Ocarina of Time II: Parallel Symphony

Standard disclaimer: I don't own any of these people, places or things. Heck, even most of the verbs belong to someone else. :-) All characters and settings © Nintendo. Hey, they've earned it.

---

Part Two: Man

Chapter One: Prelude to War

"'Sacred might, realm so bright, now the stars all come alight,'" Zelda chanted, sitting in a gently turning circle of sacred Hylian text inscribed in light. "'Hear my plea, flow through me, let this humble mage now see.'" Mana rushed into her like a tidal wave, and she had to look up, the power and insight making her weep from the wonder flowing through her.

Farore's Bow twinkled at the apex of the dome of night, and Zelda imagined that she could almost see the goddess Herself drawing it. Her eyes widened; a shooting star raced through the Bow as if shot from it. The image of the Hero replaced the imagined Farore in her mind, and the falling star touched three other constellations before it vanished.

Instantly, she knew. Three days. He'll be seventeen in three days. Nayru, guide me. The shimmering image of Link turned almost entirely black, a crimson eye piercing her hungrily, then it, too, disappeared. Ill omen, she thought, shivering. She immediately dismissed the thought as nerves. Surely it means Link's Shadow will come, but that was to be expected. The thought gave her no comfort, but she rose all the same, pulling her cloak over her ritual robe and padding down the stairs, Senza and Zuko heeling her like particularly mismatched guard dogs. The observatory had served its purpose.

His birthday comes in three days. It had been an unpleasant dilemma. Link's trip through time left him unfamiliar with the calendar of the era he'd landed in, and the Sages' knowledge of the other world, never complete, had faded somewhat. All they'd known was that it was sometime between mid-spring to late summer, Farore's time fading into Din's. If the Hero drew the Master Sword too soon, Link would be trapped while Ganondorf was free to act; too late, and Ganondorf might act beforetime -- or worse, claim the power he sought even without the Sword being drawn. Either result would be the end of them all.

It didn't matter now, though. Zelda knew. What an awful birthday present, she thought sadly, but the princess pulled her resolve together. Link had made his decision -- Farore take him! Zelda swore -- and she had her kingdom to protect. As did he.

Nayru, Link, I didn't mean that, Zelda thought sadly. Why didn't I say anything? She moved with a will through the castle, not letting her turmoil affect her purpose. I will free you from this burden. I swear it, she thought for what felt the thousandth time since that awful winter confrontation. Zelda stopped in front of Impa's door. "You are dismissed," she said formally, then turned and smiled at the two odd knights. "Thank you both, but I've kept you from your families long enough this night."

Senza bowed gently and smiled. "Always an honor, Little Princess."

Zuko merely snorted. "Hardly a chore, Your Highness," the shorter knight replied, his bow curt though somehow not disrespectful. "Good eventide." They withdrew, an argument over the meteor's meaning already starting before they were out of earshot. Zelda smiled indulgently, then turned to knock.

Impa opened the door first. Zelda dropped her hand, opened her mouth, then lost what she'd been about to say entirely. The princess gasped. Her invincible mentor, guardian and surrogate mother looked as if she'd gone three days without sleep. The Sheikah's eyes were dull maroon points shrouded in black circles, and her entire body moved limply, without energy. "Your Highness," Impa said. At least she sounds better than she looks. The Shadow Sage waved Zelda in, then retreated into her room. "Please. I suspect your information is sensitive."

Zelda stepped in and willed the door closed with an absent flicker of thought. Impa's austere room had acquired some adornments since Zelda's last visit; aside from the mat that served as Impa's bed, the rug with the Sheikah eye, and the plain desk with its notes and writing supplies, the Shadow Sage also had what looked like a baby's blanket folded neatly next to the mat, and a pictograph of Link and Zelda laughing after shooting to a draw in the archery game. Zelda looked away from that, but watching Impa was worse. "What have you been doing, Impa?"

"Kotake has been busy," Impa replied evenly, shuffling papers at her desk. "So have I."

"I have come to accept the Hero's...situation," Zelda said coolly. "You should have informed me that you were taking so active a role."

Impa glanced over her shoulder and chuckled. "So you could fret over me to no purpose? That was what you told Link regarding the Master Sword, was it not?" Zelda grimaced and looked away. Of course Impa heard. The Sheikah exhaled and sat in the desk's chair. "My child, you have matured beyond even my expectations. You are a marvel as a Sheikah, a paragon of wizards, and a royal heir any kingdom would envy." The princess blushed, joy welling inside her. "Yet you share a flaw with the Hero: you must accept that you cannot do everything yourself."

The wave of happiness faded. "Oh, so? You've delegated some of your errands, then." Zelda glowered at her mentor.

"Of course I have," Impa replied testily. "You know better than that. Nevertheless, Kotake has been tireless in her efforts to summon misery into Hyrule. I refuse to allow her passage. Until we know when the Hero's destiny comes due..." she looked up at the princess, relief clear on her face. Gods be good. She is tired. "It worked, didn't it? You know."

Zelda nodded. "Three days," she said quietly. "Too soon." She turned her implacable gaze on Impa once more. "Which means you, Shadow Sage," she said firmly, "are going to get a good night's sleep. A good day's as well, if I have anything to say about it."

"I'll not argue," Impa replied wearily. "I was nearing the point of having to decide whether the rest or the task was more important." She patted Zelda's hand, and the princess was faintly ashamed at how much relief that gave her. "As for the time, it will be enough. You will see. We are as ready as we can be, my child." She scratched out a note with blinding speed, then sent it with a gesture and a flicker of Shadow. Impa rose then, padding to her mat and spreading herself wearily across it.

The princess took the thin silk sheet rolled up at the end of the mat and draped it over her mentor. "What about the Hero?" she asked quietly, her voice all but failing her then.

Impa smiled gently. It was far too knowing for Zelda's taste. "What of him?"

"If I know Link," Zelda muttered, "and I can't say for certain I do anymore, but if I'm right, he's running himself ragged enough to make you look bright-eyed." She fussed over Impa's sheet.

"Even Link cannot help but be affected by his physical maturity this time, dear," Impa replied, voice as gentle as her expression, "but when it comes to his duty, you needn't worry. His power allows him to go many days without sleep, as he has been demonstrating to Ganondorf's forces of late."

"Tch!" Zelda stood, threw up her hands, and paced with a will. "Physical maturity is right! And when is he going to realize he doesn't have to fight Ganondorf's army alone this time?"

The Sheikah leaned on one elbow. "I find it interesting," she noted, a touch of dryness in her voice, "that you separated those two observations as you did."

Zelda's pacing slowed, then finally stopped, and she sat down cross-legged next to Impa. "You're right. I'm being unfair." She looked away, biting her lower lip. "Not to mention foolish and self-centered. Link doesn't dare try...Farore!" The Princess of Destiny crossed her arms and exhaled explosively. "I just wish he would at least give me some kind of idea what he's feeling!"

"Now who is being childish?" Impa said, gentle tone vanishing. "Link does not hint. He speaks, or he does not." Zelda looked at the floor in front of her, fingers playing softly on the stone. "You are being unfair with yourself as well." The Sheikah's faint, indulgent smile returned. "Zelda, you are not used to having irrational thoughts. Desire is not rational, but neither is it foolish or self-centered, so long as it is not indulged in overmuch." She shook her head. "Over-indulgence is not something either of you has much experience in, I fear."

"Desire." Zelda said the word tonelessly. "I hope there's more to what I feel than that."

"Farore," Impa swore, and Zelda's head snapped up, staring at her sensei with wide eyes. "If you don't know better than that, girl, I don't know what I'm going to do with you. You two have always loved one another," she continued implacably, and Zelda bit her lip again, "but you were children. It was uncomplicated. Now you are essentially adults, especially given the burdens you've borne, and there is new depth to it." She sighed and let herself sink back into her mat. "You have chosen to wait this long, Zelda. Three days more should be manageable."

"That's what I thought as well," the princess replied quietly, tracing a triangle on the floor repeatedly. "Between all the work we have to do and those petty fools in court, I was sure that waiting would be best, but now I'm not as certain." Zelda sighed. "Now that I know how much time we have left before the end begins, every moment I wait is worse than the one before. Even discounting that irrationality you mentioned, even the Hero isn't invulnerable." She clenched her fists. "If I don't tell him, and he...and something happens..." Zelda's voice cracked. She stood quickly. "If I do tell him, though, and he doesn't...feel the same way...he does care, Impa, I know that much. If I tell him now of all times, I could get him killed."

Impa sighed. "My child, I cannot offer you certainty. His devotion to you is absolute, but he has become incredibly skilled at sealing his mind against contact when it suits him." She looked up, breath growing slow and steady. "What I can tell you is that you can have faith in him. No matter what else happens, I believe he is destined to face Ganondorf. He will not die before that."

"Thank you, sensei," Zelda replied with a bow, hands folded. "I have clearly occupied you too long. If you will excuse me." Impa scoffed at that, but the princess left quickly and quietly, closing the door and walking briskly to the runners' quarters.

Unsurprisingly, there was little activity among the castle messengers. Most of them were already in the field, and even their dedication could not sustain them all at ths unholy hour. She knocked.

Quill answered, to her pleasant surprise. A lean, swift man in his prime at nearly a century, with a shock of short white hair and a hawk-like nose, Quill was the pride of the runners. Indeed, he was already wearing his sashimono. "Your Highness," he said, controlling his surprise and volume, but it had been a near thing. "This is unusual. How may I serve you?"

"Quill. The gods favor us that I find you of all runners at this moment." Zelda smiled in relief, and the fabled messenger dropped to one knee, bowing his head deeply. The princess suppressed a childish giggle; she remembered many an apprentice attempting a more normal bow while wearing the sashimono. "Please, rise. I have a most urgent message for the Hero."

"Of course," Quill said seriously, standing almost instantly. "The time approaches?"

She nodded, entering and heading for the messenger's desk. Gesturing to activate the light charm, Zelda quickly wrote her letter. "Link is investigating what he and Impa believe to be one of Ganondorf's plots in Kakariko." Zelda looked at Quill gravely. "They fear it might be an assassination attempt. Be very careful." She regarded the banner Quill wore with concern. "Indeed, it might be best if you left that behind."

Quill looked scandalized. "My sashimono? Your Highness, surely even Ganondorf would not be so lacking in honor."

"I wish I could be so certain of that," Zelda replied evenly. "Even so, the Gerudo King is hardly known for sending daggers in the night. This must be Kotake's work. Rest assured that she and honor parted ways long before any of us were born." Quill nodded grimly and removed his sashimono with obvious reluctance. "Make haste, runner, but caution more than haste. Our time is not running low so quickly that Hyrule can afford to risk you casually."

"In ninety years of service, I have never failed to deliver my message and return with my skin whole," Quill said solemnly, then grinned and rubbed his ribs with one hand. "Well, more or less."

She handed him the rolled-up letter, which looked blank once again. "Only Link's touch will reveal its message."

"Impressive." Quill knelt and bowed as he had while wearing the sashimono. "Your Highness." He stood, braced himself, then raced away with a speed like a falcon's. Gods be with you, Zelda thought, the worry she'd banished returning, redoubled. She gestured the charm into darkness once more and walked back to her room. With Impa sleeping and Senza and Zuko having retired, for the night, she knew she should have been more concerned for her own safety, even in the castle. It didn't matter. Link, for the love of Nayru, be careful.

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

"Hunter," the grizzled mercenary grunted. The man facing him nodded. "I'm supposed to believe that?"

'Hunter' snorted. "I don't really care. My skill," he replied, crimson eyes shining in the moonlight, "speaks for me." Inwardly, Link frowned. Suspicious after one word. Not good.

"Well," the huge man at the door said, crossing massive, scarred arms, "I've never heard of a red-eyed man named Hunter, either. There's only one Sheikah left, and you ain't her. Bloody eyes are bad omens."

"Hunter's eyes for a hunter's moon," Link said, hoping he sounded menacing. He let the beast within thread a growl into his voice. "You haven't heard of me because I do my job, and no one ever knows that a job was done except my employer." He smiled coldly. "Unfortunately, most of my references are unavailable, thanks to your own employer and that Hero, Din sear him."

"Let him come," a whisper came from within the house, slightly feminine, with a paper dryness. Link grinned ferociously at the mercenary, who grunted and moved to let him in. "Unless he is the Hero himself," the voice continued, "unlikely given that he and that fool who calls herself Sheikah have not had the time to train together, we can dispatch him if necessary."

That voice...so empty, Link thought, suppressing a shiver. Thank the gods she's wrong about the training. Hunter strode forward, the old Skulltula House as dark and foreboding as ever. He could just barely make out a table with five people at it. At least the curse is gone. Or, I guess, never was. That seemed odd, given that they'd been cursed before he ever met Zelda. Another one of the Arbiter's time problems? Can't worry about that now. He leaned on the table, four more mercenaries glaring at him. None were as huge as the man who'd barred the entrance, but each was vicious, bedraggled and scarred in his or her own way. One had the stubby ears of an Altean; one of the women looked half-Gerudo. They all seemed dangerous. What truly worried Link, though, was that the woman who'd spoken was still shrouded in darkness at the far end of the table. "What does Sheikah training have to do with it?" Hunter rumbled, glaring at the barely visible outline of the woman across from him.

"You may have passed off your appearance as a mere curiosity to others," she said, her voice almost ghostly, "but you cannot fool me...cousin." Link gasped when the woman leaned forward. Crimson eyes. The Truth sight flickered, and his mana rippled in shock. The Eye!

Hunter shook visibly. That took no deception on Link's part. "I...I thought I was the last." The other mercenaries made various sounds of surprise, not quite letting fear show, and slid away from him.

"Yes, given your age I imagine you would," she replied. "If you are willing to serve our purpose, you needn't share the fate of the weakling Impa."

Hunter snorted. "Impa is no weakling. It has taken every shred of skill I have to hide from her." He grabbed the remaining chair and sat. "If she's the target, though, I'm in." Hunter's smile went as cold as Shadow. "Let the Last Traitor fall."

Meanwhile, the man beneath the disguise barely held onto his control. Farore, Link thought in horror, his training rippling in disbelief. She's Sheikah, all right...and if I'm reading this right, she's been brainwashed. Kotake. Sear her. Sear her to ASH!

"Traitor?" the Sheikah whispered. "No. She must die, but call her no traitor, child." Her voice hardened and strengthened, still quiet but no longer a whisper. "In any case, she is not our target." Hunter scowled, to which the other mercenaries chuckled in gallows humor. "Oh, you will get your chance, boy. The odds that we will not face her are slim indeed." Link's blood froze. "Yes, you see it. We are to take the girl alive, but all that is required of us is that her mind works and her heart beats. The accursed Princess Zelda will be brought to Great Ganondorf, and when the Hero draws the Sword, he will take all that she bears from her."

Gods. What does she mean? Link wanted to tear them apart on the spot, but... They know something. Zel can't have the... Hunter laughed mirthlessly. "Zelda. The false Sheikah. I will enjoy this." He flipped needle-blades in his hands with casual ease born of relentless training. "Yet what can the Gerudo King possibly want from her?"

The big mercenary took a step closer, but the Sheikah held up her hand. "We are given to understand that the Hero will soon claim the Master Sword. Her capture will hasten his hand. The world will change that day. One of those changes will be the princess. No more need you know." The mercenaries all chuckled and fingered their weapons.

Hunter vanished in an explosion of smoke and shadow. Link appeared behind the largest mercenary, already whirling and slashing. The last thing the brute saw was the power and flame of his Spin Attack. "You got that right," he said hoarsely, charging toward the other four as he spoke. They stood and drew their weapons, but hung back, eyeing the Hero's garb warily. The Sheikah retreated further into the shadows, but not the Shadow itself. Link stopped and pointed his Great Fairy's Sword at them. Well, if they're smart enough to not want this fight... "Yield or die," he said simply.

They screamed and charged. Link whirled through them, and though he took a few noticeable cuts and bruises, in less than a minute there was just him and the Sheikah. "Interesting," she whispered. "You should not be possible."

"Yeah," he said slowly, sheathing his sword and putting away his shield, "I get a lot of that." He looked at her intently, drawing on the Eye's insight and his own instincts as deeply as he could. "You're resisting it. Farore, it must be twenty years now, and you're resisting..."

"Ganondorf rules the Shadow," she replied, her voice hollow. "Only a handful of the Blood remain, no more than two dozen, and of them, Impa alone remains free." Her eyes, once reflective and empty, seemed to open, revealing endless depths. "You are one of us, now. You and Zelda alike. In the service of Ganondorf, of the Shadow, you can be together."

Link recoiled. How -- ?! "Lady..."

"I am Fanadi." She slid into a complex stance Link didn't recognize. Oh, that can't be good.

"Lady Fanadi, you can surrender. Impa and Zelda can free you. You don't have to be alone." Link held out his hand. "Come on."

Fanadi shuddered, and her hand twitched. A moment later, though, she stepped backwards, already sinking into the Shadow. "It is too late, Trained One. You must choose -- Sheikah, or Zelda." She vanished.

"Farore!" he swore, exploding into the night. Sheikah vanishing is too short-range for her to have gone far. The Hero ignored the stunned looks from Kakariko's people, only a handful familiar from his previous life. "Navi!"

#I can't...wait! Behind you -- watch out!#

Link rolled away, the Sheikah's daggers flashing far too close for comfort. "Choose, Hero. Those were not my only mercenaries."

"I'm not going to choose," Link shot back. "I'm going to protect Zelda and save you."

"Fool Hero," she sighed. The needles flew at him, but his shield was ready before she moved, and he blocked the spray of blades. The few Kakarikans around them screamed and darted into their homes. Link grimaced. Have to end this quickly. He slung his shield on his back again.

#Link? What are you doing?# Navi 'pathed. #Okay, you don't want to kill her, but holy Nayru, she's not some Stalchild, she's a Sheikah!#

#Trust me,# he replied confidently. Her concern faded, and while it didn't vanish, her faith in him bolstered his resolve. Thank you. Link vanished.

"Pah!" Fanadi turned and held her hands up to parry before Link reappeared, already facing him when he emerged. "Arrogant pup!"

"I'm not trying to beat you, my lady," he replied, letting her catch his arms in her own. Then he gestured, forming the First Mind Kata and touching her thoughts, banishing the foul mana inside her. Even without the Master Sword, he thought, I have some Power to Repel Evil. I think. I hope. Something fierce and hateful and terrible resisted him, but he threw all his strength of will into ripping it out by the roots. So close...come on... Just when Link thought he wouldn't quite make it, a power inside the Sheikah rose up and pushed the foulness free. It howled with endless hunger denied, then vanished.

Fanadi screamed and collapsed. Link caught her. "By...by the gods..." She smiled up at him dizzily, though not weakly. "...you're everything Impa believes you are..." The Sheikah shook her head. "Great Shadow. Let me sit, boy."

Link guided her gently to the grass. "Lady Fanadi, are you all right?"

"Lady, hah," Fanadi chuckled wryly, "I am Sheikah. Yes, I am well, thank you. Still disoriented from so long as Twinrova's slave, but well." The erstwhile assassin frowned. "We must make haste. There were to be two attempts on the princess. If one was discovered, it would provide a distraction for the other."

"Light and Time," Link gasped. "We had no idea..."

Fanadi touched him on the Eye, and he felt her mind, relatively clear and patently faithful to the royal family. #Kotake knew the moment you freed me. Be wary, Hero.# After a moment, she added, #You can trust me.# She stood shakily, but her grip was like steel. Were it not for the Gauntlets, Link suspected she'd be at least as strong as he was.

He grinned. "I knew that part." Link's smile vanished. "Contact Impa. Go to her old home, the man there can reach her. I have to go." Fanadi simply nodded and strode toward the house, still clearly disoriented, but each step more steady than the last. Link raced towards the outskirts of town and Epona.

In his haste, he almost ran headlong into Quill. Only their combined reflexes kept them from plowing into one another. "Farore!" he gasped, stumbling back. "Quill?"

"Link. Thank the gods." He handed the Hero the letter. "Zelda sends this."

Link nodded. "Forgive me, runner, but unless Ganondorf is marching toward the castle, her message cannot be as important as mine. Assassins are heading for Castle Town even now. They mean to murder Impa and kidnap Zelda." The messenger paled. "Can you still run?" Link asked desperately. Quill pulled himself up, looking vaguely offended, but only nodded and raced off back towards Hyrule Castle. When Link, no slowpoke himself, had reached Epona, Quill was already at the bridge. They must know where the secret entrances are as well, Link thought, spurring Epona into the field.

Link frowned again. Farore. That place is riddled with secrets. I hope Impa is guarding them well. Link's frown vanished. Right. Impa's ignoring such an obvious threat to the castle's safety. And Ganondorf's going to wear one of Zelda's gowns on the day he surrenders. Which should be about three days after the Evil Realm's sky shines gold. He pulled out the letter as he rode, and ink appeared on the paper, but before he could get three words in, the Hero spotted a man hiding in the bushes. Tucking the letter in his pouch, he drew his arrow and took aim. "Show yourself."

A woman leaped at him from one of the trees. Navi appeared above her, and Link fired an Ice Arrow into the killer. She fell to the ground, a thunderstruck look on her face just before her body shattered. "Farore! To the castle, quickly!" a third voice shouted, and four figures ran across the field.

Gods be good. Link gritted his teeth, turned Epona, spurred her and took aim. Years of practice on the Gerudo archery track had made him more than a fair shot on horseback, but Navi couldn't target for him like this, and pots didn't dodge expertly across rolling fields. One mercenary fell. Two. The survivors moved with greater agility, but even then, they weren't Link's real concern. Epona would soon catch them. If Fanadi's group had a Sheikah leader...

Smoke and shadow exploded to their left. Link brought his shield around clumsily, but still wasn't able to stop the entire flight of needles, one striking home. Epona screamed and reared, throwing Link. The Hero, half-expecting it all, managed to roll with the flight, landing on his feet. A slender man cloaked entirely in Shadow faced the Hero; Link felt a moment of panic before he realized his foe was too slender to be his own Dark side. The Eye came to life again, looking for the magical domination. To his horror, there was none.

"Killed Fanadi, did we?" the Sheikah chuckled cruelly, and Link could almost feel the man looking at his Eye. "Fool boy, how did you think a Gerudo captured so many of the Shadow Blood?"

So...many? Link's only response was a Light Arrow, but the Sheikah was too fast, disappearing before his shot could hit home. #Navi?#

#I tried to target him, but he...slid away. I can't describe it.# Navi whirled above Link in concern. #The closest I can come to it is that it...felt wrong. Like that Dark Fire stuff.#

Link swallowed. #He moves through Dark Fire. Great.#

#I didn't say that,# Navi corrected.

#I know. I did.# Link turned slowly, trading bow for sword, watching for his enemy. "Easy, girl," he said, patting Epona's side. The horse whinnied and stamped her feet, but held still otherwise. Carefully, he used his free hand to slide the blade from her haunch. She drooped her head in apology, and he poured a few drops of Red Potion on the gash. "It's shallow, Epona, you'll be just fine. Go," he said, nudging her. She trotted a few yards away, then turned and watched him carefully. Link unslung his shield again.

The Hero felt a ripple across the edge of Shadow. He's trying to get to Castle Town! If I lose him there... He ran desperately towards the city. Epona galloped back to his side, and he mounted on the run, riding with abandon towards the closed drawbridge. The mercenaries tried to flank him when he rode between them; their range made it relatively easy to finish one off with an Ice Arrow, and that convinced the other to choose the better part of valor.

The ground itself bulged, a flame that writhed like burning worms welling up and spitting the Sheikah out. He flew at Link, knocking the Hero off Epona, then launched himself toward the city. NO! Without thinking, Link drew his Hookshot and fired. Apparently taken by surprise, the Sheikah stopped, stunned, and Link raced towards him, sword drawn.

The traitor recovered just as the first blow fell, and he roared in pain even while he drew his knives. Link snarled at the phenomenal speed his opponent showed, but he held his own all the same. He's wild, undisciplined, Link thought, moving with deliberate grace and expertise. The Hero also had a huge strength advantage, which he learned when they locked blades. Though the villain used two arms against Link's one, the Hero of Time still threw him back with little more than a shrug. The Sheikah snarled. "Strength isn't everything, 'Hero.'"

"Neither is speed," Link retorted, gesturing with his shield hand for the Sheikah to come at him. Instead, the assassin stalked from side to side, watching him carefully.

"We know about Sheik," he whispered tauntingly, sneering. "Or should I say Zelda?" Link forced his expression to remain unmoved. "Oh, I'm sure you guessed that, but do you know what the penalty is for pretending to be of the Shadow Tribe?" His sneer grew. "I wonder how the mistress of the Light Force will manage in the Twilight Realm."

Link's only response was a snarl. Navi spun in a furious spiral between the two men, trying to synchronize with their foe. "Aren't we the articulate one," the Sheikah laughed.

"At least I'm not the coward here," Link replied coldly, stalking carefully towards the Sheikah.

His foe laughed again, dancing backwards. A footstep spread cold and shadow, and the grass around him died. "Please. Save your righteous indignation for someone who cares."

"How about stupidity, then?" Link shot back. "Your mercenaries are dead or gone, your backup is dead, and you are in no way any kind of match for Impa."

"It's a good thing Kotake drained her energy in their last battle, then," he said, swaggering as he sidestepped to get around Link. The Hero moved with the man, teeth bared. "Nothing especially serious, alas, but I imagine she'll be -- AH!" Link shut him up with a Deku Nut, then drew a Light Arrow. His distraction gave Navi the chance to harmonize with his foe, and he let the arrow fly.

The villain's shadow sheath roiled and fluctuated, exposing various areas of his body. Most of it was covered by the Sheikah body suit, but his bald head was completely exposed. Link glared in fury. "Sakon."

Sakon recoiled, snarling, then vanished. Link followed into Shadow, but Sakon had moved away from the castle, and Link wasn't going to delve into his strange Dark Fire if he was just fleeing. When they reappeared, however, they weren't much farther from the castle. "Farore!" Sakon swore. "You're...you're Trained."

Link simply moved towards the traitor, sword once again at the ready. Sakon held up his hands in a defensive stance. No more Deku Nuts, Link thought, but he had another plan forming. "Yield or die."

"Ah, back to the strong, silent type, are we..." Sakon hissed, no longer so confident. "I promise you, Hero, Zelda will pay dearly for your--"

"DIN'S FIRE!" Link roared, and Sakon screamed. Nothing existed for the Hero but the Sheikah traitor. "You will not touch her! YOU WILL NOT!" The Great Fairy's Sword flashed, tearing into Sakon's body. He was dimly aware of the Sheikah's blades slashing him, but Link didn't care. He was going to --

Sheik appeared behind the Hero, grabbed him, and pulled him through space into Castle Town.

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

"I surrender," Sheik said dryly. Perhaps this was not my best plan ever.

Link was quivering, face hidden by the darkness, standing over the prone Sheik with the Great Fairy's Sword raised. "Are you mad?" he asked, voice shaking like a leaf in a storm.

"Please, Hero, you didn't even leave a bruise," she said, rolling and bouncing to her feet. Sheik brushed herself off and looked the Hero over critically. "You, on the other hand, need bandaging."

"These?" Link gestured at the slashes across his chest and scoffed. "I get worse fighting Stalfos in the mountains. The goddesses' blessing keeps them from bleeding seriously, as you may recall." He trembled as he sheathed his sword. "Farore, Sheik, I could have killed you."

"I trust you," Sheik whispered passionately. I looo...Farore, I can't even say it in my mind when he's this close. Coward! Link grimaced and looked away. "Link, an enemy would have never been able to catch you unaware as I did. Your Eye recognized me."

"I appreciate your concern, honestly, but do you have any good reason for pulling me from battle against a man who promised worse than death for Zelda?" Link growled. He was already walking towards the Temple of Time.

"You haven't read Zelda's message yet, have you?" Sheik asked quietly. Link glanced back at her, then down at his pouch. He gestured, and a second later he was reading the message.

The Hero licked his lips. "Y...she...I was born in Maya. I have a birthday." He looked up at the stars and smiled faintly, tears trickling down his cheeks. "With the Kokiri, it's celebrated more as Bonding Day, but almost every Kokiri bonds to a fairy on his fifth birthday. I..." He shook his head. "Later. I take it this means I'm expected to...visit the Temple of Time in three days."

Gods. I should have known this would be important to him. Sheik placed a hand on his shoulder and nodded. "Link, I'm sorry." He nodded in reply, but didn't move. Link? she wondered, taking a step around him to see his face. He hadn't moved. "That's why I pulled you from that fight -- you need to be ready. When you draw the Master Sword, you'll have to be at your peak." The Hero nodded again. "Okay. Let's...let's go to the palace. They can dress your wounds." Once more, he nodded, his gaze returning to earth, towards the castle. He followed her obediently for a time, then frowned as they left Castle Town. "What?"

"I wounded Sakon badly, but I fear he'll live," he replied. "We'll have to watch out for him." Suddenly he looked at Sheik intently. "Did Fanadi make it?"

Sheik blinked. "Who's Fanadi?"

Link smiled, the first genuine smile she'd seen on him for far too long. "It looks like I have a pleasant surprise for you, too."