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A Man's Duty	By : galassia Category: Zelda > General Views: 5314 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with Nintendo in any way. All non original characters belong to Nintendo and not to me. All parts of the story that are in the game Ocarina of Time belong to Nintendo. I make no money nor do I get any monetary like gain from the story.

Chapter List
- 15
- 16
- 17
Special Note: Some liberties have been taken with the original storyline. In this story Sheik is his own person and not Zelda. I do realize that Sheik in game canon is actually Zelda and I have no problem with that canon. However, for this story Sheik is a man and his own person. It includes or will include sexual themes between two men, cross-dressing, death, violence, angst and possibly more. If either the themes of this story or the fact that Sheik is not Zelda and a man bothers you, don't read it. You've been warned and I really don't care if you get pissed off for reading something you don't like and were warned about in the first place.

Sheik shivered violently, cursing himself for exerting so much strength in the frigid weather. He was freezing, soaked with sweat from the effort it took to unthaw the Zora princess and paying for it as the harsh chill of the air seemed to pass right through him. But, he couldn’t very well have left the princess trapped in the ice with her fellows. Not only would it serve to smooth things along with King Zora for Link, having her safe, but she was a Sage. If she were trapped within the icy prison like her brethren, all of Link’s efforts to move ever closer to Ganondorf would be in vain.

At the thought of Link, Sheik smiled in spite of himself, watching the boisterous young man in question battle a White Wolfos, as he himself hid from view behind a veil of magic. When the Hero slipped his blade into its sheathe upon defeating his opponent, turning to retrieve the Iron Boots that were guarded by the wolf like creature, Sheik allowed himself to fade into view. He smiled, chuckling faintly at the look of surprise on Link’s face when he turned away from the chest to see Sheik. “We meet again, Link... I told you I would be here.”

Link laughed, watching amusedly as Navi darted out from under the cloak to fly around Sheik, “Y’were here the whole time... weren’t y’Sheik? I thought I felt y’watchin’ me.”

Sheik shrugged, “In this chamber the entire time you battled? Yes, I was. Am I so easy to notice?”

Link approached Sheik, stopping a few feet in front of the man. He smiled, gazing at the man intently, “I’ve come t’know your eyes.”

Sheik nodded slowly, looking away from Link as he shivered violently, unsure whether it was from the cold or Link’s intense gaze. “I’ve been somewhat wrong about the happenings here. With one exception, the Zoras are all now sealed under this thick ice sheet, as you well know. I managed to rescue the Zora princess from under the ice, but she left to head for the Water Temple."

“This ice is created by an evil curse of Ganondorf’s making and a monster in the Water Temple is the source of the curse." Sheik shook his head slowly, forcing his eyes back to Link’s face, “Unless you shut off the source, unless both that creature and Ganondorf are defeated, this ice will never melt. Only you can do this Link, and I know you have courage enough to confront the danger and save the Zoras.”

“So, even if I defeated Ganondorf but not this, monster, the Zora would still be trapped?"

Sheik nodded, “I know you are going to go to Death Mountain and the Fire Temple first, but I will teach you the melody that leads to the Water Temple." Sheik slipped his lyre from his bag and held it carefully in his hands, smiling at Link, “Time passes, people move and like a river's flow, it never ends. A childish mind will turn to noble ambition, young love will become deep affection, the clear water's surface reflects growth. Now listen to the Serenade of Water to reflect upon yourself."

Playing the soft, serene melody of the Serenade of Water, Sheik closed his eyes. When Link joined him in playing the song, he smiled, opening his eyes to watch the Hero with an almost open affection. As their playing faded to an end he slipped his lyre away and sighed, “Link, I’ve only just rejoined you, but... I must go again.”

Link’s eyes went wide at Sheik’s words. Before the man could magic himself away Link grabbed his arm tightly, pulling the Sheikah to him, “No, m’not letting y’go. Y’can’t get hurt again.”

Sheik gasped in surprise, the wind nearly being knocked out of him from the force of his body being pulled against the Hero’s. He averted his eyes and swallowed hard, “Link, I...” He sighed and looked into the teen’s face, “This is my duty, Link. I must do it.”

Link frowned and lifted a hand and pulled at Sheik’s cowl, exposing the Sheikah’s face. He wrapped his arms around the man, pulling him very tightly to his chest.“Then promise me,” he said softly, his voice wavering before coming out again, loud and strong, “Promise me y’won’t get hurt!”

Sheik stood dumbfounded, pressed against the Hero’s chest for what seemed like an eternity. The way Link had shouted his request chilled him to the bone. It was so earnest, so heartfelt that Sheik could not get his voice to work. When, at last, he felt able to speak he sighed and shook is head, “I... I’m sorry Link, I cannot make that promise.” He bit his lip and smiled as he looked into Link’s eyes, “If I make that promise... I may end up breaking it, there are so many things beyond my control. I couldn’t bring myself to make a promise to you, if I don’t have control over whether or not it can be kept.”

Sheik chuckled, wincing when Link‘s arms tightened further around his torso, “If I had made that promise... I would have already broken it, right now, through no fault of my own. My ribs are close to breaking from the strength of your grasp.”

Link’s eyes went wide and he loosened his grip on Sheik, letting the man fall away from his chest, just a bit, “Oh Nayru... m’sorry Sheik. I didn’t mean...”

Sheik smiled faintly, breathing deeply now that the extreme pressure about him was gone, “Please Link, don’t apologize, it’s alright.”

Link nodded slowly and let his arms fall before bringing his hands up to gently grasp Sheik’s face, “Okay, if y’can’t promise that then will y’promise...” He swallowed hard and moved his head forward, pressing his lips to Sheik’s. He kissed him gently, no more than a faint meeting of two sets of lips, but in that simple kiss he poured out all the questions he couldn’t ask and feelings he could find no words for. After a few moments, he pulled himself back, blushing faintly as he stared into Sheik’s wide eyes, “Can y’promise that you’ll do everything y’can not t’get hurt?”

Sheik swallowed hard, blushing magnificently as he stared at Link, who had just moments prior had his lips pressed ever so gently against his own. It had felt as though a million unspoken words traveled through him. He furrowed his brow, cursing himself for wearing his emotions so plainly on his face. He’d grown complacent, gotten far too used to having a simple sheet of cloth hiding his face. Sighing softly, he nodded his head, stammering somewhat, “I... yes, Link. That... I’ll promise that.”

Link smiled brightly and pulled Sheik into a tight hug before letting him go again, stepping back from him with a nod, “Alright Sheik, if y’must go...” He watched as Sheik began to leave and rushed forward suddenly, “Wait! What about your cloak?”

The blush on Sheik’s cheeks grew darker and he cleared his throat as he pulled his cowl back into place, “Keep it, for now, you can give it back when we meet again, at Death Mountain Crater.” He nodded at the teen and within seconds he was gone.

Sheik let out a hiss as he pressed the tips of his thumb and forefinger to the deep gash on his cheek, trying to remove the shard of rock that had lodged itself there. To be honest, he was quite lucky to have gotten out of the battle with nothing more than the face wound. It was horrific, so much harder than the battle in the Forest Temple and yet, despite his mind being focused more on Link’s sudden kiss than the battle he had been fighting, he triumphed.

Shaking his head, he let out a curse as he wiped the blood off his hands, having failed to remove the shard once again. Well, he may not have been entirely unharmed, but all things considered he thought he kept his promise. He sighed and pulled his cowl up a bit to press it to the gash, cutting off the blood flow, perhaps he would have an easier time of it if there weren’t so much blood.

“Sheik!” Link yelled as his eyes fell on the Sheikah, standing at the end of the bridge, as he pulled himself up. He ran to the man and took his hand away from his face, “Are y’alright?! There’s so much blood...”

Sheik cleared his throat and nodded, “Yes, I’m fine. No other injuries, wounds to any place on the head tend to bleed a lot and I took a rock to the face. My trying to get the shard that’s lodged inside out of it... hasn’t helped.”

Link frowned at the gash, it wasn’t horrific but it was deep and he could see the aforementioned shard. He removed the glove from his left hand with his teeth and placed his right hand behind Sheik’s head before pressing his fingers to the wound and plucking the shard out. He swallowed hard and lowered his hands from Sheik, looking at the shard in the palm of his hand before casting it aside. “Well, it’s out.”

Sheik smiled and pulled a potion and small length of cloth from his bag. He drenched the cloth with the potion, returning the bottle to his bag before pressing the cloth to his face. He held the cloth in place for a moment before putting it away, pulling his cowl up once more. “Thank you, Link.”

Link nodded, wiping his hand off and covering it once again with his glove. He looked Sheik over, pressing his hands to Sheik’s chest and back in an effort to find any unmentioned wounds. When he was satisfied that there were no more, he smiled, “”Thank Farore y’are okay.” He cleared his throat and scratched the side of his face, a blush creeping onto his cheeks as he held out Sheik’s cloak, “H...here. A...are y’angry about, well, y’know... me kissin’ y’in the Ice Cavern?”

Sheik laughed softly and shook his head, taking the cloak. He quickly donned the cloak, smiling softly, “No, I’m not. If I’d been angry I would have risked the bodily injury that was sure to occur and struck you when you did. As...” He cleared his throat, “As it is, I’m fairly sure your kiss is the reason I’m not torn to shreds.”

“Why would y’have gotten hurt?” Link asked, raising an eyebrow before smiling, “Y’think so?”

“Either I’d have injured myself striking you, you would have injured me for striking you, Navi would have or the Goddesses themselves would have smote me. However it would have happened, I’d have been hurt.” Sheik laughed softly and smiled, “I really do think it’s the reason I’m as well off as I am, but, you’ve a Temple to go through and I’ve a song to teach you before you do. So, we can talk later about it, okay?”

Link nodded slowly, watching as Sheik pulled out his lyre and followed suit by pulling out the Ocarina of Time, “Oh, m’kay, that’s fine. Where’re y’gonna be?”

Sheik slid his fingers against the strings of the lyre as he thought, “You left Epona outside of Kakariko I imagine?” When Link nodded at the question, Sheik returned the nod, “Then I will be outside of Kakariko, keeping her company.”

Clearing his throat Sheik let out a breath, “It is something that grows over time, a true friendship. A feeling in the heart that becomes stronger over time, the passion of friendship will soon blossom into a righteous power and through it, you will know which way to go. This song is dedicated to the power of the heart... listen to the Bolero of Fire...” Sheik slowly plucked out the tune, breathing deeply as he did so. When Link joined him in playing on his second play through, he shivered, he had always loved the Bolero of Fire, and hearing Link play it with him was... comforting.

Link smiled softly as he pulled the ocarina from his lips, stuffing it away in the bag he’d been given by Sheik, “That... I really like that song.”

Sheik chuckled, nodding his head, “As do I, it’s my favorite of the Temple’s songs. Now, I’m off. Take your time and be careful, do not strain yourself. I will see you again, outside Kakariko.” When Link nodded at him with a smile, Sheik nodded himself and took a step back, wrapping himself in a veil of darkness that took him to the bottom of the steps outside the village. He let out a sigh, shaking his head and looked around before plucking out Epona’s Song on his lyre, putting it away when the horse ran to him. He ran his hand against the horse’s muzzle and pulled out a number of small carrots from his bag, bringing one to Epona’s mouth, “Hello, girl. Were you lonely?”

Epona let out a soft whinnying snort and pushed her nostrils to Sheik’s hand for a moment, before eating the carrot from his palm.

“Well then,” Sheik said softly, moving his cowl to take one of the small carrots into his own mouth, chewing it slowly. Swallowing he put another of the small carrots to Epona’s mouth, “Let’s keep each other company, hm?”

Link trudged slowly down the steps leading to Hyrule Field, looking at the sun high in the sky. He had been shocked upon leaving Goron City to see that it was midday, he hadn’t realized both night and morning had passed as he went through the Fire Temple. He sighed softly as Navi once again said he needed a break and shook his head. The fairy had spent most of their time in the Temple speaking about Sheik, but upon coming towards the end she began talking about his needing a break. “M’fine Navi, jus’ need a bit of sleep.”

The fairy shook her head as she lounged on Link’s shoulder, sighing softly, “You need a lot more than ‘a bit of sleep’ Link. You’re exhausted, I honestly thought you were done for in the battle against Volvagia.”

“M’fine, really.” Link said softly, reaching the bottom of the steps. He raised an eyebrow, looking around for Sheik, his eyes going wide when he spotted the Sheikah. Sheik was sitting astride Epona, laying forward so that his chest leaned against her crest, hand rubbing the horses jaw. He laughed softly, approaching them, “Well, looks like y’really can mount.”

Sheik jumped a bit before relaxing himself against the horse once again, “Heh, well... I said I could.” His eyes scanned Link and he frowned, “You look rough.”

“Yes he does! He needs a break, a couple days relaxation!” Navi rang out before frowning, “Come to think of it, you look like you could use a bit yourself. Didn’t you sleep at all? You’ve been up since before dawn yesterday...”

Sheik shook his head as he pushed himself upright, “No, I didn’t, Epona got a good bit of sleep though.”

“Why didn’t y’sleep some Sheik?” Link asked with a frown.

“Ah, I’ve lasted longer without it than this. Besides, I spent the night keeping Stalchildren off Epona, annoying little things.” Looking Link over once more Sheik nodded, “Alright, come on up Link. We’ll go for a break.”

“Good, a break! We could all use one!” Navi said cheerfully.

Link furrowed his brow as he grasped the saddle, mounting Epona behind Sheik, taking the reins when the man handed them to him, “Uh, where’re we goin’? She can’t go up the steps.”

“I know, we aren’t going to stay in Kakariko. Just follow my directions.” Sheik said softly, leaning back to press against Link’s chest. Throughout the night he’d ridden Epona a bit, slowly forcing himself to acclimate to being astride her, but it was far better when he could press against the Hero.

The trio traveled across Hyrule Field for quite some time, mostly in silence that was sporadically broken up with brief bouts of inane conversation. They were nearing the path that lead to Lake Hylia when Sheik spoke up, “Stop here, please.”

Link blinked and slowly coaxed Epona to a stop and raised an eyebrow as he looked around, “What’re we stoppin’ here for?”

Sheik chuckled and slowly dismounted Epona, careful not to hit Link on his way down. He approached a rockface that was a bit different than the rest and turned to the Hero, “We’re outside of a Sheikah village. Lakashu Village, to be precise, my parents are from this village... though they left it before my birth.”

Link frowned and dismounted Epona as well, walking to Sheik. He tilted his head and pressed his hands to the rockface, turning to Sheik with a curious look, “Lakashu Village? There’s a village... here?”

Navi fluttered off Link’s shoulder, flitting about quickly before coming to hover before Sheik’s face, “I feel a lot of magic here...”

Sheik nodded slowly, “There is a village here, and the magic you feel, Bug, is from the village. The mountains, these walls of rock, they are all alive, in a way. They grow and change, they even learn. This rockface that is different than the rest guards the village and it opens to only those of Sheikah or Royal blood... and those few others who it has learned to trust."

“Learned to... trust?" Link asked, letting his hands fall to his sides.

Sheik nodded, “If I place my hand where you had yours, Link, the rockface will open. But, if we both place our hands it will learn to open for you as well. We Sheikah have a number of villages throughout Hyrule and all our safeguarded like this with one exception. Kakariko Village was our only ‘open’ village, but very few Sheikah live there now.”

“Couldn’t someone just take a Sheikah’s hand to open the village?” Navi asked as she flitted to the rockface and back to Sheik, “Perhaps force a Sheikah to give them access?”

Sheik shook his head, “The rock knows if the hand that touches it lives or not, it knows if the owner of the hand is acting against their will or is being coerced.” He moved to stand beside Link and nodded towards the rockface, “Place your hand against it again, Link and it will learn your hand so that you might come here whenever you wish.”

Link nodded slowly, tentatively placing his hand to the rockface. He furrowed his brow and looked at Sheik, watching the man place his hand beside his own and gasped when the rock slowly slid open to reveal... nothing. A void. “Wha... huh?”

Sheik chuckled softly, “The magic blocks all sound and visuals from both sides until you pass through it, let’s go.” He whistled for Epona and walked forward, pulling his cowl off, followed by his turban, placing them in his bag as he went.

Link’s eyes went wide as he watched Sheik disappear and tentatively walked forward, swallowing hard as he passed through the ‘gate’, followed by a trotting Epona. When he, Navi and Epona went through the void behind them became rock once more and he gasped in delight as the sights and sounds of a bustling little village suddenly assaulted him, many people were walking about a small marketplace, Sheikah and Hylian alike, “There are... Hylians here?”

Sheik nodded slowly, “Yes, most are here for shelter from Ganondorf but some were here before he came to power.” He turned to Link, smiling brightly. Approaching Epona, he took the tie on the saddle in his hands, leading her into a small stable area before returning to Link, “What do you think?”

“I... I think it’s wonderful.” Link said softly, still amazed as he looked about.

Navi fluttered about before coming to land on Link’s shoulder, “It’s magnificent!”

Sheik smiled and was about to speak when he was cut off by an angry voice.

“Avaicus! What are you doing here?”

“Avaicus?" Link asked, blinking in confusion.

Sheik frowned, sighing heavily, “Avaicus is my surname, Link.” He turned to the owner of the angry voice and shook his head, “Arathal... I really didn’t think you’d be here.”

Navi winced at the name Sheik spoke, moving to hold onto Link’s hoop of an earring. So this was Arathal, Sheik’s former lover. She supposed she could see why they had been lovers, she imagined he was handsome when his face wasn’t contorted with anger. His body was well muscled and he was taller than Sheik by a few inches. His skin was a few shades darker, hair a cropped, like dark wheat in color and his eyes a dark red not unlike drying blood. Still, his hostile appearance had her on edge.

“Didn’t think I would be here? I do live here.” Arathal scoffed, angry eyes moving from Sheik’s face to Link before focusing on the Sheikah again, “And who is this?”

“Indeed you do, Arathal. But, you were never one for staying at home.” Sheik sighed again, rubbing his temple, “You know very well who this is. The only person I would be traveling with.”

“Oh, of course, the Hero.” Arathal said, he narrowed his eyes at Sheik, “Again I ask what are you doing here, especially looking like that.” He growled, face betraying a brief look of sorrow as he moved closer to Sheik, jabbing a finger against his chest, “Looking like... him. It... it’s just cruel.”

Link raised an eyebrow and was going to ask a question before being kicked softly in the neck by Navi. He turned his head to look down at her and frowned when she held her tiny finger to her mouth, but nodded slowly and stayed silent.

“Link, his name is Link and it’s not cruel, Arathal,” Sheik said softly, placing a hand against the taller man’s shoulder, “It’s truth.”

“T...truth?” Arathal asked, blinking quickly.

Sheik nodded, smiling faintly when the spirit of his sister appeared beside him, speaking just as he spoke, “Truth.”

Arathal’s eyes went wide at the appearance of Sheia’s spirit, the sound of their voices mixed together. He lunged forward, pulling Sheik in for a tight hug, kissing the man passionately. He winced when he was pushed back from the other Sheikah with a forceful punch to the stomach and groaned faintly, “S... sorry, I just... it’s good to see you Sheik.”

“Mm, I really rather thought you’d be in his castle.” Sheik said softly.

“Ah, I’m on a ‘mission’ for him, supposed to be ‘spying’, keeping tabs on Lakashu.” Arathal said, clearing his throat.

“Oh? And what are you going to tell him you’ve seen?” Sheik asked, narrowing his eyes.

“Sheikah and Hylian’s, living in fear of his ‘magnificence’.” Arathal said before smirking, “Of course, now that you two have arrived I can tell him I’ve seen the great Hero and what I know about you. Would that anger you?”

Sheik grabbed Arathal’s shoulder harshly, glaring at the taller man, “If I truly thought you’d do so, I’d kill you right now. As it is, I don’t and for that...” He said as he let the man’s shoulder go and walked around him, not looking back when he continued, “I am glad. Take a look around Link, I will get our room at the Inn.”

Arathal turned to watch Sheik as he walked away before disappearing inside the Inn, he gave a faint laugh and shook his head, “Still confident as ever.”

Link furrowed his brow, clearing his throat, “Er... y’think he’s confident?”

Arathal blinked and turned towards Link, laughing a bit again, “Ah right, the Hero... and look, you have a fairy.” He smirked and nodded, “Yeah, maybe a bit too confident.”

Link shook his head, “I don’t think he’s confident... I think he’s afraid. S’like he’s always gotta put on a brave face, but it doesn’t reach his eyes. Most’a the time, his eyes, they’re all I see and they’re always so afraid.”

“Really?" Arathal asked as he closed his eyes, shaking his head with a sad sigh, “Well, looks like you two are really close then.”

Link furrowed his brow, looking to Navi, who shrugged, before looking back to the man, “W... what d’ya mean?”

Arathal opened his eyes and shrugged, “I’ve always searched his face for how he feels but not his eyes, never his eyes. He’d hide them, avert them, not look at me... anything to keep his eyes hidden from me.”

“A... are you two...?” Link asked, biting his lip.

“No, I’m lucky he didn’t break my neck when I kissed him. We were, once, but he closed that door a long time ago.” Arathal said with a weak shrug.

“He told me that it was a mutual and civil parting.” Navi said softly, clearing her throat when Link looked at her in wide eyed shock.

“When the person you love makes up their mind and you know there’s no way you can change it... well, you smile and agree if you want to stay friends.” Arathal said softly, “Some Sheikah buck against our ‘role’ as servants to the Royal Family, but not Sheik. I... well, I’m nothing in comparison to his duty, but it looks like his feelings and duty finally align.”

Link bit his lip, blushing faintly, “D...d’ya still... love him?”

Arathal laughed softly, “I did, but then I thought that he was d...” He stopped suddenly when he saw the fairy shaking her head feverishly and his eyes went wide. The Hero didn’t know... and thinking on it, maybe he knew why he the people were told Sheik had died, “Ahem, I mean... well, I did, but I didn’t know the truth.” He cleared his throat and turned away, “I was supposed to buy a few things from the market for my family, so I’ll be going now. I...if you ever want to talk or need anything, search me out...” He began to walk away, turning to look at the Hero one final time, “Link.”

“O...okay, thank y’Arathal.” Link watched the man walk away into the crowd of people in the market and smiled softly, making his way to the Inn. When he entered the building he saw Sheik, talking quietly to... what appeared to be thin air. He frowned and tilted his head, “But I didn’t know the truth,” he thought, eyes going wide as he silently pulled the Eye of Truth from his bag and held it to his face. He saw Sheik, saw the darkness of his aura running around a faint heart of light, he moved quietly and swallowed hard when he saw a translucent being in front of Sheik. It, she?, looked so much like Sheik it was scary. But the eyes, her eyes were different, rather than fearful they were hard and burned like fire.

The being turned her eyes to look at Link for what seemed like forever, smiling at him faintly and it took everything he had not to gasp. When her eyes were no longer on him, he quickly slipped the Eye of Truth into his bag and cleared his throat. “Sheik, I... can I talk to y’about somethin’?”

Sheik turned around and tilted his head, “Of course, Link. I’ve gotten our room, two beds, but... what do you want to talk about?”

Link thought for a moment about the being, about asking what or who it was but thought better of it. Best save that discussion for later, he had something much more pressing on his mind. He scratched the back of his neck and took a deep breath as he approached Sheik, “I... what I mean is, I like y’Sheik and I think y’might like me too. If y’don’t that... that’s fine, but, I just had to tell y’that.”

Sheik stared at Link for a moment, a dumbfounded expression covering his face before coughing. He cleared his throat and chuckled weakly, “I... well, I like you too Link.”

Link smiled brightly and launched himself forward, wrapping his arms tightly about Sheik as he pressed a kiss to his lips before pulling his face back quickly, “Hah, y’did mean y’like me like this... right?”

Sheik chuckled softly and nodded, “Yes, I like you like this,” he said and pressed a soft kiss to Link’s lips. When he pulled back he smiled at Link, blushing when a sudden yawn passed his lips, “Mm, looks like I’m tired.”

Link laughed softly, his laugh mixing with the ringing laugh that Navi gave from his shoulder. When he yawned as well, he laughed harder, shaking his head, “I think we all need a bit of sleep.”

“I think you’re right.” Sheik said with a smile.

Link bit his lip and let Sheik go, coughing softly, “Uhm, d’ya mind i...if I share a bed with y’Sheik.”

Navi whistled and hooted, clearing her throat at a sudden glare from both Link and Sheik. She laughed nervously and shrugged, “Sorry.”

Sheik shook his head and smiled at Link, “I don’t mind, Link... let’s go.”
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A Man's Duty