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Flanking her on mounts of their own were Tira and Elenwe, who also had Tao riding in the saddle in front of her. The two hunters had been sent back to Lon Lon Ranch to escort Zelda, accompanied by an entire company of the Royal Army"s finest due to the recent tensions between the Watch and general populace, after the news of their collaboration with an enemy had come to light. The rogue elements had mostly been excised and imprisoned by the time Zelda arrived, but the new Closed Council preferred to see the princess escorted by those who had not been anywhere near the mess that had happened in Castle Town.

Entry to the palace was restricted on this day; only those approved by the princess herself were allowed on the grounds, and another company from the Royal Army were enforcing this rule strictly, forming a protective barrier through which none could go.

Sheik watched the procession slowly approaching the palace gates from a balcony on the third floor, near Zelda"s office. Spring had come, and the sun was particularly harsh today, forcing him to use the smoke-lensed spectacles to be able to stand the glare. According to the information Ascal had left behind, the sensitivity to light would never go away, but in time he wouldn"t need the spectacles except on the brightest of summer days.

He glanced down at his rifle, which was leaning against the balcony railing, loaded and ready to fire at any moment. He didn"t expect trouble, but he wasn"t about to let himself relax either. Not until his sister was safe within the walls of her palace, back where she belonged, surrounded by loyal guards, not the hodgepodge of thugs and bandits Dehl had managed to sneak inside the ranks in their absence.

How did she react? he wondered.

There had been no word back from any of them after Tira and Elenwe had left Castle Town with the army, except to inform the palace that she was returning. The hunters hadn"t been instructed to leave the news of Sheik"s...condition out of whatever they told her, due to how closely it was connected to what had happened in the end. Most likely, given her reaction to what happened to Link, she wouldn"t care...but Sheik was still nervous. A werewolf was scary enough on its own, no doubt, but Sheik had been turned into a creature like the two responsible for her temporarily losing her kingdom, and she"d certainly be within her rights to be wary of him...

"You know, even with all this noise I can hear when you"re thinking too hard."

Sheik looked at Lor, who was standing by the balcony door, dressed in a purple-black suit that had been commissioned for him by Kafei. With his hair slicked back slightly, and his posture corrected by Madame René (who was very scary when she decided to teach something), he looked every bit as noble as the guests that would be welcoming the princess back in the coming days. The appearance was only marred slightly by the hunter tattoo proudly displayed on his cheek. His discomfort at the general situation was betrayed by the slight twitch in the corner of his mouth.

Sheik turned his attention back to the approaching procession. The soldiers had begun to fan out from the gates, forming a protective perimeter that ensconced the last third of the parade street, ensuring Zelda"s protection long before she was even on the palace grounds. Just like they"d been briefed about.

"I suppose I don"t even need to tell you what I"m thinking about, then, if you know me so well," he said.

Lor clicked his tongue and came to stand beside him, looking down, their shoulders nearly touching. A big change from a few weeks ago. Ripping someone"s head off sure had an interesting effect on people.

"Like I need to even wonder for a second about that," he said. "She"ll be fine with it. You know that already, but that anxious head of yours keeps telling you to find a reason for why she wouldn"t be. And by the way? All the reasons you"re thinking of? They"re crap, so just forget them right now." This time he did bump his shoulder into Sheik"s. "Or Link"s going to notice you"re stressing and will come embarrass you in front of her like the papa wolf he is."

Sheik snorted. "I hope not, at least not in the capacity as a papa, given what we are."

"I think that"s preferable than for him to mount you in the middle of the greeting hall, which you know he"d do in a second if you let him."

Sheik choked on his own saliva at that, glaring at Lor as he coughed. The black-haired boy simply gave him a cheeky grin in return. "You"re a bastard, you know that?" he said when he was finally able to breathe fine again. "Why are you even here, anyway? You"re supposed to be downstairs, officially greeting her."

"Kafei sent me to check on you, just in case," Lor said, reaching out to brush some imaginary dust off Sheik"s lapel.

Sheik was wearing a suit of the same style he"d worn at the ball half a year before, though this one with slightly less subtler shades of dark blue and red, more suitable for a dignified occasion like this. To his immense depression, his measurements were exactly the same as the last suit he"d had tailored, proving he hadn"t changed physically at all, unlike Link.

"Ah, the mother hen," Sheik said, nodding sagely as he batted Lor"s hand away. "Like he isn"t stressed as all hell himself."

"This is his way of releasing the tension, I guess," Lor said with a shrug. "Making me miserable with his errands. Besides, it"s his job to be a mother hen now, since you won"t take the damn position."

Sheik sighed, putting a hand on Lor"s shoulder and gently shoving him away. "Go back downstairs and tell him I"ve got everything under control. Make sure Link doesn"t pounce on Zelda and cover her in slobber—I could tell he"s excited to see her from the way he practically vibrated this morning."

"And here I thought wolves were dignified creatures," Lor said, walking away with a chuckle.

"Mine isn"t," Sheik called after him. "Not like your cat, at least."

"You leave Ard out of this!"

"Never!"

Sheik found himself smiling when he turned his attention back to the procession, which was now coming through the gates. Zelda was looking up at him on the balcony, her eyes squinting before a smile tugged at her lips, and she waved at him in greeting. A proper, princess-like wave that barely involved moving her hand, but a wave nonetheless, and there was no mistaking the affection he saw in her eyes. Perhaps Lor was right, then, and he had nothing to worry about.

---

"I told you not to let him pounce on her!" Sheik said with a groan when the group entered Zelda"s office, the woman of the hour carried tightly in the arms of a blissful-looking Link. Tao was practically glued to Kaura"s side, though he kept giving her dirty glances, clearly not having forgiven her for basically drugging him back at the ranch.

Sheik had retreated to the office after Zelda had entered the palace, preferring to stay out of the official greeting provided her by the Closed Council, with whom she"d hold an official meeting the following day to discuss the events of the recent past, including the many policies enacted by Camdessus and Dehl. Or, just Dehl, at this point.

"Well, he didn"t pounce on her, technically," Lor said innocently.

"Wolf was pretty well-behaved, actually," Ayla said, her cane tapping on the stone floor as she took the liberty of flopping herself onto the sofa by the fireplace. "If anything, it was the princess that pounced on him."

"How could I not, when he looks so fluffy?" Zelda said with a laugh, tapping Link"s arms so he could let her down. She grinned brightly and gave Sheik no time to prepare or offer a greeting, sweeping him into a tight hug that spoke volumes of how much she"d missed him. "Good to see you again, little brother," she said quietly into his ear, kissing his cheek.

"And you," he managed to reply, holding her just as tightly back. "Welcome home."

"Thank you for taking it back for me," she replied, letting go to stop back and take in his appearance from top to bottom, a contemplative look on her face. "You certainly don"t look different...save for the lack of scars...and your eyes."

Sheik blinked. He still hadn"t gotten used to the quads of amber dots around his irises that greeted him whenever he looked into a mirror. The other said it made it harder to identify him as a vampire, but Sheik himself believed they"d only draw even more attention to him now. Not that being a Sheikah meant you"d go unnoticed in public in the first place, but...

"They"re beautiful," the princess continued, touching his cheek. "Just like you."

"Oooh, careful, or Wolf"s going to be jealous," Elenwe said with a cackle, which only grew louder when Sheik glared at her.

"So you don"t care?" Sheik asked Zelda, still not able to believe that she"d take his condition in such easy stride. "About me being a...a..."

"Vampire?" Zelda finished. "Not really. Not anymore, at least." She glanced at Tira and Elenwe, who were hovering close, even now. Seems they still took their assignment with utmost seriousness...Tira especially. Sheik was aware of what was happening between her and the princess, but his mind would not let him think about it too closely, lest he go blind.

"When they told me what Ascal had done, I was furious and afraid," Zelda continued. "Furious at him, afraid for you," she explained quickly when his expression shifted. "That he would do such a thing, curse you with his twisted gift...I wanted nothing more than to find him and do to him what you did to Dehl...but then I suppose he did it for a good reason. Saving your life...I will not blame him for doing it."

"Even after all that happened?" Sheik asked.

Zelda grimaced. "Don"t get me wrong, Sheik. After all he"s done, I will certainly not hesitate to have him executed should he ever show his face in my kingdom again...but I highly doubt that will happen. He is many things, but stupid isn"t one of them. We won"t see him, ever again, and therefore I will not waste energy on being angry. I"d rather spend it making the most of the time I have with you." She turned to the group, meeting their eyes with her own, one by one. "All of you."

"I"m sure we can spare some of our precious time for you, princess," Kaura said with an oddly pleasant cadence to her voice, her arm locked tightly around Tao"s shoulders, as if afraid he"d wander off. "After all, we did fight a monster to secure your return."

"I"m sorry, we?" Kafei asked, looking at her with a mock-offended expression. "As I recall, you lot were up on a balcony, occasionally shooting down at us."

"Saving your miserable arse more than once," Kaura maintained. "Despite the fact that it was you I was aiming for."

"Good thing you"re such a terrible shot, then."

"And," Zelda continued, interrupting the incoming good-natured argument, "I"d also like to get to know a pair of brave operatives who held down the fort while we were gone." She turned to Eren and Nikal, who"d been doing their best to hide behind the others, looking very uncomfortable in their fine outfits. Nikal had insisted on a suit just like Eren"s instead of a dress, and Sheik had been powerless to deny her, and the two looked very professional, standing before the princess in their matching clothes and (for once) neatly cleaned and kept...although their expressions were more akin to frightened deer than brave spies. "I believe we haven"t been formally introduced," Zelda said, holding out her hand. "I am Princess Zelda of Hyrule."

"Eren, Your Majesty," Eren said, shaking her hand, his voice almost disappearing on the second syllable.

"Nikal, Your Majesty," Nikal said, her voice louder than Eren"s, but also more strained.

"A pleasure, truly," Zelda replied, smiling before pulling them into a hug as well. "I cannot express with words my gratitude for the job you have done while I was away," she told them. "If there is anything I can do or give you, please do not hesitate to ask. Anything."

The two exchanged a look before staring hard at the princess.

"Your Grace," Eren began. "We want to..."

"...keep working for the boss," Nikal finished.

Zelda blinked, surprised, before chuckling and turning to Sheik. "Well, who am I to deny such a request?" she asked. "Sheik, it seems you will not be rid of these two anytime soon."

"Wouldn"t have it any other way," Sheik said, smiling when he felt Link sidle up next to him, the Hylian putting himself as close to Sheik as possible without it becoming...unseemly. "Though I have an offer for you two, about your future, but we will discuss that later, yes?"

"Got it, boss!" they chorused.

"Such adorable little spies," Zelda murmured after dismissing them, at which point they introduced themselves to Tao in a noisy little spectacle, while also signing their names and greeting phrases, something Link had been teaching them.

The silent apprentice was positively excited about having more people with whom he could communicate directly, quickly disappearing from Kaura"s side. The physician looked a little miffed at that, but quickly covered it up with a scowl when she noticed Sheik looking at her.

Soon after, servants brought in food and drink, and the level of noise within the office grew to an uncomfortably loud level. A dozen stories were shared at once, accounts of the Battle in the Throne Room, as the nasty fight had come to be called, and just leisurely tales of what had happened while they"d been waiting for Zelda"s return.

Sheik soon grew a little too hot and uncomfortable in the tight press of bodies and loud volume, excusing himself from a conversation with Erd, whose bandages had been replaced with a leather eyepatch that Elenwe kept saying made him look like a pirate. He glanced around, found Link sandwiched between Eren and Nikal, listening to Ard and Lor as they spoke about...something involving time travel?

Ridiculous, he thought, smiling nonetheless, and then let himself out of the office, relieved at the silent and cooler temperature in the hall. Exchanging nods with the soldiers on guard, he retreated to the same balcony he"d occupied earlier that day. The sun had gone down now, and a thousand lights were springing to life all over the city, and the general calm of night was slowly settling over the metropolis.

He leaned on the railing and took several long, deep breaths. It was strange how the cold didn"t bother him much now, but heat did...at least the stifling sort that arose in close quarters. Then again, he"d never been comfortable in such situations to begin with...at least not after Kaerwall.

The door to the office opened and closed, and footsteps approached. Sheik recognised them from the sound alone, and he only grunted in acknowledgement as leaned on the railing next to him, observing the city with heavy-lidded eyes.

"Tired?" Sheik asked.

"Very," Kafei replied. "The princess wants to discuss the offer she made at the Studio. About a permanent hunter base of operations here."

"You"re going to take her up on it?"

Kafei nodded. "If Master Terra says yes," he replied. "He says the Studio needs to be replaced as soon as possible, so we don"t lose our foothold in this part of the world. He also offered me his condolences."

"Clinically, I bet," Sheik said with a snort.

"That has always been his way, according to Impa," his cousin replied with a snort of his own. "Never been good with people or feelings, apparently."

"Just like you," Sheik said, chuckling.

"Just like me," Kafei agreed. He sighed, leaning more heavily on the railing, looking as if he was about to keel over and pass out. "I haven"t informed him of your survival," he confessed. Sheik wasn"t surprised.

"I didn"t ask you to," Sheik said.

"I wanted to, though, until I read his reply," Kafei said. "In light of what happened here, he"s declaring a Grand Hunt."

Sheik"s eyes widened slightly. "A Grand Hunt? On what?"

"Vampires. He says the Accord has been broken, and that it"s time to put them all out of their misery, that their kind—"

"My kind," Sheik corrected.

"...your kind has finally proven themselves untrustworthy, and a blight upon the world." Kafei looked positively miserable as he turned to look at Sheik. "He"s aiming to start this fall, if everyone can be reached and organised by then. Next spring, if not. There will be no deal or pleading this time; the hunt will not stop until every single vampire has been wiped from the face of the earth."

Again, Sheik was not surprised. While Ascal and Dehl"s actions were not sanctioned by the twenty or so remaining vampire lords (not counting the ones who"d died or been sired since Ascal had last had a proper overview), it certainly reflected poorly on them all. It was not a big surprise that Terra would demand their extinction after the destruction of the Studio...and it wasn"t too farfetched for the rest of the hunter workshops to quickly join in on the idea.

"Suddenly, I find myself very relieved that you didn"t mention that I"m still here," Sheik said, giving Kafei a crooked smile.

Kafei didn"t smile back. Reaching up to his ear, he took out the earring Impa had given him. He held it out to Sheik. "It"s still not too late, you know," he said. "As far as I"m concerned, this belongs to you."

Sheik blanched. "I told you, I don"t want it. The clan would never—"

"The clan will accept whatever its leader commands," Kafei said firmly. "They have no choice but to obey once you take this, age be damned. You are the last member of your bloodline, the last—"

"I"m a vampire," Sheik interrupted him, looking back across the city, keeping his voice low so as to not give away his nature to the guards. "Whatever I was before...this is what I am now. Even if the clan, such as it is, followed me, the hunters would never accept it. As far as they are concerned, I"m just another monster, another beast to be hunted down and slain. No...my bloodline ended at the Studio. Let them think this, and accept you as the new patriarch."

Kafei looked disappointed, but put the ring back in his ear anyway. "You have no idea what position this puts me in, cousin," he grumbled. "Now I have to get the clan to accept Elenwe as their matriarch."

...Sheik hadn"t thought of that, and barked with laughter at that, leaving Kafei looking quite offended.

"It"s not funny!" the purple-haired Sheikah exclaimed. "Do you have any idea what hoops I"ll have to jump through to get the clan elders to agree?"

"Not my problem," Sheik said, gasping.

"You"re the worst," Kafei grumbled, before fixing Sheik with a stare. "Know this, though," he said. "You will always be welcome with us, regardless of what happens. Your secret will be safe with me and the others—you"ll just be an unknown bastard, unaffiliated with a clan, to the rest. You"ll still have a home with us, no matter where we end up, and you can always count on our protection and support, even against the hunters. Never forget that, cousin."

Sheik straightened up, and nodded. "I won"t, cousin."

"Good."

A sort of peace came over them, then, and they gazed out across the cityscape in silent companionship for a while. Sheik could tell Kafei was itching to ask something, however, but he let his cousin come to it on his own.

"What will you do now?"

"Hm?"

Kafei grimaced. "Don"t play dumb," he scolded Sheik. "You"ll spend the next few weeks or months with Zelda and Link and everyone else, enjoying yourself, but don"t think I haven"t seen the way you look at the notes and maps he left you. You"re going after him, aren"t you?"

Sheik scowled. He"d hoped no one had noticed. "I can"t just let him off the hook," he said. "He did some good things in the end, but that doesn"t automatically redeem him; it doesn"t erase his past crimes." His hands curled into fists on the railing. "Ascal needs to pay for what he"s done; what he put us all through. All the lives that have to be avenged...I failed once, after Dehl. I won"t fail again." He touched the sheath strapped to his thigh, where his grandmother"s kukri nestled, as if to emphasise his point. "I will find them both, if I can."

"Camdessus has been exiled—as far as Zelda is concerned, he is to remain free as long as he never returns to Hyrule," Kafei reminded him.

"Somehow, I think those two come as a pair, no matter where they end up," Sheik said. "Besides, I"m not going after Camdessus for my sake...but Link"s. He lost his family because of him, vampire venom or not."

"And how does Link feel about it all?"

Sheik looked down. "I haven"t told him yet."

"Maybe consider doing that, before announcing any great plans or undertakings," Kafei said. "Just a suggestion from someone who"s learned a little about making plans without including one"s significant other."

"Elenwe"s that scary, huh?"

Kafei paled a little. "Cousin, you have no idea!"

---

A few days later, still panting from their exertions, Sheik and Link lay in their bed, enjoying the afterglow of the, frankly, amazing sex they"d just had.

What Ascal had failed to mention in his notes was the sheer amount of stamina that Sheik would come to possess as his body grew accustomed to the condition. He"d mentioned being stronger and faster, but longevity and the rate of oxygen uptake Sheik was experiencing was absolutely ridiculous. Coupled with Link"s own little changes, the effect it had on their more carnal activities was insane.

Sheik grinned to himself and rolled over, burying his face into Link"s neck, happy that he only felt a small urge, easily ignored, to bite into the sensitive flesh there and partake in the red fluid rushing just beneath. Knowing that he was in control, that Link was safe around him, that they didn"t have to worry about these things...that made him immeasurably happy.

Link huffed, his hand tilting Sheik"s head up so he could plant a gentle kiss on the Sheikah"s lips. So unlike the roughness from before, which was just as good. But this was...almost better. To be honest, anything that involved Link was liable to make him happy.

Goddesses, my thoughts don"t even make sense anymore, he thought, whimpering a little when he felt Link bite his lower lip, drawling a little blood. "Teeth," he gently reminded his lupine lover, who trilled in apology and settled for gently nibbling instead, after licking the small punctures clean. He flushed, when he remembered one of Ascal"s notes from the information he"d so thoughtfully compiled on the wolfos as well.

Their bite does not affect walkers in the slightest. It would appear our respective conditions are incompatible, somehow. A walker cannot turn into a wolfos from a bite, and a wolfos cannot be turned into a walker from ingesting our blood; not even in a dying state, which seems to be required for either of our infections to take hold. In other words, when you and Wolfy are shaking the sheets, feel free to bite each other to your hearts" content.

That passage, and the many others of that nature Ascal had littered his notes with, had only increased Sheik"s hatred for the man, even though it had certainly opened up a new avenue of pleasure for the pair of them.

Trying to banish the thoughts of Ascal from his mind, Sheik forced himself to focus back on Link, returning the Hylian"s kisses with lazy ones of his own, their bodies entwining beneath the sheets. Link still insisted on wrapping himself around Sheik whenever he could, like he was a protective cocoon of sorts. He did that with everyone he considered part of his pack, really, whenever one (or several) of them were unfortunate enough to wind up falling asleep in the same room as him, but he always paid special attention to Sheik when he did.

Makes sense, Sheik thought. I"m his mate, after all. He still blushed at the thought.

"Kafei got word back from Master Terra," he mumbled as they were both falling asleep.

Link made a noise that indicated he was about to fall asleep, but was still paying attention.

"He"s been given permission to open a workshop here, and possibly expand it to a new Studio, once the recruits start coming in again...and if Zelda agrees, of course." Sheik nuzzled into Link"s chest, appreciating the strong musculature hidden beneath the soft skin. "He"ll take position as Master Hunter until further notice. I was thinking about asking Eren and Nikal if they wanted to join them, to become hunters as well. What do you think?"

Link took a moment to contemplate the idea, his chest rising and falling in a hypnotic manner that almost had Sheik dozing off. Then he huffed in an approving tone.

"I figured you"d like the idea—it"ll give them something to do," he said, kissing Link"s left pectoral muscle, and then the right. He enjoyed how it made Link shiver. "Other than driving Kaura crazy by stealing Tao away all the time, that is."

Link chuckled at that, hands reaching up to brush through Sheik"s hair, which had come undone from its braid earlier during their...activities.

"I never asked what you wanted to do," Sheik said. "Once everything has been established, I mean. Will you remain with the hunters, or..." he swallowed. "Will you be coming with me?"

For all the bluster and annoyance he"d shown when Sheik had finally opted to tell him about his plans to hunt down Ascal, Link had never once tried to stop Sheik or talk him down from it. Sheik was thankful for that. That Link understood. He hadn"t dared ask the Hylian to come with him, though. It felt...too personal, to ask. Like there was no choice but to accept, once asked. Ascal was Sheik"s responsibility, and he didn"t want to drag Link into it because he felt obligated to because they were lovers. Mates.

"Or perhaps you"ll do neither," Sheik continued, realising he was starting to babble. "Maybe you"ll go to become a ranch hand at Malon"s farm, or just travel, or—"

Link"s finger on his lips silenced him, and the Hylian then forced him to look at his hands as he signed at the slow, measured speed that meant Link wanted him to fully understand what he was saying. Even in the complete darkness of their room, Sheik"s vision had no problem recognising his signs.

I am going with you. I wish you did not feel the need to chase him, but I understand it, and I will help and support you the whole way. Do you know why?

Sheik shook his head, and Link chuckled again.

Because I love you. Because I want you to be safe, and that is the best way for me to ensure that you are. And because I promised you something, back then.

"Back when?"

At the Temple.

Sheik fought the urge to kiss Link again, wanting him to finish what he was saying. "Because we"re monsters..." he said.

And we will be monsters together, Link finished. No matter what.

"I love you," Sheik said, and kissed him fiercely.

He had no idea where to start, other than vague notes and maps. His prey had centuries of experience, and knew all his techniques and tactics, having developed many of them. But Sheik was stubborn, if nothing else, and he had a partner and friends he could rely on through thick and thin.

It would certainly be an interesting hunt.

---

The End

---

Several weeks later, in a land far to the north...

There was an excited murmur going around the round table as the last member of their cabal entered the dimly lit meeting chamber, taking her seat after exchanging nods with each of them in turn. All seven had managed to gather today. For once, their group had full attendance. That in itself was a good sign. The tension rose as the seventh member held her silence for a long moment before smiling widely.

"Brothers, sisters, it fills me with joy to see you all here again," she said. "It has been far too long since we were all gathered like this."

"Five years, is it, since we were all in the same room last?" one man said, rubbing his bearded chin. "We have all been busy."

"Believe me, Brother Corin," she said, "I would not have called this meeting were it not of utmost importance...though I believe most of you will already know the reason."

"It is true, then?" the lady next to her asked. "The traitor has disappeared?"

Their leader nodded. "He has. Soon after Sister Dehl was so viciously murdered by his little lapdog, Emory went into hiding. He has left the young Sheikah as the new Lord of Hyrule. Apparently, a new hunter workshop has been established there, bigger than the last one."

A murmur of disgust went around the table at the mention of the hunters.

"Has he been summoned yet?" Corin asked.

"He will be, soon enough," she replied. "The others are still reeling from what happened."

"All the more reason to remove them," the lady said, grinning viciously. "They are too slow to act."

"I agree," the leader said, nodding. A lock of her blonde tresses had escaped the bun it was kept in, hanging beside her head. "However, as you know, the whole group must be in agreement before we take any action." She looked at them, one by one. "Are we all of the opinion that our time has come? That it is time to act?"

One by one, six of them, including her, raised their hands in agreement. All eyes landed on the last member, the man directly opposite of her.

"What say you, Brother Kerran?" she asked. "Is it time?"

The blonde Hylian leaned forward, locking gazes with her. "On one condition," he said. "I get the traitor."

Slowly, the leader nodded. "Revenge, is it?" she said. "Very well, brother. You shall have Emory. Your family will be avenged."

The Hylian grinned widely, his fangs flicking into place. "Then I agree."

---

The Real End

---