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Shadow: Chapter Two:
Chapter 2
Thoughts
The medical room was silent as Sheik sat on
the stool. He hadn't spoken the whole night since the accident. Sheik winced
visibly as Nabooru tightened a bandage over his ribs. Link sat in the corner
watching. He wanted to know what had happened between Sheik and the Garo,
but Sheik wasn't going to talk. Link knew him too well to think he was going
to admit defeat.
Zelda sat on the other side of
the room, looking down into her lap and fiddling with her fingers. She looked
up at Sheik as he gritted his teeth at the pain. The Guerdo woman tightened the
bandages even more.
If that hurts too much kid,
you can just tell me, Nabooru grumbled, seeing Sheik twitch, trying to keep from
showing any weakness at the operation. His mask was still on over his face,
but his eyes showed all the pain he was experiencing right now.
Sheik stayed silent still, even frowning at her words
and grunting as if he wasn't hurting at all. "I'm fine." Sheik finally got out.
You call four broken ribs, a minor concussion
and a sliced up side fine? You're a strange kid, Sheikah, you could have gotten
much worse from a severe fall like that!" Nabooru shot at him, a little angry.
Even though she liked Sheik and Link, they were both strong good men, as strong
as her people. But a suicide run with a demon was never a smart thing to do,
even for a Sheikah, who where trained to be fighters since childhood.
I had to come from the sacred realm today to fix you up.
And all you tell me you is that you don't need any help," Nabooru sighed.
I'm fine! Sheik said stubbornly as Nabooru untightened
the bandage and Sheik let go of the breath he was holding.
By Farore's feet kid, stop being stubborn, Nabooru shouted.
The room turned silent again. Even Sheik seemed to be
effected by Nabooru's burst of anger. Link sat forward in his seat, sighed and
looked at Sheik as Nabooru grumbled and continued her work.
Sheik, what was that Garo doing here?
I do not know, Sheik growled, narrowing his eyes, but not directing them at Link.
Sheik? Zelda asked, getting his attention.
Sheik looked at her behind the mask, his eyes frowning for some reason. "What is
a Garo?" Zelda asked curiously.
A Sheikah warrior
that has been turned evil by a curse, Sheik answered strongly, his voice nipping
at something more than he was telling them. Zelda knew she should't intrude,
but she felt he was hurting right now about something more then being injured
(lightly) by a demon.
Zelda looked over at Link
as Sheik turned his head away again, looking down at the floor and painfully
letting Nabooru clean the gash in his side. Link shrugged, seeming not to know
what she was puzzled with about their mysterious friend.
I encountered a few in Termina while I was there years ago, but they
weren't like this one."
How did you come to that?
Zelda asked curiously. Sheik suddenly darkened his expression as Link continued.
Well, for one thing, they didn't jump fifteen
feet into the air, or speak as well as this one did." Zelda nodded slightly,
trying to absorb all the information, looking Sheik over briefly she continued
to ask questions.
So your saying this one was some
other form of demon?
No, I'm just saying it might
by a pseudo demon, or a kinship of it maybe, I can't be sure of what it was
without knowing more information.
Link, can I speak
with you please?" Zelda asked after a confusing moment of silence. Link nodded
and got up, walking past Sheik, who watched them walk outside.
I must come with you, Zelda." Sheik said, referring to his duty
of being her sworn guardian. Sheik got up from the stool and Zelda was about
to tell him no, but she was interrupted by Nabooru.
Oh, no, kid, you're not getting out of here this easily! SIT! A lot of good
it'll do if you go around bleeding on everything!" Nabooru shouted, then roughly
pushed his shoulders down and Sheik winced and gave her a look that would
have had a full grown Lizafos running away screaming on it's tip toes.
Sheik, Nabooru's right you must stay here, I need to speak
with Link anyway, alone.
But I...
STAY! Zelda warned. Sheik grunted and sat down willingly as
Zelda closed the door. Zelda waited, looked at the door with her hand on the handle,
shaking her head about something. Link leaned down to try to see her face,
but she turned to him quickly.
Link, I think Sheik
is hiding something about this Garo thing.Zelda whispered, slowly walking
from the door.
Link followed right beside her, his
hands behind his back.
Why would you ever think
that? Link asked, smiling at the small joke.
Link, you know him better then I do, and I'm afraid that what ever that Garo was,
it was here for a reason."
"The ones that I met
didn't have a purpose, just to attack me". Link mentioned, arguing with her
suggestion.
"I'm going to have the guards take extra
shifts for the next few nights". 'I just feel like this was more then what
it seems, I don't think we should blow it off like we usually do!"
"Why do you think that?"
"Because
Sheik hasn't mentioned anything to me about it, and you told me that he ran
after it without alerting the other guards, Sheik would never do that, it's not
his way." Zelda explained her voice a little suspicious.
Link stopped, starting to catch on. "Do you think he knew that one,
or has a connection to it in some way?" Link said, a little louder then he wanted
to be, even though he had just realized her point and was a little excited
by it.
"Yes,that's what I'm saying. He hasn't
acted like himself since he woke up in the medical room a couple of hours ago.
I just want you to try and find out for me what he's thinking Link. I thought
I would never say this, but I'm worried about Sheik's safety."
"Your really sure about this, I mean Sheik is a pretty mysterious
person by personality anyway!" Link mentioned.
Zelda walked up to Link and put her hands on his shoulders. "I'm sure of it."
Link nodded, smiling slightly. Then bowed to Zelda
and started walking away.
"Oh. And Link!" Link
stopped and turned around again. Zelda smiled wickedly at him. "Don't think
I don't know you were disobeying my orders, going out of guard duty?!." Zelda added,
giving the confident man something to shake about in the time being, before
he was around the hallway and out of sight.
The night was cold, the storm clouds still
poured rain onto the streets, showers that stopped and started again. It was
a miserable day in Hyrule. The only ones outside that night were the recruited
guards, who had to take double shifts because of the attack last night.
Link sat in his room in the castle, it had been
his home for a couple of years, but Link usually didnŐt sleep that often in this
room. Link looked out of the window, leaning against the windowpane and trying
to think clearly. He had fallen asleep a couple of times, but had been awoken
by a dream that would start out just like tonight.
Dark clouds would gather
above him. He saw Sheik leaning over someone, lyi
motionless on the
ground. Then he would wake up, it was strange. Link had been trying to sleep for
the last five hours, but that dream had awakened him every time, like it was
trying to force him to stay awake for something.
Link thought about Sheik. He hadnŐt seen the Sheikah all day, not since
Zelda asked Link to figure out what was making him so quiet. Link heard someone
knock on the door. "Come in,"Link said, his voice sleepy and dim.
Link saw the slender figure of someone he hadnŐt seen for the
last day as well walk through the door and into the dark room. "Link?" came a
soft woman's voice.
"Over here." Link yawned, getting
down from the closed window and walking across the room.
"Can I light a lantern, it's very dark in here," The soft voice
asked a tint of wonder in her voice.
"Yeah, go
ahead, I was just trying to think. I can think better in the dark."A flame flared
from across the room, and the beautiful woman lit the lantern. Looking across
the room, her eyes sparkling as she saw Link.
You can't sleep either tonight?" The women asked, standing up straight.
Link looked the human over, she wore peasant cloths, but
she didn't need fancy clothes to look good. Mayoree walked lightly across the
room towards Link, her head low.
No, too much to
think about, Sheik falling off of a roof, demon attack, you know the normal stuff."
"Demon! Not like
"No Mayoree, not like Musend." Link sighed, thinking back to that point where
he had met lovely Mayoree. It had only been a couple of months, and already
the nightmare of an adventure was already becoming a vague memory. Link remembered
that he had been dragged back in time four hundred years by a dragon, a wise
and respectful silver colored beast, who told him that something was threatening
to alter his future. Link had accused the king, Lithoen Chimera, but learned
that his high commander, Musend, was toying him with. Link remembered Musend,
that twisted man who willingly let a demon take his body. Link dug deeper into
his faded memory. But all he found was Musend's black eyes haunting him, those
demon eyes that Ganondorf had once held in his hated stare. And his strength,
like that of a god, he was five times more powerful then Ganon, even with the
Triforce. Link ran over all the information again, Musend had also been Ganondorf's
ancestor, Link remembered that part too clearly. And Link had learned that
Ganondorf's power had actually come from an ancient demon lord who would progress
from one body to another every generation of new Guerdo boys.
And to Link, Ganondorf never seemed to be done torturing with
his revenge for death from his grave, even from the fires of hell Ganon still
seemed to have a strong hold on Link's every move.
"So what has Sheik done this time?"
"He
fell fifty feet into a cobble stone road!" Link sighed, shaking his head.
Lovely Mayoree sighed back.
Link had never understood the mysteries of time travel. Mayoree, being
as smart as she was, had tried to explain it to him. But Link had never quite
caught on to it. If he had to go back in time to change the future, but he
was here and it had already changed why would he need to travel back to change
it when it's already done? "Paradox," Link whined, throwing himself on the bed
face down and closing his eyes.
"Paradox?" Mayoree
asked curiously, sitting next to him. Link looked up at her, positioning his
head from the fluffy blankets. Link looked into her large eyes, her human ear
poking out from her long auburn hair. Her hair was always waved from the wind,
she smiled at his silence and leaned down on the bed as well. "It's a kind of time
loop, it's created when you go back in history and change something that was
different in your own time.
"I know" Mayoree said
with a smirk on her fair face.
"I was thinking
about time travel, how I never remember how I got there, or got back through a
worm hole. I feel like it's taking an effect on my mind," Link sighed. " And my
body," Link added in the middle of a yawn. Mayoree only smiled at him wider.
"I've heard time travel can turn your mind to mud
if you do it too much, and I think it might have slowed your aging process, Kono
taught me that." Mayoree suggested simply.
Link
smiled at the name Kono. Remembering the kindly old Moblin's wise decisions.
Link remembered the Moblin tribes vaguely too.
They used to be peaceful, wise, and magical creatures of the world, before the
Hylian race wiped out the tribes that refused to fight against them, for money,
or land just died out later. It was a sad fate for the creatures that Link had
once thought to be loyal, stupid, and brawny beasts with no respect, or hygiene.
After Link had met the ancient shaman, his hate for the species turned around
to envy.
Link sat up again, looking deeply at
her, determined. "There's also another matter I'm worried about, May, was I right
to bring you back with me? I just want you to be happy, and I'm not sure taking
you away from your time and home was the best thing"
Mayoree cocked her head, her dark brown eyes blinking twice. "Link, the
reason that I choose to come back with you was because I felt my life wouldn't
have been very fulfilling anyway."
Link let go
of the breath he was holding." That's good to know."
"I'd better go Link, Zelda's having another council meeting tomorrow, she
invited me to come this time."
Link followed her
to the door. "Mayoree?" Link asked in a low voice. She turned to him as he unlatched
the door. "Be careful, I have a bad feeling about this storm."
"I can take very good care of myself Link, thank you!" Mayoree
said and whisked out of the door, but not without giving him a small kiss
on the cheek. Link smiled and closed the door slowly watching her gracefully run
down the dark hallway and out of sight.
That
was her. Link thought, she was a strong willed woman, smart, beautiful and a very
talented fighter. Link didn't know what it was that captivated him about her,
because none of those qualities really caught him on her. She had always been
a true friend to Link, no more then that. Link had felt something different about
her since the day he had seen her in the Alley Street of Hyrule's dark past.
All that was racing through his mind the entire time the was there was about
her. And even now Link was still amazed by her many talents and quick wit.
Link sat down at the desk and blew out the lantern,
tonight, Link knew he wouldn't sleep.
CONTINUED
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