The Legend of Zelda: Blood and Spirit

Chapter 17: The Goddess and the Hero

Chapter 17: The Goddess and the Hero

Sheik frowned as she stood within one of the doorways of Kakariko Village's Healing House, where the Sheikah would receive medical attention if they ever needed it. She had been watching Link for almost a half an hour as he sat by Zelda's bedside attentively keeping her company as she lay unconscious as she had for the past several hours, and paying absolutely no mind to the Sheikah leader despite her intense stare. After the girl and the hero were reunited on the field, the group wasted no time in getting Zelda back to Kakariko Village, where the Sheikah healers immediately got to work on tending to her shoulder wound. The inhabitants of the village, who were normally opposed to accepting outsiders into their village, had welcomed both the goddess and her hero with open arms, especially since their leader had made it clear that they were to be treated as honored guests of the Sheikah tribe.

Leaning casually against the door frame, Sheik let out a quiet breath through her mouth and closed her eyes for a moment in thought before opening them to look at Link once more. Despite the fact that he hadn't moved from Zelda's side since they had made it to the village, he didn't look tired or weary in the slightest. Rather, his expression was contemplative and concentrated, as if he had been focused in deep thought this entire time. Biting her lip, Sheik finally worked the nerve to speak up to him, even though the two of them had hardly said a word to each other since that morning.

"You've been in here all day," Sheik said quietly, letting her slight worry show in her tone. "Don't you think you should go get some fresh air for a few minutes?"

"I'm fine," the hero said succinctly, not even glancing towards the Sheikah leader for a moment.

She sighed, trying to think of something, anything to say. "You don't have to worry so much about her, you know," she said consolingly. "All of best healers said that she's going to be just fine and that no permanent damage was done to her shoulder. She just needs her rest."

"I know," Link said calmly, finally giving Sheik a small glance. "I'm not worried about her."

"Then what's really wrong?" the Sheikah asked, stepping into the room. "And don't say 'nothing' because I know that's a blatant lie."

The hero sighed as he looked to the unconscious girl lying before him once more. "I've been doing some thinking…"

"About what?"

He was silent for a long moment, before fully turning towards her. "Maybe we should go outside for a while…" he said quietly, and Sheik immediately understood what his intentions were. He wanted to speak with her privately, just in case Zelda happened to wake up while they were talking about something that he obviously didn't want her to hear.

And so, the pair stepped out of the Healing House, into the busy streets of Kakariko Village. None of the villagers seemed to pay them any mind as Sheik led Link to a much quieter section of town not too far away, an empty, secluded square that contained a small, flowing fountain, a place known to the Sheikah as Hylia's Fountain, since it was topped off with a statue of the goddess. As soon as they were out of the earshot of anyone else, the Sheikah leader turned to the hero with an inquisitive look on her face.

"So what are you thinking?" Sheik asked, crossing her arms and frowning at him, trying to avoid the thought that she was alone with him.

"This needs to stop," Link said with firm resolve. "We can't let Veress and the Interlopers hurt Zelda again, or anyone else. We need to end this, soon."

The Sheikah leaded nodded. "I agree. So what's your plan?"

"Well…" the hero said with a somewhat sheepish smile. "I was kind of hoping you had one…"