I honestly do not seem to be able to stop.

This story was meant to be OVER. OVER I TELL YOU. And yet here is another chapter, and I'm already working on another one, because why the hell not. Plot bunny has taken me captive, dear friends, and I must keep it happy if I am to be eventually released.

So here you are, Intermission: Blue

Blue

If I'd known they'd be back today I would've taken a bath first.

I figured, you know, I should probably let Zelda know that I was finished with purging the torture chambers, and I'd even taken the effort to get the carpenters and the Gorons to work together to rebuild the Kakariko Well. They'd started construction, I had nothing to do and didn't have enough money to pay for the inn, and Epona felt like a moonlight gallop, so why not just gallop along to the Castle? I made camp in the fields, had a dinner of oats, watched the sky, went to sleep, got Epona going, and arrived in the Castle Stables pretty happy with myself, if a little tired.

I dismounted, sighing, leaning into Epona's reassuring bulk. Never mind, a lot tired. Maybe I wasn't fully recovered from my near-overdose, even after a week. It was stupid.

"You're not from here."

"Mmf?" I looked at the stall gate, where a girl was standing in a blue and purple travel cloak that practically swallowed her. "No," I agreed, "So?"

She cocked her head to the side. "You're very powerful."

I snorted. "Says who?"

"Nobody."

"...Fair enough," I scratched my hair, and grimaced; part of it was gummed up with monster juice. Ugh. "Who're you?"

The little girl frowned. "Tartem says I shouldn't tell strangers that."

Again, fair enough, though it really didn't explain her behaviour. I just went about my business, unsaddling Epona, brushing her down, sniffing a sleeve. The fact that I could tell it smelt disgusting made me wonder how bad it was for other people. I made Epona sniff. She sneezed.

"She didn't like that."

I turned around. "You're still here?"

"Yes."

"What do you want?"

She didn't reply, fidgeting. Hm. I brushed Epona some more, watching this girl just fidget where she stood, watching me in turn. She had tanned skin, but bright blue hair. It sort of reminded me of Navi. She looked at my weapons, my clothes, my boots, and for a long, long time, my hands.

She suddenly looked afraid, and ducked behind the stall door. "Tartem? Tartem!"

"Fi?"

...Fi?

I peered around the stall, and at the stable entrance was Sheik, who was resisting being dragged outside by her. They started speaking in rapid fire gibberish, Fi sounding frightened, Sheik glancing sharply at me, then sounding quite confused.

Finally, in words I could understand: "Lin?"

I waved, confused.

The girl stopped trying to run with him and hid behind him instead. Sheik glanced between the two of us. "What just happened?"

"I was just brushing Epona while she..." and then it clicked. "What's her Sight?"

"Ah, hell," he said, before saying things in what I assumed was Sheikah at the blue-haired girl that had her face buried in his back. She rapidly shook her head and muttered something. Sheik pinched the bridge of his nose. "Lin, what were you doing recently?"

"My job," I called back, getting my things and finally approaching them, "Why?"

"You might have bits of monsters and dead things all over you."

"I usually do." I was right in front of them now, and Fi was looking at me like I was a monster. "Is that what freaked you out?"

She didn't speak, and Sheik sighed. "I'm afraid so."

"...Should've taken a bath at Kakariko." I sighed, too, wishing I'd been able to give Fi a better first impression. "Lin Knightly. Hi. I'm gonna go now."

"Have lunch with us?" he asked, as I walked away.

"Only if Fi wants to," I replied, not turning around.

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I'd picked out an outfit to wear for when I met Fi.

Not that I had much to pick from. Mostly tunics. Which would usually be fine, but maybe something more… domestic, would be appropriate for meeting Tharlaigh's sister.

When I had suggested this to Zelda during hugging practice she had raised an eyebrow.

"I didn't expect so much sense to come out of that mouth."

I glowered at her.

"Come on, that suit of armour isn't going to hug itself."

Sighing I'd wrapped one arm around its neck and the other over its back. The metal was cold, and one of its pointy bits poked my rib. "How's this?"

"Better."

She was enjoying how ridiculous I looked. Which, I supposed was fine, considering the amount of stress I put her through with my antics.

"Why not that dress you wore, you know, when Sheik was calling you Garden Girl?"

"It doesn't fit." I'd replied, voice echoing in the armour's insides, "It never fit."

"What about your Court wear?"

I rested my face on its cool shoulder, thinking. "It's a dress."

Zelda shrugged. "You look nice in dresses."

And the dress itself was nice, nothing too fancy, and easy to walk in. But it didn't seem, right. "It's just that I want to… to look like me."

"Yes, I suppose you in a dress would ring a little false. Would love to see Tharlaigh's expression when he sees you, but."

I looked at her, unsure of her meaning.

The Princess rolled her eyes. "Oh, never mind. We could always buy you something if the worst comes to worst. Now let that armour go, hugs never last that long."

"Oh." I pulled back, frowning. "That's a relief, I guess."

Zelda laughed, and beckoned me along. "Come on. Let's take a look at your clothes, see if we can't find anything."

And we had, eventually. Zelda found a thick white undertunic that was passable as a shirt, a pair of relatively clean trousers that I'd had to stitch to be a little more presentable, and a sash and a yellow belt to go over my waist. I'd looked… decent.

"Can't do anything about your hair," Zelda sighed, eyeing my short bangs, "Except clean it, but that's fine. You look lovely."

I'd looked in the mirror, and couldn't help but grin. "I do."

So much for all that.

I eyed the outfit, waiting for me on my bed, and ignored it. Taking a bath, I reported to Zelda, who on seeing my expression didn't mention Sheik or Fi, and asked me to lunch.

"I'm… I'm waiting to see if Fi and Tharlaigh want to. Thank you for the offer, though."

"What happened?"

"Is it that obvious?"

"Lin, please."

Well so much for not mentioning it. I thought of the outfit, of the imagined conversations we would have had, asking about her childhood and Sheik's childhood, and their mother. All that gone, and I hadn't done anything wrong this time. "I scared Fi, and I didn't do anything."

Zelda blinked, leaning back on her throne, tapping her fingers on its armrests. "Strange. What could her magic make her see that would frighten her? It can't be your character, there's nothing terrifying about that, it could be your past, but I don't see how that would affect her regard for you… What were you doing? Thinking?"

"Brushing Epona. Thinking she was messy. Fi… kept looking at my hands."

"So can't see your thoughts, can't see your intentions, but something to do with your… actions?"

I shrugged. "Would be best to just, ask her."

"Will you do that, though?"

"I will," I snorted, scuffing a toe against Zelda's brilliant royal carpet, "If she wants to have lunch with me."

"Oh, Lin." she stood and crossed the threshold, holding my hands in hers. "I'm so sorry, I know how much you were looking forward to it."

"I didn't," I admitted, sniffling, "Till now."

-\-\-\-\-

I went to archery practice wearing my normal gear. I left a note at my door, in case someone wanted to lunch with me.

After ten minutes, I had a bullseye in all five targets. In another fifteen, I was beating my personal best score. It just went to show that I was having a really bad day. I should probably be napping.

Two quivers full of arrows peppered the targets, spelling LUNCH.

I tossed the bow away, turned around.

Fi.

I stopped. She was holding two pears in her hands, and a fistful of chestnuts. Sheik must have shown her my tree.

"I saw your tree," she said, still looking nervous, "It was amazing."

I was not in the right mind to be polite. "What do you see in my hands?"

She flinched, but stood her ground, probably assuming I wouldn't hurt her because of her brother. "They know more about killing than comfort."

I couldn't help but smile. It was the truth. "How are they different to a soldier's, or a hunter's?"

"Soldiers are guided by duty. Hunters' hands know how to disassemble an animal, to respect the killed. You have neither."

Also true. Duty did not drive me, and I had no respect for mindless beasts. "But do you see that I haven't killed anyone?"

She frowned. I raised my hands, peppered with scars.

"Look. I grew up in the Kokiri Forest, a part of the Lost Woods. I was raised on nuts and fruit and insects and herbs, and sometimes eggs, when I was sick. I've recently started on rabbits and keese, but more than that, it's just too messy a meal. True, I know a disturbing number of ways to kill things, but it's all monsters. I sometimes imagine how it could be applied to people, but… haven't crossed that line yet. Well." I thought of Ganondorf, and the conundrum of his existence or lack thereof. And my rather unfortunate track record of physical torture. "I don't think I have."

She stared and stared. "I don't know."

"Oh, well. As for comfort, I don't… like touching."

She blinked, shuffling her feet across the grass. "Why not?"

"It scares me, sometimes. I find it strange."

Fi was nodding slowly. "...I find it strange, too."

I relaxed my posture, intrigued and hopeful. "...You do?"

"People think it makes things more real. I think it's another way of lying."

That was definitely an interpretation I'd never heard of. "Huh. How?"

She looked at me again, frowning. "People usually ask why."

"I gave up asking 'why' a while back." I sat down on the podium, crossing my legs. "So? How's it lying?"

She inched a little closer, shrugging cautiously. "Not always. Just, sometimes. Like talking."

I gestured at my eyes, then at hers. "Can you see through lies as well?"

She understood my meaning. "No. I see things and know what they are. If plants are poisonous. If monster venom can heal. People are harder, but sometimes when I look at a mouth I know they lie more often than they smile."

No wonder she didn't like most people. "Must be lonely."

She was only a step away now, and offered me the pears. "I'm, sorry I reacted the way I did."

I took one, tossing it between my hands. "I've killed a stupid number of monsters. I'm sometimes scared of me."

She met my gaze, her plum-shaded eyes wide. "My name's Fi Majut'wahsodh."

They all had to have some stupidly unpronounceable name, didn't they.

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"So, tartem means 'brother' in Sheikah."

Fi nodded. I scratched the word in the grass with a spare arrow. "And martem is mother, partem is father, and nartem is sister."

She nodded again. "Temzah is family."

"Neat." Now I knew how to say those words in all languages of Hyrule, including Gerudo. It was funny, how they all managed to ring true. "Why are you a Maswat, I mean, a Mah, Magic-?"

"Majut'wahsodh."

"That, and Tharlaigh's a Hasheik?"

"Hasheik means 'of the people'. He doesn't identify with a clan, so he chose it. It's usually a name for orphans."

"Oh." I wondered briefly if in another timestream, the girl in front of me had died, along with the rest of his family. I shuddered, hoped that Fi hadn't noticed, and looked around. "Huh. Where is that guy anyway?"

"He said he was going to brew you some tea."

I felt heat crawling up my face. "Oh."

Fi didn't comment, rolling a chestnut in her hands. "Why have you fought so many monsters?"

I couldn't help a bit of relief; this was a relatively easy subject. "I was asked to."

"But you're not a soldier, or a hunter."

I grinned. "No."

She frowned, looking a little confused. "How did your mother agree to let you go?"

I snorted, kicking my heels up. "I don't have a mother. I'm an orphan."

Fi was quiet for a while. "I'm sorry. Tharlaigh's name choice must seem insensitive to you."

"Oh Din no, it's his decision, and has nothing to do with me. And I didn't… I mean I grew up with a parent, sort of, two actually, taking turns. So, my second mother? I guess you could say she let me go? She was a fairy."

"A fairy?"

I opened my mouth, closed it. I hadn't spoken about her in a long time, and for a minute or two, I didn't know where to start. It wasn't often that people took faeries in stride in any context, and here this girl was, believing that I was raised by one.

She waited for an answer, so I gave an abridged version. "Her name was Navi. When I was maybe ten years old, we were doing a favour for Princess Zelda, and it sort of… escalated. I was asked to deal with the monsters, and Navi told them no. "

Oh how that blue fairy had screamed. Rauru, that poor old sod, had never expected her to be so vehemently protective of me. Or so loud, probably. It felt like the very foundations of the Temple had shuddered with her righteous yelling.

WHY DO YOU DO THIS? SHE ALREADY FOUGHT FOR YOU. SHE BLED FOR YOU. SHE BURNED FOR YOU. AND YOU EXPECT HER TO DO IT AGAIN!? NO! I FORBID IT! I FORBID YOU FROM EVER ASKING HER TO DEAL WITH YOUR MESS AGAIN! YOU TOOK HER CHILDHOOD FROM HER, SHE NEARLY GAVE HER LIFE LAST TIME, I WILL NOT LET YOU DO THIS TO HER! NO!

But of course we had gone, because I was Lin, and the Triforce sang to me.

"Was?"

"She passed away, saving me. I managed to get myself cursed, and, she just, did it. Healed me." and I had gone on a very, very bad rampage that spanned two years, hunting those responsible for said curse. "I like to think she's with me still, keeping my heart beating."

Fi looked at my chest, squinting. "She could be."

I blinked. When I'd told this to Zelda, she'd held my hands and said, "I know she is." But how could she know? Her words had been empty platitudes, sincere as they were. But a quintessential 'maybe' coming from someone who saw things as they were…

I grinned widely. "Thank you."

"There you are!"

We both looked up, Sheik coming towards us with an open box full of what looked like bread. I waved as Fi took off to greet him with a hug, he lifting the box to avoid it being crushed. They came together, Fi speaking in Sheikah, and with each word Sheik seemed to relax with relief.

"So," he said, "Would you believe me if I said I met the person who raised you?"

I whistled, impressed. "You went to the Forest Temple?"

"Ended up in, would be the correct phrase," he shrugged, plonking the box full of picnic goods onto the podium next to me, "As you can imagine I got lost in the woods, but I managed to see this road, so I followed it there."

"How many traps were there?"

He started unloading the box, bread and jars of jam and a cut of cold ham and plates spreading onto the podium. "Too many to count. Fi, get these out. Thanks. They were mostly magic-based so I could avoid them, but I got caught in an ambush of stalfos."

I'd forgotten she'd had those. I winced. "Were you hurt?"

"No, I stated my business and she came out herself. Told me not to lie. You know, for someone who looks like a child, she can be terrifying."

I nodded and kept nodding.

Fi peered at us both. "Raised you?"

"Saria looked after me till I was ten and left the Kokiri Forest. Navi took care of me after that."

Sheik frowned. "Navi?"

I blinked. "You know her. My blue fairy."

"I've never seen you with a fairy before."

That hit home hard. Of course. Sheik only remembered bits and pieces of the last timestream, mostly because of Zelda, and mostly about the seven years I'd initially slept through. The Sheik I spoke with then might not have been always the Sheik that stood in front of me now, so for all I know, he'd never met her. Now, in this timestream, I only came to the Castle after she'd died. "...Oh."

"Tartem, you've upset her."

"No! No you couldn't have, you couldn't have remembered, I just didn't… I'll tell you about her, some other time. What are we eating?"

And we had lunch, and I got to know Fi, and it was nice. Saria had taught Sheik how to make the tea for me, and it tasted more sour than I remembered, but that was alright, too. I learned about Sheik's childhood, and they taught me more Sheikah words, and I promised to meet their clan one day.

They left to explore Castletown, and I joined them briefly to walk to the moat, and beyond it, and kept walking, and walking and walking, thinking about Navi and nothing much else.

-\-\-\-\-

When I returned to the Castle Stables Sheik rushed to my side, leaping off Puppy. "Where have you been?"

"The Fields," I grumbled, my feet aching from the unplanned walk, "I wanted to think."

"It's nearly dawn! I was looking all over the place for you."

I paused, blinking blearily, lower half of my body practically screaming, now. My stomach was joining in on the discomforted chorus, growling for food and water. "...Thank you."

"Puppy, stall. Stall, now." The black horse whuffled and did as bidden, though she chewed Sheik's hair on the way over. That taken care of he returned his attention to me, his hands up, halfway through grabbing my shoulders or something. He was often like that, stopping himself from touching me, just because he knew I didn't like it. "What did you need to think about that sent you wondering the Fields, anyway?"

I collapsed against his chest, throwing my arms over his shoulders. He froze.

"I'm sorry."

"Lin…?" I sensed his arms circle my back.

"No. Please. I'm not good with being hugged yet."

"Lin this is not a hug." he grumbled, bearing my weight. "This is you using me as a crutch."

"I thought hugs were like, crutches for the soul."

"Except you're referring to the soles of your damned feet." he snarked, sighing with resignation. "Can you stand me lugging you to your room?"

"That'd be nice."

"Right, then. Let me go."

I did, and he offered his back and I clambered on, nestling my face in his neck. He grunted as he hauled me up and took me to my room, grumbling that this was very much turning into a habit. "You still haven't told me what you were thinking about."

"Navi. My fairy. She was my mother for about five years. She died saving me."

Sheik was quiet for a long time, walking through the servants corridors with me hanging limply off of him. The sun was just about turning the sky a lighter shade of purple, flushing the clouds with streaks of tangerines and bronze. I must have dozed a little, because next thing I knew I was being dumped on my bed, though Sheik was being gentle about it.

I held his wrist before he could go. He sat down, making my gesture pointless, but still he smiled at me. "What did she save you from?"

"A curse. I was tracking down some wizards that was poisoning a swamp with their magic. I'd be dead or worse without her."

"I should thank her, then."

"I wish you'd met her."

"This may sound insensitive," he hazarded, his thumb stroking circles over my wrist, "But maybe I did and don't remember? From the other timestream."

"I hope so. But I don't think you would forget. I mean, she was…" I tried finding a diplomatic word for it, but I was not a diplomat. "She was annoying."

Sheik snorted.

"She really was. She nagged, she nitpicked, she complained, she pointed out the obvious, she interrupted people, messed with people, and yelled. A lot. At everybody."

He chuckled, and he held my hand, fingers interlocking. "What did she yell about?"

"Ugh. She was so embarrassing in a crowd. Get out of the way! We were first! That seems too expensive, make it cheaper. Cheaper. Hey I'm talking to you. And when I was alone, she only had me to boss around, and, ugh. Did you clean your teeth? When did you bath last? Hey, are you sure the Master Sword doesn't need servicing? You need to rest, Lin. You should take off the Hat sometimes Lin, it's tiring you out more. Hey are you listening? Hey!"

Sheik was pinching his nose. I opened my mouth, about to ask what was wrong, and then I wondered. I sat up, and he didn't notice, looking as if he was fighting a headache. In my best impression of her, I yelled into his face, "Hey! Listen!"

He jumped, swearing, and then he groaned. "Oh, aw ow bright Ladies Above, her!? Her! How could I forget?"

I laughed, flopping back on the bed. "So you two met."

"Goddesses yes. I don't remember in what context, but it was, it was night, and I think I was following you…? You weren't there, you must have been asleep or knocked out and I was making sure you weren't going to be attacked, probably. And she came out of nowhere and started shrieking at me. I thought she was a poe."

I peered at him. "You didn't attack her, did you?"

"Of course I did, I thought she was a poe. One of the more coherent ones with scythes. I don't remember what happened next, but I can assure you, all my attacks were in self-defense and I didn't hurt her. Maybe I bottled her? Escaped? Or did I stick around till I… Goddesses, either way I was more careful around both of you after that. I don't believe Navi had a very high opinion of me."

"Nope. We thought about capturing you once, to try and get Zelda's location."

"You mustn't have tried very hard, since you didn't succeed."

I tried shrugging but it was hard to do lying down. "I was always too tired. Or had better things to do than lay traps for Sheikah that might not even show up."

He grinned, chuckling. "Fair enough. Goddess, I can't believe I forgot. She was traumatizing."

"Hey. That's my mum you're talking about."

"I'm sorry, you're right. But I do mean it fondly." he murmured, shifting his hold on my hand. His palm was warm against my own, and I closed my eyes feeling safe. "I hadn't… I hadn't appreciated how important she is to you. I think my impression was that she was… your friend, at least. A guide...? I'm not familiar with fairies in either timeline, so I just, didn't know, didn't think about it. I'm sorry I couldn't meet her this time. And I'm sorry for your loss."

"It's been a while now. I'm fine."

"Losing a mother is never fine."

That conviction told me he spoke from experience. "Is that why you call yourself Hasheik?"

His hand in mine twitched, and he gave a shuddering sigh. "I lost them all, before. I had nightmares for weeks about it this time."

"I'm sorry you had to remember that."

"It stops me from taking them for granted. And seeing Fi grow up… it's good."

"I hope she likes me."

"She does."

"Can you close the curtains?" the sun was truly rising now, and even with my eyes closed the room seemed too bright to bear. "I don't think I can move anymore."

He snorted. "I probably won't be saying this again, but you need to let me go first."

"Do you still sleep on the floor?"

He sigh was guttural, testy. "Yes. So?"

I swallowed, cleared my throat, but still my voice hitched. "Sleep here, then? I like, I like this. If you don't want the bed, you could, put a blanket under you at least, couldn't you?"

He was quiet for a long time, and I forced my eyes open, squinting against the light. He was staring at me. "Are you sure?"

"I…" I still couldn't quite say it. I closed my eyes again, turning away. My face felt unbearably hot. "I want to be close to you, so, this is good practice."

Sheik lifted my hand, kissed my knuckles three times. "Thank you."

My face burned hotter, but I didn't snatch my hand away. "You're still weird."

"That I won't deny."

He closed the curtains, I tossed the blankets under me onto the floor, and a pillow too, and he settled there, closing his eyes. His ever present fringe shifted away from his scarred right side and I dipped my arm over the edge of my bed and traced his map of pain with my fingertips, from the corner of his mouth to his hairline, seeing an orchid here, a jagged jaw there, the fairy wing at the corner of his eye, trying to figure out what image might lie hidden over his eyebrow.

"You know I can't feel any of that, right?"

I snatched my hand back even as he grinned up at me. "Sorry."

"You're more than welcome to keep going. It's… nice."

"You just said you can't feel it."

"But knowing you're doing it is nice." and he closed his eyes, turned the scarred side of his face towards me, and didn't say another word. So I hung my arm by his face, my knuckles brushing against his hard warped skin, and dozed off myself.

Right after my final question. "Sheik?"

"...Mmmf..?"

"How do you say blue in Sheikah?"

"Fi."

"...Your sister's name means blue?"

He grunted.

"Thanks."

I didn't dream, too exhausted for that, and woke up at noon with Sheik's hair tangled in my fingers. A hole in my curtains showed a piece of blue sky, and as always it reminded me of Navi. Navi was the rivers I sipped from, the skies above me, the wind from the mountains, the stars of night. And from now, Navi would be there every time I saw Fi, see Navi in her hair, hear Navi in her name.

Fi. Blue.

I decided that I needed to ask her what 'red' and 'cherry' was in Sheikah as Sheik woke up, opening eyes in the exact shade of my favourite colour.

So what did you guys think?