The Legend of Zelda: Blood and Spirit

Chapter 30: The Eyes of Truth

Chapter 30: The Eyes of Truth

A warm wind blew through Sheik's blonde braid and bangs as she stood on the pinnacle of the gate to Kakariko Village, gazing down upon her people as they hurried about the town, many of them recovering from the ongoing war that had been raging on the surface for the past two days. Ever since the first battle between those loyal to the goddess and those who rebelled against her the previous day, the land had not been at peace, as several smaller skirmishes had been breaking out between the opposing sides quite frequently. In them, more than half of the Interloper forces had either been captured and sent to the desert or retreated back to their fortress, but despite the clear victories of both the Sheikah and the sky folk, this war had not been without its losses. It pained the Sheikah leader to know that a quite a few of her own people had already been slain in these battles, but she took solace in the fact that there was still a good chance to that they could win in the end of it all. But even though the war was at a standstill in their favor, Sheik had a feeling that the worst of it all was still yet to come.

From her high vantage point, the Sheikah leader could see the full layout of her village and everyone in it, including the hero as he headed for the town well to get some water for himself and his wife. Sheik bit her lip as she watched him from afar, feeling several different emotions at once. The most prominent was guilt over how callously she had acted yesterday when he had been suffering from his panic attack. She was no stranger to fear and terror, and it was clear that over the course of his many struggles, Link had become well acquainted with them as well. His weaknesses, right along with his strengths, were just a few of the many reasons why Sheik admired him so much. He was vulnerable, but he was not fragile; rather, he was resilient, which was the reason why he had survived every trial he had been faced with for so long. But all the same, the Sheikah leader knew that she owed the hero an apology for more than just how she acted towards him yesterday. She also wished to reconcile with him after avoiding him whenever she could for the past several days, ever that kiss. Sheik begrudged the fact that not only had it tarnished her own honor; it had also torn a rift in her and Link's friendship, despite the fact that she dreamed of it being more. And, as the Sheikah leader realized that she only had a few days left to make amends with the hero before he was lost to corruption forever, she knew that she'd regret it for the rest of her life if she didn't.

Gracefully leaping down from the top of the gate, Sheik went down into the streets of the village, hastily brushing her way past her people with one goal in mind. She wasn't going to back down this time, no matter how nervous she was about bringing up this rather touchy subject with him. Instead, she had resolved to push all thoughts of the past out of her mind and talk to him as if nothing had ever happened. It was the only way she could ever hope to move on.

"Link!" the Sheikah leader called out to the hero as she approached him, and he immediately turned to her, an easy smile on his face that only made her more anxious. She figured that he must have been wondering why she had been treating him so coldly, which would only make their upcoming conversation all the more awkward.

"Hey, Sheik," Link greeted her, though he was admittedly surprised that she had decided to come speak to him while he was alone, something they had not done since the night he surrendered himself to the Interlopers. "How are you?"

"I… I'm good…" Sheik said rather awkwardly as she involuntarily avoided eye contact with him. "Um… So…" She bit her lip, knowing that she was stammering like a fool as she was unsure of where to start. "Uh… How are things going… for you…?"

The hero shrugged, sensing her uneasiness but deciding not to point it out just yet. "As good as they can be, I guess, considering everything," he said as his smile faded. "Um… Is there something that you wanted to talk about, Sheik?"