CHAPTER 7

I backed away from whoever it was. When I was far enough away I got good view of who it was. A female Zora.

"Um.. who are you?" I asked.

The Zora swam up to me. "I think I know you," she said again. "Don't you remember me? I'm Princess Ruto."

I swam away some smore. "Oh," I said having no idea who she was. "Nice to meet you."

Her face showed disappointment. "So you don't remember me?" she asked.

"No. I'm sorry. I think you have me confused with someone else," I said, slowly.

She got closer to me again. I think she was trying to study my face. I dived under the water. I didn't want her near me like that.

She dived under after me!

I tried to swim away from her but she grabbed my arm and pulled me back up. When we resurfaced she took a long look of my face and let me go blushing furiously. "I'm sorry!" she apoligized. "You're not who I thought you were."

"You got that right," I said glaring at her.

"I... I'm sorry," she said again. "I'm so so sorry." then she dived under.

When I was sure she wasn't going to come back I swam to the shore and climbed out of the water. When I was on the shore I sat down and stared over the lake. Who was that anyway? She said she was a princess. Another princess. Why did she say she knew me?

I stood up and made my way out of the lake area. As I did I happened to collide with Link who was just arriving.

"Hey watch... Oh it's you!" he said from the ground where he landed. He stared over at me (I had fallen to the ground too). "What are you doing here?"

"Just going for I swim," I said, shrugging.

"Oh, by the way, your mother wanted me to find you."

"What for?" I asked suspiciously as we got up.

"I don't know," he replied.

"Well when you see her tell her I'm not coming back." I said starting to walk away.

Link stopped me with his arm and gave me a disapproving look. "Why do you hate your mother so much?" he asked.

I brushed his arm away. "You would never understand," I called over my shoulder as I headed out.

"I migth!" he shouted after me.

"I doubt it!" I called back.

"Why not?"
I dropped and turned around to face him. "Why don't you stop asking so many stupud questions?" I growled and with that I turned back around and continued walking out of the lake.

"Wait!" he called.

I kept on walking, ignoring him. I wasn't about to let him lecture me again abouit appreciating parents I didn't even care about.

"SHEIK!" he yelled. His voice was closer.

I rolled my eyes. Great. he was following me.

Suddenly there was a hand on my shoulder that brought me to a stop. "Sheik, please wait" Link's voice said behind me.

I turned around ready to snap at him. I noticed the sheath and sword handle protruding from behind his back and remembered what the big Gerudo had asked me to do. I decided, in order to get it, I would try to act civil infront of the Hero of Time and mayebe even pretend to be his friend.

I sighed. "Okay," I said. "I'm listening."I folded my arms and waited.

"Look, Sheik," he said. "I know you're mad at your mother about something. I don't really want to know what it is but well... Why do you have to be so nasty to everyone?"

I wanted to tell him. No you'd better not. He'd probably side with Zelda. "Why don't you ask your princess?" I said.

"Zelda?" he asked. "What does she have to do with the way you're acting?"

I grinned evilly. "She's part of it."

He looked at me like I had gone crazy. "She is?"

I nodded. "Yup!"

"Did you guys date or something? Did she dump you?"

I was replused and almost told him but held myself back. "No!" I shouted. "Why would I want to date that witch?"

"Okay okay," he said giving me a helpless gesture. "I get it. You hate her."

"Damn right I do," I said.

Link stared at me. "Okay," he said putting his hand on his ear, turning away, and rolling his eyes. "Then I have a feeling I know what this is about."

"You do?" I asked starled and ready to deny everything.

"She did something horrible to you didn't she?"

I nodded carefuly. "Yes she did," I agreed. "But I won't tell you what it is."

The Hylian seemed to understand. "I know how you feel. She hurt me too once."

"She did?" I asked eyeing him suspiciously.

He looked away. "Yes, a long time ago," he replied. "I still can't get over what she did. Sometimes I wish something would happen or someone would come along and help me heal.

Suck it up. I didn't say that out loud. I started to get this feeling that he might be lying just to get me talking. If that was true, I wasn't going to fall for it. I wouldn't take the bait.

"That's too bad," I said.

Link didn't look at me. He looked up at the sky and swung his arms back and forth. I waited. I knew he was going to say something else. Finally he said. "Uh Sheik," he began.

"What?" I asked.

"If you don't want to go back home you can always just follow me around."

"Why would I want to do that?"

"I have some things I need to do. Since Navi, my fairy, left I've been doing things by myself. If it doesn't make you feel ackward would you like to go with me?"

I considered my odds. If I went with him I'd have plenty of chances to get the Master sword. I didn't have to think long. "Okay," I said.

"All right."

Link called a chesnut mare over. We both climbed on. Him in the front and me in the back. I didn't touch him. I could keep my balance without doing so.

"Are you sure that's safe?" the Hylian asked me only once.

"Of course it is," I said smiling. "I always ride horses this way."

He started to argue but changed his mind. Instead he said nothing. I was glad. I didn't want him talking to me.

"Are you sure this horse is safe to ride anyway?" I asked, giving the animal a doubtful look.

Link looked over his shoulder at me. "Yes. I trust Epona with my life."

"Epona?" I scoffed. "Who named her that?"

The Hylian ignored my snide tone. "The person who owned her before me."

"And who was that?"

"A friend."

"A friend. Do you mean a girlfriend?" the name sounded too femanine to be one a guy could think of... unless they were..

"No!" he said defensively. "I don't have a girlfriend."

"Good. They suck."

He looked over his shoulder at me again. "How do you know?" he questioned. "Did you ever have one?"

I shook my head, repulsed at the very idea. "No, but my older brother has and they were all bitches."

"Hmm," was all he said to that.

I didn't say anything more on the topic. I could tell my remark offended him. "I'm sorry," I said slowly. "I'm not saying all girlfriends are like that. Just some of them. Did you ever have a girlfriend or something? Is that why you are offended?"

"I'm not offended," he told me in a dead sounding voice. "And to your friend question; No. I did not have a girlfriend. I once took Malon from the Lon Lon Ranch to the fair but we got into a big fight while we were there and haven't spoken to each other since." He absently patted Epone' foreleg. "She told me she wanted me to give Epona back to her but I don't feel like it. I know Malon. She's probably just looking for another reason to yell at me."

"What was the fight about?" I couldn't help asking.

"Malon wanted to go steady. I told her I couldn't because Ganondorf escaped the Evil Realm and I have find him and send him back again," Link shrugged. "I'm the only hero this world's got. I have a lot of responcibiliy. I don't have time to be going steady with anyone."

"Oh," I stopped talking and looked over Hyrule Field for a few minutes. "So, who's Ganondorf anyway?"

"He's the King of Evil," the Hylian replied. "He wants to use the Triforce to take over the world. He tried it once but I was able to stop him. I wasn't able to kill him though. He's too powerful. I have this feeling that if I ever fight with him again I may be the one who loses. I might be more than defeated. I could even be killed."

I noticed the Hylian didn't seem to be worried about that fact very much. Why is he so calm? "Why doesn't that fact bother you?" I prompted. "Aren't you afraid to die?"

He nodded. "I am but I know that whatever happens I won't really have the choice."

I said nothing after that. I think Link was happy I didn't. I wasn't. It angered me that he was talking so weak. I couldn't believe it. What kind of hero doesn't have enough confidence to believe they can beat an enemy?

I didn't know it then but it would be awhile before I figured that out.

A/N

And there it was.