Sheik woke to the sun shining in his face. He reluctantly opened his eyes, seeing as he wasn't a morning person and trained in the shadows, the windows of Sheik's own quarters always had the curtains tightly drawn. Baffled and confused for a moment, the Sheikah warrior realized that he wasn't in his own quarters. The curtains were pulled back, allowing the sunlight to flood into the room, the polished wooden desk against the wall stood unused as was most of the other furniture in the room. Tapestries possessing the Hyrule crest hung from the walls. But aside from the sword and shield resting against the wall, the room gave off the feel of disuse. Scanning back around the room and then over to his side, Sheik realized he wasn't alone in the large bed and the events of the night before hit him. Link was asleep now, breathing deeply, his honey colored hair catching the light as the sun shone across his face, blue eyes closed, his defined yet gentle features were softened by the slanting rays of the sun.
Relaxing his tense muscles a bit, Sheik reached out, running his hand across Link's cheek, brushing his slightly grown out hair from his face. Resting on his forearms, Sheik looked down at his hands and realized he wasn't wearing his wrappings or his cowl. He vaguely remembered removing them before he fell asleep. He sighed softly in annoyance at himself for his foolishness; things weren't like they had been in the time that had never happened. Sheik shifted his weight on the bed before sliding off and standing up. He walked over to where the bandages and cowl lay on the floor, picking them up and putting them back on, he turned to look over his shoulder, distress glittering in his ruby eyes. Finally, Sheik turned to leave Link's temporary quarters.
Sheik grasped the door's handle, pushing the door open. He froze; something shifted and moved behind him. Sheik whipped around, Sheikah warrior's instincts dictating his actions.
Link stood silently, part way across the room from Sheik, his expression unreadable, but somehow conflicted. Sheik nodded at Link, making once more to leave, but, again, something stopped him. It was Link, no doubt.
The Hero of Time stood, shifting his weight, gaze boring into Sheik's back. "Stay," he seemed to say, though no words were spoken. "Sheik…!"
An unspoken urgency filled the air. Link was the first to act on it. Without thinking, Link had closed the distance between him and Sheik, holding the other close, grasping his wrist—as he had done the night before—and pulled Sheik into a crushing, needy hug.
The Hylian's head was bowed, pressing his forehead into Sheik's shoulder. It was just as it had been before! Sheik was vanishing, only to reappear later! He would not stay, no matter how much Link begged him to and yearned for him to stay. It was just like it had been at the Temple of Time!
Link's eyes snapped open; his fists clenched the back of Sheik's skin tight uniform. "Sheik!" He breathed his first spoken word in this time. "Sheik!" He repeated, breathily and strained, the weight of untold emotions bearing down of him.
Sheik stood frozen, being clung to by Link. An icy chill rushed up his spine, Link had spoken and Link had remembered him.
"Link," Sheik whispered in response, holding his former lover close, hands shaking with untold, churning emotions.
Sheik didn't know how long he and Link stood in front of the door, holding each other close, but he was never surer that he would stay at Link's side and regain his memories as well as his ability to speak.
To Sheik the morning was a blur of rushing around and the final preparations for Princess Zelda's coronation being put in place.
Zelda walked to her thrown with a procession of maid-servants dressed in extravagant gowns, gowns through that were put to shame by what the princess herself was wearing. Six of the Seven Sages made their way up, flanked and followed by people chosen from each one of their homelands. Rauru, the Sage of Light, took the lead, followed by the other sages, standing shoulder to shoulder, each with an expression of anticipation and excitement. The time had come, the seventh sage, Princess Zelda, was to crowned queen of Hyrule.
Darunia the Sage of Fire, a Goron, stood at the end of the line; he nodded to Princess Zelda and, behind and adjacent to her on each side stood Link and Sheik. He nodded to Link the Hero of Time, whom returned the gesture.
Saria the Sage of Forest, a kokiri, standing beside Darunia, smiled at Princess Zelda and Link. Though she did not know that Link held no memories of her, Saria and he had been extremely close in Link's childhood.
Ruto, Princess of the Zora and the Sage of Water, stood between Saria and Nabooru, the Sage of Spirit. The Zora princess had been in love with Link in the time that never happened. All of the sages carried memories of that time, but only Impa, the Sage of Shadow, and Rauru, the Sage of Light, knew definitively that Link did not remember. But nonetheless, Ruto smiled seductively at Link, shifting her hips and making him turn scarlet and look away from her.
Beside Ruto stood Nabooru, looking somewhat placed, but she also looked pensive. She nodded her approval to Zelda, but she avoided allowing her gaze to slide to Link, she seemed to at least have an idea of what had happened to him. The Gerudo woman focused on the princess, seemed to say "we need to talk". Zelda nodded slightly in response; there were things that had to be spoken about among the sages.
Finally, Impa stood at Nabooru's left. She looked proudly upon Zelda. She had raised Zelda from infancy. After Zelda's mother had died, it was Impa who guarded her, protected her, and taught her how to rule, even through the time her soul was bound to Sheik's in the time that never happened.
Rauru walked up to stand before Zelda, who rose to her feet as well. He began with an unspoken greeting to her before beginning with his speech to the people gathered in the throne room. Finally he began with what really mattered.
"Will you solemnly promise and swear to govern the people of the Kingdom of Hyrule, and the dominions thereto belonging, according to the statutes given to you by the goddesses, and the laws and customs of the same?"Rauru asked Zelda, though he knew from the many trials that she had already led her people through in this time as well as the time that never happened she bore the triforce of wisdom and would de her utter best.
"I solemnly promise so to do," Zelda said, her voice full of conviction and her blue eyes shining with determination.
"Will you to your power cause law and justice in mercy to be executed in all your judgments?" Rauru asked.
"I will." Zelda swore, placing her hand over her heart, there was no doubt that she would uphold this promise.
"Will you to the utmost of your power maintain the laws of the goddesses, the true profession of the triforce and the worship of the goddesses established by law, and will you preserve unto the sages of this Realm, and to the temples committed to their charge, all such rights and privileges as by law do or shall appertain unto them, or any of them?" The Sage of Light pressed.
"All this I promise to do." Zelda said, nodding sharply, once more there was no doubt in anyone's mind that she meant what she had said.
Princess Zelda placed her hand upon the triforce of the crest of Hyrule and said, "The things which I have here before promised, I will perform and keep: So help me goddesses."
With that Impa walked forwards' carrying the crown in which Rauru took that it in the air above Zelda's head. "With the powers granted to me by the goddesses," he spoke, his voice echoing through the throne room, "I, Rauru Sage of Light, grown thee Queen Zelda!" The crown was placed upon Zelda's head, the throne room erupted in applause and Zelda sat upon the throne, overlooking those whom stood in the great hall.
"I will do my best," she breathed, glancing back at Link and Sheik.
After the ceremony and political affairs, Queen Zelda and the six sages gathered in the throne room for a matter of great importance. Here it was revealed to all of them that Link had no memories of what had happened before never happened.
"He doesn't even know what it was that never happened," Zelda confessed. "I have been reluctant to inform him. It is my personal opinion that he must regain his memories on his own."
Rauru agreed, though, for the others, especially those who had been close to Link didn't have as easy a time of it.
"How long have you known?" Ruto cried distress evident in her eyes and her clenched fists.
"Only a few days," Impa broke in before Zelda could say anything.
Saria bowed her head, clenching her own fists and looking sadly at the floor. "Is there no way we can help him?" She pleaded. "He saved Hyrule not once, but twice! There has to be something we can do!" The kokiri sage tried to reason.
"No, this is something he has to do on his own," Nabooru said, looking away from the others. "We all know it."
Even if not all of them was willing to admit it, they knew the Gerudo woman was right.
"Do you have any ideas, your highness?" Ruto practically sneered, anger flashing in her eyes. Unable to help the Hero of Time, the Zora woman turned hostilely towards the newly crowned queen.
"I do, but we must do this without Link suspecting too much," Zelda said, looking towards the throne room door, where she knew Sheik awaited. "But that will be up to Sheik," she finished.
The Sheikah warrior entered the throne room, prepared to rise to the challenge. Zelda and Impa both knew why Zelda had chosen him, but to the other sages, especially Ruto, it was not to be as clear.
Sheik took Zelda and Impa aside and whispered, "Link remembered."
Zelda froze; she feared Link had remembered what she feared him remembering. Remembering that she had split from Sheik and Link believed that Sheik had been nothing but a convenient lie, even if that had not been true.