Bring me to Light

***
Red eyes traced the rising curtain of orange glow spilling from the sun, travelling high into the sky and banishing night’s dark silken sky. Snow flake stars flickered out of existence, the aurora of the sun burning them from the canvas of sky.

Words floated into the Sheikah’s ears and mind as he watched the spectacle of day breaking, the Princess’ sweet voice stirring the still, silent air.

The messaged was fragmented, broken into shards of meaning by distance and the interference of evil that weaved through the atmosphere.

‘There is something…well…village. You know already what…awakened by Gan…about to break free…Impa on her...be there s…be ready to…her…take…hero.’

The message ended and Sheik turned away, ready to jump from his perch when he heard the end of the message.

‘Good luck…do us proud, both of you.’

Sighing, Sheik leapt from the tree, landing softly on the ground, walking to the stable to check on the horses before he and Link left.

It was barely four in the morning but her highness was calling with another task for him. If he was honest, Sheik was glad to hear from her. The last time he had heard from them directly had been a little over a month ago.

And now, there was a small crisis about to brew in the village he had been born on. If that creature escaped…all hell could break loose.

The horses snorted irritably as Sheik woke them up with his routine check…Epona seemed especially irritated at the early awakening. Sheik had to smile at the notion. She was just like her master in that respect.

Turning quickly after opening the door to let them wander into the field if they wanted, he headed for the small stone cottage that he and Link now shared. He crossed the rough path in a matter of seconds, aware of how pressing time was in this situation, aware that the villagers would be sent into a blind panic if they thought they were under attack. Which they would be, strictly speaking, but Bongo Bongo wouldn’t attack them as long as they didn’t challenge it.

Sheik just hoped none of those ‘macho’, testosterone fuelled males in the village decided to take on what essentially looked like a large cloud of purple smoke to the untrained eye. Or rather to Hylian eyes.

He pushed the curtain to the bedroom aside, not bothering to close the door to the house and instead marching straight for the bed Link was sleeping peacefully in.

Looking down at the contented hero, Sheik felt a twist of guilt in his stomach, not wanting to disturb his partner….but needs must and at the very least, the Hylian was fully healed and rested. After all, it had been nearly two weeks since the water temple and the rather…heated incident that had followed.

Sheik shook Link’s shoulder roughly in an attempt to wake him quickly, feeling hot skin beneath his palm, all too aware of the memories and feelings it was bringing back.

They had engaged in similar activities in the past week or so but hadn’t gone any further. What they were waiting for, neither seemed to know, but there was a definite line that was waiting for something to happen before it would let them cross it.

Link turned over, waking up and brushing Sheik’s hand from his shoulder.

“Go ‘way. Sleeping.’” He mumbled, snuggling into the pillow.

“No Link, you’ve got to rise. There’s a potential catastrophe about to happen in Kakariko Village and we need to get down there immediately.”

Link turned to face the younger man at the news. “Seriously?”

“Do you think I would joke about it?”

The usual face mask was off for a change and from the determined, grim line that Sheik’s mouth was set into there wasn’t a chance in hell that he was joking.

Link nodded.

“Alright.”

The Hylian rolled from under the covers, grabbing a set of clothes lying on the chair beside the bed and pulling them on quickly. Sheik was already in the kitchen, grabbing something for them to eat for breakfast on the way down to the village.

He threw the apple to Link as he entered the kitchen, one hand snatching it out of the air as he adjusted his belt.

“Do we have time to eat?”

“We will do as long as we do it on the way down.”

Link nodded, heading for the door, Sheik at his side.

“So…” Link took a bit from the apple as they set off at a brisk pace “Why can’t we just warp down there? You said the entrance to the Shadow Temple was in the graveyard at the back of the village.”

“There are certain rules governing the use of the warping songs and we cannot warp for convenience.”

“But Kakariko is in danger!”

“As far as the warping songs rules are concerned, unless the Temple’s guardian is active, we’re not allowed to warp there.”

“Is that why we have to wait for so long between each temple?”

“Yes. The creature is awakening as we sleep, but until it has actually taken up residence in the temple once more, we cannot use the songs.”

“Damn that’s dumb.”

Sheik nodded. “I’m inclined to agree.”

Link tossed the apple core aside, finished with the meagre meal already.

“Well,” he stated, wiping his hands against his tunic “Shall we start the day with a rousing jog to the village?”

Pulling the mask up to hide the lower half of his face, Sheik nodded, breaking into a jog beside Link as they made their way towards potential impending doom.

--

Smoke. The air was thick with it and Link found himself coughing on the acrid fumes before they were even fully in the village.

Voices shouted in alarm, fire crackling through the village and Link saw the flames as they engulfed the buildings of the settlement. It had only been a few months since the last fire…

Sheik looked to his companion out of the corner of his eye, his mask protecting his lungs from the worst of the smoke…but it stung his eyes as they pushed into the village, running straight for the well.

The screams were getting louder, more panicked as women desperately cried for lovers or children, men shouting orders for buckets of water to be brought from…the well to douse the flames.

Link grabbed a man carrying a bucket of milk.

“Why aren’t you using water from the well?!”

“Its’ gone.”

“What?!”

“The water in the well is all gone. Completely bone dry.”

“Since when?”

The man shrugged “It was there last night. Full.”

Link let him go, watching as he threw the milk over a nearby fire. “Try getting a chain of people to get water from the river!”

Sheik lifted an eyebrow. “Easier said than done.”

“But it’s the only chance to save the village. This fire is worse than the previous…”

Sheik nodded. “True. We need to get to the well though. The containment of that creature is our priority.”

Link’s eyes scanned the flames, the terrified villagers, shoulders slumping.

“Yeah. You’re right…”

Sheik rested a hand on Link’s shoulder. “This village will survive. Always has, always will…the villagers will find a way.”

The Hylian nodded.

“Come on Link.”

They ran to the well, finding it as dry as the man had said and Link was about to peer over the age when Sheik’s hand pressed to his chest, stopping him.

“Stay back Link.”

“Wh..”

Link found his sentence cut off by the sound of wood being torn.

The beam that held the buckets for collecting water was being punched free by some invisible force, tossed into the air and ripped apart into a rain of splinters.

Somewhere in the village, the screaming intensified and Link turned to watch what remained of the beam slamming into the floor behind him, shattering further into needle-like splinters.

The village was suddenly silent, save for the whisper of rain that was falling from dark storm clouds, blocking out the early morning sky.

They heard it before they saw it, a sound similar to a swarm of bees….but louder. Much louder and higher, then lower, the creature emitting a disturbing sequence of notes that sounded vaguely like a song.

Sheik looked to the harp concealed beneath his clothing

And then the hum was back, louder than before an echo of evil trapped within the sound, a strange noise that one would imagine would accompany the sight of the soul being sucked out of someone before your eyes.

Sheik gasped and Link spun at the noise only to see the other man being hoisted into the air, his body arching backwards as if clenched in a giant fist.

“Sheik!”

The shadow warrior was being tossed about in the air like a rag doll, helpless in the clutches of some invisible force.

The younger blonde was thrown suddenly, flung out of the monster’s grip and Link could only watch as his lover slammed into the floor several metres away, a cry of pain being wrenched from the man as he collided with the ground. His head struck the floor, body being pounded into the muddy floor.

Link found himself running towards Sheik before he had even registered the movement, crouching beside him a second later.

Worry gnawed at his stomach at the unmoving form as he looked over his partner’s body. Nothing seemed to be damaged…but he was too afraid of moving him and causing more damage to check. It was a complete reversal of their usual situation and Link was unable to help due to sheer ignorance…the other man had always seemed so strong and resilient, too careful to ever be put in danger that he had never though about it and now…now he had no idea what to do.

Distantly, he was aware of that bizarre soul-sucking sound and blue eyes tore themselves from the prone figure on the floor, widening at the sight of the purple cloud crawling along cliff walls and buildings of the village like some kind of over-large leech.

Sheik stirred, a quiet groan escaping, catching the creature’s attention in the suddenly deserted hamlet and it turned, heading straight for the two men.

Link was on his feet in a second, standing protectively in front of the downed Sheikah, sword pulled back and shield raised as he sank back, placing all his weight on his left leg.

Blurred red eyes opened, rolling up to see the green clad hero standing above him, stance indicating that he was ready to fight…what?

The memory slammed back over at him at the same time as that crawling feeling he experienced whenever he was near an evil presence.

His hand was reaching for Link of its own according, grasping his leg just above the ankle.

“Li..”

He was screaming, crying out in pain and Sheik couldn’t see what was happening to the older blonde for the black veil that been drawn across his sight when the creature had passed over him as it tackled Link.

Something heavy thudded to the floor, accompanied by a fading cry, something warm being dropped heavily over his back.

It swirled about his head, like an animal sniffing for its wounded prey…and then it lost interest, turning away and disappearing, taking the world with it as Sheik gave into unconsciousness, head throbbing.

--

“Go…temp…..me…..later.”

The words were fuzzy and indistinct in his hazed mind, the voice, deep, mature and female, vaguely familiar but implacable in his foggy state. There was silence for a moment, he was aware of that much, a rustling of cloth.

“..e…care…She…”

The same woman’s voice and then a muffled squeak of rusty hinges.

Link turned onto his side, eyes still closed, mind chugging through a smog that didn’t want to lift and with a sigh his consciousness slipped away again.

--

Rain pounded on the roof, falling in a constant patter onto the top of…wherever he was…and the knowledge he didn’t realise where he was made Link jerk awake, sitting bolt upright to take in the sight of the inside of the house.

White washed walls supported by dark timbers, a dark wooden floor below, the walls lined with shelves filled with books, a small table in the middle of the floor below. A fire crackled somewhere in the building, small and controlled, cooking something that smelled less than appetising.

A hand dropped suddenly onto his shoulder and the Hylian started, spinning and grasping the wrist tightly without thinking.

He relaxed visibly when he saw the owner of the hand.

“Sheik.” releasing his tight hold on the joint he pulled himself up from beneath the blanket that covered his still clothed body.

“How are you feeling?”

“..A little sore,” he rested a hand against his bruised ribs “…and very very confused.”

Sheik nodded. “We’re in Impa’s home.”

“Impa?”

Link’s eyes brightened with the recognition of the name, as if it reassured him that he and Sheik weren’t the only ones fighting for good.

“Yes. She arrived at the village a short time after our…run in with the creature. We moved you here so you could recover.”

“Where is she now?”

“…She’s already left for the Shadow Temple.”

“We were supposed to meet her here to stop the creature from escaping.”

“Yes, but it was far too strong and in a hidden form. We would not have been able to beat it even if we had been expecting to encounter it so suddenly.”

“Will she be able to seal it again?”

“Not without aid. Impa is one of the six sages; we must get to the temple and destroy the creature. Despite her strength, she is not going to be able to defeat it herself.”

“Impa strikes me as someone who’s not going to take kindly to be ‘rescued’.”

A smiled tugged at the Sheikah’s unveiled lips. “No, she’s not. Nevertheless, we still have to go.”

Link pushed the blankets away fully, standing up and retrieving his sword and shield that lay nearby.

“The temple is in the graveyard, right?”

Sheik nodded, pulling out the golden harp. “Yes. We have to warp to reach the entrance.”

“We have to play together to warp together?”

“Yes…and you don’t even have to ask to be taught this time. This is the Nocturne of Shadow.”

Link grinned as Sheik began to play…but his grin faded as he noticed the tone of the song. Admittedly, he had never expected a song entitled ‘Nocturne of Shadow’ to be happy and inspirational but…

For a song that was wordless, it inspired chilling images and shattered feelings, each note telling the story of the Sheikah Tribe.

There was no joy for that race. No hope for a future or a happy life. No belief that they would survive the ages. Nothing but misery and sacrifice and a punishing realism. Every note inspired by a knowledge that they were constantly a dying race, that they were the ones who would serve the greater good while their sister race of the Hylians flourished and survived. The Hylians were the named race of Hyrule. The ones this beautiful land belonged to and the Sheikah were left in the shadows as always, doing the work that the Hylians were too weak to carry out.

They were forsaken and they knew it.

Link couldn’t bring himself to play the ocarina as the haunting notes of Sheik’s harp dissipated, standing instead with his head hung, shoulders stiff, a lump stuck in his throat.

“Link?”

Blue eyes lifted.

“The world isn’t fair to you.”

“The world isn’t fair full stop. The Sheikah are merely exploited more than most because…”

“Because?”

“The goddesses need a race that can be sacrificed.”

“…why? If the goddesses are so kind and benevolent and mighty, why should they pick a group of people to die?”

“Do not blaspheme, Link. This is how the world works.”

“So this is the world I’m fighting to save? One that needs to have a sacrifice…”

The Sheikah warrior stepped forwards, laying a hand on Link’s shoulder, the other cupping his jaw.

“If you save the world, perhaps there will be no more need for sacrifice.”

“I…”

“Link…don’t turn your back on a world that needs you. Those people out there need you to do this.”

“Sheik they don’t even acknowledge your existence!”

“Butyou do, and that’s enough. I have never known a person to care for me this much and for someone like myself…who never expected this, it’s more than overwhelming. It’s more than enough.

“I don’t need people to sing my praises. I just need you.”

Link was silent for a moment before he lifted his head to look at Sheik “…You’re getting good at the ‘getting me to save the world’ thing.”

“Well I’d certainly hope so.”

The elder blonde managed a weak smile. “Alright…let’s do it.”

“Wait a moment. I’ve just remembered…”

Link frowned in confusion as Sheik pulled away, dropping to the floor below and heading for the bookshelves. He rummaged around for a moment, pushing various books out of the way, before pulling out a carved wooden box.

Sheik climbed the stairs, box tucked under his arm before he knelt at the table near where Link had been resting.

“The Shadow Temple is full of traps made by the Sheikah to deter outsiders. That is…anyone who is not a Sheikah or Sage. You will not be able to detect the traps as you are.”

“Well I have you to do that for me.”

A smirk tugged at Sheik’s lips. “True but…in case we become separated, I need to know you can continue without me. This,” he tapped the box “will let you do that.”

Link knelt beside Sheik, watching with interest as the shadow warrior pulled off the top of the inscribed box. Inside was a small looking glass, protected by folds of silk.

It was purple with a red lens, a dark red line running down the centre, as if it were the eye of a snake. Sheik handed it to Link.

“This is the Lens of Truth.”

“It looks similar to…”

Sheik pointed to the emblem on his chest and Link nodded before gently taking the glass from his partner’s hands, tucking it carefully into the folds of his tunic.

“Now,” Sheik stated, standing “We can go.”

“Oh joy of joys.”

--

Link stumbled as purple flecks of light whipped past his eyes, giving way to the dull grey of rock, and he flailed, reaching for something to steady himself on.

Sheik’s hand caught his, steadying him.

“Thanks.”

The Sheikah nodded.

The air was cold, the sky filled with black rain clouds that completely blocked out the view of the sky. If he hadn’t known better, Link would’ve said it was midnight.

The smell of burnt wood was being carried towards him on a light wind, the scent of rain and fire intermingling and a feeling of unease stabbed into his gut.

“I’ve already decided. I don’t like this temple.”

“We’re not even in yet.”

“Exactly.”

“Well…at least you don’t have to wear purple…”

The Hylian turned as Sheik’s odd statement, frowning in confusion before remembering the conversation they had had in the water temple.

Shaking his head, he stepped up to Sheik’s side and in silence; they walked down the roughly carved steps to the entrance chamber of the Shadow Temple.

It was filled with torches, a small platform in the middle with the Fire Temple’s seal inscribed on it. White, chalked runes ran amongst the torches in a circle, written in a language that Link couldn’t read. He deduced they must be Sheikah language, from the way Sheik was perusing them and the familiar, daunting symbol that was on the massive door ahead.

“I don’t suppose Impa could have left the door open for us?”

“Of course not. That would be far too easy.”

Sighing, Link stepped up onto the platform, motioning for Sheik to join him whilst he cast Din’s Fire, causing the door to open with a low, rumbling, scraping sound.

“A black corridor,” Link observed “this bodes well.”

“It is called the ShadowTemple for a reason.”

Sheik hopped down from his place behind Link, heading for the temple’s entrance, having to stop, turn and beckon Link to join him at least three times.

Eventually, the Hylian gave in, following Sheik with slumped shoulders and a heavy heart.

--

The darkness was thick, almost physical, and Link found himself feeling as if it was clinging to him, soaking into him. The temple smelt of death, it felt like fear and he found the whole experience entirely unwholesome.

Currently, he was sitting at the base of a large statue of a bird with an overly large beak, staring out at the void that blocked him from the rest of the temple, occasionally eyeing the boot attachments that were supposed to let him run on thin air.

Not bloody likely.

“You have to have faith.” Sheik commented, noting the look Link was giving the wings.

“I have every faith. I have every faith that I’ll run across that gap and plummet to my inevitable death.”

The Sheikah snorted, sitting down beside the other blonde and leaning against the statue, listening to the whispers that ran through the temple’s air, unheard by Link.

If only the Hylian could hear what he could right now. If only he could see what he could.

The Lens of Truth was good, but it only showed the most obvious of traps, the gaps where there appeared to be walls or floors.

If Link could see the truth as well as himself…he’d see the trails of spirits laced through the air, the ghosts of Sheikah long since passed away observing the living souls with interest. Sheik nodded to a particularly curious individual…a young woman who he guessed had not long passed away, was crawling on her hands and feet towards Link, head tilted in interest as she looked between the two of them.

A grey tongue flicked out to lick at white lips and Sheik sent her a warning, possessive glare. She grinned, seeming to get the message and stood, turning away and vanishing into the air.

It seemed that the ghosts of the departed Sheik were much more alive than the supposed living…

‘Well, most of the supposed living’ Sheik thought, smiling as Link leant against him, hand trailing unconsciously against his blue clad thigh.

“Sheik?”

“Hmm.?”

“…how do you know Impa?”

A golden eyebrow lifted and he jerked a little at the question.

“She was one of my teachers. A…friend of my family.”
“You have family?”

Link’s eyes brightened and he turned to look at Sheik more fully.

“Not really…my parents and siblings passed away shortly after my birth. Or so I’m told. I was raised by a multitude of different Sheikah…Impa is the only one left alive…but she has been my guardian for most of my life...”

“So she’s like your foster mother?”

“…I suppose.”

“Hmm.”

“Why do you ask?”

“Well it’s just…you seemed so desperate to get here and help her out…I just wondered if she was something more to you than just a member of your race.”

Sheik jostled uncomfortably. The Hylian may not have been able to see the Sheikah traps with his own eyes...but he certainly saw other truths that Sheik would be hard pushed to find without aid.

“…So…we should get moving, huh?”

“It would be preferable to sitting here doing nothing.”

Nodding, Link climbed to his feet, offering a hand to the Sheikah and pulling him up before looking worriedly at the gap that, unbeknownst to him, was filled with the hands of evil spirits intent on dragging them to hell. Sheik opted to nottell the Hylian that particular fact.

Link shuffled to the edge, crouching and peering down into the darkness, not knowing about the pale hand that wavered in front of his face, wanting to grab him but not able to.

He was only fair prey if he fell.

Backing up, Link fixed the wing attachments to his boots, taking out the iron attachments and throwing them to the other side.

“They won’t actually weigh you down, Link. The attachments will compensate.”

Link stopped in his movements to remove his shield, before sliding it back into place and taking a few steps back from the edge to where Sheik stood.

“Fine, but if I fall, I’m dragging you down to hell with me.”

Grinning in an attempted display of carefree attitude, he ran for the void.
***
Reviews please. Thanks to all who have done so