This chapter is meant to start bringing in some suspense and drama to our the story. Hope you like the choice I have made for my second villain.

Enjoy!

Chapter 8

"Have you found anything out about them?"

"No. They all seem to be sharing any information just amongst themselves. I've been watching the Princess and while she's smitten with Link she hasn't told him about his past or their marriage contract. My guess if she's hoping he'll remember before she has to tell him or hell fall in love with her and it won't matter anymore. However, Link seems oblivious of her feelings for him. As for the Sheikah…" the sentence trailed off

"The Sheikah what?" Demand coated the words.

"He knows everything."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. From what I have gathered Link and the Sheik were held captive together before Link disappeared then escaped. He was the last person, aside from the captors that saw him alive."

"Do you think you could get this information from him?"

Shaking his head, "No. even if we tortured him, he's been trained not to speak. I can't see him talking no matter what."

"What if we tortured the boy in front of him?

"As strong as their friendship is, I can't see him breaking. If anything we should be focusing on Link. He's the one that we need to discredit. We can't kill him so we need to find out why he disappeared and the reason he can't remember. It is in that we will be able to take any claim away he could lay to the throne.

"Hmm…" the man pondered and rubbed his chin.

"For now I plan to focus more on Link and the Sheikah. There is something between them that is unusual. Sheik cares a great deal for him perhaps that is from guilt. Link is drawn to him, I think it's because of their past together. They were childhood friends and Link probably knows somewhere inside that Sheik has the answers he wants."

"Do you think they could be romantically involved?" curious hope stirred in his voice.

"Perhaps. But I haven't got that vibe from there nor have I seen anything that would indicate that. They just seem to share a strong bond of friendship. They all do." The room filled with the sound of soft laughter, "If there was, it would surely make things a lot easier."

"Yes it would. Continue watching them and send word if anything interesting develops."

"Of course," bowing, he turned to leave."

"Don't forget…our arrangement."

Pausing he answered, "Don't worry, I haven't forgotten."

"Good. I am glad to see we have an understanding, Vatti." Nodding his head from the shadows, he disappeared into them.

Sheik sat in the shade under a tree half reading a book, half watching Link.

Link decided he was going to enter the tournament the day Zelda had told them to both come and see her from lunch. Link begged for his help and Sheik agreed. So he had started with endurance and stamina training. Every day they would begin with stretching, laps pushing and pulling large blocks. Stretch. Break for lunch. Stretch again. Then they would do combat training, sword play, followed by archery; something Sheik was thinking they no longer really needed to so because Link was the best archer he had ever seen before.

"Ok, I'm done!" Link flopped down beside Sheik. Sheik smirked as Link let out a groan that he was slowly dying.

"You are the one that wanted to be in the tournament. Since you have forgotten all your training from childhood, and you only have a basic understanding, I have to start everything over from the beginning. Not to mention we have just less than two months to do this, in order for you to proceed past the first round. If you don't want to make it past the first round, we can always stop now." He taunted.

"Sometimes I hate you." He growled and Sheik just shook his head.

"We'll skip this afternoons training and do that all day tomorrow. You can have the afternoon off to so whatever you please."

"Really?!" Link shot up and turned to face him. His blue eyes glowing with excitement.

"Yes," he smiled. Link studied Sheik for a second making him anxious. He wanted so badly to lean over and kiss him but held himself back. He was entirely sure what had happened tin the guard house that day. A moment of weakness and confusion for Link he's imagined. For him…he pushed all thoughts from his mind. He refused to think about that when he wasn't on his own.

Link hadn't said or done anything about it either so he should just leave it alone for now.

"I've heard that the hot springs on Death Mountain are supposed to help your body. Can we go there?" Sheik gave him a confused look.

"Where did you hear that?"

"I heard it when I was growing up on the ranch." He frowned, "is it not true?"

"No it is. I just wanted wasn't expecting that." Sheiks eyes narrowed slightly "It would be a three day trip, there and back with one night of relaxation. You didn't ask, knowing this so you could get out of training, did you?"

"No! Not at all!" Link cried out. Sheik smirked; his reactions were so vivid and innocent. Adorable.

"We will have to ask Zelda, but I will take you if she allows us to be gone." Links face light up with a smile, making Sheiks heart skip a beat. "Pack your sword and Shield; however we shall use the mountain terrain to help develop your training." His smile instantly fell

"Boo. No fun at all."

"I'm sorry? You said you didn't want to go and you eagerly wanted to run laps the whole time?"

"I-I didn't say that!" Link pointed and accusing finger at him.

"Then don't whine. This will help immensely and we will get and we can get an extra day away. Now hurry and pack."

"Alright." Link ran off towards the castle. Sheik rose up to start slowly following behind him when he had the unusual sensation that he was being watched. He looked over the grounds, surveying anything that would be out of place. This wasn't the first time he had had this sensation, it was starting to worry him. They only place that he could never fully feel it was when they were in the rooms he and Impa and warded to keep anything or anyone who tried to listen to them out.

Even with all of his training he still couldn't pinpoint where the sensation was coming from of if it was just his mind playing tricks on him since he found out that Lord Balaconna had an interest in Link. He figured they would send someone to spy on Link and yet Sheik had never been able to see anyone. Even when Link was alone Sheik remained hidden to see if there was someone following Link but he never saw anyone or anything, just felt this….strange presence. The only conclusion that he could come to was there was some type of magic involved, a dark magic-which wasn't good for anyone who was involved in this.

Dark magic had been outlawed for many years, every now and again there would be rumors someone was practicing dark magic and an investigation would take place. However they would always turn out to be either rumors or the person would flee the country. There had been no one in the land that was powerful in the art for over a century. Aside from the little Impa and himself knew, just for simple practices that the King had a proved of, he knew no one else that practiced. Although, it was not like they would go around broadcasting it.

He decided to charm something and give it to Link, which would protect him from magic when Sheik wasn't around. Which wouldn't be often he could help it.

Shaking off the feeling he headed inside the castle and made his way towards the council room. He walked in silently and waited until Zelda noticed his presence. It took a while but eventually her eyes lifted off the Hyrule land map and meet his. Nodding his head he left the room and waited in the hallway for her to come out. Moments later she walked out, looking exhausted.

"Where's Link?" she asked, concerned.

"Packing," he looked up at his Mother who was standing casually in the hallway, arms crossed, staring at them like she had always been there. He always admired her demeanor, looking calm and collected while highly alert on guard. She was the best Sheikah guardian the tribe had ever produced. Earning a great deal of respect and a reputation by the age of seventeen. She took a year off when she was nineteen because she'd been pregnant with him.

Zelda had been born later that year and Impa had been with her ever since. Sheik had always been jealous of her growing up because she was more of a mother to her than she had been to him. Even though he knew he had to stay with the tribe in order to prepare for his life as her guardian when he was older.

Perhaps that was one of the reasons he'd always teased and played pranks on her with Link. It was the only way he could get away with it, mostly.

"Why is he packing?" She asked, breaking him from his thoughts.

"I am going to take him to Death Mountain, with your permission of course. He wants to go to the springs there and I think it would be a great place to do some training, to prepare him for the tournament…and his role a knight one day." He said with bitter distain. He couldn't bring himself to say 'and his role as King one day.' He refused to acknowledge that part of the future yet. She smiled, although it was brief.

"Yes of course you may go," the door to the council room opened.

"Princess," she turned to look at the man who was standing in the door entrance.

"I'll be right in," he nodded and went back inside. "Have fun, remember to bring me back something nice," she smiled again, but Sheik could tell it was forced. She wanted to come along and being her alone without them would be hard on her, they were her only true friends after all. Still deep in her heart she knew that she had no right to keep them here, sacrifice was a part of ruling a country. She nodded her head and went back inside the chamber.

"Impa," Sheik stopped her before she went back into the room. "I am sorry that Zelda can't come, I know how sad she is that she is not able to come with us." Impa just nodded, she waited for him to continue "have you felt anything recently?"

"Like what?" her voice grew low and serious.

"A presence. One you can feel but not see. Even when I am out in the open I can sense that there is someone there watching…but I can't see anyone. Any attempt I have made to locate the sensation has eluded me, like it knows I'm looking for it and hides. The sensation is stronger when I am with Link."

"Hmm…" She took in all the information and nodded. Mulling it over in her mind, "I have felt something like that. Last week I could feel something was watching Zelda and I. I haven't felt it so much this week, every so often I feel a presence, but it never lasts long."

"I fear it's watching Link,"

"That is the most likely scenario. It probably watched us all for a while before it realized that Link would be the key to Zelda not becoming Queen. If Lord Balaconna has already inquired about it, I am certain he has sent someone to spy on us, seeing as he already guessed that the Princess hasn't told Link of their marriage contract. I pray she tells him before he does; otherwise he will use that information for his advantage. We will have to be more careful."

"I am going to charm something for him, to protect him from dark magic and spirits."

"Dark magic?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes, strong magic at that. It's the only explanation I can come to for why I can't find anyone. They are cloaking themselves so we cannot see them. You should give Zelda something as well."

"I pray you are wrong about the magic. If so we are in a lot more danger. I have given something to Zelda, make sure you take extra precautions, " Sheik nodded, understanding her meaning. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a small ring. "Use this."

"You just care these rings around?" He teased. She didn't acknowledge the joke, "Make sure you infuse it with your personal seal, just in case."

"I will," and he turned to leave.