All Things Come to an End

Disclaimer: I do not own the Legend of Zelda or any of its characters. All of the characters in this story belong to Nintendo. I have written this for entertainment purposes only, and am not making any sort of profit for it.

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Sheik straightened ever so slightly. A faint hum tickled his ears–the Hero of Time was coming.

It was then he noticed the water levels rising. The chill that had clung so tenaciously to the lake was chased away as rays of sunlight spilled over the horizon. The sheikah couldn’t help but smile beneath his white cowl. The Hero had done it again.

“Sheik!”

The lithe teen turned a bit, peering over his shoulder at the bright fairy who’d just called his name. Behind the hovering ball of light stood the only man who could really save this country.

Sheik frowned faintly. Certainly, the Hero seemed a little paler than normal? Perhaps it was just a trick of the light. Shrugging it off, the mysterious Sheikah gestured out at the replenished lake.

“You’ve done it, Link. Ganondorf’s curse has been lifted.”

The Hero of Time nodded and came forward to stand beside him. His damp blonde hair and green tunic hung limp. He turned to the Sheikah, about to speak, but was cut off.

“Did Ruto want to thank me?” Link shut his mouth slowly and nodded. He briefly thought back to his last words with the Zora princess. The blue light had first taken him to her, where she explained her place in the battle, and had lent him her power. Then, he’d been sent here.

Goddesses, things were happening too fast. Who else would be taken from him before his quest was done?

He hadn't known Ruto that well, but since Saria and Darunia had already been taken from him, she'd been one of the few he had left. Saria had been like a big sister to him, and Darunia had accepted him as a sworn brother. They hadn't just been friends. Now Ruto was gone too, and though she'd been a horrible brat to him in the past, she was still closer to him than any of the other Zora. Who else would be stripped away?

“I see,” Sheik said softly, effectively waking the teen from his wandering thoughts. “We have to save Hyrule for her sake, too.” Link sighed and nodded again in agreement, his eyes lowering. The Sheikah was right; he was doing this for all of Hyrule. Still, that knowledge did little to ease the pain of losing his closest friends to this war.

With a start, he realized the Sheikah was staring at him. Crimson eyes were peering at him through strands of bright blonde hair.

“Is something wrong, Link?”

The teen was slightly taken aback by the question, and misinterpreted it in regards to mental health rather than physical. “N...n-no, everything’s fine. Well, as fine as it can be, with Hyrule the way it is.”

Sheik seemed unconvinced. Link’s voice had an unusual huskiness to it. “You do not look well, hero. Do you feel ill?”

Link shook his head. He too, had noticed the change in his voice, but he didn’t feel sick; just tired, cold, and a bit unsteady from the knock his head had taken. He had a terrible longing to curl up in bed under thick layers of blankets, and forget about the rest of the world. Unfortunately, he had no time for such a luxury.

“No. I’m fine.”

Sheik sighed at the boy’s stubbornness and nodded. “Very well,” he muttered, deciding he didn’t want to argue. “I must go to Kakariko and get some information on the next Sage’s whereabouts. Meet me there in a few days.” Link nodded, and gazed off at the shimmering water as Sheik started to leave.

He flinched slightly as a hand clamped down on his shoulder. “This is a good opportunity for you to get some rest, Hero. I’m uncertain as to when your next chance will be.” Link blinked. He could’ve sworn he saw a bit of concern in those normally emotionless eyes. Perhaps Navi had informed Sheik of how little he’d been sleeping as of late? Though, Link somehow doubted she had even noticed.

Shrugging the mystery off, the Hylian took a deep breath and nodded.

“I’ll meet you in Kakariko, Sheik.”

A bright flash of light, and the mysterious teen was gone.

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Link fought the horrible urge to shiver as he made his way across Hyrule field. His clothing had dried long ago; the sun was bright and warm that day. Yet, he still felt unnaturally chilled. This time though, Navi wasn’t shivering with him. She had actually commented on the comfortable weather several hours ago.

It was high noon, now. Certainly he should be feeling overly warm, with the sun beating down as it was.

So why did he feel so cold?

He could see the ranch in the distance. Goddesses, he hadn’t seen Malon since he’d visited her at the ranch after waking her father. For him, it’d only seemed like a few weeks since then. For her, it’d been seven years. He wondered how much the loveable farm girl had changed.

“Link-kun?”

Link blinked up at his guardian fairy. Navi was hovering in front of his face, looking closely at him in what seemed to be concern. “You don’t look so good...and you’re shivering...you really are sick, aren’t you?”

He bit his lip in slight embarrassment. “I think I’m just chilled from the temple Navi...that’s all.”

“You’re voice sounds funny.”

So it did. It hurt a little to speak.

Feeling that there was nothing they could do, he waved off her concern and continued on. They were nearly to the ranch anyhow. Malon would probably let him stay and rest for a bit before he continued on to Kakariko.

As he approached the open gates though, his head suddenly exploded in nauseating pain. Link winced, his hands reaching up and grasping at his skull as he fell to his knees.

Navi chimed in alarm and fluttered down, circling him. “Link-kun! Link-kun, what’s wrong?!”

He could barely hear her over the high pitched ring in his ears. His head felt like it was going to explode. Violent shivers racked his body; sweat was trickling in streams. He gagged and heaved, his empty stomach producing nothing but bile.

“Na...vi...” he murmured, the pain overflowing into his voice.

He thought he saw someone running toward him, just as his vision started to fade. He welcomed the approaching darkness, and slumped to the ground as his grasp of consciousness slipped away.

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AN: Cliche, I know...oh well.
The fun starts next chapter.

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