Title – A Time Without Heroes
Chapter – Hope
Pairing – Link x Sheik
Summary – When Sheik is killed, Link travels far into the future to find the one he loves reincarnated. Now to make him remember…
Notes – Sheik is a guy, and not Zelda.
Disclaimer – I don't own The Legend of Zelda or any of the characters
Link had been summoned to Princess Zelda's throne room. She was still princess as the coronation ceremony wasn't until the following week. Link strolled past the guards, who all knew of him, and gently, almost nervously, knocked on the colossal door to the throne room. The door was pulled open by two guards from the inside to reveal a beautifully redecorated room; similar to the one from Zelda's father's rule.
Zelda herself sat perched gracefully on a lavishly decorated throne, but this was not what caught Link's eye; it was who stood beside her. Sheik, one of the last surviving Sheikah, stood proudly to the right of Zelda's throne. Link looked confusedly between the two, but his gaze lingered on the Sheikah. He eventually dragged his eyes away from the mysterious man to look to Zelda for answers.
"Link, it's good to see you again." Princess Zelda thankfully took note of his confusion and smiled almost sadly. "I'm sure you remember Sheik, though you never truly met."
Sheik stepped in. "I allowed her consciousness to combine with mine, to share my body; hers was hidden away until the opportune moment."
"We were both present when I met with you under the guise of Sheik; I, however, was in control the entire time."
"But I heard everything, so in a way I know you, but you do not know me," Sheik finished.
Link stared for a few seconds more, trying to come to terms with his senses. "Okay." Link wasn't a man of many words. He felt an immediate attachment to the Sheikah the moment he saw him. Little did he know that Sheik had felt the same since they met in the Temple of Time; what seemed like so long ago.
The first thing Link noticed as he woke up was the shooting pain running up his leg and in the back of his head. 'Sheik!' Link went from laying on his back to standing in less than a second, only to fall back to the ground when his vision went out and dizziness set in. 'Must have a concussion,' Link thought, while trying to shake his head to get some vision back. Finally he found his vision returning; the first thing he looked for was Sheik…Only to find him missing, or rather his body was missing.
"Oh goddesses!" Link shouted at no one in particular. "It's-it's…just some twisted dream, this can't be real!"
But the blood on the grass spoke the truth; Sheik had been killed. Epona was standing over him nudging the side of his head, but he paid her no mind; sobbing a the unfairness of it all. He finally pulled himself out of his grief, and his sobbing slowed to silent tears. He struggled to his feet, leaning on Epona because of the stab wound on his leg. He used his good leg to hoist himself up onto Epona, and guided her to the exit of Lake Hylia.
It took nearly all day to ride across Hyrule Field. As the sun set again Link was reminded of the evening before, 'I love you too,' Sheik had said. Link would have cried if he had not run out of tears a few hours earlier; all that was left was a feeling of emptiness and the realization that life was never going be the same. He made it past the drawbridge right before it closed and made it halfway through Castle Town when the blood-loss finally took its toll on him and he collapsed from Epona's back. Link couldn't find it in himself to care when he faded out of consciousness again.
When Link awoke again he knew exactly what had happened and, upon feeling a soft bed under him, decided to go back to sleep; wishing he never had to face whoever had given him shelter, never had to tell them what happened. But it was not to be.
"Link!" the familiar voice of Princess Zelda called from somewhere to his left.
"Hmmm," Link mumbled and attempted to roll over, but the throb in his leg stopped him.
"Link?" Zelda said his name as if asking something unsaid. He opened his eyes to look at her, seeing a worried look upon her face. She and Sheik looked nothing alike; Sheik hadn't worn that white cowl for some time and the differences between him and Zelda were very noticeable.
'He had the prettiest crimson eyes…' "Sheik…" Link's eyes filled with tears again. Zelda came to his side immediately, and wrapped her arms around him.
"You arrived alone. Where is he? Was he captured?"
"No, he wasn't captured. I wish. At least then there would be hope of rescuing him," Link said bitterly.
Zelda gasped. "Y-you mean he's…dead?" Her own eyes became tearful.
Link's silence was his answer.
"I…I know you two had become close…"
"We were more than close!" Link blurted out almost angrily. "Sorry."
Zelda looked at him sympathetically. "I know you two had…feelings for each other."
"And you don't mind?" Link asked, startled.
"Not at all. In a way I encouraged it. I've long since given up the notion of being with you."
"I don't even know who they were," Link changed the subject. "They were strong and had the element of surprise; we barely stood a chance." Link's eyes took on a distant look.
"Get some sleep. We can talk more later." Link gratefully took her advice.
Link awoke yet again. He felt slightly better; physically anyway. The morning light shone through a row of windows, giving a sense of warmth to his tired body. 'Time to face the day' Link thought sarcastically as he climbed out of bed. He looked out the row of windows to find himself on only the second floor of the castle. Figuring Zelda would be in the throne room again, Link slowly made his way down the flight of stairs and into the most magnificent room in the castle.
"Link, how are you feeling?" Zelda asked, barely restraining herself from abandoning decorum and running to him.
Link only shook his head sadly.
"There is something I must discuss with you, follow me," Zelda said, and rose from her throne. She walked passed him and out the doors that her guards had opened for her; Link followed behind her. "Please excuse me," she said once the doors were closed behind them, "but this is a private matter; something I'm sure you will want to hear…"
Zelda smiled at him; a genuine smile that made him try to smile himself. They walked down several corridors in silence, before Zelda opened the thick oak door to a room that seemed to have been made for meetings of some sort. Zelda motioned him to sit in one of the decorative wooden chairs, and took a seat herself.
"Now, what all do you know about the Master Sword's abilities?" Zelda asked.
"You mean its abilities to defeat evil?"
"No. Its properties that surpass the ages; the ability it gives the wielder to change and warp time itself."
"Um, just that I could go back and forth between my childhood and my seventeen year old self. You told me not to use it like that anymore though. Besides, I can't exactly change when I go back to."
"I told you not to use it anymore because interfering with what is past is dangerous. But you can change your destinations."
A thought occurred to Link. "Can I not go back in time; make everything the way it was; change what happened to Sheik?"
"No, like I said; interfering with the past will only cause more problems. You would only relive your day of grief over and over; trying to understand why what is done cannot be changed."
"Then what? What can I do?"
"Most do not know, but as we have lived before, we will live again; we all come back nearly the same as we are now in spirit and body. Circumstances change with the ages though. What has happened now may not happen again next time." At Link's confused expression she continued. "You and I will be born again, and so will Sheik."
"Can I go there?! How?!" Link questioned excitedly, rising from his chair.
"Yes. All you have to do is go to the temple of time with the Master Sword and think of what I told you as you place the sword back into its pedestal. Do not expect the world to be recognizable; Sheik may not be reborn for centuries. Go now." Zelda bid him farewell with a hug.
"Thank you!" Link shouted as he ran out the door; his wound forgotten.
The Temple of Time looked exactly as Link remembered it a year ago. The legendary Hero of Time stood at the pedestal, Master Sword in hand and love in mind. He didn't hesitate for a second as he plunged the sword back into its eternal resting place. In a great flash of blue and white light, he was gone.
The next thing Link knew his hands were repelled from the Master Sword's hilt. As he stumbled back a couple steps his vision was filled with flashing lights and he heard people gasping and even one person was shouting. When the flashing finally stopped, Link saw a group of people holding small flashing boxes standing around him and the Master Sword. Link looked around, trying to determine if he was ever still within the Temple of Time, and he was. Everything that was remained, but with many things added; like the area in which Link stood was surrounded by red ropes held up by metal posts. There were glass cases lining the walls and people looking into them holding those strange flashing boxes.
Link couldn't bring himself to speak; so many questions flooded his mind. He heard yelling off to his side, and turned to see three people in dark blue uniforms running towards him.
"Hey! What are you doing in the roped off area!?" one shouted. "The Master Sword is a delicate artifact!"
"Wh-" Whether Link was going to say 'what,' 'where,' 'when,' or something else entirely, even he will never know.
One of the people Link assumed to be guards of some kind approached him, ducking under the rope; the other two followed shortly after. The first one to cross under the rope grabbed Link's arm. Link somehow still gathered enough common sense to not fight back instinctively. He was violently hauled away from the Master Sword.
"Halloween isn't for a while buddy. What were you thinking? Dressing up like the Hero of Time…" one of the guards said.
When Link was dragged out of the main chamber of the temple he noticed that the three sacred stones no longer hovered above their pedestal, but lay flat on it. 'Must be fake,' Link thought. The crowds of people just stared as the ancient Hylian was thrown out of the temple by the three security guards.
"Go home and change into some real clothes!" a guard said to Link as he picked himself up off the ground and stared in wonder at what had become of Castle Town. The buildings were so tall that some would have dwarfed the castle itself...if it still stood. Link looked in the direction that castle once was, only to see a single crumbling tower.
'Goddesses! How far did I go?!' Link thought in astonishment.
Link looked to his right to see a small glass and metal stand with a sign over it that read "Today's News." Upon closer inspection, it had paper visible through the glass. According to the date on the top right corner, over seven hundred years had passed.
~TBC~