Chapter 13: Sheik and Veress
The first thing that Link noticed upon fully recovering from his latest spell of corruption was that Sheik was no longer right beside him as she had been before Fi had brought the Master Sword to him. Opening his eyes fully and glancing around the temple, he quickly discovered that the Sheikah leader was nowhere in sight. Her disappearance was disconcerting to him, considering the fact that there was a very real chance that she could have gone off after Veress on her own, in pursuit of the Goddess's Harp, a dangerous and reckless mission for anyone to attempt alone.
"Fi, where's Sheik?" the hero asked the sword spirit as she took her hands off the Master Sword, relinquishing it to his care. Fi did not answer him, but rather cast an angry glare towards the ground. Link gave her a confused look, but pressed on nonetheless. "Fi-"
"She is outside," the spirit answered rather sharply, clear aggravation and bitterness on her robotic tone. Her glare softened however, when she realized that she had unintentionally disrespected the hero. "Master... I am sorry... What I mean to say is that she stepped out into the woods. Do not worry, she is right outside, but... before you go out to meet her, I must have a brief word with you, Master Link..."
"What's wrong, Fi?" he asked as he resheathed the Master Sword.
She sighed, glaring down once more. "With all due respect, Master, I do not think it is wise to place your trust in that... Sheikah..." she placed an distasteful emphasis on the word 'Sheikah' as she cast a glance towards the open side doors of the temple.
"What?" Link asked, raising an eyebrow at her. "Why not?"
"It is a matter of the current state of her tribe..." Fi said with cold calculation. "While it is true that she is a direct descendant of Impa, it is clear to see that presently, the Sheikah tribe is going through a great schism. It is safe to say that all of them should be considered as enemies to both you and Zelda, rather than allies, including Sheik. For all we know, she could be secretly allied with the Interlopers, leading you astray with the purpose of betraying you into Veress's hands sometime in the near future. Perhaps you should evaluate the situation further and-"
"Stop it, Fi," the hero said firmly, refusing to even fathom what she was telling him. "Sheik's not like them. She wants to help Zelda, just like I do. What has she done to make you think she can't be trusted?"
"She let the Interlopers get away with the Goddess's Harp," the spirit said somewhat crossly.
"She didn't just let them get away!" Link argued, starting to grow impatient with her. "She-"
"Listen, Master..." Fi said, giving him a piercing gaze. "I am not trying to tell you what to do. I am simply trying to advise you in the best course of action. Might I remind you that we are dealing with a very delicate situation here on all sides? The surface and Zelda are both in great danger at the hands of the Interlopers and your own life is bending to the threat of corruption. The last thing you need at the moment is to be subdued at the hands of the Interlopers thanks to any form of misguided faith. I simply wish to help you see what is best for you..."
"Well maybe I can figure out what's best for me on my own!" Link said in defiant frustration as he rose to his feet. "I'm not a little kid, Fi! I can think for myself. And I think you're wrong about Sheik. She's not going to betray me. I trust her and you should too."
Fi said nothing as she took the reprimand of her master, but instead she simply gave him a cold look of indifference. She refused to admit that she was wrong, even to her own master. And so, she simply looked away from him as he finished, showing that she was done with this conversation. Link sighed when he saw that she gave him no reaction. He had a mind to apologize for getting harsh with her, but knew that to do so know would undermine his resolve. He fully believed that the sword spirit was wrong in her theory about the Sheikah leader and he intended to prove it. And so, he turned and slowly started for the side doors that Sheik had went out of, leaving the spirit behind in the echoing silence of the temple.
Looking around the wooded area around the temple, Link found no immediate signs of Sheik. But nonetheless, he continued on into the entrance of Faron Woods until he began to hear the soft sound of whistling wafting through the trees. It formed a cohesive melody, one that was low and morose, and the hero followed it to its source: a somewhat short tree not too far away, in which the leader of the Sheikahs sat, looking across the forest while crafting her sad tune.
For several minutes, Link simply stood beneath the low branch that she was sitting on, watching her as she took no notice of his presence. But all the same, Sheik knew that he was there; she simply did not wish to acknowledge his presence. The continuity of her uniform whistling was broken however, when the hero finally decided to address her.
"What are you doing up there?" he called out to her. She stopped whistling and closed her eyes, but did not give him any other form of an answer. Seeing this and getting somewhat frustrated with the fact that she appeared to be ignoring him, Link started to climb the tree until he reached a sturdy branch that was conveniently close to the one Sheik was on. Even as he settled down, the Sheikah leader did not so much as glance at him. A tentative silence lingered between the two of them, until curiosity got the better of the hero and he began to press her with questions once more. "I don't know if you heard me before," he started, trying to be as casual as he could. "But I asked you what you were doing up here. Is something wrong?"
Sheik sighed before opening her eyes and staring at him intently with her piercing red eyes. She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out for several minutes. When she finally did speak, her voice was quiet and sorrowful. "I'm sorry..." she said, looking down towards the ground. "Its my fault that they got away with the harp."
"But they didn't get the ocarina," Link offered in consolation. "They can't get the Triforce without it. Its OK, Sheik."
"No, its not," Sheik said firmly. "I had the perfect opportunity to get rid of the threat that Veress posed, but I didn't... And because of that, it not only cost us the harp, but it almost cost you your life."
"I would have been fine even if they had taken me," the hero said with genuine confidence. "But that's not the problem here, is it?"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, something else is bothering you, right?"
Sheik's frown deepened. "How do you know?" she asked avertedly.
"Because," Link said with a slight reminiscing smile. "You do the same things that Zelda does when she's upset. You both go off alone and mope, ignore other people and refuse to admit that something is wrong when something clearly is. I told you all about what's wrong with me; now its your turn."
The leader of the Sheikahs gave him a momentary glare, which softened almost instantly as she met his honest sky blue gaze. She let out a relenting sigh before looking out towards the woods once more, knowing that she had to finally reveal everything to him. "It seems so long ago now..." she said wistfully, almost to herself. "But it was only a few months ago..."
"What happened?" the hero asked gently, noticing her melancholy.
"I... I lost... my best friend..." Sheik struggled to say, fighting her tears back with all of her power. "Veress..."
Link was admittedly surprised at this sudden revelation, but he didn't let it show. "Go on..." he said calmly, devoting his focus entirely to the Sheikah leader.
Sheik still did not make eye contact with him as she began her long tale. "In my tribe, there are many different laws and customs that your people would consider to be quite strange..." she started, her tone even and contemplative. "One such law that has been upheld in the Sheikah tribe for generations dictates that marriage is forbidden, as is any and all forms of romantic love. Our main purpose is to endlessly strive to protect and serve the goddess and such passions of the flesh are said to cloud the mind from responsibility and proper judgement. And so, we reproduce by birthing mothers, whose sole role in our culture is to bear the children of the Sheikah, those who will one day become our scholars, warriors, teachers, crafters, and leaders. Because of this, no Sheikah child is ever really raised by their parents. Rather, we are raised by the entirety of the village. Different people watch over us, train us, teach us and protect us until we are old enough to be on our own. When I was born, the only thing that was known about my heritage was that I was a direct descendant of the great Impa, and I already told you that she practically raised me. But Veress... Well, no one really knew where she came from. She just sort of... showed up one day, an abandoned infant without any recorded birthing mother or direct father. No one really wanted her since she was a weak and sickly child, and strength and fortitude are things that are highly valued by Sheikahs. But all the same, Veress was still a member of the tribe and so Impa took both her and myself in, watching over us and teaching us everything she knew. However, there was still a rift in how both us were viewed by the other Sheikahs; Impa taking me in was a sign of privilege for me, but for Veress, it was a stigma of pity.
"Because we grew up together, Veress and I were basically born friends. We would always do everything together, from battle training to lore studies. There were no secrets between us; the trust that we had for each other was infallible, through thick and thin. But all the same, I was really the only friend Veress had as a child... She was always so outspoken, so bold, much more than I ever was. The only thing was that her opinions and ideas always seemed to conflict with everyone else's. She was a good fighter and she was smart, to be sure, but she certainly wasn't popular. And perhaps one of the reasons she turned out the way she did was because it was always her against the world..."
Throughout much of their intermediate childhoods, Sheik and Veress, like all other Sheikah children, were expected to occupy most of their free time with training. Such training could take a variety of forms, from mental training such as meditation, to physical training, such as staff dueling, which was the kind of training that the two young friends had decided to engage in one day when they were both ten.
The two wooden staffs of both young opponents clashed as they playfully fought in the lawn of the commons of Kakariko Village. Their laughter resonated as they batted their practice weapons at each other in a variety of ways, squaring off in a friendly competition.
"You're not gonna beat me this time, Veress!" Sheik said with a challenging grin as the two girls pressed their staffs together.
"Oh yeah?" Veress answered with equal verve. "Then what are you planning on doing about this!" With one swift move, the orange haired Sheikah dropped to the ground and rolled behind her opponent, knocking her off her feet as she did so. Sheik fell to the ground clumsily, dropping her staff on the way down.
"No fair!" the blonde girl frowned up at her friend. "You were using advanced techniques!"
"Yeah, but we're both gonna learn them one day, so might as well practice them now, huh?" Veress smiled proudly as she extended a hand down to help Sheik up. "Looks like you're just gonna have to train harder if you ever want to beat me!"
Sheik crossed her arms and rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah..." she said sidedly. "But I have to say, Veress, you're doing better than how they said you would. In a few years, maybe you could even lead a band of warriors! Wouldn't that be cool?"
Veress's expression became serious as she looked out at the nearby groups of Sheikah children their age, all playing in their own respective groups. "No..." she said quietly. "I don't wanna just lead a simple group of warriors..."
"Oh?" Sheik raised an eyebrow. "Then what do you wanna do?"
"I... I wanna be in charge..." Veress said as a small, ambitious smile started to claim her face. "I wanna take Mistress Impa's place when she's gone. And then, maybe they'll all finally accept me as one of them, like you do, Sheik."
Sheik's smile faded as she realized just how much her friend seemed to want this. "But Veress... Mistress Impa isn't going anywhere for a long time..."
"You don't know that, Sheik! She's really old... One day, who knows? I could be the next leader of the Sheikah tribe!"
"Well... maybe..." Sheik said, picking up her stick to resume their practice. "But in the meantime, you gotta teach me that rolling move so I can use it against you and win the next spar!"
Veress laughed as she resumed a fighting stance. "As if!" she said as the two went at it again.
"It was clear that Veress's lifelong dream was to become the leader of our tribe..." Sheik said to Link as the morning sun started to drift into the afternoon sky. "And I used to think that she had all of the qualities of a good leader too: ambition, bravery, organization... She was a good fighter and she was as passionate about all things Sheikah as any person could be, but... She was never good at conforming... She hated it, with every fiber of her being. It used to get her into so much trouble, how she'd question our teachers and trainer. On occasion she would even test Impa herself, but luckily for her, Impa was more patient with her ways than most were.
"At first, I never really thought too much about Veress's desire to become our leader. I supported her the best I could because I was her friend, and I saw nothing wrong with her dream. I fully believed that she's make a suitable replacement for Impa if she were to ever pass away... That is... until one day, a little more than a year ago... It was then that we both began to realize that her plans involved much more than simply leading our tribe..."
"The ancient prophecies left behind by the goddess Hylia state that one day, in the near future, Demise will begin to break free from his long-standing prison..." Impa instructed Sheik, Veress, and a group of other students as they all sat within the Sealed Temple for a standard lesson on Sheikah lore. "In his great fury, he will seek to ravage this land and all of its inhabitants once more..."
"Mistress Impa!" Veress raised her hand with another one of the her usual questions. "Do you know when exactly Demise is supposed to return?"
A serious look came across Impa's aged face. "My children," she began solemnly, looking out across the crowd of her adolescent pupils. "If everything that has been foretold is correct, this will happen within your lifetimes... Perhaps even within the next few years."
A quiet, somewhat worried murmur rose up among the group as Veress leaned over to Sheik and whispered excitedly. "Don't worry. Us Sheikah will be able to handle Demise and seal him right back into that hole in the ground, right?"
Before Sheik could offer an answer, Impa continued recounting the passed down legend. "Do not fret, my children. For in those days when Demise's revival is at hand, the goddess shall return to this land in the form of the spirit maiden. She shall descend from the world above the clouds, and from the isle in the sky, shall her chosen hero also emerge."
Sheik noticed as Veress's confident smile faded, replaced with a look of confusion and distaste. Impa went on nonetheless. "The chosen hero will bring about Demise's ultimate defeat. He shall triumph over the demon king using the might of the sacred Triforce and shall usher in an age of peace unto this land... Meditate on this lesson, my children, for it was written by the hand of the goddess herself for your knowledge. You are dismissed!"
The group of students dispersed from the temple, and Sheik and Veress adjourned to the area right outside the temple's front doors, which overlooked the pit that Demise was said to be sealed within. "Chosen hero!" Veress scoffed, crossing her arms and scowling. "Please! I don't believe any of that nonsense for a second!"
"But Veress," Sheik protested calmly. "Mistress Impa said that legend was written by the hand of the goddess herself. It has to be true."
"No it doesn't!" Veress said firmly. "It doesn't make sense, Sheik! Why in the world would Hylia even need a chosen hero to come down here, from the sky of all places, just to vanquish Demise when she has a huge tribe of warriors perfectly capable of doing the job better down here?! We could do this, Sheik! Our whole tribe! We could defeat Demise!"
"But..." Sheik stammered, clearly conflicted by what her best friend was telling her and what her mentor had already said. "Mistress Impa..."
"Sheik, Mistess Impa is old," Veress said point-blank. "She's been around more years than we can count. Maybe she's just not all there anymore. Or maybe the goddess's legends were mistranslated as they were passed on down through the ages. But all the same, this 'chosen hero' business... It just doesn't seem right!"
"So... what are you saying, Veress?"
"I'm saying that this is clearly what we're meant to do!" she said passionately. "It must be our destiny! Just think of it, Sheik! The Sheikah tribe will go down in history as the greatest race ever, the brave warriors who brought the demon king down and saved this land from eternal darkness! And just think of how much praise and recognition their leader would get... I could do this. WE could do this, Sheik! We CAN do this! And... If I become leader of our tribe one day, which I'm certain I will, We WILL do this!"
"When Veress was telling me all of this, I couldn't help but feel like that entire conversation was wrong..." Sheik admitted. "I had never really been openly opposed to her any of her ideas before, even if they were bad, but then again, she had never openly opposed the staples of Sheikah lore before. Everything that she had said seemed to boarder on treason against the goddess's teachings. And even more than that, though her initial intentions sounded noble, it started to become increasingly obvious that her greatest goal was for her own glory and gratification. But all the same, I kept quiet about her plans and ambitions, not wanting to stir up any trouble. However, my neutrality about the situation didn't last long, because right after that conversation with Veress, my life changed forever...
Sheik stood alone within the wooded area surrounding the Sealed Grounds, her mind swimming in worried thought. For the past week, she had been musing over what Veress had purposed about the Sheikahs taking on Demise. Though her best friend often spoke passionately about the idea, Sheik didn't agree with her. She knew that it was against everything that Impa had taught both of them, but she knew from experience that there was no proving Veress wrong when she had her mind set on something. Sheik had no idea what to do about the situation though; she wasn't about to get her best friend in trouble with the elders of their tribe simply because of some idea, but she also had no intentions of supporting Veress on this one. And so, all she could really do was hope that the thought would fade from Veress's mind with time and everything would simply blow over without incident.
As she was lost in thought, she was completely oblivious to the silent figure who had crept up behind her, and as they gently touched her shoulder, Sheik nearly jumped out of her skin in alarm. She spun around instantly upon the sudden contact, drawing her small knife and taking up a defensive position as she looked at her potential adversary. The other person who had joined her was also a Sheikah, a young woman just a few years older than her from the look of her lean, tall and wispy form. She had very short, very light blonde hair, some of which ran down the right side of her face in a thin string. She a scarlet tattoo of the classic Sheikah eye on her forehead and a white teardrop tattoo down her cheek. And based on both that and her blue and gold clothes, which were telling of a leader of her tribe, Sheik was able to tell exactly who this person was, even though she hardly believed it.
"You... you're..." Sheik stammered as her red eyes grew wide in shock and amazement.
The older woman gave her a warm smile and nodded, understanding her confusion and surprise. "Yes, Sheik..." she said in a smooth, almost motherly tone. "I am Impa..."
"Impa's younger self couldn't have appeared to me at a better time..." Sheik said wistfully, lost in her memories. "I needed guidance perhaps more than anything else and I knew she could give it to me. But of course, I had many questions and so she explained everything quickly. She had stepped through the Gate of Time in Laynayru for two reasons: the first was to guide and protect the spirit maiden when she arrived on the surface and the second was to ensure that the Sheikah tribe would be left in good hands when she was gone. I don't know how she knew I was supposed to be the one who would replace her, but she did..."
"What?" Sheik asked with confusion upon the younger Impa telling her everything. "You want me, ME of all people, to become our tribe's next leader? You must be joking!"
"I am not," Impa said sincerely. "I have conferred with myself from this time and I have personally observed and we both agree that you, Sheik, are the one most suitable out of any in your generation to succeed me."
"But... why?"
"Because," Impa said with a soft smile. "You have the eyes of truth, a quality that has not been seen in our tribe for generations. You can see things that others cannot."
"Well, I've never noticed anything that no one else can see before!" Sheik protested. "Impa... I mean, Mistress Impa... I... I just don't think I'm the right person to take on such a huge responsibility!"
"And why not?"
"Well... because... because I'm not... I'm not ambitious, or brave, or strong, or anything else a leader should be! You want someone like my friend Veress to be our leader, someone who's full of ideas, who can stir people with those ideas, who can really take charge. She's much better suited for the job than me..."
Impa frowned but placed a consoling hand on her descendant's shoulder. "You doubt yourself to much, my child," she said comfortingly. "It is true that you have much to learn before you can truly become the leader of our tribe, but that is why I have come to teach you everything I know about leadership. The time is quickly approaching when both the spirit maiden and the chosen hero will descend into this land. When they finally vanquish the demon king, that will be the time for you to realize your responsibility of leading our tribe to peace and a bright future. I will not be around much longer, but you... I am certain that the future will be bright with you lighting the way through the darkness for our people..."
Sheik looked down for a moment, mulling over the words that Impa had told her and finding hope in them. If the leader of their tribe, the one who had raised her from birth, trusted her with such a great burden, then she would do her best to fulfill her trust. "Thank you..." the girl said with a small smile as she looked up to her mentor. "I won't let you down..."
"And so, Impa started training me in secret," Sheik continued. "She taught me all of the hidden fighting and magic techniques and legends of our people, and she even gave me leadership advice along the way. It helped a lot; after a few weeks of intensive training, I finally started to feel worthy of taking up the position. I was not allowed to tell anyone about my training or the fact that I had been chosen to be our tribe's next leader and that was fine with me; I didn't want anyone knowing, especially Veress. But I knew that I wouldn't be able to hide it forever. As much as I wanted to make Impa proud, I knew that the only way I could do that was to take my best friend's dream away.
"Of course, matriarchs of our tribe are not simply chosen by our previous leader. Instead, they are decided in a duel between the two most suitable candidates. The winner is appointed as our next leader. When the duel was first announced a few weeks beforehand, Veress was so excited... It was all she could really talk about, aside from her plans to lead our people into battle against Demise. And every time she'd talk to me about it, I'd get a guilty knot inside my stomach... I knew that I'd have to tell her eventually and so one day, I just... blurted out the fact that I was going to be the one she would have to fight to be our tribe's leader. And she certainly didn't take it well. She was furious, claiming that I was betraying our friendship and trust. I had never seen her so angry before... She said that she hated me, and that she never wanted to speak to me again. And even though I wanted to argue back and claim that I was doing this for the best of our tribe... I just... couldn't find the words to say. I sat there silently while our lifelong friendship just collapsed and, as you can tell... it still hasn't been repaired and it probably never will be..."
The Sealed Temple was packed full with the entirety of the Sheikah tribe as they all gathered to watch the duel that would decide their next leader. As was customary, Sheik and Veress both stood a distance away from each other before the fight actually began, both of them staring intently at the other. Behind Veress's dark red eyes was a look of betrayal and hatred, but behind Sheik's lighter eyes was a look of guilt and apology. Both of them knew there was no going back; whoever won this battle would ultimately decide the future of the Sheikah tribe and neither one of them was willing to back down from their respective goals.
Upon the elderly Impa's word, the battle commenced. Both girls rushed for each other with their short knives blazing. The metal weapons clashed hard as the first strike rung out throughout the temple. The other Sheikah's waited on baited breaths as they watched their two prospective leaders exchange blow after blow, all of them silently rooting for one of the two. Both Sheik and Veress said nothing as they fought, for what was there to be said? Their friendship was over and they were now pitted against each other in both a physical and emotional battle. How different their intentions for wanting to be the matriarch of the Sheikahs were; one wanted glory and recognition while the other wanted to bring honor and pride to her mentor. But all the same, the duel between the two of them raged on for what seemed like ages, until Veress, in desperation to triumph over her former best friend, implemented cheating tactics. Though it was against the rules of the duel to use magic, Veress used some of the magic that she had learned to attempt to blind Sheik momentarily, so she could gain the upper hand. Her strategy worked long enough for her to use a low kick to knock Sheik off of her feet, but the blonde Sheikah was not immune to the illusion for long. Before Veress could land the winning blow, Sheik regained her vision and rolled out of her knife's direct reach. However, Veress was just quick enough that her knife cut into the Sheik's left cheek, creating a small cut that quickly started to bleed. Sheik ignored it however, knowing that she had to win this battle, even if it was against her former best friend.
With renewed vigor, Sheik implemented some of the moves that Impa had taught her, ones that Veress had no idea how to counter. Leaping high into the air, Sheik soared over Veress's head and landed behind her, elbowing her in the back upon landing and knocking her off balance. When Veress started to turn to counter, Sheik slashed her knife lightly across Veress's chest armor before kicking her in the stomach and knocking her into the wall. Before Veress could even try to pick herself up from the harsh blow, Sheik placed her foot firmly upon her back, halting the red-haired Sheikah's movements as the blonde Sheikah pointed her knife at her, signifying that the battle was finally over.
The crowd cheered over Sheik's victory but Sheik herself did not smile or take any form of joy in the win. Instead, she locked eyes with Veress, who was looking at her with so much bitter contempt that it almost made her burst into tears. Certainly, there was no fixing what had been broken now. As Sheik was about to take on the role of the leader of the Sheikahs, her longstanding, seemingly unbreakable friendship with Veress was forever over.
"I didn't see Veress much anymore after that," Sheik said, her tone low and moroseful. "I saw her only for a moment at my commencement ceremony, but the moment we glanced at each other, she stepped out of the Sealed Temple, but not before giving me another look of disgust and anger. Impa told me that I should have been excited about taking upon the proud mantle of our tribe, but how could I be knowing that Veress, my best friend, hated me with every fiber of her being? Even as I started taking on more responsibilities and tasks around the village, regret still filled my mind. I couldn't find any inner peace because of it, and so I decided to finally confide in Impa about everything, hoping that she could at the very least comfort me somehow..."
Once again, Sheik stood alone before the pit of the Sealed Grounds, starring into the deep hole in the ground intently. Her lips were pursed in an expression of disturbance and her scarlet eyes were tightly focused on the Sealing Spike several feet below, under which the demon king was sealed away.
"You feel it too, don't you, my child...?" Impa said as she slowly walked up to stand beside Sheik.
The younger Sheikah looked down to her elder and nodded. "Yes..." she said, glancing back to the hole again. "I do..."
"Do you know what it is?" Impa's younger self asked as she appeared out of thin air on Sheik's other side.
Sheik was silent for a moment, before her look of focus darkened into a glare. "Demise..."
Both Impas nodded slowly. "Yes..." the elderly Sheikahh said. "Few are sensitive to the climate of evil that is pervading this land. Those that can feel it are tied to the fate of the surface..."
"I'm not sure if I understand..." Sheik said tentatively. "What does it mean?"
"It means that the time of destiny is quickly approaching for both the spirit maiden and the chosen hero..." the younger Impa said. "Demise will soon break free..."
"How soon?" Sheik asked, hiding her worry well.
"Quite soon," the elderly Impa said. "If I could guess, it will be within the next few days..."
Sheik's eyes widened as she glanced between both of her mentors. "What?" she asked, knowing well what this meant. "But... but that means..."
"Yes," the younger Impa nodded. "Both of us will soon be gone... And you will fully take our place as leader of the Sheikah tribe..."
Sheik was silent for a long moment as she realized just how much she would miss the counsel and support of her mentor, both young and old. But despite her sadness, she still had something she needed to get off her chest to both of them, before they were gone forever. "I... I'm glad that both of you could meet with me..." she said, changing subjects. "I need to talk to you about something important... Its about Veress..."
"Yes..." the elderly Impa nodded wisely, already knowing full well about what Sheik wanted to discuss. "We are both well aware of Veress's ambitions and of her anger with you for putting an end to her plans..."
"You are?" Sheik asked in suprise.
The younger Impa nodded, her expression grave. "Though her intentions are to put an end to the demon king, Veress does not wish to adhere to the destiny that the goddess laid out for the Sheikah tribe centuries ago. It was for that reason that she could not be allowed to succeed us. We know that opposing her has been hard for you but there is something you must know about Veress... There is a darkness within her, one that has pervaded her thoughts and filled her with greed and powerlust."
"Be warned that those who succumb to the darkness of their own souls are often driven to extreme levels to get what they desire..." the elderly Impa said. "Because of this, you must be wary of Veress, Sheik. She is not to be trusted any longer..."
"But... she was my best friend..." Sheik said, having a hard time believing what they were telling her. "Maybe all I need to do is just talk to her, make her understand that-"
"Sheik," the younger Impa said firmly, but with understanding. "There is no correcting one who refuses to believe that they are wrong. For the sake of our people you must choose where your ultimate loyalty and responsibility lies: is it with your former friend, or your entire tribe?"
Sheik was quiet for another long period of time as she looked down into the pit once more. It seemed that no matter how hard she tried, her friendship with Veress would never be salvageable. She hated the fact that she had to ultimately loose it to the responsibility she had been forced into taking on. But as much as she wanted to try and make Veress see the light, she knew that it was impossible. The damage had been done and she knew better than to live in the past. She could only move on and try to lead her people the best she could, to guide them to the future that Impa wanted her to lead them into. And so, bowing her head, she closed her eyes and made her final choice for the future of her tribe and her own future. She relayed that choice to her mentors with resolve and determination, knowing that she could not fail them. "I choose my people..." she said firmly. "And I always will..."
"I followed through on what I said," Sheik said hollowly. "I stopped thinking about Veress altogether and threw myself into my work, fully devoting myself to my role as leader. Veress and I continued to avoid each other; I figured that eventually, she would just fall in line with the rest of the Sheikahs and forget her notions of going up against Demise. I had heard rumors that she had not been at all happy when you and her grace finally found your way to the surface and that she had been enraged upon discovering that Demise had been vanquished, but I had not seen her or spoken to her directly for quite some time. Life sort of settled into a normal pattern as I assumed full leadership of the Sheikah tribe after Impa's death and even Veress seemed to accept it. But I should have known that all this time, she had been sneaking around, plotting in the shadows and slowly gaining followers... I never could have expected that any of this would have happened, even after Impa warned me to beware of Veress..." Sheik sighed, finally taking a break from her long story as she gave a genuine, apologetic look to Link. "I'm so sorry..." she said solemnly. "Everything that's happened to you and her grace... Its all my fault..."
"No, its not," the hero said, still mulling over everything she had just told him. "Like you said, you couldn't have known what Veress had been planning."
"Yes, but I can't help but feel responsible for stirring up feelings of hatred and greed within her," Sheik sighed. "If I had not opposed her in the way that I had, then maybe she wouldn't have gone to such extremes to get what she wants... Its because of me that both of you are in so much danger... I could not be sorry enough for that..."
"Sheik, listen to me," Link said firmly, and Sheik immediately locked eye contact with him due to the seriousness of his tone. "This is not your fault. I don't blame you for what's happened and I'm not going to. And I know that you've been through a lot, but maybe this is your chance to make things right... For both of us to make things right..."
Sheik was silent for a long time as she stared at him, letting his encouraging words sink in. She knew he was right and at the same time, she was comforted by what he had said. And more than that, she was glad to have finally told someone about her dark past, about her regrets and heartache. But it was as she was thinking over what he had said that she realized something important. All her life had been a struggle for the confidence and self-assurance that she had always lacked, but the hero seemed to have limitless amounts of it, despite the fact that he too was going through so much. She craved to know such calm in the face of great adversity. She admired him for it, among many other things. But perhaps her feelings for him were starting to grow beyond simple admiration... Several different emotions began to rush through Sheik at once as the sudden thought occurred to her. She felt her cheeks grow bright red and she was quick to look away from him so he wouldn't see it. She knew that she would never be able to admit it too him, even if her uncertain feelings were genuine. It was against the social customs of her tribe and as its leader, she had a reputation to uphold. So even if it was what she thought it was, she had to suppress her newfound desires, even though she knew it would be incredibly difficult. So, as she placed her emotions to the back of her mind, she looked back at him once again and nodded gratefully. "Thank you, Link..." she said as evenly as she could, despite the fact that her heart was racing with dread and affection. "Thank you so much..."