The village on Goponga Island was lively during the day. The fish market was crowded with hundreds of villagers, including Hylians, Zora, and round-eared humans. Seraphina wondered if she and Sheik would stick out, since there did not appear to be many Sheikah around. However, they kept their hoods covering their faces anyway, and Sheik insisted that the crowded marketplace was ideal for them to travel through.

"Can we stop to eat?" Seraphina asked, walking past a stand selling what looked like very tasty shellfish, advertised as fresh from Lanayru Bay.

"No," Sheik said, tugging her along by the hand.

"But I'm starving!" the princess complained. "And we were walking all night. Can't we rest for a little bit?"

Sheik stopped and glared down at her, but Seraphina kept up her puppy dog eyes. The young Sheikah man sighed angrily. "Fine," he said, glancing around. "Come over here." Sheik tugged her over to a bench near the shore and let her sit down. "Wait here. If anyone even looks at you funny, you come back over to me. Got it?"

"Got it." Seraphina nodded, smiling gratefully. As Sheik walked away, she sighed contentedly, leaning back against the bench and stretching. This was not her first time traveling long distances away from the castle, but she was so much more used to riding in the back of a cozy carriage. Having to walk everywhere was exhausting.

As she waited for Sheik to return, the princess casually toyed with her newly shortened hair. She still wasn't quite used to it, and after going so long without bathing, she thought she must look like a mess. Curious, she stood up from the bench and made her way over to the water's edge. She then pulled her hood down and leaned over to peer at her reflection.

"Hmm…" Seraphina groaned disapprovingly. She did not like the total stranger she saw in the water. Just as she was about to stand up straight, she felt something jump on her from behind. "Whoa!" she said, losing her balance. She managed to avoid falling into the water, but she fell onto her side, only to find a Hylian retriever licking her face. She gasped in delight. "Hi!" she said, putting her hands on the dog to pet it.

Seraphina heard laughter. "Sorry. Watch you don't fall in."

Looking up, the princess found two Hylian boys about her age staring down at her, one wearing a red tunic and the other wearing blue. "Is this your dog?" she asked, still petting it enthusiastically.

"Yeah, he is," the boy in red replied.

"He's so cute." Seraphina stood up, but did not take her hands off of the dog. "What's his name?"

"Satty," the boy in red told her. "I'm Quince, by the way."

"And I'm Cambo," the boy in blue joined in.

"Nice to meet you," Seraphina said politely. "I'm-" She stopped herself from saying her name at the last second. Her heart started racing, but she quickly remembered what she was supposed to say. "Sheik."

Quince and Cambo exchanged a confused look. Cambo shrugged. "Uh, okay. Well, don't think I've seen you around here before, Sheik. Where're ya from?"

Seraphina's heart began beating faster. She couldn't remember what she was supposed to say.

Did Sheik tell me where I'm supposed to be from? I can't be from Hyrule. I should be from a Sheikah place, right?

"Kakariko," she said quickly.

"Ah. Haven't traveled far, then," Cambo remarked.

"Unless she's from New Kakariko," Quince pointed out.

"Oh, yeah. Good point," his friend agreed. "Which Kakariko?"

"Um…" Seraphina smiled awkwardly and ran her hand through her short hair.

Quince furrowed his brow, looking confused but concerned. "You okay?"

Seraphina jumped as she suddenly felt a hand grabbing her by the upper arm. Sheik had appeared beside her. "Come on," he said forcefully under his breath, pulling her along with him.

The princess yelped. "O-Okay." She turned to the two boys, who now looked a bit worried. She smiled in an attempt to alleviate their concern. "Bye, Quince! Bye, Cambo!" She waved, and they hesitantly waved back. Their dog barked as Sheik led her away. "Bye, Satty!"

"Shut up," Sheik whispered as they re-entered the crowd. "And put your damn hood back up."

"S-Sorry…" the princess replied, complying with his demand.

Sheik didn't say another word to her until they reached the bridge at the northeast end of the island, and Seraphina was too afraid to speak either. She felt like she had made a big mistake somehow, and Sheik would be mad at her for it.

"I told them my name was Sheik," Seraphina said quietly, guiltily avoiding eye contact as they made their way across the bridge.

"You shouldn't have told them anything," Sheik replied, sounding incredibly irritated that he had to explain this.

"I just wanted to pet their dog…" the princess muttered.

"Their dog?" Sheik repeated, stopping on the bridge to glare down at her. "Their dog?"

"Why does it even matter?" Seraphina shouted. "They were just kids, like me!"

"Exactly. They're just stupid kids, like you," Sheik replied. "You know how easy it is to get information out of kids? You know how many times I've gotten intel on a target just by bribing the local kids with some sweets?"

Sheik took a step forward, which caused Seraphina to shrink back in fear. In doing so, she backed into the railing, realizing she'd nearly fallen into the water. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry, I didn't know!" she cried, almost in tears.

Sheik growled, then glanced around him. There was no one else in sight. He lowered his hood and ran a hand over his face and through his hair, suddenly becoming a brown-haired man with round ears. "Pick a name," he said.

Seraphina blinked. "What?"

Sheik shoved his hand in her face, and she knew he was changing her appearance as well. "We're Lynnaeans now. So what's your name?"

"Um. Um." Seraphina tried to think of something quickly. "Blossom?"

"Fine. You're Blossom. I'm Troy. Let's go."

"So why are we going to Ruta?" Seraphina asked as they walked along the Zora River. She and Sheik had managed to pass through a few other small wetland villages without incident, and now the disguised Sheikah seemed to be taking her deeper into the Lanayru Province, heading towards the Zora capital. "Can Miphela or Silorn help us? Or King Ralis?"

"Who said we're going to Ruta?" Sheik replied, picking up the pace.

Seraphina jogged for a few seconds to catch up to him. "Then where are we going?"

"You wanted me to take you someplace safe, didn't you?" Sheik asked. "That's what I'm doing. So just let me take you there, and shut up."

"Please tell me?" Seraphina begged. "I don't like this. I just wanna go home. I wanna know if we'll be there soon."

Sheik growled. "Your aunt, okay? I'm taking you to your aunt."

Seraphina's disguised face lit up. "Aunt Celessa?" she said excitedly. "Yay!"

"Shh!" Sheik insisted, turning around to shush her. "And you fucking wonder why I don't tell you things."

"Is Aunt Celessa in danger, too?" Seraphina asked in a low voice. "I thought you said the bad guys were after my whole family."

"Your aunt is a Kochi, not a Hyrule," Sheik replied. "I don't think they care about her."

"Oh," Seraphina said, not really understanding. "Why?"

"I don't know, kusogaki. Some people have to die. Kochi's not one of 'em, as far as I know."

"What do you mean, 'have to die?'" Seraphina asked, still shocked to hear him say that despite everything else she'd heard from him.

"I don't know."

Seraphina flinched as Sheik turned to glare at her again. She shrunk back in fear, realizing she'd made him angry again. She still didn't quite understand what sorts of things set him off like this. Perhaps he was just fed up with how persistent she'd been, but she could tell it was time for her to be quiet again.

"I'm sorry," she whispered while staring at the ground.

Sheik muttered something in his language, but said nothing else to her.

For a while, the two of them walked in silence, eventually entering Tabahl Woods. Seraphina still wasn't sure how this route would take them to her aunt. She didn't have the greatest understanding of geography, but she knew Necluda was south of Lanayru, and they were heading east.

Maybe we're heading to the sea. Then we can sail the rest of the way.

Unexpectedly, Sheik put his hand over Seraphina's mouth and pulled her into some nearby bushes. He had done this a few times at this point, so despite being taken by surprise, the princess knew what to do. She and Sheik stayed low and stayed quiet, and she tried to see what Sheik wanted to hide from.

Monsters? Travelers? Bad people?

After a short period, the princess heard footsteps. Three people were walking down the road. All of them wore cloaks, and the clothing they wore underneath was nearly identical to the garb Sheik had been wearing back when he'd first saved her in the Light Temple.

More Sheikah. Are they friends of his? Or former friends, rather?

Sheik's grip over her mouth became almost painfully tight as the three Sheikah walked past their position. The travelers continued down the road for several paces, then suddenly stopped. The one in the front turned to look off into the woods, and the other two followed their leader's gaze. However, they weren't looking directly at Seraphina and Sheik's position. Nevertheless, the princess felt uncomfortable, as if those three Sheikah could sense their presence.

Are they looking for us? Do they know we're here? Are they gonna find us?

However, the three Sheikah looked forward again and continued down the road. Soon they were out of sight and their footsteps could no longer be heard. Sheik kept his hand over Seraphina's mouth for another few minutes before he hesitantly raised himself into a crouched position. Without a word, he tugged Seraphina's hand. Together, they crouch-walked deeper into the forest.

"Who were they?" Seraphina asked once Sheik allowed them to stand properly and walk normally again.

"More Sheiks," he replied unhelpfully.

"How did they find us?" Seraphina was worried that she had made a mistake somehow, and that Sheik might be angry with her for putting them in danger.

"I don't know. Could be any number of ways, but that doesn't matter right now. We just need to get away from them," Sheik insisted, pushing some branches out of his way.

Seraphina ducked under the branches to follow him. "We'll be safe even if they find us, though, won't we?" she asked warily. "They're either looking for me or for Sheikah-me, not for round-eared-me, right?"

"My illusions might not be enough," Sheik replied. "I don't know who has the lens right now."

"The what?"

Sheik did not answer. He was distracted by the fact that they had wandered into a cliff face, blocking their path. He looked upwards. "Up there should be the Zodobon Highlands," he said, turning his attention to Seraphina. "I'm going to need to shadowstep with you a few times."

Seraphina furrowed her brow with concern. "Are you sure?" she asked, knowing he'd had trouble bringing her along with him when he shadowstepped in the past. "I don't want you getting hurt."

"I should be fine," he told her. "I wanted to save my magic for when we make the big jump across Rutala River, but since we can't go near the road anymore, we have to do it here."

The princess nodded. "Okay," she said, not fully understanding, but taking him at his word. Stepping forward, she wrapped her arms around Sheik's torso, holding on tightly. She closed her eyes just as the black smoke enveloped them.

A moment later, Seraphina felt that odd sensation she always felt whenever Sheik teleported her. However, that sensation was soon replaced by a more common one. She opened her eyes and realized she was falling. "Ahh- ugh!" She only had a brief second to let out a loud shriek before they hit the ground. They both landed on their feet, but Seraphina was certain she would have fallen if Sheik hadn't been holding onto her.

As soon as they landed, Sheik put his hand over her mouth. "Shh," he insisted, glancing around to take stock of their new surroundings. "Sorry, I overshot the height a bit."

The princess nodded, and he took his hand off of her mouth. She could see they were still in a forest, but now they were at the top of the cliff they'd come to before.

"We need to keep moving. I think we'll only need to do that one more time before we get to the river." Sheik continued further into the woods, so Seraphina followed him.

During their walk through Zodobon Highlands, Seraphina attempted to ask Sheik a few more questions, but she did not get much more out of him. She went silent for a while, but not because she wasn't still curious. After walking for so long, she was tired. Her legs and feet were killing her. She wished they could stop and rest, but she was too afraid to ask.

"What's on the other side of the Rutala River?" the princess asked, wondering where they would be going next on their way to her aunt's palace.

"More walking," Sheik replied, not looking back at her.

Seraphina grit her teeth, speed walking to catch up to him. "Is this really the fastest way to get to Hateno?"

"No, but it's a lot safer than the fastest way," the young Sheikah man insisted. "If we tried to go through Kakariko, we'd be dead."

Seraphina flinched at that. "Oh." She hung her head for a moment, trying to think of something else to say. "Um, in a bit, maybe we could-?"

Very abruptly, Sheik spun around and charged at her. Before she realized what was happening, he had tackled her to the ground, just in time to see a knife fly overhead. Seraphina screamed, and then they were enveloped in smoke as Sheik shadowstepped them again.

When the smoke cleared, they were still in the forest, near the edge of another cliff face. "What was that?" Seraphina asked as Sheik stood up.

"What the fuck do you think it was?" Sheik grabbed her by the hand and yanked her to her feet. Before the princess had a chance to ask anything else, they were shadowstepping again. This time, they appeared at the top of the cliff. "We're almost there," he said, looking into the woods in the opposite direction of the cliff's edge. "If we can get to the river-"

A burst of smoke appeared beside them. Seraphina shrieked, and a man dressed in that same Sheikah ninja garb they'd seen earlier emerged, swinging a knife downward. Sheik reacted immediately, catching the other Sheikah's arm in his hand and attempting to stab him with his own dagger. As soon as he did, the other ninja caught his arm, locking the two of them in a stalemate.

"Eee-yah!" Sheik grunted in exertion as he swung the assassin to the side, attempting to throw him off the cliff. However, as soon as the ninja went over the edge, he shadowstepped away in another puff of black smoke.

Seraphina was practically hyperventilating with panic. "What do we do?" she asked.

"Stay close to me at all times," Sheik ordered. "If you see one I don't see, shout."

"Okay." The princess nodded and fell in line behind him. Sheik held a dagger in each hand and moved quickly, keeping himself alert.

Soon after, another smoke cloud appeared to Sheik's right. He immediately swung at it with one of his daggers, but he made no contact with anything. Perhaps it had been a distraction, because immediately afterwards, another smoke cloud burst forth behind him.

"Sheik!" Seraphina shouted.

Her protector spun around just as another ninja stepped forward, this one a little taller and thinner than the previous one. Sheik stabbed at him, but the thin man nimbly stepped to the side and slashed at Sheik with his own blade.

"Aghh!" Sheik yelped in pain as the dagger cut across the left side of his torso. Before his opponent had a chance to strike again, Sheik reached into his pocket and threw something small into the other ninja's face. It exploded in a flash of bright light that made the ninja cover his eyes and stumble back. Sheik moved in to stab him, but the ninja shadowstepped away at the last second. "Dammit!" Sheik shouted.

"You're bleeding," Seraphina pointed out nervously. "Let me heal you," she said, putting her hand on his wound. Her hand glowed white as she called forth her magic.

"Fine, but we keep moving," Sheik insisted.

It was tough to heal him while running, but Seraphina did her best to keep her hand on his side and focus on her spellwork. She had never had to heal anyone in a situation like this before, and the stress was making it much more difficult than it would have been otherwise.

The two of them were able to make it a bit deeper into the woods, but the river still wasn't in sight. When the Sheikah assassins appeared next, there were two of them, both appearing at once and blocking their path. One of them was the shorter ninja that had been the first to attack them. The other was new, and Seraphina could tell from the form-fitting ninja garb that this one was a woman. As the two ninjas lunged forward to strike, Sheik simply wrapped his arms around Seraphina and shadowstepped away.

The suddenness of the teleportation left the princess feeling disoriented. Once they'd re-emerged from the smoke somewhere further into the woods, Seraphina felt like her head was spinning, and she would've fallen to the ground if she hadn't grabbed onto Sheik's cloak.

"Get a hold of yourself," Sheik told her. "We can't stop now."

However, his attempt to shadowstep away had not accomplished much. A moment later, the two ninjas reappeared. Sheik growled in annoyance and immediately went on the offensive, slashing at his opponents as soon as they stepped out of the smoke. The shorter man was cut on the arm, but the woman avoided his attack. After dodging to the side, she attempted to run past him, going straight for Seraphina.

"Sheik!" the princess shouted.

Sheik spun around and threw his dagger at the woman from behind, but her companion shouted something in another language at the same time. With reflexes Seraphina had only ever seen from Sheik before, the woman spun around and caught his knife out of the air, then quickly threw it back at him. However, Sheik simply caught it again, and since he was now charging at her, he attempted to slash at her once more.

Although the other ninja had been injured by Sheik, he was not out of the fight yet, and he came for Seraphina next, blade drawn.

"No!" the princess shouted, backing away towards Sheik.

"You can't… make this… easy… can you?!" Sheik and the female ninja were still engaged in a knife duel, with both being too nimble to get hit by the other. For a moment, Seraphina was worried he would be too busy fighting to protect her, but as soon as the short ninja got too close, Sheik leaped backwards. Disengaging himself from his battle, he put his arm behind him and wrapped it around Seraphina's neck before quickly shadowstepping away.

However, almost nothing was accomplished this time. As soon as the smoke cleared, their pursuers were there as well, having somehow followed them.

"Oh, fuck off," Sheik groaned, rolling his eyes and sighing deeply. With his right hand, he sheathed one of his daggers. When he pulled his hand back out, he tossed three large, needle-like spikes at the female ninja. She was forced to shadowstep away to dodge them, which gave Sheik a chance to spin around to the other side of Seraphina in an attempt to slash his other opponent. However, the woman returned a second later, and he was forced to try to fight them both at once.

"Stay behind me," Sheik reminded the princess, backing away in an attempt to keep both his enemies in front of him. He exchanged attacks with his opponents for a few seconds, both he and them dodging and countering at every turn. Eventually, Sheik landed another hit on the short ninja, stabbing him through the wrist. The ninja gave only the slightest grunt of pain, but before Sheik even had a chance to pull his knife out, the female ninja stabbed Sheik in the shoulder.

Seraphina yelped in surprise. Sheik pulled back from his attackers, grabbing Seraphina as he went. However, both of them had been so distracted that they didn't see the taller ninja return. Sheik noticed him behind them at the last second, spinning to pull Seraphina out of the path of the man's knife, which landed squarely in Sheik's back. He screamed in pain as he fell to the ground on top of the princess. Immediately after they hit the ground, Sheik shadowstepped them away once more.

"Fuck," Sheik complained as he tried to sit up. He was bleeding from the wounds on his back and shoulder, and the wound in his side had not been fully healed either.

"Here, let me," Seraphina offered, her voice and hands shaking as she moved to heal him.

"Enough of this," a woman's voice said.

Seraphina jumped behind Sheik, but continued to heal him as he stood up with his daggers drawn. Their three attackers stood before them, with the woman in front. None of their faces were visible through their headwraps, but all of them had blood red eyes, staring pointedly at Sheik.

"Back off," Sheik told them. "Unless you feel like dying today."

"Oh, please," the short one said. "There's three of us, and you're half-dead as it is."

"So? Even this fucked up, I could still take you all on," Sheik countered.

The tall ninja sighed. "Why are we wasting our time? Let's just finish them both off and be done with it."

The woman held up a hand to her companion and shook her head. "Step aside. Let us eliminate the target, and I will do my best to convince Impa-sama to be merciful."

Seraphina's blood ran cold as she heard those words, but she continued healing Sheik. She had faith he wouldn't give her up after coming this far.

"No," Sheik said firmly, spitting blood out of his mouth as he spoke. "You're not killing me, and you're sure as hell not killing her. Now fuck off."

"Oh, for Hylia's sake. What difference does it make to you anyway?" the tall ninja asked, clearly not having much patience remaining. "We know what you've done. We've all done it, too. You think sparing this one child is gonna change a damn thing at this point?"

"Not at all," Sheik replied, shaking his head. "I know we're monsters, and keeping this brat alive isn't gonna change that. But what the hell's that got to do with her? Just because we deserve to die doesn't mean she does!"

"It's not about what anyone deserves," the female ninja insisted. "We're trying to change the world. If we are to accomplish this, the Royal Family must die."

"And how the hell do you know that?" Sheik shouted. "Because Impa said so? We don't even know why their deaths are required!"

"We don't ask why. We just do our duty," the short ninja replied. "You should know that."

"Your actions have already dishonored the Sheikah Clan enough. Must you continue to do so by questioning the Impa Family?" the female ninja asked.

Sheik growled in frustration under his breath. He had no words left for them.

The short ninja took a step forward. "Forget it. He's a lost cause. Let's just-"

Without warning, Sheik shielded his eyes and threw something onto the ground. Seraphina's reflexes weren't anywhere near good enough to shield her own eyes, so in an instant, she was blinded by a flash of bright light. The princess yelped in pain, stumbling backwards and falling down as she moved her arms up to cover her face.

While her eyes were closed, Seraphina could hear the unfortunately familiar sounds of violence. It scared her to not know whether Sheik was winning or losing, and it scared her even more to know she was helpless if one of the ninjas decided to attack her while she was in this state.

A few seconds later, Seraphina lowered her arms and slowly tried to open her eyes. Her vision was still blurry, as if she'd been staring into the sun. However, she could see the female ninja lying on the ground, dead and covered in blood. The shorter ninja was nowhere to be seen. At the moment, the last of their attackers was fighting Sheik by himself.

The two of them fought very similarly. Both relied on agility and quick, sudden strikes, even more so than Seraphina's sisters did. However, right now, Sheik was clearly angry. There was fury behind every strike, and his opponent was on the defensive, dodging more than he was attacking.

The princess didn't know what to do as she watched. She couldn't get close enough to heal Sheik, but she didn't want to run and risk separating herself from him. As she tried to think, a puff of black smoke appeared beside her, and she immediately screamed. "Sheik!" she shouted, seeing the other ninja had returned, knife drawn.

In the middle of his fight, Sheik turned and tossed one of his diggers. It impaled the ninja who was attacking Seraphina through the hand. He cried in pain, dropping his weapon and stepping back to clutch his wounded hand. However, in the moment Sheik was distracted, his opponent took the opportunity to stab him in the side once again. Sheik growled with rage, spinning back around to the taller ninja and stabbing him in the stomach. His opponent fell to his knees, still alive, but unable to move.

Still bleeding from several places, Sheik stumbled back over to Seraphina. The shorter ninja, still with a knife through his hand, attempted to punch Sheik with his other fist. However, Sheik sidestepped the attack and stabbed him through the arm, then kicked him, sending him to the ground.

"Let's go," Sheik said weakly, reaching for Seraphina. A moment later, he screamed in pain. The taller ninja had tossed a knife at him, hitting him in the ankle.

"Sheik!" Seraphina shouted. "Let me-" Before she could heal him, he grabbed her and shadowstepped away.

They reappeared out of the woods, close to the edge of a cliff. Seraphina could hear the river running far beneath them. Across the river was another cliff, atop which sat Rabia Plain.

"We need to get over there," Sheik said, pointing across to the other side. He limped closer to the edge, a knife still sticking out of his ankle.

"Stop!" Seraphina shouted, stepping in his way to prevent him from moving further. "I need to heal you."

"Those two are still after us," he insisted. "If we can get over there, maybe they won't follow us."

"But you're hurt," the princess argued. "Can you even get us that far?"

"Let's hope so." Grabbing Seraphina, Sheik pulled her closer to the edge of the cliff, then shadowstepped once more.

Being teleported by shadow magic was already disorienting, but coming out of the smoke in free fall over the Rutala River was terrifying. Sheik had gotten them almost all the way across, but it wasn't quite far enough. Seraphina screamed, gripping Sheik tightly. She had no idea if it would help or not, but she began casting her healing magic, hoping it would in some way shield them when they landed in the water.

With her eyes closed, the princess was not prepared when they finally landed in the river. She heard the sound of them splashing against the surface for a split second, before all sound was muffled by her being underwater. Unable to breathe, she let go of Sheik and frantically swam upwards, praying to the gods for help.

When she breached the surface, she took a much needed gulp of air. She tried to tread water for a moment, then realized she was moving with the current. "Sheik?" she called out, glancing about in search of him. "Sheik!" Just as further panic was setting in, she spotted him. He was floating face down further upriver. He'd gotten caught on a log jutting out from the shore, but he was slowly moving along it.

No!

Seraphina was not the greatest swimmer, but she moved as fast as she could, praying to Hylia every second along the way. When she reached Sheik, she grabbed the log and lifted his head out of the water. "Sheik, wake up!" She didn't think he was dead, but he wasn't responding at all.

Oh, Hylia. Please.

Groaning with effort, she pulled herself along the log towards the shore with one hand while gripping Sheik with her other hand. Upon reaching dry land, she dragged Sheik a few meters away from the water's edge and knelt beside him. He was wounded all over, and the fall into the river could not have helped. Closing her eyes, the princess prayed once again, holding her hands over the Sheikah's body.

For a few minutes, a bright light covered Sheik as Seraphina worked her healing spells. Every time she opened her eyes, she kept hoping to see him move, and every time he didn't, she tried harder.

Please, oh please, oh please… Hylia, help…

When she heard the sound of coughing, Seraphina's eyes shot open wide and she gasped in relief. "Sheik!" she shouted, leaning over to hug him.

Sheik continued to cough, turning onto his side and spitting up river water. He eventually calmed down and noticed the princess on top of him. "Dammit…" he muttered.

"They're not here," Seraphina told him. "But you're still hurt. I need to finish healing you. Properly, this time." She raised her hands again, intending to return to work. However, Sheik slapped her hands away.

"No," he said weakly. "Can't you just… let me…" He trailed off, gritting his teeth.

Seraphina somehow knew what he was trying to say. She remembered the words he'd exchanged with his fellow Sheikah assassins earlier. "You're not a monster," she assured him, going back to healing his wounds. "You saved me, didn't you? You saved a princess. Isn't that what heroes do?" She smiled weakly as she said it, hoping he would appreciate the compliment.

"I killed Princess Sabah."

The light from Seraphina's magic faded as she stopped casting her spell. She stared at Sheik, processing what she'd just heard. She'd been told of Sabah's death after she and her sister had fled from Taafei. The Gerudo had blamed them for it, but no one amongst her sister's retinue had known who was truly responsible.

"It was you?" Seraphina asked.

"Yes," Sheik confirmed. "I killed her."

Even after hearing the words, Seraphina was still confused, and she could feel herself tearing up. "But… why?"

Sheik breathed heavily, placing his hand on one of his wounds. "To make the Gerudo angry. They were supposed to kill you and your sister."

The princess furrowed her brow and sniffled. That didn't make anything clearer. "But why? Why? Why do the Sheikah want to hurt me and my family?" she asked. "The Sheikah are supposed to be our friends! We've been together since the kingdom was built, haven't we?" The tears were beginning to flow now, and she stuttered as she spoke.

Sheik laid his head back. "It's like my comrades said. We were trying to change the world. That's all we were told. We don't get to ask questions. We just do our duty."

The princess was not satisfied with that answer.

Someone told you to kill my friend, and you didn't even ask why?

Seraphina wiped her arm across her face, but the tears continued to flow. Even as she cried, she raised her hands and began healing Sheik again.

Sheik raised his head when he saw the light returning. "What the hell are you doing?" he asked, somehow angry with her.

"I-I need to finish h-healing you," Seraphina stuttered out.

"Why?" Sheik demanded. "Did you hear nothing I said? I killed her. I killed the child. Why won't you just let me die?"

Nothing made sense. Seraphina's friend had to die, her family had to die, and she didn't get to know why. She was trying to save Sheik, but he wanted her to let him die. Everything that had happened since the day Sabah died had been complete madness. She didn't know what else to do, so she just kept healing him.

"I-I need… I need to heal you," she stated. "Just… just let me heal you."

Sheik glared at her, then leaned his head back with a look of angry, reluctant acceptance, muttering something in the Sheikah tongue.

Author's note:

Hey, look at that! We finally got our title drop. Twice!

I know some of you have been hoping to get some answers to all the mysteries, so I hope finally learning the identity of Princess Sabah's killer was somewhat satisfying at least. We also learned a bit more about the Sheikah Cadre's involvement in the whole conspiracy, although there's still so much left to be revealed. I hope all of you who are still reading this are looking forward to more, and I hope you're just as excited for Tears of the Kingdom as I am!