The longer Sheik was carried down that dark tunnel, with Link nowhere in sight, the more she started to wonder what would become of her.

Even if she didn't have what they were searching for—the Triforce of Wisdom—she was still the King's Daughter.

But would they even recognize her?

Did they even have a way to trace her back to the King's lineage?

Goddesses, she didn't even know who her mother was, and she couldn't remember her father's face. If they took her back to the castle and showed her to the king, would he even recognize her now that she was older?

She grit her teeth. The very thought of him seeing her and recognizing her as his daughter made her stomach turn. There was no way, whether she lived or died, that she wanted that selfish prick of a king to recognize her. He sent her away when she was just a child. She'd rather die than be adopted as his daughter again.

And all the better that she was missing while there was a threat to the royal family. They were the ones who had someone trying to kill them—let them deal with their own problems. She wasn't part of the family; they'd made that plenty clear enough. So she should be free to live her own life far away from them, without ever having to worry about their problems.

It irritated her more than she was willing to admit. They were the reason the monsters were after her. The monsters hadn't found their precious Triforce of Wisdom among the royal family—big surprise, if the king was so selfish as to send away his own child—so they were searching for the one blood relation that might still have it. The royal family, thus, was the reason she had to hide even more now than she'd had to these past eight years.

Sheik felt a glare hardening her features, and for a moment, she almost forgot that she was slung over this man's shoulder.

There was no magic emanating from him, so she knew he was just a man. A monster of a man, if he was willing to kidnap girls barely into adulthood, but a man nonetheless.

She wondered if she'd be able to kill him on her own.

After all, she had no weapons. No knives, no daggers—not even rope to strangle him with.

Yet, even as she tried to plan out how to kill this man, Sheik couldn't help but think on Link's words. He refused to kill real people. Monsters, he had no trouble killing—even gigantic, ambiguously sentient fire monsters—yet he refused to kill Hylians.

Was there a reason for it?

Sheik wouldn't kill unless it was strictly necessary. She knew when it came down to it, she'd kill to save her own life, and the lives she cared about. And this could very well be a situation where she had to kill to stay alive—especially if Link didn't come soon.

But his words stuck with her. He'd incapacitate them, he'd hurt them, disable them—but he wouldn't kill them.

Was Link a better person than her?

No sooner than the thought entered her mind, Sheik knew it was true. She was on this mission to save the missing girls because it was her fault they were in danger in the first place.

But what was Link doing this for?

He couldn't have been in it for the money—no amount would be worth the danger he was putting himself in.

And she knew him well enough to know he wasn't in it for the glory.

He wasn't dumb enough to be in it for the adventure, either.

The only reason Sheik could think of was that he was, truly, doing this to help people. Whether it was just the princess, or all the missing girls, he genuinely seemed to want to save everyone he could.

For that, Link was far and wide a better person than her. For some reason, the thought put a strange feeling in her chest.

And yet, though Sheik knew he was the better person, where was he?

Abandoning his teammate? Letting her be taken captive?

Why was he taking so long?

Had he not seen where the entrance was? Was it guarded? Had he been seen and recognized as someone who didn't belong in the back room? Why wasn't he coming?

Sheik watched behind the man's back, attempting to make note of all the twists and turns he was taking. They'd been walking for a while now, and if Sheik had to run up and get the girls out by herself, then she had to know where to go.

And while the tavern certainly wasn't a safe place, they could make their way out in a pinch. There had certainly been some tough looking men, but with strategy and careful timing—and possibly sneaking out the windows upstairs—maybe, just maybe, they could escape all in one piece.

It was a longshot, though. Especially if Sheik was captured herself.

The mere thought put ice in her heart—a different kind of ice than the kind she usually fortified herself with.

But, just as she was revising her strategy and trying to figure out a way to escape, she heard a single echo of a tap behind her.

The man carrying her immediately stopped.

"Who's there?" he asked, whipping around. Sheik felt her heart leap into her throat, terrified that Link would be caught. But after several tense seconds, the man huffed and turned back around. "Damn dripping ceiling…"

So as he continued walking, Sheik cast a silencing spell about a hundred feet behind the man, creating a small square of light so Link would know where he could walk without making a sound.

Link seemed to take the hint, because no sooner than she'd cast it did he come out of hiding. Link must have been hiding some distance back, staying just a corner behind them so that if the man turned, he couldn't see him following.

He must have kept his footsteps hidden so far by matching pace with the man carrying her. Sheik wondered just how long he'd been following them, but she couldn't find it in her to care. She was just glad that he was here—that she had a chance.

Link soon walked into the square of light, a reassuring smile on his face. There was a cut on his arm though, and he had the beginnings of a black eye. Sheik couldn't help but wonder what had happened. Who had hurt him—monsters, or men, or both? But he was here, and more importantly, he had her knives as well as his own sword. They'd be protected, even if they weren't safe.

The further they walked in the tunnels, though, the closer to their ultimate goal they came. And with their ultimate goal, Sheik knew there would be guards.

And if anyone saw Link trailing behind him, their cover would be blown, and it would escalate into an all-out brawl. They'd have to take on dozens of guards at a time, and that wasn't a fight Sheik was sure they could win. So Sheik carefully nodded her head, and let her eye color flash back to red, rather than the green she'd been maintaining.

Link held up one hand, slowly counting down from five.

When he reached one, Sheik's world exploded into motion. She dropped the silence around Link but created a new circle around herself. Without waiting for Link to come closer, she brought her elbow down hard on the man's head. Though he didn't drop unconscious, he reeled in shock, and Sheik took advantage of it.

In an instant, she sprang off of his shoulder and elbowed him in the nose. He'd scarcely started to bleed before she had turned and kicked him hard against the wall, his head bearing the brunt of the impact.

As the man slipped into unconsciousness, Link stood between him and Sheik, tying him up and putting a gag in his mouth before Sheik could inflict any more pain on him.

Sheik let out a deep breath, then dropped the silence from around them.

Link came close to her, whispering close to her ear. "You alright?"

"Fine," she answered, heart still racing. She took a good look at Link's face and the gash on his arm and couldn't help but ask, "What about you?"

But Link just smiled and shook his head. "I've been better, but I'm fine. Some guards gave me trouble on my way here, but they're out cold and locked away in a cabinet. We have at least an hour before anyone realizes they're missing and comes looking for them."

"Then we'd better use that hour wisely," Sheik said. "Come on. It can't be much further till we find where they're holding them."

Link nodded, and in an instant, they were on their way, sticking close to the walls and hiding in the shadows so none could detect them.

Not five minutes later, noise returned to the tunnel. It was nothing but a murmur for now; quiet, like the crackle of a campfire some distance off. But it was there nonetheless.

"Do you hear that?" Link asked, eyes narrowing as he tried to place the source of the noise. "I think it's another tavern."

"Why would there be another tavern?" Sheik furrowed her brows, trying to puzzle through it. "He led me in this direction, and I haven't seen another fork in the road. Why would…?"

"A tavern…" Link's eyes widened, and he grabbed hold of Sheik's shoulder. "Another tavern. A louder one. They can't let the girls be heard, so what else could they do but stick them somewhere too loud for anyone to hear them? Most taverns are loud all night long, and if this one is busy enough…"

"Then no one would ever even have the chance to hear the girls crying for help," Sheik finished. "Goddesses… They planned this out well."

Link nodded grimly. "And no one else even knows about the tunnels. There would have been no way to even find them if anyone did hear them."

Sheik closed her eyes, lips forming a tight line. "How many guards will be on them, do you think?"

"They have to keep them from getting out," Link said, "So probably at least six big ones. I don't know if they'll be monsters or people."

"If they're taking girls prisoner, they're monsters enough for me," Sheik said. "If you won't kill them, I'll be happy to."

Though Link looked guilty, he nodded all the same. "If… If you have to, I understand."

The guilt on his face had Sheik immediately on guard. "Don't try to stop me. I won't make you do it, but don't interfere. If I can knock them unconscious, I will, but if I kill them, I don't want one word of complaint. If it means ensuring those girls' lives and freedom, I will kill them without hesitation." Sheik looked him in the eye, her red eyes dark with anger. "He tried to drug me, Link, and I can almost guarantee that he and men like him have done the same with Hena and the other girls we'll find here."

Link closed his eyes. "I know, Sheik. I know. I didn't think that…" He lowered his head, something somber on his face as he went silent. When he found his voice again, it almost shook. "Years ago, I didn't think they would ever stoop this low. I might have even defended them. But… If they're doing this, then… I won't stop you, Sheik."

"Good," she said. Not wanting to think about why Link would have ever defended monsters like this, she turned and started again down the tunnel. "We have no time to waste. They probably have them where the tunnel is loudest. We should follow the noise."

Link nodded, numbly following her deeper into the tunnel.

It was the guards that first tipped them off—that, and the sudden surge in magic energy.

They'd been following the noise for about ten minutes when they finally came across a room being guarded by three men.

They were big, but they had also been taken by surprise.

Sheik silenced the area around them so that no one inside would know of the scuffle. Once she saw the horror on their face that their call for help would have no effect, she gratefully pulled out her katana.

There was no mercy in her eyes as she stabbed through the biggest one's heart, watching with grim satisfaction as he turned to smoke.

Before she could even turn to help Link with the remaining two, she found that they were, likewise, nothing but ash in the air.

The door they were guarding was important, Sheik knew that much. So with a silent five-finger countdown, she and Link worked together to kick in the door.

When it came down, it came down hard. It startled everyone inside, and Sheik knew she didn't have enough energy for many more silencing spells, so once the initial impact had worn off, she lifted the silence. The brawl that followed was short, but just as successful as the one before. Though Sheik didn't have terrain to work with, she had her weapons, and she had her anger.

She'd used an awful lot of magic already today, but being so close to their goal had her adrenaline on an all-time-high. Chances were, she wouldn't feel the crash for a few more minutes.

Sheik wasn't looking forward to when that adrenaline wore off. But she couldn't focus on that right now—not when there was so much work to do. So she took a good look around her, taking note of all she could see.

There were six guards in the room—and five girls locked in the cell at the center of the room with no key in sight.

Once the guards had reverted to smoke and ash, Sheik and Link rushed to the cell, with Link looking the girls over for injuries, while Sheik focused her attention instead on what was holding them in.

A thick lock penned them in, and Sheik looked it over with dismay. She'd have to use a freezing spell on it till it became brittle enough to break off—a trick Impa had shown her when she was young. It took an awful lot of energy, and fire would have been much easier. But Sheik had never been able to create fire. So, brittle ice it was. "This might take a minute, and we don't have a lot of time," she said, focusing her energy on freezing the top part of the lock. "Be ready to run as soon as the door opens, do you understand?"

The girls nodded, and Sheik didn't waste time on any more instructions.

"We're here to get you out, don't worry," Link asked, and Sheik could hear the reassurance in his voice. "What are your names?"

Sheik heard "Martha," "Maple," "Tracy," and "Joynas" before she finally heard "Hena."

Good. So Coro would get to reunite with his sister after all.

Sheik felt her energy deplete the more of this spell she used, but finally, it turned white, then rust-red as she released the spell and pulled the ice back.

It shattered with a single thrust of a knife, allowing the cell door to open.

The girls filed out of the cell in an instant, and Sheik felt her anger grow as she took in their appearances. Dirty, bruised—and some of them even looked half starved. Whoever was responsible for this, she would make them pay.

"What is the best way to leave?" she asked Link, eyes hard as she led them through the door and down the path they'd come. "The tavern we came in through might work, so long as we sneak out through the windows."

"I don't know how long those guards are going to be passed out," Link said. "There's another tunnel leading out near here, though. If we rush them out into the open streets, no one can snatch them without drawing attention. We can get right on getting them home, too, without having to sneak them out of any buildings."

Though Sheik wasn't familiar with the area—and thus was instinctively distrustful—she couldn't help but agree. "So long as you're sure about this," she said, glancing back to the girls.

As they ran, one of the five was falling further and further behind. She was the one that looked like she'd been here the longest—skinny, with gaunt cheeks and bruises that almost blended in with her dirty face and arms. Before Sheik could reach out to help her, though, Link doubled back. He ran back to the front in an instant, the girl already on his back.

"I can carry her if need be, Link. You're the one who knows these tunnels," Sheik said, narrowing her eyes. If he fell behind or couldn't run, then there wasn't a chance of their escape. He had to know that.

Link's expression was quick to silence her. "You've used a lot of magic already, haven't you? Don't waste your energy," he said. "I'm not leaving without you."

They ran like that for nearly ten minutes, the other four girls quick on their heels.

Sheik could see the light in front of her, and she knew Link had been right about the tunnel letting out. But once they arrived, the tunnel was locked and guarded.

"Stay back," Sheik ordered the girls, before once more plunging the immediate vicinity into silence.

Her adrenaline was wearing off, though, and she was starting to feel the drain her magic caused. Her aim was precise as ever, and her knives found their targets in the heads and hearts of each guard, but her arm was slower. And when she ran out of knives to throw, her stabs and strikes were enough that the guards were starting to deflect them.

Link ended up taking out the bulk of the guards, and, to Sheik's dismay, that included the one that was steadily backing her into a corner. Grateful as she was that she was still alive, she couldn't help her frustration that she'd needed to be saved.

By the time the last guard fell, though, and Sheik could finally release the silencing spell, she was absolutely exhausted.

"It's locked," Link said, frowning as he looked up at it. "Do you have enough magic left to break through it?"

Sheik glanced up at the lock, heart sinking as she realized it would require another elemental spell to break through. "I don't have think I have enough to use it and stay conscious," she said. "But if I stay behind, then maybe—"

Link grabbed hold of her shoulder, flames practically burning behind his eyes. "Don't even think about it," he said. "We can find another way. We've made it this far."

Echoes of footsteps suddenly reached Sheik's ears, and she knew they had to make their decision quickly.

In an instant, she summoned the rest of her power to freeze the lock, then rapidly unfreeze it. She felt the world blurring around her, but she kept her focus on the lock in front of her. Once it was finally ready, she took her hands off of it, watching blearily as Link struck it hard with a dagger. The light of day reached them as soon as Link had thrown the doors open, causing Sheik to close and shield her eyes.

It was probably a good thing, too. Sheik couldn't feel the glamour over her eyes anymore, and she didn't have the magic to replace it. If she opened her eyes, they'd be blue. She prayed Link hadn't already seen them—but if he had, there wasn't much she could do about it.

The echoes of footsteps were getting louder now, and Sheik only had the energy to lean against the wall as Link helped each girl up and into the light. Just when she thought the soldiers would spot them though, she felt herself being lifted and helped out.

Sheik heard only the echo of the door closing behind her. The world felt distant, though she still had a tentative grip on consciousness. It didn't help that she had her eyes closed—but she couldn't risk opening them and having anyone seeing her blue eyes.

Still, if she was allowed to function on her pride alone, she would have stood proud and attempted to walk on her own. As that wasn't an option, though, she kept her eyes shut and allowed Link to sling her arm around his shoulders.

"There's a safe house a block down," he said to the girls. "We're going to get each of you back to your homes, I promise. But once you're with your family, stay there. Do not go back into the streets. We'll figure out a safer location for all of you later, but for now, just stay in your homes."

There was a scattered chorus of yesses before Link started to move. They went first to the homes closest to this area, delivering Tracy and Maple to houses just two doors down from each other, then Martha, then Joynas. Each girl was greeted with tearful reunions before they moved on, with Hena being the final stop, some distance from the last house.

It took a great amount of time—and even longer was spent avoiding any monsters that came their way—but honestly, Sheik hardly comprehended it. The longer they spent outside, the more she felt herself slipping in and out of consciousness. If she didn't rest soon, she might not be able to see Hena's safe return.

Her pride was, perhaps, the only thing that kept her conscious at all.

When Coro opened the door to see none other than Sheik, Link, and, most importantly Hena, he wasted no time in opening the door and helping them in.

"You found her," he whispered, locking and barring the door as soon as they'd passed the threshold. "You found her—and only in a few hours?"

"We were underground," Hena said, tightly embracing her brother. "They had us in these tunnels, they must have been as long as the entire city. We were kept under a tavern—and—and they kept talking about how any day they were going to ship us up north, to—to Ise, or into the mountains. I think they have a base there, I don't know."

Her voice suddenly choked up, but Sheik didn't have to open her eyes to see that Coro was hugging his sister.

"There are probably other cells, yeah," Link said, sitting down on a soft surface and pulling Sheik down with him. "But we can't get to them today."

"Is she going to be alright?" Coro asked, and Sheik had to resist frowning as she realized they were talking about her.

Link adjusted her so that she was leaning against his shoulder. She would have protested, if she'd had the energy or could admit she was awake, but as it was, she was too tired to move.

"I think she'll be just fine once she gets some sleep," he said. "We should probably head back to the inn we were staying at, though. It's late, and we shouldn't attract more attention to your home."

"Wouldn't leaving attract more attention?" Coro took Link's silence as encouragement, and continued, "Please—you two have returned my sister to me. The least I can do is give you a safe place to sleep. There's a room in the back you can use."

Sheik could practically feel Link's indecision, but after a moment, she felt herself being lifted up. "I… Guess it couldn't hurt anything. We'll stay here for the night, then. Do you have a cot I can use?"

"Oh—I'd assumed you two wouldn't mind sharing," Coro said, sounding a little embarrassed. "I'm sure we can find one somewhere."

"He can use mine," Hena said. "Iza has a ton of extra pillows. I'm sure I can use some of hers."

"There's no need for that," Link said, adjusting Sheik in his arms. "I'll be alright, don't worry."

Just as Link started to walk towards the extra bedroom, though, Hena suddenly spoke up again. "We can get you some water and bandages, if you'd like. Your arm doesn't look so good…"

That's right—he'd been cut in his first altercation with guards that day. It had already stopped bleeding, Sheik was sure, but he really should have gotten it cleaned already. Sheik had nearly forgotten about it—Link hadn't mentioned it since they'd knocked out that bartender.

"I'll be fine. It's already healing up," he said, tucking her up tighter against him. "But thank you for offering."

And, just like that, he was heading into the spare room. Sheik felt herself being gently laid onto a soft bed, covers being gently pulled over her.

Goddesses, he'd even laid her on her side, just how she usually slept.

"I don't know if you're really asleep or not," Link said softly, brushing hair out from her eyes. "But… don't do that again, okay? I know everything technically went according to plan, and we made it out… but Sheik…"

Link sighed, and she felt the bed dip under his weight.

"Don't… don't offer to do that again. I don't care if you don't trust me yet. I won't let you try to take the fall again. Not like that. And not if there's something we can do to avoid it."

Sheik couldn't think of what to even say to that.

What could they have done to avoid it? It wasn't as if they had the keys to the locks. There was no avoiding what had happened to her, and it was her choice, anyways. What right did Link have to feel guilty about it?

Still, she was too tired to feel properly angry.

It didn't take long till Sheik was no longer faking sleep, but falling into it.

And yet, till dreams redirected her mind, Sheik had one question that wouldn't go away. Why was Link so set on helping her?

"What's it like to be a Sheikah, Impa?" Zelda asked. "And—and to have magic, and everything."

Impa seemed a little surprised—wary, even—but relaxed soon after. "Why do you ask, dear one?"

"I just think it'd be really nice to have magic, like you," she said. "I wanna be able to make ice, and fire, and—and vanish from sight, and silence everything around me, and make things come to me from far away, and read minds, and heal people, and—"

"Easy there," Impa said, smiling as she put a hand on the girl's hair. "It takes a long time to master magic, and not everyone has the gift."

"The gift?"

Impa nodded, kneeling down to look her in the eye. At six, Zelda was certainly taller than other girls her age, but Impa was much, much taller than her. It was nice to see her face and get to talk to her a little easier. "The gift. It's what gives us Sheikah our magic. Only those with Sheikah blood can access such magic, you know."

Zelda's face fell. "Oh," she said. "I understand. Is there… is there other magic I could learn, then? Even a little?"

To her surprise, though, Impa reached out a hand and cupped Zelda's cheek, smiling softly at her. "Oh, dear one… Why do you think you don't have any Sheikah blood in you? Your skin is almost as dark as mine. King's daughter or not, I'm sure you have a little Sheikah in you, at least. And even if you don't…" Impa trailed off, seeming to have trouble finding the words. "I'm sure an exception could be made for you."

Impa's eyes looked sad, no matter the sweet smile on her face. But Zelda, too young to understand why her guardian would look so sad, simply beamed up at her. "You mean I can learn magic?!"

"I think you already have some magic in you, child," she said. "I'm not sure how much, of course—Sheikah magic works by blood, you know. However much Sheikah is in you determines just how much magic you can do without hurting yourself."

"Hurting myself?"

"Because it's linked by blood, it works with your life energy, dear one," Impa explained. "Never try to do too much at once. If you drain too much of your life energy, then you'll sleep for a very long time, and you might not wake up. Do you understand?"

Zelda nodded, looking as serious as her youthful face would allow. "I understand, Impa. I promise, I'll never, never ever ever, use too much magic at once."

"Good girl," she said, leaning over to press a quick kiss to the top of the girl's head. "Now, we can get started on learning magic later. For now, I think someone promised to go pick some wildflowers for the table, hm?"

Though Zelda was a little disappointed that she wouldn't learn immediately, she had the faintest flicker of an idea as she looked at the door. "Once I come back, can we start?"

"Yes, dear one, if you really want to," Impa said. When Zelda immediately brightened and rushed out the door, Impa only smiled and shook her head. Though Zelda usually took nearly an hour to make and arrange the prettiest flowers, this time she came back after only fifteen minutes, with nothing but white and yellow daisies in her basket.

As a child, that enthusiasm for magic never did wane—though she never managed to do nearly as much magic as Impa.

When Sheik awoke, it was to a headache and to the sound of muffled voices.

"—have to talk to her about where we're going next. Ecchar isn't safe for me right now."

"No?"

"If I stay much longer, I might be recognized. I—it's a long story. But we'll be back, I'm sure."

"Can we get you anything? My sisters own a fishing business—and I sell lanterns and oil. Can we help you stock up on anything?"

"I'd—I'd feel bad about not paying you…"

"You brought my sister home, Link. There is no way for me to repay you."

Sheik sat up, rubbing her forehead and trying to listen in on the conversation so she wouldn't have to catch up later. She must have slept for a while, because her body felt capable of performing magic again. Sheik was just glad that no one was in the room, because for a moment after sitting up, she couldn't feel her glamour.

In an instant, though, she reapplied it, red eyes blinking at the late morning light.

"I… suppose we could use a fishing pole and a lantern or two," Link finally said. "But we're traveling rather light, so nothing more than that, really. We're managing just fine so far."

Managing, huh.

Sheik stood up, testing her legs to make sure she hadn't gotten injured yesterday. She was sore, of course—same as Link, she was sure—but she'd be just fine in an hour or so. By then she'd be used to the soreness.

"Are you sure? If there's anything you need—money, food, anything, just say the word, alright? Our home will be open to you as much as you need. You and Sheik both."

"Thanks, Coro," Link said, some hesitation in his voice. "But I have a feeling we won't be able to visit much…"

Sheik opened the door and stepped into the living room. Link and Coro blinked up at her from their position on the couch, and Sheik bowed her head in acknowledgment for Coro's hopsitality. "My apologies for sleeping so late."

"No, no, you looked pretty worn down," Coro said, smiling up at her. Link's expression matched Coro's, and Sheik couldn't help but feel uncomfortable with these two people so genuinely happy to see her. "You feeling better now, Miss Sheikah?"

"I'm fine," she said, moving closer and leaning against the couch. "But Link is right—we can't stay in Ecchar much longer. They might know it was him that found out about the tunnels, and they'll come looking for him. They've already lost five girls, and soon, they'll be losing even more."

Link furrowed his brows, confusion clear on his face. "I thought you agreed that we couldn't stay in Ecchar. If we're not here, how can we liberate them?"

"Who said we'd be the ones liberating them?" Sheik quirked a brow. "Those girls are doubtless going to tell their parents where they were kept. Soon, everyone will know about the taverns and the tunnels. Girls have been living in fear for a while—and their families have, too. Anyone who has a sister, a daughter, even a friend that's a girl in that age range… I have no doubt that in just a few days, people will be storming those tunnels."

"You really think people will step up?"

Link's doubt somewhat surprised Sheik. After all, wasn't he the optimist between them? But the look on his face wasn't one of disbelief, she realized—it was worry. Those girls were, after all, still in danger. And if people didn't step up, who knew what would become of them?

Sheik looked at Coro, the seed of an idea forming in her head. "If they don't, I'd be surprised. But it wouldn't hurt to call people to action."

Link looked up at her, eyes widening. "Sheik, there are monsters everywhere. Girls are hiding away in their homes…"

"And girls are huddled together in a cell underground. If their loved ones knew that they were just a story beneath their feet, do you think there'd be anything in the world that would stop them from saving them?" She pressed her lips into a frown. "Coro, tell me honestly. If we'd told you that your sister was in a tunnel underground, would you have at least looked for the tunnel's entrance?"

Coro looked, if anything, offended that she'd even asked. "I wouldn't have stopped looking till I'd found it. Any guard that got in my way, I would have ripped apart." Seeing Sheik's nod of encouragement, he continued, "And I know every other brother—every other father, and mother, and sister, and friend… we would all do the same."

"So, would you mind spreading the rumor that the girls are underground?" Sheik asked. "Because unless word spreads, the ones we couldn't find might be shipped off. This is just a holding site. Unless we hurry, we won't be able to get to the rest of the girls in time."

"I'll shout it in the streets if I have to," Coro said. "I know families who are still waiting on their daughters to be brought home. I'll tell them personally, and they'll tell their families and friends. I don't think there are many people who don't know someone who's gone missing, or gone into hiding."

The strength in Coro's voice brought some peace to Sheik's mind. And when she looked back at Link, she could tell that it was having an effect on him, too.

Ilia had almost been taken away from him, after all.

"If you really think so," Link said, "Then I bet we can raise the city to action by this evening. We can't afford to wait any longer."

"Will you two be here to help get people in action?"

Sheik glanced at Link and saw the hesitation in his eyes. Yesterday, he'd said that he could be killed if anyone knew he'd told anyone about the tunnels. As much as she wanted to tell everyone about the girls in the tunnels, it wouldn't be a good idea for Link to be a part of it—and it probably wasn't a good idea for him to even be in the city once the truth came to light.

And Sheik wasn't about to let him leave the city without her.

"We're going to skip town for a little while. Other cities have missing girls, too—we can focus our efforts there." When Link looked a little more relaxed, Sheik knew she'd made the right choice. "I have full confidence in you all. Just make sure everyone brings weapons. There might be guards down there."

"We can take them," Coro said, smiling up at her. "I can't thank you enough—both of you."

"We'd do it again," Link said. One glance at the window, though, and Link stood. "But I think it's about time for Sheik and I to take our leave. We can't get caught leaving the city."

Coro nodded sympathetically. "Well, don't forget your lanterns and fishing rods, yeah? And we have an extra bottle of red potion, if you need it."

Just as Link was about to decline the potion, Sheik piped up, glancing at the bandage around his arm. "We'll take it," she said. "Might come in useful for the next fight we're in."

Link frowned up at her, but Sheik paid him no mind, instead following Coro to where he kept his supplies. Her partner might have been irritated with her, but she knew he'd gotten hurt trying to get to her in the tunnels. She wasn't going to let him just walk around with an injury—especially not if she could fix it so easily.

Not for the first time, she wished she had the ability to heal.

But whatever Sheikah she had in her, it wasn't enough to do much magic at all. Goddesses above, she could barely do a few elemental spells before her body was absolutely drained. It was frustrating, knowing her magic was limited by her family history.

Yet another reason to hate her father, she supposed… Though even she could admit that it was petty to hate him for not being a full blooded Sheikah.

Still—over the last week, she'd found herself using more and more magic every day. Was it possible that she could learn to make more use out of what magic she possessed?

Even if it drained her every day that she practiced, wouldn't it be better to have more access to magic? Before, she hadn't needed it, but now… Now, she supposed, it might be a good idea to practice as much as she could so she'd be safer in an emergency.

And if her magic was the only thing that had broken the locks and saved those girls…

There was no other option: Sheik had to learn to get more use out of her magic. Lives could very well depend on it.

They'd been on Epona for hours, till the sun finally started to dip towards the horizon.

Having traveled fast and far, Sheik felt a little less guilty about what she needed to ask, even if she still felt the constant, almost manic, urge to press on as far as they possibly could in the day.

"Link," she said, breaking the long silence of the afternoon. "Let's stop early tonight, while it's still light out."

Link nearly ran Epona off-course in his surprise.

"What did you say?" he asked, turning his head and looking her over, as if worried that she was injured. "Did something happen, Sheik?"

"Nothing like that," she said, lips pressing into a tight frown. "I just—I need to… while it's still light out…" Goddesses, why was it so difficult to admit that she wasn't perfectly strong already? "I… My magic isn't as strong as it should be. I need to train. And I'd prefer to do it while it's light out."

Link furrowed his brows, Epona slowing to a walk. "Well," he said, looking a little hesitant. "Are you sure? It seems to take a lot of energy."

Yes, Sheik wanted to say, stomach twisting in agitation. Yes, it took a lot of energy. That's why she wanted to do it before it was dark, so she'd have time to sleep and not be useless tomorrow.

But instead, all she said was, "Those girls might depend on more magic. I'm not going to let them suffer because I neglected to train at it."

And, well, when she phrased it like that, there was really no way for him to deny her. So once Epona came to a stop, Sheik hopped down, taking her daggers with her.

If she was training with magic, it wouldn't hurt to practice with her throwing knives—and there was a nice tree she could probably use for target practice…

"Hey, if you're training with those, why not practice together a little?" Link asked, hopping down and grabbing his own sword. "I mean—you have some longer knives, and that katana, right? I could use some practice, too."

"You… want to train, too?" Sheik asked, stepping back and getting a good look at him. "Are you sure?"

"Well, I can't use magic, but I could always get better with my sword," he said, unsheathing it and examining the blade. "Plus I've never had a really fast sparring partner before. It'd be good to know how to defend against an enemy like that, right?"

Sheik weighed her options, knowing that she probably ought to spend more time using magic than sparring, but… if she used magic first, she simply wouldn't have any energy left to be a good sparring partner. If she was to do both, then she had to face Link first.

And, if she was being honest with herself?

She hadn't had a fun fight since she was young and got into street fights. Though she often left with bruises and a bloody nose, they were some of her more fond childhood memories—and part of the reason that she'd always loved Lanayru.

What could it hurt to spar with Link, really?

"I'll fight you for a little while," she said, forcing aside some of the guilt. She was still going to practice magic later, after all. She had no reason to feel so guilty. "You ready?"

For the first time since they'd left Ecchar that morning, she saw a smile break across Link's face. "I'm ready," he said. "I gotta warn you, though. I've trained at this for years."

Sheik rolled her eyes. "I take it you'll go easy on me, then, hm?"

"I make no promises." Link's smile only widened—and Sheik couldn't help but match it, just a little. He looked excited to fight with her, and he wasn't going to treat her like a weakling. How could Sheik not be happy?

Their blades crossed in an instant, and Sheik couldn't help the excitement buzzing just under her skin.

Though she was careful not to be too aggressive, she knew Link was doing much the same—and yet, the longer the fight carried on, the more they played on their own strengths.

Link started lunging harder and deeper—but by the time he was going hard enough to truly hurt her, Sheik had already learned what to look for ahead of time. So, every time he came at her harder, Sheik dodged away.

She got more comfortable with her move-set, too. While Link went for a stronger approach, Sheik was happy to go for rapid-fire strokes. Link, though slower to lunge with his powerful movements, was quick enough to block her shots.

As a whole, though, Sheik had to admit that Link was a better swordsman. He was holding back, she knew—and a good thing, too, because she'd seen him fight when he was really trying to hurt his opponents. Seeing his moves up close, even as watered down as they were, she couldn't help but be glad he was on her side.

Still—even if Link was a better swordsman, Sheik was happy to challenge him, even if it was just a little. He really wasn't used to fast opponents, she could see that much. But though it was a struggle to constantly dodge his sword rather than parry—as she wasn't sure she had the raw strength to parry—she was happy to rain down a barrage of quick thrusts every time she got an opening.

However, after Sheik barely dodged one of Link's more powerful thrusts, and Link nearly had his hair chopped from one of Sheik's fastest attacks, they decided to lay their weapons down.

It was by no means, though, the end of the fight.

Sheik had almost gone to practice her magic, but no sooner than she'd set her daggers and katana down did Link stand before her. As he had no sword, sheath, or outer tunic, she could only guess at what he wanted. And she didn't hesitate to match him. She laid her weapons down and removed her outer tunic till she was in only her navy bodysuit and bindings.

"I hope you know how to dodge," she said, smirking at him, "Because this is how I've been training for years."

"I guess it's only fair," Link said. "Go easy on me, yeah?"

Sheik just grinned. "I make no promises."

By the time Sheik and Link stopped sparring, it was dark, and they each had bruises to spare. Though Sheik felt a bit guilty for putting off her magic training till after the moon was rising further and further into the sky, she couldn't feel too bad.

The smile on Link's face was enough to reassure her that even if she hadn't done as much magic, she'd still done something worthwhile.

So as he gathered wood for the night's campfire, Sheik sat on the grass, running through the short list of spells she was capable of.

She practiced them one by one, devoting careful concentration to each spell. And yet, when she got to her elemental spells—with ice as easy as ever, and a weak spell to move the earth, and an even weaker spell against the air and water—she couldn't help but wonder about fire.

Though she'd never been capable of it, and she wouldn't try it for fear of disappointment, Sheik nonetheless thought back to Impa's instructions on fire, so long ago. She thought about the uncontrolled, unrestrained emotion it required—the raw passion that it fed off of.

As Sheik felt the lingering buzz of adrenaline from the sparring, she wondered, for the first time in years, if she'd be able to create fire if she tried right then.

But she was tired, and she was still sure that if she attempted it, she'd just be let down. So instead, she unrolled her sleeping mat and pulled her blankets over her.

Maybe someday she'd find her fire.

Till then, she'd have to make do with ice.

((Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, everyone! A quicker update this time than the last few chapters, but I'll be traveling soon so the next one might take a little while to finish and edit and upload… Sorry. But hey, thank you so much for all of your reviews last chapter! I certainly hope you'll all like this chapter even more—and whether you do or don't, please, review and tell me! I love reading all of your comments!))