knowlee: Hi again! To get right to it, this chapter finally reveals what Lin and Sheik's journey is going to be about. Yay! :D Also I'm sorry for the late update on it as I was attempting to get it finished an published right at noon, but that didn't work out. At least I did get it up on my designated day though! :)
And since I am immediately posting this up without proofreading it first, there might be some errors in it. I'm sorry about that. I'm going to look over it though and see what errors I need to fix and once I find those I will fix them then! I just didn't want you guys to wait any longer.
Also a little warning for those who wish for the two to quickly run off into the dungeons and start doing what they are supposed to do, that's not gonna happen just yet. The next chapter kinda, sorta acts as a filler of sorts and helps tie up some things before the two actually leave to go on their quest. The chapter after that though starts back up the plot line and has them actually leaving.
I know this story seems like its moving slowly, (Trust me, I'm as eager as you guys to get to the dungeon part…) but I don't want to rush it and make it seem like I missed some things, especially since these first chapters contains stuff that will come into play in later chapters. So keep your eyes peeled!
Anyway, please read and review!
DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own The Legend of Zelda nor its characters, world, etc. They belong to Nintendo. Also since this fanfic was conceived before anything huge was known about Zelda Wii U, this fanfiction shall be considered an Alternate Universe version of the game. Only one major character, one enemy, the world it takes place in and a few items are currently shared between the two versions. If there is any story, character, plot resemblances that appear between the two after more information about the game is released those are to be considered purely coincidental.
A Legend of Zelda Fanfiction
Flames of Change
Chapter 6: More Questions Than Answers
By: knowlee
Lin ran her finger over the small scar the cut had made after it was healed with that red potion. She was still a little confused as to how it did that, but overall that wasn't the biggest thing that was on her mind.
She was the Hero.
She groaned at the revelation. She should be excited that she finally got her answer after all these years of wondering what her 'destiny' was, but now that she knew, it left her even more confused. Why was she the Hero? Wasn't he supposed to be a guy?
Sighing loudly, she looked over at the pair of doors that led to the room she was in a few moments ago, before the two Sheikah shooed her out of there to talk. Lin wondered if that was one of the subjects they were discussing in there. She briefly chuckled at the thought. She wouldn't be surprised. Based on both of their reactions including the one that Sheik had earlier when he first saw her mark, neither one of them were expecting that result. At the same time though, neither was she.
She leaned back in the chair that she was sitting in. Sure, she had fancied the idea of being the Hero when she was younger, but it was only that, a fantasy! Not reality. And yet here she was, confirmed to be a new incarnation of the Hero of Legend and instead of being elated, she was utterly terrified. And why wouldn't she be? She had read the stories of all of the previous Heroes and knew what was going to come next for her. And honestly she wasn't looking forward to it at all. Not one bit.
Lin drew her legs up into the chair and wrapped her arms around them to hold against her chest while sighing again. Hyrule was going to be screwed with her as their Hero. Or she supposed in this case it would be Heroine. She laid her head on her knees in irritation.
Sheik was pacing back and forth near the fire, mulling over what they had just confirmed about the woman in the room next to them. So his theory was correct, she was the Hero. ...But why? This question kept floating about in his head just begging to be answered, but he had nothing he could go on to answer it. He groaned aloud while rubbing his head in irritation. "Well, this is certainly a turn of events."
Impa nodded in agreement as she sat on the ground lost in thought. This definitely wasn't something she was expecting. Her memories of everything she remembered being taught about preparing for the arrival of the Hero, but no where in her memory did she recall it saying that the Hero would be a woman this time around. Perhaps it was something the Sages didn't want to speak of? If so, then why? Why would it need be kept a secret? Why not tell them? They were the Sheikah and as such could be trusted with such vital information. Even then though, not a single thing was told to them about this twist in the tale. Maybe the Sages didn't want to risk any sort of information getting out so they kept it a secret from everyone, even them?
She sighed. If that were the case then that would mean that they would be the only ones who would know about why the Hero was now a Heroine. That would be something that they would have to be asked about. Surely they would know the answer.
Unfortunately though, they were no where to be found. At least not currently anyway…
Impa turned her attention back to her nephew who was now sitting on the ground across from her. He looked to still be processing the new information and was probably coming to the same conclusion she was. "The only ones who could possibly know of why this has happened would be the Sages. But you and I both know the status they are currently in."
She heard him groan loudly. "So this just makes it all the more important that we find the items and awaken them then..."
Impa grunted in affirmation. That it did. She wasn't sure what it was that made the Sages do the things they did, but, at this point they had no choice but to trust their judgment and do their part.
"Does this change anything about the journey? Or is it still the same?"
She shook her head at her nephew's question. "No, it doesn't change anything. The mission remains the same. However though," A few thoughts came to her mind about the woman in the next room. She knew, being a woman herself, that there would be things that would happen that might, in a lack of a better term, complicate things a little bit on the journey, but it wasn't something that couldn't be worked around. "certain things will be different. Not so much that it would jeopardize the mission, but enough that it will take some time to get used to and to work around. All I can say is be patient with her. Not only in those aspects but also in the ones that pertain to her destiny. Based on her reaction earlier, I'm certain that she is still processing this and that it will take a while for her to fully accept it."
Impa moved rise from the floor, but didn't break her eye contact with Sheik. "Don't forget that you did the same when you realized your destiny." She watched as he nodded once and followed her lead by standing up too. She heard him sigh then speak. "I suppose I need to gather the gifts that we had made. I'll need to present them to her properly."
She saw him turn and move to gather the sword and shield that had been sat up against the wall. As she watched him lift them off of the ground, a fleeting thought came to her mind about something else that the Hero might need on their journey, especially since it was a skill that Sheik needed to train her in. She turned to the bookshelf behind her. Her eyes roamed over the books until she found the one she needed. She pulled it from the shelf and turned back to her nephew who was how holding the gifts as if they could break at any moment. She held the book out to him. "Here, this will help you during her training in magic." He grabbed it with his free hand and studied the cover. "It contains some information regarding certain spells that I'm sure will come in handy during your journey."
Sheik briefly glanced at his aunt when she spoke and looked back down at the book. On its cover it bore the tribe's symbol that was stitched into it with tan thread and for its eye it glowed a dull, yet still bright, blue. He was curious as to how it was doing that, but he supposed that there was some type of spell or device on it that allowed for this to appear this way. After studying it for a few more moments, he tucked the book away into his small satchel attached to his belt and moved to bow to his aunt before heading to the door.
But before he could open the doors, he heard his aunt call out to him softly. "Sheik?" He turned around to see what it was that she wanted. He saw a sad look form on her face as she breathed deeply. She spoke again. "I'm sorry for what the Elders said to you back there. They had no right to do so."
He was glad to hear that his aunt disagreed with their words, but she shouldn't be the one to apologize for them. The Elders should. He inwardly laughed though. The likelihood of that ever happening though was slim to none. He still appreciated his aunt's words though. "Thank you, but, you don't have to apologize."
He saw his aunt's mouth open to say something else, but he quickly opened one of the doors behind him and exited. Even though he knew his aunt was only trying to make him feel better, he still didn't like to be pitied.
Lin pulled herself out of her position when the sound of one of the doors closing came to her ears. She looked up to see Sheik standing before them, holding what appeared to be a sword and shield in his arms. She was momentarily confused by why he was holding them until the thought came to her that those were probably his.
She heard him take a deep breath and turned to look at her. She watched as he threw a glance at the symbol on her left hand and then looked back up at her face. "It's a lot to take in, I suppose."
She looked away from him and nodded slightly at his words. "Yeah, it's not everyday that you figure out that you're supposed to Hyrule's savior." Lin chuckled softly at what she said. Although it was funny how this happened, at the same she could feel the terror she was feeling towards the idea. There was no way she could do this.
"Here. These are yours."
Lin looked back in Sheik's direction to find him kneeling on the ground only a few steps away from her vicinity, holding the sword and shield out towards her. She was surprised by this action. These items were hers? Tentatively she reached out with her hands to grab said items, giving him a quick glance to make sure he wasn't going to stop her while doing so. Once they were within her grasp, she felt him release the objects only to have her nearly drop them due to their weight. Luckily though, she was able to catch herself in time and brought them closer to her.
With them now closer to her, she was able to see the finer details each weapon possessed. The shield was round and had what looked to her like iron that had been molded around the edges. The inner part appeared to be wooden in nature, but it was a type of metal that had been painted to look bronze. And on that area, some white paint had been done over it to look decorative in nature. And in the direct center of the shield, a small blue emblem was molded into it. The emblem had inside of it the red eye of the Sheikah.
The sword bore an iron pommel and crossguard, similar to the iron that surrounded the edge of the shield. The grip had been painted bronze to match its counterpart. And although she had not removed the sword from its scabbard, she was sure to find that the sword would be silver in color. She wouldn't be for sure though until she removed it.
Sheik could see her studying the weapons in her hands and could tell that she was still reeling from the news. He, too, was still trying to wrap his mind around it. But he knew that he couldn't afford to linger on it for too much longer. There would be time to figure out why things were this way when they found the Sages. Surely they could give them an answer. For now though, he needed to perform his duty and guide the Hero, or Heroine in this case, and train her in what she needed to know. He cleared his throat to pull her attention away from the two items in her hands. She looked at him. "The sword and shield you have within your possession was crafted by our best blacksmiths as a gift for you to use in your journey. It also to show that you have the Sheikah on your side if the time comes that you need them to help you." He saw her expression change to that of a mixture of awe and slight fear. He was momentarily confused by the fear she was expressing, but he realized that it may have been directed at the fact that she was wary about going on a journey. For that he couldn't blame her.
He decided then to help alleviate some of her fears by explaining who he was. "Although you already know my name from hearing it earlier, I still need to properly introduce myself and explain who I am." She still continued to watch him with her full attention. He bowed slightly to her as he spoke. "I am Sheik. I was chosen by fate to be the Guardian of Shadows. The Guardian of Shadows is to be the guide and protector of the chosen Hero and to help train them in various different forms of self-defense and to guide them throughout their journey." He lifted his head back to up to look up at her to see her eyes wide at the announcement he made. "I cannot claim to know exactly everything that is going to happen during the journey, but I can promise that I will ensure that you will see it to the end."
When Lin opened her eyes next, she found herself back in the familiar environment of the forest. She sighed in relief. It wasn't because that she didn't find the village of the Sheikah interesting, it was more that this was home to her and after all that she found out moments ago, it felt nice to be back in a place that felt comforting.
She turned to look at Sheik who was standing next to her, putting away his harp. She could see the sword and shield strapped to his back and she had to laugh at the sight. He raised an eyebrow at her. After trying to stifle her giggles for a few seconds, she finally managed to quiet them. "Sorry, it's just that those weapons don't look like they really suit you. Heck, I don't even know if they would suit me either even though they are supposed to be mine!"
He nodded at her response. She was a little confused as to why he didn't say anything back to her, but during the little time she had interacted with him, she got the impression that he only spoke when he felt it was important and tended to keep to himself. She inwardly smiled. Hopefully that would change though. Especially considering that they were now going to be traveling together until this journey was over with. It would get kind of boring traveling with someone who refused to talk to her. Maybe, just maybe they could become good friends when it was all said and done. They would have to see.
Sheik had to admit that her comment about the sword and shield he was carrying for her was amusing, but he didn't want to show her that he thought so. He had been hurt by too many people during his lifetime and he didn't wish to be hurt by another. Even though he knew that her character was supposed to be noble and caring due to her position as the new Hero, he still didn't want to risk it.
Turning his thoughts away from that, Sheik knew that she needed to get back to her village. Surely there were people that were worried about her well-being considering she was being chased down by a metallic creature before they left. "I'll continue to carry your weapons for you until you get back to your home. I figure its best to keep the knowledge of who you really are between us and my aunt for the time being." He sighed. "Although we're not sure why no one knew of the Hero's new identity, we believe that the Sages kept it a secret for a reason. A reason that didn't give and probably won't until we ask them."
She nodded at his statement. "It makes sense. But the lack of answers about only makes me even more curious as to why." Sheik had to agree. He shared that curiosity. He heard her speak again. "You know you didn't really explain to me what my journey is supposed to be about. I have a general idea of what it may be based on the stories of the previous Heroes, but I'm not sure if I should use that as the basis for mine."
It was a valid question she had. "I will explain everything once we arrive at your home. I don't want to have anyone accidentally overhear our conversation so it would be better to have it done within closed quarters."
"Gotcha." He saw her turn towards the direction her village lay. "Looks like we got a lot of walking to do..."
When two of the hunters, Gully and Beth, came running to her saying that Lin had been driven off into the woods by a strange metal being, Navi began to worry immediately. She found herself thinking of the words Lin told her yesterday about a creature attacking her on her way home and wondered if the two were related. And if they were, that meant that the forest was far more dangerous than they already knew it was.
After she received the news, she had the two hunters go and calm themselves down while she immediately called the rest of the hunters that were available and weren't off hunting to go to the area of the forest where Lin's team was at and begin their search. And if they found the other hunters during that time to have them end their hunting journey and stick together. If she hadn't been found by nightfall, she reluctantly ordered them to return back home and resume the search in the morning.
Navi took a deep breath as she ran her right hand through her hair. She really hoped Lin was alright. Although she knew the woman could easily take care of herself in dire circumstances (it was also one of the reasons why she was promoted to become the leader of the hunters), she knew that just like everyone else, she had her limitations. Navi prayed that she wouldn't reach them with this creature and lose her life in the process.
She cared about Lin a lot and felt protective of her to the point where she felt that Lin was like her little sister and she the big one. And it was this protectiveness that made Navi feel helpless when it came to this situation. She wanted desperately to go out and find her herself, but she couldn't leave the village. It was too much of a risk. If they lost Lin, they couldn't afford to lose her either. She frowned. Hopefully they would find something. And she wanted that something for her to be found alive.
She saw the sun begin to set in the distance. She began to get nervous. Did they find her in time? Navi looked ahead to see the hunters slowly began to exit the forest and based on the looks they all wore on their faces, they didn't have good news. She sighed and began to fear the worst.
Navi quickly tried to hide that fear though for she saw Talo start to approach her. He wore a look that was similar to how she felt on the inside. Although she knew the man didn't much care for Lin and her leadership, (part of it was due to some long held prejudices that some of the older members of the village still held) he still tried to respect her due to her position and intellect on how to hunt properly. She hoped his lingering feelings of animosity towards her (and to a smaller extent, herself) would fade over time, but she had yet to see it though. Still he was showing progress.
"Did you find anything?" She hoped he would give her a good answer although her gut was telling her otherwise.
He shook his head. "No, Cheiftess. We didn't find a trace of her. The only thing we found was some metal pieces that we found scattered in one part of the forest where she had been chased to. But there was no sign of her anywhere."
She sighed as a small twinge of relief came to her. At least they hadn't found a body. Perhaps she was still out there in the forest somewhere. She may trying to make her way back here. At least she hoped she was. "There wasn't any evidence of blood anywhere was there? Or any other sign that perhaps she had been wounded by the creature that chased her?" Once more Talo replied with a negative. At least that showed that if she was out there, she wasn't hurt. Unless… No, she wouldn't allow her thoughts to go there. Although she send a prayer to the Goddesses above that she had not befallen the same fate as her parents.
"Cheiftess Navi!"
Navi turned her head in the direction the voice came from to see one of the hunters, Mido, along with his youngest sister, Fado. By the frantic looks on their faces as well as the way they were running, they probably had heard of the news and were trying to get answers. She knew they were close to Lin, seeing as their family took her in to raise after her parents' untimely deaths. It took them a few moments to reach her, but when they did the questions began pouring out of their mouths.
"We just heard! Have you found her yet?" The woman, Fado, asked, fear evident in her blue eyes. With the way she kept tugging at her blonde hair, she could tell that she was nervous about what she was about to say. Navi sighed. "No, not yet. I think she may be still in the woods, probably trying to seek shelter for the night." Navi looked around the village to see the blanket of darkness begin to cover the land around them. She really hoped Lin was alright.
"I'm going to go in there and find her!" Navi's eyes widened and her sight quickly turned to look back at Mido who wore a look of fierce determination on his face. He started to trek towards the woods, his bow and quiver in hand, before Navi quickly grabbed his shoulder, making him stop. "You can't! It's far too dangerous to go into the woods at night!"
He turned to look back at her with a pleading look on his face. "With all due respect, Cheiftess, I can't just sit around and wait for her to show up! She needs to be found and brought back home!"
If it were any other situation that Mido spoke to her as such, she would fiercely reprimand him for his tone, but considering the circumstances, she could let it slide this time. They all were worried about her. "Look, Mido, trust me, I want to go out there just as much as you do and bring her home safely, but you know as well as I how dangerous the woods are. During the daytime its somewhat dangerous, but at nighttime it's even more so." She paused at her next words. "Even though Lin is important to the tribe and I want her to be safe, I can't risk losing anymore hunters out there. Another search will start up first thing in the morning and if you want you can join that one."
She could see that he was torn between listening to her or following what he wanted to do. She tried to speak one last statement to see if this would cause him to back off for the time being. "Look, we both know how Lin is. She's a resourceful young woman and knows these woods like the back of her hand. I'm sure she'll be alright." Navi knew that not only was she trying to convince him of this, but she was trying to do it for herself too.
Navi watched Mido's shoulders fall in defeat as he made the decision to wait. She could see the regret he felt evident on his face. "I'll join the first search party in the morning." Navi nodded and smiled. "I'll see you then."
"Oh my goddesses! There she is!"
Navi's heart leapt in her chest as she heard the words one of the hunters who were currently waiting for orders cry out. She, Mido and Fado jerked their heads towards the forest to see who they were all so desperate to see begin walking out from the trees.
It was Lin. She was alive and well.
Navi was instantly relieved at seeing her second. But although she was relieved at the fact that she was alright, she still felt irritated at the fact that she had worried them all. Granted it wasn't all her fault, but she still felt annoyed that it had happened. She separated herself from the two siblings that were standing next to her, both showing relieved looks on their faces at seeing their lost friend, and began to make her way towards Lin. She could see that the woman was being bombarded by questions from the other hunters and a few villagers who heard the news of her disappearance and was getting overwhelmed by their pushing. She decided to help the woman.
"Hey! I understand that we all are glad to see that Lin is alive and well, but unfortunately we all need to be getting some rest in order to prepare for tomorrow. And as for those who are the nightwatchmen, I need you to take your posts and keep both eyes on the forest, since now we know that there are now more than just monsters wondering around in them." The crowd then began to disperse, with everyone nodded their consent towards her and a few giving Lin a few last words of relief of her being returning safely. Once it had died down enough, Navi sighed and turned to face her second. Based on the look Lin was giving her, she knew that Navi wanted to get some information about exactly what had happened out there.
"A what attacked you?"
Navi looked at the golden brunette-haired woman with what she was sure was an incredulous expression. The two were now in her home in order to hide away from prying eyes as she was questioning her about what went on after she was separated from her party.
Lin closed her eyes and exhaled at her words. She ran her fingernails over her forehead in thought. On her way back home with Sheik, the conversation she would inevitably have with Navi was one she was dreading. Especially considering that she had hinted at one of those same creatures attacking her the other day when she was coming back from Oocca Town after the ceremony. Maybe she should have said something then and they could've perhaps done something to prevent them from going into the forest earlier today. But… she also knew in the back of her mind that regardless of what they did, the creature would've been encountered eventually, especially since she had a hunch that they were after her. Why though? She wasn't sure. But if that train of thought were correct, then it would've probably done some damage to the village had she not gone into the forest then. She was just glad that Gully and Beth weren't hurt by the creature in the process…
She looked back up at her leader. "It was a strange metallic creature. It was just like the one that attacked me yesterday when I was entering the forest. You know the one I mentioned that destroyed the bridge? The one that attacked me in the forest looked just like that one." Lin decided it was best to just go ahead and tell her everything she knew. Maybe, just maybe with Navi in on it, especially with her connections being that she was the Cheiftess, she could figure out what that thing was and maybe even why it was coming after her.
Navi brought her left hand up to her chin in thought. Her eyes formed into a slight glare that she directed at her second. "You didn't tell me that the creature was metallic in nature."
Lin blushed slightly in embarrassment under her scrutiny. "I didn't think it was important at the time. Plus I wasn't expecting another one to appear. I thought the one that attacked me yesterday was the only one. But after the events of today, obviously that's not the case."
Navi removed her hand from her chin and nodded. She couldn't entirely blame her for not telling her out right what it was that attacked her. She probably would've done the same, if she were in her position. But since she wasn't, she needed to figure out what was going on. Why would these two metal-clad beings suddenly appear in their woods when they were never there before? She crossed her arms over her chest as she continued to contemplate. Another thing she was wondering was if they were targeting her second. From what she could tell on Lin's facial expressions as she was explaining earlier what had happened, she seemed to be wondering the same thing. But if that was the case, then who was doing that? There had to be a mastermind behind the things.
She looked to her right to see a map of Hyrule that had been posted on the wall across from where they were sitting at her table. Navi looked at the northwestern portion of the map to see Oocca labeled. That tribe was known all across Hyrule for their technological prowess. Perhaps their Cheiftain, Librari, could give her some answers or at least point her in a direction that they could look into. That looked to be the only option they had at this point. "I'll write to the Cheiftain of the Oocca tomorrow and have a few messengers take it to him. Hopefully he'll know something about it or at least give us a lead. If not, then I'm not sure what else to do other than write the Royal Family asking them to look into it. I don't want to resort to that, but if Librari doesn't know anything I'll have to."
She stood up from the chair next to the table and began to walk over to her desk. Before she could make it there though, another thought passed through her head and she decided to voice it aloud. She turned back to Lin. "I think it's best that we suspend hunts for now until we get answers. I don't want to risk anyone else getting hurt."
Lin's eyes widened at her announcement. She quickly stood up from her chair in shock. She couldn't do that! Although she understood why she came to that decision, in the end it would only hurt Kokiri more. "But Cheiftess Navi, we can't afford to hold off on hunts! We need to prepare for the winter! For everyday we hold off on it, we lose more time to gather the meat we need. Especially since some of the animals we are looking to get are about to go into hibernation for the upcoming season and I don't think any of us are willing to go searching in a blizzard for something to eat."
She heard Navi sigh. Lin hoped that she hadn't said anything out of turn. "Look, I understand why you want to hold them off and if it were any other time of the year, it wouldn't be as bad. But with us this close to the new season, I personally think that it'll hurt us badly. And if it hurts us, then it hurts the rest of Hyrule as a whole." Lin started to think of suggestions. "How about this: we continue the hunts, but instead of spreading us about like we had been doing and doing it all day, we designate it to only a certain time and make it as one large group that's spread it on one area? That way if more of those things are out there, we will have strength in numbers and with the time limit it will lessen our chances of encountering one. It will also let us bring in some meat, maybe not as much as we normally do, but that's still better than nothing."
Lin went quiet and waited for Navi to give her answer. Although she knew that she didn't like the idea of holding off the hunts, ultimately what she said, she had to abide by, even if she didn't like it. She heard Navi sigh again. "Alright. Although I personally still think its for the best if we stop them altogether, I can agree with you that it doesn't look like it will bode well for us if we went through with it. Either way though, we're screwed so I suppose any little bit helps."
Lin smiled in agreement. "So do you want me to wake up early in the morning and come talk to you more in detail about it?"
Navi nodded. "Yes, I'd like for you to come see me in the morning, but no so early though. You had a rough day today, so I think I can let it slide of you slept in a little bit. But once noon time comes, I'd like for you to come here so that we can discuss more in detail what we're going to do about this. About that time too, I ought to have sent out the letter by then." She smiled at Lin and turned to continue her walk to her desk. "I'll inform the hunters about what's going on, so don't worry about it. Just get on home and get some rest. You need it."
Lin watched as Navi moved to go sit down at her desk and pulled out a sheet of paper to begin composing the letter she was going to send. She gave a small bow of respect to Navi and turned to go exit the building. Lin really hoped that she was able to get some answers, because not only she was wanting to know what was going on, so did Sheik. She nearly groaned aloud at remembering him. She almost forgot. He was waiting for her to arrive at her home. She had given him directions to get there as they neared the border of her village. He didn't wish to be seen by anyone as he was told to not let anyone other than her see him. Her thoughts then turned what Sheik promised to tell her regarding her journey. She was highly curious as to what he was going to say.
Lin opened up the stable door and slunk through it, being careful to leave it slightly ajar in order to allow Sheik to get through it. It was the only thing he had requested of her to do whenever she reached her home. That way he'd be able to sneak in without anyone noticing otherwise. She was still a little bit confused as to the specifics to why he needed to not be seen, but she figured that it probably had something to do with him being a Sheikah and the fact that they hadn't been seen in a while and were considered to be extinct.
She looked over to see Epona over in her stall looking at her expecting. She smiled and moved to go get the girl some oats to eat. Once the trough was filled up appropriately with her food, her smile widened when Epona went to eat them. Her hand began to run through the horse's hair as she started to pet her. "I'm sorry for not giving you a bath today like I had wanted. Maybe tomorrow I'll get to it."
"You're talking to your horse?"
Lin immediately jerked back in fear and let out a small squeak as she spun around to see Sheik standing behind her. She would've laughed at the expression he was showing on his face had she not been so frightened by him showing up behind her out of nowhere. Once she figured out that it was just him, she put her left hand on her chest in an attempt to calm herself down. She breathed heavily. "Don't do that! You scared me!"
"How did I manage to scare you when you knew I was coming?" He found himself amused at the blush that came over her face at her realization that he did have a point with his question. He would've smiled at how she looked, but he forced it to stop forming on his face. He didn't need to get too attached to her. He instead glanced at the stable door she had left open for him. "I closed it back for you after I came in."
Lin looked at the door to see that it was in fact closed. She took one more deep breath to chase away the last bit of the fear she had in her from his scare. She removed her hand from her chest. "Thank you." She turned towards the door that led into her house. She felt a little wary about letting him in, but after she reviewed what all had happened earlier that day, she knew that deep down she didn't have a reason to fear him. She began to walk towards the door. "This door goes inside my house. You'll have to forgive some of my mess. I wasn't exactly expecting visitors whenever I came home today and plus I haven't had time to clean up since I just got back home yesterday." She blushed sheepishly at this. She really needed to work on keeping her house up. It did tend to pile up on her when she didn't.
Her hand grasped the door handle and using her weight, she pushed the door open. She found the switch to turn on the lights and walked inside. She continued on to her stove and left the door open, expecting him to close it after he came in behind her. As she knelt to begin to light the fire in the stove and start cooking a meal, she heard the door close and knew that he was inside now. "You can put the sword and shield next to that vanity there." She heard a thud noise which she assumed as those items being sat there. Then she heard him walking into the kitchen area where she was.
Lin smiled as she saw the fire slowly started to flicker and come to life. Once its progress looked promising, she stood up to begin gathering things to cook. She moved to the pantry and started to peruse what she had stocked there. "Hmm..." She turned to look back at Sheik who was not sitting at a chair at her small table. "Is there anything you're particular towards eating? I can't promise to make a big, elaborate meal. Only simple things."
She saw the look of amusement form on his face. "You can't make elaborate meals?"
Lin immediately felt a twinge of annoyance when she heard what he said. She had heard that particular set of words so many times from other people in her village that she was getting sick of it. "No, I can't. I guess I'm not exactly a 'perfect' female until I learn to do so." She quickly turned her gaze back to the panty. She started mentally chastising herself though for saying it. He probably didn't mean anything by it. He was more than likely just asking a simple question.
"I didn't mean that exactly. I was just curious." She heard him pause momentarily as if he was deciding whether or not to speak his next words. "...some women from village can't even do that. My aunt included."
Lin's annoyance was quickly replaced with guilt. She didn't mean to snap at him initially, but she couldn't stop herself. She sighed and grabbed a couple of potatoes from the pantry and moved to place them onto the counter top next to the stove. "Sorry. It's just that, well, a lot of people here tend to look down on women who don't know how to do that. The reason for it is something along the lines of 'it makes you look like a less candidate for being a wife' or some kind of crap like that."
"Why would they think that?" Lin heard him ask with a tone in his voice that sounded like he was surprised to hear someone think that. She pulled open a drawer and pulled out a knife to begin peeling the potatoes. "Honestly, I'm not quite sure. I guess that's just how they picture what women should be good at." She laughed dryly. "Guess I fail at that though. I even had Fado, a friend of mine here, try to teach me, but nothing I ever made turned out any good. I suppose it's a good thing that I can't do it. Otherwise I'd poison everyone with my cooking. Ha!"
She considered it a personal victory when she heard him snort at her comment. Maybe she was slowly breaking him out of his shell. Course it would take a lot more than just telling him jokes though. She thought back to her question she had asked him regarding the food. "You know, you never did tell me what you wanted to eat."
"...you're not going to poison it, are you?"
Her eyebrows furrowed together at his question. Why would he ask such that? Did he thing she hated him? "No...why would I do that?" She paused her peeling and turned her head to look back at him. He didn't have an easily discernible expression on his face that she could tell. 'Darn that scarf he wears…' But she could see that he was studying her as if trying to see for himself if she would. A thought came to her then. Maybe the reason why he was asking this question was connected to part of his Sheikah training? Or to get even deeper, perhaps it was something that happened to him in his past? Or maybe he was afraid that based on the joke she made that she might actually poison it? Either way, she had a feeling that she shouldn't push it, especially if she was planning on getting him to willingly open up to her. "If you want, you can watch me prepare the meal, that way you can see for yourself if I'm poisoning it or not."
He seemed to contemplate her suggestion and after a few moments, he stood up from the chair to come stand next to her to watch her process. Lin turned to focus on what she was previously doing, a little embarrassed to have him so close, but she did suggest the idea, so she only had herself to blame. "I'm just making potato soup. Its a quick and simple dish to make and seeing as we both are probably tired out from trekking the entire way here, it seemed like a logical choice."
She didn't look back at him to see his response, but instead leaned down to open up a lower cabinet to grab a large pot to put some fresh water in. She would need to prepare some broth before putting the now peeled potatoes in.
Sheik looked at Lin from across the table of hers that they were now sitting at. Each of them had a warm cup of green tea that she had prepared for them both while they were waiting for the soup to finish cooking. He was secretly glad that she had this tea for it was one of his favorites to drink. He watched as she picked up her cup and began sipping at it. He thought back to her offering to let him watch her cook. He felt slightly guilty on his part for even asking if she was going to do that, but in his defense, he had that happen to him before (luckily, his aunt was able to find an antidote before it got worse) and he didn't want to risk it happening again. He was surprised that she didn't pressure him as to why he said that and instead allowed him to come make sure that she wasn't going to do just that. Maybe she was different from all the other people that he knew? It was a slight possibility, but he wasn't too sure. Regardless, they needed to talk business now. "We need to discuss what the journey is supposed to be about."
She put her cup back down onto the table. She had a look of curiosity on her face. Apparently this had been on her mind for a while now. "Okay. I'm not entirely sure what to ask though about it honestly. The only question I have in mind right now, is the one we're both thinking of is 'why is the Hero a woman', but neither one of us knows the answer to that one."
He nodded as he grabbed his cup to take a sip of tea. Hmm...not bad. She prepared it well. Most people didn't have the touch for preparing it just right, but maybe the talent she lacked for making complicated meals went to her tea brewing ability instead. "I suppose its best to start from the beginning." He put his cup back onto the hard surface of the table and looked up at her with a serious expression. "Do you remember the Great War?"
"You mean the one that happened 200 years ago? Yeah, I know of it. It's part of the reason why Hyrule is like it is now. What does that have to do with me now?"
"As with every trial that Hyrule faces, a Hero and Princess are destined to arise and stand up against it. And just like with that war those two figures arose to stop Ganondorf who had been risen from the dead."
He saw her eyes widen greatly and gasp at his words. "But...I thought he was dead. Didn't he get killed by the Hero of Light? Plus I don't recall there being a Hero that existed during the Great War. Are you sure you aren't mistaken?"
Sheik shook his head. "A Hero did exist during that time. Though he probably wasn't recorded in history as he failed in his duty to stop Ganondorf, who had been resurrected from the dead by a powerful follower of his."
"The Hero...failed? But... I thought the Hero always won."
He sighed. "Typically they do as it is their destiny to prevail, but apparently we all got too complacent with that story and failed to realize that there was a possibility that the Hero could fall in battle and not be able to stop the evil plaguing Hyrule. Especially if the Hero wasn't ready to face said evil."
He saw Lin's left eyebrow raise at this. "Come again? He wasn't ready?"
He nodded. "He wasn't ready for the battle with Ganondorf because he didn't face the necessary trails that the Hero needed to go through in order to better their skills and learn the lessons they needed to. Instead he was basically drafted right after the mark appeared on his hand to face Ganondorf. There wasn't any time for him to prepare like the others before him had done. So essentially he was destined to fail due to that mistake."
Sheik could see the question she had written on her face. "But why couldn't he just stop and do what all the other ones did? I mean, wasn't there any time at all for him to get ready for it?"
"No, there wasn't any. You see, you may recall some of it from your history books, I presume, when the war started it was pretty much immediate. Plus the Hero wasn't found until about a month and a half into the war. So essentially he had about two weeks to prepare for the battle that he had to face." He grabbed his cup of tea again to take another sip. "Without any prior training and the trials to go through to strengthen his body, mind and soul to prepare, he was a sitting cucco, so to speak. Plus from what I can recall from reading in the history books I have back in Kakariko, this made him arrogant to the point where he believed that there was no way he could fail, even though history says otherwise."
"Oh." He watched her grab her own cup of tea to drink. He continued his tale. "Then when you add into the fact that the Sages discovered that Ganondorf was going to attempt to make a move for the Triforce of Power that lay in the Sacred Realm since his death at the hands of the Hero of Light, this added more to the importance of the Hero needing to move in quickly. He was unable to stop Ganondorf from gaining back the piece and, due to his arrogance and lack of skill, he fell at the madman's hands."
Lin felt her stomach turn to lead. So if he failed, does that mean that she could? He apparently could see where her train of thought was taking her. "This failure lead to the Sages sealing him away in the Sacred Realm and they began to prepare a plan that would help secure the next Hero's success."
"Which would be me in that case?" She still felt upset at knowing that there was a big possibility that she could fail at this task and die, but at hearing the words that Sheik said about the Sages putting things into place that way she'd have a greater chance of succeeding helped some of that feeling go away.
"Yes. The plan was separated into four parts that would ensure that the Hero would succeed. Each part would come together to ensure that the new Hero would be ready for another encounter with Ganondorf."
"Wait, so Ganondorf is supposed to come back? I thought he was sealed away..." Lin was confused at this point. Why would they try and prepare for something like this if they had already taken him out of the picture?
"Ganondorf himself said that he was going to find a way back to the physical realm in order to finish what he started. And in that case, the Sages weren't going to take it lightly. If and when Ganondorf breaks lose from his seal, the only person who can stop him is the Hero. That's how its been since the dawn of the first Hero." Sheik sighed. "Its a risk that Hyrule can't afford to take towards his words. Especially since with what happened during the Great War."
Lin nodded. So many races were wiped out during that war and it made her irritated to think that this one man, the one who appeared in both of the stories of the Hero of Time and Light, would do something like that to people who had done nothing to him except for protecting what was theirs. He needed to be stopped. "So what are the four parts of the plan then?"
"The first part of the plan they made was that the Hero would be trained physically in the ways of swordsplay, archery, magic and self-defense. This would be done by having someone who was chosen by destiny in the Sheikah tribe to become the guide and guardian of the Hero. This someone would not only protect the Hero throughout their journey, but they would train them in those ways. You already know who that 'someone' is already based on what I told you earlier."
"Well, I've got the archery part down, I'll say." She laughed a little and nodded for him to continue.
"The second part of the plan was for the Hero to be trained mentally which would be done by the Sages preparing places that the Hero would have to travel through and use their wit and knowledge to figure a way through them. They would also have to face many monsters and the bosses of each of those places to show how their skills have grown."
"So basically they're all dungeons?" Sheik nodded in confirmation. "Yes. At the end of those dungeons items would be found that are called the Sage's Relics. Each of these relics contain the Sages' powers. Each relic acts as a key to open up the next dungeon and they all are to be used at the end of the final dungeon located in the Shadow Temple back in Kakariko Village. There is an item, a crystal, located there that holds the memories of the Sages. These items would be used to break the seal on the crystal which would then free them."
Lin stopped short of pulling her cup of tea to her mouth. If she thought she was confused before, she definitely was now. "Why are their memories and Powers in the relics and crystal? Why don't the Sages have them?" She brought the tea up to her mouth and began to drink some more.
"The Sages as you know them no longer exist."
She nearly choked on the liquid in her throat and coughed to help the remaining bit of it finish going down into her stomach. She put the cup back onto the table. "What?"
"Shortly after they finished preparing this plan, they sealed their powers into the relics and their memories into the crystal. After that they gave up their ethereal forms to be reborn as normal Hylians who would then obtain the powers and memories that were released from those items once we break the seal on the crystal."
She grabbed a nearby napkin to clean up the tea that had dribbled out of her mouth during her choking incident. "So, there's six people out there right now that are reincarnated Sages and they don't even know it, is what you're saying, right?"
"Yes." Sheik picked up his tea and drank some more. "We're not entirely sure why they did it for, but now that we know that the Hero is now a female, I think that may have something to do with it. There's a reason why none of us, including you, knew about this and the only people who would know is the Sages, but they're currently unavailable. Until we awaken their reincarnations, we won't know the truth behind it."
Sheik brought his right hand up to his chin in thought. "I think that they may have done it this way to prevent anyone from accidentally or intentionally leaking out the new information, but as to why exactly, I won't know until I ask them myself."
Lin placed the napkin back down onto the table. "What about the other two parts?"
He removed his hand. "The third part was to make sure that you were spiritually ready to face Ganondorf and that will happen before you obtain the Master Sword. As to what exactly you have to do, I'm not sure on that, it wasn't really elaborated on. The last part though is contained within the Sages' memories and until we release the seal, we won't know anything about it."
He looked up at Lin. "Until then though, we can only focus on the first two parts of the plan. I need to train you and we need to find these dungeons in due time. There really isn't a time limit as to when we need to start, but I would recommend that we would begin as soon as possible. Ganondorf is surely to still have followers roaming around Hyrule, perhaps even those creatures that attacked you have something to do with them. I don't want to risk us losing the chance to prepare Hyrule for the time when Ganondorf does find a way out of the Sacred Realm by waiting too long."
Lin stood up to go check on the soup. "I do agree on that, but I can't just go traipsing around Hyrule and leave my tribe without me. I have duties here I have to uphold and fulfill and with winter just right around the corner, they'll need me more than ever." After she confirmed that the soup was done, she sighed as she opened a cupboard to grab two bowls and spoons. "Where is the first dungeon located at?"
"Its deep in the woods."
Lin thought. If it wasn't that far from here, then perhaps she could find a way to get there and back without causing people to be alarmed at her disappearance. Still though, she hated to leave them anytime soon, especially when they needed her. Plus with Navi worried about the notion that there might be more of those metallic beings in the forest, she wouldn't let her leave anytime soon. But, she thought about the vacation she still had yet to take. Maybe that was a solution in of itself.
"Well, Navi, the Cheiftess of my village by the way, has yet to give me my vacation as I was promised to take after a ceremony I had to attend at the castle." She began to spoon some of the soup into the bowls, making sure to let Sheik have a clear view of what she was doing in order to make sure that he didn't think she was poisoning his bowl. "She didn't give it to me immediately when I returned home since the person I had put in charge of the hunters got sick shortly after I left, so I have to take things back into my command until he gets better."
Once the bowls were adequately filled, she grabbed them carefully, as they were still a bit hot, and carried them over to the table. She placed the spoons down onto its surface. "Maybe until then you can start training me and once I get permission to take my vacation, we can use that time to go to this forest dungeon. After that though I'm not sure what we can do, as I figure the rest of them are in other locations around Hyrule, correct?"
He nodded and grabbed the spoon she had sat down before him. "That could work for now, but although we still have time, we do need to quickly find a way to leave this place. Although I do understand that you have duties to fulfill here, the ones that you have to Hyrule as a whole come first." He spooned some of the soup into his spoon and waited for it to cool enough for him to put into his mouth. Once it was in his mouth, he marveled at how it tasted. He didn't voice how good he thought it tasted though.
Lin put some soup into her own utensil. She knew he was right overall, but she didn't want to leave Kokiri. Although it had its downsides, it was still her home and as such she wanted to help it anyway that she could. She didn't want to abandon her position and leave her village hanging. She sighed before putting the soup into her mouth. Maybe something would come along that would help make her leaving easier.
Ingo stomped down one of the many streets that made up the town he lived in. He was on his way to one of his many contacts in order to place an order. An order that his boss had told him to make that regarded the information he had given him about the object that glowed at his home earlier today.
He sighed. Why did he have to do all the work? Why couldn't that man do something for once?
He pushed the thoughts out of his mind once the sign that bore the name of his contact's shop came into view: the Groosenator. He pushed open the door that led to the inside of the shop and closed it behind him. His contact in question was sitting behind the desk at his worktable, hunched over, working on a project of some kind that he could see. He cleared his throat to bring the red-haired man's attention to him.
The man took his attention off of the thing he was working on and looked back at the well-dressed man who had called him out. "May I help you, sir?"
Ingo walked over to the desk and pulled a paper he had folded out of his pocket to give to the man. The man in question grabbed it and unfolded it to see what it had written. He saw him pale slightly at what was written on it. "You want 15 more orders for those two robots I made for you?! That's a lot of work to put in for something like that, especially in the time frame that you need them in."
"I understand that, Groose, but I was told by my employer that he needed them as soon as possible! He told me to provide you with any amount of rupees you needed to make them quicker, but that he needs them now for a project he has." Ingo hoped the man would take the bait. He didn't want to have to resort to bribery or blackmail. That took too much effort on his part and had already done put in too much of it for this.
Groose grunted in irritation. "I could try my best to get them done as quickly as possible but bringing in all my employees to help work on them, but even with that effort, it will still take about a week and a half at the most. We can't guarantee them to you tomorrow."
Ingo nodded. Well, it was better then nothing. "That'll be fine. I'll be coming to check on their progress as the time goes. My employer was most insistent on me doing so." 'I better be getting paid more for this. I do have my own duties I need to attend to…'
Groose nodded and tossed the paper containing the order onto the worktable behind him. "I'll need double my usual down payment for an order this large." He watched as the man pull out a large bag of rupees and dug around inside of it to pull out the amount that he desired. It made the golden-eyed man vaguely wonder who his employer was that could afford to have that much money on hand to throw at stuff like this. Not that he was complaining as it did give him work as well as some pay that he could give to himself and his employees, but it still didn't stop him from being curious.
Once the rupees were placed in Groose's hands, Ingo turned to walk out the door. Before he exited the shop though, he turned back. "Remember that I'll be back here in the next few days to check on their progress. My employer wants to be kept updated on it."
"Yeah, yeah..." Ingo decided to ignore the man's tone and instead walk out out the door, nearly slamming it behind him in the process.
Groose took the rupees he had given him and put it inside of a safe that was located inside of the desk. Once it was secured, he turned back to his project. He saw the order paper sitting next to it and sighed. This was going to be a long week and a half.