Prologue
It was happening again. The tremors, the uncontrollable shaking that left him gasping for air. The world was falling apart and nobody knew why. Sheik stumbled through the hallway of Hyrule Castle, his cloth boots slipping across the cracked marble. The floor was slanted now, the structural supports that had held it secure for centuries were finally crumbling. As he ran one of the larger than life statues of a past member of the royal family toppled over, its head breaking off and rolling toward the opposite wall.
Sheik yanked his cowl down around his neck so that he could breathe easier. The metallic taste of blood lingered in his mouth. Gathering all his strength he sprinted down the hall toward the overlarge oaken doors the far end. Just a bit further. He was almost there. Chunks of ceiling rained down, the painted plaster and stone turning the marble different shades of blue and purple and gold.
Far below him he could still hear people screaming. Their terror drove him onward towards his destination. He ignored the burning pain shooting through his ankle and all the way up to his thigh. The bone was probably broken, but he didn't have time to worry about that. If he didn't make it in time the least of his worries would be a shattered ankle.
From one of the rooms ahead a figure lurched out on shaky legs—one of the royal guardsmen. His uniform was torn and dusty with plaster, one sleeve ripped from shoulder to wrist. Sheik kept his dagger at the ready, giving the man a wide berth and praying to Din that he could pass by unnoticed. But the guardsman wrenched around, bones crackling. A low, gurgling growl rippled through his heaving chest.
"Shit."
Biting his tongue against the pain in his leg, Sheik gave the dying guardsman no warning. He ran at the man, dagger raised, and plunged the blade into the unseeing yellow eye. The guardsman screeched and clawed helplessly at his chest. Sheik turned away from his rotting breath as he shoved the dagger deeper, until only the hilt remained. He didn't wait for the man to die, just reclaimed his dagger, jumped over his crumpled body and kept running. The doors were in reach.
Sheik re-sheathed his dagger and wrapped bloody hands around the intricate brass door handles. The doors caught in the warped frame, and with a groan he pulled with all his remaining energy.
Inside Zelda was still at her desk, stooped over a thick book. The world was falling apart, and the crown Princes of Hyrule was doing business as usual. Another tremor shook the room and one of her bookcases fell over, the wood splitting against the stone floor. Unflinching Zelda gestured for him to join her.
"Good, you're here." She said calmly, though now that he was closer he could see that her pale hands were shaking as she closed the book. "I don't have time to explain, so I need to show you, okay?"
Sheik nodded his head, and shut his eyes obediently. Zelda held his hands and touched her lips to his forehead before whispering the familiar incantation. Immediately the room twisted and stretched as their minds joined, and Sheik cried out as he felt himself being ripped away from his body. Immense pressure filled his head, Zelda's magic flowing into him like the waters of Lake Hylia. It was like drowning; no matter how many times they shared magic, he would never fully get used to the sensation.
"Focus!" Zelda urged him, and he gritted his teeth, trying to block out the chaos. Even in their shared headspace he could feel the rumble and crack of the castle walls falling apart.
All at once the rumbling stopped. He could no longer feel Zelda's hands, or the excruciating pain in his leg. Energy hummed around him, blurring the edge of his vision and turning everything the faded rose color of Zelda's magic, and the deeper blue of his own. For the briefest of moments there was nothing but quiet, and then he cried out as the full force of Zelda's consciousness invaded his own.
Vivid images streamed through his mind, too fast to comprehend. But comprehension wasn't the goal—at least not now. There would be time to understand the information, for now all he could do was keep himself open as Zelda shared her knowledge.
As quickly as it began it was over. Sheik found himself crashing back into the living world, collapsing under the weight of his own broken body and the bedlam of a universe coming apart at the seams. Zelda held him up, supporting him with steady hands and forcing him to look at her.
"I'm going to send you away now, Sheik. Remember what I showed you. Find Link. Reclaim the relic. It's the only way."
"But what about you? What will happen?"
Zelda smiled sadly. "I have to stay here. Come to me when you've found him. Show me what I showed you. And Sheik…take care of yourself. You can't do this all on your own."
He wasn't sure what she meant but he nodded anyways. There was no time to argue, no more time to discuss. He wished they could have just a few more minutes, a few seconds even, but they didn't. Zelda pressed her open palm to his cheek and smiled again.
"Goodbye, Sheik."
"Goodbye, Princess."