XVI – Convergence
The evening sky was mottled with dabs of orange and pink, the air smelling of something that Link could not quite describe. The early evening carried a strange serenity, like a foreboding of something evil or powerful. Like the calm before a raging storm. It made him restless, and he was tired of sitting around uselessly. If there was nothing he could actively do to help the residents of Castle Town, he had to occupy his mind otherwise.
The village was unusually deserted, and a candle was burning behind every window. Link's sword felt heavier than normal in his hand, and he gripped the scabbard tighter. When he left the pumpkin field behind and walked around the corner, he was surprised to see the training ground occupied. He stopped, leaning casually against a tree, and watched.
Sheik's motions were like water - fluid and soundless - and Link marvelled at the grace with which the Sheikah moved. When he flung the throwing star, it embedded itself in the centre of the target without changing its course ever so slightly. His long silver hair, that he always kept in a braid, the ends wrapped in bandages, reminded Link of a whip, and he scolded himself for how that thought made him feel.
After a while, Link finally decided to step out of the cover of the trees and join Sheik in the training arena. Before he could even remove the sword from its sheath, something came flying at him, and he instinctively held the scabbard in front of his face, deflecting the kunai. It landed in the dirt. Sheik's fingers wrapped around it as he picked it up.
"Good reflexes," he said.
"How about a sword fight?" Link offered, but Sheik shook his head.
"Weapons of choice."
"Sure," Link grinned and unsheathed his sword, resuming a fighting stance.
Sheik was on him in a second, but Link managed to parry his attack with the flat side of his blade. Sheik rounded him like a stalking cat, his red eyes fixated on him. Link kept the sword in front of his body, carefully watching Sheik's every move. When Sheik attacked again, Link deflected the first kunai with the blade, dodged the second, and pushed him back with a spin of his shoulder. Link saw the fire burn in his opponent's red eyes, and could sense his irritation. Sheik's attacks became quicker, angrier, but also less careful. Link found every opening and every fault in his attack pattern, and either parried, dodged or counterattacked. He could see that the Sheikah was growing tired, but was determined not to show it. When Sheik feigned a blow from the right, then quickly moved to the left side and found an opening to strike, Link managed to deflect the dagger only in the last moment, but threw Sheik off balance in the process. The Sheikah stumbled backwards and Link used the opportunity to knock him over with the pommel of his sword. Sheik could not regain his balance and landed butt first in the dirt. Before he could scramble back on his feet, Link pinned him to the ground, tip of the sword two inches away from his face. Sheik's eyes were on fire, and the flames threatened to burn Link, but he couldn't tear his own eyes away from the intense heat. The air suddenly felt so heavy, and Link finally broke away. He released Sheik and held out his hand for him to grab, but Sheik didn't take it, getting up on his own instead.
"You are too uptight. Your fighting was too stubborn. You waste too much energy like that. Find an opening and take advantage of your skills. I saw you move earlier, that was impeccable."
Sheik flashed him an angry glare. "How about you shove your opinion up your ass?" he hissed, gathered his throwing weapons, put the dagger away, and stomped off. Link sighed as he watched him leave. Sheik's armour would be tough to break, but Link wanted to take chances. There was just something about him that attracted him like a magnet.
"He didn't like that," Paya, standing at the fence surrounding the training arena, commented. Link hadn't noticed her coming.
"I guess," he answered, joining her for the walk back, "I just don't get why he is always so upset with me."
"I know they took him to the castle. Sheik implied that you were somehow involved in his escape from the dungeons. Were you?"
Link looked around before he answered. "What if?"
"Link, you saved his life. This is a cultural issue. Saving a Sheikah's life means they are indebted to you for their whole life. You basically created a bond that can't be severed."
Link's eyes widened. "Oh! So...," he pondered, "what if a Sheikah's life is spared and then saved?"
Paya looked at him with her big red-brown eyes and chuckled. "It means that Sheik can never, in his whole life, repay you. He's basically bound to you until his death."
"Bound to me?"
Paya shrugged. "You unwillingly compromised his freedom. And that upsets him."
"Paya...can you tell me more about him?"
The young Sheikah woman shook her head. "I don't really know anything about him or his past. If you must know, you can always ask Dorian, but I am not sure he will disclose much. We Sheikah aren't exactly a gossiping folk."
The stairs to Impa's house came into sight, and Link thanked Paya for enlightening him on the ways of the Sheikah. As they entered and he retracted to the small room he occupied, the thought of irrevocably being bound to Sheik haunted and thrilled him until he fell asleep.
Sheik groaned as a raging headache pulsated inside his skull, and he reached out for a bottle of cool water. Once more he had given in to his anger and drowned it in alcohol. Dorian would be furious if he learned that Sheik had, against his warning, found the way into his wine cellar and had not left empty-handed. Sheik hated himself already enough, so he tried not to bother himself with minor issues. He would handle them once he returned. He washed, put on his signature garb – the tears in the cloth having been stitched up by Nanna - as well as the face mask and the shawl, and fastened his weapons to his belt, arm and leg. The Sheikah slate was still wrapped in a cloth and stored away in an old kitchen cupboard. Sheik retrieved it, attached it to his belt, and left Dorian's house.
Sheik enjoyed the tranquillity of the early hours while the empty road took him south, but his body felt sore, and he wished for a hot bath and a cup of steaming coffee. He still felt a bit nauseous and the headache remained stubborn, but he pressed on. When he crossed the river over Kakariko-bridge, he came to a fork, and continued south towards the Duelling Peaks, a mountain that looked like it had been cleft in half by a huge axe. At the base of the mountain, just next to the Ash Swamp, the distinctive wooden horse-head of a stable soared into the clear sky. The stables were a signature feature of Hyrule, spread across the whole country and founded and financed by the royal family for travellers to rest and/or buy horses. They all consisted of a large tent, sleeping cabins and, of course, a barn with horseboxes. The stables were considered a hub where travellers with all kinds of backgrounds and of all kinds of regions came together.
When Sheik reached the stable in the late morning, he decided to rest for a short while, allowing himself a cup of hot coffee while sitting down on a bale of straw just outside the main tent. He still hoped to reach his destination in the early evening before the sun set, but had to admit that perhaps he had overestimated himself. As he stretched his legs and leaned back, taking a sip of coffee and overhearing conversations of all kinds of travellers, he wondered if, after all, it was worth to actually try and get a horse. He counted the rupees in his pockets and sighed – it would never be enough to buy a horse – but perhaps he could borrow one. Ah well, it's worth a shot, he thought, and walked over to the stable clerk.
"I am sorry, but we do not rent horses. You will have to buy one if you want one," the clerk explained after Sheik had voiced his request.
"Look," Sheik said, pinching the bridge of his nose in order to stifle the anger inside him, "I don't have enough money. I would bring it back in less than a day. Can't you make an exception?"
"We don't make exceptions. Policy rules. Want a horse? Buy one. Can't afford one? No horse. It's as easy as that."
Sheik swallowed down the words on the tip of his tongue, suppressed the heat crawling into his chest, and tried to argue in a polite tone one last time.
"I said: no money no horse. Should I write it down in Sheikah for you? Get lost," the clerk said, "I have customers waiting who can actually afford our services."
"You little prick," Sheik said between clenched teeth, no longer able to control his temper, taking a step forward.
"Is there a problem?" a big guy appearing behind the clerk said, crossing his big ripped arms in front of his equally ripped chest.
"The Sheikah wanted to leave," the clerk answered, smiling provocatively at Sheik.
A few Hylian customers breakfasting in the vicinity laughed. Sheik felt his ears become hot as he clenched a fist and left without another word, considering to break into the stable and just steal a horse for a split second. Then he imagined the brawny guy smashing in his nose and decided against the impulse. He stomped off and released a tirade of Sheikah swearwords, not caring to move out of the way when he heard the clopping of hooves behind him on the road.
"I didn't get the meaning, but you don't sound too happy," a familiar voice said.
Sheik felt the nausea coming back. "What do you want," he grumbled, not even turning around.
"Nothing much," Link answered, "I was on my way minding my own business when I heard you arguing with the clerk."
"Then perhaps you should consider continuing to mind your own business."
"Are you still angry at me because of what I said yesterday?" Link asked.
Sheik lowered his head even deeper and burned imaginary holes into the ground, but the horse and its rider did not disappear. They still followed him.
"I am sorry," Link continued, "I didn't mean to offend you. I can sense that you are a great fighter, but it felt like you didn't live up to your potential."
"Are you done?" Sheik said, "you're giving me a headache."
"On top of the one you already have?" Link asked, knowing fully well that the Sheikah was already loaded like a gun. He just couldn't help it.
Sheik stopped, and finally turned around. His fiery eyes looked tired despite the anger emanating from them. Link, sitting comfortably on his horse's back, looked down at him, a smirk playing around the corner of his lips. He was shattering Sheik's nerves, and obviously enjoyed it.
"Stop. Following. Me."
Link shrugged. "Who says I am? I am just following the road, and happened to run into you."
"You seem to happen to run into me an awful lot."
Link smiled, but didn't say a thing. It unnerved Sheik even more.
"Alright then," Sheik said, taking a deep breath, "why don't you just go ahead and let me move at my own pace?"
Link shrugged again. "You do look like you could need a ride. I have one free spot available." He pointed at the saddle, at the spot just behind himself.
"I'm fine."
"Didn't you ask the clerk for a horse?"
"Just shut the fuck up!" Sheik exploded, "leave me the fuck alone!"
Sheik increased his pace, trying to put more distance between him and the annoying Hylian, but Link's horse continued to follow him.
"Sheik," Link said after a while, but Sheik ignored him.
"Sheik. You are bleeding."
"What?"
Link brought his horse to a halt and dismounted, handing Sheik a white handkerchief.
"Your nose is bleeding. Your face mask is red."
Sheik reached out to touch his mask and cursed. His hand came away wet and red. He took the handkerchief, turned away from Link, and pulled the mask down, pressing the cloth against his nose. The blood came gushing out of his nostrils and Sheik cursed some more, this time in both Sheikah and Hylian. When it finally stopped, the handkerchief was stained crimson. He couldn't hand it back, so he just put it in a pocket and pulled the mask back over his nose before turning around again.
"Get on," Link said softly, the teasing smirk now gone.
"What?" Sheik croaked, annoyed at himself for not being able to form coherent sentences.
"Get on my horse. I'll walk."
"No."
"Why not?"
"I can walk."
"As you wish. We'll walk then."
Sheik was too tired to argue any longer. His head was throbbing, the effects of the caffeine having worn off. Link was walking quietly beside him, his horse trotting behind them. They followed the course of the river through the cleft of the Duelling Peaks in silence until they reached Baumer Hills. Agitated voices reached their ears just behind the slope of a hill, then a piercing scream and grunting noises. Link gave Sheik a look, and his hand reached out for the hilt of his sword. "Stay here," he whispered to his horse and gave it a pat on its nose.
"Help!" one of the Hylian travellers shouted when he spotted the two men approaching, shielding his face with both arms from the attacking creature.
"Bokoblins!" Sheik spat, "what are these creatures doing out here?" He removed a kunai from his belt and held it between his knuckles.
"Hey!" Link called, trying to get the Bokoblins' attention away from the small group of travellers.
The Bokoblin which had swung its club at the Hylian traveller grunted unhappily, but before its club could smash the innocent man's face, Sheik's kunai hit the spot right between its eyes. It tumbled over with a cry and lay still. Link's sword severed another Bokoblin's head from its body, while Sheik finished two more off with precise and deadly throwing hits. Before long, the creatures were slain, and the travellers couldn't stop thanking Link for saving them. Sheik noticed the suspicious glances they cast at him, and almost regretted having saved them.
"Sheik," Link said when they moved on, "I am sorry."
"What for?"
"I am not blind. I notice how they treat you. The clerk. The travellers."
Sheik huffed. "I never expected anything else. Hylians have always looked down on us."
"I don't."
"Yes...I noticed," Sheik mumbled barely audibly.
"May I ask where you're headed?"
Sheik sighed. He really wanted to tell Link to just leave him in peace, but he knew that Link wouldn't just accept it as an answer, and Sheik was too tired to fight over everything.
"The Great Plateau."
"Does it have something to do with your conversation with lady Impa?"
Sheik gave him a surprised look.
"How did you..."
"I figured that she must have said something to you of importance. I noticed the slate on your hip."
"Heh. You're smarter than you look."
"Hey!" Link protested but then noticed the small wrinkles around Sheik's eyes, realising that the Sheikah was actually smiling. "Naturally. I am a Hylian after all," he grinned, "see, I even happen to know how to get on the Great Plateau."
"Hmm...I am surprised."
"You'd be surprised at my many other talents," Link laughed, and felt the tension release.
"What are you doing out alone? Aren't you supposed to be around the princess all the time?" Sheik asked.
"In principle, yes. But I am tired of hiding in this village while danger has befallen Hyrule. I wanted to scout Hyrule field to see for myself. I left Zelda in Paya's and Dorian's care. She will be safer in Kakariko than out here."
Sheik nodded. The outline of the Proxim bridge came into sight.
"The road might be risky for you," Link commented, "the bridge might be guarded, and the road leads past the outpost and gatepost.
"I know," Sheik said calmly, "I didn't plan to stay on the road."
"Well," Link answered, "I just happen to be a royal knight. They will let me pass without asking questions. Even with a Sheikah as my companion."
"I don't need your help."
"Or, you could just accept it? Why do you always feel the need to do everything on your own?"
"Because I have lived on my own for most of my life!" Sheik snapped.
"Sometimes the easy way is not the worst option."
Sheik took a deep breath. "Link, I am tired of always having to argue with you."
"Then don't. Let me come with you. Please."
Sheik pondered over his answer for a short while, then let out a sigh.
"Fine. On one condition."
"Which is?"
"Stop being annoying."
The Great Plateau stretched out before their eyes, the ruins of the citadel and the ancient tower visible in the distance. Link proved to be more than helpful to get Sheik past the guarded outposts and up the plateau. It would have taken him many hours to find the hidden passage on his own, but Link had been there before and knew the way. He turned out to be a valuable guide and Sheik couldn't help but feel blessed by his presence for the first time.
"What do you mean you have to climb it?" Link asked. The mysterious Sheikah tower soared into the sky right before their eyes and he felt dizzy by just looking at it.
"I have to get on top. Connect the slate to its pedestal."
"You're kidding."
Sheik shrugged. "You don't have to come if you're afraid."
"As if! I'm not afraid."
Sheik smiled under his shawl. "Either way. It's getting dark. We should look for shelter to spend the night."
Link nodded. They had run into a camp of blue Bokoblins earlier, and Link was sure that there were more malevolent creatures on the plateau.
"Perhaps we could stay at the citadel?"
"If it offers enough shelter. Time and weather conditions have not been kind to the old building."
"Well, why don't we check it out?"
They happened to stumble upon an old, abandoned hut not far from the ruins of the citadel of time, but the door was still intact and could be reinforced by a wooden board placed into iron brackets mounted just beside the doorframe. They shared Sheik's meagre provisions, and Link let his horse roam free outside the hut. As they sat on the time-worn stools, Link watched Sheik tamper with the slate. The blue light from the screen illuminated his face, and Link wondered if Sheik would ever take off his mask in the presence of others, himself included. His thoughts returned to the short – but intense - memory of Sheik's naked face, and he suddenly was fully aware that they were alone in the middle of nowhere. He wanted to see more of him.
"What is it?" Sheik said, now looking at him. Link's cheeks heated up, and he turned his face away.
"Nothing. Sorry."
Sheik raised one eyebrow, but said nothing. He switched off the slate and stored it away. "We should sleep. You can take the bed. I am used to sleeping on the floor."
Link was about to protest and offer Sheik to take the bed, but the latter had already curled up on the floor, and closed his eyes. Link lay down on the bed and looked at the ceiling. Sheik's presence made him nervous.
"Don't you ever take it off?"
"What?"
"Your mask. And your shawl."
There was a silence that lasted several minutes, and Link presumed that Sheik had fallen asleep in the meanwhile.
"Please don't ever ask me to."
"But why? Isn't it uncomfortable?"
"You saw what's underneath," Sheik said, his voice strangely restrained and quiet.
"You mean your scar?"
Sheik answered with another silence. The conversation was making him feel very uncomfortable, but Link couldn't help it. He just couldn't let it go.
"You don't need to hide it," Link said softly.
"It's hideous."
"But..."
"Please. Drop it. Can't you see that you're making me feel uncomfortable?"
"I'm sorry."
Sheik closed his eyes again, cursing the nosy Hylian as he desperately tried to fall asleep. When he finally did, bad dreams plagued his sleep, dreams of burning buildings, screaming women and ravaging Hyrulean knights.
Link woke to Sheik's scream. Alarmed, he jumped out of bed, ready to defend them against enemies – but there were none. Sheik was still lying curled up on the floor, moaning and shivering, and Link relaxed. He pondered over letting him sleep for a moment, but then decided against it. He knelt down beside him, carefully shaking him awake. Sheik woke with a jerk, and punched the Hylian knight bent over him in the face. Surprised, Link cried out in pain, and fell on his buttocks.
"It's me!" he screamed, pressing a hand against his aching eye, "don't punch me!"
It took Sheik a moment to realise where he was and what had happened, but his body and mind had gone into panic mode. His chest tightened, making it hard to breathe, and his heart threatened to jump out of his chest. His body began to tremble uncontrollably and Sheik bit down on his lip to regain a bit of self-control. He pulled his mask down, gasping for air, and, hugging his knees, hid his face in the space between his neck and knees.
"Sheik? What's happening?" Link asked anxiously, but he was afraid to touch him again. When Sheik didn't respond but continued to tremble and breathe heavily, he carefully touched Sheik's arm, and, after making sure he wouldn't get punched again, gently put his arm around his shoulder. They sat like this until Sheik's panic attack wore off, and he could finally feel Link's breath against his ear and his warmth through his clothes.
"I'm fine," he said quietly, lifting his head ever so slightly. He was mortified. Bad enough that someone had to witness one of his recurring panic attacks, and of all people it had to be Link.
"Are you sure?" Link's arm was still wrapped around his shoulder, his lips still close to his ear. It made Sheik shiver.
"Yes." He ashamedly squirmed free of Link's half embrace, and put his mask back on, eyes fixated on the floor. He couldn't look at Link. He didn't want to see the expression on his face. "Go back to sleep."
"Yeah, piece of cake," he murmured, not leaving Sheik's side, "did you have a seizure?"
"No. It's nothing. I'm fine, really."
"Didn't look like nothing to me."
"Link, why do you care so much?! Why can't you just leave it be?!"
Link fell silent, and Sheik knew that he went too far. He knew that the Hylian only had good intentions, but it was too much.
"I know you mean well," Sheik added, "but why? What have I done to deserve your benevolence? I joined the Yiga, I tried to murder you, I killed Hyrulean soldiers, I threatened the princess you care so much about. After all these things, why do you keep saving me? Why do you keep being so nice to me? Save your energy for someone who is worth your care." His voice cracked and he bit his lip. The panic attack had left him vulnerable, and Sheik was surprised at his own emotional outburst.
Link didn't answer but Sheik's words wormed their way straight into his heart. He sounded so broken. Something happened that had broken this young Sheikah, something terrible that haunted him until this day and had left him with nightmares and panic attacks. And Link couldn't deny the overwhelming desire to heal him.
Link felt the lack of sleep in his bones as he stood once more before the mysterious Sheikah tower and gazed up at its dizzying height. His eye still hurt from where the Sheikah had punched him, the skin around it having turned a dark purple colour, and Sheik's mood was even gloomier than usual. Without uttering a single word about the events of the night, Sheik began to climb the tower, putting one foot after the other in the holes of the honeycomb structure. Link swallowed down the anxiety and followed him. Once he made the mistake of looking down and a wave of dizziness overcame him, and once he made the mistake of looking up and got distracted by the sight of Sheik's firm buttocks in his tight Sheikah garb, almost losing his footing. From that moment on, he decided to keep his eyes fixated on the structure of the tower in front of him.
When they finally made it to the top, Link's knees were shaking both from the effort and his slight fear of heights, and he sat down in the middle of the tower, next to the pedestal, trying to calm his breath and beating heart.
"That wasn't fun," he said. The air was cooler on top, and he closed his eyes, letting Sheik do whatever he had to do.
Sheik switched on the slate and put it in the terminal of the pedestal. He heard a faint humming, and then the black obsidian started to glow in an intense blue light. Link opened his eyes and turned his head to look at Sheik, the pedestal and the glowing stone. Strange letters and symbols began to appear on the obsidian and seemed to flow into the pedestal and the slate. When it was done, the humming stopped, and Sheik removed the slate from the terminal. The screen lit up and a new picture started to form. Link got up and, standing next to Sheik, looked down at the screen.
"What on earth...," he began when suddenly the ground and the tower began to rumble, and both men lost their balance. The slate slid out of Sheik's hand and landed dangerously close to the edge of the tower, and Sheik fell, catching himself just before he landed on Link. He quickly collected himself and tried to get up when another, even stronger rumble shook the tower and threw him against Link.
Link's heart skipped a beat when he felt Sheik's body on his own, and he was suddenly painfully aware of all the places their bodies connected. He felt Sheik shift and unwillingly rub against the inside of his thigh as he tried to get up, and it cost Link all of his willpower to concentrate on anything else. He thought of stinking Bokoblins, of rotten meat and spoiled mushrooms, and of the old lady he involuntarily saw naked when he had opened the wrong door in the public bathhouse in Gamelon's old district, trying to keep his erection at bay. Sheik crawled away from him, thankful for the mask hiding his burning cheeks, and quickly grabbed the slate before it could fall off the tower. The rumbling then stopped and all was quiet. Sheik shakily stood up and scanned the landscape, wishing he hadn't brought Link along after all.
Link collected himself after calming down his beating heart and burning groin, standing up slowly.
"Link," Sheik suddenly said, "I think you should see this." He still sounded somewhat flustered.
Link joined him, but refused to step so close to the edge of the tower. Before him, Hyrule stretched out and it was a marvellous sight, but Link guessed that it isn't what Sheik wanted to show him.
"All these towers...were they there before?" He pointed into the distance and Link had to narrow his eyes to see that far.
"I don't think so," the knight answered, "the rumbling..."
"Yes. I activated more Sheikah towers."
"Sheik...the castle..."
From the top of the tower, the castle was visible in its full glory, but it was shrouded in a purplish-red mist; a strange aura that was oozing something evil, something very destructive. Through the mist, Link thought he saw the head of a boar move around the castle towers.
"The plains are crawling with Guardians," Sheik stated, "there is no way anyone would get through that alive."
"Sheik...what did Impa tell you? Why are we here?"
"Just to be clear, I don't follow her orders. I still despise her. But I wanted to see for myself what this slate can do. I wanted to know about the towers. I...actually I don't really know why I am here," he admitted.
"Lost your purpose?"
Sheik's intense crimson eyes locked with Link's as he slowly nodded. "I guess." And then he was startled by his own frankness and honesty, and he secretly blamed Link for the emotional distress that he put him through.
"You can always start anew. Think about what is important to you. What you want to save. Or protect."
"We should leave," Sheik cut him off, attached the slate to his belt, pushed past Link, and started his descent.
They reached Kakariko in the late afternoon, and Link felt relieved and unhappy at the same time. Sheik's personality was difficult and explosive, but he had enjoyed spending time with him alone, and he secretly hoped that Sheik wouldn't decide to leave on his own anytime soon. When they walked through the main gate, the Sheikah suddenly came to a halt.
"Something's wrong," he said, his hand reaching out for a kunai.
"What do you mean?" Link asked. The village looked its usual self and he couldn't hear any suspicious noises.
A minute later, Cado came running up the road. "Sheik! Link! They got Paya."
"Where are they?" Sheik asked, his body visibly tense.
"Who? What happened?" Link asked, now anxious for Zelda's well-being.
"The princess is hiding in the room behind Rola's shop," Cado whispered to Link.
"I will handle this," Sheik said to Link, handing him the Sheikah slate, "go and protect your princess."
When Sheik opened the door to Impa's house, he saw Paya bound and gagged in the corner of the main room. Sorren was sitting on a side table, cleaning his nails with the tip of his kunai, and Sooga was busy carving a message with a knife into one of the canvases hanging on the wall, depicting Hyrule field with Castle Town in the back.
"Look who finally showed up," Sorren said, swinging his legs over the table.
"More Sheikah traitor scum," Sooga stated, finishing his message before joining Sorren.
"What do you want?" Sheik asked.
"Answers." Sorren approached Sheik and stroked his clothed cheek with the tip of his kunai.
"I don't have answers." Sheik crossed his arms in front of his chest.
"Oh I think you do," Sorren smiled, "or maybe you'll need more persuasion."
He motioned Sooga to kneel down next to Paya and press the blade of his knife against her throat.
"See, Sheik, we can either do it your way, and I let Sooga take care of sweet Paya, or we do it my way, and she'll leave unscathed. Your call."
Sheik shrugged. "I don't care about her. And I don't have answers."
"Well well, try a little harder. Maybe fill in the blanks? Let's start with something easy to jog your memory. Hm...what happened to you after the attack on Windvane Meadow? You were..."
Sheik didn't answer, and Sorren sighed dramatically.
"...brought to the castle and thrown into the dungeons. Seriously Sheik, it's not that hard."
"If you know everything already, why bother ask?"
"Because I want to know how you escaped. A little help from Impa, perhaps? I heard she is a regular at the castle."
Sheik snorted. "Yeah, right. The great lady Impa, Sheik's saviour."
"Then how?" Sorren hissed.
"You Yiga never give me credit for anything. Yet you don't know what I am capable of."
"The great Sheik escaped the castle dungeons all by himself and found his way back to the lovely Sheikah village. What a coincidence. Makes you wonder how many alliances he has formed."
"So far, only one. And it didn't turn out to be very fruitful, did it. If the Gerudo hadn't screwed up, I wouldn't be here."
"If someone hadn't ratted us out, the Gerudo would have been victorious."
"So you believe I did? And then let myself get caught, thrown into the dungeon, get tortured and be sent to the gallows? Hilarious. I am a fugitive, Sorren, and I cherish my life more than trying to get back to Karusa valley."
"So I suppose you don't know where Ganondorf is?"
"What do you mean?" Sheik asked suspiciously.
Sorren sighed and motioned Sooga to remove his blade from Paya's throat.
"The Gerudo king is missing. The city is ruled by two old hags in his stead, and their first commander has fled Gerudo Town with the princess in tow."
"Missing how?"
"Gone. Poof. Without a word, without a trace. On top of that, a raging beast has turned the desert into an even more unsafe territory."
"You should take a look at Castle Town then and tell me what that thing is that has invaded the whole city and the castle," Sheik said, "You came here for nothing. I told you I don't have any answers. And now it seems that I even have more questions than before."
"Valen is waiting for you in Kara-Kara. I suggest you follow us willingly, unless you want more blood on your hands. I'm not stupid, Sheik, I know these people here are hiding someone very valuable. But I promise to leave that person in peace, unless you refuse to cooperate."
When Sheik opened the door to Dorian's shed and stepped inside, he immediately realised that a shadow was lurking in the darkness, and he closed the door behind him, not bothering to light the lantern.
"What are you doing in here?" he whispered annoyedly.
"Sheik, what is happening?" asked Link, stepping out of the corner.
"I have to leave," Sheik answered while collecting his weapons from the shelf.
"Where to? Who are these men? Yiga?"
"Yes. You shouldn't be here. They know about Zelda. If they see you, they'll know that she is unprotected."
"What about you?"
"What about me? I am going with them."
"I thought you changed your mind about them. I thought you lost your purpose. Then why stay true to them?"
Sheik stepped up to Link, bringing his face closer, and speaking even quieter.
"I leave because I must, not because I want to. Do not, at any cost, follow me. You swore to protect the princess. While you're at it, you might wanna protect Paya, too. Don't bring them anywhere near the Yiga. Do you understand me?"
Link swallowed. He didn't want Sheik to leave and to face the Yiga all by himself, but he understood that he had to put his emotions aside for the sake of Zelda and all that he swore to protect. He nodded. "I promise," he said quietly.
Sheik's eyes relaxed a little, and he stood so close that Link had to fight the urge to pull him into a hug. Sheik then turned around and touched the doorknob.
"Well. See you," he said, and Link couldn't help but notice the hint of melancholy in his voice.
"Wait," Link grabbed Sheik's hand before he could open the door. It felt warm and comforting, a slight pulse on his fingertips like the batting of a butterfly's wings. Sheik gave him a questioning look. "Sheik...be careful. Don't die out there, I might not be able to rescue you this time." He smiled sadly.
His fingers released the slim hand, and then Sheik's warmth was gone, and he was out of the door. Link watched him leave Kakariko in the presence of the two Yiga warriors.
"See you, Sheik," he said into the darkness of the shed, and his heart felt suddenly very heavy.
I enjoyed writing this chapter x)
Now with TOTK finally being out, I won't be able to update as regularly as before, but I'll do my best. Y
Love Link's new look 3
