Sorry that this is, again, late. But even though I've had plenty of time to write this, I've really struggled with inspiration. While uploading, it kept giving me an error message, so this update was delayed for a bit, as well… I also cut almost 3000 words from this, which seriously set me back. If you want, you can find some of that on my writing tumblr since it didn't ultimately end up making the cut. Aside from that, I've also been struggling with a few rather… personal things, along with losing all sense of time now that it's summer. But finally, this chapter is finished, and I hope you all like it!

When morning came, Sheik was almost convinced that Link was fine. But once she'd opened the windows and seen his face in the light, she knew he hadn't slept well. Between the circles around his eyes and the slowness to his movements, Sheik had a feeling that he'd stayed up worrying.

About what, she didn't know. And though she wished she could ask, she had a feeling that he didn't want her to. So she allowed things to stay as they were for now.

She trusted that he'd tell her when he was ready.

So as he slowly pulled himself together, Sheik got ready alongside him. To her relief, her ribs didn't ache; they'd even returned to a normal color. As she slipped into her suit, she let out a soft sigh and pulled everything fully into place. Once she turned back towards Link, though, she found that he'd been watching her—and with a distinctly concerned expression.

"Everything alright?" he asked, still only half dressed despite having far few layers to his clothes. "With—I mean, your ribs and everything."

Sheik nodded. "Not even sore."

Link let out a contented sigh, looking far more relieved than he had a right to be. It seemed his concern had woken him somewhat, because he looked far more awake as he found a spare shirt and pulled it on. It was strange to see him without his signature green tunic on top of it, but… Sheik supposed the mansion was plenty warm without an extra layer. She almost envied him—after all, her Sheikah ensemble had several layers to it, and though it kept her warm and protected in fights, it wasn't very good for staying cool. But, as she considered taking even the outermost garments off, Sheik realized she couldn't do it. Her suit still felt too much like home to leave any of its components off. Sparring with Link was the only exception, really. She couldn't imagine herself wearing anything else regularly.

The dresses from her childhood and the cotton casuals of her youth were like a distant memory now. But being inside the stone walled room—so like her childhood bedroom—Sheik couldn't help but let her mind wander. She could practically feel the swishing of fabric around her, the bulky ribbons and the skirts and underlying petticoats trying to trip her.

Even when she'd been a child, she'd preferred pants. It didn't help that her nursemaids thought of her as some kind of doll, either. The way they cooed over her dark skin and blonde hair was a little sickening—especially since they were constantly trying to dress her up in as much lacy pink fabric as they could get their hands on.

Anything would feel like freedom after escaping those outfits, and pants seemed doubly so. They allowed her to run through the castle and sneak into cupboards and broom closets without her skirts tripping her up or slowing her down. But, even more than that, they'd let her run unrestricted through the gardens.

And if there was anything she remembered from back then, it was the gardens. They were the one place she could be totally, completely free. And though she was a young child, there still seemed to be an unfair amount of pressure for her to be polite to every noble that wanted to pat her hair and call her cute. She wasn't interested in being cute, though—she wanted to play. And the gardens were the only place where she was allowed to play roughly and get messy without fear of reproach.

…The gardens were also the only place she could see her father when he wasn't working. Though he tried to be there to tuck her in and say goodnight, most nights he had to work late in his office. But she could always count on seeing him at lunchtime. Though he never had much time to actually eat if he was playing in the gardens with her, at least he'd made time for her.

A lump suddenly rose in Sheik's throat, but she knew better than to cry about it. She hadn't cried in years, after all—not since a few anniversaries of Impa's death had passed. She'd be surprised if her tear ducts still worked.

So instead, she forced the emotion away till there was nothing left of it. Nothing that she felt so acutely, at least.

"Think they have somewhere we can make breakfast?"

Sheik suddenly turned towards Link, startled from her thoughts. "…Breakfast?"

"Yeah," Link said. "Like, real breakfast. I don't know about you, but I'm glad to take a break from dried meat and biscuits." After the words left his mouth, though, Link took a closer look at his partner. It was rare for her to be so easily startled—by him, anyways—so it was no wonder that he was confused. "Something wrong?"

"Just a little…" homesick, Sheik nearly finished, the last word dying on her lips. It had nearly slipped out, and she was all too aware of the damage it might have caused had she finished speaking. Goddesses, had she really slipped up so easily? She rubbed at her forehead, trying to appear less rattled than she felt. "…Tired. Just a little tired."

Deciding that she didn't want to face any sort of questioning, Sheik started for the door. She could practically feel the questions on Link's lips, but she paid him no mind as she walked out.

But the hallway was almost worse than inside the room. The décor on the walls was tacky, and garish, and entirely too regal for her tastes. With light streaming in from the tall windows, Sheik couldn't help but feel out of place. And yet, there was a nostalgia to it—and a feeling of belonging, once, before everything went horribly wrong.

Sheik closed her eyes and tried to avoid thinking of it. Once Link followed her out of the room, it was somewhat easier to focus on him and his footsteps on the cobblestones behind her. But even then, it was too familiar to the sound of servants padding around the castle hallways.

She needed something to keep her grounded in the here and now. Preferably before she lost control and slipped up. Goddesses, if it got much worse, she might actually respond to Zelda as if it were still her name.

Without thinking, she slowed her pace to match Link's, then slipped her hand into his. It was strange how easily the touch came to her—but then, she supposed Link made everything easier.

"You sure you're alright?" he asked, looking up at her. He examined her face as if searching for something, but Sheik refused to give him anything more than a blank stare. "You look… a little, uh. Lost."

"And you look like you barely got sleep last night," Sheik said. "I might be tired, but you look exhausted."

Maybe it was petty, going for such a blatant distraction. But she couldn't let him keep asking her what was wrong; eventually she'd wear down. If that meant she had to force his attention elsewhere, so be it.

Link turned away, face and ears reddening. Had it been bashfulness, Sheik might not have minded. But there was a certain shame to the action, and Sheik couldn't help but wonder why innocent questions could cause him so much distress.

"I was just… thinking, that's all." Link bit his lip. "About everyone back home. And…"

"And?"

"And that we should probably hurry as much as we can to get back to them." Link laced his fingers with her, seeming to need the comfort. "I wish we didn't have to wait for a snowstorm to get to the girls. They deserve to go home too, you know?"

Sheik nodded. "I'm sure they'll last for another few days. If it's longer than that, we can always push Ashei and Shad to go sooner. We're pretty experienced by now, yeah? We should be able to bring them home no matter the conditions."

"I just hope that more of them are here than at any of the other cities." Link let out a long sigh, shaking his head. "And… if not, that we'd find out where the rest of them are."

"We need as much information as we can get," Sheik said. "We still know almost nothing about Kakariko, and why the soldiers are in the desert. Not to mention why all of this is happening in the first place, and who's been cursing the cities."

Link was quiet for a while, seemingly pondering something. "Well," he finally said. "Whoever it is really wants to get the Triforce of Wisdom. And the Triforce of Courage, too, more than likely. So… chances are, they already have the Triforce of Power."

Sheik pressed her lips into a thin line. "That might explain some of it, yes. But whoever it is has to be a very powerful sorcerer to begin with, and having their power magnified by an outside force like this…"

"Wish we knew what set of powers these things had," Link said, gesturing mildly to his hand. "It's pretty confusing, you know? Only a few people have had them all through history, but… it's rare to see them actually used for anything. Except the Triforce of Power, that is. That one seems to be able to do almost anything."

"Yours keeps you from dying, doesn't it?" Sheik glanced at his hand, though it was covered by half-gloves as usual. When Link nodded, she let out a low hum, considering the options. "It makes sense. If you know you're unlikely to die, you would feel capable of doing anything, wouldn't you? Nothing could hold you back."

Link furrowed his brows. "That… makes things a whole lot simpler, actually," he said. "But that still doesn't explain everything about mine… Or what the Triforce of Wisdom even does. I don't think I've ever heard of it actually being used."

Sheik thought back to the legend of the Hero of Time. "It does have a purpose," she said. "But I don't think its bearer ever talks about it much. Throughout history, it's been in the Royal Family's bloodline, to a select number of girls named Zelda. And usually, if someone is searching for it, she tries to hide it."

"I don't remember any legends like that." Link looked up at her, an obvious question in his eyes. "The Zelda from the legend of the Hero of Twilight didn't try to hide her Triforce—if she even had one, anyways."

"She did. And the fact that you doubt she had it means she did a good job concealing it," Sheik said. At Link's sudden suspicious look, she was quick to elaborate. "Impa often taught us history. Or, taught the history of Zelda. Much of it were things hidden from public record. I only know because I was nearby, and… Impa didn't see the harm in letting me listen."

"Oh." Link hummed, lips pulling into a frown. "I guess that makes sense. I didn't realize there was so much of those legends that common people don't get to hear…"

"I—I can teach you some of what I know," she said. Briefly, she considered letting Link borrow the manuscript Malon had given her, but… It would be too big of a coincidence if she told him about the Sheik from that story. "I can read some of it to you, if you'd like. Or tell you what I remember from Impa's lessons."

For some reason, Link's eyes brightened at the prospect. He nodded, and Sheik couldn't help but notice that even his voice was a bit more cheerful. "That… that would be nice, Sheik. But it'll have to wait for now—I think I can hear Shad and Ashei up ahead. We should probably talk about this later."

Sheik nodded. "From the sounds of it, we'll have plenty of time. The skies are still clear."

When they found Ashei and Shad, they were tucked away in a small room, eating what appeared to be a rather informal breakfast. Or, Ashei was, anyways. Shad looked like he was far more interested in the books and notes spread out on the table before him. It was the food, though, that caught Sheik's attention—and she knew it'd caught Link's too. It wasn't much, but after eating mostly dried foods, the small selection laid across the table was more than she could have hoped for.

"Are there extras?" Sheik asked, eyeing the yet untouched food on the table. "We only have foods that travel well, and we're saving most if it for the way back."

Ashei nodded, leaning back in her chair and hooking an arm around the back. "Yeah, help yourselves to anything you want here. We probably won't be sticking around for long after we get the girls out of there, so anything we leave behind will just get wasted."

It was all the permission Link needed, though he took care to keep Sheik between him and Ashei at all times. He seemed to be faring better than last night—especially now that he'd seen Ashei's face well enough to make a distinction—but there was still something off about his demeanor. Sheik hoped it would fade in time.

As he helped himself to some of the remains, Sheik looked around the room. It seemed there were no open tables where Link could totally avoid Ashei's gaze, so he'd have to make do wherever he sat. That in mind, Sheik casually loaded up a plate for herself and waited for Link to finish. If they couldn't sit in a safer spot, the least she could do was sit next to him and make sure he was alright.

Or as alright as he could be, anyways.

For the moment, with plenty of food in front of him and Sheik by his side, he almost looked okay. Not wanting to waste time or make him spend more time here than he had to, Sheik got straight to the point.

"So," she said, addressing Shad. "You all said you'd be telling us the plans today."

Ashei nodded. "We did," she said, nudging Shad with her elbow. "And we will, too, if someone looks up from his studying for five minutes."

Shad hardly flinched, merely waving a hand at her as if she was a fly.

Sheik raised a brow. "Is he usually like this?"

"Worse," Ashei said. "And then he has the nerve to get upset when I pull him out of his office to eat."

Sheik glanced at Link, who was looking at her with a small smile. He almost looked cheerful—an expression she felt an instinctive protection over. Though part of her wanted to throw something at Shad to make him pay attention, she found she couldn't. If his inattentiveness was causing her partner some kind of happiness, she'd allow him to keep reading.

So instead, she returned her attention to breakfast. It wasn't the best, of course—but then, Sheik wasn't entirely sure what she even considered the best. Everything tasted better when she was hungry, after all, and considering her circumstances… In the past few years, she'd gone hungry more often than not.

Sheik sipped some coffee, attempting in vain to force thoughts of the past out. Fortunately if anyone noticed her bitter expression, she could easily blame it on the coffee's taste.

By the time Shad finally looked up, Sheik and Link were nearly finished with their breakfasts. Ashei, who'd likely eaten before either of them entered the room, looked about as bored as could be, and let out an audible sigh of relief when she noticed Shad was alert.

"We have work to do," she said, nudging him once more. "Your plans do you no good if you aren't going to read them to anyone else."

Shad looked somewhat embarrassed, but with three faces staring at him, he couldn't hide his face. "Right," he said. "I—I suppose I got somewhat lost in my studies. But in my defense, there's nothing more fascinating than Hyrule's history. I was just researching the passageways these old buildings were known for, and I discovered not only old floorplans, but why they were originally used! There was a war, you know, several centuries ago, and—"

Ashei cut him off by tapping her foot roughly against his. "Let's keep the notes within this century, yeah?"

Shad looked somewhat put out, but didn't let his anger out through more than a huff. "Perhaps later," he said, as if anyone was interested. "It isn't as if we'll be moving out for a few days, but… I suppose we ought to be prepared just in case."

"It's a snowstorm we're waiting for, wasn't it?" Link said, finally speaking up. He kept his eyes trained on Shad, which Sheik supposed was a good thing. "If, um, I'm remembering right, that is."

"You've got it right, don't worry," Ashei said. It seemed she hadn't noticed just how much he was avoiding eye-contact—Sheik hoped it would last. "We want to get in without being seen or heard if at all possible. They've got strong defenses at the very front—stronger now since two of their other compounds have been broken into and liberated."

"That… would be our doing," Link said, sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck. "Sorry."

"Yeah, well, it was just a matter of time." Ashei shrugged. "Point is, they added dozens of guards—maybe even a few hundred—to keep everyone out. It'd take a damn near miracle to penetrate it at this point, but… With four people, we can probably make something work."

"It looked like it would take a miracle to win at the warehouse in Marr," Sheik said, "And we managed that one just fine."

"How big was the warehouse at Marr?" Ashei said. "Bigger than this house?"

Sheik frowned. "Bigger. Twice this size, at least."

"The compound at Ise is approximately five times larger than this house," Shad said. "Perhaps larger. Calculations can only be made so accurate when viewed from the outside."

"But you said you had a detailed plan, didn't you?" Link asked. "You have to know what the compound looks like."

Shad glanced at Ashei, a small frown on his face. "We do—in a way. These are… fundamentally outdated maps. It's unlikely that they would have completely altered the state of the fortress, and we haven't seen any construction materials, but… We are dealing with people who use magic quite liberally, are we not? It's entirely possible that our plans are wrong."

"So you're leaving it to chance," Sheik said. "Funny. You sounded much stricter about your plans last night."

"We do have plans," Shad said, defensive. "It's just possible that they'll be completely scrapped once inside."

"And if they are?"

Ashei looked at Sheik with a strange expression. "What else do you want us to do, Sheikah? Make a dozen other plans? That'd take weeks!"

"If you rely too much on plans, you don't think on your feet when those plans fail." Sheik leaned back, crossing her arms over her chest. "If you're going to focus on plans, then you need to at least think about what you're going to do if something does go wrong."

Before she could further insult or antagonize their hosts, however, Link gently nudged her foot under the table. "We haven't even heard their plans yet," he said softly. "We need to at least give it a chance, don't we?"

"I never said we wouldn't." Sheik didn't sit up further, and she did nothing about the impassive, unimpressed expression on her face—but at least she didn't worsen her demeanor. "I'm willing to listen, but… I just don't want to rely completely on a plan—especially if it's based on maps that might not even match up to the current layout."

Though somewhat flustered, Shad nodded. "I suppose that's fair," he said. "But are you quite ready to hear the plans, then?"

Another look from Link, and Sheik reluctantly kept herself from any other arguments. With a curt nod, she braced herself for the numerous papers and notecards Shad had before him, knowing well in advance that this would be a long discussion.

In the end, the plan could have been summarized far more briefly than Shad had laid it out.

There were, apparently, two entrances to the base. There were also at least three floors, with each staircase guarded intensely to prohibit any unauthorized entry to floors they didn't have permission to visit. With the huge size of the compound, one floor was bad enough—but three, and possibly as much as five?

It looked impossible.

And it would have been, if not for the intense studying Shad had done on the place. Because it was built so long ago, there were still passageways leftover from the Hyrulean Civil War. And those, unless found and taken over by the monsters, would be a perfect way to get to and from the building.

After hearing that, though, Sheik couldn't help but speak up.

"If we're leaving by passageway," she asked, "Why do we have to wait for it to snow?"

"The snow covers the tracks that we'd be leaving behind if we weren't using a passageway. That way they won't be surprised when they don't see tracks," Ashei said. "It would be the safest bet we'd have if we didn't have passageways—so it'll create a believable diversion for one team while the other frees the girls." Ashei glanced at Shad for support, and he nodded once, gesturing for her to continue. "We have to have teams no matter what, though. One person alone would be suicide, whether they're in the passageways or at the front gate. Both are bound to run into guards eventually, so everyone needs backup. But you're the better fighters, so…"

"You want us to be the distraction," Sheik said. "So you can sneak in and save them while we battle guards."

Though Ashei had said they were trying to prevent a suicide mission by having partners, the plan still sounded like a march to their deaths. Maybe if they had an army they could do it, but… From the looks of things, it was a plan doomed to fail.

But despite Sheik's worries, she knew she couldn't say no. Not when innocent lives were on the line.

"Of course you won't just be a distraction," Shad said after Sheik and Link fell silent, hastily pulling out another paper. "Your goal is to fight through till you're inside, then seal off your attackers at this corridor," he said, pointing to a spot on a map. "Then you'll dip into a secret passageway that will connect with ours. You might get to actually help free the girls, but… you also might not. It depends on whether or not you arrive in time to help us. Either way, you can help provide backup while we leave."

"How will we know if you've freed the girls or not?" Link asked, a small frown on his face. "It's not like we can talk to each other once we're separated."

"There's a small corridor where we will set two flags," Shad said. "Ashei and I will pass through it as we enter. Once we pass it for the first time, we will raise the red flag. Once we pass it with all the girls, we'll raise the yellow flag."

"So the second half of our entire mission depends on whether or not you raise the right flag," Sheik said. "That's…"

"We aren't just gonna leave you hanging," Ashei said. "We know what's at stake."

"If we die saving these girls, we won't be able to go to other compounds and help them," Sheik said, hackles raising. Remembering Link's ultimate goal, she hastily added, "Not to mention we're searching for the King's Daughter. If we die without finding her—"

"We aren't going to die," Link said. "The real risk is if we get captured and fail before we can get the girls to safety."

Sheik tried hard not to let her worries get the best of her. The only thing worse than dying while trying to save her people was to be captured. They'd searched for the King's Daughter for so long, and they were willing to capture anyone who might be her in the process—what would they do to her if they actually found her?

And what would happen if they realized they'd captured both the King's Daughter and the bearer of the Triforce of Courage?

Ashei and Shad watched Sheik and Link for a while, as if looking for a final decision.

"Give us a minute," Link finally said, looking at Sheik. "We'll just be in the hall. It's—We're going to help you for sure, but… We just need to talk for a minute, okay?"

"Take all the time you'd like," Shad said. "We have several days before we move, after all."

Somehow, despite the extra time, Sheik felt it wouldn't be half as much as they'd need.

Once they were in the hallway, far out of earshot, Link leaned against the wall, sliding down till he reached the ground.

"Well," he finally said. "That… I was expecting something a bit less risky than that, I have to admit."

"Marr wasn't riskier?" Sheik raised a brow. "I think we handled that fairly well with less of a plan, all considered. But…"

Link's lips pulled into a grim frown. "I'd like to take a look at that map," he said. "And see his notes. There might have been a few safeguards he neglected to mention."

"I'm worried about their part of the mission, too," Sheik admitted. "If they get caught, then we'll have to do everything. Not to mention… what if the enemy already knows about the passageways? I always thought of monsters as stupid, but… They're capable of speech. They can even change their appearance to look like normal Hylians. They probably even have actual Hylians working with them. I can't imagine that they'd be in that compound for so long and not have at least some knowledge of the passageways."

"We could always try our plan at Ecchar—just as a backup plan," Link said. "Sneak in as a hostage and then attack them when they aren't expecting it."

Sheik's stomach twisted at the very idea. She never wanted to be that helpless again—without even a knife to defend her, pretending to be drugged and unconscious as she was carried down an unfamiliar passageway.

But… if it was to help her people, who was she to do anything less?

Link must have seen how ashen her face became, though, because he was quick to cup her cheek. "Sheik… You don't have to if—"

"We can do it if we have to," she said. "But only if their plan falls through."

Link's lips pressed into a thin line, as if struggling not to say something. Finally he looked straight at her, making unwavering eye-contact. "I'd never leave you behind," he said. "You know that, don't you?"

"Their plan seems like it'll work fine," Sheik said. She quickly looked away, removing his hand from her face. "We should tell them yes, but we also need to work out some contingency plans. I'd think that they already had some, so maybe they have a few already drafted that we can look over."

"Sheik—"

Sheik stood, ignoring the pleading tone in his voice. "There's also the issue of where the girls can stay after this," she said. "I don't feel right about keeping them anywhere near that compound. The sooner they can go across Hyrule and get to safety, the better."

Link sighed. It seemed he'd accepted the change in topic, because he didn't try to bring it up again. "Do you think we could convince Ashei and Shad to take them to Lon Lon Ranch?"

"I think it'd be safer than most other places in Hyrule," she said. "But I don't think we could take them ourselves."

"No?"

"Kakariko," Sheik said. "After this, I need to go to Kakariko. We already knew there were girls we could save elsewhere when we heard about Kakariko, so it was fine to ignore it till now. But… after this, I have to go back, Link. I can't just ignore my home."

"But we know almost nothing about what happened to Kakariko," he said. "What if you can't do anything about it?"

"We've been able to help everywhere we've gone so far," Sheik said. "And if we've managed to save every other city, then… don't I have a responsibility to at least try to save my home town?"

Link furrowed his brows. He was quiet for a while, stuck on something, and when he finally found the voice to speak, it was soft and hesitant. "Are you sure it's safe?"

Sheik almost laughed. "Has anything we've done been safe?"

"No, I mean…" He looked at her seriously for a moment, then took her hand. "The princess was from there, too," he said carefully. "What if they're trying to bait her into coming back? You might get hurt."

"So I should just leave them to their own devices?"

"I didn't say that." Link stepped closer, not letting go of her hand. "I just… I don't know, Sheik. Something doesn't seem right about it. At least with the others, we knew something of what had happened. With Kakariko, either there were no survivors, or the survivors left with the city. If they're trying to herd everyone into other cities, then… why would they make all the citizens of Kakariko vanish?"

Sheik bit her lip. "That's what I need to find out. If they're… if they're holding them hostage, then I have an even bigger responsibility to help them." Not wanting to discuss the matter any longer—for the moment, anyways, she looked away and quickly added, "We need to go back and tell them our decision."

Though Link looked like he wanted to discuss it further, he must have seen the look in Sheik's eyes. So he sighed and nodded, hand still gently holding onto hers. "Alright," he said. "We'll tell them."

Evidently, Shad had plenty of prototypes of his final plans. Many were adapted from earlier plans for a full frontal invasion—back when they didn't have nearly the manpower to pull it off—but some of the plans would still work in a pinch.

There were so many back-up plans, in fact, that Sheik was grateful they had several days to review them. Plenty would work if utilized properly, and some would even work just for Sheik and Link's diversion.

However, as they reviewed some of the plans, Sheik felt a strange feeling in the back of her mind.

Just as when she'd been looking for Link and couldn't find him, and just as the night before, she had the feeling of foresight.

But this time, it came with something new.

Unlike the night Link had been missing, and even last night, when she'd had a strange premonition of something bad, this wasn't just a feeling or a voice.

Sight accompanied it.

There was a sudden, strong desire that rose within her, and she took hold of the maps and passageways Shad had devised. Her eyes were drawn to a series of large corridors near the exterior of the building, and as she stared at them, she got a sense that she was seeing something that wasn't actually there.

And the longer she stared, the bigger the picture became, and the more lifelike. And then, it moved.

Suddenly, it was as if she was inside the corridor—and she wasn't alone. Monsters and Hylians moved within it, patrolling as if on watch. But the moment she realized what they were, the vision ended, and it was as if nothing had happened at all.

The only thing that lingered was a warm feeling on the back of her left hand.

Sheik looked around the room. Finally she got up, head feeling curiously light as she reoriented herself with reality. But as she got up, a hand enclosed her wrist, and she found herself unexpectedly turned towards Link.

"You look like you just saw a ghost," he murmured. "Did you… read something in Shad's notes?"

Sheik bit her tongue hard enough that she almost drew blood. She'd have to think quickly, or else Link would ask her more until she admitted the truth. "I—I did," she said. "And I think… I think he overlooked it, but the monsters know about some of the passageways. Not all of them. maybe—just—just these, for sure."

"Which ones?" Link asked, eyes widening. He looked at the map Sheik had just been examining, and watched as she pointed to a spot on the map. "…Those? How do you know?"

"I—I was just," she started, realizing all too late that anxiety and stress was building up almost to an overflow. She couldn't guess what had just happened—only that it was something very, very different from the Sheikah magic she had been taught. The heat in her left hand was already fading, but it still lingered, and she only had one guess what it could mean. "The entrances here," she said, pointing at small specks on the map, and the notes on the side detailing how to open the passageways. "They're… they're barely hidden. It's not like the others, where you have to tap a certain rock or pull a certain book from the shelves. These are fairly obvious. Isn't it—don't you think they would have found this one already?"

Link nodded, and when he looked back up, there was a sober look on his face. "I don't think anyone paid much attention to that," he said. "We have to tell Shad—this might alter the main plan. I think they might be planning to pass through this place on their way out."

"You tell them," Sheik said, suddenly standing. "I have to—there's something I need to take care of."

Without another word, she stood and left the room, panic just barely under wraps. To her eternal gratitude, she didn't hear footsteps behind her, so she took advantage of her solitude to run. Though the house was huge, there were only so many rooms, and she could only get so far away before the hallways looped back around and started to take her back to the parlor where everyone was waiting.

Sheik didn't stop till she was at the furthest corner of the house.

The library.

It was only when she was sure she was alone that she unraveled the wrappings on her hand. But, even as she started to unwrap it, she realized she could no longer feel that small heat coming from her hand.

Link's words suddenly came to mind—about how his Triforce was normally unseen, hidden beneath magic that kept it hidden. That it was only visible when it was being used.

But even if she couldn't see the marking, she knew that there was no other good answer. With shaking hands, she re-wrapped the bandages around her left hand, then sat down heavily in one of the library armchairs.

She didn't want the Triforce of Wisdom.

But even if she didn't want it, it wasn't like she could give it up, either. Before, she'd been willing to ignore the possibility. Even if sometimes things happened without explanation—like the innate knowledge of where Link was hiding, and the feeling that something would go wrong—it wasn't so strange that she couldn't just ignore it.

A lump rose in her throat, and she realized far too late that she should have been prepared for this. But how could she be prepared for it when she was in denial?

Sheik closed her eyes and drew her knees to her chest. Making herself smaller wouldn't help her, she knew, but sometimes it was nice to pretend. Once, making herself small solved all of her problems—if she hid, then it didn't matter if she'd stolen something or someone had recognized her. She could just hide and if they didn't find her, she could live free another day.

She wished it were still that easy.

After a few minutes, she took a slow, deep breath, then forced her legs back down. Her head and heart were still going at dizzying speeds, but for now, she could manage them. She'd have to, if she was going to keep up the act.

But before she could even think about going back, the shelves along the library caught her eye.

There was more information than she knew what to do with. More than she'd seen in years, ever since libraries started shooing her out of their doors. Public spaces were supposed to be for everyone, and yet apparently some people had a problem with homeless Sheikah teens who stayed from dawn till dusk.

She had to spend her adolescence somehow, after all.

But then she grew up a little and started wearing the clothes Impa had left her. And suddenly, no one wanted to help a charity case orphan. No one wanted to donate food and money to a hungry child if it looked Sheikah. And no one wanted to help a starving teen if it looked old enough to work. (Never mind that no one wanted to hire a homeless Sheikah.)

Thieving and fighting replaced reading, and in what little free time she found, she practiced magic and looked for safe places on old maps.

Sheik closed her eyes before the sight of the library could overwhelm her. But, despite it, she could still smell old books and the leather of the armchairs. How could she not be at least a little nostalgic when this library felt like the better parts of her adolescence?

Before she knew it, she was walking along shelves and searching for familiar titles. There was, as always, a small section dedicated to heroes of old—but Sheik was more than familiar with all the titles within it. Near it was a section on the general history of Hyrule and an expansive collection about the Hyrulean Civil War and the aftermath that followed. There were even in-depth volumes describing all known races, and the feuds between tribes throughout history.

But what really drew her eye was the collection about the royal family.

As a child, she'd always skipped over those titles. While she knew the basics from Impa and her father, she had always ignored it. For a time it had held her interest, after Impa had fled with her to Kakariko, but in time, her interest had faded. And once she'd realized her father was never coming back for her, she distanced herself from every book about the royal family she owned. It didn't matter whether her family was royalty, or if they were descended from the Goddess Hylia herself. All that mattered was that they'd abandoned her, and she didn't need to be anything for them.

But, as an adult…

Sheik's fingertips lingered over a volume. Every success, every failure, every action and inaction of previous kings and queens was recorded in this book. Everything that the modern world knew about her ancestors was written down, right there.

And it was just waiting for her to open them.

Sheik bit her lip, tempted beyond belief.

But before she could decide whether to take it or leave it, she heard footsteps approach the room. Sheik snatched her hand away from the book and instead turned towards the opposite section—an extensive collection of Hyrulean plant life.

She pretended to be skimming it when she heard a knock on the bookshelf next to her.

"Sheik?" Link asked, and when she half twisted towards him, she pretended to be pleasantly surprised. "Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt you."

"You didn't," she said, turning back to the bookshelves. "I was just…"

"Doing some research?" Link suggested, walking towards her. "Finding anything interesting?"

Sheik bit the inside of her cheek. "Nothing yet," she said. "But I'm working on it."

Link nodded, but stopped short of actually approaching her. Instead, he leaned against one of the bookshelves, allowing it to support his weight. "Is it alright if I… if I stay with you for a little while? If you want to be alone I get it, but—"

The uncertainty in his voice felt like a physical assault. Sheik realized all too late that she'd left him alone in that room. Shad had been there, sure, but… so had Ashei.

She turned in an instant and walked towards him, looking him over as she went. "Did anything happen?" she asked, furrowing her brows. Though she knew Ashei wouldn't have assaulted him, he had been stressed enough last night that she couldn't be too careful. "Did she say anything to you?"

Link shrugged. Whatever had happened, she could only assume he didn't want to say, and Sheik would have to respect that. Still, he looked distinctly uncomfortable as he rubbed his arm and avoided eye-contact. Between that and how pale he looked, Sheik knew he wasn't alright.

"If you want, you can read to take your mind off of it," she said. "I—I came in here for—well, it's not important, but then I got distracted with all the books." She glanced back to the royal family's history, then flickered her eyes back to Link. "I think a break from reading maps might be good for the both of us."

Link let out a slow breath, seeming to relax. "That'd be nice," he admitted. "I… Yeah. We should. But, um," he started, somewhat awkwardly avoiding eye-contact despite being so close to her. "I—do you… I've never been much good at reading things close-up."

It took Sheik a moment to realize what he was asking. Or, trying to ask. "Do you want me to read aloud?" she asked, trying to hide the quirk of a smile on her lips. "Is this why you looked so chipper earlier when I said I could read you something from that old legend?"

When Link's cheeks dusted pink, Sheik knew she'd caught him.

But she was quick to reassure him, keeping her voice uncharacteristically soft. "I don't mind, Link," she said. "Really. Though, I don't know why you'd want to hear my voice of all things."

"It's nice," Link said, far too quickly, and with the pink cheeks to match. "It's… rough." At Sheik's confusion—wasn't that an insult?—Link was quick to add, "In a good way! It's just—it's nice. I like it."

The compliment made Sheik doubly glad she had dark skin to mask the heat behind her cheeks. "Right," she said, stepping further away. As she really realized what she'd offered, Sheik had difficulty maintaining eye-contact. "About the book, though. It's—I mean, it's written in an older form of Hylian. I'll have to change a lot of the words I read aloud for it to make sense."

"That's alright," he said. "You can change it if you need to, I don't mind."

And that, Sheik realized, was a statement she could work with. If she was given permission to change elements of the storytelling… wasn't it possible to change the reveal?

Sheik remembered that the book was still in their room, in a small bag separate from everything else she owned. "I'll be right back," she said, already starting for the door.

It felt wrong, though, to leave without giving Link something—especially for all the strange nervousness they'd danced around earlier. On instinct, she leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss against his temple, then continued out of the room without a word.

By the time she'd returned, he'd pulled two chairs close together. Sheik wasted little time in getting seated and opening to the first page of the journal, only waiting till Link was seated and looking expectantly up to her.

As she spoke, she couldn't help but think of Impa, and of how often she'd been told stories in her youth.

But this was different, somehow. Impa had told her stories to pass on information and to instruct. And Sheik… Sheik was telling stories to put Link at ease, and to let him hear her voice. It felt less like giving a lesson than it did like giving a gift.

It made her feel calm like nothing else. Despite knowing she'd have to choose her words carefully later, for now, the story was untouched.

Sheik cleared her throat, then finally, finally, started to read.

"When I was a child," she read. "I was the only boy of the Kokiri Tribe without a fairy…"

Over the next several days, Sheik and Link divided their time between making searching for feasible backup plans, and reading through the Hero of Time's journal.

Though it was tedious, Sheik was glad for the break. Looking back, they hadn't had a real break in months—not since she'd first met Link in Solen. Even before that, she'd been thieving to finance her lifestyle, and a life on the run wasn't exactly easy.

Honestly? Sheik couldn't remember the last time she'd had so much down time—or felt so safe. Though Telma's seemed safe enough, it was still a heavily populated city, and she had been a wanted thief for years. No one knew it was Sheik who was doing the thieving, but… Well. She still couldn't help her paranoia.

It had led to taking unnecessary precautions, but if it meant not being found—especially once she started thieving and getting into fights on the rare occasion she was caught—then she could live with it. A life on the run wasn't easy, but it had allowed her to keep her freedom.

It was nice to rest up here in the mountains, though.

But as nice as it was for her to relax, it was almost better to watch Link relax. It was no Telma's Bar, but, in a way, he almost looked more at ease here. There was plenty of food, a comfortable bed, no one to impress, and the most demanding thing they had to do was read and strategize.

Throughout the week, she'd read almost every book on Hyrule's history they had, including the royal family's legacy. There were even notes that had been conveniently left out of modern textbooks—like the feud between the Sheikah and the Gerudo, and the outright disappearance of ancient races like the Mogmas and Kokiri. In fact, sometimes it seemed that the only races that had stood the test of time were the Hylians, the Gorons, and the Sheikah—and even then, just barely. Races with hundreds of years of posterity, like the Gerudo, could disappear without a trace. It had only taken a single generation—the era following the Zelda from the legend of the Hero of Time—for them to be wiped out.

Sheik wondered what had happened to cause their disappearance, but nothing seemed to explain it. She supposed it would have to be stored in her mind along with all her other questions about Hyrule's history. For the moment, though, she couldn't bring herself to get too worked up about it. They were at Ise, and safe, and she and Link could actually take time to rest. Really rest. Not just relax for an evening before going out and getting supplies and taking off the next day.

Sheik was half certain she hadn't had so much down time since she'd lived with Impa.

Of course, she and Link still sparred—Sheik wouldn't know what to do with herself if she didn't do anything active. But even sparring was more laid-back and relaxed than it was when they were travelling.

Part of her didn't want their stay at Ise to end.

But it had to end eventually, and the storm-clouds were proof enough.

She and Link had been going over final plans before Shad suddenly walked in, a sober look on his face. "It's beginning to storm," he said. "We need to be ready before dawn."

Sheik glanced at Link, who was staring straight ahead at Shad. "We'll be ready," he said. "About the final plans, though… We're still going with—"

"The ones we've been discussing," Shad said, nodding. "It would be foolish to change it so late when we've memorized it so thoroughly by now."

Link forced a grim smile. "Right."

There was silence in the room for a while, but finally Shad rested his hand against the doorframe, his unsteady gaze betraying his nervousness even if his voice didn't. "Get plenty of rest tonight," he said. "We—we have a big day ahead of us tomorrow."

Without another word, he bowed his head an exited the room, leaving Link and Sheik alone.

"Think you'll be able to sleep?"

Link looked up at Sheik, surprised at the question. "Doubt it," he said. "But I can try."

"Need to spar to tire yourself out?" Sheik asked. "We can overdo it a little, if you need."

"Thanks, but…" Link bit his lip, shaking his head. "I think we'd do better to save our energy. Dawn's going to come early."

"If all goes well, we'll be back here by sunset," she reminded him. "It won't be like Marr. We won't be up all day and all night."

"And you won't bleed out on the way back," Link said. "Promise me?"

Sheik reached for his hand, gently tracing her thumb over the back of it. "You know I can't promise you anything," she said. "I can't predict the—"

The words died on her lips, and she realized she couldn't tell any lies. Not to Link.

Goddesses—it was just an expression, and yet she couldn't even say it. She wasn't even sure if she could predict the future, but that vision of the compound, and the way she had strong intuition about something bad that was coming…

She couldn't lie to him.

…If he asked her if she was the King's Daughter, would she be able to tell him no?

"You can't predict what?" Link asked, furrowing his brows at her abrupt silence. "The future?"

"I—I can't promise you anything," she said. Realizing that she had made a terrible mistake, she quickly stood, letting go of his hand. "I have to—to ask Ashei something. Excuse me."

She didn't miss the way Link stared after her, but whatever he wanted to ask, he restrained himself. Sheik counted it as a blessing and didn't question it.

It wasn't a lie. She really did need to speak to Ashei.

Though it had already been decided that she and Shad would be taking the girls from Ise all the way back to Lon Lon Ranch, Sheik had a more personal request. Though she knew Ashei and Shad hadn't planned on staying there for long, she did want Ashei to stay for at least a few days. Malon had probably already taught the girls' plenty of self-defense, but… it wouldn't hurt for them to have another teacher, if Sheik couldn't be there herself.

She also needed to send a message to Malon for slightly more private reasons. Knowing Shad's love of history, she knew it would be a difficult thing for him to avoid the journals of the Hero of Time.

If there was anyone who'd figure her out, it would be Shad.

And though she knew he was a good guy—he was helping to save the girls in Ise, after all—she still didn't want to trust him with her secret. Not to mention he wasn't one to keep discoveries quiet. He'd try to publish the journals for all to see. And not only would that be bad for Sheik's privacy, it would also be hard on Malon.

Her family had kept those journals hidden for generations. Several centuries, by now.

So she sent along a note to Malon with forewarning, hoping that Ashei would give it to the ranch-hand first thing. After that, though, Sheik took to avoiding Link.

It was almost impossible that he didn't already know she was hiding something. And for how smart he was, Sheik wouldn't put it past him to already know the truth. Part of her wondered if that was the only reason he'd stayed by her for so long.

Was he just carrying out his job?

However, she couldn't put off seeing him forever. So that night, once it was dark, she came back to their shared room. Not bothering to turn on a lamp, she quietly pulled off her outer suit till she was in her training clothes beneath it.

Not daring to wake Link if he was already asleep, she merely lifted the covers and crawled in beside him, avoiding touch.

But despite Link's silence, he was awake. And once she was close enough, he slowly wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her closer towards him.

Sheik might have leaned against him before, but after today, she tensed in his hold. Link noticed immediately and was quick to let go, but, unfortunately for Sheik, was even quicker to speak up.

"Is something wrong?" he whispered. "You've been avoiding me since… Since we talked in the library."

Though she was tempted to, Sheik didn't turn towards him. Instead she stared straight ahead at the door, tense even after he'd removed his hand. "Just nervous about tomorrow," she said. And if she really thought about it, it wasn't a lie. She was terrified of what might happen tomorrow. "Get some sleep, Link. You'll need it for tomorrow."

"We'll both need it for tomorrow," he said. Still, he hesitated, and Sheik knew he was trying to decide on something. "But… I just… I need to know if you're angry with me."

Sheik finally turned towards him, brows furrowed. "Why would I be angry with you?"

Though Link had clearly been trying to get her attention, he looked away when she asked. "I just… prefer knowing when someone's angry with me, that's all."

There had to have been more to it, Sheik knew. His averted eyes were proof enough. But she didn't know what was making him react like that. Sheik bit her lip, wondering what she could say or do to make things better. But she was at a loss, and found herself hesitating with her words. "…Do you," she started, "Do you want me to tell you from now on if I'm angry with you or not?"

"No," Link said quickly. "I mean—yes, but not if it bothers you."

"You're the one that's bothered," Sheik said. "Not me."

Link bit his lip. "And you… don't mind, really?"

"Not enough for it to matter." At her words, Link looked a little crestfallen, and Sheik was quick to backtrack. "It doesn't bother me at all. Besides," she added, "It's not like I ever really get angry with you." When Link was quiet for a while, Sheik furrowed her brows and looked a little closer at his face. "…You know that, right?"

Link quickly looked away, voice a little higher than usual. "Sometimes it's hard to tell?" Once he saw the look on Sheik's face, he hastily added, "I mean—sometimes you wear that mask and even when you're not, sometimes you… I mean… You look angry and I'm not sure if you're angry at me or someone else. Or even if you're mad at someone else and might…"

Sheik frowned. "Might what?"

"T…" He hesitated, seeming to struggle with the word. "Take it out on me."

It took a moment for his words to even register, but when they did, Sheik was still confused. "Why… would I take it out on you if you did nothing wrong?"

When Link didn't reply for a while, Sheik knew it had to have something to do with his past. The past he wasn't quite willing to talk about yet. So with a sigh, she laid down again, finally cuddling against him. Though she'd been adverse to cuddling before, she certainly wanted to now. After all,f it meant making Link feel better, she was willing to do most anything.

So she gently turned him around then tucked against his back. With how fast his heart was beating and how stiff he felt, Sheik hesitated before she wrapped her arms around him. But once he gave a slight nod and lifted his arms to give her space, she knew she was welcome. Gently—more gently than she thought she knew how—she slipped her arms though the empty space and wrapped them around his waist.

"I'll tell you if I'm ever angry with you, alright?" she murmured, pressing her lips briefly against Link's shoulder. "And if you're ever not sure, just ask. I… I don't like lying to people. Not about things like that."

Link fell silent for a while, hesitant and still. Finally he sighed, evidently giving up on his train of thought. He leaned against her touch, pulling her arms a little tighter around him. "I'm sorry," he said softly. "I shouldn't have to… You have your own issues. Don't worry so much about this."

"Doesn't mean you don't have your own." Sheik sighed against his shoulder, finally closing her eyes. "But it's late. And we need plenty of sleep if we're going to survive tomorrow." With her voice dropping even lower, she spoke so quietly it was almost inaudible. "And… even if I ever was mad at you… I want you to be alright, got it?"

For several seconds, her partner was absolutely still. Fearing that Sheik had said something wrong, there was an apology just on the tip of her tongue.

But instead, Link finally spoke up. "Thank you," he whispered. "I—I just… Thanks, Sheik."

Able to find her voice, Sheik pressed her face against his shoulder, leaving featherlight kisses against his shoulder to convey what she couldn't say aloud.

It bothered her, just a little, that he couldn't talk to her about what was really going on with him. But she wasn't one to talk about keeping secrets. So as she fell asleep with Link still held tightly in her arms, Sheik contented herself with knowing he was safe for the moment.

Whatever Link was truly upset about, they'd have to discuss it later.

And in the interest of not getting distracted while on the battlefield… it would be preferably after tomorrow.

The trip to the compound wasn't the worst of it. No, Sheik decided. The worst of it was that Ashei and Shad got to take the cozy, comfortable tunnels between the buildings, and she and Link were stuck in the cold. Without Epona. And with a shoddy map to guide them.

It was a miracle they even arrived at the compound at all.

Or, it would have been a miracle, had Sheik not had the Triforce of Wisdom guiding her.

The directions weren't abundantly clear, of course. The few landmarks around the area were almost impossible to spot, which would have made the map useless if they couldn't find them. Fortunately between the two of them, they managed to follow the course.

When they finally reached the compound's entrance, Sheik and Link had to stop and stare.

The compound was huge—far, far bigger than Marr had been.

But at least this time they had actually gotten enough sleep. And Sheik had magical reserves in spades, and Link had brought several red potions along—just in case. Between their winter gear and their weapons, though, the trip had been long and tiring—and it had been difficult to communicate over the howling of the wind.

Even now, Link's voice was almost lost to the wind. "The guards haven't seen us, yet," he said, nearly having to shout to be heard, and Sheik leaned closer to him so he wouldn't have to speak so loudly. "But they're placed pretty randomly around the front of the building. Are we going with plan—"

"The one where we split up and use the storm as cover?"

Link nodded. "I don't think we can shout for help above the storm, though. If you need backup, just—try to get away and I'll come back with you, if you need it."

Instead of agreeing, Sheik turned to face him and put a hand on his shoulder. "The same goes for you. If you need help, tell me."

"My Triforce will revive me, Sheik," he said. "I can handle myself. You're the one I'm worried about."

The reckless answer did nothing to ease Sheik's worries. So she held tighter to his shoulder, staring him down as best she could. "Don't leave it up to fate. Besides, you—you don't want to leave a trail of blood they can follow."

That, more than anything else, got Link to reconsider. Still, he was hesitant, and though he tried to mask his expression, Sheik knew the worried slant of his brows. "Promise you'll ask for help if you need it," he said. "And I'll promise the same."

Sheik nodded fervently. "Promise."

"Alright," Link said. "…Stay safe. I'll take the left and work towards the middle. You can take the right. We'll try to meet up in the middle and get to the door from there."

Before they split apart though, Sheik gently cupped his cheek, tracing over the soft—if chilled—skin. "…Look after yourself," she said softly. And, against her better judgment, she leaned in close to kiss him. But though she knew she was brave enough, she didn't know if Link was ready. So she tilted her face to the side at the last moment, and kissed his cheek instead. "…I'll see you later."

Though she had the feeling that everything would go horribly wrong, she couldn't stay here forever. So while he was still pressing his hand over his cheek—as if to help her kiss linger—Sheik took a few steps back.

And with that, she walked to the end of the far side, intent on working her way back to the middle—and to Link.

Battling on her own was nowhere near as fun as fighting alongside her teammate. Though she didn't feel as though she'd ever—ever—taken Link for granted, it was hard to adjust now that he was gone. If she really needed him, she was sure she could slip away from her half of the battle… But that would ruin the element of surprise.

Separated, they could work quickly and efficiently, with half the chance of being spotted… especially with the white cloaks they'd donned to stay hidden in the storm. Sheik had no qualms against sneaking up behind a monster and killing it without a sound, either. To her relief, all of the monsters exploded into black dust—meaning that there had been no Hylians among them.

However, it was likely that these monsters were only outside because they could last in frigid conditions better.

Meaning that all of the Hylians were inside.

Sheik wasn't looking forward to having to battle them. Generally speaking, they put up much more of a fight. They were harder to trick, tougher, and had the capability to work together rather than facing opponents one on one.

All Sheik and Link needed to do for now, though, was to beat the guards outside. Once they entered the doors, alarms would be sounded, and more enemies would rush to the front rooms of the building…

Meaning that Ashei and Shad would have fewer monsters to face in the interim.

After silently slicing her katana through what must have been her fifteenth enemy, though, it seemed that the guards had finally wised up.

After so many had silently fallen, it had taken quite some time for anyone to notice they were missing—especially because of the poor visibility within the storm. But now that they had noticed a disturbance, the remaining monsters were alerting each other to the problem.

Sheik cursed beneath her breath. Even though she'd taken out so many, there were still twenty left on this side alone—maybe more.

She didn't have time to think about how Link might have been faring, and he was so far away still that she could neither hear nor see him. Sheik could only hope that he was doing better than she was, though considering his luck, she wouldn't be surprised if he was in a fight for his life.

Though he'd since proved himself more than a capable fighter, Sheik couldn't forget how she'd first found him.

The thought of him bleeding out on the other side of the compound strengthened her resolve, and Sheik continued after the monsters without mercy.

There was no point in hiding anymore, so Sheik discarded the white cloak she'd been given by Ashei. Though it had kept her warm, she knew she'd be moving fast enough now that it would only be a hindrance to her.

Fortunately only about half of the monsters were even within range, with the remaining monsters (the ones closer to the door) oblivious to the plight of their comrades. Sheik was grateful; eleven monsters was difficult enough. She didn't think she'd have a chance if all of them circled around her.

Eleven was still too many at once, though, so she was quick to lead them away from each other.

The monsters were fast, but Sheik was faster. And it was a good thing, too. From a greater distance, she could simply throw knives at them 'til they ran out. But then, she only had so many knives.

One by one they fell, and Sheik was starting to feel as though she had the advantage—as if she could actually do this.

Then she ran out of throwing knives.

Not wasting time to dwell on it, Sheik charged forward, attempting (rather fruitlessly) to pick up her knives on the way. The monsters gave her little time, though, and Sheik was only able to collect a small portion of them on her way forward.

As she was moving forward, she couldn't shake the feeling that something was going wrong. It wasn't just the feeling of being overwhelmed, either.

She was too focused on the task at hand to pay it much mind, and she couldn't tell if her thoughts were aimed towards Link, or the team of Shad and Ashei.

Either way, she couldn't dwell on it. There was nothing she could do now but take on all the monsters that she could, and pray that she beat them in time to move on and help the others.

…Still, the thought that she was needed was enough to push her. She didn't give herself time to think; instead, she ran forward and slashed away at the monsters, taking advantage of every weakness she found. Link might have been a more honorable fighter, but Sheik would take no prisoners. Even if they had been Hylian, her blade wouldn't have stayed even for a moment.

That wasn't to say she came out unscathed, however. Now that she was fighting in close quarters, the monsters had ample chance to hurt her. The speed at which she was moving didn't help things, either. Rushing, after all, meant that she wasn't half as focused on the fights as she ought to be. And, inevitably, she came out more injured than she wanted to admit.

Considering the monsters were all illusions and creations of magic, Sheik knew the blood on the ground was her own. She ignored the pain, though, allowing cuts to bleed freely as she continued forward.

Because of how much she'd rushed, Sheik almost couldn't believe it when she came to the end of her segment. No guards remained from her side, but from the center staircase, she could easily see the guards lining the other side.

Link's side.

She couldn't blame him for not being finished yet. Sheik had been rushing, and the scatters of blood mixed in with black ash was proof enough. But she couldn't stop now—not when Link was still fighting.

It was definitely getting cold without her cloak, and Sheik was starting to sorely miss it. But by now it was probably cold and wet from the snow, and Sheik wouldn't risk going back for it, anyways. So she pressed on with her Sheikah ensemble, not even trying to hide her presence.

She had taken out only a few guards before she was close enough to finally—finally—hear Link nearby.

Link was far outnumbered in a fight where all the monsters were trying to gang up on him. And though he was clearly still trying to put up a fight, there was something sluggish and… downright strange about his movements.

Sheik didn't have time to waste thinking about it. She ran towards the circle, taking out the monsters closest to her before they had time to think. She thought nothing of slicing away the monsters from behind, not caring as clouds of dust exploded into her face as she continued on.

Not wanting to get trapped inside the circle when the monsters regrouped, though, Sheik stayed outside of it, trying her hardest to pick them off from the outside before they realized what was going on.

But though they were predictable, they weren't stupid.

Soon the circle broke, scattering into an entirely new formation.

Now that there wasn't a circle around him, Link's fighting ability drastically increased, and he seemed far more like himself. Sheik didn't have much time to watch, so instead she merely focused on the task at hand—namely, the monsters that had it out for her.

But just as with the other side, Sheik slowly but surely beat them.

In a matter of minutes, there was nothing but ash, blood, and silence throughout the front gate.

With no fight to keep her motivated, Sheik had no qualms about sitting on the stairs to rest.

Link soon joined her, gently leaning against her. He seemed mildly surprised at the warm, wet blood that stained his tunic's side, but fortunately he didn't comment on it. Instead, he simply let out a sigh and let himself enjoy the moment, if just for a few seconds.

"We still have the interior," Sheik said. "Either we go inside and take advantage of their surprise, or they'll come out here eventually."

"We can take a break for a minute," he said. Not waiting for Sheik's reply, Link carefully pulled out a bottle of potion, handing it to Sheik. "You need to be more careful next time."

Sheik grudgingly took it from his hands, but only drank about half. The wounds didn't need to close for now; all they needed to do was stop bleeding freely. There was plenty of red potion left—she didn't know how many bottles Link had taken, exactly, though she knew it was plenty—but she didn't want to waste it for a non-emergency. So she passed it back to Link, allowing him to take a quick drink before putting it back in a pouch on his hip.

They didn't have much time to waste, so Sheik quickly got back on her feet and offered Link a hand. When he took it, Sheik pulled him up, then started for the door's entrance.

It was locked, unsurprisingly, but Sheik had enough magical reserves to break it open.

And when she did, every single plan they'd created came to a screeching halt.

Because amidst all the splendor of the compound, all the winding staircases and the bookshelves and chandeliers, the compound was nothing like the maps.

Sheik looked at Link, and at the shock plain on his face. But they'd do no good if both of them were frozen in place. Plans gone awry or not, there couldn't turn around now. There were girls to save somewhere within the compound—not to mention Shad and Ashei. Wherever they were at the moment, they couldn't have been doing well.

So Sheik stood up straighter and drew her katana, stance ready for a fight. There were too many monsters to remain stealthy now that they didn't have the cover of the storm.

…And especially not when the monsters in the room had all turned to face them.

"Are you ready?" Link asked, sword and shield already at the ready.

Sheik nodded. "I'll see you when this is finished."

A few answers to guest reviewers first:
-I've been trying to add a few more descriptions, but it's never been something I focused on much in the past, so it's difficult for me to remember to do it. I'll try to do it more often though, thank you for reminding me!
-The relationship between Sheik and Link is … tentative. They have a solid working partnership at the moment, and a strong friendship, but… where they stand romantically is shaky at best. However, they'll have something a bit more solid soon!
-Several months have passed since they first met. A month was spent going to and from Marr alone, and they've gone to an awful lot of other cities. I had the math somewhere, but I believe the final tally was somewhere around four and a half months, maybe five? I believe they met around late summer, and now winter is approaching.

Thank you as always for staying with me! I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and that you'll continue to enjoy them to come. If you liked this chapter (and, of course, even if you didn't), please leave a review, and don't forget to follow or favorite! Thank you so much, and have a wonderful day!