Legend Of Zelda Fan Fiction ❯ The Legend of Zelda: Masquerade ❯ Chpater 3 ( Chapter 3 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

Link and Sheik stood on the cliff overlooking the Kakariko entrance. In the distance they could see the groups of moblin wandering about in Hyrule Field in odd, random patterns. As they watched, the groups moved farther and farther away from the village, spreading out as they went as if to wander away. Then, as if some force were keeping them near, they all abruptly began to wander back.

“What are they doing?” Link asked.

“Don’t know,” a guard answered. “They do this all day, every day, since they arrived.”

“It’s weird,” Sheik said with a shake of his head. “It’s like something is keeping them here.”

“But to what end?” Link asked.

“No idea, Hero. No one I know likes moblin, and even those who feel sympathy for the poor, dumb things, don’t really want them around.”

Link pinched the bridge of his nose. “I guess Zelda will have to put up with the Duke a bit longer. We can’t leave Kakariko like this.”

Sheik blew out a frustrated breath. “No, we can’t.” They stood there with the guards for a while longer, watching as the tide of moblin ebbed and flowed. Finally, they made their way back down to the village. Several of the villagers stopped their work to watch the two men pass, hope in their eyes.

“Let’s look at this logically,” Sheik offered as they walked. “Moblin are fairly simple creatures. They want food and power – as much as they can get on both counts.”

“But there isn’t enough food to eat in the area, at least not enough to sustain such a large group. So they are after...power?” Link made a face. “Here? In Kakariko?” He frowned. “Maybe the Duke is right, maybe it is here.”

“If he is right, I’m telling him we found it in the desert,” Sheik groused. “I refuse to give that jackass the satisfaction of being right.”

Link laughed. “So the plan hasn’t changed. We still need to talk to Big Brother Haldor.”

“Maybe you’ll get to fight Berk this time.” Sheik grinned. “He’d like that.”

Link rolled his eyes and continued. “If nothing else, the Goron would be a big help if it comes to a fight.”

They returned to the inn and told Caru and her husband of their plan. The couple agreed to spread the word and watch their horses while they were away. They quickly packed, and headed back downstairs. They had not taken more than a few steps outside the inn when a red and gold carriage pulled up. Both men swore.

The carriage pulled to a stop and the door swung open. Thorvald stepped out. He still dressed in the colors of his status, complete with overly dramatic cape. The noble looked down his nose at them in distaste.

Sheik made a disparaging comment. Thorvald glared at him, but addressed Link. “So you are abandoning us to the moblin? How very heroic of you.”

“Drop dead,” Sheik huffed and pushed past him.

Thorvald grabbed him as he went past. “Don’t you dare–” Sheik reacted violently to the touch, throwing his arm up and slamming his elbow into the man’s chin. Thorvald reeled, stumbling back into the carriage, his nose and mouth bleeding.

“Don’t touch me! Ever!”

Link watched wide-eyed as Sheik stormed off. Thorvald leaned against the carriage holding his bleeding mouth, and Link hurried after Sheik. He started to grab his shoulder, then thought better of it. “Are you... okay?”

Sheik’s shoulders visibly relaxed. “Fine, Hero. I just don’t like him touching me.” Link nodded absently, and did not speak again until they had passed the gate and were beginning to ascend Death Mountain Trail. “What...what did they do to you?”

Sheik stopped and looked at him, his face expressionless. Link took a step back. Then without  a word, Sheik turned and kept walking, his steps clipped and quick. Letting out a breath he had not known he was holding, Link followed but kept a safe distance.

“Do you really want to know or are you just being nosy?” Sheik finally snapped. He turned sharply on his heel to glare at Link.

Hyrule’s Hero straightened his shoulders and lifted his chin. There were many things he’d rather face than an angry Sheik, but he was not ready to let the older man know that. “I want to know.”

Sheik narrowed his eyes. “Just remember, Hero, you asked for it.” Link resisted the urge to retreat as Sheik approached him. Very calmly, Sheik reached out and grabbed Link’s hand, then spun and twisted his arm up along his spine. Link’s wrist, elbow, and shoulder all turned as far as they would go and when his body tried to follow to relieve the pressure, Sheik stopped. The discomfort quickly gave way to pain and Link began to struggle to get away. Sheik held firm. “Now imagine staying like this while they eat, knowing the only thing going in your mouth is the cloth they shoved in there so you wouldn’t scream. That’s what it started with anyway.”

He abruptly released his hold, and Link stumbled away rubbing his aching joints. “He... did that...often?” Link panted.

“As often as I pissed him off,” Sheik said flatly. “Whenever I didn’t play the good little devoted son or when I wouldn’t take Meredith’s crap. Sometimes I think he just did it to prove he could. And that was when I was still a kid; the older I got, the worse things they had to do.” Sheik let out a long breath and softened. “I didn’t hurt you, did I, Hero?”

Link rubbed his shoulder and shook his head. “You’ve done worse. Though I think I prefer my regular beatings. At least that way I can fight back.”

Sheik chuckled and shook his head.  “All right, Hero, I’ll be sure you are beaten regularly.” Link made a rude gesture.

&&&

“Brother Link!” Haldor roared happily as he slapped the Hyrulian on the back. Link winced when he struck the sore shoulder, but kept smiling. “And Brother Sheik!” The large Goron turned and patted him on the back in the same friendly manner. “You don’t visit enough! Come in, come in, we will celebrate!”

“We don’t have time for that, Big Brother Haldor,” Link said before the Goron could bully them inside. “Kakariko is under siege by moblin and they need your help.”

Haldor rested his chin in his massive hand and looked a bit perplexed. “This is the first I have heard of it. Why did Kakariko not ask for help sooner? Are we Goron not friends?”

“Thorvald does not like to admit he needs help,” Sheik assured. “He’s just being stubborn.”

“There is more,” Link went on before Haldor could speak. “There is a man at the palace who is looking for an artifact. He says it was stolen from his kingdom and hidden in Hyrule. The only clue he had was that the artifact was hidden where the ‘earth meets the sky.’”

Haldor nodded his large head. “I will think on that. For now, we must deal with these moblin. Let us round up the other Goron.” He gestured for them to follow and both men complied. The Goron city was just as Link remembered it, though a few new tunnels had been added. Haldor lead them through several tunnels so they emerged on the bottommost floor of the amphitheater-style city.

“Brothers! Sisters!” Haldor shouted, allowing the shape of the city to carry his voice so that everyone could hear. All the Goron’s stopped what they were doing and gave him their attention. “Brother Link and Brother Sheik bring us grave news. It seems the Hyrulians of Kakariko are being attacked by moblin. Who among you will fight beside our Brothers and friends?” All over the city, Gorons raised their arms and cheered. The sound was deafening and it took a great deal of willpower to keep Link from covering his ears.

“Come, Brothers!” Haldor continued. “Let us take the fast track down the mountain!” All the Goron’s cheered again and surged toward the exit.

“The fast track?” Link hedged. “I’m not going to like this, am I?”

Sheik smiled and shrugged. “Remember when we went sledding on Snowpeak?” Link nodded. “It’s like that, only don’t fall this time. It will hurt a lot more.”

“Thanks for the tip,” Link growled as they followed the Gorons.

Outside, the Goron had gathered at the edge of the mountain slope that looked down over the village below. Haldor stood with them holding two slabs of smooth rock, which he handed to the Hyrulians as soon as they approached. “Lead the way, Brothers.”

“Just like on Snowpeak,” Sheik said quietly. “Lower your center of gravity and don’t lean too far in any one direction.” Link nodded and set his slab on the edge of the slope; Sheik did the same to his right. Crouching low, he set his foot towards the front of the slab and shifted his weight. The slab tilted down, hit the side of the mountain with a dull thud, and began to slide on the loose gravel. Link leaned forward more, picking up speed. He glanced to his right to see Sheik following close beside him.

Behind them there was a great cheer and then a sound like an avalanche. Link looked back, to see the Gorons roll themselves in balls and launch themselves over the edge to roll like boulders down the mountainside.  Link swore as the first living boulder shot past them, seemingly out of control, followed by another. Soon the Gorons were rolling past them on all sides, and despite what seemed to be an uncontrolled plunge, they never came even within a few feet of either Hyrulians.

Link grinned wildly. After the sheer terror passed, it was a lot of fun. Wind whipped his face, threatening to steal his hat, and he leaned down and forward to increase his speed. He heard Sheik’s whoop as they raced down the slope, all the while, massive Gorons dodged around them.

As the slope flattened out, Link stood upright, slowing his speed as Sheik did the same. They finally slid to a stop only a few yards from the village edge. The Gorons who had arrived ahead of them were already greeting the villagers.

“Let us not delay, Brothers and Sisters. There is work to be done!” Haldor called, and the Goron responded in kind. Link and Sheik hurried to the front of the group to walk with Haldor as the group moved toward Hyrule Field.
A group of Thorvald’s guards stood by the gate, and Link set his jaw and drew his sword. But the guards did not try to stop them, and instead joined them as the siege gates were opened and the impromptu army poured into the field. In the afternoon sun, Moblin began to turn and head towards them, a lumbering horde that took up the entire horizon.

Link raised his sword, the mirror-bright surface reflecting the sun and seeming to glow, and waited. The moblin came closer. A mournful horn cried over the plains and mounted bokoblin and moblin appeared as well, charging as they raised their weapons.

Link dropped his sword arm and the Gorons and guards surged forward. The Gorons rolled into balls and charged across the ground, spinning up dirt and grass in their wake. They slammed into the boars like a nine pins. The animals squealed and crashed into each other, slinging their riders to the ground, where they were crushed by their falling mounts or passing Gorons. Link cringed at the strange crushing pop the pig-like creatures made as they were squelched.

With the Gorons clearing the way, the Hyrulian’s charged in, stabbing and slicing what few bokoblin and moblin escaped the Gorons and their own mounts. But the Gorons rolling assault could only last so long. Soon they ran out of momentum and uncurled to their feet, going to work with their massive fists.


Link ignored them as a large moblin charged him, its crude sword raised to strike. He caught the jarring blow on his shield, before slicing with his sword and gutting the monster in a single swing. He turned to see a group of bokoblin surrounding some guards, and charged in, The Master Sword flashing. Blood sprayed into the air as he cut down the little goblins before they saw him coming.

A flash of blue at the corner of his eye drew his attention to Sheik, as the older man beheaded a Moblin before turning in mid-air and slicing the arm off another. A Goron slammed the now one armed Moblin to the ground and crushed its skull with one punch.

The squeal of another moblin caught his attention and Link returned to the fight. He lost track of how many moblin and bokoblin he killed, where Sheik was, or how long the battle lasted. But by the time the remains of the moblin army was in retreat, his green tunic had been stained black with blood. Specks of red dotted his face and his pants were beyond salvation, and both his arms were tired and hung heavily at his sides.

Breathing hard, he watched as the last of the moblin vanished over the hills before turning to survey the damage. Among the bodies of moblin, bokoblin, and boar were several of Kakariko’s guards, and he picked out a couple of Goron that had also fallen. The contrast in reactions of the two groups was amazing.

The Hyulians gathered their dead with somber faces, bringing blankets to cover and wrap the bodies before they were moved. Women wept for fallen husbands, sons, and brothers; while their comrades spoke of their bravery.
The Gorons sang. With their gravelly voices, Link expected the sound to be grating. Instead it came out as a low rumbling melody, a song of courage and brotherhood. There were no tears, only joy. It was an honor to die in battle for a good cause.

“Have you never seen a Goron die before?”

Link looked away to see that Sheik had appeared next to him. His left bicep was bleeding from a bad wound, but he had made a field bandage with a few strips of cloth. “No,” Link replied, shaking his head. “At least not that I remember.”

“There is no greater honor to them than to die for a friend.” He nodded towards the dead Gorons and those gathered around them. “Their story will exist in legend for decades to come.”

“Better to be praised than mourned, I guess.”

Sheik nodded. “Come on, Hero. We made a mess, time to clean it up.” Together the two moved through the battlegrounds. Sheik picked a spot out of the way of the village, but still close by, and they began moving moblin and bokoblin bodies. It was slow work. The moblin were big and heavy, even those with missing parts took both of them to move. The grass, what had not been torn to bits in the melee, was slippery with blood and made getting traction difficult.

When the guards and Goron finished with their dead, they began to help. As the sun was setting, they finally had piled all the bodies in a single place and everyone stepped away. Sheik raised his hand and called forth flames in the form of several small spheres. They splashed across bodies, quickly igniting the fabric of their clothes and fur and spreading, before sinking its white hot fangs into the flesh.

Sheik assigned two guards who knew magic to keep watch over the pyre so it did not spread out of control before they all trudged, exhausted, back to Kakariko. Everyone was still awake, waiting anxiously to greet the returning heroes. Bottles of water and milk were handed out and many people offered their homes to Gorons for the night. The Goron declined politely and headed back up Death Mountain, Haldor promising to return in the morning.

Caru greeted Link and Sheik at the inn door with bottles of warm milk. She wiped the blood from their faces with her apron like a mother would clean a smudge of dirt from a child’s face, and showed them to the bathing room. A large tub of water was already steaming and waiting for them. Both young men happily stripped and slipped into the water to scrub the grime and gore and sweat of battle off their skin.

By the time they were clean, there was no point in trying to soak, as the water had taken on a slightly pink tinge. Caru had taken their clothes while they bathed and had replaced them with soft cotton robes. Without ceremony, they wrapped the robes around themselves and headed for bed; only to find trays of hot food waiting for them. It was one of the quietest meals they had ever shared; neither spoke as they ravaged the bread, stew, and milk. Setting their cleaned trays near the door, both crawled into bed and fell asleep.
Link woke the next morning wishing he could have slept more. Still tired, he rolled over, but it did no good. Sunlight was pouring in the curtainless windows and the sounds of day in a busy village filled the air. Yawning he sat up and stretched, seeing Sheik doing the same. Their trays had vanished and in their place were their clean clothes. Link noted that she had not returned his pants and wrote them off as a total lose as he dug an extra pair from his pouch. He was glad to see his boots had made a reasonable recovery, though they still had some dark marks on them.

Dressed, they headed downstairs, and were greeted in the dining room by a mob of villagers. There was much cheering and back patting before Caru herded them to a quiet corner for breakfast.

“Will there be anything left?” Link asked abruptly.

“Hmmm?” Sheik asked without lifting his head as he hunched over his plate.

“The moblin, will they still be there?”

Sheik pulled up his scarf as he straightened, chewing thoughtfully on his last bite. “Probably. There were too many to burn in one night.”

Link nodded absently, pushing his last bite of biscuit around in the egg yolks before popping it into his mouth. “Do you think we should wait for Haldor here or outside?”

Sheik snorted. “I think our host would prefer we wait outside. Gorons aren’t really Hyrulian home friendly.” Link nodded and they left the inn. The morning sun shone brightly in the cerulean sky, marred only by a thin trail of black smoke wafting heavenward. Around them, the village was alive as people begin their daily routines. Shopkeepers opened their doors and street vendors laid out their wares. Cuccos crowed and cows mooed. Carts hauling milk and other goods rattled down the roads towards the town market.

The only thing out of place was a procession of Hyrulians, all clad in black, heading towards the graveyard. They followed several carts that had been painted black and draped in black cloth. Link looked away. “Those people shouldn’t have died.”

Sheik sat down in the grass under a tree and stretched out his legs. “Why is that, Hero?”

“They did not have to fight,” Link pointed out as he took a seat as well. “I’m the Hero of Hyrule. It’s my job to keep people safe.”

“You can’t fight every battle alone, Hero. And you can’t expect people not to fight when they feel it is the right thing to do.” Sheik leaned back and closed his eyes. “We went to Haldor seeking advice on a powerful item that might be attracting them, so we could get rid of it. We came down the mountain with a Goron army. No one ordered those soldiers to join in, they chose to. They all chose their fate. Besides, you can’t be everywhere at once. If people think you will always appear when they need you, it will breed complacency. Better they fight and a few die, then they wait for salvation and all die.”

Link plucked a blade of grass and rolled it between his fingers. “Have I ever told you about when I met the Goddesses?”

Sheik opened an eye in interest, but his voice remand casual. “No, you never really talked much about it.”

Link furrowed his brow. “One thing they said is that I will one day choose not to save Hyrule. I can’t imagine doing nothing while people suffer.”

Sheik looked up at the leaves in the trees, and at first Link did not think he would answer. After a while he spoke. “My father once told me that for all things there is a season and nothing lasts forever. I’ve seen many men become soldiers in my time. Most of them enter in with big dreams of medals and honors, that they will be the Captain of the Guards and right hand to the Princess. Some even had aspirations of winning her heart in the process.

“But give them a year or two and suddenly it is not so much fun. They get stuck with the graveyard shifts, are beaten down by the rules and regulations of guard life, they only see the Princess in passing, if at all. Most return to their common life before their third year has passed, only to be replaced by new bright-eyed men full of dreams.

“Those that do stay on find that climbing the ranks is no easy task, and the higher they go the harder it becomes. Yes, someone has to become the Captain of the Guards, but as often as not, he’s beaten down and bitter by the time he reaches that height, and the fun soldier boy stage has long passed, replaced by piles of paperwork. They are no longer heroes of the battlefield, but generals who stay safely behind to plan out where they will send young men to die.

“Your eyes are still bright, Hero. You are still out to save the world. And, I think, even if you don’t become bitter, even you will eventually become fed up.” Sheik stretched and sat up. “Besides, death isn’t a bad thing. It makes way for new growth. Sometimes it is best to wipe the slate clean and start fresh.”

“I suppose...” Link agreed with a frown.

A tremble in the ground drew their attention as Haldor stomped up, shouting his greeting joyfully. The leader of the Goron tribe sat down with them, slapping Link on the back in his painfully friendly manner as he did.

“Remind me, Brothers, what was it you wished to know?”

Link let out a breath. “There is a Duke from Termina at the palace. He says that a valuable artifact was stolen from his land and hidden in Hyrule somewhere. The only clue we have is that it is hidden where the land meets the sky. And Death Mountain is the largest chunk of land that rises into the sky; it seemed a good place to start.”
“Hmmm,” Haldor rubbed his chin as he leaned back. “There have been no strangers in the new tunnels, we would have seen them. But perhaps you could search the old tunnels. We have not used them in many generations.”

“Old tunnels?” Sheik repeated, slightly perplexed. “What old tunnels?”

Haldor laughed. “Gorons did not always live at the top of the mountains, you know. Once we lived here, where Kakariko village stands. You walk above our ancestral home every day.”

“Really?” Sheik said, sounding more contemplative then curious. “Tell me, is there any way into the old tunnels?”

Haldor tapped his chin. “The main entrance was buried, but I believe, Brother Sheik, a side entrance is still open in your graveyard.”

Sheik’s eyes almost sparkled. “Thanks, Haldor. Come on, Hero!”

Link blinked as Sheik bolted to his feet and walking at a clipped pace across the village.

“Thanks, Haldor,” Link repeated with a wave, before following Sheik.

“Good luck, Brothers!”

“What makes you so sure that thing is hidden in the old Goron tunnels?” Link asked as he caught up with Sheik.

The older man slowed his pace. “I don’t, not for sure, anyway. But it’s all we have to go on and if we stick around Haldor much longer we’ll be hauled off for a celebration banquet.”

“But I haven’t had my yearly requirement of indigestible stones the size of my head,” Link whined with a grin.

“Keep it up, farmboy, and you’ll be eating your teeth.”

Link laughed. “Still it’s probably not a good idea to go now. Remember they are holding–” Sheik rounded the corner into the graveyard and looked like he wanted to swear. “Funerals.” Link finished. A large group of villagers stood together, hiding the view of the open graves before them. For a long moment they stood there, not sure whether it was better to leave or stay.

“You came...” a woman said softly. She stepped away from the crowd and came towards them. She was an older woman, most likely a mother or aunt of one of the fallen men. Link swallowed, not sure how she would react. “Thank you.” She gently took his hand in hers. “My Conan would be so honored to have you here. Please, come closer.”

Link gave the woman a gentle smile and followed her, Sheik on his heels. The woman guided them to the group, who parted to let them through to the front. Several graves had been dug and the simple wooden coffins already lowered into the ground.

Link bit his lip. He had not known any of these men, not by name or rank or any other distinction. They had been faceless swords in battle, nothing more. Yet by reputation alone, they chose to stand by him and fight when they did not have to. Now their friends and family stood silently watching him, expecting him to say the right thing.

He wished he had more moblin to fight.

“Courage is a funny thing,” Sheik said in a soft smooth voice. Link looked at him in surprise, as did everyone else. “It can drive a man to do things when logic tells him such actions are not in his best long term interest. Yet there are tales of men throughout history who have taken up arms to fight for what they believe in and what is right, men who died for those causes. Some go down in history as legends, their names sung long after they have passed into the arms of the Goddesses.

“But for every one of those great men, hundreds more die unnamed and unsung. These men are the true heroes. There is no selfishness or self-preservation in their sacrifice. They fight for a future they will never see and children who will grow up not knowing them. They fight for causes greater than themselves. They fight so that those who follow in their wake know that nothing in life is free and true peace can only be found by those who will give all they have to obtain it.

“May the Goddesses welcome those who come to them now. Naryu knowing what they have sacrificed, Din blessing their fierce spirit, and Farore honoring their courage. Do not mourn these men. They have earned your respect and the respect of the Goddesses, that is something that should be celebrated.”

“Amen,” the priest added with a shake of his head. “Amen.” The crowd began to file away, many stopping the shake Link’s and Sheik’s hands as they passed. The two men waited at the graveside until the last of the people had filed out.

“Where did you pull that from and how badly did it hurt?” Link asked quietly.

“Zelda wrote it.” Sheik shrugged. “I just memorized it. I didn’t want your little country bumpkin foot to get stuck in your mouth.”

Link rolled his eyes. “Let’s find the tunnel entrance before the grave keeper comes and finds us poking around.” He glanced around the clearing. The Kakariko graveyard was surrounded by cliffs that gave it a private feeling. The walls had been worn smooth over time and there was no obvious entrance to an underground catacomb. “Umm..humm...” Link huffed.

Sheik frowned as he walked to the graveyard perimeter and ran his fingers over the smooth stone. “Hero, I’m going to call up a wind, you listen for the sound of it blowing past an cave entrance.” Link nodded. “WIND!” Sheik commanded, hand raised overhead. A great rush of air began to swirl around them, whipping up their hair and flinging loose dirt into the sky.

Then the wall moved. Link blinked, surprised to see a section of solid wall towards the back of the graveyard behind the older graves, ripple like water. Sheik lowered his hand and the two looked at each other with identical frowns.

Carefully, they picked their way between the graves towards the wall. Even as they stopped and a stood right in front of it, the section of wall looked identical to any other random portion of wall in the graveyard. Link picked up a stick and poked it. The stick went through the wall so easily Link stumbled forward and splashed through after it.

“Link!” Sheik yelled after him.

“I’m okay,” Link replied as he picked himself up off the ground. “It’s some sort of trick of light and water.”

Sheik’s hand slid through the sheet of water, then retreated, shortly followed by his entire body. “Interesting.”

“Gorons don’t do magic, and certainly not water magic,” Link pointed out as he wrung water from his tunic. “Someone else is trying to hide this entrance.”

“All the more reason for us to explore it.”

Link nodded and, reaching into his pouch, pulled out a lamp and quietly lit it. The warm golden glow spread out around them, reaching beyond the sunlight that slipped past the illusion. Slowly they began to descend.

Unlike the organized Goron city in Death Mountain, the catacombs were simply a network of interconnecting tunnels that still seemed to be a work in progress. Some of the tunnels were dead ends, while other looped around on themselves endlessly. And twice they found their way back to the entrance.

“I think we need a ball of string...” Link sighed. “Or some bread crumbs.”

“Not a bad idea,” Sheik agreed, picking up the stick Link had dropped earlier. He snapped it in half and burned the ends in the lamp flame. When they were nicely charred, he shook them out and handed one to Link. “Now we can mark where we’ve been.”

Sliding the sticks along the wall as they walked, they carefully marked the way they had come, and began to make real progress. After almost an hour underground they came to a central room that looked like a crude design of the main room of the Goron city. But instead of the steeply tiered amphitheater, the room was very wide and each drop off was fairly shallow; giving the room a more dish shape. There was also no private meeting chamber at the bottom, but a small piece of raised stone the size of a large balcony. Dozens of tunnels led off from the main room on every level.

Sheik sighed. “It’s going to take us months just to narrow down which tunnel to take.”

“Not necessarily,” Link countered as he crouched down and held the lamp low to the ground. He ran his fingers across the stone floor, leaving a mark in the untold decades of settled dust. “Unless whoever is or was in here can fly, they are going to tell us exactly where they have been.” Moving low to the ground, Link began searching for the taletell marks in the dust; while Sheik moved alongside him marking their way with the charcoal of the stick and keeping a lookout.

It took almost an hour of crawling on the dirty floor, but Link finally located a footprint in the dust. Like an impression in dry sand it was indistinct and soft around the edges. But the toe had left a clear scuff as the person dragged their foot just a bit. Lifting the lamp, he followed the prints with his eyes as they disappeared down a tunnel.

As they turned in, Link stopped; throwing his arm out to stop Sheik as well. A quick look told Sheik to be quiet as Link tilted his head, listening. There was a certain but faint thumping coming from the tunnel. The sound was unlike footsteps in that they were irregular, often several quick thumps together, followed by a pause, then more thumping.

Motioning for Sheik to follow, they began creeping through the cave. Slowly the sounds got closer and more defined. Soon they could see a soft, golden glow coming from around the corner ahead of them. Link blew out the lamp and put it away. Quietly, they drew their swords.

Link pressed his back against the wall and held his sword up, using it as a mirror to see around the corner. What he saw made him swear. Sheathing his sword, he marched around the corner and grabbed the man by his collar. He yelped when Link yanked him away from where he was drawing on the wall in chalk.

“What are you doing here?”

Lord Thorvald pulled out of Link’s grasp and straightened his clothes. “I should be asking you the same thing, boy. In case you don’t recall, I am the High Lord of Kakariko. These tunnels are part of the town and I may, therefore, come and go as I please. You, however, are trespassing.”

“Correction,” Sheik said as he followed Link into the light. “We have permission from the Goron to be here, you don’t.”

“Well, if it isn’t my wayward son.” Thorvald sneered as he looked Sheik over. “What was it you were calling yourself now? Sheik, was it? And you call Archelaus presumptuous.”

Sheik’s eyes narrowed. “I’m not a little boy anymore, Thorvald, and I’m not afraid of you.”

The lord merely smiled. “Oh? I’ll have to remember that in the future. Now run along, daddy has work to do.”

“And what would that be? Somehow I don’t see you mapping out a sewer system for kicks,” Sheik growled as he took a step closer. “You are looking for it too, aren’t you?”

Thorvald took a step away and turned as if to continue down the tunnel. “My dear boy, I don’t know what you are talking about.”

Sheik dodged around him, cutting off his escape. “Do you really think I’m as stupid as Meredith? You were at the castle when the Duke arrived, and gone by the time I returned with Link. You know he’s looking for an artifact, and where he suspected it would be.”

“Get out of my way, boy!” Thorvald snapped and shoved Sheik.

The reaction was instantaneous. Sheik snatched Thorvald’s hand, turned, and twisted. Thorvald yelped as his arm was yanked around behind his back. “What’s the matter? Does it hurt?” He pulled harder, a smile on his face.

“Sheik...” Link said quietly. “Let him go.”

“Shut up, Link. This doesn’t concern you. In fact, it would probably be best if you left. Right now.”

Link frowned. “No.”

Sheik glared at him and sneered. “Fine, stay and watch, but don’t get in the way.” He pulled a dagger from under his armor. Thorvald’s eyes widened.

Link grabbed Sheik’s wrist. The older man glowered at him, but Link held firm. “Stop. He isn’t worth it.”

“I said not to interfere, Hero. I won’t ask you again.” He tried to pull his wrist free, but Link only tightened his grip. Sheik yanked, and Link went with him, using the momentum to separate him from Thorvald and placing himself between the two men. Sheik looked at him like he had never looked at him before. The rage came first, followed quickly by hurt and betrayal, then right back to anger. “You son of a bitch...” Sheik breathed, and flung the dagger. The throw was wide and Link did not bother dodging. Thorvald, however, yelped and scrambled away.

“Sheik, be reasonable,” Link began, but Sheik lunged at him. Link caught the older man in the middle and rolled, landed hard on his back. They wrestled across the floor, each trying to get the upper hand and pin the other. Sheik landed a blow on his chin before he could react, but Link caught his fist before he could land another and bucked him off.

Sheik cursed and started to rise, but Link was faster. Grabbing Sheik’s wrists and straddling his waist. He pinned the older man down. Sheik growled and flipped his wrist, a spare dagger springing up from a holder in his wrist and slicing across Link’s palm. He hissed and pulled away automatically. Sheik used the sudden freedom to slug him again, knocking him away.

“This isn’t justice, Sheik. It’s revenge.” Link panted as he came to his feet.

“You think I care?”

“I care!” Link snapped back. “I won’t let you become a murderer.”

Sheik glared. “It’s only murder if someone finds out.” He got his knee up on Link’s chest and pried him off. “You going to arrest me, farmboy? Being the good little herald of justice, I suppose you’ll execute me too.”

“I don’t want to hurt you, Sheik, don’t do this,” Link warned as Sheik lowered himself into a fighting stance. Then he lunged. Link reacted, dodging to the right and bringing his fist into Sheik’s gut. The older man let out a pained whoosh of air and went limp. Link helped him to the ground as Sheik coughed and tried to catch his breath.

“Very good,” Thorvald said, clapping slowly. “That is the way to put ruffians like him in their place.” Link glanced over his shoulder before standing up. Thorvald never saw the punch coming, the force lifting him clear off his feet to land a few feet away.


“Don’t ever speak to me again. And if you so much as look at Sheik, I’ll gut you myself.” Link growled as he loomed over the lord. Thorvald did not respond, too busy trying to stop the blood coming from his mouth and nose. Ignoring him, Link returned to Sheik and helped him to his feet. “Are you okay?”

Sheik grunted and pushed away from him. Link let him go. Leaving Thorvald, they began a long silent march through the tunnels. Kakariku’s Lord had been exploring the tunnels for a while, evident by the chalk marks all over the walls. It cut down their exploration time, and quickly proved there was nothing hidden in the tunnels besides a few abandoned Goron food stores.

They returned to the inn well after dark, and neither man spoke as they went to bed.

Link woke to find Sheik already awake. He sat perched on the windowsill, one leg dangling outside as he rested his back on the frame. As Link rose, Sheik turned his head just enough to see him, before looking back over the village.

“Good morning,” Link ventured. Sheik did not respond and Link sighed as he dressed. “So this is how it’s going to be then? For what it’s worth, I understand why you’re mad. But I won’t ask your forgiveness, because we both know I was right. I’m going to the Zora’s domain to see if they know anything. You do whatever you think you need to do.” Pulling on his boots, he stood and headed for the door.

“You don’t understand.”

Sheik’s voice stopped him and Link turned back. “Oh?”

Sheik dropped his leg inside the room as he turned to face Link. “No, Hero, you don’t.” It was then Link realized Sheik’s scarf was pulled down, the scar on his face clearly visible.

“Enlighten me.”

Sheik gave an unamused snort. “I could explain it to you, but you won’t understand even if I spelled it out.”

“Try me.”

“When have you ever been alone? Really alone? Ever?” He stepped off the windowsill and crossed the room. “You’ve always had a home to return to. Even your little vacation from reality was just a farce; you could have gone back to the ranch whenever you wanted. You didn’t even become the Hero of Hyrule on your own; without me, you’d have died or started a war. It’s not about right or wrong, Link, it’s about loyalty.”

Link lifted his chin. “So, out of loyalty, I should have let you become a murderer?”

Sheik looked away. “It was my choice.”

“You’re right, I don’t understand and I hope I never do.” Link opened the door and walked straight into the chest of a guard.

The man frowned at him, but said nothing as he took a step back. “By orders of Lord Thorvald, the man who calls himself Sheik is to be brought in for treason. All who aid him will also be considered traitors to the crown and treated appropriately.”

“You have got to be kidding me...” Link sighed.

Sheik rolled his eyes. “I feel I should be shocked, yet, I’m not.”

“Will you come quietly?” the guard asked, placing his hand on the hilt of his sword.

Sheik leveled the guard with a look. “No, and you can’t make us either.” The guard swallowed and seemed to debate whether or not to draw his sword. The sword rattled as it slowly came out of its sheath and the guard leveled it at Sheik.

“It was not a request.”

Sheik frowned at him, then sighed. In a flash he drew a single thin sword and slapped the weapon from the guard’s grasp, before returning his sword to its sheath. The guard stepped back, then turned and ran.

“What is it about this village that always has us leaving in a hurry?” Link asked as they collected the last of their things and headed downstairs. They were met at the inn door by more guards, all armed. Link sighed a curse. “All right, all right, we’ll come quietly.” The guard gave him a rather chagrined nod as the other guards surrounded them and began herding the two men towards Thorvald’s mansion, where they left them.

The large courtyard was everything Link expected from the Lord of Kakariko. The garden was lush with flowers and bushes, all growing tall on the rich lava soil. Thorvald sat in a carved marble throne in the middle of the yard under an arbor covered in pale blue hanging flowers. The air was thick with their floral scent.

Sheik folded his arms and frowned at the nobleman. “Do you really believe Link will save you again?”

Thorvald smiled and relaxed in his chair. “Wouldn’t Lady Zelda be disappointed? Her servant murders a nobleman in cold blood while the Hero stands by and does nothing.”

Sheik grinned and made a great show of looking around. “No one here but the three of us. You think Link would really tell on me?”

Link’s ear twitched. “That’s not right, Sheik.” The man in blue glared daggers at him. “He’s planted witnesses. Three I believe.” Sheik’s expression turned to surprise as Link motioned to bushes on their right and left. “Don’t let him goud you.”

Thorvald frowned. “I suppose my son was wrong about you. Perhaps you are no longer a worthless farmboy.”

“What do you want, Thorvald?” Link huffed. “No one knew what happened yesterday except us, but now there will be questions.”

Thorvald sneered as he waved away the people behind the bushes. Sheik glowered at them and Link made a note to ask about that later. “I have been humiliated for the last time.”

“Doubtful,” Sheik breathed.

“But,” the Lord went on, looking as if the words pained him. “It is time to take a different approach. By what can only be described as pure luck, an orphan and a farmboy have managed to ruin my plans at every turn. So, boys, what will it take to have both of you leave and never return?”

Sheik snorted without humor. “I’d leave your presence in a heartbeat without being asked, and live happily ever after in the knowledge I never have to lay eyes on you again.”

“No, simple boy, leave Hyrule.”

“The Goddesses would have to descend from on high to personally throw me out,” Sheik snarled.

“Then he’d still go kicking and screaming,” Link added dryly. His mentor snorted.

“What now, oh father dearest?” Sheik went on. “Going to try and toss us in the well again? Maybe if you ask really nice, Zelda will help you arrange the event. The Goddesses know you fucked it up last time.”

“I may not have grounds to execute you, but I am still the standing Lord of this town. As such I hereby ban both of you from ever entering again. You bring nothing but trouble and disaster.”

“Fine by me, let’s go, Hero,” Sheik snapped. Link let out a breath as they turned to leave, but just as they reached the guards who would show them back to the main gate. Sheik turned on his heel and yelled, “Normally I would be happy to put all of Hyrule between myself and you’re worthless ass, but I’m going to enjoy watching Zelda reject that order.” He slammed the door behind them before Thorvald could respond.

“Well...that went better than I expected,” Link sighed.

“You’re just saying that because no one died.”

“I take victories where I can get them around you.”

The guards led them back to the inn, keeping their air professional and cordial. The walk through town was quiet, as such things went. People stopped their work to watch or wave, but unlike Castle Town there was no big parade. The guards let them gather their things at the inn, Caru packing food for their journey in spite of their assurance they had plenty, and mounted their horses. As the Captain of the Guard opened the siege gate, he turned and saluted both men.

“For what it is worth, I feel Lord Thorvald is being unfair. What you did for this village will always be remembered. I apologize we must part on such terms.”

“Don’t worry about it.” Sheik shrugged. “You are just following orders.”

The sun set low in the sky over Hyrule Field, setting the breathless air quivering in the afternoon heat. Link took a deep breath, tasting the rain that was just over the mountains. Tonight it would pour and there was no town close enough where they could seek the refuge of a solid roof. He glanced at Sheik, to see him scanning the horizon. “I don’t suppose you packed a tent?”

“No, Hero, I didn’t.”

They set a fast pace, but as night overtook them, so did the rain. It came down in thick sheets drenching them and the horses in only a few minutes. Lightning raced across the blackened sky and thunder roared in fury. They managed to find meager shelter in a small grove of trees that did little more than collect the rain into heavy drops before dumping it on them. A fire was impossible, even with their magic, so they bundled up as best they could and had some fruit for supper.

The rain did not blow itself out during the night and continued on into the morning, though much more gently. The wet brought the ChuChu out of hiding. It was a mixed blessing. While they filled every extra bottle they had with the useful and colorful creatures, there were far more than they could ever make use of, and spent a lot of time avoiding large groups that would be happy to make a meal of any wayward travelers or passing animals.

Hungry, cold, and wet, it was noon before they found a place to take shelter. The farms that had been in the area had been ransacked by the oddly behaving Moblin, but those farther away had survived relatively intact. Still, few had lights burning in the windows, showing the owners had fled. Neither young man could justify breaking into a home just because of a little rain.

The first farm they came to that looked inhabited was a sad, rickety piece of property. A cow and a handful of underfed goats huddled together under a poorly built pole barn. The field was nothing but mud, that in the rain had turned into a thick slurry. The house was in no better shape, swaying in the slight wind. It was a miracle it had survived the night.

Cautiously, they approached the house and knocked on the door. A young girl in her mid-teens answered, a shawl wrapped tightly about her slim shoulders. Like the livestock, she looked underfed, her skin too pale and slightly sunken. She blinked at them with wide brown eyes, hidden behind dirty brown hair.

“Can...can I help you?”

“We were hoping to find refuge from the storm,” Link answered gently. “If you have the room.”

The girl looked skeptical, took a step back into the house and shut the door. “Or not,” Sheik sighed, his voice sounding strange through the wet wrap over his mouth and nose. They mounted their horses again just as the door reopened. This time it was an older girl, no more than eighteen. She had the same look of hunger and paleness, and though her hair was also brown, her eyes were a pale, milky blue.

“Please, forgive my sister. Come in out of the rain.”

Link noticed she did not speak to them, but stared at a spot somewhere over to their left. Dismounting, the men took their saddlebags and released the horses, knowing the animals could take care of themselves even in the bad weather.

The inside of the small, one-room house was as bad as the outside. Puddles of water soaked the hard packed earth floor around overflowing buckets that caught water leaking from the roof. A small fire burned in a crumbling hearth, smoke hovering near the ceiling as whispers of it missed going up the chimney. A tiny dented caldron hung over the fire; the smell of weak soup was almost impossible to discern over the musk of wet earth, old wood, rain, smoke, and something rotten.

The only furniture was a small table, a low bench, and a single bed. The bed was piled high with old blankets and worn clothes. The younger girl was kneeling on the floor near the bed, while the older moved with measured steps to the hearth to stir the fire. The rotten smell was coming from the bed. Link caught Sheik’s eyes and knew he smelled it too.

“Please forgive my sister,” The older girl said again. “We don’t get many visitors here.”

“It’s all right,” Link replied. He wanted to wring some of the water out of his clothes, but it seemed rude. Instead he moved closer to the fire in hopes of drying faster, Sheik followed. Link glanced around the hovel again. “Thank you for the shelter.” The older girl jumped and looked at him – or rather at Sheik – in surprise, then quickly recovered.

“Not at all. Please, have some soup. It’s not much, but it’s hot.” She reached next to the hearth and picked up two wooden bowls that had seen better days. Carefully, and with great deliberation, she spooned liquid from the pot into each bowl. Link raised an eyebrow when she bypassed his outstretched hands to instead place the bowls on the table, but did not comment as he took a seat on the bench.

The soup, as she called it, was not all that appetizing. The vegetables were soggy and brown and a strange greasy film floated on top of a liquid that looked like dirty bath water. The younger girl was watching them from her place near the bed, her brown eyes narrowed. Link took a sip of his soup and wished he had not. The liquid was heavily laced with a spice that made his tongue burn and his eyes water, while leaving the roof of his mouth feeling greasy. His throat constricted and his stomach revolted, but he managed to swallow the vile concoction.

“Now that was courage,” Sheik said in a voice only Link could hear.

Wiping at the greasy feeling on his lips, Link cleared his throat and addressed the girls. “What are your names?”

“I’m Ada,” the older girl replied. “And my sister’s name is Romey. What about you?”

Sheik raised an eyebrow as the boys exchanged looks. “This is Link and I’m Sheik.” Ada stopped mid-step as she carried a bowl of soup to her sister.

She turned to look at them, but instead focused on Sheik’s chest. “The Hero of Hyrule and Zelda’s personal bodyguard?” She frowned at them. “Please don’t make fun of my blindness. I may not be able to see, but I am not a fool.”

Sheik pulled a medallion out from under his armor and walked over to her. Without a word, he placed it in her hand and closed her fingers around it. “We are who we say we are.” Ada handed the bowl to her sister and used both hands. The simple metal disc was stamped with a Triforce on one side, and on the other, alternating triangles and circles, the symbol of Light. The young woman held it reverently, running her fingers over the simple designs, then with great care handed it back to Sheik.

“Forgive me, my Lords.” She cast her eyes on the floor. “I did not realize...”

“It’s all right,” Sheik said gently, carefully removing the disc from her hands. “Who we are isn’t important. We are just travelers on a rainy day.”

A groan from the bed interrupted them. Ada excused herself and quickly moved to her sister beside the bed. They peeled back the blankets and began speaking softly. Link and Sheik exchanged a look and carefully advanced.

The man who lay on the bed was little more than a skeleton. Ashen skin lay draped over bones, and his dark eyes were sunken so far into his skull, he looked almost like one of the Redead. White whiskers and wiry hair clung to his head in a mat of soup grease and sweat. He was dressed only a tattered pair of shorts that at one time must have fit him, but now hung loose around protruding hip bones.

“I am sorry you must see my father this way,” Ada said softly. “He has been unwell for a long time and we cannot afford the potions he needs.” Link reached into his pouch and pulled out a bottle of blue potion. Romey’s eyes widened and her hands twitched. Then she bit her lower lip, looked away, and shook her head.

Link frowned and put the bottle in her hands. “Take it, we have more than enough.” Romey smiled brightly and quickly put the bottle to the old man’s lips. The results were less than spectacular. While his skin regained some color, it was obvious that the prolonged stay in bed had caused problems the potion could not fix. He retained the sunken hungry look and his muscles were atrophied beyond repair.

“How did he get like this?” Sheik asked as he helped the girls re-cover the man.

“We are not sure, My Lord,” Ada answered. “He went out one day to pick berries and mushrooms from the forest, and when he returned he said he was tired. Once he lay down he did not rise again.” She sighed almost to herself. “Without a mother to guide us, my sister and I made poor caretakers. I fear it is our fault he has fallen so far.”

Sheik sighed. “It doesn’t matter. For the time being focus on getting him better. It’s late, let’s all go to bed.”

Despite Link and Sheik’s protests, the girls surrendered their own meager beds, insisting that Lords could not sleep on the floor. The young men eventually gave up the futile fight and went to sleep.




























Converting /tmp/phpIfV68B to /dev/stdout