After the Master Sword: Part II
by tir-synni
A/N: This was something I've been planning for a
while. The first "Master
Sword" was Link and Sheik falling in love.
The rest of the series is Link trying to find his way back to him. Aww! Poor Link!
Anyway, please review so I will know if I should post the next
part. This has no connection to
"Ghosts of the Pasts."
Warning! Contains hints of shounen-ai, aka, boy/boy romance. If you don't like it, shoo! If you flame me, then I will be forced to
laugh at you. After all, if you don't
like shounen-ai, why did you click on this fic?
Before Termina
The house had
been small, then. Intended
for two people, no more. Sheik
had confided that, after Ganondorf's reign of terror
had begun, it had been a tight place for Sheik, Zelda, and Impa. Sheik had to learn how to aid the legendary
Hero when he awoke. Zelda had to learn
the fine art of the Sheikah, in order to remain
safe. Impa had
to protect them both.
After Ganondorf's reign of terror had
begun.
Ganondorf had never come to power.
Ganondorf had been trapped in the Sacred Realm before he
could become a true threat.
This all
occurred to Link in a flash as he sat in the too big house. His legs dangled from the bed he and Sheik
had slept on together. Each kick of his
legs only fluffed more dust.
"Sheik's
not here," Link said aloud, his voice ringing too high in his ears. "I was supposed to meet him here."
I'll be
waiting.
Carelessly,
Link dismissed what he was supposed to say if he had come across Sheik. He would find something. He always did.
He kicked
lightly at the bed, staring sightlessly forward. He had run to Sheik's house in Kakariko as soon as he had let go of the Master Sword. The door had been locked, but it had been nothing
for the experienced adventurer. He had
snuck in with ease...to find an empty house.
Something hot
and wet stung Link's eyes. Startled, he
fingered his eyelashes. Pulling his hand
away, he was surprised to find....
Tears? When was the
last time I cried? Even when the
princess was kidnapped, I didn't cry easily.
I cried when I
learned I was coming back in time.
Link shook his
head harshly. But even then, he had at
least been aware! These tears had
slipped through his control....
But...I'm not
an adult anymore. I don't have an
adult's control.
Link stared at
his small, callused hands before quickly wiping away his tears. It didn't matter. He was still the Hero. Even if Sheik wasn't there, that didn't mean
he should give up. His blue eyes
hardened. He hopped to his feet.
He was more
than just a child.
~~~~
The first
thing he did was recover Epona. Malon had only
smiled at his strange request and told him that Epona
wanted to go with him. Her only order
was, "Don't be a stranger."
With an impulsive hug, the redhead had returned to her field. Her gentle song had rang
in his mind. There was an old wisdom in
her laughing eyes…one only another old soul could recognize. Link could not help but smile as he rode Epona away. He knew....
His next was
to practice a bit in the fields, learning again his childish body. He did not have the strength of a seventeen
year old, although much had traveled back in time with him: his skill, his
knowledge, and his emotions. Within his
heart pulsed the love and lust of a seventeen year old man. The flighty emotions of his ten year old self
made those feelings hard to ignore. Link
doubted his body knew its own age.
The Kokiri Sword served his tiny body well. To his older self, it was but a dagger. To young Link, it provided an admirable
sword. Still, Link
thought, disgruntled. He pulled
his slingshot back. I miss my bow and
arrow. He released, sending a deku seed flying.
He had to get
used to the odd weight of his sword. He
had to get used to his slingshot, and the absence of his bow and arrow. He had to adjust to the absence of his hookshot, and remember the technique needed to master his
boomerang. He had to remember how to
fight like a child again.
Link had
really liked the golden gauntlets, though.
~~~~~~~
As before,
Link didn't bother going through the entrance.
No one even suspected what had occurred, so they did not know that Link
had actually saved them all. Because of
that, Link had all the political pull of the average ten-year-old child. Less, even.
The average ten-year-old child had their parents' backing. Perhaps Link could have had Zelda write him
up a pass, but that was too boring, and it attracted too much attention. Instead, Link simply snuck past the guards
and stealthily crept into the castle.
This is
pathetic, Link thought, disgusted, ducking behind a low rosebush. He easily avoided the absent-minded guards'
perusal. No wonder it was so easy for Ganondorf to capture the castle. These guards are idiots!
Link glared at
the retreating guards' backs before continuing on. No time to deal with those fools. He had a new quest.
Link kept
behind small walls and shrubs until he reached Zelda's garden. As he had expected, the princess was there,
peeking inside the castle. He cleared
his throat, and she whirled around with a gasp.
"Hello,
Princess Zelda," Link greeted, bowing slightly.
The answering
smile was brilliant. "Hello,
Link! You know you don't need to be so
formal with me. What can I do for
you?"
Link took a
hopeful step forward. Zelda's warm blue
eyes and gentle smile nourished that hope.
"I'm
looking for a young Sheikah boy, Sheik," Link
presented. He saw recognition in Zelda's
eyes and prodded, "A relative of Impa's?"
The blonde princess's
eyes widened, and she clapped her hands together. "Oh, of course! Sheik!
I know him!" Then Zelda's
smile faded, and Link felt his hope plummet.
"Sheik is the third child of destiny. Everything comes in threes; he completes the
triangle. However, because he is a child
of destiny, his location is often unknown.
He follows his own path. I doubt
even Impa knows where he is. I'm sorry, Link."
Link swallowed
hard and clenched his fists. He had not
expected an affirmative answer, anyway.
He took a deep breath and strengthened himself. "That's okay, Zelda. I'll just keep looking for him." Link smiled, his expression sad, but still
lit with his inner assurance. He would
succeed. "It's my quest."
Zelda did not
miss his specific choice of words. She
nodded in solemn understanding.
"There must be something I can do to help you, though," she
murmured, turning away from Link and rubbing her chin. Link waited patiently. She was the Sage of Wisdom for a reason.
Zelda paced
before Link, all the while rubbing her delicate chin thoughtfully. Link's patience grew slim, and boredom set
in. He pulled out his Kokiri sword and began swinging it through the air. In his other hand, he held his new shield, a
gift from Princess Zelda immediately after his return, playing with it
absently.
Before Link
began shadow fighting, Zelda clapped her hands again. "Oh, I know! Wait for me in Hyrule
Field. I'll be there shortly."
Link only
nodded and snuck back the way he came.
He had long ago learned not to question things. He simply adapted and prepared for what else
might come, absorbing and reacting and already thinking of something else. He only questioned one thing, and one thing
alone.
Sheik.
~~~~~~~
"Those
guards are stupid," Link confided to Epona,
dropping onto the pony's back. Epona neighed
happily, and he gently rubbed her neck.
However, he continued his scornful, one-sided conversation. "It's amazing that no one else like Ganondorf had laid siege!
How has the castle lasted this long?"
Epona neighed again as if in agreement. Link smiled and stroked her nuzzle
affectionately.
"We'll go
in the order that we went before," Link informed her, conveniently
forgetting that it had never actually happened.
He had stopped that. "
Link heard her
even before she spoke. "Truly, they
do," Princess Zelda agreed. The
pale-haired princess stepped before Epona, and the
pony nuzzled her in greeting.
Link swung his
leg back over Epona's back. He watched Zelda silently, his blue eyes
dark. Why did he have the feeling this
was going to be a long good-bye?
Zelda smiled
sadly. Apparently, she felt the
same. "Here, Link," she said
softly, extending her graceful hand.
"I pray this will help you in your quest."
It's kinda like me, Link thought wryly. Small but powerful.
Link glanced
from the Ocarina of Time to Zelda's sorrowful face. "I fear," she said quietly,
"that our parting will be long, and you will face many dangers. Please be careful, Link."
Clutching the
ocarina to his chest, Link bowed shortly to Zelda. "I will," he replied softly, not
attempting to refute her words. He had a
feeling she was not exaggerating in the slightest.
For a long
time, they stared at each other, not Link and Zelda but Hero and Sage, Courage
and Wisdom. In unison, they shared a
solemn nod before Link climbed back on Epona's back,
the Ocarina of Time securely in his hold.
"I'll be
back," Link promised. He wheeled Epona around and started for the forest.
"Link!" Zelda shouted as Epona
trotted off. "Don't forget the
songs and lessons you learned on your first quest! They will serve you well."
The young boy
never turned back.
~~~~~~~
The song of
the Lost Woods thrilled through Link's blood.
The boy shivered as his body recognized the intense magic of the
mystical forest. Most visitors did not
know this magic, and thus could not figure out why they were so hopelessly
lost. Link didn't know if it was because
he was the Hero of Time or if it was because he was raised as a Kokiri, but he was usually pretty good as navigating
through the magical woods. However, this
knowledge did not make Epona any happier going
through the Lost Woods.
"The
temple isn't far away, Epona," Link comforted
her. "We'll check it out, then head
to
Sheik, Link
thought, urging Epona on. I know you know of the Hero of Time. From what you have told me, you were raised
on the legends. But besides that, you
don't know me at all, do you? You never
knew me. Will the Sheik I fell in love
with even exist? Does the Link you adored
exist either? And does it truly matter
to a couple of kids?
Absorbed in
thought, Link never noticed the three sets of eyes watching him....
Just out of curiosity, does Link have any other little
quirks in the game? When he gets bored,
he pulls out his sword and waves it around.
Wait long enough, and he shadow-boxes, I suppose you could say. Anything else?