Disclaimer: Really, how many times do I have to say I don't own Legend of Zelda? This is annoying.

~15~

Sheik woke up slowly. His first active sense was sound. He heard a tapping noise, like someone was chopping vegetables, bird calls, and the soft whinny of horses. Next, he noticed the fuzzy blankets that enfolded him and the soft mattress he lied on. Finally, his sense of smell started to register details. Everything around him smelled sweetly of hay and an autumn breeze, mixed with a little intoxicating scent he could never fully name.

It smelled like Malon.

That was when he jolted awake. Jumping up, he rapidly examined where he was. He was in a room that was lightly decorated in white with traces of pink. The bed he had been on was bare now, and he sighed with relief. His first assumption…well… it scared him a little.

Suddenly he felt empty. Zelda would have had some snarky comment to that. He never knew his own thoughts could be this lonely. He's get over it, certainly, but it was going to take a while for Sheik to get used to the lack of an annoying princess in his head.

A mirror caught his eye. Inspecting his reflection, he finally noticed that he was wearing something new - a plain white shirt and dusty brown pants. His face and head were exposed, his mask and wrappings missing. His hair was cleaner than it had been in months, dusty blond rather than the muddy blond it was for a long time, and loose. It was getting long, he decided. It was a mop of hair nearly four inches long. He grabbed a white ribbon from the table and tied his hair back, save the handful over his eyes. He could never manage those locks.

Sheik crept out of the room, closing the door soundlessly. He descended down the stairs warily tensing as he reached the bottom. Malon's father was around the corner, chopping a carrot for a lunchtime soup. The man turned and saw him.

Sheik nearly ran until the man laughed. "Look who's finally up! 'Bout time really." He turned towards the open window. "Malon! Your boyfriend is awake!" Sheik turned bright red at the name.

He heard Malon's voice yell back. "PA! HE'S NOT MY-" She stopped suddenly, probably realizing exactly what her father said. Sheik heard her run and saw her appear in the window. He never realized he didn't know joy until he saw it on her face. "Sheik!" She squealed.

She ran around through the door and jumped to hug him. "Oh, it's so good to see you up! I was so worried…" She tensed and let go, glancing at her father nervously. "Well, we both were."

Sheik eyed the man cautiously. Malon saw his thoughts. "Oh, I told him everything. Pa will keep you a secret. Trust me. He's been helping take care of you."

The man laughed heartily. "You took care of my daughter while I was gone. I can keep one little secret." He offered a hand. "We've never truly met. I'm Talon, owner of this ranch."

Sheik shook his hand. "You may call me Sheik." He said. A glimmer caught his eye and he spotted the necklace he had given Malon, hanging at the base of her neck. "You're wearing it." He stated with a small, sincere smile.

Malon blushed a little as she touched the necklace. She hadn't told her father about it. She was silent as her pa glanced between the two and roared in laughter. "Not together, my foot!" He muttered. He left the house, glancing at them once more before he disappeared.

Malon tried to laugh her embarrassment off. "Oh, Pa. He keeps saying you're my boyfriend and stuff."

Sheik cocked his head. "I'm not?" he asked, feigning injury.

Her azure eyes widened. She stumbled for words. "No! I mean, yes, I – well, uh…" She pouted when she saw the laughter in his eyes. "No fair."

He laughed out loud and stepped closer. His fingers brushed her pendent. "It looks good on you." She breathed heavily, face flushed. He could feel her heart race like a horse even though he was a full two inches away from her. "It matches your eyes. They're beautiful."

Malon smiled and her cheeks grew a cherry red color. Quick as a hare, she broke the tension and threw her arms around his neck, kissing him. He kissed her back passionately, holding her close. She broke away and rested her head against his collarbone with a happy sigh.

After a blissful moment of content silence, Malon spoke in a more serious tone. "Zelda succeeded, by the way. She wanted to thank you, but you've been out cold for three days. She was going to stop by later, but she's really busy with her royal duties. The kingdom's coming back together again, even though Link has gone missing."

Three days? Shiek twirled one of her auburn locks with his finger. "I'm not surprised. Princess will have a lot to do now. The kingdom's been in disarray for seven years." As for Link, Sheik had a suspicion as to where the Hero went. Zelda's visions had peeked into his mind often, especially when he had slept. He buried his nose in her hair. "Thank you, by the way. For taking care of me so many times. I don't know what I'd do without you."

"It's nothing really. Oh," She looked up quickly, like she had a sudden, pleasant thought. An odd twinkle in flashed in her eyes, one that spelled trouble. Trailing a slender finger down from his collarbone to his chest leisurely, she cooed. "I know how you can make it up: I've been dying to ride Epona again. Want to see what'll happen if you catch me again?"

It was Sheik's turn to blush a bright red. He shivered from her touch and gulped.

Talon barged in loudly with perfect timing. "Okay, my little filly. That's enough now!" Malon jumped out of Sheik's arms and glared at her father with a mixture of embarrassment and vexation.

"PA!" She proclaimed loudly. Her father just laughed at her frustration.

"I'm not handing my daughter over to someone who can't work a ranch." Malon sputtered at his words and fumed. Talon regarded Sheik and offered him a pitchfork. "Time to work off your debt."

Malon stomped her foot. "Pa, he just woke up! And I'm sure he has better things to do, right, Sheik?"

Sheik's laugh surprised her. "Actually, I have nothing to do until Zelda shows up. I'd love to do some farm work. I don't know much, but I'm willing to learn." He grabbed the pitchfork and met Talon's gaze firmly, but friendly.

Talon studied him and laughed, liking what he saw. "This way, boy. I'll show you the ropes."

- I am Sheik. Survivor of the Sheikahs-

And that's a wrap. I really hope you have enjoyed the story. Please take the time to review! I'd love some feedback on what was good and what still needs some work. And reviews will help me with my other stories too. I'm already working on a really cool idea for exploring Sheik's past. So please review!

And as always, thanks so much for reading!