- So…I just realized that I told Sheikah Ninja back in chapter 12 I think, that I would be leaving it up to the readers if the Hero of Time and his guide were together or not. That has changed and I've been hinting at it as well. I do realize that in the actual game Sheik is Zelda but in this story things are going to be a bit more complicated.
- On another note, glad to have you back Sheikah Ninja! Darn, I'm trying to not make those kinds of mistakes but they keep sneaking up on me…hopefully the changes have made the story better though :)
- Also, for those that have played Majoras Mask, the bell-like or chiming sound that Tatl makes whenever she says something is the same sound that Abby makes in this story. It might have annoyed some people in the game but I liked the bell-like sound that came from Tatl so it migrated its way into Abby's character.
- Anyway, here's the next chapter! Hope you guys are liking it and thank you to everyone that have left reviews! It's nice to hear that people like my story and constructive criticism is welcomed too :)
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Zelda scooted over on top of the bed to allow Link and Sheik to sit next to her while Telma pulled a heavy chest over for her to sit on next to the bed. The hero glanced to the side and finally noticed the bloody sheets wadded up in the corner, realizing they must have pulled them off while he was dealing with threat outside.
Shad had left already to scout for information. Link couldn't help but notice how exhausted Zelda looked.
Did she feel like this when she saved Midna this way?
"At least you didn't disappear this time. I might have just fainted from the sheer amount of stress building from this crazy day at that point," said Link with a nervous laugh. Zelda smiled weakly before turning to stare tiredly at the ceiling.
"We can't have that. Everyone would follow their cherished hero's example and knock themselves out right on the street," said Zelda with a small smirk. The hero patted her leg with a smirk.
"There's the snarky princess we all know and love," snickered Link but he frowned when the princess turned to give him a sad look, "Zelda, what's going on? You're acting very weird…and overly affectionate. Not that I don't appreciate the gesture but it's starting to freak me out a bit,"
Sheik tilted his head as he looked between the bearers of wisdom and courage. What had he missed?
"Link…where do I even begin? Everything is flying out of control and my people are in danger again. By something completely different then this shadow that you had told me about. Or perhaps it isn't! I don't even know anymore!" exclaimed Zelda, her voice growing more frantic as she spoke.
She suddenly turned on her side and wormed her way forward until she was snuggled next to Sheik, laying her head on his lap and facing the hero.
The Sheikah instinctively slid his left arm over her shoulder and started to lightly thread the fingers of his other hand through her long dark blonde hair. She used to find any and every excuse to do this all the time when they were younger. But Sheik could always tell when the reason was more than just to get him to comb her hair with his fingers. She would wear this unsettled look in her eyes, like she was now. She raised her head long enough to shoot a small glare at Link before snuggling back into Sheik's lap.
"And the reason I disappeared the last time I did this was because I was in the Twilight. My magic is connected to the Triforce of Wisdom and it protected me from turning into a spirit like the rest of my people. Like how the Triforce of Courage turned you into a wolf to protect you from becoming one as well. Once I lost half of it, it couldn't protect me anymore…" muttered Zelda. She smiled softly as Abby whizzed by her face to spin in circles over her. The fairy dust settling over her body, renewing some of her lost energy. She abruptly stopped though and then the red fairy plopped on top of Sheik's head.
"I'm pooped!" said the red fairy tiredly before making a disgruntled sound and taking to the air again, "Ew! I forget how weird and gross you smell Sheiky! My magic can't cover up stinky smells! So, you're just gonna have to go take a bath! Sorry!"
Then she flew slowly through the air until she plopped on top of Link's head instead.
"You never told me that," said Link softly as he gazed sadly down at the princess. He then reached over and grabbed his long green cap from on top of the dresser next to the bed and slipped it over his head to cover the fairy cuddling into his hair. The princess gave him an apologetic look.
"Midna needed it and I thought you had enough to deal with so I didn't warn you beforehand. Then once Ganon was sealed away…well, what would have been the point in telling you then? Make you worry over something you couldn't have changed? No, I thought it best if I didn't tell anyone," muttered Zelda but then she huffed, "But that's in the past. We have more important things to worry about. I'm glad you were able to make it in time for the Welcoming Festival. I don't think Victor and I can keep Calatia at bay much longer,"
Link narrowed his eyes at the name, especially when Telma scowled.
"Why is Calatia here so early? I see them all over the streets and but not any of our soldiers. Which would have greatly helped when we got here. Our soldiers wouldn't have done something that vicious to someone. Damn bastards are lucky that I got Sheik away so quickly or the wolf would have ripped them to pieces!" growled Link. Sheik lowered his head at that statement.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to cause such a scene," said Sheik softly. Link scoffed and Zelda turned to give him a glare.
"They are the ones at fault Sheik, not you," said Zelda hotly.
"Damn right they are! Do you not even remember the state you were in? Or what almost happened to you?! Abby said that you were hurt so badly that your magical core was ruptured which meant that she couldn't even heal you! That's why I was busting my ass to reach Zelda! I couldn't let anything worse happen to you! They did that to you!" exclaimed Link angrily. The Sheikah's fingers paused in combing the princess's hair as he winced.
"They didn't…that's not what happened," said Sheik quietly. Link's eyes narrowed while Zelda raised her head to look at him inquisitively.
"Don't defend them Sheik! They don't deserve it-"
"The sigil's connection collapsed before you reached it didn't it?" asked Zelda suddenly. The Sheikah just nodded before looking away.
"Not that I wish otherwise, but how in the world are you not dead then?" asked Zelda incredibly. The hero looked between them in confusion.
"What the hell are you talking about? That was the whole point of busting my ass to reach you in the first place. To make sure he didn't do anything like dying!" said Link frustratingly. Zelda settled back onto Sheik's lap and nudged her nose against his hand until he started to thread his fingers through her hair again.
"Link, think of using a sigil the same way you would to cross a bridge. If the bridge collapsed before you reached the other side then you would fall. Magic has rules though. The primary one being that when you use magic then you must pay for it. Normally by giving your own energy in exchange for using it. A sigil basically does the work for you while you get all the benefits but that only happens if it remains stable. A stable intact bridge. If something compromises the connection of a sigil, the intact bridge, when you try to use it then that doesn't mean that the rules are going to work any differently. Energy is still going to be required to use the magic even if it isn't doing what you want. That's the danger of using a sigil. If something compromises the connection when you try to use it, especially when teleporting, then it's going to revert back to its standard way of operating," said Zelda. She glanced up at Sheik with a worried expression while the hero suddenly realized what that meant.
"The teleportation…it tried to drain your energy instead of using the sigil?" asked Link hesitantly. Sheik was silent for a moment before he turned to peer at the hero through a curtain of blonde bangs still matted with dried blood.
"Not at first. We left from the bridge just outside of Kokiri Village because I knew the ward over the forest didn't extend that far. We had already traveled a third of the way before I felt the connection start to collapse…it was still too far though. We would have been somewhere in middle of old Hyrule. The distance was sure to kill me. The collapsing connection was shedding its broken pieces as well and the backlash of magic is what caused most of the lacerations I had…." Sheik closed his eyes and lowered his head, "I was prepared for it. My mother had always made share that I knew the consequence of teleporting a distance that my body couldn't handle but…I didn't think-I always believed the one who casted the spell would be the one to pay the price for a mistake. But I was wrong! It had confused me why my energy wasn't being drained once I realized that the connection was collapsing but then I-I felt you f-flinch,"
He raised the hand from on top of Zelda's head and pressed his knuckles against his forehead in an attempt to regain his composure. Zelda immediately sat up and wrapped him in a warm embrace. This seemed to calm him enough to loosely wrap his arms around her. He looked up at the hero when he felt a gentle touch on his arm.
"What happened Sheik?" asked the hero softly.
"I…realized that the unstable teleportation was going after your energy instead of mine. Maybe it was the Kokiri's Emerald or maybe your energy is just naturally stronger than mine but the fact stood that you would die before we reached our destination. I couldn't-I wouldn't let that happen but I didn't know how to stop it! S-so I panicked and th-then just wrapped my m-magic around you and-and shoved you out of the te-teleportation early," His entire body trembled as his voice wavered and a quiet sob escaped his failing composure but he tried to barrel through it, "That is t-the one t-thing you don't d-do when a t-teleportation is not stable. O-once you l-lose your concentration t-then the energy w-will begin to return t-to its natural s-state in t-the world. Y-You didn't k-know this! You d-didn't even h-have a destination because I-I didn't g-give you a-any time to m-make one! Your b-body was s-supposed to h-have been r-ripped to pi-pieces and dropped i-in random p-places all th-throughout old H-Hyrule! But s-somehow y-you were f-fine…thank g-goddesses…thought f-for sure I-I had murdered y-you…"
He stopped and buried his face in Zelda's hair, trying to hide his tears as he struggled to maintain what little of his composure he had left. It tore at Link's heart to see his partner in such a state so he moved to Sheik's other side and run a comforting hand up and down the Sheikah's back while whispering reassurances into his ear.
So…Sheik somehow survived teleporting a distance that should have killed him and I somehow ended up where we were supposed to be even though I was apparently dumped out of the teleportation somewhere in middle of old Hyrule? Farore couldn't have done that too could she…? She's supposed to be looking out for herself but I'm grateful if she did…no one would have been there to help Sheik if I didn't show up...
Telma smiled softly at the sight of the three chosen for destiny as they huddled together like they were small children trying to comfort each other during a thunderstorm. She couldn't help the small smirk when she noticed the Sheikah move to bury his face into Link's tunic while Zelda laid her head against his shoulder once the hero pulled both of them closer. Once Sheik seemed to have calmed down, Telma decided to speak up.
"Well, it makes sense that you went outside your mind when our young hero left soon after dropping you off then, honey," said Telma. Her smirk widened when all three of them stiffened and then glanced over to her. She obviously was forgotten in their little moment but she understood.
"Outside of his mind? What do you mean?" asked Zelda worriedly. Sheik just laid his head against Link's chest and closed his eyes again, comforted by the strong beat of the hero's heart.
"Sheik was speaking nonsense and reaching out to Link like that he was walking to his own execution. The little fairy did say that something was fiddling with his mind. He would not calm down though. I couldn't even clean his wounds without him lashing out or hurting himself. So, I did the only thing that I could think of to try and calm him down. It's what I do for Luda when her father is away for several days," said Telma before pointing to the green cloak around Sheik's shoulders, "I grabbed something of Link's and gave it to him. The cloak seemed to work fine and apparently it still is,"
Sheik blushed when he looked down and saw the thick green cloak wrapped around his shoulders.
"I'm sorry…I didn't mean-here, I'm sure you want this back Link," said Sheik softly as he pulled away from the hero and started to reach up to try and pull off the cloak. Link covered his hands with one of his own and smiled when Sheik looked up with glossy red eyes in confusion.
"I don't need it right now so just keep it on," said Link before he scrunched up his nose, "The wolf is going crazy with the smell of those men all over you. I can't say I like it all that much either. Telma, can you get a bowl of water for us to use?"
The red haired bartender chuckled before nodding and heading out the door. Sheik used the long sleeve of his shirt to wipe away his tears before looking up at the hero with a shy but curious look.
"You can smell other men on me? Why does that bother you so much?" asked Sheik quietly. The hero felt his face burn with embarrassment, so he quickly got up and started to look for his shield.
What the hell is wrong with me? I'm supposed to be the fearless hero here. Just say it's because you can't stand the thought of someone else touching him.
"Ah, like I said, it was driving the wolf crazy," muttered Link, mentally kicking himself for his cowardice. Sheik was suddenly right next to him and picked up the shield he had been standing next to.
Zelda tilted her head to the side as she regarded them. Sheik handed the shield to the sheepish hero, but wore an inquisitive expression.
"But the wolf is a part of you. Not to mention that you said the same thing bothered you as well," said Sheik. Link scratched the back of his head but before he could come up with another excuse Zelda suddenly grabbed a hold of the back of Sheik's shirt and pulled him back to the bed. The force made Sheik collapse next to her on the bed, making her chuckle.
"As utterly cute as this is, we have other things to talk about. I don't know how you survived the collapsing sigil Sheik, or how Link somehow made it here when he should be wandering around old Hyrule right now but at least you're both alive and well now. That's really all that matters," said Zelda as Sheik straightened to sit beside her and shot her a glare. She returned it with a smirk before turning to Link, who frowned as he gazed down at his blood soaked tunic on the floor.
"I can have that old thing washed once we get back to the castle. Which leads me to my next point…" stated Zelda.
Link settled the shield against his back and then stood in front of her when she sighed and looked down at her hands. He nodded for her to continue when she glanced up at him.
"Link…I'm so sorry but things are just going to get more complicated from here on out," muttered Zelda before she took a deep breath. Link frowned at the thought.
"Does it have something to do with the fact that Calatia has arrived early? Or maybe with the fact that people are placing me on a pedestal that is higher than yours for some reason?" asked Link cautiously. Zelda looked at him in confusion.
"You keep saying that. Calatia arrived here late Link. With no warning or anything. They basically showed up when they damn well felt like it without regards if we would be ready to receive them or not. Goddess, I almost had a heart attack when I heard that a small army was approaching our northern border before Victor recognized Calatia's insignia from the report that our scout had brought us. Their rudeness wasn't the issue though…" said Zelda, her tone changing from irritated to fearful suddenly, "Victor and I have a childhood friend that lives in the southern region of Calatia and he told us…disturbing things about the Lion King,"
"The Lion King?" asked Link skeptically.
"That is what Leonard is called in the north. He's…Link, he's like you. He has a beast within him as well," said Zelda. Both the hero and his guide stared at her for a moment until Sheik narrowed his eyes.
A beast? Does this king's title indicate that he is a lion just like Link is a wolf?
That was just what he needed. Another threat that was out of his league.
Link was startled at the knowledge that there was someone else that had to deal with the same inner struggling that he did but then he furrowed his brow when he realized something didn't make sense.
"Wait a minute. What do you mean they got here late? We were here a few days ago and there wasn't even a hint of any of this," said Link as he gestured all around, indicating the loud music and events from the Welcoming Festival just outside of the building. Sheik tilted his head, realizing that the hero had a point.
The princesses jaw dropped before she leaned forward suddenly punched Link in the arm, causing an indignant shout of 'hey!' from the hero.
"You were here a few days ago?! Why didn't you come see me then?!" exclaimed Zelda angrily. Link rubbed his arm and then shot her a glare.
"What the hell are you talking about?! I was with you during that stupid meeting! If you needed to talk then why didn't you tell me before I left?!" exclaimed Link irritably. Sheik looked between them in confusion. They obviously weren't on the same page here.
"Princess, how long have we been gone?" asked Sheik cautiously. Zelda paused to narrow her eyes at the title but then she seemed to realize the same thing he did.
"…almost three weeks now," said Zelda hesitantly. Link's eyes widened in shock.
"What?! There's no way. We stayed in the forest maybe a couple of days…right Sheik? I mean, unless I'm missing something here? Was I knocked out longer then I thought?" asked Link uncertainly. Sheik shook his head.
"You weren't unconscious that long. I wasn't either…so something happened while we were in Kokiri Forest. Something that affected the time flow. What in the world could do something like that? Could Dayadin have the power to change the time flow? Or perhaps his vessel?" asked Sheik to Link. The hero shrugged, but frowned at the thought. If he was strong enough to do something like that then they were in for one hell of a fight.
"Who is Dayadin?" asked Zelda. The hero was about to reply when Telma walked in with a large bowl of water and a few rags. She paused in her irritable mutterings to glance at them.
"Those damn ruffians completely trashed my bar. I had to go all the way to Shad's house to get some fresh water. Oh, here honey. A proper bath is what you need but this should help make you look less like you just got out of a bar fight. Now, not that I don't like having you guys around, but you all better make yourselves scarce. I saw Calatian soldiers heading this way. No doubt mad that our favorite hero gave them a good tongue lashing," said Telma with a grin at Link. She then handed the bowl of water and the rags to Sheik before turning to start picking up the messy room.
The hero grumbled at the mention of the soldiers but then got up and started to gather his and Sheik's things. Zelda waited for them in the doorway, but Sheik paused as he started to approach her when he suddenly realized something. He swung around to peer frantically around the room again.
"Where is Icesis?" asked Sheik nervously once he realized his white cat wasn't in the room. Telma paused from pilling some cloths in a corner and turned to look at him.
"My best guess is with that steed of yours in Kakariko or at Shad's house with Louise. She seems to have developed your skill at disappearing at the most unexpected times. She always shows up later though. Sorry honey, but she refused to stay cooped up in one place," said Telma. She gave Sheik an apologetic look before returning to her pile of cloths.
Sheik clutched the bowl of water to his chest. Was she ok? She's never disappeared like that with him…well, there was that one time in the forest with Link but that was more because neither of them were really paying attention. What if she was hurt? There was a lot of people here. She's so anti-social, especially with new people! Someone could think she was dangerous! What if those foreign soldiers knew that she belonged to him? What if-
A hand on his shoulder brought him out of his spinning worrisome thoughts and he glanced up at the softly smiling hero.
"Sheik, she'll be fine. She just got impatient and left. Just like last time. She'll show up eventually. Probably right when we are alone and my guard is down so she can scare the shit out of me like normal," said Link reassuringly. Sheik nodded. Surely he was right. Link seemed to be right more often than not when it came to his cat.
The hero then returned to the floor and started to pile things into his adventure pouches. Sheik realized that the pouches must also be enchanted like…wait, was that his whip? The Sheikah was startled to realize that everything Link was grabbing was Sheik's own equipment. Then it hit him. Most of his body suit was in pieces in the pile next to the hero.
The last thing he had left of his father was in pieces on the floor.
Zelda was suddenly right next to him and leaned lightly against him.
"I have the best seamstresses in the kingdom working for me Sheik. I'm sure they can fix your fathers suit," said the princess softly. No one else had heard her but Sheik was grateful. She always seemed to know what was bothering him. That was to be expected though, since they practically grew up together.
"Damn Sheik. You got twice as much stuff as I do. I don't even know what half of it is but I think I got everything so we should get going. You think you could take us back the way we came Zelda? It would give Sheik a chance to relax and us to talk about what we both apparently missed in the three weeks that somehow passed us by," said Link. The princess was silent for a moment before she patted Sheik's arm.
"I can't take us that way but Sheik can. Why don't you teleport us to the rafters Sheik? You have plenty of energy right?" asked Zelda. Sheik narrowed his eyes at her statement.
"What do you mean you can't take us? Didn't you take Link in the first place?" asked Sheik suspiciously.
"We should get moving guys. Let's question each other where a squad of arrogant armored assholes can't bother us," said Link as he approached them. They both turned to glance at Link in surprise before Zelda snickered.
"Well, Link is sounding like the sensible one. That has to be a bad omen. So, we should definitely be on our way," said Zelda with a smirk. Link rolled his eyes as they both placed a hand on either side of Sheik's arms.
"I liked you better when you were a dainty wallflower," grumbled Link with a glare. The Sheikah sighed before turning to Telma.
"Thank you for all your help and support Telma. I hope to see you again," said Sheik as he bowed his head. Link turned to grin and wave at the bartender, making her chuckle in return.
"I will make sure someone is sent down to help reimburse you for the damages Telma. I am terribly sorry about the chaos that has found its way to your business," said Zelda. Telma grinned and then raised her hands high as if praising the goddesses.
"Like music to my ears! Money does make the world go around and I would be real cross if I lost this bar right when there's a damn festival outside to draw in customers. Now get out of here! I don't need another fight happening in my already ransacked bar," said Telma before returning to her messy room. Sheik then teleported them to the top of the rafters.
His passengers were startled and had to keep a firm grip on the Sheikah's arms to keep him standing as he almost went tumbling to the ground as a scream of pain tore out of him suddenly. Half of the water went splashing out of the bowl but he managed to keep it from toppling over at his feet.
Sheik stood with his eyes closed and breathed deeply as the intense pain that had raced through his body like lightning started to subside. There was hurried footsteps before Telma came bursting out of the back room and looked worriedly up at the rafters.
"Goddesses, what happened?!" asked Telma. She swung around when the doorknob of the bars entrance turned but it remained closed, "They are here. Too bad it's locked though. You guys need to get out of here,"
Link took the bowl of water and rags from Sheik while Zelda pulled him toward the wall.
"I'm sorry Sheik. I don't know why this is happening but Link can't meet Leonard until he is informed of what to expect. Can you handle using magic right now?" asked Zelda desperately. Sheik didn't feel like he had a choice but if Link needed it from him then he would do it.
"I will do what I must. How does this work?" asked Sheik. Link turned and glared as the sound of loud knocking echoed through the bar and a voice yelled from the other side and demanded for the door to be opened. Telma yelled that she was on her way and then turned to gesture for them to hurry up.
Zelda instructed Sheik to touch certain stones around the rock wall and say a certain word with each one. Each touch was like placing his finger briefly on a hot stove but he tried to ignore it. He was amazed to see an archway begin to form at his command. He hadn't done anything like this before.
Then again, his magic hasn't made him feel like he was swimming through lava before either.
Sheik heard Telma yelling at the soldiers to be patent as she navigated her way slowly to the doorway. Then they all entered the narrow path and Zelda began to instruct him on how to close the archway. It was becoming difficult to focus on what she was telling him as the burning sensations began to increase the more he tried to ignore them but soon the archway had sealed shut just before Telma opened the bar's front door.
Sheik leaned against the wall, but Link threw the rags into the water and then balanced the bowl in one hand before gently urging Sheik forward. They shared a look and silently agreed that this wasn't the place to relax.
So, all three of them traveled almost halfway through the new section of the sewers before Zelda seemed to deem it safe to stop. Sheik slumped against the wall and held his hands out to look at them. He had unwrapped the bandages around his hands while they were walking because the pressure that they were creating was painful. There was nothing hazardous about the stone he was touching and he had felt fine prior to teleporting to the rafters.
So, why did it feel like his hands had been lying out in the blistering sun of the hottest part of the desert without any protection for hours? Since when did his magic suddenly give him a sunburn?
Link set the bowl of water next to the Sheikah before gently turning his hand to get a better look. The hero looked confused at the sensitive red skin surrounding the Sheikah's hands.
"This looks like a sunburn. You haven't been in the sun long enough to get something this bad though," muttered Link as he peered closer at Sheik's red skin. Zelda wrapped her arms around herself as she looked worriedly at her old friend.
"I didn't think…it doesn't matter though. You needed it," said the princess softly. Sheik glanced up at her with a suspicious look.
"My magic has never harmed me before," said Sheik. The underlying question of 'What did you do to me?' hung in the air but remained unsaid as the Sheikah stared at the princess. She straightened her posture and pushed the loose hair in front of her face behind her ear.
"It had to be done Sheik. It isn't anything to worry about. Your body just has to get used to the new magic. We have other things that need to be addressed though. Link, a lot has changed since you two have been gone," said Zelda. Link narrowed his eyes, but before he could say anything Sheik scoffed and beat him to it.
"It's intriguing that you seem to have the same absurd belief that you possess some skill at hiding things from me like when we were children. Forgive me princess, but you didn't possess that skill then and you haven't miraculously developed one now," said Sheik, his tone stiff and proper. Zelda's regal and strong stature deflated under his hard gaze. The dried blood and dirt smeared over his face made him look ragged and tired. She looked sadly down at his sunburned hands.
"I just didn't want you to worry. There's nothing that I could have done differently," said Zelda miserably. Link frowned at that, but reached into the half empty bowl of water for one of the rags. This seemed personal, so he would let Sheik handle it.
The Sheikah's gaze softened, and then spoke in a quieter tone.
"What happened to me Zelda?" asked Sheik. She sighed before running a hand down her face.
Link wringed the water from the rag and then knelt beside Sheik. He swatted the Sheikah's hand away when he reached for it and then tilted Sheik's head toward him.
"I'll take care of whatever isn't covered around your face so you look less like you live in the slums," muttered Link as he gently started to wipe away the dried blood and dirt smeared around the Sheikah's eyes. Sheik rolled his eyes. That was the second comment about his appearance. Goddesses, it's not like he chose to smear dirt and blood across his face and hair.
"Sheik…you were just lying there, motionless. Abby said you weren't supposed to be and I thought for a moment that you were dead. Then Abby was instructing me on how to realign your magical core but when I tried to reach out to yours…it didn't respond. Abby had said that it would feel unstable and might be pulsing at abnormal times when it should have a steady pulse similar to a heartbeat. But it was just…silent and cold," said Zelda before peering up at Sheik with an expression of anguish, "You were breathing but it felt like you were dead on the inside! I felt so wrong! My first instinct was to bring light and warmth back to you, so I did,"
Link paused when he felt Sheik stiffen under his touch. The hero glanced cautiously over at Zelda. Sheik must already sense that something didn't go as planned.
Was I not fast enough? Did Zelda not have the necessary skill after all? Goddess's damn it! I should have searched for Sheik the moment I noticed he was gone!
He turned back when he felt a hand on the knee he was resting his weight on. Sheik shook his head, already knowing what thoughts were running through Link's mind. The look they shared seemed to sooth the hero's guilt as Sheik willed him to believe that this was not his fault.
"When I used my own magic to try and bring light back to your magical core it…it seemed to hurt you. I'm so sorry but nothing else would work! So, I gathered the rest of my magic and tried to heal you in one big wave instead of in smaller bursts. Then your magical core suddenly started to pulse again! Its presence was…darker than I thought it would be but it wasn't pulsing in the way that Abby said it should. My magic started to drain into it, until it startled me by reaching out and touched my own magical core. It took something. The same thing that I had given Midna to save her. I'm not even entirely sure what it was, but you both have all of it now," explained Zelda. Sheik pulled his head away the rag that Link was rubbing over his forehead in surprise.
"My magical core took something from you? So, you never intended to give me what I have to begin with? What did it take? Can't you sense within me to find out?" asked Sheik urgently. Zelda rubbed a hand nervously down her other arm.
"No, I can't,"
Link narrowed his eyes. He's seen her do things with her magic that was extraordinary and at times, unexplainable. Sheik seemed to believe the same since he had a similar expression donning his face, at least the part they could see. Zelda winced as she looked between them.
"Let me rephrase. I used to have that ability, but not anymore," said Zelda softly.
"What changed to cause this?! Healing someone hasn't done this to you before and I've witnessed you healing others plenty of times to know!" exclaimed Sheik frustratingly.
"Sheik, I did more than just heal you! You weren't dead but you weren't alive either! I don't know how to describe it but to fix whatever was happening to you required more magic then I could use! In the end it didn't matter because your magical core seemed to instinctively know what it needed so it reached out and took it from me. Afterward, you were restored to normal while I was left with nothing!" exclaimed Zelda angrily in return. She seemed to regret it immediately though and launched herself at Sheik and wrapped him a tight embrace.
"I didn't mean that I regretted it! I would always do anything I could to help you!" exclaimed Zelda desperately. Sheik gently pushed her back, but kept his arms loosely around her shoulders so he could look her in the eyes.
"What do you mean you were left with nothing?" asked Sheik. Zelda's grip tightened on his brown shirt.
"Sheik, I swear I don't regret it-!"
"I know Zelda. I would not believe such a thing of you. But please, tell me what you meant," said Sheik softly. Zelda sighed and lowered her eyes.
"My magic is gone Sheik. Whatever happened when I tried to heal you stripped every bit of it out of me," said Zelda. Sheik was silent as he processed this and then his grip tightened on her shoulders.
"Then take it back. Whatever my magical core took from you, just take it back," said Sheik finally. Zelda's eyes widened as she looked back up at him.
"Sheik, I can't! Even if I had a sliver of magic left! You need it!" exclaimed Zelda.
"I'm fine now. So you can take it back! You cannot go around a city full of dangerous foreigners without your magic!" exclaimed Sheik.
"You're only fine because whatever your magical core took from me is making you that way! If I took it back then you would go right back to being dead on the inside!" shouted Zelda.
"Your safety takes priority over mine-" but Zelda wrenched herself out of his hold and stood to her feet. She then looked down at him with a furious and commanding presence.
"No. I refuse to accept that. Especially now. You are like a brother to me and my family will never come second. Besides, I have Victor and an entire army stationed mostly in the castle to keep me safe. Link will only have you and Abby. So, unless you find a way to be fine without whatever was taken from me then you will keep it. Capiche?" said Zelda sternly.
Link could tell Sheik was struggling to stay angry but the slang that found its way into Zelda's speech made it difficult. They both knew that only happened during times when she was serious and fiercely protective of something. Not to mention she suddenly looked embarrassed once she realized that such a word slipped passed her. It was proof that she wouldn't be swayed from her decision.
Sheik hung his head and sighed. Even he couldn't help but be amused by that.
"Very well. I will try to find out what was taken from you and give it back without it damaging me in the process….please stay safe in the meantime," said Sheik softly. Zelda nodded and tried to sit back down like nothing was wrong.
"Good. And please stay safe yourself. Both of you. Especially since I won't be able to heal either of you anymore. At least you have Abby though," said Zelda. Link chuckled as he heard the red fairy snoring lightly from under his cap.
"Yeah. Thank goddesses she decided to come along with us. She's out like a light right now though. Anyway…Zelda, why did one of your guards refer to me as the future king of Hyrule?" asked Link as he went back to trying to clean Sheik's face.
The Sheikah looked astonished while Zelda wore a guilty expression.
"Y-you two are engaged?!" asked Sheik once he finally got over the shock of the statement. She never told him this! She had never even mentioned the desire to marry the Hero of Twilight!
Zelda quickly shook her head.
"Only officially!" exclaimed Zelda. Link's mouth hung open in surprise as he turned to face her.
"We're only engaged officially?! What the hell is that supposed to mean?!" exclaimed Link. Zelda ran a hand down her face before taking a deep breath.
"I think it would be best if I start from the beginning. Like I said Link, a lot has happened since you two left," said Zelda tiredly. She settled down into a more comfortable position, something that was almost impossible on the hard floor of the sewers.
Link seemed to have decided that Sheik's face was clean enough so he threw the rag into the bowl that was practically out of water now. He sighed as he reached into his pouch and pulled out two jars. Sheik tilted his head curiously at the bright colors and finally noticed that they seemed to have pieces of fruit in the mixture.
"I think I'm going to need something sweet to counter the sour taste this story is going to have on me," muttered Link as he handed Sheik the jar with red fruit. The hero twisted off the lid of the jar with pieces of blue fruit and the smell of blueberries suddenly filled the area. Sheik smiled when he realized where Link must have gotten them.
"I guess Saria was able to finish the jam she had promised us then?" asked Sheik. He twisted the lid off his own jar and breathed in the scent of raspberries. He would have preferred to enjoy it somewhere other than the sewers but at least the area was new enough to not have too many….unmentionable things around. It just meant that the jar was never leaving his hand.
He chuckled at the satisfied hum that came from Link once he dipped a finger into the blue mixture of his jar and brought it up to his mouth to taste it.
Zelda pouted pointedly at Link as she watched him dip another finger into his jar of blueberry jam.
"Aren't you going to at least offer me some? Unlike you, I've had to deal with the sour taste of this story from the beginning," muttered Zelda, pout still firmly in place. Sheik shook his head in bewilderment.
Why do the most important people in his life have such a masterful skill in pouting?
"This must be one hell of a story then to pull that face on me," said Link with a smirk as he passed his jar of jam to the princess. She shot him a small glare before taking a deep breath.
"Like I told everyone at the meeting that you were in, King Leonard had approached me soon after the Twilight Incident settled down and presented me with a letter that bore my father's seal. It was meant as proof that, as part of the alliance that my father had made with Calatia, I was to marry Leonard when I came of age-oh goddess, this is delicious," said Zelda as she paused to look in delight at the finger covered in sweet blueberry jam, "Anyway, the day you left I sent a letter to King Leonard stating that I would be happy to receive him in the capitol city and would throw a festival to celebrate his arrival. Since my father had never even mentioned such an arrangement to me my whole life, I could not accept our betrothal just yet. My father had not survived the terrible tragedy that our kingdom went through and therefore could not confirm the letter he gave me. I was willing to go through with it once we spoke with the Council and my advisors, which included you two. This was also a way to make it very clear that if we decided to wed, he would need to make some compromises because I would not be dissolving the Council,"
The princess paused again to look down at the jar of jam but it seemed more out of a necessity to gather her thoughts. Both boys glanced at each other. This is must be when things went to hell.
"Then…a steward wrote back to me. A steward. For nearly the next two weeks that continued to happen by carrying messages back and forth. I'm still not sure how they bounced between our kingdoms so fast. Obviously some kind of magic but the Order of Sol won't share any knowledge with me and I can't risk insulting them by demanding it. As if that wasn't bad enough the steward that responded to my letters wasn't even the same one every time either. Like that arrogant arsehole was just telling whatever servant that passed him in the hall to remember to write me back because he couldn't be bothered to do it himself. Such a thing might have been tolerable if we weren't monarchs attempting to communicate with each other or at the very least were in the same city but alas, King Leonard decided to be overly difficult and extraordinarily rude instead. I was just about to tell him where to stuff his so called alliance but then Xiggy came to visit again and brought some…disturbing news,"
Sheik crossed his arms and frowned as he thought of the implications of King Leonard's actions. He obviously didn't seem to respect Zelda at all and was confident enough in his power to risk angering another kingdom. If Xiondar, or Xiggy as Zelda likes call him, had shown up then it probably wasn't for a random lesson in magic.
"Xiondar did seem to be visiting less and less over the years. Especially after the Twilight Incident. Has he been gathering information for you?" asked Sheik.
"Sort of. He's been…busy," said Zelda hesitantly. Sheik frowned at that but Link huffed in confusion.
"Who is Xiggy and…Xiondar?" asked Link, hesitating over the pronunciation of the name. He raised an eyebrow at the fond smile that Zelda suddenly wore.
"They're the same person. I like to call Xiondar, Xiggy though. He is the only reason my brother and I have any skill in magic at all. He taught my brother and I how to control our magic at a young age as a favor to my mother before she died," said Zelda before sliding her finger along the inner edge of the jar and bringing it up and licking it away, "Xiggy came to visit a few days before King Leonard was supposed to arrive and pulled Victor and I aside to inform us that the Calatian army had just conquered Holodrum. It's a kingdom north of Calatia. It's surrounded mostly by mountains and they were supposed to possess a powerful army. Especially mounted units and elemental spell castors but they still didn't stand a chance. Xiggy couldn't tell me why, but he heavily implied that such a victory shouldn't have been so easy. The smaller regions surrounding Calatia were taken next but the fall of Holodrum was a landmark for them. It was the only kingdom left in the north that remained independent. It didn't matter though. The Calatian army was an unstoppable force! Especially with Leonard at their head! His bloodlust and power on the battlefield had earned him the name the Lion King but what made it stick to the mind of any who saw his power first hand was the fact that he has a beast within him!"
Zelda paused to take a shaky breath before looking up fearfully at Link.
"He's been this way for years Link. He seems to be in perfect control of that part of himself. I'm not sure how such tyranny hadn't reached our ears until now but the fact is that Hyrule is in danger now that he is here," said Zelda.
Sheik could feel the tension in the air now. He didn't like the image of the king of Calatia to begin with and now he was becoming a looming threat. A dormant volcano awakening from a long slumber. What does this man's bloodlust and pride mean for Hyrule?
"Holodrum was the only kingdom strong enough to pose a threat? Were there no others around or are they simply not strong enough?" asked Sheik.
"The only other one that might have posed a problem was Holodrum's neighboring kingdom Labrynna. They made an alliance with the Order of Sol years before Leonard went on his conquest though, so he couldn't touch them. I think we should wait until I can introduce you to Xiggy before launching into Leonard's bloody history since he knows more about it then I do. In fact, his knowledge is the only reason you two didn't come back to a land ripped apart from war. Link, something you need to understand is the fact that women are not viewed as equals to men in Calatia. Even one of royal blood. I didn't realize this at first and Leonard didn't actually portray that his rudeness was because of my gender. I've had other nobles smart off to me despite the fact that their own wives scare them more than a rabid wolfos ever could," said Zelda with a snort.
She took a deep breath and looked nervous suddenly as she scooted closer to the hero. Link blinked, but covered the hands she had folded around the jar that she had set on top of his knee with one of his own. He tried to reassure her with a smile even though the fact her anxiety seemed to be caused by him.
"I had to make sure this tyrant didn't seek to reduce Hyrule to a bloody smear across the land but as I'm sure you know, our soldiers are not trained for that kind of combat. Hyrule hasn't seen serious warfare since the grand relocation. It…it seems Victor was right. Our soldiers should have received more intensive combat training. It was painfully obvious that if Leonard decided to invade we would not have been able to keep him at bay. So, Xiggy put his head together with Victor and I and we thought of a way to delay an invasion. Link…you are part of a prophecy in Calatia that tells of the remaking of the world. I don't know it that well but it mentions something along the lines of a 'divine beast' and 'the sign of courage'. After hearing about your journey, Xiggy feels certain the prophecy was referring to you…"
"Zelda, why are you so nervous about this subject? I can understand the thought of a bloodthirsty ruler invading your home to be bad enough to scare the living daylights out of you but your acting like I'm going to bite your head off here. Whatever you decided was best is what I will work with. Calm down alright? Me and Sheik got you covered," said Link sternly after Zelda had given him another anxious look.
Sheik wholeheartedly agreed but he understood the princess's fear for the hero. He would have knocked Link upside the head for his thoughtlessness for his own safety if it weren't for the serious nature of the speech. Not to mention he would risk dropping his jar filled with sweet deliciousness. A crime that would be after the effort Saria put into making it.
Zelda pulled back and sighed. Sheik wasn't sure how, but she seemed both relieved and exasperated.
"Even if the most prideful and ruthless conqueror in the land has set his sight on you as his next conquest?" asked Zelda. Link narrowed his eyes but couldn't seem to decide on what to say before Sheik shook his head at the thought of something so…insignificant.
"For someone so bent on expanding his reach through war…it seems a bit absurd that he would suddenly change his sight to one person. Link is a Great Hero but…honesty, why bother when he could have just taken Hyrule by force before Link would have even known that his country was in danger?" asked Sheik.
"One reason is the prophecy I think. Don't ask Sheik," said Zelda as she held up a hand when Sheik had tried to ask, "I don't know enough about it. You should ask Xiggy when we see him next. You did bring up a point that was sure to be disastrous if Leonard believed it to be true and that was the fact that Link wouldn't have known that Hyrule was in danger of an invasion. The other reason…involves the fact that Leonard still expressed interest in marrying me. That would have been just as bad if not worse than an invasion. He would have ruled over Hyrule the moment we wed! The fact that women are little more than servants and child bearers meant that I would have no say in what happened to my country and its people. The only way he wouldn't think that was an option would be the fact that I was already engaged but it had to be with someone that he would take seriously because I had already told him when he presented the letter of our supposed betrothal that I was free to wed! Someone that even my own people would except and trust because if Leonard didn't believe the ruse then I would be risking his wrath. That alone meant I couldn't ask any of the Council members. The few that I might have considered were already married. The rest were constant targets of the angry and desperate people that lost their homes and family during the Twilight Incident. I can't blame them. Most of the Council didn't exactly hide the fact that they were more worried about their property and status then the lives of those they are responsible for. The people would have protested such a wedding and in turn, would draw unwanted attention. Leonard would have also viewed the act of me accepting the proposal from any of the lesser nobles as a challenge and anyone of a lesser status would have just insulted him,"
Zelda ran a hand down her face with a frustrated sigh. Link already saw where this was going and it was intimidating to face the pressure of so many expectations that he knew were about to be piled on his shoulders. As if he didn't have enough of that while lifting the Twilight and defeating Ganon for Goddesses sake!
"Link, you were the only one that the three of us thought would make a difference. The only one that Leonard would take seriously enough to not be insulted by the fact that I would have accepted your proposal after the letter was revealed but enough of a threat due to your status as the Hero of Twilight and essentially Farore's chosen champion if your bloodlines history is anything to go by. And the people love you Link! The cheers could have been heard for miles when I announced that the Hero of Twilight had asked for my hand in marriage. Even the Council believed it at face value, which was a bit surprising at first. Apparently your reaction when I first revealed the betrothal letter from Leonard at that meeting had started such rumors before I even thought to make them real," said Zelda as she chuckled nervously.
Link brought his hands up and pushed his hair up and out of his face, eyes wide as he tried to process the absurdity of the situation.
"Goddesses! Zelda, the reason I was so shocked during that meeting was because one of my closest friends was talking about marrying a complete stranger! Not because I was jealous!" exclaimed Link frantically. Zelda quickly gestured for him to calm down before wrapping his hands around the jar of half empty jam.
"Eat some of this Link, before you hyperventilate!" exclaimed Zelda, making sure that he was calming down before continuing, "Now, I promise you Link. We went through several scenarios and plans but this was the best one. It will make more sense once I can introduce you to Xiggy but for now, Link you need to meet Leonard. I've been playing the part of the 'submissive women' mainly because it keeps most of Leonard's advisors and soldiers, not to mentions the members of the Order of Sol, from breathing down my neck. They think that a women wouldn't know anything of value anyway. Unfortunately, that means that they swarm Victor for the chance at figuring out what 'journey' you're on now. We sort of let that rumor fly around the castle before it found its way to the people of the city and beyond. It keeps the Calatian's on their toes if they think that the Hero of Twilight is on another journey. Even Leonard is intrigued…but I made the mistake of sending most of my soldiers out of the castle when a threat loomed close by so I made sure that the majority of the cities soldiers were in the castle to prevent it from looking like an easy target. Victor had sent some of his own guards with some of the cities soldiers to try and keep the peace with the people and the foreigners but the bastards keep intimidating my soldiers and making them retreat back to the castle. Victor's guards have been the only ones that have stayed loyal and strong but there's barely twenty of them. I needed some of them to watch over certain…sensitive objects and treasures that have been part of my family for centuries anyway,"
Sheik pursed his lips at that knowledge. The royal family of Hyrule had more than just pretty gems and gold in their treasury. Nothing good would come from the Lion King getting his hands on any of them.
"Have they tried to take anything?" asked Sheik cautiously. Zelda snorted.
"Besides my sanity? No, but I think they have looked. Especially the members of the Order of Sol. You even mention the Goddesses, magical artifacts, arcane lore or Link and they come flying at you like moths to a flame. The important thing here Link, is that we need to create a stable alliance with Calatia because if they declare war, we won't stand a chance," said Zelda pleadingly to Link.
Link laughed humorlessly. Make a stable alliance? With a prideful bloodthirsty tyrant while using his nonexistent skills at diplomacy?
"Have you forgotten who you're talking to Zelda? I fight and protect. I don't launch into political debates, especially involving national affairs. Goddesses, Icesis would have a better chance at getting an alliance out of that arse then I would," said Link with a scowl.
"Link, you're the only one Leonard will even consider listening too! Please, you have to try! When we can all get together with Xiggy then we can try to come up with a plan to drive him away but Leonard is too strong right now!" exclaimed Zelda desperately. Link sighed before slowly nodding his head.
"Fine. If you need me to do this then I'll give it my best shot. Don't get your hopes up to high though. I wasn't kidding when I said that Icesis would be better at this then I would. Hell, even Ilia would tell you-" he suddenly froze, before his tone became frantic, "Goddesses, Ilia! If three weeks have passed then what happened to my home?! My family? The kid's parents were left there and Uli's baby-!" Zelda covered his mouth before wrapping him in a tight hug.
"Link…I sent soldiers up to Ordon but they didn't find anyone there," said Zelda softly but she quickly cupped his face to make him look at her when he started to panic, "Link! Listen to me. They didn't find any pieces of a petrified person either. That means there's a good chance that they are still alive. Why waste the effort in moving them otherwise?"
Link's eyes were wide with unshed tears and he sat as still as the dead until suddenly leaping to his feet and backing away. The jar was clutched tightly in his right hand, his eyes shifting around as if he didn't know what to focus on.
Zelda stood to her feet and slowly approached him, her hands reaching out to him but she flinched back when he snarled. His deep blue eyes became feral but he shook his head and the look was gone. He stumbled back a few more steps as the stress of the new information and emotional turmoil overwhelmed him, causing the wolf to stir protectively within him.
She jumped when the sound of breaking glass echoed slightly through the area and she looked down to see the jar of jam crushed in Link's hand. Pieces of it were digging into his palm and the blueberry jam seeped out from between his bloody fingers to fall to the floor. The pain must have been horrible but the hero couldn't seem to decide where to focus his attention. Link's feral gaze returned and he raised his hand as if to throw the pieces away from him but then jerked his head to glare at Zelda only to snap his attention back to his bloody palm.
Zelda was at a loss, not knowing what to do because she had never seen him like this. Then Sheik rushed past her. Link's eyes had widened and his breathing increased, looking on the verge of panic again. With such an intense feral look in his eye Zelda was afraid that he might do more than just act like a wolf. He might lash out as one.
She watched as Sheik immediately slowed his pace when Link's upper lip raised in a silent snarl but he didn't back away. The Sheikah spoke quietly to him, just like the few times she had seen him calm Icesis down when she had been angry or frightened. She was nervous the closer he got to the lowly growling hero though. Link wasn't an angry cat after all.
But she slowly grinned, amazed as Sheik slowly raised his hands and placed them on Link's chest. The Sheikah's touch seemed to bring Link back to his senses. The hero blinked owlishly, the feral gaze gone. Then he lowered his head and nuzzled his face against Sheik's shoulder.
Zelda smiled and sighed, relieved. She heard a softly muttered 'you really do need a bath, partner' which was closely followed by a light slap to the back of the hero's head as Sheik scoffed and replied with a 'shut up and give me your hand'.
Yes. As long as they were together, they could get through this.