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Spinning blades chased him up the hill, just missing Links feet. He rolled forward, crouching just where the hill began to decline. Holding the shield over his head, the peahats blades whirled wildly just over him, one hitting it with a loud clack of metal on metal. Another slash before the peahat turned around. Blood dripped from his shoulder, and he quickly hopped up and chased it down.
Slashing, Links sword hit the dangling vulnerable root on its under side as he back flipped, avoiding another hit. Damn... I shouldn’t have stopped training with Impa yet... Links heart raced as he ran from his attacker, getting in a better position. He lunged, missing the twirling blades and chopped the root.
The peahat flew back, falling limply to the ground with a squeal. Link collapsed on the grass, gasping for breath. The clouds passed over him as he rested, motionless. I still can’t believe it... Link smiled faintly, but it quickly faded as he winced from the pain throbbing in his right shoulder. My sister is a princess... the princess... I’m a prince? No. I won’t take her role from her... Zelda’ll still be next in line for the throne.
Once refreshed enough, he stood, holding onto his shoulder. He removed his hand for a moment to see the amount of blood he had already lost. A bit of darker, dried blood came off onto his hand, the fresher of which was more in the center of the long line shaped gash.
"Ach...," He grimaced. "I need a red potion..." Link hung his head and started dragging his feet towards the castle. After I heal this, I’m going straight to sleep... Stopping to sit at a tree near the Kokiri Forest, he propped his back against it, and slid down to a sit. Why is this bothering me so much? It’s a pretty small wound, considering it was from a peahat... must’ve been the tip of the blade... Link’s eyes slowly closed, the inactivity and blood loss making him drowsy.
Link awoke with a start, eyes wandering around the scene before him. He sighed once he recalled what had happened. Getting up, he looked at the sky. Dusk. The blueish, pink colors beginning to bleed into one solid blue as the sun continued its descent.
The pain in his shoulder was finally dulled to a small sting as the blood had clotted entirely. It really hadn’t been a bad wound. He straightened himself up, the belts on his tunic getting pushed to the side as he had slept awkwardly against the tree. He fixed his boots as well before going on his way.
Stepping up the hill, and passed the fence, his ears twitched slightly. Link looked over his shoulder, but the source of the whirring sound in his ears was nowhere in sight. Shrugging, he walked on, ignoring it for the mean time.
Once closer to the ranch he could hear the sound louder, and more clearer. It sounded like another peahat. It was almost nightfall, so they’d have to sleep at some point. Peahats weren’t the fastest things in the world, so he wouldn’t have had anything to worry about... if two weren’t behind him.
He dashed, hopping over the small stone wall on the hill and rolling down it back onto the dirt path towards Castle Town Market. The peahats pursued mercilessly, until Link was forced to draw his sword. Dodging more blade showers, he repositioned himself so he had some distance between them and him. Room to attack.
Rolling beneath the blades, he sliced and then dodged again, having to reposition after each attack. But each attack he gave, he got two slices to thank for it. Heart racing, breath retreating back to small gasps, he tried to keep going. The blades danced around him, like a wall closing in on either side.
Link flipped out of their grasp as the peahats blades entangled, momentarily immobilizing them, giving Link a chance to fully retaliate. He sliced at their roots through the spaces between the blades that were slowly beginning to turn with each strike. The grating metal-on-metal sounded once more, and Link backed up as the peahats spaced themselves out enough so that wouldn’t happen again.
One of the blades sliced him in the back while he was dodging. A quiet gasp escaped his lips before turning to attack, ignoring the wound as best he could. Pivoting on his heel, he dove for another attack, getting slashed in the chest this time. Blood and bits of white and green cloth littered the grass from the peahats landed blows.
Link fell back after another swipe, dropping his sword. He reached for it as the blades closed the distance between them and his neck. His eyes clenched shut, fingers wrapped around the hilt and he swung, detaching the root from the peahat entirely. Back rolling, he got to his feet, ready to take down the second one.
Though his vision was blurred from the pain, he kept on, and took a nice chunk out of the root before he collapsed to his knees. It screeched and flew back, but started again on him. Link tried to raise his sword feebly, but dropped it. Another slice in his left shoulder had worn his entire arm out to the point that it was numb. The peahats blades crept closer and closer to him before it wailed, and flew back again, falling to the ground.
He had managed one last slice, falling face first into the grass, his consciousness fading away. Before his vision fully left him he saw two blue blots coming towards him.
~~
Something wet was pressed against his forehead, the cool liquid running down his cheek and over one of his eyes. He felt, somehow, restrained, like something tight was around him making it hard to move any of his joints.
Link opened his eyes slowly, vision blurred from water still falling over his oculars. "Wha-" He cut himself off when he saw someone nearby by. He sat up quickly, but fell back, clenching his teeth in pain.
"You shouldn’t be doing that..." The person said, a voice that seemed oddly familiar.
Link tired again, much slower this time so his limbs could fully adjust to the movement. He must have been out for a long while, otherwise the bandages that were restraining him were just too tight. Once up to a sit, he removed the dampened cloth that had stuck to his face and set it on a small night stand next to the bed he was resting in.
The house also seemed familiar, small white walls, exposed wooden boards. Another bed was next to his, both of them close to the floor, also uncovered wood. The door was to Link’s far left, as was the person who he had seen before.
Blond hair over one eye, the right bright and red. Bandages around his head, no ears to be seen. His features were covered by white cloth that went down to his chest with the sheikah symbol- the eye and tear drop. Blue armor plating that was very tight against his skin, and some bandages around his fingers.
"...Sheik!?" Link shouted, making another sudden movement to send him falling back against the back with a yelp.
"I told you, you shouldn’t be doing that." Sheik repeated.
Link looked up at him as best he could, vision blurring again. "How..? You can’t, unless....Zelda?"
Sheik left his post at the door and stepped over to Link, towering over him. "No. I am not your sister. That was magic to conceal her, I , however, am real."
"But how? If that was just a disguise for her, how are you real...?"
"Disguises cannot be forged without some truth. Impa aided her in choosing an appropriate form. I had left Hyrule long ago and have only just returned."
"So that’s how...," Link closed his eyes to try and calm his senses and muscles down.
"What did you think you were doing taking on two peahats at once, hero?" Sheik sat down on the bed next to Links.
"I was only fighting one before, and that one had gotten the better of me... so I was going to the castle and they ambushed-" He stopped to stare at Sheik momentarily, thinking back to what he had said only moments before. "You called Zelda my sister..?"
"I’ve known for just as long as Impa. Sheikah are caretakers to the royal family." He stood, arms crossed and walked back over to the door but stopped in the middle of the room. "How could I not have known when I was supposed to watcher over you, prince?"
Link sat up again, as slowly as he could. "You were... my care taker? ..My nanny!?"
"Don’t put it like that." Sheik scoffed, turning around. "Makes me sound like a woman."
"Sorry, just... how I’m used to hearing it..." Link looked to his left and saw a stove with a pot on it getting ready for a soup or stew of some kind. "...Who’s house are we in?"
"Those two nice lady’s that let people stay for free... only until you’ve recovered." Sheik replied, following Link’s gaze to the pot. "Hungry?"
"Very..." His stomach growled on cue.
"They should return shortly. I believe they’re making a broth for some meat." Sheik nodded over to the pot. "You should rest up until they do return. You were bloodied up pretty bad."
Link nodded, lying back down onto the soft cushion. "How long have I been out...?" He asked, looking back over at Sheik, his eye lids slowly drooping.
"Only two hours, not terribly long. It did take a while to drag you here, prince."
"Please don’t call me that... It doesn’t sound right for me..."
Sheik paused, watching him for a moment. "As you wish."