Chapter 4

After an interesting breakfast the duo made their way back down to Termina field.

As they left Snowhead Sheik decided to check in with Renado one last time, to see if he could convince his younger brother to follow along to the safety of Hyrule.

"You don't have to come with me, you can head home." he told the winged man.

"Well, even with how swift my wings can carry me, I won't make it back to Hyrule field by nightfall. And considering I can either stay the night in Termina, or spend the night in the woods being poked at by forest children…I think I will stick with you a while longer."

"It's your choice, I don't mind the comp…"
Sheik stopped, his eyes grew wide as he realized what was stirring up a cloud of dirt ahead of them.
"Ah shit! Run! Or fly! Just get away from them!"
"Why, what's the matter with them?"
"Those are bombchus!"
"Oh shit!" Kakariko cried as he tripped on his flailing wing and hit the dust.


By the time they shook the exploding rodents off their tail much of the day had been wasted "Ohhh! I wanted to be home by now…but now it looks like we will be spending a night in town."
"We could just walk all night."
Sheik winched "My body is still protesting those three days and nights I spent awake in fear that our mystery killer would get me in my sleep, when I told you I can sleep through anything I was not kidding.
And the last few nights have not exactly been fully restful…As much as I would like to pull an all nighter I'm afraid it would leave my nerves more fried than that damned milk the bar serves."
Kakariko had no idea what he meant by fried nerves and milk.

As they approached the central town at dusk the winged man spoke up "Sheik. You have gone so far out of your way to help me…and yet I have hardly done a thing.
Once my problem is solved, I promise that I will come help in any way I can. And once my people have settled into Snowhead, I will visit whenever possible. Okay?"
The Sheikah turned and smiled.
"Thank you."

It was nearly dark when they arrived at the inn. Renado seem shocked to see them.
"Back so soon! My legs still hurt from running around trying to pay off your last stay!"
"Calm down Renado, I already paid for the night at the front desk."
"oh…" he rubbed the back of his head coyly "…well thank you."

Before Sheik could speak to his brother about Hyrule, Iza came running down the hall and slid through the door in a panic, crashing into the pile of merchandise.

"Honey what is it!?"

Iza could hardly breath she had run so hard. The young woman looked up to her brother-in-law, red eyes filled with fear.
"Flames, on the horizon, it looks like all of Ikana is burning!"

Sheik nearly fell backwards as he heard the news. Without saying a thing the red eyed prince shot out the door with Kakariko in hot pursuit. Renado helped his bride find her feet and then ran after them, Iza feebly tried to follow in her winded state.



As they left the town gate the horizon was aglow with orange. Kakariko placed a hand on Sheik's shoulder, startling the Sheikah in his panicked state. "I promised to come back and help, but it looks like you need that help right now."
"Kakariko…you can't!"
"Something tells me I must. As I told you, my people are quite in sync with the voice of the land. When we get a gut feeling, we act on it." he looked to the flames "No matter how foolish it may seem…Regardless of that. You are my friend. Now lets go!" the winged man took off running. Sheik quickly caught up and then ran slightly ahead of the Tenshioni.

The gut feeling that had pulled at Kakariko's heart suddenly deepened, the sensation became overwhelming and it forced him to stop.

"Oh child of the winged race, he who can hear our voice."

Kakariko looked around, stunned as the voices continued.

"Are you prepared to sacrifice everything to save your people."

"What?!"

Sheik heard his voice and stopped, he was distraught to find the winged one had quit running.

"What are you doing! Come on!"

"Who are you! What do you mean!"

"Kakariko! Have you gone crazy! Damn it!"

The Sheikah turned to continue running but then stopped dead in his tracks.
The air around them had begun to radiate. Four orbs of light appeared around the two figures.

"He who can hear us. He gifted with the voice of the land and spirits. We ask again. Is the life of your people more valuable than your own?"

"Yes."

Sheik looked to him and then to the golden beings, he realized the winged one could speak with the spirits.

"Does your friend feel the same?"

Kakariko's heart froze. He looked to the Sheikah with terrified eyes, he then focused on the spirits as their voice continued to speak through him.

"Two great evils have at last revealed themselves.

One strikes the beings of wings, the other strikes the beings of red eyes. Each seek to prevent their own end and undo the end of their own kind.

No distance is too great to keep them from following through with their task.

Save for one key element.

It has been foretold by fate that a being of wings and a being of red eyes would together insure the dark interloper's downfall.

Together you must fight the killer of the red eyed people.

Together you will win…and then together you both will loose."

"But…" his face became pale as he realized what they meant by loose.
Before he could even ask how this would save his people the spirits continued.

"The salvation of the winged race will come in time. They shall sleep in safety till that day.

As your souls depart this world a shadow of each of you will remain.

Your remaining essence shall aid others in their own quests, resulting in the salvation of worlds and lives.

A day will come when your shadows shall fight together again as means of putting great evil to rest. On this day the winged race shall prevail.

Your actions tonight would save not only both your clans, but aid the lives of both your lands in more ways in one…

But only if you both choose to partake in fate's plan."

His blue eyes met those of the Sheikah, heart racing from what he had just learned, body shaking from the grip of the spirits on his soul.

"…Sheik…" he hardly got the word out "…they told me, evil has struck our people as a means of preventing a prophesy…they will never stop hunting our kin. That only a being of red eyes and a being of wings together can ensure the evil's downfall. They told me that together we can fight and win…but that in the end we both will loose…"
with the winged one's last words he supported himself from falling by grabbing Sheik by the shoulder. The sudden grip of the spirits was leaving him physically shaken.

"…What do they mean by loose…?" he said with firm concern at the sight of his friend's face.

"They asked me if the lives of my people mattered more than my own…they then asked me the same of you."

Sheik stiffened as his heart clenched. He looked to the flames of Ikana and then to the light spirits.

"They said…" Kakariko steadied himself "…they said that if we do this…a part of us would be left behind as our souls leave this world. That our essence would live on to help others fight great evil as a means of saving worlds and lives… They told me that a shadow of us would one day fight together again to save my people." His face became calm and focused, the meaning of these words began to sink in as he repeated them to his friend. Sheik took strength from the winged man's expression.

"My answer is yes." he said, looking round at the spirits "I swore on my life that I would do everything I could to save my people…Regardless of the consequences."

"As did I."

"…Seems we do have lots in common…including the same fate." Sheik said with sad optimism.

"Then let us met our fate together." his voice held the same sense of solace.

They reached out and embraced in a forearm handshake, a look of firm resolution graced the warriors faces as their hearts grasped and accepted the choice they had just made.


Before they could set off they heard the voice of Renado. They were so engrossed in the presence of the light spirits, they had no idea he'd caught up, and heard everything.  

"Sheik! You can't do it! Don't do it. You are my brother, you're going to be an uncle, I expected you to be a part of my family's life!"

"Renado." he walked up to his younger brother and laid a comforting hand on his shoulder, Sheik's peaceful red eyes reached out to calm his stricken sibling. "If I don't do this there will not be a life left for you to have. Mine may end but it is so others may continue. Please try to understand this. I have always felt my role as prince meant I must do what I feel is right…and this is the most 'right' feeling choice I have ever made."

He looked to Kakariko and then to the stars above.
"Somehow…somehow, deep down, I think I knew this was going to happen…I feel as if I have been somehow preparing for this day for a long time…and now that the time has come, I cannot help but embrace it."

Sheik hugged his younger brother "Please tell mother everything for me, so she can come to accept, and understand my choice… after all is said and done."
"I will, of course I will…" his words were sad and sincere as he fought to hold back his tears.

"Goodbye…Renado."

Sheik slid out of his brother's arms and raced across the field alongside his fated friend.
Iza managed to catch up at about the same moment. She was shocked to see Renado crying, for a Sheikah's tears are saved for when they truly cannot be contained. She grew ever more worried.

"Honey, what is it?!"

"He said goodbye…he has never said that before, even on his most dangerous quests….. Iza…he…He's really not planning on coming back from this one." Renado fell to his knees, eyes blinded with tears. "Sheik…goodbye…" he choked on the words. Iza fell to his side and held him close. The young woman shared in is sorrow… the three of them had been close childhood friends.



The light spirits followed the warriors as they made their way towards the towering inferno.

Kakariko was flying just above Sheik, not straying ahead for they must reach their fate together. He dearly wished he could just scoop up his friend and soar off to Ikana, but he knew this would get them there no faster for his wings could never handle such tiring a task.

Along the way the light guardians empathically spoke with the Tenshioni and filled him in on what was to happen.

"We have to bring the creature close enough to death for them to act. Only one with the power of the goddesses can actually kill this thing, and they said that without the assistance of the sages and some sacred beast they cannot handle the job properly.

The spirits will hide as we reach Ikana, and lay in wait until the time is right. They plan to seal him in a form that will lock away his power…but in the process we will be lost to this world…"

"But our loss saves the lives of my clan and yours right."

"Yes. As well as the lives of others in the future."

"I can die happy with that."

"I can say the same."

Kakariko's heart twisted with these words, his chest filled with a deep sense of both relief and anguish.

Mere nights before the winged one had spoke of how each day he would try to find something that would allow him to say 'I can die happy'…
And for the first time, he could honestly say he had found just that.



As they set foot at the top of the cliff of Ikana Sheik was horrified by the sight. The castle had been smashed, everything was ablaze in an unearthly flame.

"Mother! Father! Anyone!" As he went further he wished he hadn't, Captain Keeta and all his men had been brutally slain.

"Sheik!"
He could barely make it out, there was voice from within the underground well where he had gathered with his people mere nights before.
"Mother!" he and the winged one dove into the shelter. "What about-"
She cut him off "Your sisters and everyone who wanted to leave departed long before dawn this morning…most of the village in the end had decided to flee…I stayed here, waiting for you…But the soldiers…your father…"

"shhh…You don't have to say it…" his voice was sad but strong, she reached out and held him close, Sheik returned her embrace.

"Mother…there is something Kakariko and I have to do…It is the only way to stop this monster from following our clan and in return our actions will one day save Kakariko's people as well as many others…
Renado knows everything… When this is all said and done he can tell you just why we did what we are about to do…"

Sheik hugged her tightly, imprinting this moment of his fleeting life into his heart and soul.

"Goodbye… mother."

Sheik's voice cracked with his last words as he swiftly broke free from their embrace. The Sheikah prince ran out into the flames alongside the prince of the Tenshioni.

"Goodbye…?" her heart tightened as she realized what this meant. He had never uttered this word in all his life, for to Sheik it meant one would never return…and with what he had just told her…

The desperate mother ran to opening, but she could not find them in the flames.