When Sheik and Link arrived at Tal, it was hardly midmorning. Despite their late night, Sheik woke early enough to watch the sun rise. …Though, claiming to have woken when she hadn't slept at all was something of a stretch. Still, no matter how tired she felt, she was too wide awake to feel the effects of such little sleep. And because of that early morning—leaving before the sun had even fully risen above the horizon—it didn't take long before they arrived at Tal.

Or rather, arrived at what remained of Tal.

"…This is the right place, isn't it?" Link asked, stopping Bashful in front of a sign labeled 'Tal.'

Sheik stopped next to him, dismounting and tying her own horse—Blossom—to the sign. "Well… Ravio did say that it was 'high up in the sky,'" she said. "Plus, it's not like this is that strange, considering what we've already seen. Oxon was surrounded by a wall of flames, and Ardock was colder the further inwards you ventured—"

Link, who'd been in the middle of dismounting, nearly fell as he processed her words. "So you were at Ardock when it was still frozen," he accused. "I knew it was you—Ilia owes me thirty rupees."

"It doesn't matter now," Sheik said, cheeks warm behind her mask. She looked quickly to the foundations of Tall, which appeared to be all that was left of it. The buildings were gone, with only the foundations of the houses left below. "…It's almost as if the buildings themselves were just… lifted off of the ground…"

Though Link looked like he still wanted to question her about Ardock, he closed his mouth and considered what she was saying about Tal. He bit the inside of his cheek, thinking for a while before he finally shrugged. "You know, after how strange Oxon was, I'm willing to believe anything. It was surrounded by a huge wall of fire, and yet the smoke was breathable and no one got hurt. I mean, I was expecting the entire city—ground and all—to be lifted up if it was really 'high up in the sky' but… I mean, really, why not just the buildings?"

Sheik looked up at the sky, lips pulling into a frown. "If that's the answer, then… where are they?"

"Might have to come closer," Link said. "At Oxon, the monster was at the middle of the city, and—apparently someone didn't feel like mentioning this before—Ardock got colder the further in you went. So, I figure there's gotta be a pattern here."

Though she didn't much appreciate Link's teasing, Sheik nodded. "We'll leave the horses here. I haven't seen anyone for miles… and with the strangeness here, I doubt anyone else would bother coming this way."

Link nodded, but rummaged around in the saddle-bags for a moment, pulling out a smaller bag that he attached at his hip, as well as his sword and shield. "Just throwing this out there, but there's probably some kind of monster waiting for us. –Or, will there be? Did Ardock have one?"

Sheik rolled her eyes and started to unpack her own things. Knives would be useful, she decided—but then, as she glanced at several long coils of rope, perhaps it wasn't the only useful thing in here… Distracted, it took her a moment before she answered him. "Well. It had something guarding it, yes."

"Something," Link repeated, turning away from her and replacing his normal half-gloves with ones more appropriate for handling a sword. Sheik glanced at him, curious, but he didn't turn around till his sword gloves were fastened. "Something meaning what?"

"It was invisible when I first saw it. And it froze anything that touched it."

Link looked at her with wide eyes. "And you defeated it on your own?"

"It wasn't as tough as the fire monster," she said. "As far as I could tell, its soul was attached to a statue in the middle of the city. I broke the statue, and the curse broke. Just like the water tower and the fire monster at Oxon."

"…And you didn't want to tell me why you knew that?"

"I had no reason to tell you." Now fully equipped, Sheik turned and started towards Tal. Link followed quickly behind her, still fastening his shield. "Besides, we got the job done, didn't we?"

Link caught up to her, a frown on his face. "Well, yeah, but…"

Sheik looked away, eyes trained on Tal instead. Despite a growing urge to answer him, she knew that if she started to tell him all that he wanted to know, she'd be talking all day, and she was bound to tell him more than she should. So she kept her mouth shut and her thoughts focused on the mission at hand.

Besides—there was enough warring in her mind as it was.

Link was more distracting than Sheik wanted to admit on a good day, but considering all that had happened last night…

Heat rose to Sheik's face at the mere memory, but she shook it off, harshly reminding herself of her job. Sheik had to focus on saving Tal; she couldn't afford any distractions.

With that in mind, she started towards the city, looking all-the-while for the actual buildings of the city.

It wasn't until they were at least a mile into the city that they found a clue.

"…A rope," Sheik said, looking up to the thick cable suspended from seemingly nothing. "Why wouldn't there be a rope. Really."

She gently tugged on it, and found that it was sturdy and solid, and that even when she suspended her full weight from it, the rope didn't fall.

Link stared up at where it came from, but at a certain point, it just seemed to fade out of existence. He frowned, tilting his head to the side. "I think whatever it's suspended from, it's being hidden."

Sheik stared at the cable for a good long while, but no matter how strange it seemed, there didn't appear to be any other way to find out what was going on here. So Sheik reached out and grabbed the rope, testing her grip on the rough fibers. "…Well," Sheik finally said. "I guess all we can do is climb it and find out."

"Wait!" Link took hold of her hand, gently pulling her back before she could start climbing. "Considering the rope turns invisible up there… it might be possible that we will, too." He took hold of the rope she'd brought, fastening one end around his waist and handing Sheik the other end so she could do the same. "I'd rather not get separated up there."

Sheik wasn't exactly happy about being attached to her partner, but there didn't seem to be a way around it. "Just stay close," she said as she securely tied the rope around her middle. "I'd rather not fall just because you do."

"Yeah. Just… be careful, alright?" Link said, glancing up at the sky. Worry was in his eyes, and Sheik wondered if he'd be alright climbing. And yet, the longer she looked, the more she realized his worry was directed at her. Her heart skipped a beat at the realization, and she had to look away lest she end up as silent and still as she had been last night.

Sheik only managed a nod before she started up the rope.

The climb was longer and further up than Sheik had anticipated, but she had enough staying power that her arms were only just starting to burn when she saw the end of the rope.

As she got closer, she could see that it was attached to something, though that something didn't come into perspective until she was nearly close enough to touch it. As she came closer, though, the glint from the sun nearly blinded her. Whatever cloaking spell was being used didn't seem to appreciate sunlight… Sheik made a note of it, though put it out of her head as she got closer. Once she was nearly an arm's length away, she could finally make out what they were climbing.

A basement—they were climbing up into a basement. Or at least, she was pretty sure it was a basement. The house attached to it was difficult to see, but it looked more like a home than a business.

Realizing that Link was too far below her to see it—and she would probably be blocking his view even if he could—Sheik turned to shout down at him.

Of course, looking down wasn't a great idea, but Sheik had always had a good head about heights. "It's a house," she said, loud enough to reach him. "We're coming up into a house."

"So they really did just move the buildings?" Link shouted up at her. "How did the people know to get out in time?"

Sheik looked back up at the building, then frowned. "…I'm not so sure they did," she said. "Why else would there be this rope?"

She approached the inside of the house and slowly crawled inside, catching her breath as she finally got a chance to rest. Link came up some distance behind her, looking about as tired as she felt. Still, he came up with a small smile on his face, and Sheik offered him a hand as he came up through the basement.

"I have to admit, I'm kind of jealous that the people from Tal got to go down the rope, not up." He sat down next to Sheik, leaning against the wall she was propped up against. "But at least there was a way up…"

"I just hope there's a way to safely get down." Sheik frowned as she thought back to the previous cities, stomach twisting. "There's always been some kind of guardian monster… And once it's defeated, the spell on the city gets lifted."

Link bit the inside of his cheek. "…So, if the curse gets lifted, then…"

"We might get dropped."

"I take it you don't have some kind of magical Sheikah teleportation power?" At Sheik's silence, Link sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Well. I guess we'll just have to cross that bridge when we come to it, huh?"

"The smoke was breathable, before, even when all the people were out of the city," Sheik said, frowning as she tried to muddle through it. "And at Ardock… I didn't quite freeze to death, even though it felt like I might… Back at Solen, I was thinking… Maybe they were just trying to force people to evacuate… But maybe they're not trying to hurt people at all, unless they try to break the curse."

Link pressed his lips into a frown. "So, what? They put peoples' lives in danger to get them to evacuate, but don't give any of the city killing power except for the monsters themselves?"

Sheik nodded slowly, though she couldn't quite place why she was feeling so uncertain. "Either we turn back now and go to Marr, or we keep going up and hope for the best, no matter what we face up there."

To her surprise, Link just smiled and shook his head. "I think… I think it'll all work out," he said. "Farore is my patron goddess. If she's the goddess of life, she can't let us die, can she?"

"I'd rather not leave this up to a goddess I don't serve," Sheik said. "I have a responsibility to those girls, Link. I can't just abandon them for a city that no one's even in right now."

Link placed a hand on her shoulder, gently turning her towards him. "Sheik," he said, voice a little more urgent. "Trust me."

Sheik bit her lip, eyes locked with Link's. Though her rationality was telling her to protest, there was a deeper sense within her, and it refused to let her open her mouth.

Trust him, it said.

And so Sheik let out a slow exhale, closing her eyes and turning her face away. "Okay," she finally said. "We'll go further up."

Though every fiber of her being was protesting, she knew that she had to do this. Just as she knew that she couldn't abandon Link, she knew that she couldn't leave this city without breaking its curse. So she stood and started for the exit.

When she opened the door, she found an entire city awaiting her.

There were no sidewalks, and there were certainly no roads. But because it was such a crowded place, the houses were close enough that she could easily jump between them.

However, where there had been thrill at vaulting houses in Ecchar…

…Somehow, it was slightly more daunting to miss her footing up here.

"Well," Link said. "Not much choice here, is there?"

"If people managed to escape," Sheik said, looking out on the city before her, "Then we can figure out how to get to the center of the city from here."

Link nodded, his wide blue eyes scanning the mess of rooftops. As he directed his eyes upwards, though, his lips parted in surprise, and Sheik followed his gaze.

There were other layers, she realized. Other layers that they'd have to find a way to climb.

And yet, even as she was poised to give up, she saw how many of the buildings along the city were angled just so—as if they were floating stairs leading up to another floor.

"That building," she said, pointing at one just ahead of them. "We'll start there."

"But, Sheik," Link said, brows furrowed. "How…?"

"We'll decide when it comes to that," she said. "But there's a way up. I promise you, there's a way up."

Link nodded, but stepped close enough to follow in her footsteps.

And then, Sheik jumped.

It took nearly an hour to navigate the maze of houses, but finally, they ended up on the layer that had been directly above them before. As if to prove it, Sheik stood on the edge of a home and looked down, finding their starting place beneath her. A distant roar above her nearly pulled her out of her thoughts, but when Link spoke, she was startled out of her thoughts.

"It still amazes me how they managed to pull all the buildings up into the air like this," Link said. "Whatever's doing this has to be pretty powerful."

"Powerful," Sheik repeated, looking down at the world. "…Too powerful."

Link hummed in agreement. "I really hope that the monsters in the cities aren't the ones responsible. I don't think I'd want to face anything that can lift entire cities up into the sky."

"I doubt the monster at the middle of this city is the one who cast all of this," Sheik said. She bit the inside of her cheek, furrowing her brows. "I don't know what magic they're using, but… I just have a feeling. The magic on the previous towns was too strong to have been cast by such… simple creatures. It has to be the same for this one."

As she stared down at the ground below—and goddesses, they were up high enough to see Lon Lon Ranch—she felt worry turning her stomach.

What if they failed? They'd never break the curse on this city, and they'd never help the girls at Marr, either.

But… what if they succeeded? Would the city come crashing down? Before the city had been unharmed, but Oxon had had boundaries that could burn them, and Sheik knew she could have died if she'd been touched by the monster at Ardock. Clearly whoever was casting these curses didn't want potential curse-breakers to survive. But would the spell caster really just let them fall to their deaths?

What would saving this city be worth if they died before they could help anyone else?

But before she could focus on it for long, Link took her hand and led her away from the edge. "I think we're close to the end," he said. "Any idea what kind of monster we might be facing up there—or what we'll have to break to kill it and get rid of the curse?"

Grateful for the distraction, Sheik didn't even think to let go of his hand. "Ardock's monster was more like a ghost," she explained, "The city was covered in ice, though, and the curse lifted when I broke a statue of a hero of old," she said. "And Oxon was surrounded by fire, and had a monster made up of fire, and it was destroyed when we broke a structure that held water."

"I can see the connections between everything at Oxon, but… Ardock," Link said, looking thoroughly confused. "A ghost, and ice, and a statue…"

"When people talk about meeting ghosts, they often describe feeling ice-cold," Sheik said. "And ghosts are also associated with historical landmarks…"

Link pursed his lips. "So, is the monster the key to it, then? Whatever type of monster it is determines the curse put around the city, and how it has to be defeated?"

Sheik pursed her lips. There had to be more to it than that, but for now, it seemed as good of an explanation as any. "If that's the case, then what kind of monster would suit a mile high city…?"

Sheik looked down at the hundreds and hundreds of feet below them.

It was then that she heard the cry of a monster above them, and she felt her face pale. "A dragon."

"Okay," Link said, nodding his head. "A dragon." Though she could tell he was worried, there was a determination in his eyes now. "What things are associated with dragons? How can we get rid of this thing?"

"Dragons are territorial and known for—for guarding hordes of treasure." Sheik looked up at the buildings still up ahead, but found nothing even close to a treasure room. Tal wasn't exactly known for its wealth, but she could think of nothing else that would warrant a dragon's protection. So how were they supposed to beat it if they couldn't find its object…? "If we see something shiny near it, we need to destroy it, whatever it is."

Her worry bled into her words, though, and she knew the situation didn't look good.

Link gave her hand a gentle squeeze. "Hey, it'll be alright," he said. "We'll figure this out."

Sheik nodded, then let go of his hand.

They had a job to do, after all. Sheik couldn't waste time on sentimentality. So she vaulted upwards for the final stretch, dreading what she might find once she finally made it to the top.

When they finally got to the highest point in Tal, Sheik could see the dragon circling overhead. But because it was so far away, it didn't seem to be able to see them. Sheik took advantage of that.

"Look for anything that it might be guarding," she said, already searching in earnest. Nothing caught her eye instantly, so even as she was searching for something shiny, she was trying to search for anything else that the dragon might be guarding.

It wasn't until the dragon had circled around and started flying towards them, though, that Sheik realized that perhaps it wasn't something visible. Not to Hylians, anyways.

After all, if the entire city had been invisible from below, what was to stop the spell caster from making the crucial object invisible?

"Link!" Sheik shouted across the rooftop. "You might not be able to see it even if it's here!"

"Then how are we supposed to break it?" he shouted back. "How can we destroy it if we can't find it?"

"I think that's the point!"

But Sheik refused to die up here. That, more than anything, was what prompted her to search in earnest. Though she knew she probably couldn't find it just by looking, she knew there were other ways of finding things.

Sheik searched her mind for another way to find it, and it was then that she noticed how the sun glinted off of Link's shield.

When they were first climbing up, the illusion had been blindingly bright in the sunlight when she got close… But the sun was at an angle that it wouldn't shine on the building itself—it only reflected off of Link's shield.

Sheik's eyes widened, and she got out her broadest knife.

If they couldn't use the sun themselves, then maybe they could redirect it…

"Link!" Sheik said. "Use your shield! Shine it around the rooftop!"

Link stopped his searching to look at her, but didn't time questioning her. He reflected his shield across the rooftop, though he couldn't shine it on all of it because of the angle of the sun. "I can't get that side," he shouted from across the roof. "I'll shine it on your knife, get the other side while there's still time!"

Sheik nodded, using his shield to redirect light on the other half.

The dragon was getting closer, but before it got too close, Sheik saw a bright outline surrounding something that didn't seem to exist. There was a bright outline of a rectangle just lying on top of the roof, and Sheik ran towards it.

The dragon was getting closer now, and Sheik dove for the object just before the dragon landed on the rooftop.

It was scarcely in her hands before she felt the ground shake behind her.

"Sheik!" Link shouted, giving her just enough warning to dodge to the side. Fire came at her, close enough to burn her had she not moved just out of its range.

Sheik caught her breath, refusing to let panic overwhelm her. She had to figure out what this object was or there'd be no chance of destroying it—and no chance of destroying the monster that came with it.

Though she still couldn't see the object even now that it was in her arms, she could feel that it was hard and metallic. Instantly, she tried to plunge her sword into it, but it resisted the attack. Her heart quickened in her chest, trying to remember a way to destroy thick metal.

"How good are you at holding off dragons?" Sheik asked, trying to summon enough calm to freeze the object in her hands. "It can't tell how long it'll take to freeze it enough to destroy it."

Though Link looked just about as panicked as she felt, he nodded and took a ready stance against the dragon. "Don't get burned."

With that, she moved out of its range, far enough away that it wouldn't notice her unless it was looking for her. Praying she'd have enough time, Sheik gripped the object from opposite sides, concentrating all of her energy on freezing it.

However, her heart sunk in her chest as she realized that no matter how much magic she put into it, it wasn't starting to rust. It simply felt cold in her hands. If only she knew what was burning—but it still refused to show itself.

She could hear Link struggling ahead of her, unable to get close enough to the dragon to hurt it.

Link was trying his best to keep its attention on him rather than her, but there was only so much he could do. And if she couldn't even freeze it with her own power, then he had no business taking all of its fire.

"It's not working," Sheik shouted over the roar of the flames. "Take this and try to destroy it. I'll handle the dragon for now!"

"You don't even have a shield!" Link shouted. "How are you supposed to—?!"

Sheik ran towards him, ducking behind his shield for just a moment and handing him the item. "I have another idea. Stay here and take cover—if this goes well, I should get it off of your back for a while."

Before Link could question her, Sheik cut the rope that tied them—much closer to Link's end than hers—and dived out of Link's cover. The dragon instantly targeted her and sprayed fire towards her with a vengeance.

Instead of trying to get away from the dragon, though, Sheik ran up to it. As it couldn't crane its neck to direct fire at her, it tried to claw her, but she maneuvered out of the way fast enough to avoid being sliced.

"Are you insane?" Link shouted. "You're going to get yourself killed!"

"I have a plan!" Without another word, she leapt onto its back. It instantly tried to buck her off, but Sheik held fast. "Just try to destroy it with your sword! It wouldn't break with my knives or magic—maybe your sword will have better luck!"

The dragon sprayed fire into the air in an attempt to force Sheik off. Though it didn't hurt her too badly, it did catch the back of her leg and burned through the suit before Sheik could use her magic to ice it.

"What are you doing, Sheik?"

"Just destroy it before it starts targeting you again!" she shouted. "I don't know how long it'll focus on me!"

Sheik could only half watch as Link plunged his sword onto the box, but she saw enough that he was struggling. Would his sword even break through the metal on the box now that Sheik had frozen it?

Her pulse spiked as she realized the dragon wasn't struggling as hard anymore. In fact, it was starting to spread its wings.

It hadn't managed to buck her off while it was on land, so it was going to try its luck in the air.

Sheik swallowed down nausea at the thought.

But she had a job to do. So Sheik closed her eyes and focused hard on surviving the flight. In a sudden burst of inspiration, she grabbed the end of the rope she'd severed from Link, then tied it around the dragon's neck. Though it wasn't nearly strong enough to strangle the beast, it would be enough to help her stay on.

"Keep trying," she said. "I'm going up."

"Up?!"

"Not like I have much choice," Sheik said. The words had barely left her lips before the dragon finished spreading its wings and took off straight into the air. Sheik gripped tight around its body, locking herself in place with her knees.

It didn't take long for it to realize that flight itself wasn't going to scare her off. So the dragon rolled to the side, then back again to the other side. Sheik found herself slipping after the first, but managed to get a better grip before it rolled again. The scales weren't easy to find purchase, and her suit certainly didn't provide much grip, but Sheik was stubborn. She refused to be bucked off—especially at this height.

Realizing that rolling wasn't going to work either, the dragon started flying in a jerky zig-zag pattern. The sudden acceleration had her slipping backwards, but the rope around its neck prevented her from sliding off. Still, the longer she stayed on it, the more she was sweating, and the less of a grip she had. If she tried to stay on for too long, Sheik knew she would fall.

If she was going to survive this, she'd have to think fast.

An idea seized her before fear could overwhelm her. At her idea's best, she'd manage to stop the dragon's advances… and at the very worst, Sheik would rather fall on her own terms rather than be bucked off. Though Sheik knew the risks, she also knew that she didn't have much of a choice. So she took a deep breath, braced herself, and then let go.

She flew backwards in an instant. But though it hurt her, it seemed to have hurt the dragon more. The rope around its neck tightened and cut off its airway for a moment, and the longer she was suspended from it, the less it seemed able to breathe.

And if it couldn't breathe, Sheik realized, it couldn't spew fire.

It would need a minute to catch its breath before it could breathe again, and Sheik used that time to climb the rope.

During the climb, it tried to knock her off, but because she was tied to its neck, most of its movements had little effect on her. She got back up to its back with relative ease, though she knew she'd be pushing her luck if she wasted any time.

Though she doubted the monster would die without its object's destruction, she had to at least try to kill it. So with a quick prayer to Hylia, she plunged her dagger into the back of its neck, just below the rope.

The dragon cried out with anger, but Sheik could tell it had been hurt badly. She took a deep breath, praying she'd stay on long enough to make another mark.

Her prior plan had been risky enough, but she knew that it would be suicide if this one went wrong. Its wings were the only things holding them up, but if Sheik was ever going to land—and if she was ever going to help Link destroy the object—then she needed to destroy its wings.

So with baited breath, Sheik plunged a long knife into one of the dragon's wings and braced for impact.

It quickly started to fall, now only having one wing to keep it fully upright. But it wasn't falling fast enough, and the longer it floundered, the more it seemed to be recovering. Sheik stabbed it in the same wing, over and over and over again, till it finally seemed unable to recover.

As the rooftop with Link came closer, Sheik repositioned herself atop its back once more.

But in a last ditch effort to force her off of it, the dragon changed its position. It was angled to land on its back, set to crush her on impact.

If she let go, she'd still end up falling beneath it—and they were falling too fast for her to try to steer it. She closed her eyes, strategizing as best as she could. The only thing she could think of was trying to get to the front of the dragon, but there was nothing to grip on its chest.

Sheik climbed up its neck, struggling with all her might to hang on while the dragon shook his head and tried to force her off. Finally, she managed to get to the front of its neck, but she had no time to go lower before, together, they hit the rooftop.

Because she had been on a thinner part of the dragon, there wasn't much cushion from the fall. As Sheik stood and righted herself, she could feel bruises forming all over her body—bruises mixed with possible fractures, or worse. But at least she was still alive.

Her ears were ringing from the loudness of the crash, but after she stood and shook her head, she could distantly hear someone calling her.

"—eik! Sheik! Are you alright?"

Link's hand on her shoulder made her flinch for a moment—mostly from the pain of the crash—but she didn't pull away. "Did you figure out a way to destroy it?" she managed, voice strained as she tried to catch her breath.

Link shook his head, pressing the object into her arms. "It's no good. I got past the ice, but the metal won't budge."

Sheik sighed, gritting her teeth. "Well, I'm not going up there again, and I don't think it can fly again, anyways. So we've only got a few options, 'cause I'm not going to stay up here with this thing forever."

"Have you tried burning it?" Link asked, pressing the object into her hands. "I know you said you couldn't before, but—"

"Burning requires emotion," Sheik said, shaking her head. "I don't have enough strong emotions to fuel it."

He furrowed his brows and looked like he wanted to say something, but before he could, the dragon seemed to be stirring.

Sheik followed his line of sight, muscles tensing as she saw it start to move again. She hadn't thought that it would die, of course—she knew its physical form was bound to the object and as long as it was okay, the dragon probably would be, too. But she hadn't expected it to recover so quickly.

However, as it sat up and seemed to be struggling for breath, Sheik got the first inklings of an idea.

Even though she'd sworn she wouldn't get back on the dragon, she hurried back up to it, using the rope around its neck to direct its head. It protested the movement, but the fall had weakened it significantly and it couldn't help but move its head in the direction Sheik was forcing it.

"Put the box on the ground," Sheik said, "And reflect the light so I can see it."

Link furrowed his brows, but seemed to realize what she was suggesting. "Do you really think its own fire can destroy it?"

"If ice didn't work, and weapons didn't work, I think fire is the only thing that can actually destroy it." As Sheik was talking, the dragon slowly built up fire in its throat, and she roughly forced its head down. It wasn't easy to maneuver, but she didn't envy Link, either, who was forced to stand just across from it so she could see the object clearly enough to aim at it.

Finally, fire came pouring out of the dragon's mouth, and Sheik got a tighter grip around its neck to direct it easier.

As she burned it, Sheik couldn't help her relief as the object revealed itself, a clear sign of the weakening spell.

"Get back, I can see it now," she said, directing the fire to the metal box. It looked like nothing more than a simple jewelry box. Fitting enough for a dragon, she supposed, but certainly not worth all the trouble it had caused them. She directed the fire at it, forcing the dragon to keep aiming at it no matter how much it struggled.

Finally the box was burnt and rusted, the ice and fire working together to weather it beyond recognition.

The dragon's fire tapered out till there was nothing left, though, and Sheik realized with a start that it probably didn't have the strength to provide anymore.

Before she could worry too much about how else to destroy it, Link stepped forward and stabbed it with his sword.

In an instant, the dragon exploded into ash and light. As there was suddenly nothing but empty space under Sheik, she fell to the ground once the dragon disappeared from under her. Link sheathed his sword in an instant and ran up to her.

When he offered her a hand, she took it, roughly pulling herself up.

Before she could even regain her footing, though, the ground started to shake beneath them. Sheik's eyes widened. "We still don't have a way down," she said, heart pounding in her chest. "How are we going to get down in time?"

"I need you to trust me, Sheik," Link said. His voice was entirely too gentle for the situation at hand, and Sheik looked at him with more than a little alarm. "I can't promise you this will work, but it's worked every time for me in the past, okay?"

"What's worked for you?"

Link managed a small smile before stepping closer to her and taking both her hands. "Farore isn't going to let me die, Sheik. And if you're right next to me, I'm pretty sure that protection extends to you, too."

"What protection?!"

Though Sheik was understandably wary, she didn't back away when he stepped closer. Whatever 'protection' he was offering seemed to work in a very small proximity, and Sheik wasn't going to risk dying just because of her aversion to touch.

Not to mention Link was the only anchor she had as they crashed towards Hyrule, and she was still having trouble regaining her footing as the ground shook beneath her.

As they came closer to the ground—and goddesses above, Sheik could already see the horizon—she forced her eyes closed. If they were going to die, she didn't want to have to see it.

But just before they were supposed to land, all motion stopped. Instead of falling, it felt more like she and Link were floating.

Sheik opened her eyes in surprise, but all she could see was a flash of yellow and green before they started to fall once more.

This fall was much shorter, though by no means more graceful. Sheik and Link ended up in a heap on the ground, nothing more than a tangle of limbs. Though Sheik certainly wasn't fond of such a position, she was too surprised to be alive to protest.

Fortunately Link recovered much faster than she did.

He pried himself off the ground, then held out a hand for her. "You alright?" he asked, finally just lifting her from the ground when she didn't take his hand. "You used up a lot of magic earlier—do you need to rest?"

It took Sheik a moment to shake her head. Though she was certainly tired, it was shock that prevented her from speaking, not exhaustion.

Link looked her up and down, obviously concerned when she still didn't say anything. Seeing that he wouldn't be getting anything out of her for a while, he led her over to a bench outside of someone's home.

Everything seemed to have landed perfectly in place, save for the building they had just exited. Even it was mostly intact, though the area they'd been standing had an impact crater. Sheik didn't want to think of what that meant.

As she sat down, the burn from earlier brushed against the bench. Sheik hissed in pain, finally starting to come back to her senses.

"Hold on, I think I've got some red potion in my bag," he said, already working on digging it out. Sheik stared at him, gaze finally focusing as he pulled out a bottle and held it out for her. "Think you can drink it?"

Sheik looked at the bottle for a while. Now that she was coming out of shock, Sheik was starting to realize what had happened. Her expression hardened the longer she stared at the bottle, till finally she was outright glaring. "I don't know," Sheik finally managed, words lacking the venom she meant to put into them. "Does it have some kind of magical blessing from Farore that you're forgetting to mention?"

Link sighed and pressed it into her hands anyways. "Just drink it, Sheik. I can explain on the way back."

"Or you could explain now," she said. She sipped it slowly, making a face as she swallowed it. "Now would be better, actually, since I'm too tired to hurt you for lying to me."

"Lying?" Link shook his head, offended at the mere thought. "I didn't lie to you, Sheik—"

"You didn't tell the truth, either." Only half aware of her hypocrisy, she stared him down, a glare hard on her face. "Either you've got Farore's Blessing, or magical powers you failed to tell me about, or a Triforce." Before he could answer, she added, "And I'm willing to bet it's the last one. Show me your hand."

Goddesses, how could she have been so stupid? He almost always wore gloves, even when they were sparring!

And yet, as Link pulled off his gloves, Sheik saw no marks on either of his hands.

She furrowed her brows, narrowing her eyes at him. "What's going on, then, if you don't have it? What happened back there?"

Link sighed, finally taking a seat next to her. "Did it never occur to you," he said, "That it was strange for the king to hire someone like me?"

"Like you?" Sheik asked. "I mean, you're young, but—"

"You've heard enough about Ecchar and Ravio and… and Hilda," Link said, shaking his head. "I wasn't… always on the right side of the law." He bit his lip, for the first time looking uncertain about speaking. But he took a slow breath then seemed to find his courage, voice a little stronger when he continued. "Last time Ravio saw me, I almost died. By all accounts, I should have. He got me to Telma's while I still had a chance at living, but I'm lucky he was gone before I…"

He hesitated, and Sheik had to try hard not to push him for details.

"I knew I was about to die," Link said. "I'd accepted it. But for some reason or another, Farore decided she wanted me and gave me another chance."

"So you got a miracle," Sheik said, voice flat as she looked him over. "Doesn't explain why you risked my life just because you didn't die before—"

"Sheik, it's not the only time it's happened." Link reached for her hand, but Sheik pulled out of his grasp before he could touch her again. Hurt flashed across his face, but he accepted her reaction with a sigh. "By this point, I know there's something I have to do, and I'm willing to bet it has to do with Princess Zelda. That's why Telma got me to Castle Town once I was well enough—so I could figure out what I'm supposed to do with… With my part of the Triforce."

Sheik pressed her lips into a thin line, unwilling to show even the slightest hint of emotion.

Link didn't look happy about her reaction, but took her silence as permission to continue. "I have the Triforce of Courage," he finally said. "You can't see the mark on me right now because it's being concealed—just like it has been for the past few years. It would show itself, normally, but it has its own power source… and if that power is tapped into just right, it can be used to hide the mark."

"Then why the gloves," Sheik said. "And why try to hide it at all?"

"It only spares that energy as long as it isn't being used for anything else. I'm no good at using magic 'cause I've never been trained, but it acts on its own if it's to save my life." He slipped his gloves back on, eyes trained on the ground. "I'm sorry you had to find out this way, Sheik. This isn't exactly how I wanted to tell you."

"Oh, so you did plan on telling me at some point," Sheik said, a somewhat bitter tone creeping into her voice. "What a relief."

"Look, the people who took over the castle are looking for anyone with a Triforce," Link said. "That's why they're searching for the Princess. If they found the Triforce of Courage and the Triforce of Wisdom, then they'd have all three parts."

"All three?"

Link nodded. "The one who took over the castle already has the Triforce of Power," he said. "That's why the King sent me after his daughter."

"How are you so sure she even has the Triforce of Wisdom?" Sheik asked. Thinking back to the lie she'd told him, she added, "The Zelda I knew didn't have any marks on her, and I think I would have noticed if Impa ever mentioned it—"

"You really think they wouldn't have concealed hers, too?" Link raised a brow. "I wasn't the one to lay the concealment charm. Some old lady Sheikah did it. She usually lives up in the mountains, but she came down at the King's request. I'm willing to bet she concealed the Princess's, too, back when she still lived at the Castle. If her life has ever been in danger with no other solution, it's probably already revealed itself to her."

Sheik's stomach twisted at the thought of having some strange, dormant power within her. …But then again, she couldn't remember a time that she'd nearly died. She'd been on the run most of her life, but she always stayed several steps ahead of her pursuers and tended to keep herself safe. The last few weeks were probably the first time in her life that she'd ever actively sought out dangerous situations. "…And what if it hasn't?"

Link shrugged. "Then she probably doesn't even know. Probably for the best, really—the fewer that know about the Triforces, the better."

Sheik's mind reeled, but she forced herself to stay calm externally. It wasn't worth revealing herself—not yet. Maybe someday, maybe if there was dire need, like Link revealing his secret only as they were plummeting to their death.

But not yet.

"Were you planning to tell me this even when we were up in the basement?" Sheik asked. "Or were you hoping I wouldn't notice?"

"I knew the risks," Link said. "I didn't want to tell you yet because I thought you'd react like this. But no secret is worth dying for." At her silence, he let out a sigh then stood in front of her, arms crossed over his chest. Despite his posture and the look on his face, when Link spoke again, his voice was strangely vulnerable. "…I understand if you don't want to be partners anymore," he said. "But we're both still looking for Zelda, aren't we?"

Sheik closed her eyes, weighing the cost.

Though Link had lied to her, she'd be a hypocrite in the worst way if she abandoned him now. Not to mention their teamwork at Ecchar and the past two cities, and how much more dangerous Hyrule had gotten just in the past few weeks. The risks were too great to part ways now.

…And even if Farore wouldn't let Link die, anyways, Sheik still hadn't saved him on their first meeting just to abandon him now.

"I'm still not happy with you," she finally said, "But I can't say I don't understand why you hid it. I wasn't honest with you till recently, either, so I'd be a pretty big hypocrite if I left you just because you didn't tell me the truth from the start."

Thoughts of her lie made guilt sink lower in her stomach—especially since now Link was being completely honest with her. But how could she tell him her secret now? It was entirely too risky, especially since now she knew the power he possessed.

Link's smile just made her guilt worse, but at least he seemed to believe her. "Thank you," he said, letting out a sigh of relief. "—And I think it goes without saying that this has to stay a secret?"

"What do you take me for?"

"Just double-checking," Link said. He reached for her hand once more, taking it before she could pull away. "Thank you for trusting me back there. I would've hated it if you died when I could save you."

Sheik looked away, face burning at the gentle touch and the genuine emotion in his voice. "I would've hated it if I died when you could save me, too," she muttered, looking away. Before Link could say anything else so frustratingly sweet, Sheik stood, body still quite sore despite the red potion. But at least the burn seemed to be healing, and the bruises were a little less painful. "…We should get back on the road. I bet the horses aren't happy about being left alone for so long."

Link nodded, standing up after her. "You'll be alright on horseback?"

Though Sheik was certainly tired, she wasn't exhausted enough to fall asleep on horseback like she had after Oxon. And by now, the bruises were probably healed enough that she wouldn't be in constant pain. …She was fairly sure, at least.

"I'll only know once I'm riding again," she said. "Now come on. We should try to get as close to Marr as we can before it gets dark."

As the sun was already fairly low in the horizon, Sheik doubted they'd make it very far before they had to stop. But for that, she was grateful. Much as she would have appreciated a bed for the night, she knew she could only last for so long before she fell asleep. For the sake of her pride, she'd prefer it if she fell asleep after she was off her horse.

When night finally came, Sheik was too tired to spar. Though she wanted to make sure Link slept well, as per their routine, Sheik's eyes were bleary as she set up her sleeping mat and blankets. Link seemed to feel the same, looking more tired than she'd seen him in days.

Whether or not the Triforce ran on life energy, Sheik couldn't help but wonder. Surely it required an awful lot of energy to save someone's life?

Maybe it was because she was too tired to be as stoic as she normally was, or maybe it was because the depth of Link's confession was just getting through to her, but Sheik knew she wouldn't be able to sleep comfortably without talking to him.

"Hey," she said, propping herself on her forearms so she could look at him. "Will you be alright?"

Link sat back onto his elbows, tired eyes squinting against the campfire. "Why do you ask?" he asked, a yawn breaking his last word. "I'm fine. You're the one that took down the dragon—I oughta be asking you that."

Sheik frowned a little, looking at him by the fire's glow. "But you're the one who kept us alive on the way down," she said. "There's not any… lingering effects of that power or anything, is there?"

"Sheik, I'm fine," he said, sitting all the way up to get a better look at her. "Might not get the best sleep tonight, but I can deal with that in the morning."

"Do you always get such little sleep after your Triforce uses its power?"

Link shrugged. "I wouldn't say it's just the Triforce." It was too dark to see his expression, but Sheik didn't miss the way he hugged his knees. Before Sheik could think to ask him anything else, Link looked back up at her and attempted to smile. "It was pretty brave of you, you know, going up on that dragon. Kind of wondering if you ought to have the Triforce of Courage instead."

Sheik gave him a flat look. "It just seemed like the best option at the time," she said. "That's all."

"Still." He yawned again, his normally wide eyes half concealed by drooping eyelids. "I'm glad you survived it."

Sheik nodded. "I'm… grateful I survived it, too. And that you finished off the jewelry box before the dragon started to recover." She hesitated, stomach twisting as she remembered how certain of himself he had seemed when he saved her back at Tal. Though she tried to resist asking, Sheik couldn't help herself. "…How did you know I would trust you?"

Link looked at her for a while, an unreadable expression in his eyes. But before he answered her, he just shook his head, a small smile on his face instead. "It's pretty late, Sheik," he said, voice soft. "You should really get some rest."

Though her people skills weren't the greatest, Sheik knew the end of a conversation when she heard it. As much as she wanted to know what he meant, she couldn't find it in her to press the issue.

"Goodnight, Link," she finally said. "Try to get a good night's sleep."

Link nodded, but even when Sheik laid back down onto her sleeping mat, he didn't follow suit.

Sheik, too tired to stay up for much longer, was asleep before she ever even heard him lie back down.

((Hopefully I included enough of a buildup to Link's story that it didn't come as a complete shock. After all, it is strange for an ex criminal to be hired as one of the king's men in the search for the princess, so it would have to be something pretty convincing (like, say, a Triforce) to get the king to put this young (15ish at the time), inexperienced, ex-criminal in charge of finding his daughter. Plus this also explains some of the things about, like, "why was he completely unarmed those times when Sheik saved him, why is he so willing to put himself in danger," etc. If you have questions, though, please feel free to ask in a review! As always, I greatly appreciate your feedback, and I'm incredibly grateful to everyone who reviews! You're all wonderful!

As always, if you liked this chapter, and even if you didn't, please leave a review to tell me so! See you next chapter!))