Queen of the Banished

“L-Link!” Zelda gasped. She stumbled after him, trying to keep up his brutal pace.

“We have to keep moving, Zel,” Link said, tugging on her hand.

“Can’t we just… take a minute…” she asked. He looked back at her. Her face was flushed with heat, her layers of skirts heavy in her hands.

“We can’t stop, yet,” Link said. He crouched down in front of her. “Here, get on my back. I know you’re hot - I’ll carry you.” Zelda frowned.

“I can’t let you do that,” she said. Link made sure his pack was secured, and then picked Zelda up anyway.

“Come on, we’ll find somewhere cool soon.” I hope…They walked for miles before finally collapsing in the shadow of a sand dune.

“How… how much further?” Zelda asked breathlessly. Link took a minute to catch his own breath, then dug through his pack for the water skein. He handed it off to Zelda first.

“Not too much further, Zelda,” Link said. Zelda set her head on his shoulder and the two fell silent while they tried to cool off. As they rested, Link scoped out their surroundings. He could swear in one direction he could see water, but he knew it was in his head. He decided to head in that direction anyway, just to be certain.

“Come on, let’s get moving,” he said, offering Zelda a hand. She took it, and they were moving again.

“...Is that…?” Zelda trailed off. They stared with wide, amazed eyes. They had come upon the edge of the desert, where ocean waves lapped up onto the sand. A little further down the beach, they could see freshly built docks and ships bobbing on the waves.

“...We’ll stop here for the night,” Link said. The sun had begun to set, and the Gerudo that had been working on the last ship were leaving for the night. Link intended to discover where they were staying to steal some supplies, but for now… He looked over at Zelda, who sat in the sand with her knees up to her chest. Her cheeks were reddened from the sun and she looked uncomfortably warm. “I’ll get us some food, okay?” he touched Zelda’s shoulder. She nodded, her eyes on the warm waves lapping the sand.



Sheik donned a black cloak and cowl, then headed into Kakariko. The night patrol were moblins, wandering the streets to harass any stragglers that stayed out past curfew. They took one look at Sheik and let him pass without trouble. Aside from them, the streets were silent and empty. It wasn’t long until he was walking up the path to his home.

All the lights were off, the doors and windows locked. Sheik shimmied the doorknob again to be sure, then wrapped his fist in his cloak and punched in the glass of the door window. He reached in and unlatched the lock, then eased his way inside. Sheik turned suddenly, catching the baseball bat inches in front of his face.

“...Sheik? What are you doing?” Kaikoura asked, shocked. She released the bat and he set it aside, then strode further into their home. He started digging through a nearby closet and shifting furniture around.

“Be honest with me, Kaikoura. Are you harboring Link and Zelda?” he asked. She frowned and didn’t answer. Giving up his search in the main room, he headed towards the hallway to search the bedrooms. She hurried to block his path.

“Sheik, what’s wrongp with you?” she asked anxiously. “Did Ganondorf do something?” He paused.

“I’m going to ask you one last time. Are you hiding Link?” he repeated.

“No,” Kaikoura said.

“Then stand aside.” She didn’t move - just continued to watch him. Sheik drew his sword and shoved her against the wall, holding it to her throat. “Tell me where he is.” Kaikoura continued to stay silent, her eyes searching his face. Sheik’s sword trembled in his grasp and his dark eyes flickered in confusion. Suddenly, he dropped the sword and stumbled back with a gasp. “Kaik?” He looked up at her from where he was kneeling on the floor. “Kaik, did I hurt you?” he hesitantly reached for her, and she knelt down in front of him.

“No, you didn’t,” she answered. “What’s going on, Sheik?”

“Ganondorf’s mothers… the witches… they brainwashed me,” he said, shaking his head. “I’m sorry. He ordered me to come here and…” he paled and looked away. She tilted his chin up and looked into his eyes, searching for something. Whatever it was, she found it, and pulled him into a warm embrace.

“I missed you,” she said.

“Do you know… if they’re okay?” Sheik asked after a moment. Kaikoura shook her head.

“I don’t know where they are,” she answered. “What’s Ganondorf been making you do?” she ran her fingers through his loose hair and frowned to herself. Sheik frowned and thought for a moment.

“I’ve been… keeping an eye on Rabia,” he said. “Sometimes spying, but he has another… servant… for that.”

“Is she okay? She hasn’t written back to me, either. I’ve tried going by the castle but they keep telling me she isn’t there.”

“She’s okay. She’s been trying to figure out what Ganon is up to. I was able to fight the brainwashing a little bit, to help her. I was at least able to keep that information to myself.”

“Ganon?” Kaikoura asked. Sheik nodded.

“Link, Zelda, and Ganondorf all hold pieces of the Triforce. It’s a long story,” he said, before she could ask. “Ganondorf holds the Triforce of Power, which calls to Ganon. There’s more at work here than we realized. Ganon wants Zelda and Link’s pieces of the Triforce, which is why he took over the castle to begin with. Zelda and Link are in very real danger, Kaikoura. Rabia is right in the middle, but I think she’s the safest out of all of us, for now. I need you to promise me you’ll stay far away from this,” Sheik urged. Kaikoura looked at him suspiciously.

“What are you planning to do?” she asked.

“I… I’ll have to return to the castle,” Sheik said. “I can pretend to still be under Ganon’s control, make sure Rabia is safe, and help her figure out how to get rid of Ganon. She and I have both noticed that Ganon is at his weakest when Ganondorf is with Rabia. Ganondorf’s love for her seems to be able to overpower the demon. I have a strong hunch that Zelda’s light arrows could be enough to subdue him.” His face fell. “But… they were hidden, somewhere in the Lost Woods. Only Link knows where they are.”

“I’ll get a message to Link, then,” Kaikoura said. They both stood off the floor. Kaikoura brushed some of the dust off of Sheik’s clothes and handed him a hair tie. “Stay safe, Sheik. I love you.”

“I love you too.” He pulled his cowl down and kissed her sweetly, then headed out the door. He paused when he saw the pile of broken glass. “I’ll get someone to fix the window,” he said. “Lock the screen door behind me for tonight.” He waited outside until he was certain the door was secure, then headed back to the castle.