FicWad

Fire burned all around Link, the heat from the flames licking his legs. His hands were tied behind his back. A boar-like person stood in front of him, laughing maniacally.

“You thought you could stop me?” the boar-man roared. “You? A lowly peon with no strength or skill? I have all the power! Nothing can stop me!”

Terror constricted Link’s throat. He thrashed, trying to break free, but his legs wouldn’t move. His knees buckled, and he fell. Tears stung his eyes and streamed down his cheeks.

He was so stupid to try to defeat this ultimate evil. He knew he would fail. There was no point in fighting. He had lost everything.

He couldn’t breathe. The smoke clogged what little air could get past his throat. He continued tugging at his bonds, but he was getting weaker.

A wicked black sword materialized in the boar-man’s hand. “This is the end for you, puny one.” He slashed the sword down on Link–

“Breathe!” Sheik pleaded. “You’re safe! Wake up, Link!”

Link bolted upright, coughing and sucking in air. Sheik rubbed small circles on his back. The two were alone; the adults were in the hall.

“He–he–” Link stuttered.

“Shh,” Sheik soothed, “It’s okay. It was just a nightmare. It wasn’t real.”

Link buried his face in her shoulder and cried. It had felt real. The desperation. The helplessness. It was like nothing would ever be right again. He wanted to tell Sheik all about it, but like usual, the words stuck to his tongue. He cried harder and clutched her clothes.

“Let it out,” Sheik said. “You’re safe with me.”

It took a long time, but eventually, Link calmed down. The dream was as vivid as ever, but the emotions were fading. One emotion remained, though: fear. Fear that he wasn’t good enough for the task ahead. Fear that he would lose everyone and everything around him.

“What if I can’t?” Link whispered, still holding on to Sheik.

“Can’t what?” Sheik asked.

Link swallowed, but the lump in his throat wouldn’t go away. Now that he had started, the words came more easily. “Can’t defeat K-king Ganondorf.”

Sheik stiffened. “You… you will,” she said quietly. “You have to.” Her voice strengthened. “You defeated all of those bokoblins. You had help then, and you’ll have help in the future. You can’t give up.”

I’m not giving up, Link wanted to say, but the words got stuck again. He didn’t know if it was true. How could he lie to Sheik?

“I know you’ll find the courage,” she said. The word sparked something in Link, and his heart beat faster. She didn’t seem to notice. “You’re Hylia’s Chosen Hero, after all.” She pulled away just enough to smile at him.

Her clear blue eyes were so beautiful and sincere that he forgot all of his pain. He breathed in the scent of her. It was magical. He didn’t want the moment to end. She looked at his lips, and he looked at hers. Was this it? Would he finally be able to kiss her? They leaned in closer–

“Ahem.”

Link pulled back so fast it made his head spin. Impa stood nearby with her hands on her hips. Link’s face blossomed with heat, and Sheik’s looked just as red as he felt.

“It’s your turn to watch, Sheik,” Impa said. “Link, try to get some sleep.”

Link nodded, and Sheik said, “Yes, Impa.” They held each other’s hands as she rose until they were too far apart. They watched each other until she left the room.

Impa gave Link a stern look. Link shrank under her gaze.

“You be careful with her,” she said. “You don’t know her whole story.”

Why was everyone telling him not to love Sheik? He worked his jaw, trying to come up with something to say. Impa didn’t wait for him to reply, though. She walked out of the central chamber with her arms crossed.

Link lay back down, but as soon as he closed his eyes, flames swam in his vision, like the nightmare wouldn’t give up its hold on him. He tossed and turned until he finally fell asleep out of sheer exhaustion.



The next morning, the group had a quick breakfast of dried rations from Sheik and Impa’s packs. Then they were off through another secret tunnel that connected the Temple of Time to the castle. Amazingly, the tunnel was free of monsters.

Once they reached the castle, the tunnel took many branching paths. Impa expertly led them down several twists and turns. Everyone had their weapons out and ready to defend. They ran into a few bokoblins, but none had horns to call allies, and were easily dispatched. Sheik was glad there weren’t any Gerudo in the tunnels; they would have had the smarts to report back to King Ganondorf instead of fighting.

Impa checked a few rooms before picking one to exit. It was empty save for dusty furniture under white sheets. A storage room.

“How close are we to the throne room?” Tarran whispered to Impa.

“It’s only two hallways away,” Impa whispered back.

“I’m not going to ask how you know this castle so well,” Tarran said. “Just get us where we need to go.”

Impa nodded and went to the door. She listened first and seemed satisfied with what she heard. Knife at the ready, she peeked her head through, then quickly returned it.

“There’s a guard at the end of the hall,” she said. “A Gerudo. She’s looking the other way. Sheik, will you do the honors?”

Sheik nodded, but inside she trembled. She knew the technique but had never had to subdue someone before. Impa opened the door for her just a crack, and Sheik slipped through on silent toes.

Quickly locating the Gerudo guard, Sheik tiptoed her way over to her. She snagged an arm around the guard’s neck and squeezed. Of course, the guard struggled, even pulling out a scimitar. Sheik used the butt of her knife to hit the guard in the head. The first hit did nothing, and she was losing her grip. She dodged the Gerudo’s sword and hit her head again. This time, the guard went limp. Sheik dragged the guard to the supply room.

“Let’s go,” Impa said and led the way to the throne room.