The Bleeding Effect

Chapter IV

"Hero."

A hand jostled his shoulder, trying to coax him into wakefulness.

"Five m're minutes, Mida," He mumbled, not even bothering to open his eyelids. He shifted on the bed, turning his back to her. He tensed, preparing for her usual rebuttal of a slap or kick. Nothing came. Thank Nayru, the little imp was actually going to allow him to sleep in for once.

Then awareness doused him like a bucket of ice water.

He tensed even further, and slowly shifted so he was back to facing who could only be Sheik. He opened his eyes, heart stuttering about in his ribcage for making such a stupid, stupid mistake. Sheik returned his slack-jawed stare with narrowed eyes, any further reactions hidden by the cowl.

"Sorry, Sheik, I was…dreaming." Link blurted. He licked his lips. His face was burning, and he swallowed past the sudden itch in his throat. He needed to fix this, and fast. "I thought I was in the Kokiri Forest, and I was talking to one of the girls who lived there. Her name was Midna. Sorry. So, are we leaving now?"

It was then that Navi fluttered into the bedroom, jabbering away about something or other. Sheik's attention was splintered between them, and Link slumped with relief.

"—so great to see you're awake and recharged, we should probably get going to the Shadow Temple, we are really behind schedule thanks to that confounded monster from the well, but I don't know if we should halt the quest further to try to locate a Great Fairy anyway because of your leg, there used to be one near the top of Death Mountain, but who knows if she's still there after—"

"Enough, Navi," Sheik cut in wearily, before turning back to Link again. "Do you feel well enough to continue? Be honest."

Link shifted on the bed so his feet dangled over the side. He lowered the previously injured leg tentatively to the floor. Last night, after Sheik concluded his tales about the hero and his quest up to that point, he secured a double bedroom at the inn for both of them, as well as an armful of healing potions for Link. Sheik urged him to drink them all before he went up to the room, and Link managed to convince him to take two out of the pile for himself to counteract the damage he collected when the smoke monster threw him about. Link had to fall asleep with the absolutely wretched aftertaste soiling his mouth, as there was nothing to wash it down with, most of the liquids having been used to help put out the fires. The village's soldiers supposedly set out during the night to collect water from the few nearby rivers untainted by Ganondorf's minions, and to purchase a massive supply of milk from Lon Lon Ranch.

Now it was time to test how well the potions had done their job.

His foot touched the floor, and only the smallest flare of pain assaulted him. This was infinitely more tolerable than before.

"It's much better."

"Hooray!" Chirped Navi, who hovered at his shoulder.

"Good," Sheik said, striding to the bedroom door. "We shall take breakfast downstairs before we head out. I acquired some water for us last night for the journey, so do not worry about that. Make the bed before you leave the room."

"Wait," Link said bemusedly, running his hand over thick wool covers. "There are two blankets on my bed, and I only had one last night."

Sheik fiddled with his cowl, as if making sure it was still secure, hiding most of his face from Link's view. "You were injured more thoroughly than I was. Additionally, you encountered that shadow beast's true form. You needed it more than I did."

Link bristled. "You didn't need to do that. I would have been perfectly fine without it."

"Make the bed," Sheik reiterated, stepping out of the room. "Then come downstairs for breakfast."

He shut the door with a bit more force than was strictly necessary.

As Link smoothed the covers and plumped the pillows, his mind drifted to Midna, to how her normally cocky face transformed into one of fear and worry at his sudden collapse. He needed to find a way to get back to her. Would simply stepping back into the Temple of Time be enough to switch him back? Or was there a reason for him to be here, something that he had to accomplish first?

He shook his head, and after dressing, he left the room with Navi in tow. For now, he decided to remain with Navi and Sheik and pray that something changed. Unless he somehow obtained more information about his situation, remaining with them and continuing on his ancestor's quest was really all he could do.

He stepped down the remaining few steps and he was back in the bar and dining area from the night before. A few heads swiveled in his direction, but for the most part, everyone remained wrapped up in their own private conversations. All in all, it was significantly calmer than it had been last night. He scanned the room for Sheik.

"Ah, Link! There you are." An unfamiliar voice boomed through the crowd.

Link searched for the speaker, but he didn't have to wait too long: a violet-haired man was squeezing his way through the rabble towards him, a wide smile stretching his face.

His grin faltered at Link's blank look, morphing into a perplexed frown. He waved a hand in front of the hero's face. "Hel-lo, Link, anyone home? I'm talking to you here."

"Link is having difficulties with his memory right now," Navi explained. "He doesn't remember anything, or anyone."

The stranger looked at Link, who nodded in affirmation to Navi's statement.

"How did this happen?"

"We're not quite sure. He just fainted after we left the Water Temple, and when he woke up, he couldn't recall a single thing. Well, he still remembered how to speak and that his name was Link, but that was it."

"Is that so?" The man asked rhetorically, rubbing his chin. "That is strange, quite strange indeed. But where are my manners?" Here he straightened his posture, before sweeping into a deep bow. "My name is Kafei Dotour."

Kafei rose, and offered his hand. Slightly amused by the man's over the top antics, Link shook it. Rusl had always said one could tell a lot about a man by the kind of handshake he gave. Kafei's grip was firm and confident. He shook their hands twice before releasing Link's.

Kafei then leaned in close, murmuring in the shell of Link's ear, so the surrounding tables couldn't overhear his next words. His eyes narrowed, and instead of looking goofy and grandiose as he had when he introduced himself, he was suddenly serious and no-nonsense. "I am a fervent supporter of your crusade against King Ganondorf, along with my darling wife, Anju. Not a lot of people have the gall resist the dark king as we do. Sure, they listened to your instructions when the town was in turmoil, but now? Deep down, you unsettle them, set their teeth on edge. As long as they pay a monthly tribute of goods to the king, he generally leaves Kakariko alone. But if he caught wind of the fact that you were here, and none of the villagers reported it to him…" His lips pursed. "Let's just say that his wrath would make the damage done yesterday seem like mere child's play. You have seen the fate that befell many of the citizens of Hyrule Castle Town, have you not?"

Link nodded.

"So I don't even have to elaborate, you know exactly what I am talking about. Now, the people of Kakariko Village might be scared, but they are not bad people. But you must always be wary when entering a new community. There's no telling who is friend or foe, who is earnestly trying to help you and who is a spy of the enemy."

"Shouldn't you be consoling your wife right now?" Another voice interjected.

"Sheik!" Link exclaimed, eyes widening in surprise. The Sheikah had snuck up behind them as they were talking. Now he was glowering at Kafei, who frowned in aggravation back at him. Link watched the pair, bewildered at the animosity between them.

"She doesn't need continuous comfort. Give Anju the credit she deserves. She understands that there was nothing to be done about the cuccos."

"Leave now, Kafei." Sheik's frosty tone brooked no argument. "We have business to attend to."

"But…" Kafei trailed off with a frustrated sigh. "Fine. Have it your way. Link, it was a pleasure. I'll see you around. Be safe." With a short nod at the hero, Kafei turned on his heel. He slapped the big grin on again, and after charming a few of the ladies he flounced out the door.

"Come." Sheik led Link to the same semi-secluded table they had supped at the night before. He pointed to the breakfast that was ready and waiting. "Eat."

"So where is Princess Zelda now?" The Hylian princess might know what to do. She would be able to sense that the connection between her and Link felt odd, frayed. She would be able to devise some solution to this time traveling issue, Link was certain. Princess Zelda was the bearer of the Triforce of Wisdom—if she couldn't figure out a plan, no one could.

"I cannot say."

Link twitched. The history textbooks had never mentioned that the famed Sheik had been so…obstinate. He would have to inform Shad when he returned.

"What do you mean, you cannot say? You told me that I was her best friend. Don't I have a right to know what happened to her?"

"She is as safe as she can be, given the circumstances, and in hiding. That is all that you need to know."

"Sheik." Link growled. The Sheikah quirked one eyebrow, unimpressed. They glared at each other across the table, and Link wondered if these clashes of wills between them were going to become commonplace. Even though he and Midna oftentimes bantered, when it came down to it, they were loyal to and trusting of each other, Midna doubly so after the incident with Zant. But Sheik seemed to fight him at every turn. "Why won't you tell me anything?" Link complained, frustrated.

"I am not permitted to divulge such information. Only Lady Impa can."

"Fine then. Where is Impa?"

Sheik shrugged. "I do not know. Perhaps with the princess."

Link groaned, and stood up. Sheik stood as well.

"Where are you going? You don't know where the Shadow Temple is, I must take you there. And you didn't finish your breakfast."

"I'm going out for a bit, mother," Link said shortly. "Wait for me here."

"What about the temple? You cannot just—"

"The temple's not exactly going anywhere, now is it? I'll be back soon, but right now, I would appreciate it if you left me alone."

Link stepped out from the warmth of the inn and into the chilled fall air. The torrent of rain from yesterday had slowed to a miserable drizzle. Link's boots squelched in the mud and watery ash as he stomped further into the town. He needed to put some distance between himself and that infuriating man before they came to blows, or worse, Link blurted out something that revealed he was not the Hero of Time. Sheik hardly believed his threadbare lie about a lack of memory as it was, and it certainly didn't help that he had said Midna's name earlier that morning. He would have to be more careful if he was to make this work.

Navi suddenly cleared her throat and Link startled, having forgotten that she was still floating by his side.

"So you really haven't figured it out yet?"She asked.

"What are you talking about?"

Navi giggled. "This is weird. You were the one who suggested it to me first, and now you haven't a clue. Sheik is Zelda!"

Link stopped short. "What?" That couldn't be right. The bond he always felt between them after he met Princess Zelda had been all but sheared off since he got here, not to mention the fact that Sheik was clearly a man. He could not outright dismiss the idea entirely, though. The few books he read concerning the Hero of Time never clearly explained Sheik. There were detailed descriptions about his fairy Navi, and his relationship with the princess, but though historians praised Sheik's skill with weaponry, little else was said. Link did recall that he was not by the Hero of Time's side when he confronted Ganondorf in his castle, after the king kidnapped Princess Zelda. So did he die before then? Or was Sheik just a front for the princess? And perhaps he simply didn't feel drawn towards the Princess Zelda in this time because it wasn't his Princess Zelda. Link had been told stories of women who disguised their bodies with cloths and bandages in order to fight alongside men in wars. It was rare, to be sure, but not unfeasible.

"…I suppose it is possible." Link admitted.

They had reached the village's graveyard. Link paused to dance his fingers across an anonymous tombstone. A fond smile curled his lips as memories of Queen Rutela and her brave little boy, Prince Ralis, resurfaced. The Kakariko Graveyard was more lush and better tended to in the past. He crouched to admire a handful of flourishing daffodils growing atop one of the graves.

"Link, if you're calmed down now we should probably head back to the inn." Navi suggested. "We cannot afford to dally too long."

"You're right," Link consented, rising, brushing away the few bits of dirt that had clung to his leggings.

But as he stood the surface of the grave that he had been standing on gave way beneath him. With a cry of alarm, Link pulled at loose soil and fragile roots as he slipped, desperate for any semblance of purchase. The mud just oozed out between his fingers, and the ground swallowed him completely.

Link landed hard, jarring his still-recovering leg. Staggering sideways, vision discolored by pain, he stumbled until he came in contact with what could have been a stone wall, or perhaps very compact dirt. It was too dark to tell. Link didn't care as he sagged against it, only glad that it allowed him to ease the pressure off of his bad leg.

"Navi, are you alright?" Link shouted, hacking the soil out of his lungs.

"I can fly, you know. Of course I'm alright. It's you I'm worried about! How far down are you? Are you hurt? Can you move?" Her voice was small, distant. She was still above ground, then. Link blinked upwards. He couldn't see a thing. He waved his free hand in front of his eyes. Nope, still nothing.

Link had to clear his throat before he could answer her. "I'm fine, but I seem to be in some underground structure. There's no light down here, so I can't tell anything for sure."

"I'll go get help! Stay right there!"

She must have left, then, because there was no response to the snarky retort he yelled up at her.

Link carefully slid to the floor, resting his back against the wall. He twiddled his thumbs idly, but froze as a faint noise made his ears prickle. It sounded like…singing? Link tried to ignore it. While he was brave, he was by no means foolhardy. Though the Master Sword still remained secure in its scabbard after the fall, thank Farore, he had no wish to fight blind if that voice belonged to an enemy.

As if in response to his cold shoulder, the voice swiftly swelled in volume, louder, louder, louder, until Link was burying his sensitive ears with his hands, hunched over in a ball.

"Stop it, just stop it!" His plea was swallowed by the awesome sound. "Stop it, it hurts!"

The tune burrowed past his hands, through his ears, to his brain.

It whispered, move, move, this way, closer, closer…

Link stood against his will. His body shuddered in protest as he started to walk towards the singer.

"Stop it, stop, stop moving!" He instructed himself, but he kept walking. He threw his hands out wide, trying to snag them stuck in the wall. He needed to buy time for Sheik and Navi to return, to help him snap his body out of this trance before it was too late. Blood and filth collected beneath the beds of his fingernails as he grazed them against the walls. He kept walking. He dragged his feet, beseeched the Goddesses, but he kept walking.

At length, the darkness before him was eaten away by a new light. He wanted to bring his hands up to shield his eyes from the glare, but the farther forward he walked, the less control he had over his body. His arms fell to dangle limply by his sides. He closed his eyes.

Who was doing this? A sorceress of Ganondorf's—or perhaps a harpy? He gave one last gambit for control of his body, throwing all the mental energy he had into it. His body did not so much as twitch in acknowledgement.

Then the singing stopped, and Link felt his control over his body return, the spell lifted. Link doubled over immediately, lungs empty and clutching for air. In his panic, his frantic and fruitless attempts to break the spell, he had never felt his body scream for air as the song sucked away his ability to breathe. Now that the spell had ended, the ramifications were hitting him with full force. His eyes were squeezed shut, still stinging from the sudden brightness.

"Greetings, hero."

The voice of the singer caused him to jerk upright, eyes flying open to the woman hovering before him. He took in her size, the style of her hair, the violets and vegetation draped around her, her nudity—she appeared to be a Great Fairy, kin to the ones he had encountered in the Cave of Trials. But where they had been young and lovely to the eye, this one was undoubtedly ancient. Her purple hair hung in greasy snaggles around her face, her legs were bloated blue with veins, and deep wrinkles were carved into the flesh of her face, her spidery limbs.

In time, Link managed to summon his ability to speak again. "Who are you? Why have you brought me here?"

She dipped her head in acknowledgement. "I am the Great Fairy of Truth, servant of Roark."

"Roark?" Link echoed, brows creasing in thought.

"Oh, but where is my mind these days!" She chided herself, clapping her hands together. The Great Fairy floated towards Link. He flinched as she waved an arm over his head, but relaxed slightly as he felt only the familiar warmth of a healing spell run through him. The pain in his leg alleviated completely, and the stinging beneath his fingernails faded.

"Thank you." Link was unsure of what else to say.

The Great Fairy of Truth dismissed his gratitude. "Nonsense my boy, nonsense. I apologize for forcing you to come here, but I knew there was no way you would stumble upon my fountain by accident. It must have given you quite the fright, but I assure you, I meant no harm. I heard your voice in the hall, and I just could not resist the chance to meet a fellow follower of Roark."

"There you go talking about that 'Roark' person again. I have no clue who you are talking about."

The Great Fairy drew back, aghast. "Roark has yet to approach His chosen one and impart His mission? How odd…"

"I serve Farore, the Goddess of Courage, and her sisters, Din and Nayru, not this false God you speak of."

"False?" She hissed. "False! You fool! Roark exists just as surely as His three sisters do."

"Blasphemy! If such a God exists, why were there only three triangles left to us, and not four? Look!" Here he yanked his gauntlet off with his teeth before thrusting his right hand towards her face. Bared was the mark of the Goddesses, the Triforce.

"No, hero, you're not looking at this correctly." She took his hand between both of hers. He shivered at her cold touch. "It is all a matter of perspective. See the truth now. Amidst these three triangles is a fourth." She pointed to the center of the Triforce, at the inverted triangle of skin.

"Roark is the God of Truth. He did not trust the beings his sisters created. He feared that if they obtained His power, they would warp and distort reality to fit their evil designs. He refused to craft a triangle to complete the Tetraforce, and Goddesses, enraged, slashed Him from history. Since then He has always acted from the shadows, trying to steer the world in the right direction, when He is able."

"No, no, this is ludicrous," Link shook his head in denial, pulling his hand away from the Great Fairy. "I don't believe you."

"Nevertheless, I shall bestow upon you my gift. I pray that in time you will understand, that Roark Himself might approach you and wash away all your doubts and skepticism."

"Gift? What are you planning on—hey!"

She cupped his cheeks, and pressed her lips to his. Link recoiled, tried to push her away, to no avail. He felt something like ice slide down his throat, chill his heart.

Then she released him, retreated a little. He gaped. It was as if he was seeing her for the first time. Before, all he had seen was an aged, sacrilegious fairy. Now he saw a pure, honest soul, marred by time and the heavy burden of knowledge.

Link's fingers curled in his tunic, over his heart, which was still frozen.

"What have you done to me?"

"With my gift, you know posses the ability to see beneath the superficial, beneath the surface. You can see the truth, the reality, the very heart of things." She smiled wistfully. "Once, a Kakariko Villager happened upon my fountain. A scientist, I believe. When I offered him this power, he requested I concentrate its power in a lens, so that he might study it. Quite an odd fellow, he was. He named his instrument 'The Eye of Truth'. A fitting name. I placed the gift inside your body so you would not have to juggle both an instrument of truth and your weapons in battle. It will be of great help to you on your journey, I have no doubt of that. Now, I must admit, I do not know how you found the hallway that leads to this fountain. The scientist came here through his extensive, paranoid digging underneath Kakariko. I highly doubt that's what you were doing."

"You mean you didn't loosen the soil so I would fall down here?"

"No."

"But there's no way that collapse of ground was natural. If not you, then who?" Someone had wanted him to come down here, to meet this Great Fairy.

"Roark, don't you see, it must have been the great God Roark." Her eyes were bright. "He knew what I would do; He wanted me to give you this power, that's why He led you here."

Link shook his head. "I still refuse to believe that."

She smiled. "We shall see."

They studied each other for a few silent seconds, thinking, seeing, knowing.

"You are not the Hero of Time."

"No," Link admitted, the huge pressure on his chest lightening a little. "No, I'm not. I'm his descendant, from the future. We were switched somehow, and I don't know why."

"Roark must have a reason for you to be here."

Another slight pause.

"Whatever happened to the scientist? Did he discover anything from his research?"

"He went mad before he could derive any actual results, but I cannot be sure if the Eye was the cause, or if it was what he saw with it. The villagers eventually put him to death, annoyed and fearful of his ravings."

A shudder crept up Link's spine. "And now the power that drove a man to insanity is inside me. Brilliant."

"The great hero of the future cannot handle a little truth? Clearly the Goddesses and Roark placed their faith in the wrong man, if you cannot stomach reality."

"Kakariko seems to be a dark place. Will it look even darker now?"

Her mouth twisted in a pitying half-grin. "Hero, you have only seen the tamer horrors thus far."

"Hero!" Came a muffled shout, back from the direction from which he had entered the fountain. Link glanced towards the dark tunnel, then back to the Great Fairy of Time.

"Go. Tell none what you found here."

Link nodded and left, cautiously picking his way back to where the grave had collapsed. More of the soil had been cleared away, so Link could see Sheik and Navi peering down at him.

As soon as Sheik caught sight of him he threw down a length of rope.

"Can you climb with your leg?"

"I'll manage."

So Link climbed up out of the tunnel, and when he got close enough to the surface Sheik grabbed him by the arm, helping him the rest of the way up. His hand lingered a bit, even after Link was standing on solid ground again, before reluctantly releasing him.

"Are you alright? Were you further injured during the fall?" His tone was clinical.

Link could see Sheik's worry and panic though his calm exterior.

"Yes, I'm fine, no injuries to report, mother." But his tone was lighthearted this time, lacking its earlier venom. "Thank you for rescuing me."

"You must take better care of yourself. I won't always be around to protect you."

"Alright, alright." Link agreed to the man easily, not wanting to stir up any more trouble. Now that he could actually read the man, it was if Sheik was an entirely different person. Beneath his cool exterior, he was constantly fretting over Link's safety. It was touching, if not a bit smothering. That reminded him, there was something he needed to check.

"Good. Let's get you cleaned up before we head to the Shadow Temple."

"Link! I was so worried! I really didn't want to leave you alone but I had to get help trust me I flew as fast as I could back to the inn but you see Sheik wasn't there in the inn where we left him so I had to ask around but no one really knew where he went so I had to search and—"

As they walked back to the inn, Link lingered slightly back behind Sheik, so he could observe him without bringing attention to his actions, Navi chewing his ear off the entire time.

Link stared. He stared long and hard, until there was no room in his heart or mind for doubt.

Sheik was a man.

-TBC-