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Blue sky was all around me, including below my feet, which was honestly a little bit alarming. Dark seemed to feel much the same way, since the hand currently intertwined with mine was gripping me rather fiercely. I squeezed back reassuringly. We obviously were safe here, wherever "here" actually was.

Standing before us, Princess Zelda had a faint frown on her face. "This isn't how this was supposed to go, you know," she said. Her voice carried a note of frustration that stopped just short of being petulant.

"Sorry?" I offered.

She gave a little shrug. "It's hardly your fault you've gotten your soul and destiny so tangled up with his." She favored Dark with a little smile. "But I'd originally planned to loop time back for you, and send you to our childhood. It would create a timeline where none of these evils happened, since you would be able to warn me, and I could warn my father about Ganondorf's plans. But I can't send you both. Dark didn't exist then, it would probably just sort of...make him not exist at all anymore. Not to mention that sending two people back would strain my powers to the limit even if it were possible."

"I would definitely prefer for Dark to keep existing," I said, and squeezed his hand again.

"How do you know that Ganondorf wouldn't come up with some new plan, and make trouble anyway?" asked Dark. "Changing a timeline doesn't necessarily fix it." He gave me a little significant glance and I nodded. We'd finally arrived at what seemed to be the timeline we wanted, after far too many loops in which we'd failed in various ways. Many of our plans had gone quite awry. Even now, of course, we couldn't be sure that this was the best possible timeline. It was merely one in which we'd succeeded in defeating Ganondorf. For now that would have to do. Someday one of us might die, resetting the loop and letting us try again, but neither of us was currently anxious to hasten that day along.

"I suppose I don't." Zelda let out a sigh. "So since my plans are very much in disarray, I guess I should just return us all to Hyrule proper, to get on with this timeline, and whatever it might hold."

"It holds Ganondorf's defeat," I said, sharing the thought I'd just been having, "so I think it's good enough."

Zelda smiled at that. "You're probably right."

Then the world wavered around us, and though blue sky remained above, the solid earth of Hyrule was once more under my boots. Dark squeezed my hand again, then released it. I looked around. We were standing where Ganondorf's black tower had stood, and where Hyrule Castle had stood before it. Both were gone. Tumbled blocks of stone were scattered about, all that remained of the great tower after its fall.

Zelda looked around as well, and her face seemed suddenly older, a heavy burden settling on her shoulders. "There is much to be done to rebuild."

"We'll help," said Dark, and I nodded agreement.

She smiled a little bit at that. "Thank you."

"Many others will help too," spoke a rich voice, and I turned to see Impa standing there, with the other sages gathered beside her. My eyes went instantly to Saria, my childhood companion, and she gave me a warm smile. In taking up a sage's mantle she had become something other than what she'd once been. Yet so had I, over all my adventures. Dark even more so than I, and he and her also exchanged a meaning-laden glance.

"Tonight, though," continued the Sheikah, "we will do no work. That will come later. Tonight we will celebrate. All of Hyrule shall rejoice to be free of Ganondorf's yoke."

"A party, hmm?" said Dark. "Sounds like fun to me!"

---

"Sweet Nayru, I am so tired," exclaimed Zelda as she staggered into the little room.

"And drunk," said Dark. "Very much drunk." He stopped in the doorway to peer around the room, and I had to give him a gentle shove to get in myself.

Kakariko village was packed to the gills with revelers, so when Zelda suggested we share a room rather than try to oust more people to make room for Dark and myself, we'd agreed. Possibly the wine had something to do with either suggestion or agreement. As the hero responsible for Ganondorf's defeat, I'd been offered a drink practically every time I'd turned around, and Dark had shared in that bounty. I hadn't meant to get quite this drunk, and I was certain he hadn't either, but it was hard to say no to those who wanted to celebrate with us.

"There isn't a couch," said Zelda, her voice sounding annoyed. "Somebody told me there was a couch. Why is there no couch?" She glared at the spartan room.

I took it in myself. There wasn't much to take in, really. One narrow bed, obviously built for a single person, that might fit two if they were very friendly. A chair on one side of it. A small table on the other. That was all.

"I've got my bedroll around here somewhere," I offered. "Dark and I can sleep on the floor, you can take the bed."

She blinked at me owlishly. She'd drunk nearly as much as I had, for she'd also been the toast of the celebration. "Just one bedroll? But there are two of you."

"We've shared it before," I said with a shrug, and Dark nodded agreement.

Zelda scowled. "You're just trying to be all chivalrous. If two people can sleep together, which you two can, then they should have the bed and just one take the floor. That's the sensible option."

Now it was my turn to blink in confusion. "But..." I couldn't possibly take the bed and ask a princess to sleep on the floor.

Zelda's scowl deepened. "See? This nonsense is why I liked being Sheik. You wouldn't offer him the bed alone, would you? In fact here! Here! No more Zelda!" Golden magic wavered over her, and suddenly Sheik was standing there again, dressed in his close-fitting Sheikah clothes and his wrappings. He pulled down the mask that had covered his face so that it merely looped around his neck and let out a long sigh. "There."

Now Dark and I both were blinking at her—him? "Uhm..." said Dark, coherently.

"Everybody treating me like I'm fragile and might break," Sheik muttered, his voice a little deeper than Zelda's had been, but otherwise not that different.

"Uh. Sorry?" I offered.

He waved his hand dismissively. "You can't help yourself, I'm sure. Nobody seems to be able to. Though if you'd try to treat me—her—like you'd treat any friend, I'd appreciate it. Being Zelda is hard enough as it is."

"Being Zelda? You say that like you're not really Zelda," said Dark, curiously.

Sheik shrugged. "Right now I'm not. I will be again, of course. Hyrule wants its princess. Fate insists. However you want to put it." He flopped down in the single chair. "Now you two, there." He gestured at the bed.

Dark and I exchanged amused glances. "Yes, your highness," said Dark, with a little smile. He seated himself on the edge of the bed, and I followed suit.

Sheik snorted. "Ordering people around is the only benefit princessing has, I swear. Ugh."

"You don't like being Zelda?" I asked.

Another shrug. "I don't like some of the idiocy that comes with the role. I like her—me as her—just fine. She's part of who I am. But people act like utter fools around a girl and ten times the fool around a princess, sometimes. It gets old. Sheik is easier, more comfortable." He started unwinding the loops of fabric that had held up his mask. "Especially now that I don't need this," he added.

"Hmm?" Dark tilted his head to the side curiously. I was curious as well. I was quite curious about pretty much everything relating to Sheik. I'd always found him intriguing. Indeed, noticing that he was more handsome to me than any of the women I'd met had been a large step in my realization that I was attracted to men, not women. It had never seemed appropriate to do anything about that attraction, but it still remained. Sheik was a quite handsome man.

"The mask was necessary because the gender-shifting spell isn't perfect. My face was still a bit too feminine, and that meant it looked a bit too much like Zelda's." This was true. He had fine-boned features and a fairly pointed chin, and did strongly resemble Zelda, as if he were perhaps her rather pretty brother. "Somebody might have noticed. Even if they just assumed I was related, it would be trouble. Sheik is Sheikah, not royal. Revealing that connection could have led Ganondorf to find me before all was ready."

I nodded, Dark echoing it at my side.

"Fortunately there's no need for that anymore." He tossed the length of fabric aside and leaned back in the chair with a sigh.

Dark flopped onto his back across the bed. "Indeed. There's no more need for many things anymore. Our fate is accomplished, and now we're free. Which is an odd thought."

"You're free, perhaps." Sheik sighed. "Duty still holds me, even if fate has let go."

"Sorry," said Dark.

"Don't be. It is what it is." He yawned massively suddenly. "I think it's probably bed time. Can I borrow your bedroll, since I'm taking the floor?" He directed that at me, and I nodded.

"Of course." I pulled the bundled fabric out of my magical pack, and then set about removing it, sword, baldric, and clothing. Dark rolled off the bed and did the same, leaning his black sword against the wall beside mine. In this iteration of the time loop he had managed to not shatter it while fighting Ganondorf.

I stopped short of stripping completely, with my undershorts still on. I looked over at Sheik and found he'd stripped as well. Though in addition to his underthings he was also wearing a set of wrappings around his chest, and a pair around his forearms. I wondered at that, but didn't want to pry.

His figure was definitely good to look at, I couldn't help but notice. He was slender, but corded with lean muscles; the figure of a dancer more than that of a fighter.

Sheik yawned again and I felt myself echoing him. My head was still fuzzed with wine, but it was no longer making me feel celebratory, it was just making me tired. I pulled down the blankets and climbed into the bed. Dark slipped in beside me and put his arm over me. I sighed and pressed into that embrace. Sheik looked at us for a moment but said nothing, only leaned over and blew out the lamp, then dropped down to lie on the bedroll.

A moment later I had slipped into a deep slumber, and I knew no more until morning.

---

The rebuilding of Hyrule began the next day. There was much work to do. Kakariko itself was largely intact, but Hyrule Town was in sorry shape and Hyrule Castle was of course utterly gone. The town was our first priority, for as Zelda said, she could rule from anywhere if need be, but people needed places to live.

She had returned to being Zelda the morning after the celebration, but we saw Sheik often as we went about the work of building. Zelda made pronouncement and plans, organized getting the necessary materials, and issued tasks to her citizens. Sheik, though, pitched in beside the rest of us in the work of rebuilding. I wondered who else knew that he and the princess were one and the same?

If anyone else knew, they didn't make a fuss about it. Sheik was treated just like any other person pitching in to help repair homes and clear out debris. Dark and I both tried to do the same, and Sheik seemed to appreciate it.

We both made an effort to treat Zelda herself more or less like any other person too. A certain amount of formality was required in some of our more public interactions, but we'd become something like her bodyguards, so we were alone with her often, and we'd both decided, without needing to discuss it, that we should try to not stand on formality or treat her as if she were fragile. Honestly, even without the extra inches and broader shoulders that her gender-change spell gave Sheik, Zelda was quite strong. Indeed, I sometimes felt that she was mentally stronger than anyone. She'd handled everything from getting kidnapped by Ganondorf to the constant squabbling of Hyrule's citizens over rebuilding priorities with calm and poise.

I found I admired and liked her quite a lot. I had once chafed against a destined future with her, but it seemed like such a future really wouldn't be that bad. There certainly was talk, though seldom directly in front of me, about Zelda and I being wed. Zelda herself thankfully made no mention of it, but the pressure from others was there.

I was reluctant to make the sort of public scene with Dark that would be required to head off such talk. Dark didn't seem inclined to do so either. Our relationship felt private and I wished to keep it that way. I wasn't certain it would quell such talk entirely in any case, so I tried to just ignore it.

Such was the state of things one hot summer Goddessday, several months after Ganondorf's fall. The weekly day of rest meant that we weren't working on repairing Hyrule Town nor on the foundations of the castle which had now begun to rise beside the river. Instead the heat had led Dark to suggest we go swimming. There was a good spot where the river widened out and a deep, slow pool lay alongside the main channel. A large tree overhung the pool, casting thick shadows on the water, though further out the channel sparkled with sunlight as it rushed along.

We were splashing happily when Sheik came and sat on the bank. "Doing a little skinny dipping?" he said with a grin.

Dark stuck out his tongue at him, and I laughed. "Not quite. Want to join?"

Sheik hesitated a moment, then grinned. "Sure, why not?" He started stripping his clothes off. I tried to not be too obvious as I watched him strip down to his undershorts. He was still as lean and muscular as ever. His skin was fair, his eyes as blue as mine. His golden hair, just as long as when he was Zelda, was tied back tightly in a tail, though bits of it escaped to fall over his forehead.

"Hah! Somebody else as pale as I am," said Dark.

I chuckled. I had a decent tan, though the tan lines where I normally wore my tunic were a bit odd looking. Dark, though, was as pale as pale could be. We'd discovered that he was literally incapable of tanning, so he'd taken to wearing long sleeves if he was going to be out in the sun long, even on hot days. That was why we'd been so pleased to find this shady spot, where he could swim without worrying too much about sunburn.

Sheik chuckled. "Sheikah gear is traditionally all-covering." He glanced at me. "Though I see you're tan enough. Why...?" He trailed off as he looked back at Dark, as if suddenly aware that the question might be personal.

Dark shrugged. "My vampire nature, I suppose. I'm just glad I can go out by sunlight at all. If I were like the vampires in stories I'd be rather miserable."

Sheik blinked. "What?"

I thought back over our past interactions with him and Zelda. Had we ever mentioned Dark's peculiar vampirism? It seemed odd that we hadn't, but I couldn't think of a time when the topic had come up.

"I'm a vampire. Hence the fangs," said Dark, grinning broadly enough to show them off. "You didn't know?"

"No." Sheik waded out into the water, flinching a bit at its coldness. It was shocking at first, but the heat of the day made it pleasant enough.

"I suppose the topic hasn't come up." Dark gave a little shrug. "We think it has something to do with how Ganondorf made me from Link's essence. I need more of that essence to keep living, and his blood seems to be the way I'm intended to get it."

"Interesting." He stood ankle-deep in the water and looked between us. "So you drink Link's blood specifically?"

"Yes. I don't seem to need much of it, and in fact the more of it I get, the less I need. I used to feed every day and a half, roughly, and it's out to almost every third day now. Perhaps eventually I won't need it at all."

"You've never taken anyone else's blood?" asked Sheik.

Dark shook his head. "No. I'm not sure it would do me any good."

"Perhaps you should try the experiment and find out."

Dark snorted. "What, you volunteering? I doubt anybody would want to let me bite them to see, and I'm not going to go around sneaking into rooms at night."

Sheik smiled. "Well, actually..."

Dark and I both blinked at him. "What?" said Dark.

"I'm curious. Wisdom encompasses knowledge, you know. I'd like to know. And if you can take from somebody else, it might be helpful to you at some point."

Dark gave a little nod, though he still looked startled. I was as well. I'd found his feeding to be very pleasant, but a great deal of that was the attraction that lay between us. Strip that away and it was merely painful and nothing more. Dark looked over at me, tilting his head in a silent question. Would I mind if he tried this? I gave a small nod. Go ahead. Sheik was right that it would be useful to know if he could get any benefit from blood other than mine.

Dark came out of the water and gestured to the grassy bank. "You should sit down."

"All right." Sheik's expression was hard to read. He didn't look afraid, but there was a certain amount of trepidation on his features. There was something else, though. His cheeks were touched faintly with pink, almost a blush. I had the sudden thought that if I found him attractive, what might he think of Dark and I?

Sheik sat on the grass, and Dark sat beside him. "May I?" Dark touched Sheik's arm lightly, where he still wore one of his peculiar wrappings. He'd taken off his clothes, but the wrappings around his chest and those on his forearms had remained.

"Yes," said Sheik, his voice soft and just a little hesitant. Dark began undoing the wrapping, unwinding it one bit at a time. The blush on Sheik's cheeks grew as the bandage unwound. When that was done Dark set the long fabric strip aside and brushed his fingers along the bare skin beneath. I could see Sheik shiver.

Dark bent his head over Sheik's wrist. He hesitated just a moment with his lips brushing over the pulse-point there, and then bit down, swift and hard.

I knew that sensation well; a brief pain, not strong but shocking in its suddenness. Sheik drew in a sharp breath, then as Dark began to drink from him, he let it out in a long sigh, and his eyes slid half closed. Apparently he found the sensation as pleasant as I did. Dark lingered a long time, so whatever virtue it might or might not have, he obviously didn't find Sheik's blood unpalatable.

Eventually he lifted his head and let out a soft sigh. "Thank you," he said to Sheik.

"I, ah, you're welcome." His cheeks suddenly flushed again, and he stared down at his wrist, where two little red marks stood out against the pale skin.

"So was it like my blood?" I said, wading over towards them.

Dark shook his head. "There was something in it, and I think it might have helped a little? But it wasn't like your blood, no. I suppose to be certain I'd have to be hungrier, and see if it satisfied that. Right now I don't really need to feed."

I nodded. "Makes sense." Then I looked over at Sheik, who still looked a bit flustered. "I don't know if you're going to get him to volunteer a second time, though."

Sheik's blush grew even darker. "Ah... You might. That was strange, but... I wouldn't mind doing it again."

---

Later, as Dark and I walked back to our room in Hyrule Town, Dark said, "You didn't mind me taking Sheik's blood like that, did you?"

"No, of course not," I said, puzzled about why he would ask again. He'd only asked nonverbally before, but we were good at that sort of communication, and I'd known perfectly well what he meant, while I was sure he knew perfectly well what my answer had been.

"That's good. I just worry a bit. It felt very...intimate. And, well, Sheik is quite attractive, and, ah..." He trailed off, and I saw that he was blushing a bit himself.

"He is, yes," I said with a smile.

Dark took my hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "I don't want you to feel jealous."

I shook my head. "I'm not sure I could possibly feel jealous over you, no matter what you did."

He blinked at me. "No?"

"Well, consider it. Let's reverse this situation. What if Sheik were also a vampire, and wanted to feed from me? Imagine that. Does it stir any jealousy in you?"

A faint frown creased his features and he said, "I see what you mean. There's nothing threatening about that. Even if, ah..." His blush darkened and I chuckled.

"Even if you start picturing his feeding leading to other things, as yours sometimes does?"

He nodded silently.

"It makes sense. Think of it. I think that jealousy stems from the fear of loss. You have somebody you love, and if they start giving that love to another, you may lose it. But how could I lose you, or you lose me? We're tied together by so many bonds. Perhaps in some unimaginably distant future those ties could weaken, but if you came to love Sheik as well as me, what have I to be jealous of? I'd be glad, not jealous, that you were having something good in your life."

"Yes. Yes, I see." Dark nodded. "I would be glad too, if you were with Sheik. It's always good to see you happy, with or without me."

"Exactly." I smiled. "So if you want to do all sorts of things to Sheik, you can feel free. Frankly I wouldn't mind doing certain things to him too."

Dark let out a little choking sound of surprise. "Link!"

"What? You said it yourself, he's quite attractive."

Dark was blushing again, but he gave me a nod and a half-smile. "Yes he is."

We continued on our way without further discussion, but I found the topic lingering in my mind quite a lot after that. Sheik was indeed attractive, and since Dark and I felt no jealousy over him, there was no reason to not pursue something with him. The only barrier seemed to be Sheik himself. He hadn't made any overt moves, but his reaction earlier suggested he might perhaps be interested. I resolved to take advantage of the next opportunity I had to find out.

---

I didn't have to wait long, though I did have to wait until we all were once again a little bit tipsy. It was the night of Zelda's coronation. She'd already been ruling, but people like certainty, and people like pomp, so the coronation had been pushed through fairly rapidly, as such things went. The event itself had happened at noon, but the rest of the day had been one long celebration, and all three of us had indulged a little bit.

Not overly so—we were all of us steady on our feet as Dark and I escorted Zelda back to her room just after sundown—but I was feeling my head spin just a little, and from the free way Zelda was chattering as we went I suspected she was feeling the same. Dark had matched me drink for drink, so he must also be in such a state, given how identical we were.

We halted outside the plain door to Zelda's royal chamber. It was just another room at the inn, since work on the castle had hardly begun, but it was the nicest room there, spacious and well furnished. "I think I want one more drink to finish up this lovely night," she said cheerfully. "I've got a bottle of that weird stuff the Zoras make, if you'd like to share a drink with me."

I exchanged a meaningful glance with Dark and he nodded. "Certainly," I said, and we all went inside.

It was just a single room, but it was large enough to have not only a huge bed, but a little cluster of chairs and couches where people could gather and talk. Zelda gestured to that area, and Dark and I both settled on a couch together. She went to a little cabinet and pulled out a crystal bottle full of slightly milky blue-green fluid. She poured a pair of glasses for us and handed them out, then got herself one and sat on a comfortable chair opposite, where she took a sip, then tipped her head back and let out a long sigh.

"Today has been a little frightening. I've been queen in all but name, but having the actual crown is intimidating." She reached up and lightly touched the narrow gold band she wore. Then she slipped it off and held it out in front of her. "It's a small thing, to be so heavy."

"Gold is a quite dense material," I said lightly.

Zelda laughed. "So it is! Well, I don't need this right now." She tossed the crown under her chair. "There. It can stay there until the morning." Then she turned sideways in her chair, sprawling bonelessly. "Thank you both for being here. For always being here. I don't know what I'd do without you. Fate...didn't play out how I'd planned. But I'm glad of it."

I exchanged a brief glance with Dark, then spoke for both of us. "We're glad of it too."

"You know I used to have these dreams, as I was training and waiting for your return," she said, looking straight at me. "Dreams that always had you in them. You grew as I grew. We lived together in all kinds of places. Sometimes we were living with the Kokiri, or somewhere else out in the world. Other times we were in my father's court, as if Ganondorf had never come. That's part of why I decided I wanted to send you back. Maybe those dreams could have been real. I knew I'd be alone if I did, but I though that the other timeline's version of me deserved that happiness. But..." She gave a little shrug.

I took a sip of my drink, trying to hide my surprise. The drink was both sweet and bitter, and so was what Zelda had just told me. "I dreamed the same dreams," I said softly. "While I slept and waited to wake and save Hyrule."

Zelda's eyes went wide and she straightened in her chair. "You did?"

"We both did," said Dark, "since we were both one and the same then. They were good, those dreams. But..."

Zelda heaved another sigh. "Yes. I thought that we were fated to be together. Fate hasn't come out that way, I know. You two are so happy together, I'd never want to get between you even if I could! Though seeing you two together makes me want..." She stopped suddenly, and I saw her cheeks heat slightly.

I raised an inquisitive eyebrow at her.

She shook her head. "Never mind."

Given her blush, I half-thought she had been about to say she wanted to be literally between us. Dark apparently had much the same thought, for with an impish grin he said, "Want what?"

"I... ah..." Zelda flushed absolutely scarlet.

"Come now," he said teasingly. "You can't start a line like that and not finish it. I'm already picturing all sorts of things you could want from the two of us together, and they're probably worse than whatever you were actually about to say." His grin grew broader.

"Oh Nayru, you're going to think I'm a pervert..." Zelda took a gulp of her drink. "Seeing you two together makes me want to watch. Uhm. You know. I mean you hold hands all the time and you're obviously, uh, close, and..."

I felt my eyebrows go up in surprise. Dark let out a laugh. "I thought it might be something like that."

"Oh dear." Zelda took another gulp. The drink was getting fairly low. I took a sip of my own. Dark, though, set his down on the side table next to him. Then he reached out for mine. I surrendered it with some curiosity, willing to go along with whatever he was doing. Not that it was hard to guess his likely aim.

"Time for me to prove that I'm the evil twin again," he said as he set my drink beside his, then turned to me.

"Oh dear," repeated Zelda.

Dark chuckled, then next thing I knew he had pulled my head around and was kissing me, hard. I heard a little gasp from Zelda, and felt some of Dark's mischief spreading to me, so I kissed him back with great enthusiasm. Soon we were all over each other, with me pushing Dark back onto the couch, kissing, caressing, and nibbling him everywhere I could reach. Each action I took got not only the usual response from Dark, but a little gasp or sometimes even moan from the watching Zelda. I never would have thought having an audience would be exciting, yet it absolutely was. I don't know that I would have wanted somebody other than Zelda there, but her reactions were driving me on just as much as Dark's were.

Eventually, though, I drew back. I'd reached a point where to do anything further I'd have to start undressing Dark, and I wasn't quite sure if I should go that far or not. I looked over at Zelda, who was very red. She also had a hand pressed against the fabric of her skirt, between her legs, and was biting her lip rather intently. I noticed the glass in her other hand was quite empty now.

Dark sat up and straightened his tunic. "Was that what you had in mind?"

"Uhm." Zelda licked her lips. As if suddenly noticing where it was, she yanked her hand up to rest on the arm of the chair. Her cheeks couldn't possibly get any redder. "Yes. Very much so."

Dark laughed, and I echoed it. "Well, we are your humble and obedient subjects," he said.

That got a giggle from Zelda. "Hah! If I were giving the orders..."

"Hmm?" Dark tilted his head.

"I know I can't actually join you, but..."

"No? Why not?"

Her eyes went wide. "I... Ah... Oh goddesses..." She seemed to be having a hard time with coherent speech suddenly. It was oddly flattering. "I thought, I mean you're a couple, and... I... Uhm..."

"You're very welcome to join," I said. "Or, well... We're both the kind of person that prefers men. Queen Zelda is not quite our type. So I suppose the proper thing to say is that [i]Sheik[/i] is welcome to join. If he wants to."

"Ha ha ha, thrice yes." Zelda spoke instantly, as if diving on the opportunity before she had a chance to have second thoughts. Her magic flashed over her in an instant, and then Sheik was there, looking just as red and flustered as Zelda had a moment ago.

Dark and I exchanged grins. We had him just where we wanted him.

"Well, shall we retire to the bed, perhaps? The couch isn't big enough for three," said Dark.

Sheik shot to his feet. Then he hesitated, as if he might sit down again. "I, ah... I should say first... I think I mentioned that my gender-changing spell isn't quite perfect. Everything isn't, uhm..."

I rose and went over to him, and silenced him with a soft kiss. He was just an inch shorter than I, which actually felt a bit odd, to tip my head down even that much. I was so used to Dark. "Perfect isn't required," I said when I pulled back. "Just you, however you are."

Dark rose as well. "Yes. Link and I have a special bond, but we have a special bond with you—and with Zelda too. We're willing to explore things. To be honest I might even be willing to try something with Zelda, even though I don't find her physically attractive. You, though..." Dark's eyes swept up and down Sheik, and his look was appreciative. "You're one of the most handsome men I've ever seen."

"I..." Sheik put his hand over his mouth, obviously not knowing how to respond.

I took his other hand and tugged it towards the bed. "Come, we've said you can join us. So please do."

Dark had already climbed in by the time I towed Sheik into the bed. Dark took Sheik's free hand and helped pull him in, giving him a kiss as he did so. Sheik was breathing fast, and he kissed back heatedly. I pressed up behind him and nuzzled at his ear. He moaned softly into the kiss.

The next few minutes were a wonderful confusion of touches and kisses as we tangled together in the bed, pulling each other's clothes off. When I went to pull down Sheik's underthings, though, he pulled away, breathing hard and flustered, his hair falling from its neat tail. "Wait a moment."

"Hmm?" Dark had managed to get all the way nude, and I was only wearing my undershorts. Sheik still had his chest wrap on, as well as his own undershorts.

"Sorry, this is...hard for me. I don't think I'm quite ready. Just... I don't know, can I watch you two again for a while?"

"Of course," said Dark, and I nodded my agreement.

"Just tell us if you want to join in again," I said.

Then I turned and looked at Dark, sprawled out naked before me on the bed. Much as I'd enjoyed having Sheik between us, it was very easy indeed to turn my attention to him. I went straight for his cock, which was already standing erect. It was my second favorite part of him, after his fangs. But tonight wasn't a night for that, so I curled my hand around his cock and squeezed, relishing his soft sound of pleasure. Sheik perched on the edge of the bed, close enough to touch, his eyes fixed on us in open fascination as I bent my head and began to lick at Dark's cock. The moan Dark let out was echoed by Sheik, and when I had a moment to glance over, his hand was between his legs again, rubbing slowly back and forth.

I was on fire with need, the spot between my own legs a throbbing ache. Having Sheik here watching was making everything new and intense. I sat back from Dark abruptly and stripped my underthings off with rapid haste. Then I pressed myself to him to kiss him hard. He lifted his hips, grinding against me, and I moaned into the kiss.

A moment later he'd rolled me over, pinning me beneath him, and was rubbing our hips together, making me shudder in pleasure at the feel of his cock against mine. I could still hear Sheik's occasional soft moans too, and was vividly aware of his watching eyes. Goddesses but that was thrilling.

Also thrilling was the way Dark was nipping at me, at my ear and down the side of my neck. He lingered there, teasing me, making me cry out at the touch of his fangs. He soon moved on, though, nipping and kissing down my chest, and not stopping there, but trailing a line of kisses mixed with occasional bites down my belly as well, until he reached his destination and lapped up the length of my cock. His fangs meant he couldn't take it into his mouth without doing me harm, but that didn't keep him from licking over every inch of it.

I tipped my head back, moaning as he swirled his tongue around my cock. It felt amazing. Once he'd licked every single part of it at least twice, though, he sat up again. A moment later he'd thrown his leg over me and was straddling my lap, my well-slicked cock pushing against his backside. I rested my hands on his hips as he positioned himself over me, shifting until I was lined up just right.

Then he pushed down onto me, and we both moaned together.

"Oh Goddesses," said Sheik, his voice thick. That sent another thrill through me, reminding me he was still watching. I gripped Dark's hips harder, pulling him against me, lifting my own hips to thrust up into him. He cooperated eagerly, lifting himself up and thrusting back down, settling into a steady rhythm as he rode me.

It was wonderful, but Dark was moving slowly, and my every attempt to encourage him to move faster was thwarted. I pulled down on his hips, trying to speed his pace. He only gave me a wicked grin, as if daring me to do something about it. With a low growl I took that dare, pushing him off of me and rolling him over. We were practically touching Sheik now, but I didn't care about that. All I cared for was pinning Dark under me and thrusting back into him. He cried out as I sank in roughly, his back arching, his head tipped back. But though the cry might have been one of pain, the way he locked his legs around my waist told me what he truly felt.

I took him hard and fast, holding nothing back, seeking my own pleasure with primal abandon. He moaned and writhed under me, his nails digging into my shoulders as he gripped me.

I felt myself getting nearer, and that only drove me to take him all the harder. "Ah, Dark. Yesss. My Dark." There was a growl in my voice, and I knew that same primal urge to claim him was why I called him mine.

"Yes, Link, please..." he said breathlessly, and then I was there. With a low cry I thrust in once more, deeper than ever, and began to come. Pulse after pulse of hot seed shot from me into him, filling him, once more marking him as mine.

"Oh sweet Nayru," I heard Sheik whisper, his voice almost a moan.

I rested within Dark for a long, wonderful moment more, then withdrew to flop over beside him, spent.

Dark lay sprawled on his back, panting, his eyes unfocused with lingering bliss. Slowly he blinked his way back to reality, and glanced over at Sheik.

"How was our performance?" he said.

Sheik shook his head. "I think I am just about ready to join in now, assuming you're not done." His eyes flicked to Dark's still-erect cock. "It was...inspiring, let's say."

Dark laughed. "Excellent."

I chuckled, looking between Dark, covered in a light sheen of sweat and sprawled on his back on the bed, and Sheik, wisps of hair escaping his ponytail and his ruby eyes fixed on Dark as he licked his lips. "You two can begin without me, I need to visit the washroom. I'll be back in a moment." I took myself into the little bathing room attached to Zelda's bedroom. It was luxurious as these things go, with a large claw-footed tub and actual running water. It is an unfortunate reality of what I'd just done to Dark that sometimes it could be a bit dirty, in a very literal sense, and I since anticipated the possibility of some further activity with Sheik, I figured I should get myself cleaned up.

That took only a moment, but by the time I returned, Dark was once again sprawled on his back and Sheik was bent over him, Dark's cock in his mouth. He'd managed somehow to take the entire length of it in, which I'd never been able to do, and I resolved to ask him for tips later.

I perched on the edge of the bed, where Sheik had been sitting before. Now it was my turn to be a voyeur. Sheik was working with dedicated enthusiasm, bobbing his head up and down on Dark's cock, taking it deeply with each stroke. Dark had both hands tangled in Sheik's long golden hair, which had come almost entirely free of its confining tail.

"Ah, Sheik, that feels so good..."

I felt a twitch of returning interest in my groin as I watched the two of them. It was, as Sheik had said, an inspiring sight.

Scooting a little closer, I reached out and let my fingers brush down Sheik's back. He made a muffled sound of pleasure and so I continued to caress him, fingers roaming over bare, soft skin and over the bandages that yet wrapped his chest. I let my hand wander lower, rubbing over his rear. He was still wearing his undershorts, and I didn't slip my fingers under the fabric yet. Instead I dared to slide my hand between his legs, groping there.

He paused in what he was doing for a moment, his whole body going tense. Dark twisted his fingers a bit harder in Sheik's hair, though, pushing his head back down, and he resumed his work. I rubbed between his legs slowly. There was no cock to be felt there, which I had more than half-expected, given what he'd said about the spell not being perfect and how reluctant he'd been to remove his underthings. What I did feel, though, was a dampness that rather thoroughly soaked through the fabric between his legs. I wasn't experienced with the sort of anatomy he seemed to have, but I knew just enough to suspect that was a good sign.

The fact that he soon started rocking his hips slightly into my caresses I also took as encouragement. He lifted his head from Dark for a moment, panting hard, apparently needing to catch his breath. "You doing all right?" I murmured softly.

"Yes," he said with a nod, still breathing hard.

"Oh good." I slipped my hand up to the waistband of his undershorts, as he ducked his head again and began working on Dark once more, and pulled them down to his knees. I was breathing a little faster myself as I did, anticipating what I wanted to do to him.

With him more or less nude at last I could see that he did indeed have a feminine sort of arrangement, with slightly curly, silky hair there that was as gold as what was on his head. I gave this another grope, getting my fingers very wet in the process, and he let out a muffled moan around Dark's cock.

Deciding that I'd teased both of us sufficiently, I knelt behind him. My cock had come back to attention and was hard and ready. I put my hands on his hips, grinding myself against him for a moment, before shifting, seeking the right angle. It took a moment to properly line myself up, but then I sank in, and the wet heat that closed around me was absolutely wonderful.

It felt fairly different from taking Dark, but I wasn't going to complain. The view, as I looked down on Sheik on his knees in front of me, bent over and with Dark's cock still deep in his mouth, couldn't have been better. I licked my lips, a little bit astonished to find myself in this situation. Since I was here, though, I should take full advantage of it. I began to move, slowly rocking back and forth, trying to time my thrusts to Sheik's own motions.

"Ah... Hold a moment," said Dark, sounding rather breathless himself. I halted, and Sheik lifted his head. We both looked at him, curious about why he'd called a halt.

"I'm getting close," he said, "but I want to finish this out properly. Sheik needs to be in the middle, and not like this."

I chuckled, knowing instantly what he was getting at. "Sounds like a wonderful idea. What do you think, Sheik?"

"Ohmy," he said, somewhat incoherently. He was blushing again, his cheeks bright scarlet.

I pulled out from him and re-positioned myself, the head of my cock pressed against the little pucker just behind where I'd been in him a moment before. A shiver went through him, and he pushed back against that pressure willingly. I sank in, going slowly. I didn't know how accustomed he was to this sort of thing and I didn't want to hurt him. Fortunately the slickness of his own juices was more than enough to let me slide in easily.

He moaned as I sank in, pushing himself back onto me until I reached the point where I was fully hilted, unable to go any further. I bent over him then, sliding my hands along his chest, holding him, and pulled him up, so that he rested on his knees with his back to my chest. He tipped his head back against my shoulder, and I could feel his whole body trembling against me.

Dark knelt in front of him, pressing close, his fingers reaching down between his legs to grope there, which sent a shudder through him. "Ah..."

Dark pressed closer, nuzzling at the elegant line of Sheik's neck as he arched back against me, pressing his body close to Sheik's. I could feel the way Sheik's breath caught as Dark lined his cock up and then began to push into him. I could also feel, strange and faint, the pressure of his cock sliding along mine as he sank in, both of us filling Sheik up completely.

"Ah thrice," Sheik gasped breathlessly. "You... I... Goddesses you both feel so good. Ohh..." Then Dark began to move and Sheik's helpless moan spiraled rapidly up in pitch to a cry of absolute bliss. I felt his whole body give a profound shudder and he seemed to clench and twitch around me repeatedly. I had a feeling that he'd come right there, before we'd even truly begun.

That thought was thrilling. I held Sheik more tightly against me as Dark began to thrust into him. I could feel each deep thrust, and each also pushed Sheik back onto my cock; a wonderful, intense sensation like nothing I'd ever known. Sheik seemed even more caught up in it; he was moaning repeatedly, his head rolling back and forth on my shoulder, his hands clutching at Dark as he writhed between us.

Dark was nearly as lost; his thrusts had become faster, wilder, and I knew from experience that he must be on the edge. He had been nuzzling and nipping at Sheik's neck, and suddenly, with a low moan, he bit down hard, sinking his fangs in. That was a little surprising. Usually he bit me as part of foreplay, not during the act itself. Apparently he found the blood arousing, though, for I felt him give one last thrust, deep and hard, as he finally came inside Sheik.

Sheik let out a gasping cry of shock as Dark bit into him, but a moment later I felt another series of shudders go through him, and his cry of pain turned to a breathless sound of pleasure, the two of them coming within seconds of each other.

I went still, simply holding Sheik, feeling him shake with the intensity of his climax. Then, when it was over, Dark let out a long sigh, lifting his head, and dropped back, pulling free of Sheik. I felt some of his seed dribble down my thighs, and knew that Sheik himself must be quite a mess just now. He was panting hard, leaning back against me. I could see the dual red marks on his neck, a bright trickle of blood seeping from each. Acting on impulse, I bent my own head to the spot and kissed away the blood, tasting the bright-copper-salt flavor of it. Sheik let out a dazed moan.

Dark sprawled on his back, looking up at us. "Are we done?"

I nipped Sheik's ear, still buried within him. He gasped and shuddered, still seeming too dazed to reply. "I don't think so," I said. I turned a bit, pulling Sheik with me, then pushed him forward, onto his stomach on the bed beside Dark. He let out a little startled cry as he sprawled out in front of me.

Dark propped himself on one elbow and regarded us with an indulgent sort of expression.

I lowered myself over Sheik again, thrusting into him immediately. He moaned helplessly and clenched down around my cock. "Mmmm, you feel good," I said in his ear. Then I nipped it again, hard.

"Ah!" He squirmed under me, and it felt amazing. I growled softly and bit him again. I didn't have Dark's fangs, but my blunter teeth served just as well. Sheik whimpered, writhing, nearly struggling beneath me. I grabbed his wrists, pinning his arms down, and started to thrust into him. I didn't hold back, I took him hard and fast. He bucked under me, pushing back onto my thrusts even as he tried to pull free of my grasp. I was fairly certain, from the tone of his moaning cries, that his struggles weren't in earnest. He seemed to be very much enjoying the fight, though.

So was I. I gripped his wrists harder and kept thrusting into him, giving his ear another rough nip, then biting his neck, just beside the marks Dark had left.

"Ah, Link!" he cried "Please!"

I let go of his wrists now and wrapped my arms around him, holding him to me as I increased both the speed and roughness of my thrusting. I was getting very close.

He slid one hand under himself, fingering himself as I took him. "Yes. Come for me, my Sheik," I said, shuddering on the very edge myself.

His breath caught, and his hand moved faster, his moans turning into short, breathless cries in time with my thrusts as I pounded into him. "Yes... Oh Link... Yes!"

I felt another series of shudders go through him, if anything more intense than the ones I'd felt before. He was clenched hard on my cock, his body shaking and spasming beneath me, and that was enough to let me finally reach my peak. "Ah, yes! Sheik!" I arched over him, slamming in deep, a flood of hot seed filling him as I came hard, claiming him as I'd claimed Dark before.

I slowly came down from that blissful high and relaxed atop Sheik. I was too exhausted to do anything but lie there. He was equally still beneath me, and we lay together for a long moment, but of us catching our breath.

After a while, though, Sheik said, "Can you... Uh... You're kind of heavy."

"Sorry," I said, rolling from him. I felt my cock come out of him with a little twinge of reluctance. It had been amazing to just be there, within him. He immediately rolled over and pressed into my arms, though, tucking his head against my chest. I embraced him willingly, then felt Dark come up on the other side and embrace him too. He sighed deeply between us.

"Did that really just happen, or am I having a particularly good wet dream?" he murmured.

Dark nuzzled the back of his neck. "It really happened." He planted a kiss there and added, "And it was absolutely wonderful."

"Indeed." I kissed the top of Sheik's head. "I'm very glad we tried this."

"Yes," said Sheik fervently.

There was a long, comfortable silence as we cuddled together. It was indescribably good. Being with Dark had always been amazing. I loved him, and he loved me, and nothing could change that. Yet it seemed that the care I'd felt towards Zelda and Sheik could become love too. It was different, it wasn't the same as how I felt about Dark, yet it was also similar. I really was falling for him, and for Zelda too in a peculiar sort of way. I chuckled as I came to a realization. "I guess fate worked out after all."

"Hah." Sheik laughed. "Yes, it did. I didn't think it could, but somehow it did. I've cursed fate before, but I'll bless it now." He sighed happily again and nuzzled back into my chest.

I lifted a hand to stroke his hair. "I got the princess after all. Sort of."

Dark actually giggled. "You're collecting a little harem. I heard you call him 'my Sheik' you know. I know what that means."

"Aheh. Yes, well..."

"I'm not sure I know what it means," said Sheik, sounding confused.

Dark grinned. "You may have noticed that Link gets a bit...rough," he said, his tone amused. I rolled my eyes. I didn't know why he found my tendencies so funny, but he did. Of course in the moment he took them much more seriously, but afterward he sometimes couldn't seem to keep from making jokes about it.

Sheik give a little squirming wiggle in my arms. "I, uh, noticed, yes."

"He has something of a dominant streak, and he seems to like marking his territory, so to speak. The alpha wolf, if you will."

"Wolves don't actually have alphas," I muttered.

That didn't quell Dark's grin one bit. "He's always called me his in such moments, from the first. Well, welcome to the pack." Dark gave Sheik's ear a little nip from behind, which made him squirm again.

"You really don't mind me being here?" said Sheik, his voice just a bit hesitant. I could hear the vulnerability in it.

"We really don't," I said firmly.

"We love you," said Dark gently, and kissed the back of Sheik's neck once more.

I heard Sheik's breath catch. "T-truly?"

"Truly" I said, and kissed the top of his head again.

He let out a long sigh and nestled himself more firmly against me. "I love you both too. I never wanted to say it, because I knew it could go nowhere, but... I love you so much." He swallowed, and I heard tears in his voice as he continued, "I'd braced myself to be alone forever, or to make a marriage of state as Zelda. I never thought... I never hoped... I..."

I squeezed him tightly, pulling him to me, and Dark pressed close from behind, pinning him more firmly between us. "Well now you never need to be alone. We'll always be here, whatever else happens."

"You're ours now," said Dark.

Sheik sniffled, and tried to wipe his eyes. "Yes," he said simply. I loosened my grip a bit to let him, but when he pressed back to me I held him tightly again, reached up to stroke his hair as he tucked his head under my chin.

Then all was silent as we lay together, the three of us, content in each other's arms.