"You are not to go to the castle without me, do you understand?" Link nodded shakily, though his shoulders still shook and he continued to cry. He'd been fine until they'd arrived at the inn, and then Telma had begun fussing over him. He'd burst into tears immediately and been crying since.

Sheik sighed and stepped forward, kneeling in front of the bed. Link looked up and threw himself at him, locking his arms around Sheik's neck and crying into his shoulder.

"Do you know why I am mad at you?"

"B—be—because I snuck o—out."

He stroked the boy's hair gently, letting out a sigh. He should've led with a different question. Probably should have handled the entire situation differently.

"That woman. You saw that the dead didn't like her."

"Y—yes."

"She's why I didn't want you going to the castle. And now she's seen you."

"Is she b—bad?" Link's sobbing seemed to be lessening. He was hot to the touch and gasping for breath, but he was paying attention.

"You are not to go anywhere with her, especially alone. Do not trust her. And if you are ever in the castle, stay with me."

Link let out a hiccup, and rubbed his head against Sheik as he nodded. Sheik put a hand on the back of his head, and sighed again as the boy nuzzled into him.

He hadn't expected the boy to follow him. Hadn't expected him to be so upset, either. He was a brilliant child, but…Sheik should have realized it would upset him. Should have woken him, at the very least, and told him to stay put.

"Why don't the dead like her?" Link asked slowly, voice exhausted and quiet. It sounded like he was struggling to even speak, Sheik noted. He didn't say anything, not until Link asked again and sat up and faced him.

Sheik couldn't look at the child. He looked to the side, towards where his blade leaned against the wall.

"…She used to do what I do." It hurt, to say. To even broach the topic. The look of surprise on the boy's face hurt, too—Link would ask more questions. And Sheik couldn't justify lying to the boy.

"…How—but—then why don't they like her?!"

"She abandoned us."

Link blinked at him, shifted closer and put his head on Sheik's chest. He picked the boy up, wincing at the pain in his back—fuck, he was getting old, and fuck, he should've sat on the bed instead of crouching on the floor.

"I didn't know there was anybody before you." Link said softly, voice small.

"Just her."

"Why?"

"Why'd she leave?"

Link nodded. Sheik couldn't stand still, and he began pacing the room.

"…She left us for the living. And she will hurt you, Link, because you are living."

"That doesn't make sense."

"She's a hypocrite. She knows about you now, though, and she will not let you be. You are to stay with me at all times, when you are at the castle. If you are not with me or Telma, you will find the dead. Understand?"

"Yeah." Link's voice was soft, heavy with exhaustion.

Sheik continued to pace, until long after the boy's breathing had slowed and steadied. Long after it had grown dark, and his arms had gone numb. Link let out a quiet sigh when he tucked him into bed, but didn't wake up. He studied the boy for a moment, mouth pressed into a thin line.

Even now, years later, and the boy refused to leave his side.

Impa was leaning against the wall outside the room, arms folded across her chest. Sheik closed the door behind him firmly before speaking.

"You touch him and I will kill your princess."

It hadn't been what she'd thought he would lead with. The shock on her face alone made it worth it.

"How dare you." She breathed. He could see her instinctively trying to reach out to the dead, see her inwardly recoil when they failed to answer her call.

That, too, was good to see.

"How dare I?" He shot back, voice soft. He didn't want to wake Link up. If Impa did, he might stab her.

"You're caring for a Hylian? A living child?! You think your duties—"

Sheik slapped her, hard, before he could think to stop himself.

"Let me make myself clear, mother. The dead come first. Always will, as they should have for you. But he comes before you. Before any living. Your girl, though? You? You are nothing. Don't lecture me, you hypocritical bitch. Anything happens to him, the same will happen to your brat."

He'd never hit her before. Never allowed himself to truly express how much he hated her. He didn't, then, but even that much left him shaking. He turned and reentered the room, leaving her wide-eyed and frozen.

He slid to the ground, back against the door, staring at the boy sleeping across the room from him.

Lights sparked delicately above his body, the soft curve of a Poe's face flashing into existence as it peered down at him. It, too, was quiet, the chime that so often accompanied its kind absent. It turned to look at him, as it dropped itself onto Link's body. The boy didn't so much as move, and the Poe seemed comfortable.

Sheik swallowed back the burning in his throat, his eyes.

He'd rescued the boy all those years ago because the dead had asked him to. Hadn't chased him off because the dead were so adoring of him, and Sheik had been absolutely bewildered as to why, as to how he could even sense them.

And if anything happened to him now, because of him, Sheik couldn't fucking handle it.

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If you're subbed to this story you may have missed previous updates, so please make sure to check!

Just a quick update before we start getting into chps with an older Link and such lol. Going to a pride festival this weekend w/my cousin and some of her friends, I am super pumped, and I wanted to update something first. Hope you all enjoyed! Let me know what you think, and have a great weekend!