The Legend Of Zelda Fan Fiction ❯ A Ruby Surrounded By Sapphires ❯ The Warriors Inside ( Chapter 3 )

A Ruby Surrounded By Sapphires

 

Warnings: Um...Angst, yaoi, angst, cute little girls, angst, inner monologues..Oh, did I mention angst?


Disclaimer: Not mine. Don't sue. No more places to hide bodies.

 

Chapter 3


The Warriors Inside

 

Zelda's visits were becoming less and less frequent. It went from once a week to every two weeks, and then to every three. I couldn't help but feel slightly abandoned. Still, I knew that she had her own life and it was hard to rule. I had no right to feel anything but happy that she spent as much time with me as she did.

 

Star still spent long hours at my house. I was glad for that constant. She had recently grown to like beading and spent time doing so with Kiris some afternoons. She and Kiris were spending more time together now, Star staying in the house while I went off to do things. I missed her following me around and was reminded when others asked where my `chick' had gone. That was just how things were.

 

The two-year anniversary of peace was near. There was massive planning going on at the castle and Zelda appeared even less in Kakariko Village. Aridine asked me why `Thea' hardly ever came to see us anymore, but I could tell her nothing. When she finally did visit again, it was only a week before the celebration and she looked very tired.

 

"Thea, dear, come sit down and have lunch with us!" Aridine chirped when `Thea' followed me inside. Zelda graciously accepted the offer and spent the rest of the day resting, reading some of our books and simply not doing anything that she didn't have to do. That evening, I accompanied her to the stair. She held my arm, leaning close against me as if she hoped we would never reach the entrance to the Field. Neither of us spoke during the short walk, but we both knew what we were feeling.

 

"Zelda?"

 

My head shot up, eyes locking onto the voice's originator and hand shoving Zelda behind me as I reached for a sword that wasn't there anymore. A moment later, I recognized him standing before us, his face confused but alert enough to notice my defensive stance. He frowned.

 

"It's okay," Zelda told me, putting a hand on my arm. I nodded slightly and relaxed myself, turning to leave her alone with her warrior.

 

"Hey!" His voice stopped me, as it had before. "You're the one from the Market..."

 

I glanced back at him, eyes narrow. Zelda looked between us before moving to his side.

 

"Link, let's go back to the Castle now," she said. He didn't budge.

 

"Hold on," he muttered and I could see his eyes were determined. He took a few steps towards me until he was right in front of me. Then he reached up, brushed my blond hair way from my face, and brought his other hand up to cover my nose and mouth. His eyes went wide as I just stood there, letting him do whatever he wished.

 

"Sheik..."

 

"Hello Link," I said, pulling away. Then I turned on my heel. "Goodbye, Link."

 

He didn't follow me and I was glad for it.

 

The celebration came and went. Kakariko Village gave a small party, more of an excuse for some to get drunk than anything. But it was only a little affair and was soon forgotten in the bustle of daily life. My encounter with Link was less easily forgotten. I laid in bed at night thinking of it, remembering the feel of his hands on my face and hair. It had been a glorious feeling that was far too shortly lived.

 

It was a sudden thing that came to my mind. I understood why it was that I never imagined children in my future and why no maiden had ever caught my fancy. When I was younger, I never questioned that, and while with Zelda in control, I never had the chance to wonder. But now at an age where I was expected to marry, I understood why I did not wish to. At seventeen years, I had met the one person I wanted. However, the problem with this was that he was a man. A man I had loved ever since I laid eyes on him, but a man nonetheless. And while this might not have bothered me, he was the consort of the royal Queen Zelda. My chances at happiness seemed to be dwindling quickly.

 

I would never try to take the Hero of Time from Zelda. I couldn't hurt her like that. I loved her far too much. And duty prevented me from doing anything against her happiness or well-being. So, it was the noble road I decided to take. I would leave Link to his rightful place as Zelda's side.

 

After the celebration, I was surprised when Zelda's visits did not begin again. A shadow had begun to weigh over my heart. There was a stirring in the air, a disturbance within the land itself. I wanted very much to confide in her my fears, but could not leave the village without true proof. Star was still not fully recovered and I had promised Yue not to leave her. Instead, I simply listened to the talks of those who did travel. Tiny bits of information came to me this way, but little of it was comforting. The Zoras were on the move and there was activity within the Goron society. I had little else about them, but that alone made me wary. It was as if the shadow of my heart was moving over the whole of Hyrule.

 

"Sheik, what are you looking at?" Aridine asked me one day. I had been staring up at the sky, watching clouds gather above. It seemed to be mirroring my unease.

 

"It will rain tonight," I told her. She pursed her lips and gave me a stern look.

 

"What's wrong?" she questioned. "You've been too quiet. Something is on your mind."

 

I had no answer for her. She didn't press it that day. However, first in the morning, she asked again. I still had nothing to tell her and left her irritated as I went to work on Yue's roof. My day had hardly begun when it was interrupted for a second time. Just as I was setting the latter up, my arm was grabbed and I was forced around. Zelda's scared blue eyes bore into mine.

 

"Sheik!" she hissed. "The girl! The girl with curls! Star! Where is she?!"

 

This hurried, urgent speech frightened me and only put me more on edge. I took Zelda to Star's home without a word. Yue caught onto our solemn moods and didn't question our visit. As soon as we were let in, Star peeked out of her room, the normal ringlets framing her little face and lace adorning her clothing. Zelda stared at her a moment before taking a breath and thanking me. Then, she sped back outside. I gave the bewildered Yue and Star a look that meant 'don't ask' before following. Zelda was nearly to the stair when I caught up and whipped around to face me.

 

"I dreamed," she whispered. I barely heard her, but my heart tightened in my chest at the words. Zelda lowered her eyes and clutched a hand to her breast. "I dreamed last night. It was dark and there was pain, so much pain. That girl...that child...She was the one in pain, Sheik. She felt your pain."

 

I strode to her as tears warped her lovely face and put my hand to her cheek. My voice was quiet and calm as I urged her on. "Tell me."

 

"She died, Sheik...It...it was such a horrible death," Zelda murmured as her hands began to shake. "Something is coming. I can feel the darkness threatening Hyrule again...and I don't know if Link can save us this time. Not alone. I...I saw him die, Sheik."

 

A sigh escaped my lips as I drew her to me and let my arms drape around her comfortingly. She allowed it, her head laying against my chest. We stood this way for a long while as I thought it through, but the decision was made as soon as Zelda told me of the danger.

 

"I will fight the darkness," I murmured in her ear. A shutter ran down her spine as she pulled her head back.

 

"Sheik...I won't ask you to do this...I won't ask you to serve me again. Not like this..."

 

"It is not as it was then," I told her quietly. "I know exactly what I am agreeing to. It is my duty as a Sheikah and as a man."

 

She stared at me with teary eyes before biting her lip and nodding understanding. She knew she could not persuade me otherwise now that I had decided.

 

"I will call for you. It will be in no sooner than a month," she said. I nodded. She looked at me again, as if there was more she wanted to say, but was silent. Her sapphire eyes showed the worry and near defeat she tried not to let me know of. I could only guess what my own told her. Our parting that morning was quiet and solemn. For the rest of the day, I went through my normal routine. If any of the others noticed my more somber attitude, I didn't notice nor did they comment. That night, not even the physical exhaustion could soothe me into sleep. I sat outside on the porch instead, gently playing my lyre. I played songs with no meaning and songs my heart knew well. None would bring me what I sought, but it gave me something to do.

 

That morning, I went on with my normal tasks, though I had not slept. It went on this way for days. Aridine tried to help me, but even her comfort could help me. I napped a few hours at a time and spent my free minutes taking up a sword to sharpen my skills again. I found my skills vastly lacking. What I had learned with Zelda was nearly gone. My body indeed remembered the battles, but... My mind had to catch up. Finally, I decided to leave my home for the last two years. Aridine packed a bag of supplies that would last a few days. She didn't cry when I hugged her good bye, but I knew she wished to. Kiris did, running from me for the sancuary of her room. I felt guilt fill my being, but knew it had to be this way. I made it to the stair before my greatest obsticle appeared.

 

"You're leaving."

 

I paused, already recognising the little voice behind me but unsure if I was strong enough to face her. Star didn't move from her spot. The acusing stare of her eyes bore into me. Finally, I turned and looked back. Her eyes scanned over me, face revealing nothing for a long while. Then she smiled.

 

"I'm coming with you," she said matter-of-factly. I stared at her.

 

"No, Star. Go back to your mother."

 

One of her thin brows jerked high. "I'm coming with you."

 

"No," I said sternly. Zelda's words came back to me quickly. I knelt before the little girl, begging her to understand. "I can't let you. It will be dangerous."

 

"Someone has to look out for you," Star murmured quietly. I knew already that I had won the argument. Without another word, I pulled her into my arms and held her tightly. She returned the embrace. "You have to come back, Sheik..."

 

“I will. Don't worry about me."

 

"Wear my crown?" she whispered, her stormy eyes begging. I carefully removed the flower wreath from her head and laid it on my own.

 

"I'll be back before you know it," I told her.

 

"I'll miss you," she said. "You're still here and I already miss you."

 

After a kiss on her forehead, I stood again. "I'll miss you as well."

 

"Promise to think of me?" she asked.

 

"Everyday," I promised. She accepted that and looked away.

 

"Go on then," she said. I left, going down the stair without a look back. When I entered the Field, it was just midday. I stared over the land I had roamed so very long with Zelda and felt the memories come back to me. The seven years weren't all bad. I could see that now that I wasn't encased in my own misery. With a soft sigh and a heavy heart, I started on the first of my journey.