Chapter 2- Back from the dead
“Sheik?! But I… He…” she tried to spit her words out.
“Hush. Do not worry yourself. I have located him and he is safe. I will travel to that location tomorrow at dawn to retrieve him and bring him back to the castle.” She said. “Now off to bed.” She added sternly
Zelda was about to protest, but gave in. At the end of the corridor, she turned round and said to Impa,
“Bring him back safely.” And walked to her room.
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Thoughts haunted Zelda through the night. Thoughts of Sheik. How she had killed him, taken him away from life. But then a voice in her head said,
“Calm down, Zel. He’s safe now. Impa will get him in the morning and he’ll be fine. If he doesn’t forgive you, he’s not worth bothering about. Now sleep.”
And she did.
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Impa was awake well before dawn came. She was all ready and packed. She had planned well and had many potions to heal different types of wounds and poisons. When she could not wait any longer she strode out of her room and towards Zelda’s. She opened the door quietly to check that she was asleep. She walked over to her, placed her hand on her forehead and nodded. It was an old Sheikah trick she used to check that Zelda wasn’t fake sleeping, by looking into her dreams. But Zelda was sleeping sound, dreaming of Link. Impa chuckled quietly and walked out of her room. She strode to the royal stables, and selected her horse, the second fastest horse she knew of, second only to Epona. Her name was Diana, a young white mare, named after an Amazon she had met. That woman was a VERY fast runner, so fast that while running she disappeared from view. She had hoped to see that woman soon, but her duties made her stay with the princess. She mounted her horse and rode past the castle town, out into the area in front of the drawbridge. She didn’t have to wait long until dawn came and the drawbridge lowered. She cantered along the bridge, well before it was down. The Guards looked at her in astonishment.
‘The last location I sensed Sheik was Kakariko village he should be there. Yes, his energy signal is coming from the village.’ Impa thought to herself. She urged Diana forwards even faster, towards Kakariko Village. She arrived there after an hour of riding and left Diana at the entrance, paying the clock soldier 50 rupees to look after her. The clock soldier was more than happy. 50 rupees was more than 3 days worth of pay. She followed Sheik’s energy signal to a small house. The shutters were open, and she heard movements from inside, so she assumed that the person was awake. She knocked quietly, and an old, kind looking woman opened the door. She looked up at the Sheikah.
“Hello. My name is Impa. I am the Nursemaid for Princess Zelda. I understand you found a young man on the step of the village. May I see him?”
“Yes, Yes of course, my dear.” She said, stepping aside.
Impa waited for her to show her the way, which she did. The old lady, who’s name was Yvonne, showed her to a small room at the end of a short hallway. Yvonne stopped at the door, and turned to Impa.
“Before we enter, May I ask why you need to see him?”
“Certainly” Impa said. “The young one’s name is Sheik. He is a Sheikah, one of the last. The Princess used to…er… know him very well. He disappeared and we have been searching for him. Since I’m Sheikah, I can sense his spirit, which lead me to your house.” She paused. “Does that answer your question?”
“Yes. My, I didn’t know this boy was so important.” She said as she opened the door. “My son has been helping me take care of him.”
Impa didn’t hear her, because of the sight she saw. Sheik’s face was cut and bruised. Blooded rags lay on a stool near his bed. She wanted to cry out and hug him, but she managed to restrain herself. Instead she walked up to him slowly and knelt beside his bed.
“I’ll leave for a while.” Said Yvonne quietly, “If you need anything, just call.”
And with a smile she closed the door.
“Sheik.” She breathed. “What happened to you?”
She touched his forehead, which was hot. She looked around the room for a cloth to wet, found one, wet it and placed it on his forehead. She could see his face relax slightly.
‘Good.’ She thought. ‘He’s near consciousness.’
Impa then noticed his scarf had been removed. She knew it was against Sheikah traditions that Sheikah males were not allowed to show their full face until marriage, or certain death. She put it down to the old woman not knowing of the Sheikah traditions, or even that he was Sheikah. He was very handsome. She was pulled off her train of thought when his eyes twitched.
“Sheik? Can you hear me? It’s Impa. Your safe, don’t worry.” She said as she put her hand around his. But when she said her name, her hand was squeezed weakly. She looked at him, waiting for him to open his eyes. All that came was his voice.
“Im…pa? Is… that you?” He managed to say. She could tell he had little energy left.
“Yes. I’m here, Young One. All is fine. Do not worry.”
And with that he slowly opened his eyes. He stared at the ceiling for a while, trying to gain his bearings. Then turned to look at Impa. She was smiling at him. He tried to smile, but could only manage a small one.
“Hello Sheik. Do you want some water?” she asked him.
A small nod was all he got. She got up.
“I’ll be back, Young One.”
Impa walked into the small kitchen, where she found Yvonne and a young man, she assumed was Yvonne’s son.
“Is everything alright?” The man asked
“Yes, He is awake. Could I have some water to give to him please?” Impa asked
“He’s awake?” Yvonne exclaimed, then realised what was needed. “Oh water! Yes.”
She hurried to the door, came back a few moments later with a bucket full of water and gave it to Impa, with a large glass.
“Thank you.” Impa said with a small bow, and returned to Sheik’s room.
When she entered, she thought he had fallen asleep again until he opened his eyes when she shut the door. She walked to his bed, filled the glass with water and pressed the glass to his lips. He drank slowly and closed his eyes to show he’d had enough. He opened them again, and managed to say in a bolder voice,
“Where am I?”
“In Kakariko Village. An old woman found you and brought you to her home. She said you’ve been out for over a week, nearly two. Sheik, can you remember what happened?”
“Yes, but only vaguely. All I remember is meeting with the goddesses after Zelda revealed herself at the Temple of Time. They said…” He trailed off and coughed.
Impa pressed the water against his lips and let him drink. Again he closed his eyes when he had had enough.
“They said the I was needed and that it wasn’t my time yet. The next thing I know, I’m lying in Hyrule field, just as the sun was setting. I got up but as I did, stalchildren rose as well. I had no weapon to defend myself, so I had to fight a few with hand-to-hand. I remember then running. I don’t know where I ran, all I know is I kept running till I could run no more, then I blacked out.” He paused. “But enough about me. Is everything ok in Hyrule?”
Impa smiled. ‘Always never worrying about himself. It’s good to know he’s the same old Sheik.’
“Everything is fine in Hyrule. Ganon has been vanquished, Peace is in Hyrule and Link and Zelda are together.”
Sheik managed to smile this time. Then there was a knock at the door. Yvonne’s kind face then appeared at the door and walked in carrying a small bag.
“Hello. I brought you your bag. The clock soldier said it was left on your horse.” She set the bag on a small table and walked out of the room with a bow.
“That was Yvonne, The woman who found you.” Impa answered his unspoken question, as she walked to the table and picked up the bag. It contained the potions and things. She picked out the red potion and poured it into the empty glass. She put it to his mouth and he drank. His face changed. Bruises faded and all except one cut faded. It must have been a deep one. She also noticed the increase in his spiritual energy. Sheik lifted his hands, clenched them then unclenched them, and smiled. He hated being weak, and now he had about half his strength back, his mood increased with it.
“I guess that feels better, doesn’t it?” she said with a smile
He simply nodded, and drank the rest of the potion by himself. He sat up slowly, wincing at the pain in his chest. He then realised he had nothing over his face. He felt naked, but he knew he had trousers on. Impa noticed his discomfort and went to his clothing, pulling out his mask. She gave it to him, and he put it on, feeling even better. More in control. Less vulnerable. Sheik then looked at Impa with his fierce red eyes and spoke,
“I know you are not here just for a simple visit. You want me to go back to the castle with you, don’t you?”
Impa nodded. “The Princess feels somewhat guilty about taking your life and plus it would be nice to have another Sheikah about the place.”
Sheik smiled.
“Fine with me.” He winced again
“It seems you must have cracked a few ribs.” Impa said as a purply colour came back to the side of his chest. “It’ll take a few weeks to mend totally. So you might not be able to come home today.”
Sheik smiled behind his mask.
“Why are you smiling?” Impa asked, cracking a smile as well
“You said ‘Home’. It makes me happy to finally have a home.” Sheik replied as he stared dreamily at the ceiling. Impa smiled and gave him a small hug. She was careful about his ribs and soon released him. “Don’t worry about me, I’ve ridden with worse.”
Impa nodded and went to get Diana ready, while Sheik got up. He found some clothes on a chair nearby. Simple ones. Trousers, a baggy shirt and some boots. He washed got changed and tidied up a bit. He also collect up his ripped and bloodied clothes and found a few rupees. He left them for the old woman as a thank you, and left the room. Yvonne met him on the way out and he gave her a hug as another thank you and left. He found Impa near the entrance with two horses. He guessed that the white one was hers, since he knew Impa had a thing about pure, white horses, especially mares. She got on her horse, and watched as Sheik got on his, easily. Impa chuckled.
“Even when injured badly you still have your flexibility as well.” She said. Sheik just shrugged, and when Impa had turned around, winced.
They slow cantered back to Hyrule castle and got there around late afternoon. The market was still bustling and they managed to get past all the hub-bub. When they got to the castle, they dismounted. Impa with ease, Sheik with a little less. They were leading the horses to the stables, when there was an excited scream.
“SHEIK!!!!!!”
Sheik turned just in time to see a pink figure jump at him, knocking him over. When he regained his vision, he saw that the ‘pink figure’ was infact Princess Zelda.
“Hello Princess” He managed to say through the pain from his chest. She was pulled off of him by Impa, who then gave a hand to help him up. He saw that Princess Zelda was red with excitement and embarrassment. He walked towards her.
“Again I say hello.” He gave her a small hug, and then they walked to the stables, Impa telling Zelda the story, because Sheik was too tired.
Impa showed Sheik the way to his new bedroom, which was complete with an en-suite bathroom. She let Sheik sleep, and then went to tell Zelda the rest of the story.
