Hey everybody! Sorry for the late-ish update, but it's here! The chapter is here, and that is good! ... Right?

Oh yeah, THANKYOU TO ALL NEW REVIEWERS!! WOOOOOT!!

Anyway, yeah, I hope this works, and that you like it. Peace out.

Review Replies.

Sachiko V: Yeah, I have to admit, some Sheik's around here need some more machoness. Mine just happened to have a real angsty side, lol. Heh, thankyou so much for your compliments, really. It's nice to be appreciated. Thankyou! And I believe the dream has lead to this. But I'm worried there're some loose ends here and there. Do you think I missed something?

HeroofTimes: Yep, our two protagonists are real problematic when it comes to feelings. I have so much fun messing with them! XP. Yeah, I just thought, being one ball of talking thinking magic, there's got to be more to it, you know? I viewed the Fierce Diety as 'God of Destruction'. and if Din was Ganondorf's patron, i thought the Fierce Deity would be good for Sheik. ANd that mask looks cool. About Navi being able to hug everybody in their lifetime is a looooooong answer so I'll put it at the bottom of the page. Thanks for enjoying, and I hope you find this one more satisfacotry. Yay!

Meg: Yay, aproval! I so didn't spell that right... (T.T) anyway, thanks. Um, is the dream not being vague good or bad? Do you think I should cut out more obvious details, or what? About the Fierce Deity; I just view him as God of Destruction and/or Sheikah, only if the God was evil, I don't think the Sheikah would be happy to have him around. XD The god of destruction thing (I thought) suited Sheik, so... yeah. Sorry, there's no way that this will finish by the 23rd, although, I'd like it to finish by then too. Then I'd be like. YAAAAAAY!! Finished! Oh, in case I forget to say this, have a nice trip to Europe!

Sparda's Kitten: Yeah, finally the bond between the two are warming up. I hope you like this chapter, because it gets warmer!

Suethe: Okay. Sheik panicking is good. I hope the joke isn't old yet, because it kinda happens in this chapter too. Sorta. I don't know. I thought more memories between the two would be appropriate, since, well, there was no way Link would let Sheik go without any answers, right? lol. OOH, so close, yet so far! Sorry you couldn't get to Pravus. And I don't think I'll be putting in anymore badguys, because Shcik can get torture happy when he wants to be.

Super Goat grl: Yeah, it was about Sheik. Do you think the dream was a tad too obvious? Anyway, I hope you like this.

Janzo the Ash Bringer: Aw, man, so many compliments. Thank you so much; the only reason I work on character development is that I just suck at writing plots, lol. Anyway, thankyou for appreciating my style, and I hope you enjoy this chapter.

Louiii: Yes, I have to admit, the two are perfect for each other. It's just that Zelda's a worry wart, for her kingdom and her sister and the future, you know? I hope there's enough cuteness in here for you Louiii, thank you so much for your support!

Surrendering Endurance

The next morning, Pell found a very moody looking Princess doing a poor job of sweeping the floor. Usually she was a great help, but today she was just stabbing the floor with the bushy side of the broom, ruining it progressively and unhelpfully.

Pell rolled her eyes and asked. "What's wrong?"

Lynda seemed not to notice. She just kept stabbing at the floor aggressively.

"Princess, use the other side of the broom for that kind of cleaning, please."

As predicted she automatically muttered. "Don't call me that."

"It lives!" she whooped before joining the blonde, sweeping the door in front of the kitchen first, "What's wrong?"

There was a pause in which Lynda struggled with herself to say it was nothing. But her will was never very strong when it came to complaining. "Well, it's just that it was my dream. My dream, and she doesn't tell me anything about it except that someone real dangerous, who I shouldn't go anywhere with, was in it and how am I supposed to do that if she doesn't tell me what the heck the dream was supposed to tell me?"

Pell blinked and said, "From the start, please."

Lynda obliged, explaining that she'd been having an annoyingly repetitive dream for the last several weeks, that she had gone to Zelda for a way to stop it. But her older sister had suggested that it could be prophetic, and that she should try to work it out. Lynda had tried, but her dream never went past a certain door. So, the day before, Zelda had helped to open it and see what was inside only…

"It ended up becoming a dream warning me of someone dangerous but Zelda won't tell me who it is! I mean, she had no problem with it last time, why should she now?"

Pell cocked an eyebrow. "Last time?"

"Would you believe me if I said she and I sealed a madman in the void between worlds when we were ten?"

The second eyebrow followed its twin. "I'm going to have to think on that one, Lynda."

Lynda sighed and shook her head, waving the comment off. "It's just that… Zelda said I know this guy. And I should stay away from him, but… there's only one guy I go anywhere near, and… I'm not even sure whether he could be called 'evil'."

"Huh," Pell said, flicking her brown tresses from her shoulder, "What's his name?"

"Sheik."

Pell did a small, near insignificant double-take. Lynda noticed anyway. The two girls stared at each other, suddenly afraid of something intangible, and Lynda realised with a sickening jolt that Pell's expression looked extremely troubled.

Pell paused before starting slowly, careful with her words. "Sheik is the man that always wears a cowl over his nose and has an eye hidden, right?"

"Yeah." Lynda replied, worry lacing her tone.

"I've seen him… oh, maybe four times in the six years I've been working in this castle. And that's since you arrived, really. I sort of knew he existed, since, well… everybody in the castle knew that there was a Sheikah in the castle, so why not a second? There were always strange rumours about him that sort of kept him from becoming a myth, but kept him a legend, and most of them were quite colourful… But definitely not pretty."

Lynda winced. "Like what?"

Pell shrugged. "That he fed nightmares to nobles when they ticked him off, that he'd won in a fight with a wolfos when he was four, but he lost an eye doing it, at night he listened to the dead and delivered their revenge to the living; the most recent one was that he bewitched the whole of the castle guards to forget that they'd witnessed a murder of a noble at his hands."

Those who approached were used and destroyed violently…

Lynda cringed, trying to forget what Zelda had said. "Wow. That's… that's pretty bad."

"But I have to say," Pell added offhandedly, "I can't believe he's twenty four years old, he seems much older than that…"

"What?"

Lynda stared at Pell, and the servant girl cocked an eyebrow. "What 'what'?"

"But isn't he like, the same age as you?" Lynda asked back, looking completely and utterly bewildered. Pell scoffed.

"I highly doubt it. If he could do all those things—both physical and magical—at our age, he has the gods behind him."

He's powerful. He's dangerous. He will hurt you.

Lynda shivered, and managed to hide it. She bit her lip as she worked, red eyes haunting her, sometimes shifting to gold.

""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""

Lynda was pacing her room impatiently when Yana finally arrived. The Princess was wearing one of her old tunics, the red one made out of dried bomb flower leaves, and a pair of leather sandals when the servant came in. Yana watched in awe of the fairy that followed the Princess around, as it giggled and tried to calm the agitated Hylian.

"Princess?" Yana asked, cocking her head to the side worriedly.

"Lynda." She automatically replied, growling irritably at the ceiling, "For heaven's sake, it's Lynda! What is up with the people in this castle? Do they have a phobia concerning my name?"

"Oh, uh, um…"

"I'm sorry, that was out of line," Lynda sighed, shaking her head, "I'm just a bit stressed at the moment."

"Lynda," Navi reprimanded, "I really think you should explain what's going on here,"

"Oh, right, sorry. Yana, I'm sorry if I interrupted anything but I really have something important to discuss with you about, so… do you think you could sit down?"

Yana had an expression that said she had no clue as to what she was doing there if the subject was so private and important. But she shuffled to the chair Lynda offered anyway, carefully keeping her head down, because she realised only then that Yana was a smidge taller than Lynda was. And she was careful to avoid sitting before Lynda did, in case she offended the royal.

Lynda bit her lip, hesitating one last second before sighing and asking, "What does the name 'Sheik' mean to you?"

Yana suddenly looked pale.

"Well?" Lynda asked, sounding a hint desperate.

"I… I uh…He's part of a… our… um…"

To Lynda's shock and horror, Yana's shoulders shook and her face crumpled. Tears began to leak from her green eyes, and Lynda was immediately kneeling in front of her and taking her hand, Navi floating around the servant girl's head in means of comfort. Yana sobbed shamefully as Lynda cooed and hushed her, fingertips brushing against her mousy hair. "Hey, hey it's alright, you can tell me, please, it's all going to be alright…"

Lynda bit her lip before standing up and rushing to her favourite corner where a sheet was draped over a chair, the one the servants had kindly avoided for her. She pulled the sheet away and grabbed a clear bottle full of cold tea, uncorking it and offering it to Yana. Yana immediately shook her head, hiccupping, "No, please your Highness, you shouldn't be…"

"I don't care. You are going to drink this because this is very good tea, despite it being cool. Now come on; this chair's a bit too uncomfortable for my tastes anyway."

Yana shook her head but obediently left the room's most comfortable chair and was led to the bed instead, where Lynda sat beside her and patted her shoulder to comfort her. Yana sipped the tea from the bottle and gave a shaking sigh.

"I'm sorry your majesty…"

"Highness, now Majesty. My, aren't I climbing up the ranks?"

The servant girl laughed a little before nodding. Lynda patted Yana's shoulder again and said, "Now, tell me what's wrong. Like you said; I'm Royalty, like it or not, so I can help you."

Yana flicked her red rimmed eyes towards the Princess and seeing the sincerity, began to loosen the lace around her collar. "I… there are many posts here, highness, seamstress, nursemaids, advisors, butlers, guards… I… I am, as many would prefer to call us, a Sentesan."

"Okay… what does a Sentesan…?"

Lynda stopped herself, as Yana revealed her throat. Across her lower neck there was a series of runes, ugly little gashes of black that looked like a chain of barbed vines. It reminded her of her dream, that giant beating creature, and Lynda shivered.

"What is this?"

"This is my bond, Highness," she murmured, tears leaking out of her eyes once more, "I was sold as a Sentesan a year or two ago, and I cannot leave the station unless I am either sold or forgiven. I… stole a jewel from my old mistress…"

"Hey, hey, it's alright, there's nothing wrong with being tempted…" Lynda coaxed, hugging Yana around her shoulders, "What… as a sentesan… what…?"

Wait a minute, hadn't she heard that word before? Sentesan, sentesan…

"Ah, I believe I can help you," the man smiled thinly, grey eyes glinting as he looked her over up and down. But then he seemed to think about something, and added rather offhandedly, "You have to be careful around the sentesans around here…"

"I am one," Lynda ended up blurting, his gaze suddenly turning predatory.

"Wonderful."

"Oh no." Lynda paled considerably, as Yana lifted her gaze to meet Lynda's blue orbs, "You… they… is it?"

Yana wept, her face burning with shame as she nodded, burying her face in her hands to somehow try to keep the humiliation away. She jolted when a hand rested on her lap, respectfully near her knee, and the grip it had on her skirt was angry and shaking.

Yana looked up to meet Lynda's gaze. Yana was a lot older than her, but to the servant girl, Lynda suddenly looked timeless and ageless. A single tear rolled down Lynda's determined face, her mouth pulled back in a snarl.

"Do you have family?"

Yana blinked. "Highness…?"

"Do you have family, friends, anybody who'd take you in outside of the castle?"

"I… yes, my mother should…"

Lynda bounded out of her 'seat' and went for the rope that hung from the ceiling, the one she had never tugged at. When she did a bell rung, its voice unused and a little muffled because of the dust that had collected over the months.

Yana was suddenly frightened, scared that the Princess would kick her out and throw her in the dungeons or something…

It didn't help that four man-servants and eight maids burst through the ornate door, all looking slightly dishevelled and astonished about the fact they were standing in the Princess's room. Lynda faced them, a Warrior Princess with eyes of blue fire.

"What happened to the treasure from Lord Sceleris' mansion?"

One of the man-servants bowed. "It has been added to the Royal Vaults, your Highness."

Lynda twitched at the use of the title but let it slide. "Bring me half of it. Now."

All of the servants opened their mouths in shock. Lynda waited two seconds patiently before adding, kindly, "Now would be good, thanks. Oh, and ladies? Can you help me dress Yana up? Speaking of which, this'll be a real good opportunity for all of us! Navi?"

"Yup?"

"Can you get Ian to collect some guys and move this infernal bed to the gardens please? And tell the kitchen ladies to bring food for all of them plus ten people to this room."

"Princess…?" one of the maids that had arrived asked, clearly confused and lost.

"Oh, right, this arrangement's kinda unfair, huh? There's going to be a lot of planning from now-"

"Lynda, they're confused." Navi pointed out.

"Right, sorry, everybody, there's going to be a banquet in this room, and we're going to do it Gerudo style. Only servants are invited. We have something very special to celebrate today."

Navi began to make noises that could only described as a poor attempt at a drum roll.

"Today," Lynda continued, "We are going to celebrate the beginning of my quest in making you all call me by my name… and, most importantly… Yana's freedom."

The named servant blushed and looked positively alarmed. "Your Highness…!?"

"It's Lynda. Get used to it. You're a free woman now. I'll get rid of the rank of sentesan, okay? Just don't spend too much of Pravus' fortunes, although, we're going to have to pay everybody here for their service in getting this banquet ready and hush them up before I can hand you over the cash but it should be enough to get you back home and then we'll have to contact your family and make sure they're ready for you and there is the fact that we still have to free you and all that but for now, let's just en-"

Lynda couldn't finish the rest because Yana had thrown her arms around Lynda's neck, sobbing with happiness.

""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""

Sheik groaned into his hands, dismayed.

He couldn't get her out of his head. He, the man renowned for his emotionless ways, couldn't stop thinking about her. Oh gods, this was so pathetic! Why hadn't he noticed his loss of control before? Then he may have been able to snuff the flame out earlier, keep his interest towards her to the minimum. But now…

Why did he like her?! He had every bloody reason to hate her guts but he cared for her anyway! She was Zelda's sister! That should be reason enough to take her to some dark corner and mess with her head until she broke down speaking gibberish. Didn't he swear to himself that he'd never let any royal take anything from him ever again?

What was he attracted to anyway? It definitely wasn't the power. He had plenty of that, if not more than the King himself. Not the money, either. It was heavy, meaningless, and coming right down to it, he could either steal it if he needed it, or steal the object of purchase.

Well, she is kinda nice-looking…

Oh gods, nice-looking? That's all he could say about it!? Of course she'd look relatively attractive, she was Zelda's sister! How many times did he have to say that!? For Din's sake what did he expect!? And why should he acknowledge her for her looks anyway? He'd seen plenty other beautiful women in their jewels and dresses and their caked on cosmetics…

Besides, she wasn't his type. She was stubborn and perhaps even a bit selfish. It would be a nightmare if he ever got in a real argument with her, and she'd have her way whatever the result. That was who she was. He hated stubborn people. They drove him over cliffs.

…Oh gods, that was exactly what Lynda made him do and he had enjoyed it.

No! No, that didn't count! Then, it was Fern or whatever alias she had taken, she wasn't Lynda! He'd been cheated into enjoy himself and that was unfair, and didn't count.

Unfair. By Nayru, that was rich coming from him.

Sheik rolled his eyes as he slapped himself, screwing his eyes shut in hopes of keeping her image at bay. What was it that made her so great in his eyes!? Would she know how to pick a lock? No. Would she know how to summon beasts and create weapons out of thin air? Well, she did once, at the Forest Temple, but she'd tapped into the Sacred Realm. That didn't count either.

Wait. She could tap into the Sacred Realm. Could it be possible for something inside the Sacred Realm to tap through…?

Gods, that's not a nice thought. Sheik rubbed his thumb against the back of his right hand, making the Holy symbol glow across his skin. Ganondorf wouldn't be able to touch him. The Black King didn't have the Triforce anymore, and he would be certain that his loyal Sheikah was dead. He was safe. If only just from bodily harm.

Sheik snapped his attention to the door that led his to his room. The knob jiggled again.

Cautiously, Sheik sat himself up, muscles tense and ready. Purple fire licked his hands as he crouched on his bed, watching the knob of the door turn, the entity behind it slipping through the door. Suddenly he was glad that he had prepared himself in case Impa came to investigate. He'd cloaked himself with invisibility, so Impa shouldn't be able to see him. Shouldn't.

Then he didn't have to worry so hard, because it was Lynda who was stepping in, closing the door, the fairy nowhere in sight. The Triforce was glowing in her hand.

Shit. She knew.

Sheik sat still, more so than a statue, keeping his breathing low and quiet. He needed to get out without her noticing. It would be a feat, since the Triforce of Courage was tracking his piece…

A distraction. A distraction would be good…

Sheik wormed his magic through the furniture and made it paint across the wall a single eye, the symbol of his people. It blinked in Lynda's general direction, and it caught her immediately. Good. Now all he had to do was… wait. What was she doing with that…

The magic suddenly left. Completely and utterly.

"What-th-"

"Ha!"

A swirl of green and something catapulted into his chest; magic that wasn't his own slamming him against grass instead of floor, the remaining bonds around his neck immediately contracting in retaliation.

Sheik choked. It didn't help that somebody's hands—whether they belonged to him or someone else was really hard to tell—were there to knead at his throat muscles, making the pain one hell of a lot worse and fire was coursing through his veins because the mark in his hand was retaliating too, trying to rid his throat of the fatal runes and air, air, gods he could do with a lot of air now, damn it, damn it, there was no way he was going to die because of some lousy words…!

Breathe.

"Sheik!" a panicked squeal that sent his brain jarring across his skull, some more hands gently tapping at his masked cheek to keep him awake, "What happened, what's wrong, what did those things do to you!?"

Sheik was too busy coughing and Din-damned breathing to tell her that the markings not only bound him to the Royal Family, they bound him to the castle. The further he got the tighter the marks constricted his throat, ultimately sealing his windpipe. You get farther enough and the magic shouldn't work, but Lake Hylia just didn't happen to be far enough.

But they were gone. They'd been wiped away.

"You…" his head spun with the many sentences he wanted to start with that word. You stole the Ocarina of Time. You knew where my room was. You're one heck of a mage, huh. You got me out of the castle. You knew about the Markings. You freed me. You saved me.

Sheik's mouth turned dry. Oh gods. She knew.

Her features were pulled back into a nasty snarl, and her hands shook as she held the scruff of his shirt. The Holy porcelain instrument was left forgotten, having fed its magic into wiping away Sheik's marks. "Why didn't you tell me? Why didn't you say anything!?" she yelled, "Is it so amusing to see me fail at helping people? Did you think that now that I'm not a hero anymore, I wouldn't give a damn about you? Or is it because you're such a man and you wouldn't be able to handle being helped by a Princess!? Or, maybe, just maybe, did you think that I couldn't handle the fact that the Castle's just as disgusting as all the Cursed Temples put together? You were right there and I was right next to you and you completely ignored me!"

Sheik wondered how Lynda could be so fiery and spirited when she had just used all that magic. Maybe he had contributed more to the process than he thought… "Princess…"

"Stop 'Princess'ing me because I'm sick of it! I do not need saving, I am not some damsel in distress I just saved you and the least you could do to thank me is to just call me-Sheik!"

"I thought that was my title…" he commented weakly as he lolled uselessly in Lynda's grip, sweat slipping down his forehead and jaw. He groaned and tried to concentrate. There was no way he was going to faint. Not now, not ever. "And you're straddling me, Princess, do me a favour and get off…"

Lynda blushed and rolled off, gently taking his arm to support him as he heavily leaned into her shoulder. Sheik noted that she smelled like soap. Not soap from the castle, it must be something she smuggled in from the forest … It was nice. "And why is it that we're having long conversations whenever it's potentially embarrassing for me?"

Lynda scoffed. "Karma."

Sheik laughed and lied down, taking in the scent of fresh grass and lake-water, the cool air of the south and the night, marvelling at the fact that he was outside the castle. The chaffing at his throat and wrists… gods, they were truly gone…

"Why didn't you tell me?"

This time her voice was soft, like a breeze. He soaked in the concern and bitterness it held, and it solidified into something he hadn't felt since… gods, had he ever felt it? "I'd told you that I was Royal Advisor. I couldn't tell you later that I'd been demoted to be a harlot the next day, now could I?"

"You could've."

"And what would've happened to my pride if I had, I wonder?"

"Does it look like I care?"

"I would've cared."

"Does it still look like I care?"

Sheik turned his head a bit, glancing at the wavy tresses that glowed silver in the moonlight, the skin that seemed to be glazed in liquid pearl, a mouth that was pulled into a fierce frown, and those eyes, a blue so dark now it might as well be a piece of the night, touched by the river of time in a way that only a goddesses' chosen could be touched.

He could look at her forever.

"No," he replied, that unfamiliar sensation churning at his gut, "I'm sorry."

"You better be," she spoke like the breeze again, a breeze that whipped mercilessly at his chest, "Because I've been complaining about meaningless things to you for the last five months while you were going through hell and more. Do you realise how bad I felt when I found out that… that…"

Angry tears burned on her lashes, and suddenly Sheik was being punched around the middle a little too hard for his liking. "Ow! Ow-o-oof!"

"No friend of mine…"

"OW!"

"No friend of mine…!"

"Ow! Princess that –ow—ow, really-!"

"No friend of mine goes through with it while I'm alive, you got that!?"

Gingerly, Sheik sat himself up, rubbing at his sore stomach and abdomen. "Right, right, I'm sorry, alright…?"

"For how long…?" Lynda retracted her abusive hands and placed them on her knees, worry etching her face, "How long did they…?"

Sheik shrugged, massaging his bicep, "Since I was old enough to understand the concept, really." He said nonchalantly, "Before that I just played the Lyre."

"That's sick."

Sheik's lip twitched into a smile. "I didn't know the lyre could be so atrocious, Highness."

"That's not what I meant and you know it!" Lynda snapped, making Sheik blink in surprise, "I can't believe this! Did anybody know? Zelda, Impa…"

"Yes and yes."

"Vwat!?"

"I served the Black King, remember? The years I spent as a harlot, was in a sense, my punishment."

"But that makes no sense!"

"That's because you thought Zelda planted me there. No. When Ganondorf stormed the castle—that's about a month after you were locked away—I knifed the attendant that was watching me and I fought alongside the Stalfos. It wasn't long before Ganondorf realised I could be of use to him."

Lynda's spine rippled in fear.

Black hands tainted with sin…

"I joined Ganondorf's ranks and became his messenger boy." Sheik continued, blankly looking across the lake, as if the memories were playing over the horizon, "Who'd think to be careful about their conversations around a child? The fact that I was Sheikah and survived the Castle Raid at such a young age helped in finding out rebellious households. From messenger boy, I was promoted to being a spy. The Twin Rova taught me memory manipulation and made sure I was what Ganondorf wanted and needed. I was the one that studied the Goron tablets and secured the Legend of Volvagia. I was the one that realised freezing the waters of the Zoras would hurt them the most."

Cold sweat broke across Lynda's forehead. She was sitting next to her nightmare. Sheik was the giant beating plant, with its barbed vines and its un-opening door. Sheik was the figure that hid himself completely, behind the mask of the God of Destruction, the one that Zelda had said was powerful and dangerous. No wonder.

Images of Link, the Goron prince, rolling around the empty city, hungry and alone but determined to patrol the rings of his home no matter what, flashed in her mind. He'd been skinny and gangly for a Goron, the rough hide on his back still smooth from his young age. Ruto, her would-have-been-fiancé, looking so tired and cold, bursting into tears because she wasn't alone anymore because Lynda had come and everything would be okay from now, thank you, thank you…

The gaunt faces of the captured Gorons, too frightened to sleep, the heaven-high relief of freedom washing their faces as they rolled away…

The frozen bodies of the Zoras, reaching for the surface, faces desperate, hope fading, horror struck, so close, so close, a hand protruding out of the ice…

Sheik had done it. All of it.

"And the forests…?"

"That," Sheik said rather brightly, "I can honestly say I had nothing to do with. Ganondorf made it his personal duty to search the forest where the supposed Hero of Time could've been hiding. At that time I was looking for Zelda's possible hide-outs. And I actually found her. Well, she more like found me, since I was the one that walked into a trap. Anyway, Impa really wasn't happy with me. Did I mention that she was my aunt?"

As Lynda shook her head, Sheik wondered why he was telling her all this. Was it to draw her sympathy? Sheik laughed at himself. At this rate it would be safe to assume that Lynda would kill him as soon as he closed his mouth. Besides, who would love a murderer? If he couldn't push her out of his head, at the very least he could push the real Lynda away. Then he can get over it, and live his life as before.

Sheik chuckled darkly at the idea, plucking at the grass to his side, "She could've killed me in an instant, but Zelda had a better idea; why not make me go against my master—ha, master my ass—and guide the Hero in his quest?"

"You refused."

"Hell yeah," He replied mildly, "Ganondorf was a torture-happy guy like you wouldn't believe. Why would I want to risk everything I had over a myth?"

"So…?"

"So Impa reminded me that, if and/or when the Hero of Time came along and purged all the Temples, I would be right under Ganondorf in the 'Kill' list. Not to mention every other Sages' lists, too. Even I had to admit that despite Ganondorf's power, he was going to fall someday. Even if he did have the Triforce. And the whole kingdom. And Impa kindly pointed out that Ganondorf really wasn't the kind of guy to keep to his loyalties, so I thought it best to have one foot on each side, to be safe when one or the other fell. I just had to make sure I didn't get caught."

"So you helped them. You helped them defeat Ganondorf but you still got punished?"

Sheik nodded.

"But… didn't they promise you that…"

"The Promises were vague," Sheik admitted, "And I kinda died halfway through the job, and I'm thinking they used that as a loophole to get at me. And I only started helping them maybe half a year before you came along, so… meh."

Lynda gulped impulsively. "You… you died."

"Yep. Ganondorf decided that I was a threat; killed me off right after Bongo was freed. And before you ask," he smiled at her worried face, "It wasn't painful. Ganondorf wasn't that kind of man. Well, not to threats anyway. He got a little torture-happy when it came to examples or if he wanted people to follow him, but when it came to eminent dangers to his throne… quick and fatal. And again, before you ask, I didn't get caught. I just freed Bongo from its chains. Apparently that meant I was becoming too powerfully adept at magic, hence a threat to Ganondorf, so yeah. All I remember is watching lots of spears intent on making me their pincushion before waking up like I just got dragged through a nightmare."

Lynda smiled wryly. "Yeah, waking from death does that to you."

Sheik cocked an eyebrow. "You know?"

"Phantom Ganon." Was all she said before turning away, looking towards the horizon in the north, "Was it just me, or did it feel like falling asleep?"

"…Yeah, I guess," Sheik conceded, propping his legs up to lean against, staring over the reflected night. Then he smirked. "Are we really talking about first hand experience of death?"

Lynda chuckled. "Yes, yes we are."

"…Don't you hate me?" Sheik wondered, telling himself it was a really bad idea to comb his fingers through her hair, even if it did seem like the best thing to occupy his time. He watched her freeze, hesitantly meeting his gaze before turning away, biting her lip in contemplation.

Did she? Did she really hate him? She'd seen the atrocities, she'd seen the damage. It had torn the land apart, and broken the spirit of the people.

You do not know him well enough to love him, Lynda. In the end he will most likely destroy you. Even if you realise who he is I will warn you here and now. Don't let him realise what you feel for him. He's powerful. He's dangerous. He will hurt you. He is colder than the depths of the Ice caverns. Remember that.

Zelda had a point. But she had no right to say that Lynda was in love with him, no right to say that Sheik would be his worst and hurt her. Zelda had no right to tell her what to do. She wasn't the Hero of Time anymore. She'd do what she liked.

"No. We're friends." Lynda turned to him determinedly, "But you have to tell me, honestly, that you're sorry. Tell me that you feel bad. Honestly."

Sheik paused, looking away. He fiddled with the grass, and carefully replied, "I can't say I don't regret working under Ganondorf. I learnt a lot about my people, about Magic, about everything through History to battle strategies. He wasn't a good man, far from it, but he gave me a chance at freedom that the castle has never offered me."

Then he looked at her, and bowed his head. "But I am guilty of being part of many people's pain, and… believe me when I say it made me sick. And I'm sorry. More than you think. I'm sorry, Lynda. I am."

Lynda managed a smile and said, "It's past."

Then Sheik realised why he cared so much about her. It was because she wasn't scared. She was never scared to make mistakes, to fight monsters, to make friends, to forgive people for their wrong. Even if she knew that the consequences could be pain, death, loss, betrayal. She was doing it right now, with him, when she knew about what he'd done, what he could do, what he was capable of. Gods, she was such an idiot, trusting someone like him, offering her hand of truce. And he was a bigger idiot for falling for it, for not using it against her, for making himself weak and defenceless against her gaze, that blue gaze that haunted him, stuck his feet to the spot in awe, bent his knees with guilt (guilt, for crying out loud. Guilt!), make him want to die and live at the same time with the sheer fire they held.

And he loved her for it.

"… Thank you."

Lynda smiled and hugged him.

Sheik hesitated one last time before circling his arms around her waist, marvelling at how easily she offered gestures like hugs. Maybe… just maybe, he could get used to this…

"I… I was, well, kind of planning to put Ian into retirement." Lynda admitted as she retracted. Sheik nodded cautiously. Hopefully, Lynda continued, "And I… was hoping someone with enough guts to fight me would show up at training. You're free now, so you don't have to, but could you stay, just so you could work out where to go? I can give you pointers?"

A part of him told him to fight her. Tell her no, he was sick of the castle, why should he stay there just for her? He was capable of taking care of himself; there was no need for her to give pointers, what did she think he was, a child?

"Alright," Sheik complied, "I did promise that I'd be your bodyguard, so why not?"

Lynda smiled gratefully and hugged him again.

For the first time in his life, Sheik gave up, and accepted his fate.

He surrendered.

Hello all! I hoped you like that! Okay, from now, I'm just going to explain a theory I have on LOZ fairies. It was mostly inspired by Batneko and if you haven't read her stories but is a hard-out Zelda fan, BOY you are missing out.

Anyway, if you're not interested, please press the blue button at the bottom and leave a comment behind.

Okay first, the fairy is born by incantation or the summoning. In the Kokiri forest, that's done by the Deku tree. Now I'm thinking that when a fairy is first born, they're red (Idea taken by Batneko) and then they develop personailites and voices (Batneko) but they can't heal (me). Then they grow into 'tough' mode like Navi is right now. Byt then they are able to 'eat' and 'sleep' and heal minor wounds (me).

Then, as they grow and acquire more magic as they grow, they are able to retain solid bodies. At first they look like those wierd-as fairy pieces you get in Majora's mask. You know, the Pink (-3-) faced propellor headed things? Those. But that's optional. Either the fairies do that, or they project these illusions of light so they look like Hylian children but with fairy guardians. Hence, the Kokiri are born.

(I was thinking this because you know how in the OOT game, the Kokiri kinda faded out when you went far away but you could see the fairies? Well, that happens, so that's where i got the idea from)

Eventually, all fairies, if they live long enough, become Kokiri-like. The illusions become solid, and hence they are able to hug people if they wish to. You just can't do that when you're a ball of light with a voice and nothing else. And eons later, the fairies eventually become the Great Fairies and are able to give future heroes magic and crystals and whatnot. Even create another legions or red fairies, if they so wish to.

...yeah, way too much thought, no?