Manga Maid's Notes: Ok! Yes I finally updated. Now, I actually have a good explanation, lovelies! Why didn't I update? Because this last year has been hectic as all get out! I've been in school, writing essays, editing for WhiteXIII and other writers like crazy, had brain blocks, lost pages of this chapter, and a whole bunch of other junk that I don't really care to mention. But, as of late, I got in gear and began to work on this chapter which I had left unattended for quite some time! And I actually was up late at night working on this sometimes.

Now for some sad news, those of you who have read Hyrule Academy by WhiteXIII know I'm leaving. By I'm leaving, that means I am moving from my place of residence to pursue higher education. In layman's terms, I'm going to college! Now I do promise to keep updating, but college is going to take a while to get used to and I may not update until I come back on break! But I will still update, people, so don't lose hope! It just may not be as often. Or… actually it might be more often considering the last time I updated… Anyways…

Oh! I have something else to say: To those of you who left reviews when I last updated, I am so sorry! I know you've been waiting forever, please forgive me! To those of you who just favorite or watch, I love that you do that, really I do, but I do want to hear from you. Your opinions are very important to me and I really want to hear from you! I don't bite! Honest!

I actually do plan to get a list up of people who I thank. But seeing as how I have to go through many emails to find you all and I actually was up all night finishing this... not happening this chappie. But thanks to everyone who reviewed, favorited, story alerted, etc. Oh! And special thanks to WhiteXIII for helping me with the fight scene because my brain was shot. ^-^ Anyways, on with the ficceh!

Chapter 5

Link's eyes widened in surprise, then narrowed, turning them steel blue as they hardened. He turned his head away to look over past his left shoulder and his fists clenched. "That," he said, his voice cold and harsh as the blizzards in the Peak Province, "Was a long time ago. A very long time ago, Fado."

"It has only been four years," Fado murmured, his voice softer than the wind.

Link turned to look at him, eyes burning with anger. He began to shout, "Four years, four months! What difference does it make?! Time doesn't matter for her, Fado, because she's dead! Or did you forget that she was murdered?!"

"Link, what happened that day wasn't your fault!" Fado said, desperate to calm his friend. "There's nothing you could've done! I mean, you were what? Fifteen? What could you have done?! Those were highly trained kidnappers and probably assassins and-!"

"I would've done anything, Fado! ANYTHING! I could've saved her! Right when she needed me the most, I let her down and she paid for that with her life!"

"Link, I'm sure she doesn't blame you."

"You didn't her face, Fado. She was terrified and I promised her that I would always be there! That I would take care of her!" His eyes darkened and he became quiet. "But it doesn't matter now, does it?"

"But, Link…"

Link gave Fado a look that told him the conversation was over and trudged away from the ranch. Fado slapped his hand on his forehead. He'd really done it now. He knew that Zelda's death weighed heavily on Link's soul and that weight would probably never leave. Closing his eyes, he shook his head and went on to check on the goats.

...

Zelda gently set down the pitcher that Uli had given her to fill as she knelt by the stream. Looking down at herself, she lightly fingered the clothing that she now wore and reminded herself to thank Uli and Ilia again. They had done their work well.

She now wore a white short sleeved shirt and simple tan pants. Though Uli had offered to make her a wrap and sash, she had declined for two reasons. First, so that there would be more material for the village, and second, because she felt she couldn't accept anything else for her clothing.

After she had received her new clothing, Ilia had gone off to do her chores and Zelda had asked Uli if there was anything she could do for her, which had led to her sending Zelda to go fetch water. Zelda had noticed Uli's discomfort at giving chores to a guest, but Zelda felt like she had to do something for her. If she didn't, it would be another sacrifice she didn't deserve.

Shaking the thought of her escape from her mind, Zelda focused on gathering water. Placing the pitcher where the mouth of the brook met the small lake, Zelda watched the town go through its small day-to-day life. Nothing had changed much, except now the women and children were doing the men's work as well as theirs.

She watched Pergie hoeing her family's garden while three children ran about the village, which meant that they had probably finished up whatever chores they had been given. There were two boys and a girl.

The girl was dressed in a white tank top with purple pants, pink wrap, and a white sash. Her hair was in a flip like style while a red hair clip kept her chestnut bangs away from her face. The bridge of her nose was peppered with freckles and her turquoise eyes were eyeing her playmates with a mixture of disdain and amusement.

The older of the two boys had mess of unkempt chocolate hair with a red bandana tied crookedly around it. His green eyes were full of mischief as he ran about in his outfit of white tank top, tan wrap, yellow sash, blue leggings, and a blue cloth that held an acorn insignia on it. While he ran, he swung a big stick as if it was a sword.

The younger boy looked as if he was related to the older with the same green eyes and chocolate hair. He looked to be about 3 to 4 years old, but his face threw Zelda off as the child seemed to be watching everything with such a serious look. He wore a white tank similar to the older boy's, a green wrap, an orange sash, and an orange leg-covering that looked akin to a skirt that was much too big for him as it trailed after him.

Zelda recognized the older two as older versions of Talo and Beth, but she didn't recognize the younger. She supposed it was Pergie and Jaggle's second son, Malo, but she wasn't sure. As she watched them play, she noticed Colin came trudging down, carrying a bucket, as he walked. He moved slowly, careful not to spill whatever was in the bucket.

Seeing his bucket reminded Zelda about the pitcher in her hand. Right, water for Uli… Zelda turned away from the three children, shaking the realization of the drastic amount of time she had missed in Ordon since the beginning of the war. However, she hadn't seen Aryll yet… which was very strange considering she always seemed to be at her brother's side.

Zelda came to a slow halt as she recognized the said Hylian male's figure coming down the hill. She noticed the expression on his face, or rather, lack thereof. It reminded her of Sheik. Surprise registered through her body. Link had never been one to hide what he was thinking or feeling. So why did he have such a face?

She contemplated going to talk to him to see if anything was wrong, but Ilia intercepted him first. While she was unable to hear what they were saying, she saw Ilia looking at Link with concern as she spoke, while he tried waving her off. Ilia was resolute though, and finally Link, to Zelda's shock, caressed her cheek before muttering something to her.

Quickly standing, Zelda clutched the pitcher to her as she began to retreat back to Uli's. Her throat felt thick as she walked and a malicious thought struck her. Why did this have to happen to her? Why couldn't Ilia have been in a prison camp for four years instead of her?

Zelda's eyes widened in shock as she realized what she had just envisioned. Nobody deserved that kind of punishment. Not even her captors would deserve that.

Besides, she didn't own Link, and they had just been friends. Nothing too close. Not to mention she was the only heir to the throne of Hyrule now and he… he was just a simple goatherd. Even if their friendship had blossomed into anything romantic, it never would've worked out. She knew that, but it didn't make the pain go away.

Something bumped into her and a loud splash caught her off guard and she looked up to see Link's eyes staring back into hers. What was he doing here? And why was his shirt sopping wet?

Looking down she saw that her pitcher, now with half its contents removed and dripping off Link, was the culprit for his state. She lost her grip on the pitcher and it fell as her hands rose to her mouth.

"I am so sorry!" Zelda said, as Link stared down at her, still expressionless. "I-I-I didn't… I mean, I wasn't… I am so sorry!"

Exhaling through his nose, Link bent down and picked up the pitcher, which had rolled to his feet. He placed it back in her hands as he said flatly, "Here." Then, before she could thank him, he turned and left, heading off out of the village.

Zelda watched him leave, stunned. What had happened? Link had never acted like that before as far as she knew. Startled by his new behavior, Zelda turned slowly back to the river and went back to collect water. After she had collected it, she quickly turned on her heel and ran back to Uli's house, though she was careful not to spill any of the water. But on her way there, she had a narrow miss as she nearly ran into Colin.

"Oh, Colin," she exhaled. "I'm sorry. I nearly knocked you over."

"It's okay," Colin answered, shyly. "Uh, Marin?"

"Yes?"

"Have you seen Link?"

Zelda nearly cringed as she remembered the way he had spoken to her before taking off. She answered, "He was leaving the village last I saw of him."

"Thank you." With that, Colin took off running down the path Link had taken.

Watching him, Zelda wondered if she had chosen the best course of action by telling Colin where Link had went. She wasn't sure what Link would do, but she hoped he wouldn't be upset with Colin. With those thoughts on her mind, she entered the house.

When she had entered the house, Uli noticed the concerned look on the girl's face. She asked, "Marin? What's wrong?"

Zelda didn't respond.

At this, Uli touched her shoulder. "Marin, are you all right?"

Jumping back to reality, Zelda spun on her heel to face a surprised Uli. "Ahh-huh? Oh… I'm sorry, Uli. I didn't hear you. What did you ask?"

"I asked you what's wrong. You seem awfully quiet and sad."

"Oh…" Zelda paused. "It's nothing really. I was just thinking about something."

"About what?"

"Oh… Just… Well…" Biting her lip, Zelda continued. "That Hylian boy, Link. I accidentally ran into him with your pitcher and he seemed… upset with me. Is what I did a big offense here?"

"Link was upset with you?" Uli asked.

"It seemed that way."

"Oh dear," Uli said. "I suppose that whatever Sera started reached Link. He probably was upset by that and was leaving the village to clear his head."

Zelda looked down at her feet. "Ah, I see…"

A hand touched her shoulder and Zelda looked up to see Uli smiling gently at her. "Don't worry about it, Marin. Link's a bit rough around the edges, but he is kind. He'll probably have forgotten the whole incident by tomorrow and after a little while he'll become used to you."

"I hope your right," Zelda murmured.

"Trust me, dear. It'll be okay."

Biting her lip, Zelda nodded slowly, before asking, "Ms. Uli? Is there anything else I can do to help you, ma'am?"

Uli shook her head. "No, Marin. I'm fine."

"Then, is it all right for me to go out and explore?"

Looking startled, Uli said, "Of course it is. I'm not your mother, Marin. You don't have to ask permission for everything, dear."

Flushing, Zelda nodded as nerves coursed through her. She knew she didn't have to, but still… It just made her feel better to have someone know where she was, though she wasn't sure why.

Slowly, she turned to the door and left the house. After that, she looked around, still trying to figure out what to do with her time. In the past four years, she had almost no freedom to do whatever she wanted. Being able to choose what she wanted to do felt almost odd. Shaking her head, she noticed Ilia looking off to where Link and Colin had both disappeared.

The first thing she noticed about Ilia was that she looked forlorn. It seemed as if she was torn between wanting follow Link and deciding not to. But the thing Zelda noticed the most in Ilia's face was the look of hurt that it possessed. It was as if she had been injured. Deciding to see what was wrong, Zelda approached.

"Ilia?"

Startled, Ilia turned to face Zelda. There were tears in her eyes. "Oh! Marin." Quickly, she wiped at her eyes as if to hide her tears from Zelda. "Hello…"

"Ilia… Is something wrong? You seem sad…"

"It's nothing, Marin. Don't worry about it."

"It doesn't look like nothing." When Ilia didn't respond, Zelda said, "You can tell me, Ilia."

Ilia was quiet as she thought. She then asked a question that caught Zelda off-guard. "Marin, when you were engaged… um… your husband didn't hide anything from you, did he?"

"Like what?"

"Oh… How he was feeling, maybe…?"

Zelda floundered for an answer by thinking of all the men she had known. Finally, she decided to use Sheik's personality. "Uh… Well, I'm sure he did, but it was probably to keep me from worrying about all the problems we were about to face… Why? Do you Link is hiding something from you?"

"Well, yes and no…"

Confused, Zelda asked, "What do you mean?"

"It's nothing really… It's just…" Ilia sighed. "I worry sometimes about our relationship."

"Why?"

"Well, Link's not really an open person and I know that… But, I feel like he's always giving an excuse to not marry me." At Zelda's startled look, Ilia continued, "Originally, we were supposed to be married about two weeks ago, but Link keeps making excuses to put it off. And he's not romantic in the slightest towards me. I mean, sure he's affectionate, but it feels like he's keeping a boundary between us."

"Some men are like that, Ilia," Zelda said, slowly.

"It's not only that, Marin," Ilia interrupted. "He doesn't talk with me about important things that we need to deal with."

"Such as?"

"Princess Zelda for one." At that Zelda stiffened, but Ilia didn't notice. "As I told you before he was really close to her and when she left he was never the same. But whenever I or anyone else brings her up, he just closes up or gets upset. He even pushes me away when she's brought up," Ilia sighed. "I know I'm the second choice, but sometimes I wish he wouldn't hold on to her memory so much… It just hurts him and everyone around him."

Silence permeated the air as Zelda wasn't sure what to say. Watching Ilia, she felt guilt sink into her. All she could think of was awkwardly patting Ilia on the back, while murmuring, "I'm sorry."

"No," Ilia said. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have dumped all that on a complete stranger. But, I can't tell anyone else in the village and it felt nice to tell someone. Thank you, Marin." She sighed, but it was a happier sigh. "Well, I better get on with my chores. See you, Marin."

"See you," Zelda answered. She stood still for a moment, before walking to the stream's edge, sitting, and placing her feet in. As she did so, she whispered, "Link, what are you doing to yourself?"

…

Link sighed as he sat at the shore of Ordona Spring. Running a hand through his hair, he stared at the dead spring, though his eyes had a far-away look that revealed his mind was somewhere else.

While he stared off at nothing, Link was thinking about his conversation with Fado earlier. His heart panged at the thought of Zelda, still missing her. Looking down, he frowned as if willing it to stop. It was too late now anyways. She had passed away and there was nothing that could be done.

At that moment, the grass rustled from behind him. Link's blue gaze furrowed, his messy blond hair resting against his head in the motionless wind. Another shuffling sound. The rustling came closer before transferring to the sounds of crushing sands.

A small breath of air.

It was only a few feet away now. Link's arm shifted behind him slightly, his gaze kept carefully forward, betraying nothing, until the vital moment came:

"Hi, Colin."

Colin slowly approached Link, looking hesitant and shy, though he gave a gentle smile. "Hi, Link." After giving short pause, he asked, "What are you doing?"

"Thinking." He turned to Colin, patting the sand on the left next to him. "You wanna join me?"

Nodding, Colin scrambled to plop next down to Link. As he did so, he looked at Link for a long while. Finally, he asked, "Link? Do you mind if I ask you a question?"

A rare smile touched Link's face. "Of course, Colin. You can ask me anything."

"Okay…" Colin looked down, a thoughtful look crossing his face. Finally, he looked up and asked, "Link, you remember Zelda right?" At Link's startled look, Colin continued, "Sorry. It's just… on my way here, I heard Beth saying that her mom said that Marin looks like Zelda. Is that true?"

Link's voice had a touch of tightness as he asked, "Don't you remember, Colin?"

"Kinda… I remember playing with her a lot and that she was really kind, but I can't really remember what she looked like."

As Link listened, his mouth tightened, as if reigning in a frown. His blue eyes darkened but he gave no other signals of what he was feeling.

Colin asked timidly, "Are they right, Link? Does Marin really look like Zelda?"

After what seemed to be an eternity, Link answered, "I'm sorry, Colin. I just don't know."

"Why not?" Colin asked, slowly.

"I… I just don't, Colin."

Nodding slowly, Colin looked at the Spring, watching it with a serious look. He and Link sat there for a while in silence, both in a reverent sort of silence. It was a long while before Colin turned to Link with another question on his face. "Link?"

"Hm?"

"When do you think that the war will be over?"

"I can't say, Colin." He turned and ruffled Colin's hair. "But while you wait, how about you pass the time by going to help your mother? She's probably looking for you right now."

Smiling, Colin answered, "Okay. Are you going to come back with me?"

"No. I think I'm going to spend a few more minutes out here, Colin."

"Okay." There was the sound of footsteps as Colin left to return back to the village. Then, silence.

Closing his eyes, Link let his mind wander off. While it did so, he suddenly grunted in pain. Giving himself a little shake, he kept his eyes closed before he shuddered. Opening his eyes, he stood, deciding to go back to Ordon. But before he did that, he checked around for any monsters. Finding nothing, he turned and headed back to Ordon.

...

A lone Gerudo guard stood in an ornate hallway that was the entrance to the throne room of Hyrule Castle. Under normal circumstances, she would have been appraising everything in the hall with her golden eyes, trying to figure what each object there was worth, but at the moment, she radiated fear.

Inwardly, she cursed her luck. Of course, it was she who would have to inform Lord Ganondorf that two nights ago, Princess Zelda and her faithful Sheikah bodyguard had escaped the most secure prison camp created. Knowing already how he would react made the job less appealing than cleaning horse dung from the stables with her bare hands. Shuddering, she waited in the hallway, wondering just how much longer she had left to live. She didn't have to wonder for long, for at that moment, the Twinrova sisters, Kotake and Koume, opened the doors to the hallway.

Both were old and tanned, with deep wrinkles and white hair that proved their age. Their eyes bulged from their sockets in a way that made most people's hair stand on end, especially when they looked down over their overly large beaked noses. They both wore robes of black with white designs. In fact, the only differences were the gems on their head. Kotake wore a cool ice-blue gem, while Koume wore a bright flame-red gem. These two were Ganondorf's most trusted advisors, not to mention his surrogate mothers.

When they had finished opening the door, both women croaked, "Lord Ganondorf will see you now…"

Gulping, the Gerudo walked into the room. It had changed drastically from when Ganondorf had first claimed it. The room was less well-lit and a blood red carpet now lay on the once bare porcelain tile. The statue of the Great Three surrounding a Triforce above the thrones had been broken so that only Din's head remained intact, while Nayru and Farore had been beheaded. But the most drastic change was that were there had been three golden thrones for the royal family, there was now only one black, high-backed throne that looked as if it had been made out of obsidian.

In that throne sat a Gerudo man with a dark tan, flame orange hair, and golden eyes. His eyes emanated an evil and cruel sort of pleasure from within. He wore black armor complete with a black cape that possessed the same white design the Twinrova sisters' robes held. A golden headpiece with a gem yellow as the sun served as his crown. It was obvious that this man was Lord Ganondorf. His posture was at ease as he lounged about in his throne and the fact that he was smirking showed that he seemed to be in a pleasant mood for Ganondorf. Seeing this caused the Gerudo guard to thank her lucky stars that she had caught him in a better mood than most of those who had to bear bad news.

Slowly, she entered the room and approached the throne. As she had entered the room, the doors closed behind her with such a slam of finality, making her uneasy as the Twinrova returned to their posts on either side of their king. While she walked, she tried to figure out how to explain to Lord Ganondorf how exactly Princess Zelda had made her escape without angering him, but sadly, no thoughts came to mind.

When she reached the throne, she knelt down on one knee, bowing her head, and placing a fist to the ground. She murmured, "Lord Ganondorf."

Ganondorf nodded. "Rise." After she did, he said, "Now, speak."

Swallowing, the woman spoke rather uneasily. "You may have heard a rumor, my lord, that, two nights ago, there was a riot at your most secure prison camp and some of the prisoners escaped."

"I did," Ganondorf answered. "I trust that you have come to assure me that these rumors are false."

Ducking her head, the Gerudo admitted, "I am sorry, my lord, but the rumors are true. The prisoners created the riot to distract us from noticing those who escaped."

Ganondorf's posture changed instantly. He straightened in his chair and looked severely at the woman before him. His voice was dark as he asked, "Who was it that escaped?"

"My lord, please understand that in all the chaos and commotion, we couldn't-!"

"You didn't answer my question," Ganondorf interrupted, his tone becoming even darker. "Who was it that escaped?"

"Four people, Lord Ganondorf."

"Who?"

"A couple. Kafei Dotour and his wife, Anju."

"Who else?"

"Well…" The Gerudo faltered.

"I said, who else?" Ganondorf repeated. When she didn't answer, he snapped, "Answer me! Who else escaped from that prison camp?!"

"Princess Z-Zelda and her bodyguard, Sheik, my lord…"

All was silent for a few moments until…

"WHAT?!" Ganondorf rose from his throne and came over to the woman, picking her up the throat. "You mean to tell me that you let Princess Zelda, the only survivor of the royal family of Hyrule and the one prisoner who could lead an uprising of against me escape?!"

"My lord," the woman gasped. "We didn't let her escape, it just-"

"SILENCE!" Ganondorf thundered, squeezing her windpipe. "Do you realize what this means?! Do you?! If word gets out that Princess Zelda has escaped and is alive, my future plans are ruined!"

"Please…. My lord…" the Gerudo whimpered. "I can't… I can't breathe… I had… more information."

Ganondorf glared at the woman, before dropping her on the floor. She knelt on her hands and knees as she gasped and coughed, all the while massaging her throat. When she had caught her breath, he said, "Do you have any idea where she is?"

"No, sir."

"Then your information is useless to me."

Koume spoke, "However, it may prove useful to me and my sister. Continue, young lady."

"Yes, ma'am. We received word from the Bulblins that some of their numbers nearly caught the Sheikah, but the Princess was not with him. They also said that they manage to knock him out, however… according to them… he… he somehow managed to escape though, my lord."

"While he was unconscious?"

"That's what they said, Lord Ganondorf, sir."

Fuming, Ganondorf spat, "Very well. Get out of my sight!"

The woman was all too happy to obey that order. She hurried out of the room all too quickly, before Ganondorf could change his mind and decide to strangle her again or worse.

Rubbing his temples, Ganondorf turned back to his throne and practically fell in. Sighing, he frowned at the new wrinkle in his plan.

"Lord Ganondorf," Kotake said in a creaky voice. "If I may…" He looked at her and nodded, so she continued, "This may not be a problem, yet."

Looking intrigued, Ganondorf said, "Continue."

"The young lady informed us that her Highness is separated from her Sheikah bodyguard. My guess is that the Sheikah hid her away and led them off, but not before telling her to flee for her life."

"Ah, I see where you're going with this, Kotake!" Koume said. She looked to Ganondorf and said, "If what Kotake infers is correct, than it means that precious little princess is vulnerable and easy to capture if we find her."

Ganondorf nodded, "I see."

"But!" Kotake piped up. "That may prove difficult. After all, she knows that we are after her, and she has a bit of a head start on us. Either she's heading for the rebel's base town or she's found someplace to stay until her Sheikah bodyguard comes and finds her. Knowing her, it's probably the latter."

"Well," Ganondorf said. "What do you suggest I do?"

"Nothing for now," Kotake said. "Just have the guards keep their eyes and ears open. Should anything suspicious turn up, have them report to you and then investigate the place. Sooner or later, Princess Zelda is bound to turn up."

"I understand." Ganondorf answered. "Now, I have something I'd like you two to do for me."

"And what would that be?" Koume asked.

"I want you to inform all of the guards who were guarding that camp that they are going to be the ones searching for the princess and her bodyguard. If they do not find either of them, they all will be punished for their incompetence. Is that clear?"

Both women cackled, "Of course, Lord Ganondorf. We'll leave at once." When they held out their hands, brooms materialized out of thin air. They quickly mounted and flew off to go and deliver the message, leaving Ganondorf all alone.

As he sat, Ganondorf said, "You can run, your Highness, but trust me when I say this. You and your little Sheikah friend will never be able to hide from me."

…

Red eyes opened to see a blur of brown ahead. Trying to clear his vision, Sheik blinked, moaning as he felt his head begin to ache. When his vision cleared, he realized he was looking at a ceiling and soon after, he recognized he was lying in a bed. Surprise flooded through him as he began to remember what had happened after he had thrown Zelda into the river.

Splashing and flailing reached Sheik's ears, even over the defeaning call of the Bulblins. He cringed slightly as he forced his horse to turn and press onward. Even with the knowledge that his Princess couldn't swim… It was the only way he could hope to protect her from the hoard that was pursuing him now. He could only hope that the Three would be watching over her.

He pressed into the grey horse's side as the cries grew louder. As he had predicted, the Bulblins hadn't thought to check on what had gone into the river, instead following him. The horse snorted, resisting the Sheikah's urges as fatigue screamed at its muscles. An arrow whizzed by, striking a nearby stone. The horse, spooked, reared on its hind legs before bolting away from river, the only safe haven in the world of flames.

The Bulblins shrieked in their incomprehensible language, infuriated by the speed of their prey.

His pointed ears perked as Sheik heard the sound of wood on wood. They were loading an arrow. Sheik grabbed the horse's mane and yanked it to their left. The horse obeyed and bolted again when another arrow whizzed past its right ear.

Sheik couldn't have asked for a better steed. The animal's tail and mane whipped madly as it darted about the field, jumping over fallen logs and streaking around boulders. However, it still wasn't enough to lose their pursuers.

Sheikah eyes darted around the flaming sea, seeking a route of escape, or, at the least, a way to lead them even further off course. Finding a grouping of trees, whose flames were rising by the second, Sheik shifted his body so the horse would go as well.

He pressed low against the horse, its fur matting against its body in the stifling heat, as he avoided a flaming branch just over his head. Sheik turned his head, gaze turning from one of hope to triumph as a Bulblin was knocked from its ride, the force also causing the branch to drop.

However, his glory was short lived as he felt his horse suddenly stumble. His hair seemed to be suspended in air as gravity took its hold.

They were falling.

He whipped his gaze back to the front just as the horse's front hooves made contact with the earth beneath them. It stumbled again, but pressed forward, nearly unseating its riding. The cover over Sheik's face slipped. Coughing, he grabbed the piece of cloth and shoved it back over his nose, desperate for clean air.

Crashing reached Sheik's ears as a few unfortunate Bulblins ran off the edge. The Bullbos slammed into the ground. Sounds of grunting pain and shrieks were short lived as a quick snap followed, silencing the creature forever.

Sheik smiled at the unexpected help and turned his horse triumphantly down another pathway. Through the heat, Sheik didn't notice the creaking and cracking nearby. The horse suddenly reared, shrieking in alarm as a large, burning tree fell in its path.

A wall of burning smoke seared Sheik's eyes, nearly blinding him except for the shield that was rearing before him.

Scrambling to stay on, Sheik grasped at the horse's mane. His muscles screamed at him for oxygen, but he hung tight. As soon as its hooves hit the ground, he yanked its mane to face in the other direction. They needed to back track quickly if they were going to keep ahead of the Bulblins.

But it was already too late.

The shrieking came to a sudden stop as an arrow struck through the creature's throat. It toppled to the ground, taking Sheik with it. The red-eyed male tried to dislodge himself. But to no avail. Sheik grunted as he and the horse came down, crushing his left leg between the dead steed and the blackened earth.

He kicked the horse away from himself and quickly assumed a fighting stance. The Bulblins circled him, the Bullbos panting from exhaustion and want for air.

Sheik glared at the creatures around him, daring them to come closer, and searching for an escape.

The first Bullbos charged, Sheik moved into a position to leap over the creature's head and snap its riders' necks. However, his left leg shook with the sudden onset of weight. Sheik grunted and quickly threw himself to the side, the creature barely missing him.

The animal crashed into the burning tree, throwing its riders into the inferno.

Sheik quickly rose to his feet. Though he was breathing hard and it was painful, he took another fighting stance. Shrieking in fury, the Bulblins quickly dismounting from their own rides, turned to him and raised their clubs high, shaking them before charging.

Sheik dropped to the ground in a crouch before knocking his opponents off their feet with the good old-fashioned "leg-swipe". Arms flailed and weapons flew up in the air while each Bulblin teetered and then fell on its hindquarters. Standing up, Sheik took a battle position, prepared for whatever their next move was.

The Bulblins rose to their feet and roared in anger. They charged again, but instead of knocking them off their feet, Sheik charged them as well. As he ran among the enemy, he began striking pressure points that Impa had taught him as a child. With each strike, another Bulblin fell.

He coughed heavily, his eyes stinging so fiercly that his vision was beginning to fail him. A cry sounded from behind him and Sheik quickly turned to disarm the monster. Taking its club, Sheik turned grimly to face the rest of the mob. He closed his eyes and gave a low, shaking breath.

There was no way he would get out of this one.

A Bulblin came close and Sheik struck out with his newly acquired weapon, bashing the creature on the side of the side and sending it spiraling to the side.

This went on for several minutes, Sheik relying solely on adrenaline to keep him running. The fire around them grew, surrounding them in layers and layers of flame.

With each enemy that fell, there seemed to be ten more lying in wait to attack. Sheik panted, his brow perspiring and his limbs growing heavier and heavier with the oxygen lacking air around them. He coughed, spinning around desperately in circles as a Bulblin nearby disarmed him. His balance thrown, Sheik staggered, falling with one knee to the ground. He forced himself to stand as he heard the enemy closing in on him.

As the enemy surrounded him, something slammed into the back of his head, causing his world to go black.

A voice broke him from his reverie. "I am glad to see you are awake."

Sheik's eyes quickly landed on a woman standing in the corner off the room he was in. She had short, silver hair which she kept in a ponytail and red eyes like his. Silver markings were underneath her eyes which stood out with her lightly tanned skin. She wore blue and silver form-fitting body armor with the Sheikah symbol emblazoned on it. Sheik instantly recognized her.

"Impa." Though she was his mother, Sheik had never called her anything but Impa after the age of five. "You're alive…?"

"Hello, Sheik," Impa answered, looking softly at her battered son.

"Impa, what-? Why are you-? Where am I? Princess Zelda! Where is she!?"

Impa raised a hand, signaling Sheik to become quiet. "You are in the Hidden Village. As for the Princess… I did not find her. Sheik, do you know where she is?"

Sheik closed his eyes and looked down.

"What happened, Sheik?"

"We were escaping Ganondorf's Prison Camp when we were spotted by Bulblins. They pursued us and set the field on fire, so I decided to separate from her and lead them away so the Princess could escape…" He looked away. "Forgive me. I failed in my mission to keep her safe."

"Sheik, you have not failed yet," Impa said, reproachfully. "It's true that you did leave her alone, but to help her escape capture. If the Great Three are on our side, she is not in the enemy's hands. Until she is in the enemy's possession, you have kept her safe." She walked over to the bed and placed her right hand over Sheik's eyes, causing him to lie down. "Now, rest and heal, my son. You have done your job. I will go and search for her." When Sheik's eyes closed, she turned to leave, but not before his voice called out to her.

"Impa?"

"What is it?"

"What happened after I blacked out? And how is it that you are alive? I mean, when the Princess and I last saw you…"

"Later, Sheik. Rest and I will tell you what happened. But for now, let your body heal." Impa turned and headed out the door, a small smile touching her face as she heard Sheik relax back into sleeping. Looking out to the entrance of the Hidden Village, she murmured, "Oh, Zelda. I pray that you are safe." With that, she disappeared.

Ending Comments: So? What do you think? We finally got a look into the villain's mind! Hee hee! And we know what happened with Sheik! ^-^ Please leave a review!