The warehouse was bigger than Sheik thought it would be. But that was because, in their view from the outside, they hadn't noticed that the warehouse had a basement. Four basements, in fact. Each heavily guarded and patrolled regularly, with a mix of Hylian and monster guards.
"What is it with bad guys and hiding out underground?" Link whispered as they hid behind a crate. Though they tried to be stealthy, there was only so long they could spend scoping out the routes the guards took the most. "I mean, I get it, but why is it that they all—?"
Sheik held a finger to her lips as one walked just a hair closer than they'd been expecting him to, based on his previous patrols. He came closer and closer, till finally he turned around and started walking the other way.
"I don't think they're walking on totally designated paths," she muttered. "The Hylians, anyways. The monsters don't seem to be deviating much."
Link let out a sigh as he accepted their fate. "We'll just have to go closer to the monsters, then, and follow their paths. I don't want everyone on this floor taking us on at once."
"Maybe…" Sheik looked at the alarm bells around the room, lips pursing into a frown as a plan started to form in her head. "If we block off their access to the alarms, then… Maybe…" Though it was risky, they could probably win in a fair fight against most of the people within the room. But that meant no one could leave the room or sound the alarms, which meant they'd have to somehow take every single person out and have no one escape…
Probably best for now just to sneak around. Though if they had to come back up later, she wasn't looking forward to sneaking around the guards again.
She supposed if they really needed to take out an entire floor, they'd figure out a way. And, if nothing else, maybe it'd be possible to seal the exits from the inside till they were finished with everyone on that floor.
Sheik filed that plan away for future use, then cleared her head so she could get back to the plan at hand.
"The one over there seems the least interested in what's going on around him, and his range is a lot smaller. I say we stay within his range for as long as we can," Link whispered. "I don't think he'd notice us at all."
Sheik nodded, glancing at the man. That meant they'd be going to the opposite side before they reached the door… But, she supposed it was better than getting caught.
"On three," Sheik said softly, bracing herself for the break they'd be making. They'd have to avoid every single guard who even glanced their direction, and dive for cover before anyone turned in their rounds.
They'd be relying on as much luck as skill—but though Sheik had little faith, she knew they had to make the best attempt they could. And, she reminded herself, even if they were seen, that didn't make it the end for them. It would just make their job an awful lot harder.
With that in mind, Sheik counted to three, then leapt out from behind the box they'd been hiding behind. They were only on the move for a few seconds before they ducked behind another box, just far enough out of the way that no one would see them if they poked their heads out.
From there, they made slow, careful moves from one hiding place to another, till finally they were near the exit.
Fortunately no one was watching the exit, as it was far enough away that it wasn't in anyone's direct line of sight—not to mention they were watching for intruders, not for people already within the complex.
Sheik couldn't help her relief when they finally made it past the door. Together, they slipped through it and let it shut behind them with the faintest click.
That relief was very short lived. Only a few seconds passed before Sheik realized they weren't alone.
The guard, near them and looking their way, didn't miss a beat.
But Sheik didn't either.
Before he could open his mouth to call for backup, Sheik sprung forward and cupped her hand over his mouth. Link, immediately on the job as well, unwound some rope and tied him up, forcing him to stop his struggling.
The pair found a supply closet not far from there, and knocked him out before unceremoniously tossing him inside.
Aside from him, the hallway had been deserted, which was just fine with Sheik. She looked over it with a frown, trying to remember the floorplan from outside. However, an outside perspective was nothing compared to a map—and if they wanted to succeed with their rescue mission, then they needed to know where they were going.
"Link," she whispered, pulling him next to her. "We need to find a map of this place."
"Does it look like we can just ask someone for one?" Link asked, furrowing his brow. However, as he looked around, the beginnings of an idea started to form, evident by the look on his face. "…But maybe we could get a good view of the lower floors…"
"And how—?"
"The rafters," he said. "It's a warehouse, Sheik. Hyrule's terrible about not always finishing ceilings properly. I wouldn't be surprised if the main room had unfinished ceilings between each floor. Probably where they're keeping the girls, too."
Excitement shone in Sheik's eyes, just for a moment. As good of an idea as it was, rationality and worries made her hesitate. "And it's safe?"
A small smirk appeared on Link's face. "Well," he said, "Probably safer than trying to sneak around all those guards again."
"And what's the way to find the main room, exactly? Again, we don't exactly have a map."
Though Link hesitated for a moment, and when he answered her, he didn't suond too convinced. "We're on the top floor now, aren't we? I'm sure we'll find it eventually."
"And once we get there?"
Despite the worries in his eyes, Link didn't take back his suggestion. "Well, assuming we find it… If we make it onto the rafters of the top floor, then…"
"Then we'll be seen," Sheik cut in. "There's no getting around that one."
"Unless we take everyone out in that room."
Sheik bit the inside of her cheek, but she didn't argue. "Alright," she said. "We'll just have to figure out a plan once we get there. We don't even know what we're up against, but—"
Link took hold of her hand. "But it'll be fine," he said, a small smile on his face. "We can handle this."
Though he was trying to be reassuring, Sheik wasn't convinced. Still, she gave his hand a light squeeze before letting go of it. "Still. No matter what happens to either of us, those girls are top priority."
Link nodded, though he didn't look happy about it. "I promise," he said, then looked at the door looming before them. "…Hopefully this'll lead to the main room so we can get it over with."
"…Don't get your hopes up, Link. Something tells me this is going to be a long day."
Sheik's pessimism didn't fail them.
A mapless maze of corridors greeted them, and countless guards and store-rooms and minor injuries came with the territory. Still, they kept a close eye on where they'd come and what doors they'd have to take to get back outside. Hours passed in search of the right room, and after so many failed tries, they were both about ready to turn back.
But finally, they arrived at the room that would allow them access to the rest of the warehouse.
"The girls are probably on one of the lower levels," Sheik reminded him, as if they hadn't gone over the plan a dozen times in the past few hours. As she looked into the room (and the four levels below it) though, her heart sunk as she realized how much time and energy it would take to even get to the girls, let alone bring them back up. But despite her pessimism, she didn't lose heart. "…So that means we have to take them back up through the upper levels. Probably by rope. "
"Should we…" Link bit the inside of his cheek. "…Should we try to fight as many as we can right now? I don't think we'll be able to sneak so many girls back up if there are still guards. This is dangerous enough for them as it is—we can't bring them up here if it's unsafe."
Sheik let out a long sigh as she considered their options. "We can use stealth," she decided. Seeing Link's skepticism, she added, "To surprise the guards, I mean. You're right—we have to get rid of them before we bring the girls back up."
Link nodded, looking a little relieved, though Sheik's own uncertainty was reflected in his eyes. "But no matter how we plan it, the surprise will only last for so long."
"Well, the rafters are interconnected, aren't they?" Sheik set her lips into a thin line. "I have a plan. We'll have to get pretty lucky, but… If we play our cards right, I think it'll work."
Though questions lingered in his eyes, Sheik watched as he started to understand just what she was implying. Link took a deep breath to steel himself, but soon enough, he took her hand. "Let's hope we get really lucky, then."
The rafters were old and full of more splinters than Sheik could count. As they crawled, she was incredibly jealous of Link's fingerless gloves—at least it was only his fingertips that were full of wood rather than his entire hand.
For once, though, Sheik was grateful for the callouses all over her hands. Without them, the journey would have been far worse.
As they climbed, they depended solely on the hope that no one—not on the top layer, nor the layers under it—would look up. As stealthy as they tried to be, the rafters were still only slightly wider than they were—and anyone from the sides of the building would notice two people crawling along the rafters if they only looked up.
But, as luck would have it, they made it across with no interruptions.
Once they were in the rafters closest to the far corner, though—with a small, partially enclosed section which encased a few guards—they made their move.
Because there were three guards inside, Sheik's initial strike had to take out two (leaving the last, much larger one for Link), which meant she had to focus more on the guards than on a stealthy approach. Had she not cast a silencing spell, the strike would never have worked.
However, it did, and because they silenced the guards' cries and had been partially hidden from sight, they drew no attention from the other guards.
But even with these three out of the way, there were still about fifteen left on this floor alone… And not all of them were hidden from sight like this.
They'd have to block off the alarms and the exits and take care not to let any bodies drop to the next floor.
And if they wanted to avoid any shouts from one group to another, Sheik would have to use an awful lot of silencing spells. But though she hadn't gotten much sleep the previous night, and though she'd already used a fair amount of magic, Sheik wasn't going to give up yet.
So together, she and Link disabled the alarms, then started to take guards down one by one.
There were seven left by the time they'd gotten rid of all the ones in enclosed spaces. Fortunately, most of the guards were in one area, with two on the opposite end.
Link set out to take down the few, mostly because he didn't have a silencing spell. He made short work of the Hylian and monster duo; the guards only had time to let out quick, abruptly silenced cries before Link was finished with them.
Because of that cry, though, the guards on Sheik's side were alerted to a disturbance.
And though it was exactly what they'd been trying to avoid, Sheik used it in her favor. While they were distracted, she set a silencing spell around them, grateful they'd clustered so close together. It didn't take long for them to be incapacitated or vanished—especially when Link joined her to help her finish them off.
Though the monsters left nothing to dispose of, the Hylian guards—either killed or knocked out, and the duo didn't have time to check—had to be taken care of. So they moved them into an abandoned closet and barred it shut.
From there, they repeated the process floor by floor.
It was a little more difficult each floor they went down. Sheik supposed they kept their best guards lower down, because the ones on the third and fourth floors were far more alert.
Still, despite the minor injuries she and Link were collecting, adrenaline and magic kept them going.
It wasn't until the last floor—the fifth floor—that the fight was really starting to take a toll on them. Still, they were so close to the end that Sheik could almost taste it. All they'd have to do was take care of the last set of guards then find a quick, easy way to get back to the top floor.
But as they finished the fourth and Sheik released her last silencing spell, she felt a slight rush to her head, and the world became blurry and dark. It passed after a moment, but still, Sheik knew that she was reaching her limit.
As they came to the last set of rafters and staked out their enemies, Sheik gestured for Link to come closer and sit with her.
"I can't afford another silencing spell," she said. "I need to have enough energy to free them, and to help them on the way back. If I use even one more silencing spell, I don't think I'll have enough."
The worried look on Link's face made Sheik half want to shove him off the rafters. "Are you alright?" he asked, eyes wide as he looked her over. "Take some water—there's some food in here, I think, and red potion—"
"It's not going to help," Sheik said. "We just need to get this over with, alright? I'd rather not end up dead or unconscious, so we're just going to have to fight without a silencing spell."
Though Link didn't look happy about it, he didn't argue. "What do you need me to do?" he asked, and if it weren't for the worry in his voice, she might have appreciated it more. The words had hardly left his mouth, though, before he took hold of her hand again. His hands gentle and warm, even if they were just as scarred and callouses as her own were. Sheik didn't pull away.
But though she didn't pull away, Sheik's face warmed as he pressed his lips to her knuckles.
As much as she appreciated the gesture, this wasn't the time or place for it. "We need to get this over with," she repeated. "So we need to disable the alarms so they don't call in all the guards from the smaller rooms, then we need to fight as hard and as fast as we can."
Link nodded, then gently released her hand. "Alright. And then we have to find an escape route?"
"The rope," she said, looking up at the rafters. "We can tie it to the rafters and get the girls out that way. We've cleared most of the rooms, except for that first one by the exit."
"Alright," he said softly. "You take care of the alarms. I'll get most of the fighting out of the way once you're done."
That decided, Sheik crawled along the rafters till she reached the main alarm. She only had time to put a crate over the top of it before she was seen. Before the guard could even make a move for her, Link jumped from the rafters and took out most of the guards in his path.
There wasn't enough time for the guards to react. Fortunately many of the guards were monsters—though well-trained ones—so Link had no qualms about thrusting his sword into their backs.
As for Sheik's part, she steered clear of much of the fighting, focusing instead on finding the girls.
It didn't take long to spot their cell.
There were three guards immediately guarding them, and Sheik didn't hesitate to throw knives between their eyes. Two fell from her throwing knives alone, leaving only the third to fight her properly.
Sheik's growing exhaustion was enough to slow her, though, and she was startled to realize that, in this state, he was a match for her.
Link was busy with the other guards—very busy, considering the pained shouts from behind her. Her pulse quickened when she realized she wasn't sure if it was only the monsters making those sounds. Still, she had a job to do, and as much as she wanted to help Link, the guard in front of her didn't want to let her leave.
In the end, it was one of the girls that saved Sheik.
Though most of the girls seemed to be in shock, one of them stepped forward and reached for the guard, holding him by his neck.
It held him back for just long enough for Sheik to drive her katana into his middle.
Thoroughly exhausted now, Sheik could only let out a breathy "thanks" before leaning hard against the cell.
At least it was a single, large cell. All the girls were grouped together, so Sheik didn't have to feel bad about leaving anyone behind if she didn't have enough magic to open their cell.
In fact, as she studied the guards she'd just taken out, it looked like she wouldn't have to use magic to open their cell at all. A shiny set of keys hung from one of the guards' belt-loop, ripe for the taking. Sheik opened up the cell in an instant, though she gestured for the girls to stay put.
Sheik finally had time to look behind her, and lo and behold, Link was surrounded by five other guards, including the last of the Hylian guards.
Though Sheik was struggling to even catch her breath, she ran towards him, throwing a knife at one of the guards' backs. It vanished in a puff of black smoke, leaving a gap for Sheik to run through. Still, as much as she would have liked to join Link in the center, she could do more from the outside. Though it was a dirty trick, she continued to target the enemies from behind till it was a fair fight.
With only two guards—one monster and one Hylian—left between them, the pair made short work of their mission.
"Alright," Link said as the last guard—a monster—vanished into smoke. He turned to the girls, an attempt at a reassuring smile on his face. "How many of you are there?"
"Twenty two," a girl said, and Sheik recognized her as the one who'd helped her. That dark skin and red hair was hard to miss. If Sheik hadn't been so tired, she might have wondered if she was Gerudo. "…Are we free to go?"
"It's still dangerous in the warehouse," Sheik said, striding forward and watching as the girls filed one by one out of their cell. "We cleared all the floors above this, and some of the hallways connected to it, but the room to the outside still has some guards. We'll have to be quiet till we get outside."
Link looked her over, and Sheik tried not to grimace at how he stared at the way she was leaning against a wall for support. Still, he spoke as if he hadn't noticed. "Right. You guys are going to have to be absolutely silent, okay? Then we'll go back through Marr and get you guys home as quickly as we can. It's a two mile walk from here, but I don't think anyone's going to try to stop us."
One of the girls frowned, thin brows furrowing as she stared at them. "…Do we have to stay in Marr?"
"Don't you want to go home?" Sheik, too tired to consider anything that wasn't directly survival oriented, couldn't quite get at what the girl was saying. "Or do you want to stay here?"
"But—I live in Castle Town," she said. "Most of us aren't from Marr. Do—do we have to stay there?"
Sheik blinked, confusion setting in deeper. Before she could protest or ask for clarification, Link gently took hold of her shoulder, stopping her before she said anything. "We need to get you out of here first thing," he said to the girls. "Just be patient for now. We'll sort through everything once we're out of the warehouse. But I don't think we have time to discuss it here."
"How are we getting out?" another girl asked. "Are we going up the stairs?"
"There are guards there," Sheik said. "We're going up to the top by rope." None of the girls looked pleased, exactly, but Sheik didn't have time to argue. Instead, she started climbing up the rafters the way she'd taught herself as a young girl. Though she was exhausted, she had enough energy for this, and finally managed to make it to the top. She unstrung the rope in her bag, letting it fall down to the bottom floor.
She held up a single finger for Link, and heard him (muffled), say, "Alright, one by one."
Now that most of her job was done, Sheik sat down at the far corner of the room, body almost numb with exhaustion. It would take a while for the girls to get to the top—especially going one by one—and that meant Sheik had just enough time to rest before they moved on.
Though she tried to avoid it, she ended up dozing off, startled when she heard Link's voice coming up the rope.
"—alright, is that everyone?" he asked, looking over the girls. "All twenty two of you?"
One quick headcount later, and they were ready to go. Sheik pulled herself up from the ground, wincing as she felt small injuries (mostly bruises and shallow cuts—make themselves known. There wasn't time to dwell on it or ask Link for red potion, so she simply started for the door.
"Alright. Be silent," she said. "Only speak up if you see a guard."
The girls nodded, and from there, they started through the warehouse.
One maze of corridors and a long hallway later, and everyone was waiting in anticipation for the open room to come. Before Sheik could reach for the door, though, Link gently took hold of her hand.
"Are you sure you can handle going out there?" he asked. "You've used a lot of magic already, Sheik."
"I don't plan on using anymore," she said. "I'll be fine."
In her heart of hearts, she was mostly worried about using too much magic and losing her glamour in front of guards, but there wasn't time to focus so much on that. They had to get out of here no matter what—and her glamour fading was nothing to all of them getting captured.
Though Link didn't look completely convinced, she knew he trusted her—and with the fire raging behind her eyes, she didn't think he'd contradict her.
So he nodded and laid a hand on her shoulder, obviously trying to bolster her strength. Though it didn't do much for her physically—especially since his hand was resting on top of a somewhat deep cut—it made her all the more determined to succeed.
Because they didn't make it out of here, Sheik knew it wasn't just the girls they'd be losing. There was a good chance that Link could also be taken, along with her.
They'd kill them, she knew—and if they didn't succeed, they'd certainly give it their all. For Link's sake she hoped his Triforce really would prevent him from dying, though she didn't trust it nearly as much as he seemed to.
"We can do this," she finally said. "But be safe. I'll take the far side—you stick closer to the door. Guard them with your life."
With that, the pair went towards the door, and on the count of three, they opened it.
The room was just as full of guards as it had been before, and the duo was far more tired than they had been before. But they were blocking the main exit, along with the alarm, so if nothing else, at least the guards couldn't escape or call for backup.
Sheik pressed further out than Link, who guarded the door and fought off every guard that got past Sheik. Between the two of them, they cleared the room in mere minutes, till finally, it was dead silent.
"Okay," Link breathed, resting on his sword. "I think it's time we got out of here."
Sheik nodded, too out of breath to even agree aloud. She watched with a small, relieved smile behind her mask as the girls filtered through the door, one by one, till all twenty two of them stood between her and Link.
"Let's get out of here," Link said, smiling as he led the way. Seeing how slow Sheik was moving, he seemed to take some small pity on her, and decided to give her respite. "Alright—I'll lead the way out, and my partner will bring up the rear, okay? Stay between us."
The girls nodded and followed Link. All together, they headed for an open window that she and Link had entered through so many hours ago.
Sheik waited till the last girl had joined the procession, then slowly started after her.
That was when she heard it.
There was movement behind a crate, all too close to her, and Sheik instinctively reached for her katana. But in one fluid movement, one last guard jumped out from behind a crate, a sword ready to skewer anything in his path.
Had he been racing towards Sheik, it would have been one thing. But he was going for the girl at the end of the line.
Sheik reacted on instinct alone.
She pushed the girl out of the way, hard enough that she fell, and hard enough that Sheik's entire body moved with the shove.
She was almost perfectly in line with the man's sword, and it was only luck and the man's own incompetence that he managed to only catch her side. Sheik's katana was ready, though, and before he could withdraw his sword and try again, she plunged her weapon straight into his heart. Once he fell, he took his sword with him, adding even more damage to Sheik's side. She fell to the ground, exhaustion and blood-loss pulling her down.
The ringing in her ears blocked out her own pained cry, and likely the sound of others calling for help. But though Sheik couldn't hear them, she soon felt hands lifting her back onto her feet.
She clutched at her side as she was pulled back upright, trying to stanch the blood-flow. Her hands were coated red in only seconds. When she tried to pull her hands back to see how much blood was coming though, someone pushed her hands back to her wound and forced pressure back on it.
Because of the shock of the injury and her exhaustion, Sheik was only distantly aware of the voices in her ear.
"—Sheik," someone was saying, and she supposed it was Link, since she hadn't mentioned her name to any of the girls. "Oh, goddesses—keep pressure on it, okay? I'll get you out of here, I promise. Can you walk?"
The shock wore off enough for her to answer, and when Link tried to lift her arm around his shoulders, she shoved him away. "I can walk," she said, though her voice was more like a croak. "I'll need help getting out of the window, but I'll be fine once we're outside. Do you still have red potion?"
Link nodded quickly, and Sheik soon felt more than one set of hands helping her out of the open window. She dropped to the ground once they were out, but she soon found herself back on her own two feet.
"Red potion," Link said, repeating the words a few times as he searched his satchel for a bottle. His hands shook as he uncorked it and held it to her lips. "Drink all of it—there's a few more bottles after this one, too."
"I'm only taking one," Sheik said after she'd finished the bottle. "Save the others for an emergency."
"This is an emergency," Link snapped. "I'm not letting you—"
Sheik could already feel the effects of the potion kicking in. She wondered if this was how Link felt after the fight with the fire monster at Oxon, or if burns were more painful. She decided it wasn't worth the effort of thinking about it.
Despite her dizziness, Sheik turned and looked at the girls. "Alright," she said. "Most of you aren't from Marr, correct? Is there anyone who is?"
A few girls raised their hands, and Sheik considered them for a moment, choosing her words carefully.
"Okay. What's a safe place in Marr where we can keep hidden for the night? A tavern, an inn—do any of you have a house big enough to fit us all?"
None of the girls spoke up at first, but finally one of them stepped forward. "I—I work at a tavern," she said. "My… my boss always tried to protect me, before I went missing. He might be willing to let us all stay there for a little while."
Sheik nodded. "Once we get to the city limits, lead the way."
That said, she turned and started walking towards Marr, Link close at her side. It was probably for the best, because not even a mile towards the city, Sheik was lightheaded enough that she had to lean on him.
Red potion could only accelerate scar tissue formation and replace blood, after all. And scar tissue required more energy than she had, even if the red potion was doing its best to compensate.
It was all she could do to lean on him and force herself to stay awake. She prayed to Hylia and all Three that she'd manage to keep her glamour intact before she passed out.
As it turned out, the girl's boss was none other than Groose, and the tavern she worked at was the seedy one that she and Link had gotten chased out of.
Still, it was only midafternoon which meant the tavern was almost abandoned.
Sheik only distantly overheard the conversation with the manager, and to her relief, Groose seemed more than happy to take everyone in, even if it meant closing up his tavern for the night. There was food, there was shelter, and, to Sheik's relief, there was privacy.
As they settled in, though, Sheik could feel her grip on consciousness fading. The red potion that she'd been given simply wasn't enough for the extent of the injury. No matter how stubbornly she held out, she couldn't fight forever. The red potion had done its best, of course, and had replaced a lot of blood and formed as much scar tissue as it could. But it could only replace so much blood, and soon she was starting to feel lightheaded again.
They'd only just gotten every girl through the door and closed up shop for the day before Sheik excused herself.
Before she could pass out inside of a booth, she felt a hand catch her wrist.
"Sheik," Link said. It somewhat alarmed her that she could recognize his echoey, distant voice more than his face—had Link always been this dark and blurry? "Sit down."
"I was going to," she managed, but her own voice was far away. "I'll be fine—just…"
"Just…?" he asked. In an instant, he seemed to realize she was about to pass out, and he dug through his pouch for some red potion. "C'mon, Sheik—don't pass out on me. You need to stay awake to drink."
Sheik reached her hand out for the bottle, but Link held it to her lips instead. She supposed it was a good thing—her arms and face felt numb and weak. Had she held it herself, it might have just shattered on the ground.
As soon as she finished the potion, she felt it start to kick in, but exhaustion was winning over. "I… I'm sorry," she started, slowly blinking her eyes. "I…can't."
Dimly, she was aware of magic around her eyes failing her. For the life of her, she couldn't remember why it was so important that she maintained that spell. But she only blinked open blue eyes once or twice before her eyes remained shut, and she fell slowly, blissfully, asleep.
When Sheik awoke, everything was too bright, and she could hear muffled footsteps all around her, with muffled voices to match.
Still, for the most part she seemed to be alone, and she took advantage of it to reapply her eye glamour, red eyes flashing in the bright room she was being kept in. Even just applying the glamour was difficult, though, and she felt exhaustion start to creep back in as soon as it was back on.
Yes, she'd definitely overused her magic this time around. But as she thought back to all twenty two girls they'd saved, she couldn't feel anything but relief, and more than a little pride.
Deciding it was best to sit up to gage the extent of the damage, Sheik gingerly started to move. One arm behind her, she slowly propped herself up.
"I wouldn't get up, if I were you," someone said. It took Sheik a moment to place the voice. But before she could wonder, the tall, broad figure of Groose came into her line of sight. "Your, uh, boyfriend over there said not to let you get up yet. And it looks like he was onto something, Sheikah. You look terrible."
Sheik didn't take offense. She felt pretty terrible, all considered. Still, she wondered at the word 'boyfriend.' "Uh huh. Did Link tell you we were dating, or did you decide that on your own?"
"The way he fussed over you, it's pretty hard not to think you're dating," Groose said. "Also, he said to drink this."
A red potion was pressed into her hand, and Sheik pressed her lips into a thin line as she looked at it.
"You'd better drink it, you know. No one here really knew how to stitch a wound, so unless you heal it quickly, you're probably gonna break through the stitches if you move much more." When Sheik still didn't immediately drink it, he leaned against the doorway, his demeanor and crossed arms not quite matching the cocky smile on his face. "Man, he was right. You are stubborn."
Sheik narrowed her eyes. "Anything else he told you?"
"Not to be above forcing you to drink it. And also—this is a direct quote, 'Don't let her leave unless she drinks it.'"
Sheik sized him up. Any other day, she probably could have taken him on. But he was almost three times her size around and a bit taller than her. She could probably still take him if she was armed and he wasn't, but… She wasn't really keen on hurting the man who'd allowed the twenty four of them to stay there for the time being.
Remembering what time they arrived, though, Sheik looked out the window. It was already dark. "How long did I sleep?" she asked. "Should've been plenty of time to let this heal…"
"You were only asleep for maybe two or three hours," Groose said. "And you only didn't bleed to death because of the red potion Link made you drink before you passed out."
Passed out… Sheik closed her eyes, trying to remember what, exactly, had happened before she passed out.
In an instant, she remembered passing out on a booth in the tavern, but the details were sketchy. Her heart nearly stopped from worry, and she bolted upright in an instant. However, Groose had been right about the poor stitching, because instantly, her side reopened, leaving her no choice but to drink the red potion lest she bleed out.
Having been partway healed already, when she finished the drink the bleeding had already stopped again, though the wound was still raw with new scar tissue.
"Just relax, alright? You're safe," Groose said, misinterpreting her fears. Still, it helped Sheik calm down, if just a little—after all, she'd only be drawing more attention to herself if she panicked. "You're probably gonna have to drink another one of those later, too," Groose said, referring back to the red potions he'd mentioned. "But for now, you should be fine once you get it wrapped properly." Sheik gave him a blank look, and he raised a brow. "…All those bandages you're wearing on your wrists and fingers and—what, you don't have any for an actual wound?"
Sheik grimaced. However, he did have a point, so she looked around for her bag, finding it next to her. Inside was some gauze, and she didn't hesitate to undress to her training clothes in order to wrap up her wound.
Because the universe despised her, though, that was right when Link walked in.
"Groose, has she moved at all—" he started, then stopped dead in his tracks when she saw her upright and dressing her own wound. "Sheik!"
Once Link had entered the room, Groose seemed to take it as his cue to leave, and he only laughed as he watched Link run over to her.
Sheik looked up at him, her stare hard and accusing, though not quite as intense as she would have liked it to be. "You. You told him not to let me leave till I drank another potion."
Link wasn't phased. "Yeah—looks like it was a good idea, too. Did you already drink it? It's most the way healed, from the looks of it." When she glared at him, his expression softened a little. "It was pretty deep, Sheik. I'm surprised you made it here without passing out on the way."
"What, and have you carry me again?" Sheik huffed, looking back down at the wrappings. She pulled the last one tight then let it stick to itself, the wrapping thick and stiff. At least it'd keep her from jostling it, she supposed. "…Are the girls alright?"
"The girls are fine, Sheik. Especially Cremia."
Sheik squinted. "And that's…?"
"The girl you got stabbed for," Link said. "That one."
Though she was relieved, she tried not to show it. "That's good. She'll need her strength to head back home and avoid getting captured again."
"About that…" Link took a seat next to her, careful not to jostle her too much. "We're still trying to decide where to take the rest of them. It'll take too long to bring all of them home. Some of them live in the far west, near the desert."
Sheik thought of the girl with red hair who looked somewhat Gerudo. "The west…"
"And some of them live in Castle Town, and some of them live near the Zoras, and some of them lived near Death Mountain. Point is, we can't go everywhere and risk not being able to save the girls at Ise, right?" Link let out a slow sigh, shaking his head. "I don't know where to take them, though. We can't just leave them at Marr, and we can't really take them with us back to Solen, can we?"
"Back to Solen, huh…" Sheik hummed, considering the possibilities. As she planned out the course and tried to figure out if there was a safe place along the way, she had a flash of inspiration. "Link—the horses!"
"Huh? We don't have enough for all of them, Sheik. And if we tried, we'd have to go back to Lon Lon Ranch and buy more—"
"No, I mean Lon Lon Ranch, Link. We have to stop there to drop off the horses anyways. And you've seen the ranch—it's huge. Plenty big enough for twenty two girls, isn't it?" Sheik reached forward and grabbed his shoulder, a fire behind her eyes once more. "I don't think Malon could turn them away if we brought them along—"
"Sheik, no, it's too dangerous," Link said. "We haven't even asked Malon—not to mention it'd only draw more monster attacks to the ranch!"
"But Malon could easily teach them how to fight off the monsters, and then she'd have even more people to help her run the ranch, too." When Link still looked skeptical, Sheik sat closer, determination on her face. "Couldn't we at least ask? …Besides, weren't some of the girls from Marr, anyways? It isn't like all twenty-two of them would be staying there."
"Only sixteen," Link said, lips pulling into a frown. "Five live in Marr—I've already escorted them back home, actually—and one lives in Solen. I promised her I'd take her back with us."
"Then what's the problem?" Sheik said. "It's only sixteen of them. Malon can manage."
"We have to consider other options. I don't know if she actually has the resources, Sheik—"
"Then I'll pay her the difference." Before Link could protest, Sheik stood up, eyes hard and fierce as she stared him down. "We saved them from that warehouse, Link—but we have to finish the job, or for all we know they'll end up right where they started, and it'll probably be worse for them since they've escaped once already."
Link let out a sigh, scratching the back of his neck. "…And you're sure she'll take them? I just don't want to get there and have to travel with them all the way to Telma's, Sheik. We'd have to find supplies to feed everyone for almost two weeks for the return trip. That's seventeen mouths, including the girl coming back with us."
"I trust Malon," Sheik said. "I think she'd agree."
Link was quiet for a while, but when he finally answered her, it was with an agreement. A resigned, hesitant agreement, but agreement nonetheless. "I hope you're right about this. I trust her too, but… if this goes wrong, Sheik, there are going to be big consequences."
"If worst comes to worst, they can stay at Tal," Sheik said. "But we're not just going to leave them here. I don't trust this city."
To her surprise, Link nodded. "Either Malon's or Tal," he said. "I can agree to that."
Sheik held out a hand as if for him to shake on it. However, to her surprise, he took it and pressed her knuckles to his lips. "That's not how you shake hands," Sheik said, but she didn't pull away.
"Can't I just be glad you're alright?" he asked softly. "Get some sleep, okay? I'll tell the girls about our plans—"
Instead of lying back down, Sheik started to walk towards the door. "Tell them with me, then. I want to see all the ones that are still here and make sure everyone's alright."
"Sheik…"
"I want to see them," she said. At his nervous stare, she sighed and held out a hand for him to take. "But… if I need to lean on someone, you'll be the first to know. Fair?"
"…Fair," he said, then took her hand.
She didn't give him the chance to kiss her hand. She intertwined his fingers with her own and held his hand tight enough that he had no chance of changing or breaking out of the hold.
After telling the girls, Sheik and Link went back to the inn they'd been staying at. However, it was only to pay the fee for not returning earlier and to reclaim their things. Link had insisted for a time on going by himself, but they'd brought a lot of supplies, and Sheik knew good and well that he hadn't slept yet. There was no way she was letting him get everything alone.
So, after hauling their things back to the tavern and setting them down in half of a vacant booth, their job was finally complete for the day.
Once everything was set up though, Sheik slid into the other half of the booth and reached over to grab two bottles of red potion.
"Two?" Link asked, voice raising from worry. "Sheik—did you get hurt again—?"
"Relax," she said, then took hold of his wrist. Hoping not to wake the girls—as many of them had crawled into booths and gone to sleep—she pulled him into the booth with her. "It's for you. Don't think I didn't notice all those cuts you got. Just 'cause you didn't bleed out doesn't mean they can't get infected."
"Sheik…" Link hesitated, biting his lower lip. "I don't really need—"
"I'll drink mine if you drink yours," she said. "But if you don't, I won't."
Link frowned, but it was rather hollow compared to how he usually looked when he wasn't happy with her—not to mention how exhausted he looked with those circles forming around his eyes. "Sheik… that's not really fair…"
"I never said it was fair," she said, then uncorked both of the bottles. "C'mon, Link. The ride to Lon Lon Ranch is going to be miserable tomorrow if you don't drink. You wanna look handsome for that pretty ranch hand, don't you?"
"C'mon," he said, rubbing blearily at his eyes. "I don't look that bad—and she's not… I mean… there's no one there that I need to impress."
Sheik rested her elbow against the table, propping her cheek up on her hand. "Link. C'mon. It's not gonna kill you."
With a sigh, he lifted his glass. "Only if you drink yours, too," he said, waiting for her to lift her own before he held his to his lips. As Sheik drank, he drank too, and Sheik made sure he finished the potion before she set her own—empty—bottle back on the table.
"See? That wasn't so hard."
Link rubbed at his eyes again, clearly trying to keep himself awake. Seeing that it was a losing battle, he stood up, presumably to find another booth to sleep in. However, before Sheik completely realized what she was doing, she took hold of his wrist.
"Hey," she said softly. "I think most the booths are full."
"Really?" he asked, looking around. His face fell, almost comically disappointed. "…I… have to admit, I was… kind of hoping to sleep on a bed tonight. Or, I mean. At least a booth."
Sheik didn't let go of his hand, instead just gently pulling him back. "Who said you couldn't?"
"But—you're injured—"
"With how many potions I've drank today, you're probably worse off than I am." Sheik reached across the table and found the knapsack they kept the blankets in, and pulled one around Link's shoulders before taking one for herself, too. "C'mon. You deserve a booth as much as I do."
There was a flicker of a thought that they could both have a side to themselves if they just moved their travel supplies.
Sheik ignored that thought.
Link, tired as he was, didn't seem to be thinking of much of anything. "You're sure it's alright?" he asked, already blinking slower. "I don't wanna… do anything you don't want to do."
"Stop trying to be a gentleman, I watched you kill at least fifty monsters today," Sheik said. Link only let out a hum, neither agreeing nor disagreeing with her. Sheik kept quiet, waiting for him to give her a real answer, but after a beat of silence, she realized he probably wasn't going to say anything. In fact, judging from the way his head was already drooping to the side, he was probably already half asleep.
Sheik wrapped an arm around his shoulder—pulling his blanket back up around his shoulders—and leaned back against the booth.
Link fell asleep against her shoulder, and Sheik rested her head against his. Though it certainly wasn't the most comfortable of sleeping arrangements, Sheik wouldn't have had it any other way.
By the time morning came, they'd greatly shifted positions. It must have been in their sleep, because Sheik had slept like the dead, and she knew Link must have, too, after being up for nearly twenty four hours.
Still, it came as something of a shock when Sheik woke up to something moving underneath her.
It took her far too long to realize that her head was resting on Link's chest, and that the movement was Link's breathing. It would explain the warm weight on her back, too—his arms must have wrapped around her while they were sleeping.
She decided to spare his dignity. Gently, she moved up off of him, positioning her blanket over him so he wouldn't wake from being cold.
Still, somehow her absence made him stir, and Sheik tried not to feel guilty when he shifted and almost seemed to be reaching for her.
Because Link was blocking the only exit from that side of the booth, Sheik had to crawl under the table to get out—not something her body really wanted after how hard she'd pushed it the previous day.
Just as she was crawling out from under the table though, a voice startled her and she nearly hit her head.
"So… I take it you guys are doing well?" Groose asked, offering her a hand. Sheik ignored it. "Aw, don't do that. I'm just happy for you guys, that's all."
"We aren't dating," Sheik said, sure to keep her voice low. "We were undercover that first night."
Groose, though a little surprised at first, soon settled onto a more curious expression. "Well… I guess that explains a lot. You were doing such a bad job at wooing him that I actually felt kind of bad for you. Guess it's probably for the best that you two are just partners then, huh?"
Sheik glanced back at Link, still peacefully asleep. "…Yeah," she said, glancing away. "Partners."
Groose's lips twitched into a smile. "See, partners don't sound that let-down when they say 'partners.'" When her expression turned petulant, he laughed, and said, "I will say this, Sheikah—you might be awful at wooing him, but whatever you're doing, it's probably working. I don't know many just-partners that choose to sleep next to each other when there are plenty of other booths."
Not wanting the conversation to continue any longer for fear of Link waking, Sheik merely set her lips into a frown—not visible behind her mask. Goddesses, she was dying to take it off again. But there were too many people around, and honestly, she was feeling a bit overexposed as it was.
Part of her wondered, as she looked around the tavern, if any of the girls thought less of her for getting injured. Not to mention they'd seen her weak, resting against a wall even before she'd nearly been skewered.
She tried to convince herself that she didn't care what they thought, and quickly stood.
"Is there anyplace around town I can stock up on food?" she asked Groose as she led him away from Link. "It's going to be a long journey back home for Link and I, and we need two days' worth of food for each of the girls, too."
Groose hummed. "Well… the markets are open today, yeah, but it's probably a little dangerous if you go alone, even at midday."
Sheik glanced back at Link and decided she didn't want to wake him for this. "I'll be fine," she said. "Just… make sure all of the girls are here and safe. Only wake Link if someone dangerous comes by."
Though Groose looked like he wanted to protest, he shrugged instead, waving a hand dismissively. "Fine. I guess after what you did to that warehouse last night most of the kidnappers are licking their wounds. Nice job, by the way—from what the girls tell me, you two were amazing last night. …And you've got the clothes to prove it, too, yeesh."
Sheik's lips twitched into a smile, and she glanced down at the bloodstains and tears over her clothes. Though red potion and a good night's sleep had helped her physically, the evidence of the previous day still lingered.
Part of her wanted to keep her clothes torn and bloody, but she knew it'd be a bit suspicious.
Now that her magic had replenished, she cast a quick cleaning spell, mending the worst of it (though she couldn't be bothered to fix small tears just yet).
It occurred to her all too late that Groose had seen her use magic, but honestly, she couldn't be bothered to care. She had bigger problems, and honestly, most people knew that the Sheikah were a magical race.
"I'll be going now," she said, starting for the door. "Look after everyone. I'll be back soon."
Only an hour had passed before she'd collected enough to last everyone for the journey. It'd be primarily on foot, but if they were quick—and she was going to hurry them probably more than they'd like—they could make it to Lon Lon Ranch by the second nightfall of their journey.
It would be a pain to lug that much food around, but on the bright side, they'd get through nearly half of their entire supply within just a few days and greatly reduce the amount they were packing around.
It was still mid-afternoon by the time she returned, and something told her that they wouldn't be leaving till the dawn of the next morning. That was perfectly fine with her; as much as she wanted to leave and get on with their mission, the girls deserved some time to breathe, and Link deserved some time to recover.
When she got back to the tavern, Link was awake, along with most the rest of the girls.
Relieved that everyone seemed alright, Sheik relaxed as she walked through the doorway and set several bags' worth of food on the tavern tables.
After checking once, twice, three times that there was no one unaccounted for—and that no one had snuck in amongst them—Sheik motioned everyone closer. She waited till they were quiet to start talking, keeping her voice low despite their privacy. "We're leaving tomorrow at dawn—probably a little before. I hope everyone's ready for a long, long walk, 'cause that's what we're going to be doing for two days." She hesitated, thinking of the possibility of them going to Tal. "…Maybe longer, depending on whether or not Malon takes you."
A slight murmur or worry passed through the girls, but Link was quick to quiet them. "I'm sure she will. But if not, there's still a place for you. The town's nearly abandoned last we checked. Perfect spot for people who don't want to be found. Plenty of resources, though," he continued. "And we can, um, probably get a horse so you can go to some other nearby towns and make sure to get food."
"Will we stay there forever?" the Gerudo-looking girl asked. "Or can we go home eventually?"
Sheik glanced at Link, then bit her lip, unsure of how to answer her. They had done their best, but they didn't have the time or money to get everyone back home. Fortunately Link answered the girl before Sheik could.
"If you find a way to get home yourself, we'll fully support you. But right now our mission is just to get all of you girls away from that warehouse. We're doing the best we can to get you somewhere safe—but there are lots of girls that are still locked up somewhere. It wouldn't be fair to leave them there."
The girl sighed, but she didn't protest. Instead, she put on a brave face and said, "But if we do find a way, then we're allowed to leave and go back home?"
"If you think you can, you're welcome to it. You're free to go anywhere. But we know a safe place to take you in the meanwhile, till you have the resources to get back home by yourself."
Sheik looked around for any other questions, but found no one willing to speak up. Though she was grateful for the lack of complaints, she could see the uncertainty on their faces. She supposed she understood what they were feeling—probably better than Link.
But how could she tell them that she, too, knew what it was like to feel trapped, to be hunted for things they couldn't control, to feel like the world was against them, and to know that there was nothing they could do about the person causing all this?
When her mouth opened to form the words, Sheik couldn't find her voice.
Instead, she simply let Link tell them to relax and get plenty of sleep that night, then turned to sit among the supplies. For the rest of the night, Sheik busied herself with sorting through the supplies and reading the book Malon had given her.
It was probably going to be a long few days, but at the very least, Sheik was looking forward to seeing all the girls safe.
((Okay! Well, that certainly took long enough to write. But it's finally Spring Break, so I can actually probably get a little ahead in writing this (hopefully).
Anyways, thank you so much for all of your support! I appreciate all of your kind words, and I'm so glad that so many of you love this fic so much! Thank you for sticking by me, and I hope you continue to enjoy this fic as much as you do!
If you liked this chapter—and even if you didn't!—please leave a review to tell me what you liked or what you disliked. Again, thank you so much for your support, and I hope you'll stick with me as the plot continues to grow!))