stupid grin splitting his face and it's all I can do to contain my laughter. I watch him, not letting any emotion show visibly, but under the shawl I have a smile just as dumb as his on my own face. He looks at me like I've given him the single greatest gift of his life though.

We slip around the rest of the corners, downing more beasts and quickly shuffling around them, before coming to the stairs that lead up to a long hallway. Usually the stairs would probably seem a hard enough enemy to conquer, but since Ganondorf has moved his crew in, we have a beast that is twice as big as Link and I in height and width, wielding what looks to be a club so large it could crack the world, standing at the end of the long hallway.

It hefts the club off its shoulder and brings it crashing to the ground. A line of dirt rises up from the ground as a tremor shoots through the ground straight towards us; Link pushes me to one side and jumps to the other, the shockwave passing harmlessly between us though we still feel the ground under us tremble.

We glance at each other and then simultaneously take of straight towards the beast. We roll, side-jump and somersault forward until we are more or less standing right in front of it. Link is in front of me and he slides between the monster's legs, I on the other hand pull up for a second and lump to the side as the beast brings its club down once more in a final attempt to hit one of us. As the club strikes the ground to the side of me, I jump onto it and run up it, front flip over the head and bring my sword across its back as I finish my spin. Link is a few steps back, clawshot already moving towards the enemy's lower back. I land with my left foot out behind me, my right foot planted just beneath me and my knee almost touching the ground, my right hand holds my sword and my left is in front of me on the ground providing balance, leaving my body no more than two feet off the ground.

We turn and walk up the next group of stairs and finally reach the small glade the forest temple is set in. Link walks in to the middle and stops, his eyes resting on a small tree trunk not far from the broken stairs leading into the Forest Temple as if there is something missing about it, and then he just stands there looking at the cutoff trunk, an unfathomable look on his face.

Oh, this is the spot he and Saria would meet; she probably used to sit there. Once again, a flow of words pop into my mind and before I have time to think about them, my mouth forms the words and breath flows over my vocal chords.

"The flow of time is always cruel. Its speed seems different for each person, but no one can change it. A thing that doesn't change with time is a memory of younger days… In order to come back here again, I will teach you the Minuet of the Forest."

I pull out my lyre and play the song; Link takes out his Ocarina and plays back the song to me. Once he finishes, I nod, "I have received an urgent message from Impa and I must respond in person. I will return before you have left these woods after freeing Saria. Fare thee well, hero." I say, and with a flick of my wrist, a Deku nut is hurled to the ground and I teleport into the trees.

He blinks his eyes to get rid of the spots left behind from the blinding flash and then looks around, not seeing me, his shoulder droop slightly. "Well, Navi, just you and me again, my dear."

Navi sighed a bit "Yes, I have to deal with you by myself again, how will I ever survive. Though I will say this, I wasn't too sure about him at first, but Sheik's company is starting to grow on me some."

Link chuckled and muttered something causing Navi to laugh. Link still had his Ocarina out, now he brought it to his lips and played the Song of Time. A box appeared before him and, storing the Ocarina carefully in his pouch again, he quickly climbed up onto the box, then onto the remaining but slowly crumbling stone stairs and then disappeared through the darkened doorway.


Being around Link has been an enjoyable experience so far. There is this innocence to him that you will not find in many others; even children nowadays are not so innocent. Though there are enough things about him to threaten to drive me insane, his sarcasm and view on things is a very welcome change. The only thing is I wish he talked a bit more. Not much has changed from his younger self, he started out very shy the first time we met but I feel like he warmed up quickly enough. This time though, I've spent almost an entire day of traveling with him and he is still mostly quiet.

Me being the mysterious Sheik probably does not help anything much, but this is who I am, so he will just have to be used to it. Our spar earlier today was enjoyable, he does have skill, though he could be much better than he is now if he only had a trainer and time to practice. As it is, he just has to learn on the fly and hope he lives long enough to learn more. The talks that were before and after the spar were nice also. It gave me a great chance to make sure my cover story was in place firmly so he wouldn't try to make guesses, but it was also neat to see how he skirted around the things that would be considered touchy subjects for most and then how he responded.

As we traveled the rest of the way to the entrance to the Kokiri Forest we did not talk hardly at all, but it was not uncomfortable silence, even with him going back and forth between emotions, the silence was easy and the forward movement reassuring. I know anytime I need to think about things and I'm in a weird mood, I will go riding, not sure what it is about the activity, but it's a nice way to release and think.

As this rare moment of reflection passed, my mind focused on getting to Kakariko and meeting with Impa, she had much to hear from me, and I needed to see if there was anything needed from me. The second I stepped foot outside the hollow tree trunk from the Kokiri Village and into Hyrule Field, I teleported to the gate just outside of Kakariko. Adjusting my coverings from any shifting that happened, I stepped into the village and walked towards Impa's house

I open the door and slip inside. Impa is not here but a guy is standing near the table.

"Oh, Sheik! Impa has gone to the Shadow Temple, something about Bongo Bongo or something. I didn't catch all of it, but she said she would return this afternoon."

I recognize the man from one of the Sheikah meetings I attended with Impa, he was nice enough the few times I met him. Cogan was his name, I remember as I nod and bow slightly before turning and walking out the door again.

I walk across the village and in to talk to some of the people I haven't seen in a while. It's already close to being the afternoon so I don't stay long in one place. The longest I stayed somewhere was one of the buildings that had a couple beds to one side. There were a couple ladies and guys scattered throughout the building, but one man was apparently sleeping on a bed, even though it was quite loud in the building.

I ask Lyn, one of the older ladies nearby who he was. "Oh, that poor soul, its Talon, you know, the former owner of Lon Lon Ranch? He randomly showed up one day, silent as a rock, and depressed as a rainstorm on a clear day. He usually just sleeps all day and moans the rest." She shook her head and returned to stirring the pot on the stove in front of her.

I glance over and decide I should at least try to talk to him. "Sir?" I say softly…no response… "Sir." I say again louder…not even a twitch… "Sir!" I almost yell, his breathing stops for a couple seconds and then returns to normal. Ugh, I shake my head in disgust. I'm wasting my time; Impa will be back home by now.

I say my farewells to all those in the building, the ones who are awake at least, and then walk out the door. I reach Impa's house in less than a minute and open the door and step in. Impa is there with her arms folded over her chest and is standing, looking out the window that faces Death Mountain.

Without looking over her shoulder she says, "The Gorons and Zoras are getting tired of waiting. They are impatient to bring this to an end. Their arguments are that everyday we wait, is another day Ganondorf can use to get stronger. What they don't understand however," She says turning to face me, "is even if we moved the day he showed up, he is far too powerful for us to defeat. Only the one who bears the Sword of the Bane of Evil will be able to strike him down."

Her eyes are fixated on mine, "And how fares our young Hero of Time? Much improved since seven years ago. He seemed small, even for one as young as he was," a small smile cracking across her face.

I pull my shawl down, my face expressionless and voice flat, "He is much improved. He can run all night and not tire. I don't think he has stopped to sleep any since he awoke after seven years." Confusion flits across her face and I sigh.

I sit down in a chair at the table and give a detailed retelling of all that had happened the past two days. I told her everything from my dream to meeting him, sending him here and then our spar as I was escorting him to the Forest Temple. Still keeping my voice void of emotion until I finished the telling of our actions to this point in its entirety.

Her eyes cloud a little for a few moments. She looks over to me finally and says, "I went to the Shadow Temple today, Bongo Bongo was breaking from his seal slightly. I'm not too sure how much longer he will be restrained…it should hold for at least another few weeks, but I'm not sure how he is breaking it down so I can't be sure."

Impa imprisoned the monster many years ago, when she was much younger. I don't doubt that she is capable, but if Bongo Bongo breaks out, it won't be as easy for her to do it again…

We sit in silence for a few moments, our thoughts roaming through our own minds. It's been a while since I was around Impa and I haven't heard anything lately about the rest of Hyrule, "How are things lately? I've been out of the loop since you and I split up. The group I traveled with didn't care much for what was happening, they just wanted to stay safe. What have the Gorons and Zoras been up to while trying to be patient? You said they were ready to do something?"

She drew in a long breath before letting out a heavy sigh, "Yes, they have been trying a passive aggressive approach in dealing with Ganondorf. They started by raising prices on the trade between any cities he had a strong hold on, claiming they were running low on resources. Then they cut off all trade to his areas of persuasion, smuggling in only to those of us they know they can trust."

She stands up and begins pacing back and forth on her side of the table.

"They have closed the main routes into their cities and domain, but once again, leaving it open to those we know are trust worthy. However, we know Ganondorf is tightening his grip everywhere, either through fear and punishment, or by showering people with his blessing, trying to win them over.

"We fear that before long, those who we thought kept our confidences will turn to strike us down rather than risk their lives for the good of all. Even a number of our Sheikah family has begun to act strangely, disappearing for a time without any warning or reason."

She stops pacing and looks over at me, a grim smile across her face, "It is a good thing the Hero of Time is on our side, because we are in a race with the very thing he controls."

I snort softly. It's not that I don't think he won't be able to do it, I'm sure he'll manage things well enough. But the fate of the world comes down to whether a seventeen-year-old kid can do what the Goddesses created him for. Good thing he has Navi and me to help or this would be hopeless.

I look down and pick at part of the wooden table that is splitting. Impa walks over and sits in the chair near me, placing a hand over mine and squeezing softly.

"How have you been, Zelda, dear?" She asks once I look at her, concern emitting off her face.

I shake my head in negative, "I have been fine, Aunt Impa. My past has strengthened me more than ever and my future offers the only two things that will give me peace. I have no fears, I have no attachments, all that is left for me is either death, or vengeance." I finish proudly with an edge slipping over my voice at the end.

Impa's eyes widen, "Surely those are not your only two options, vengeance does your body no more good than death, it is like poisoned food. It looks to fill you up, but it leaves you hungrier and closer to death than before. I do not say forget your parent's death, but do not let your hurt and fear—"

I burst with anger at the turn the talk has taken, she is not my mother, she should not care about me, I am not even truly her nephew. She has no right to speak to me like this, "Do not speak to me in riddles! If vengeance is poison then let it flow! I know nothing else that will bring me the closure I seek. I know no pain, and I do not fear death, or even Ganondorf! Were he to walk into this room right now I would not tremble.

He can do nothing worse to me than what he already has done, and I will see to it that he meets his end for his crimes. Even if it means I tear his heart from his body myself. I will have justice. He does not deserve to live, there is only evil within him. If for no other reason, I will end his reign of terror so no one else has to face what I've gone through!"

I stand quickly, the chair I was sitting in topples backwards to the floor with a loud clatter and I stride over to the door and exit the building, allowing my anger to continue to show through the force I use to close the door. I hear the hinges rattle for a second until the door settles in its frame.

It's dark outside again.

Not wishing to be seen, I quickly leap onto the roofs and sprint towards the gate leading out of the village. My night will be spent on Hyrule Field; hopefully this is the open air I have been searching for.

As I run, I begin to regret my anger, only a little though. I know she worries, and she means the best, but I know what I need, no story, analogy or riddle will solve this. Only action, the time for thinking is done, now is the time for doing.

A small voice from deep within asks quietly, "Even if it is done blindly?"

Yes you fool, being killed on your feet is better than being captured on your seat, I snarl back, my anger rising once more.

"Better to live another day—"

Oh, just shut up, will you. After a few seconds, no reply is forthcoming so I take it as an end to that discussion

Great! Not just talking to myself but I'm arguing with me now too, can't wait to see what happens next…

I sigh and then leap off the last roof. I hit the ground and roll forward to allow my momentum to continue and then regain my footing as I come out of the somersault. From there…I continue running, hoping the thoughts chasing each other there will leave me some peace and quiet for the night. Ultimately I focus on the pounding of my feet and heart taking some comfort by the constant repetitions, though my thoughts are still as rampant as ever.


I don't know how long I ran, but I'm short of breath and my feet are sore. Fabric shoes aren't the most comfortable, especially if you accidentally find smaller rocks with the bottoms of your feet in them. My feet used to bruise when I first started wearing these shoes, now it's just a dull throb that blends in as my feet pound away after a while…

I walk until I reach a patch of trees. I'm not too sure where I am right now, but there doesn't seem to be any crows in the branches so instead of sleeping on the ground where stalchildren could get to me without me noticing, I scale the nearest tree and settle in.

I don't see how Link does it; he's been going hard for two days straight now, starting on the third, with not even a nap from what I've seen. I'm worn out from just today, and I'm not down in a dungeon fighting monsters. I wonder how far he has gotten in the temple by now.

Leaning back against the tree truck, situated somewhat precariously on one branch, bracketed by two others, one on either side like armrests, I let my eyes close as I enjoy the sounds of nature. At some point while enjoying the peacefulness around me, my mind drifted off to dreams and my body settled even more into the tree.


I dream about a few bunnies running through a field chasing butterflies and grasshoppers. On the edges of my vision I can see a couple dogs laying in the sun, some fish in the stream nearby, and a figure walking towards me.

After a feat beats, I can make out a familiar color… and hat. Link slowly comes closer. I can see his facial expression now, he looks worn down, he has cuts all over him and there is dried blood smeared in different areas. He walked to within thirty feet of me and pulled up short. His face settling into a deep look of concentration, he reaches over his shoulder and pulls out a bow. Slowly he nocks an arrow and pulls it taut, leveling the bow right at me

'Link! It's me, Sheik! Your friend, don't shoot!" I try to yell out, but no words come…

I feel a cold, feeling behind me, drawing closer until it passes through and I see a Poe appear in front of me. Did that thing just go through me? Ugh I shiver from head to toe.

The Poe starts spinning the lantern it has in its hand and moves closer to Link at a quicker pace.

He holds steady, takes a breath and then releases the arrow with a soft twang. An unearthly, piercing screech rings out as the arrow embeds itself into the spirit's head. The Poe vanishes but the lantern stays behind on the ground and Link rushes forward to pick it up. The lantern wasn't the only thing still around though, the screech continued. It slowly began to get louder and louder until…


"HEEEEYYYYYYY!" I hear by the side of my face as I'm startled awake. My ear drums seemingly about to burst. I don't have any time to think about what is going on before I realize I'm falling. Of course! What else would happen next when sleeping in a tree?

I crumple to the ground, thankfully I have gotten somewhat used to falling from these heights, what from all the missed jumps between roofs and such, this is nothing. I missed most of the branches on the way down also which always helps minimize the bruises. That doesn't mean I'm feeling fit to run a race or….

I hear laughing, then a flash of the last bit of moonlight that remained in the sky hits my eye and I finally look around me for the first time. I see people surrounding me, not just people however, a group of ladies, to be precise. The moonlight was flashing off of something hanging from each of their sides…

or fight a group of fifteen Gerudo women. Great…these girls are more like guys than I am.

Dual scimitars hang from each of their sides, and all of them have long hair. They're looking down at me with mean grins or hard expressions on their faces. Looks like I chose the wrong place to sleep for the night…

The Gerudo tribe is made up completely by women, all very skilled in swordsmanship, some of the finest warriors in Hyrule. If you could choose anyone to be on your side during a war, and don't mind having most of your things stolen by the end of it, you would want to choose the Gerudo tribe.

In many ways, they remind me of the Sheikah, granted, in most ways they don't and either would kill you if you mentioned the similarities, but both are good at fighting. Though both are good at stealth, the Gerudo are better with swords and the Sheikah have many techniques the Gerudo do not.

In an all out duel, it would be tough to say who would win… right now? I would be destroyed. The nerves in my arms and hands are still throbbing from the abrupt impact with the ground.

I'm dragged to my feet, gagged, and then my hands are secured around my back as the Gerudos check for any concealed weapons. Thankfully they don't know Sheikahs very well, you can't just pat them down and think you'll find their weapons, I know of one they miss during the search and its close enough to reach without any trouble, granted, we are taught to hide it here in case we are captured.

The small of our back is decently accessible when captured. We wrap a blade that is hidden inside a quill that is sharp enough to cut any rope (given enough time that is) but can be wrapped inside the folds of cloth. Normal pat downs will miss it…Now to wait for the opportune moment to spring myself…


We walked most of the day, heading in the general direction of Hyrule. That doesn't really make sense, the only thing still in Hyrule are the Re-Dead. Shouldn't these girls know that? Or do they have other reasons for going to Hyrule than they used to?

I had mostly only paid attention to where we were, what path we were taking, but I roamed Hyrule for seven years, and most of it was spent here in the field so there are only so many new things to notice as I had seen this landscape while going almost every direction you could travel.

So I let my attention drift from the landscape surrounding me to study the girls closer. They were walking with five or six feet in between each other, one placed behind and to the side, another behind her and to the opposite side and on back it went in the zigzag manner.

There has been practically no talking the entire time we've walked, their heads constantly sweeping back and forth across the terrain in front of us. I wondered at how frustrating it was to have hair that long and that color. I have nothing against long or red hair, or a combination of those two, but man, that is a lot of red…

If a person were walking through Hyrule Field, they would have been able to see these ladies without any trouble, even from a distance. There were only fifteen, but fifteen heads of the fire red hair some of these ladies have will stand out like a fire in a forest. All of them have hair that goes down to at least their waist; all have it pulled back in a ponytail.

I wonder if they use it as a whip if they lose their scimitars…I'll have to ask them sometime that I'm not a prisoner of theirs. Getting them upset with me right now doesn't sound like the best plan. A thin smile spread across my face as we walked.

There is a rope tied around my waist that is connected to the waist of the girl in front of me. Like that will stop me from escaping, I smirk inwardly. I had been keeping the rope slack enough that she wouldn't notice when I was gone, the girl walking behind me gave the only problem I had yet to solve.

I had glanced over my shoulder a couple times. Both I tried to hide by making it look like I was just looking around. She was walking probably ten feet behind us, her head turned to the ground both times I looked. She seemed distant from the others. A few of the ladies looked back. At first I thought they were checking on me, but as I watched, I noticed they looked past me where she was walking.

The first few times there was a flash of…pain? No that isn't quite right, it was more like a tenderness that crossed their face when they looked back at her. Concern and worry displayed fairly clear, they caught me looking and their face went stoic again before turning to watch in front of them again.

The second time I looked back at her, her eyes were shifting back and forth with an angry expression on her face, almost like she was arguing with herself, not that I had any experience with that. She took a few louder and sharper breathes and then shook herself, closed her eyes, stopping for a moment, and then caught back up to us with calm breathing once again.

Something is going on here; either within this group and her or a few members of this group…I wonder what it could be? I hate not knowing these kids of things. I have no reason to be curious, the fact that I am is frustrating, because I don't know and because it shouldn't matter to me…

I go back to watching the scenery slowly crawl past us, waiting, just waiting…


We stop, finally. I could have walked more, I'm not getting tired; it just felt slightly like we were walking without purpose. Well, I was for sure, I'm still not sure what is going on with the rest of these people.

I'm sitting on the ground, leaned up against a tree with my eyes closed and mind wandering. My ears are waiting the sound of any kind of change. We have been walking all day; I was woken up shortly before dawn and we had been walking since with no stops. It is now a ways into the afternoon and I wasn't sure when the last time this group had stopped was. Maybe they sleep through this part of the day and then start moving again through the night…

They let me out of my bonds for a short time to keep from irritating the skin more than I had to while I ate. My wrists were getting a little raw. The angry girl that was walking at the back of the pack was the one to talk them into letting me out of the bonds.

"Look, we're all gathered around, he wont try to escape while we're stopped, it would be too easy to chase him down and kill him. I don't even understand why we have him with us, we don't take prisoners." She had said when the others expressed concern.

At that point, whether I liked it or not, I understood why there were the glances back from the others and the angry expression on her face, she didn't want to have to deal with me, probably would kill me if she had the chance.

A while after I finished eating, she came over and sat down next to me. She looked at me evenly and then said with a light tone of mockery to her voice, "So, do you even know how to fight?

Before I could stop myself, I scoff and then reply, "No, I just wear the uniform because I think it looks cool, I'm not actually a Sheikah either. No, truth be told, I'm Princess Zelda in disguise," With sarcasm flying carelessly from my voice. Damn it, now I've done it, probably pissed her off and let my secret out. My mind was worrying until I heard a low chuckle start from her that grew into a hearty laugh, I looked at her as I she were crazy. The others joined in as her laugh grew. What in the name of the Goddesses is going on right now?

She ended up wiping tears from her eyes as she calmed down. "Oh Din! I haven't laughed like that in years. You have jokes, sir, that is to be sure," she turned serious almost instantly as she took in a breath and then released it, "But do you have skills? If you wish to continue with us you must duel with one of us. It will be a duel to the death, if you win; you take the spot of the one you defeated and then may leave when we reach the first town should you so choose. If you lose, you die."

The other ladies around sat up straighter, apparently this was not communicated to some of them, if any… I look around and see some confusion on faces, but mostly a stern look of confidence; each of them know their abilities as well as they know themselves, I, on the other hand, know nothing about any of them.

Such as the fact that since this woman talking to me now was walking at the back of the group, I took her to be one of the lowest followers. However, as she made these statements and no one challenged her or gave her openly curious glances or turning to whisper to ones near them, she was clearly the leader of the group.

I finish my scan of those around me and then settle my eyes back on her. I look straight into her eyes and say, "Then it sounds to me like one who has a problem with me being here should be the one I fight." I'm looking pointedly at her because she has been the only one vocal to this point

She half laughed and then with mockery coloring her tone completely and openly she stated, "You wish to duel me. I take it you do not know I am the leader of the group; as such I am the best fighter among us. Were you to win, however impossible that outcome is, you would not take my position as leader, only my slot in the group. You still wish to duel me young one?"

"You are younger than I, and yes, I have made my choice. I know nothing of the others' skills and as such would be as great a disadvantage as the one I am at with you. I do not seek to lead this group, only live and return to the task set before me before you interrupted my peaceful nap in the tree branches."

I pull my shawl down and give her a smile, "However, do not think you are in the clear, you are at the same disadvantage that I am. Though you know your skills and I do not; I know my skills and you do not. I hope I'm more of a challenge than you are making me out to be," I give a small wink.

She smiled a small smile, "I must say, I am glad that you are confident enough to not run or choose someone else. To have done so would be very dishonoring. However, I must admit, I will be very sad no matter the outcome, for one of us will die and during this time in your company, though brief, I have enjoyed this conversation."

Those around us looked at her, some with terribly hidden confusion across their face. Guess they've never seen her like this…I wonder what they are like when they are around their own people. I know the Sheikah become more open and expressive around each other, their eyes still showing the most emotion, but still, it would be fun to experience…

I nod, "Under different circumstances, we even may have been able to become friends after a time." I laugh, "but the conversation need not end quite yet, would you humor me an answer to a question?"

She adjusts how she is sitting to a more comfortable position and nods in the affirmative.

"It isn't any of my business, but I was wondering why you were going to Castle Town." I state directly

She looks at me strangely and then starts laughing, "You must have heard stories of us coming into Castle Town for boyfriends. Surely you have; even you Sheikah who live under rocks have surely heard about it. We don't try to be secretive about it."

"I am aware of that, but there is no one in Castle Town any longer, there hasn't been for many years. Unless you are wanting to befriend a Re-Dead." I say with a look of mock horror. Hopefully they take that as a joke and not think I am suggesting they seem like the girls who would do that… I cringe inwardly.

Shock seeps into all of the faces except the angry girl's face, the one who has been talking to me. Her face remains collected but worry is showing slightly in her eyes, "No one? And how are Re-Dead in there? Only the darkest caves and tombs have seen their presence for generations, certainly not above the ground," Her face slowly settling into a mask of concentration and deep thought.

"Not to be inconsiderate to the present company, but when Ganondorf destroyed the castle, killed the royal family and most of the nobles and advisors and then proclaimed himself king of Hyrule, most people fled from Castle Town. Not instantly though. Actually there were still many people living there up until four years ago.

"To those who only visit once or twice a year, such as yourselves; it would only look like it was only businesses that were closing up. To those of us around this area constantly however, not a day went by that you didn't see someone moving things across Hyrule heading in some direction." After three years of nothing getting better, only worse by the day, more people left. It still wasn't a mob out of the city, but it became small groups traveling together, those that could or would at least.

"A year later the Re-Dead moved in. The few people who stayed either faded into the shadows, died, or integrated into the new standing of Hyrule, though we only know of one still there as of now and that person collects Poe spirits."

The main girl I had been speaking to looks up at me, "We knew things were bad from some of the more recent reports we had received, but we didn't know it had reached this point. However, I wont believe this is Ganondorf's fault. Economy has been rough the past seven years, fighting between the races has broken out, there have been rumors of people massing armies to attack the Gerudo,"

She dropped her voice and leaned closer for a few seconds, "Do not let the other women hear I told you, but we are glad our fortress is in the desert, we are used to it but most aren't, if armies tried to attack us, they would be too tired to do much by the time they got there. There is unspoken fear in our fortress that has not been there for many generations."

She leaned back once more and continued, "Now, allow me to ask a question before we start, what is your name?"

"Sheik. And yours?" I replied

She chuckled darkly, "Ahhh, haha, beat me and I'll tell you." She replied with a wink and then stood up.


I readjusted my last knife and slipped my dagger into its sheath. Well, this is going to be interesting. Either I'm going to have to kill her, or…she'll kill me… I was very glad to have my sword with me also. I could have fought with a scimitar, but it wouldn't have been the same. I loved the feeling of the handle beneath my hand, the familiar weight pulling down on my arm, but nearly most of all; I loved my sheath and the blade work.

As I was re-arming myself, a couple of the Gerudo watched me, if there was a weapon they were not okay with, they would stop me and I would hand over the weapon. They started laughing, however, when I put my sword on my back. They were whispering to each other and were rolling with laughter before I asked them what was so funny.

They were pointing at my back, still unable to communicate coherently. Finally one of them said, "Your sword is on upside down". I look back and the sword handle was where it always was, just below my elbow on my right side, the end of it coming up just over my left shoulder. It is definitely different than almost all other swords, but I like it.

Some, not all, but a few Sheikah are chosen to make their own blade, they designed it, with advice from master sword smiths of course. They have to gather their own materials, forge it themselves and then make a sheath for it, since naked blades are very dangerous and can make loud noises if you accidentally bump into something. I was one of the few selected ones.

I had found a small grove while wandering throughout Hyrule, in the middle was a small crater and a handful of rocks that all looked alike. They weighed a lot more than they looked like they would, but I picked them all up and added them to my pack. That was a couple years before I made the sword, but I kept them.

I used these rocks to make the sword as well as my dagger. It was slightly fickle until I got the hang of it, the blades ended up a midnight black color with a slight glossy look to it. I made the sword handle out of Cocobolo wood; the red handle with black grains catches your eye when you first see it. I shaped the wood for the handle myself to the point it fit into my hand the way I wanted it to. It felt like I had an extra long left arm when I held it. It feels, natural.

I made two adjustments though. The first was to the blade. When I forged it, I put a small notch in both sides, most thought it was for looks, but they hadn't seen my plans for the sheath yet. After I finished making the sword how I liked it, I set in on getting my sheath to do what I wanted. I shaped it out of wood from a walnut tree, but it was the inside I was most focused on.

I worked the wood so that I could make a small movement before I went to pull my sword out and it slide out perfectly fine, but it was something complex enough that I could wear my sheath upside down and run, walk, roll, etc. without worrying if it will fall out. It felt like there was much more open movement reaching over my shoulder to grab my sword, my body would be somewhat protected by my arm as I drew it in this altered fashion.

After three weeks of work, I finished the sheath and had the movement down to the point that I could draw the sword without hardly any hesitation. The best part that I hadn't meant to do with the work on the sheath however, was unless you knew how to unlock the sword from the sheath, you couldn't pull it out.

I did so now as the girls who had been laughing watched. As the blade fully cleared their faces shifted into expressions of open awe. When I could find the free time, which waiting for seven years just moving from one place to the next left you with plenty of it, I went over the blade and did small etchings. I made them just deep enough to pour melted steel into it and then smooth it over and wiping off the excess before it cooled, sometimes using a metal that looked more like gold for contrast.

All down both sides, a design ran, standing boldly out off the blackness of the blade, it looked like a fake, show blade, but this sword has killed more than a few creatures.

This effectively shut them up and I returned the sword to its sheath. I moved towards the spot most of the ladies were gathering; they would form a wide, loose circle around the girl I am about to fight and myself. No running away from this, even if I wanted to.

As I get closer, those who hadn't been around to see the sword chuckled and shook their head but then quieted when they saw the expressions of those who had seen it. Apparently, it really impressed them. If I live through this, I'll have to ask why…

I've cleared the informal line into the duel ring. The angry/leader girl is on the other side, two scimitars hanging at her waist, a small knife wrapped to her ankle. The had traded her usual clothes for a one shoulder top that cut off a little above her navel and a pair of tight fitting pants that cut off just below the knees. I would have been surprised if she had worn the clothes she traveled in, what she wore now would be much less restraining on movements.

She looks up at me with excitement and anticipation showing clearly on her face. The group around us falls silent, waiting to see who would be the first to draw their sword. I settle into a half crouch, and pull a short sword from my left waist and draw my sword from my back. A gasp of awe, even from angry/leader girl goes around the circle as the blade once again comes into view.

Fluidly, my combatant slides both scimitars off her hips at once and spins them around her hands. Yeah, win or lose, this is going to be fun. A grin spreads across my face. She must have been thinking the same because she grins back. I'm glad it's her I'm fighting; this will be one hell of a show for those around us.

I can't wait!