The New Chronicles of Hyrule: Two Suns

As they plummeted over the edge of the falls, Sheikah and Zora hybrid were still locked in a heated struggle. Sirith had drawn the knife he'd threatened Kura's life with, and Sheik had his blade in hand. Neither seemed to be gaining any ground.. until they suddenly hit the mostly dry lakebed. Sirith happened to land first, on top of a rather large rock. Sheik heard the snap immediately, and realized what it was only after he saw the odd angle at which the other man's upper body was bent. Sheik raised up as Sirith twitched, coughing up blood, and sneered up at the Sheikah with gurgling words. "..Go ahead.. Sheikah hero.. take my life.. while I'm.. down."

"..I think not." Uncaring of the hybrid's screams of pain, Sheik dragged him off the rock and into the shallows from the waterfall, then up onto land, and finally over to where Zelda and the others were. "..He lives yet. Make your judgement before he dies."

"Father!" Kura had hardly been able to believe her eyes when she saw her father rise, and more than that, come bearing the man who had threatened her life. Running over to the soaked Sheikah male, she threw her arms around him in a tight hug, surprising everyone.. Sheik himself more than anyone. He hesitantly hugged her back, lightly stroking her hair, then released her when she drew away, turning to look down at the deformed face of Sirith, moving slowly closer.

"Kura.. what are you doing?" Liru couldn't understand why his sister was nearing the man who had kidnapped her and threatened her life. Even if he was paralyzed, that was no reason to show him any kind of mercy!

The Sheikah girl ignored her twin. Pity overcame her at the sight of the broken man laying on the ground. His whole life, he'd been hidden.. most likely unloved by even his mother and father. Kneeling next to his motionless body, she saw his single eye staring wildly up at her, and leaned down to press a soft kiss to his forehead. "..It's over now. You can stop fighting. You can find peace. Please.. let go..."

The maniacal light began to fade from Sirith's eye, and when Kura lightly stroked his mostly hairless head.. his eye closed, and he breathed no more. Everyone was astonished to see his body disappear with a faint flash of blue light, leaving behind the Water Medallion that had been missing since Ruto's betrayal. Liru and Sheik closed in on her as she grasped the Medallion and stood, holding it against her chest. Liru hugged his twin tightly, and both were astounded to feel their father embracing them after a few moments. It seemed that in the face of adversity.. all had been forgiven.

"It seems my suspicions were correct.. Ruto and Zyrix had a son." Zelda sighed, loathe to interrupt the tender family moment as she spoke to her brother. Link nodded, though he was watching the scene with an odd sense of.. waiting. It seemed Zelda sensed it too, as she looked up at him with brow furrowed. "..Do you feel that?"

"It's almost like the calm before the storm. But.. a good storm." Nabooru spoke up, and the others, even Tyras and Kisari, nodded in agreement. They hovered nearby, watching the trio of Sheikah and waiting for whatever it was that was causing this feeling to happen.

The sudden flash of light nearly blinded them all, and when it faded, the transluscent form of Elenna stood there, smiling at all of them. Liru and Kura broke away from their father, staring wide-eyed at the ghostly apparition of their mother. Sheik nearly choked, his voice husky with unshed tears as he reached towards the spirit. "..Elenna?"

Her smile only brightened as the spirit moved forward, reaching to take Sheik's hand with her own, ethereal voice resounding softly over the area. "The Goddesses have released you from your bonds, Sheik. You're free. You can come with me, now."

Kura gasped, and attempted to throw herself at her father, struggling vainly against Liru's grip. "No! We just met him.. please don't take him from us, Mother!"

Turning her attention away from Sheik, Elenna looked fondly at her children, though it was obvious a great sadness lingered around her as well. "Kura.. Liru.. my dearest ones... Your father and I will always be with you, and we will always love you. Never forget that."

With a sob, Kura slumped back into her brother, tears flowing freely down her cheeks. It wasn't fair. She reached towards her parents as the ghostly arms of Elenna wrapped around the tired body of Sheik. Everyone watched in amazement as the head and facial coverings disappeared, as did his Sheikah bodysuit, leaving him in a simple grey tunic and breeches. He was smiling as his forehead rested against Elenna's, and for the first time any of them could remember, the man looked completely happy. "I've been waiting centuries for this."

"I know, my love. You can rest now." Elenna kissed him softly, then looked over her shoulder at Zelda, Link, Nabooru, and their children. "Take care of each other."

"We will.. I swear it." Zelda bowed to the couple, who had waited so long for this to happen.

Sheik seemed to hesitate a moment, then looked over at Kura and Liru. He didn't say anything.. not at first. He only smiled, and after a moment, nodded slowly. "I am very proud of both of you. All I want for you is the happiness it took me eons to find. Do this one thing for me.. and for your mother... Find it. And hold on to it for the rest of your lives."

They weren't given a chance to reply. A muted golden glow sprung up around the Sheikah, and enveloped them like a cocoon. When it faded.. they were gone.

-----

Several hours passed before it was discovered that another tree had sprung up next to Elenna's in the graveyard. Its bark was a rich golden brown, and its leaves were a rich golden yellow, with little red flowers interspersed amongst its branches. The others had come to pay their respects to Elenna, and were surprised by the tree that occupied the space next to it. Zelda smiled when she saw that the upper branches had woven themselves together, connecting the two trees for as long as they stood.

Eventually, the others trickled away, leaving only the twins, and Tyras and Kisari. Kura was silent, looking up at the two trees as her hand gripped the prince's. The physical remnants of her parents' spirits, and they were eternally bound. It seemed.. fitting, though there was an ache in her heart. She'd lost her mother, and then so soon after finally meeting her father, he too was taken from her. It didn't seem fair. But when Tyras gave her hand a gentle squeeze, and she looked over at him, the smile he gave her told her.. that everything was going to be all right.

"So..." When Kisa spoke, everyone turned to look at her. The Gerudo girl slowly dragged her gaze away from the duo of trees, looking first at her cousin and Kura, then up at Liru, who had a firm grip on her hand. She smiled up at him, golden eyes shining with hope. "Where do we go from here?"

"..All we can do is go forward." Kura nodded slowly as she spoke, smiling at the barely perceptible tremor in the two trees. "The future lays before us, and we must walk bravely towards it. They would expect nothing less of us."

"I know what my future holds. And I'll gladly embrace it, with all of my being." Tyras looked down at Kura, who glanced up at him with those red eyes, and nodded.

-----

"There may be hope for them yet." Unbeknownst to the younger generation, their parents had lingered towards the entrance of the small alcove, watching as their offspring spoke. Zelda seemed amused at the closeness that had sprung up between them, and it was evident in her blue eyes as she looked at her brother. "What will you do when Liru comes to ask for her hand?"

Link rolled his eyes, and shot a somewhat wary glance at his wife, who gave a grin that could only be described as wicked. "Well, there's a certain trial a man has to pass if he wants to wed a Gerudo..."

"That explains why you were so tired after asking Nabooru to marry you, brother." Zelda laughed, and nearly jumped out of her skin when Liru spoke.

"Thanks for the warning." Link chuckled at Liru's words, and clapped the boy heartily on the shoulder. They all paused to look back at the trees, thinking they heard two very familiar voices laughing.

Kura could almost feel the warm presence of her mother, and smiled as she looked away. "Let's go home."

-The End-