"One hundred and nineteen shrines." Sheik's voice was a rough whisper beside him, the sound of it filled with irritation. He knew that this was rather irritating, it was annoying to him too, but the shrines were important for their progress. Sheik wanted to be prepared for the Calamity and this was the best way that he thought to be prepared. Continuing on and hunting down the shrines so he could offer them to Hylia and boost his body. At least that was what he seemed to do with them, Sheik didn't even bat an eye at him when he prayed to the statues and asked for more durability.
Then again, he had been a Sage.
"Can I ask a question?" He ponders softly, turning his head to the side to look at Sheik. He was still poking at the tablet in his hands, partly distracted from what Link was saying, but he gave a nod of his head to tell him that he had been heard and he was patiently waiting for whatever it was that Link wanted to ask. Sheik was always good at listening to him and a small smile plays on his lips as he watches the other. "How many Goddesses are there?"
Seeing Sheik fall into the role of the Sheikah tribe leader was rather interesting. It wasn't often he got a visual of the person that his mother raised him to be, stuffed down with lessons and a fountain of knowledge. His hands only paused briefly on the tablet before he started to speak, as if he was reading from a book and he probably was. It wouldn't surprise Link if this was a story he read several times over and over. "Before time began and before spirits and life existed, the universe was in chaos. The three Golden Goddesses descended upon the chaos and began the creation of the world, each of them creating a different facet of the realm. Din created the material realm, Nayru gave the realm of law and order, and Farore created all life forms that would follow the said order."
So three. He said Golden Goddesses. "With their labors completed, the Goddesses departed for the heavens, but not before leaving behind the Triforce, three sacred golden triangles representing a small portion of the essence of the goddesses." He picked his head up from the tablet and met Link's gaze. "Because the power of the Triforce was so great, they entrusted the sacred relic to the careful hands of the goddess Hylia so that she could protect it from those who would misuse its almighty power."
He blinked and shifted a bit where they were seated, leaning closer to Sheik. "If the Sacred Realm is the resting place of the Triforce, why do I have a piece of it in me?"
"To protect it." Sheik answered instantly, leaning closer to Link and taking his left hand. He held it in his own, stroking the back of it with his bandaged fingers. "The Triforce of Courage is the representation of Farore. It does not give you courage, that will never be the intention behind it. All it simply means is that you are Farore's chosen hero to help defend Hyrule, the land that the Golden Goddesses created. It means you are the Hero of our Time, and that you'll save us." He leaned back and let go of Link's hand. "No pressure, I'm just repeating a legend to you."
He knows how Link gets when it comes to failure and victory, when it comes to that crushing weight that everyone is relying on him. He took a deep breath and nodded his head, trying to relax and think of a way for him to distract himself. "So, do you know where we are now?" He asks, watching him.
Sheik gave a nod of his head and effortlessly rolled with it, knowing he needed a change of topic before his mind got ahead of him. Not that he was panicking, not yet anyway. "We're near South Tabantha Snowfield," which he did know since they teleported here from the last shrine, "and this place specifically is called the Forgotten Temple on the map." He nodded to let Sheik know he was paying attention. Sheik tapped something on the tablet and turned it to show Link briefly so he got a visual view of where they were. He turned it back around and settled it in his lap. "It seems like it was an old large temple of worship for the Goddess Hylia. Our last shrine according to the tower appears to be inside."
He nodded his head, motioning for Sheik to continue. "But? I sense a but in there."
Sheik nodded and pressed his lips together briefly before speaking. "You know how I said that the towers were magic and they used the area around them to monitor things?" Yes, because that ability was what sped up this shrine hunting quest. Sheik, when connected to a tower, could see everything in the surrounding area. Of course all of it was in Sheikah and he had to translate it to Link, then pin the shrines they were going to since disconnected he couldn't see them, but it was a great thing to have.
After a moment of staring at the tablet his partner spoke again. "Well, I found I could also see the location of a few other things when connected to the tower." He wasn't sure he liked that, since it sounded foreboding and Sheik didn't do dramatic. "Like the Guardians." Link blinked, his eyes widening slightly and then he shifted forward to try and see the map. Not that he'd see the guardians on them since they weren't connected to a tower anymore, but still.
"How many?" He prompted and Sheik sighed.
"I don't remember the exact number. And I'm not going back to the tower just to count. But," he says carefully, taking a breath. "It was at least a dozen."
"A dozen?"
"I know." He locked the tablet and stood to his feet, Link following suit as the Sheikah Warrior tucked the tablet down into the holder at his waist. He's started carrying it around with him more since he did most of the work on it, Link wasn't bothered at all. He trusted Sheik with his life, a tablet was hardly something he was concerned with at all. "I know." Softer this time, lips pressing together. "We'll just need to think of a plan."
The plan? The plan was not great. But they didn't have much of a choice here other than risking their lives to take on a handful of guardians who were hard enough to fight on their own. So Link, who had been watching Sheik closely and realized he wasn't even sure where to begin with this, made a plan. It was not a War Strategist plan, it probably would have been an insult to anyone who did plan battle tactics, and Sheik had just stared at him when he suggested it. But as far as plans go, it was definitely a viable one. Something they've done before.
"On the count of three, we run for the back." He says again, glancing at his partner before turning his gaze back to the temple. "As fast as you can. The temple isn't that long and the moment we're in the back near the statue they won't be able to target us through the walls. And if they focus on us too much, a single shot to the eyes will stun them enough we can keep running. Do you want a bow? I have a spare."
Sheik hates this plan. He can see it in his eyes. But he takes the bow anyway and straps it to his back before turning his gaze toward the temple. He nods his head once, to let the other know he was ready, and Link quietly counts down before they both take off running. Splitting up hadn't been in the plan, but it was easier for Sheik to focus on running if he wasn't focusing on Link. Link himself needed to use the updrafts through the place to keep himself both out of the Guardian's reach and make his way through the temple.
He wasn't as fast as Sheik, he's not sure anyone was as fast as Sheik, and he could see the other launching himself across the rafters with an ease that he'd never be able to understand. Sheik was incredibly flexible, something he knew personally, and it was distracting to watch. He felt a couple guardians focus on him, the sound of their lasers changing, and he tightened his grip on the paraglider as he counted in his head when to drop.
An arrow flew past his head, connecting with the eye of one of the guardians and he dropped as the other one finally shot toward him. He flung the paraglider back up a second later, drifted over toward one of the rafters and dropped down beside Sheik. They were hiding behind a piece of broken pillar, using it as a cover while the Guardian's lost interest in them. "You weren't supposed to be worrying about me." He scolds lightly, a soft smile on his face.
"I'll always worry, it doesn't matter if I'm supposed to or not." A small shrug of his shoulders followed his words and Link laughed softly. He reached his hands out for Sheik, grabbing hold of his face and gently nudged the mask down as he pressed his lips to the other's. Sheik smiled against his lips and gently returned the kiss before nudging him back.
"Come on, we need to keep going, we can do that later." He teases and goes to stand, leaving Link very much wanting for more of him. Watching the other, his partner took off into a run and lept from the end of the rafter toward the wall, pushing off from the side of it to catapult himself toward the next landing spot. He twisted in the air, loaded an arrow on the bow, and shot the guardian in the eye before landing steadily on the next area.
It was really impressive.
Standing up himself he took off into a run and jumped into the next updraft, shaking his paraglider out and following after sheik.
When they finally reached the end of the temple he grabbed Sheik's hand and ran the last stretch, pushing them through the arch at the end of the temple and nearly falling to the side out of the watching gaze of the guardians. He breathed heavily as he tried to gather his strength back up, panting softly and watching the enormous statue of Hylia in the center of the room. After a few minutes he pushed himself up to his feet, not wanting to stay here a moment longer, and headed for the shrine behind the statue. After a moment Sheik followed him, tugging the tablet from his hip.
Link took it with a soft smile, activated the terminal and then stepped onto the platform. "Be right back." The Rona Kachta Shrine activated on the map and Link held the tablet to him as he was dropped down inside the shrine, the voice of the monk filling the short space when he stepped out from the platform.
To you who sets foot in this shrine... I am Rona Kachta. By entering this place you have already proven your worth.
His favorite type of shrine. No hard battle after fighting to find it. Link made his way over toward the monk, stopping at the chest briefly to collect what was inside before making his way up the stairs. He reached his hand out, touched the barrier that shattered and then raised his gaze up to the monk. His last spirit orb drifted over to him, absorbing into his chest like the others and replenishing his strength. Once it was gone the Monk spoke.
You have at last conquered all of our trials. Having fulfilled our purpose, we monks bestow upon you this... The warrant of the true hero. You must now depart for the Forgotten Temple. May the Goddess smile upon you.
On the bright side, he was already at the Forgotten Temple. So he makes his way back outside, glancing around briefly and frowning when he didn't find Sheik waiting outside of it for him like before. He walked around the shrine toward the front of the statue of Hylia and smiled softly when he spotted him–with three chests.
"They appeared out of nowhere." He says, tapping his fingers against his arm as he stares down at them. "It was pretty interesting."
"The Sheikah Monks said it was a gift from them for completing all the shrines." He climbed up onto the platform and made his way over to the statue first, earning his last heart and being informed by the Goddess he had sufficient strength now. He turned away from the statue and looked at the chests, making his way toward one of them and couching down in front of it. He opened it up, reached inside and pulled out a green cap. "Clothes?" He questioned, turning it over in his hands a few times. "Weird."
He stood up and placed it on his head, poking it a few times to try and get it into place. "How does it stay on?" He questions, frowning as the long top of it fell in front of his face. "Not usually a hat person." Turning he looked over at Sheik and froze at the expression on his face. It wasn't one he was familiar with, wasn't one that he had actually seen on his partner's face before. This? This wasn't Sheik shutting down, wasn't him getting upset, wasn't him closing himself off to everyone–Link included. The expression he wore now was one of pure terror.
Eyes wide, body tense, hands clenched at his side. Sheik looked like he was staring at a ghost and shamefully it took him a bit too long to figure out why. He pulled the cap off of his head and turned it over in his hands, staring at it a moment before realizing where exactly he had seen it before. When standing in that white room, when staring at a reflection of himself, when facing an actual ghost.
The Hero cloaked in green.
He tossed the cap back into the chest and quickly moved toward Sheik, not stopping even when the other took a few steps back. He grasped Sheik's hands and pulled him toward him, ceasing his retreat and forcing the Sheikah to meet his gaze. "Hey, breathe, I'm still here. Everything's still fine. You see me, right, Sheik? You see me, not him, I'm still the same person I was ten seconds ago." He was not, and never would be, the Hero of Time. No matter how much they looked alike.
He squeezed the other's hands and felt him squeeze back, the first reassuring sign that he was breathing and alright. Slowly, the other nodded and Link pulled him a bit closer, staring into his red eyes and searching for any sign that he wasn't still fine. The mask was annoying him, closing off half of his face and expressions, but he wasn't going to let him go to pull it down. "I'm alright." He wasn't, he really wasn't. "I'm sorry–"
"No. Don't you dare apologize to me. Don't ever apologize for being scared." His voice is firm as he says this, keeping Sheik right where he was in front of him. He watched him swallow, felt him hold his hands a bit tighter, and then a single nod of his head. "It's alright to be scared."
A soft shake of the other's head, his gaze falling down to look over toward the chests. "It's just clothing." He says, but the waver in his voice made it feel like he didn't entirely believe that himself. Something about it made it not just clothing to him, be it the Hero of Time himself or all the legends that Impa shoved down his throat. He didn't know which one it was and frankly, he didn't entirely care about the reason for it.
Link didn't need those clothes.
"We'll take them with us, but I won't wear them." Sheik made a protesting noise at that but Link already let go of him and made his way over toward the chest. He fetched the cap back out and stuffed it in his bag before moving to the other two chests. He claimed the tunic and the trousers, stuffing them into the bag after the cap and then stood back up. When he turned back around Sheik wasn't looking at him, instead staring at the wall to avoid watching him. He really hated this, but they'd cross that bridge when they had more time. Right now, they simply didn't. No matter how much he wanted to talk about this. He made his way back over toward the other and reached his hand out, grasping Sheik's elbow and turning him back around to look over at him. "Come on, we're done here." Sheik nodded his head and Link grabbed the tablet once more, pulling up their home in Hateno and moving them back home.
Once back in the house Sheik vanished upstairs and Link watched him go briefly before heading over toward the side room and opening the door. Their armor and weapons were stored here, it gave them more space in the dining room and kitchen. He made his way over to one of the armor displays and pulled the green outfit out from his bag. He dressed the mannequin in it and then tossed a cover over top of it to keep Sheik from having to see it when he came inside the room.
Heading back out into the main area he found Sheik standing in front of the stove, making what looked like seafood soup for dinner and bread. That would be rather filling after everything they went through. He was dressed down now, a pair of simple trousers on and Link's favorite shirt that he slept in normally. His hair was unbraided now too, carrying down his back and slightly wavy from the braid.
Watching him worriedly he headed over toward the other he gently placed his hand on his hip before slowly encircled his arms around Sheik's waist, tugging him back against him a little and resting his chin on his shoulder. "Are you alright?" He asked softly, watching the other's hands move adding ingredients into the soup. He felt Sheik turn his head briefly, glancing over toward him before he returned his attention to the stove.
"I'm fine."
"You said that before." He replies softly, rubbing his cheek against the other's shoulder. He took a breath and then turned his head over to the side again to look at Sheik's face. "Do you want to talk about it?"
He stirred the spoon around in the pot, watching the soup thicken a little bit. "No. And before you think it, I'm not being stubborn. There just–isn't anything to talk about. It's just been a very... very long time since I saw that hat." And it didn't appear to bring back very good memories, is what he would add. But he wasn't in Sheik's head, so he can't say if it was good or bad memories. Can't say if he regrets his time with the Hero or not. Sheik's mentioned before he feels bad for how he handled the situation with the Hero of Time, but also that he didn't. Because he did what he was supposed to do. But doing what you're told and doing the right thing are not always the same. That was what he told Link.
He leaned over Sheik's shoulder and placed a gentle kiss on his cheek before searching for his eyes. "I'm here for you. Now and always." He reminds him, a soft smile playing on his lips as he squeezed Sheik gently in his arms.
"I know, now get ready for dinner. Go change. And maybe shower, you smell like sweat." He gives a soft laugh and nods his head, pulling away from the other and heading to grab some clothes.
He took a shower and enjoyed the feeling of the water washing away the sweat on his body. A shower after doing all the work that they did was always something that was relaxing to them, something that could be enjoyed. Once he was finished cleaning up he tugged on a pair of trousers and a red shirt. He made his way out of the bathroom and over to the table, taking a seat across from Sheik in front of the bowl of soup. He looked at the food and then Sheik, watching him poke at the tablet curiously.
"We finished the shrines, you can't pray for more power anymore, so what do you think we should do next to prepare for the Castle? You gathered quite a bit of weapons from the shrines, so we should be prepared for that. We also meant Robbie and you have those special arrows to help us." They met Robbie when heading around Akkala looking for shrines, the blue flame run had been incredibly annoying and probably would have been even more without Sheik watching his back while he carried it. It rained once on him while he was doing it and he might have quietly cursed the Goddess over it.
If they don't have to go back to Robbie he'd be happy, Sheik too probably. He had ten guardian arrows, hopefully it'll be enough for the Castle. He sat his spoon down in his bowl and looked at Sheik. "We have the Master Sword too, don't forget. All in all, I think things are going rather well for us right now." He says, drawing a nod from Sheik. He's not sure there was much more they could do to prepare for this fight. "I know you're worried, Sheik, but we've prepared a lot."
"I know." he says softly, setting the tablet down and turning to look at the food in front of them. "We even have shrines activated all around the Castle, even one of them inside of it through the water way. We can teleport right inside the basement of the place and work our way up." So, he has been devising a plan, of course he has. "I just–don't want anything to go wrong." He doesn't want Link to die for a third time.
And he gets that, he does.
But they can't put this off forever under the guise of preparing. Can't keep finding more things to do to put this off. Zelda might be able to hang on a while longer, but she can't hang on forever. He tries for his best reassuring smile to the other. "As long as we're together, and as long as we fight together, we'll be alright. You know that. I have you beside me, and you have I. We'll figure this out together, and we'll manage together, I believe in you." Sheik nodded his head but it didn't look all that confident.
They finished their dinner and Link did the dishes after they were done eating, letting Sheik head upstairs to calm and collect his thoughts. He knew the other needed just a little bit of time to himself, something he'd let him have. Tomorrow, he told himself, they would head to the Castle and get this final battle going. He was scared, nervous more probably, but he was determined too. Incredibly determined.
He tells himself that after all of this, they'd finally settle down together in their house in Hateno and move on with their lives. That once the Calamity was gone, that was something that they could do. Something they deserved. Link had been fighting this fight for a hundred years, even with his long nap, and Sheik had been fighting it for ten-thousand years. They deserved to rest after this. No matter what anyone else might want from them.
After this final fight?
He'd propose to Sheik.
Together forever, they promised.
Link dried the dishes and put them away before heading toward the stairs where Sheik was seated at the table. He took a seat on the bed and looked at what the other was doing, a soft smile on his face when he saw the pictures. "You're putting our pictures up?" He asks with a little bit of excitement, watching Sheik turn and hand the first framed one to him. He looked at it, the two of them standing close together with Link's arms wrapped around him. It was a nice picture, he liked any pictures they took though.
Standing from the bed he moved over to the shelf and placed the picture down on it where they could see it perfectly from any angle. He turned back to Sheik who was holding another one in his grasp. "I thought it would be nice to put them up, since I printed them from the tower." He sat the one he was holding on the desk, the embarrassing one they took of the two of them kissing. Well, embarrassing for Sheik, he loved that one.
The first thing Sheik had asked of him when they got the house was to take pictures with him that they could display. He was glad that they did do it, that Sheik got his pictures. He deserved to have whatever it was that he wanted, and Link wanted to give him the world.
Once the pictures were done being placed up he moved over to the bed and sat back down on it, waiting for Sheik to join him. He leaned back and scooted until he was comfortable, sitting with the other beside him. Leaning to the side he rested his head on Sheik's shoulder, feeling him take his hand and hold it in his grip. Those calloused fingers traced across the back of his hand, meaningless shapes that just seemed to calm Sheik down.
He did seem to be feeling a bit better, which was what he had wanted. Being overly nervous for the oncoming fight wouldn't help anything. It would just make them think the worst of what was going to happen, which would set them up for failure. And failure wasn't what they needed to think about, they needed to be focused on winning. On freeing Zelda, on freeing all of Hyrule and then rebuilding it.
Not that he would be rebuilding Hyrule. That was up to Zelda, her and whatever soldiers might still be around. If there even were any. He wasn't sure, though he was told that he used to be one of her soldiers. He still didn't have any memories, still didn't know anything about who he was or what he did. He only had the information about himself he picked up from everyone, few and far inbetween. The failed Hero.
"Your mind is running away with you." Sheik said softly, squeezing Link's hand and then returning to tracing symbols into the back of his skin. He gave a tired hum to Sheik and shifted a bit closer, placing a kiss against the Sheikah's shoulder and drawing a huff of laughter from him. He turned his own head and placed a kiss to the top of Link's, bringing a soft smile to his lips. "What are you thinking about so deeply?"
"My memories. And I know I don't need to, since there isn't anything I can do about it now, especially with Zelda's pictures gone from the Sheikah slate. But I wonder what kind of person I was before all of that, you know? I heard I was a soldier in the Hyrulian army. That I was the guard to the Princess. The Hylian Champion. The failed hero." Sheik huffed at that one, annoyed and tense. But it was true, it was one of the things that they called him. Because he had failed them.
"So I was just thinking about what type of person that made me." If he was a good person, or if he was someone that people couldn't stand. The Champion's didn't talk like they were friends, apart from Mipha. He didn't feel particularly close to any of them, though he thought that was the lack of memories. Revali seemed to despise him actually, even at the end when he freed him.
Sheik shifted and pulled Link into his lap suddenly, wrapping his arms around his waist and holding him to his warm body. He tucked his head down against the top of Link's head and gave a soft hum. "I think that you were an incredible person. Kind and warm. I think that dedicating yourself to servitude under the King's name is something selfless and strong. Not many people go into the army, after all. And those that do it, do so with the intention of wanting to protect people. In bettering the world."
"Does this come from experience?" He asks curiously, wanting to look at Sheik's face but not wanting to move either. He was quite comfortable held in the other's grasp, those warm arms wrapped around his waist and hanging onto him tightly. He likes when the other holds him as much as he enjoyed holding Sheik. Comforting each other, relying on each other, gives them strength and courage.
Sheik said the Tirforce didn't give him courage, that was because it was Sheik who gave him his courage.
He can feel the other smiling into the top of his head. "Perhaps. I did, if you want to read between the lines of it all, serve under the Queen's name. Though I wasn't exactly part of the army. Like I said before, the Sheikah are the Shadow Folk to the Hyrulian Royal Family."
Shadows. Like they're not meant to exit. Not meant to be a part of anything. He still finds he doesn't like that. Doesn't like how Sheik or the Sheikah in general, seem to invalidate their existence by binding it to the Royal Family. When they do free Zelda, she can't take Sheik from him. He won't let him run off and join her new army. That was a topic for another day though, when they do actually win this fight.
He turns in the other's grip finally and leans up, placing a kiss to his lips, slow and meaningful. He feels the other return it, feels his body lean into his own. When he breaks their lips apart he doesn't move far away, instead gently pushing Sheik to lay down. "I can think of one more way to prepare before tomorrow." He says and Sheik gives a soft hum.
"I think I can too." he tugs on the bottom of Link's shirt. "Take it off."