It was strange for Zelda to be an outsider when her entire life, she'd been treated as welcome wherever she went. As the princess, she was privy to all the knowledge her kingdom had to offer, and her company was always viewed as an honor.
Yet here, as Sheik, she was treated as a stranger. In the beginning, she'd been outright unwelcome, thanks to the past few days' help, her presence had been greeted with far more enthusiasm. The troops—not to mention Link and Impa—were starting to realize that she was genuinely trying to help.
While the greater part of her was doing it for the good of her kingdom, a smaller, more private part of her was secretly glad that she had this chance to see the world and fight alongside her men. Princesses didn't normally go on campaigns, and yet, here she was, learning the ropes within the military. Though she was still an outsider in that respect—her orders were separate, given to her by Impa (and occasionally Link, when he needed someone to cover forces that were overrun and out of his range)—she was still a part of the Hyrulean Army. It felt nice, Zelda decided, to be a part of something.
After three days of pressing on deep into Death Mountain, though, she was starting to learn more about this force Impa and Link were leading.
Though the troops could talk big, they weren't all that useful in a fight. They could hold their own sometimes, if their opponents were weak and their morale was unusually high, and even when single soldiers tried to take on enemies; but when the soldiers functioned as a group, they became incompetent in a flash
Zelda was quite certain that her own body count was higher than the whole of the forces through their entire campaign—and she'd only been here three days. And Link and Impa had done even more than she had.
It made sense, then, the jobs they gave Sheik on the battlefield. While she'd been useful in leading the way when they first met, now that Link and Impa knew where they were going they tended to ask her to look after the troops in the rear. The troops there seemed happy to have a 'special' all of their own, but Zelda couldn't help but feel irritated at their total dependency on her.
Still, Zelda knew that it was Impa and Link that faced the real struggle. The enemies Sheik had to fight were only a fraction of the hundreds Link took out. Zelda only had to deal with the leftovers, the ones that had escaped Link's notice or had been too keen on pressing forward to finish off.
Sometimes she wondered why Link always hurried on ahead. Everything he did seemed to be at a run, and he never strayed from a fight. More often than not, he was a half-mile ahead of the rest of the troops, caught up in an entire room full of enemies. It seemed that the goddesses hadn't just given him courage—they'd given him an unending stamina, too.
It was no wonder Link's mere presence raised the morale of the troops. He was practically a one-man-army.
But, at the end of the day, Zelda couldn't help but worry about the hero.
Every evening, Impa called all troops to attention at sundown, and they'd set up camp in the biggest clearing they could reach before the sun set completely. However, Link seemed to believe himself the exception even to this, because in the past three days Zelda had stayed with them, Link had come back at least an hour late each time, covered in sweat, and dirt, and, more often than not, in blood.
The hero's back was always straight and proud, if a bit stiff—but Zelda could see the exhaustion in his frame, and she knew Impa could see it, too. Every night, without fail, Zelda watched the general size Link up and send him straight to the makeshift mess hall.
Tonight was the first time she was within earshot, though.
Link had approached slowly, with just the faintest trace of a limp, and Impa was quick to meet him halfway. Even when he stood, he stood with his weight on one side, barely allowing the other to touch the ground.
"You're late," Impa said, hands on her hips and just a trace of concern in her voice. "Were you scouting ahead again?"
Link simply nodded, reaching into his pack to pull out his canteen, downing the last of the water. "Found a clear path for the troops. Couple of miles, not too tough of a terrain."
Impa nodded, seeming to take his word alone. "Any trace of the princess?"
At this, Link's face fell. "No sign of her," he said, shaking his head. "It's like she vanished… There's no sign of her anywhere."
Though Impa was clearly looking forward to seeing Zelda again as much as Link—even more so, perhaps, since she'd known the princess since youth—she put her hand on his shoulder to comfort him. "We will find her. Don't lose courage yet, Hero."
Link sighed and put his hand on top of hers, giving it a quick pat before he withdrew it and looked towards the mess hall. "Understood. I'll keep searching tomorrow—am I dismissed?"
"More than," Impa said. "Go eat. You look exhausted."
Though he could only manage a tired-sounding laugh, Link shook his head and started back for the makeshift mess hall, passing Sheik on the way.
Now that she was close enough to tell, she could certainly see Impa's point. Link looked about ready to fall asleep standing up—and she half wanted him to, if it would mean he'd get that much more rest for the night.
But Link seemed to realize that he was being watched, and he turned—half tripping over himself in the process (and was that a flicker of pain on his face when his favored leg touched the ground?).
"Sheik?" he asked. "Oh, that is you. What are you doing over here…?"
"Waiting for you," Zelda said. It was the truth, after all. Once she'd found out about what time Link tended to return, she wanted to be on the lookout tonight. It was nice, knowing that the hero had returned safely. Why she was so concerned with his wellbeing was beyond her, but she supposed anyone who'd fought so bravely at their own expense was someone to be concerned with.
Link looked a little surprised, though. He adjusted his standing position, once more favoring one leg, and seemed to be having trouble deciding what she meant. "Well," he finally said, voice hesitant. "Here I am. Did… you want to discuss something with me?"
Zelda smiled, though her mask covered it. "Not particularly. Just glad you made it back before it got much darker, that's all."
If Sheik's first words had surprised him, these practically had him floored. Link didn't quite look like he knew what to do with himself. In his defense, though, he still looked like he could fall asleep standing up. When Link failed to answer, Sheik stood and rested a hand against his shoulder, gently turning him back in the direction of the mess hall.
"Go get something to eat," she said softly, somewhat amused when his face started to pink. "After the day you've had, you deserve a break."
Link started to walk towards the mess hall, clearly baffled by the interaction. But as he walked, Sheik had her eyes on his legs. Sure enough, he was favoring one leg, the other limping along, not touching the ground nearly as hard or as long as its twin.
Once Link had finally disappeared behind the tent's flaps, Sheik returned to her prior seat, deciding to wait for him to come back out. Link's tent was a ways from the mess hall, after all—and if his leg was hurt, the last thing he needed was to try to navigate in the dark all the way back to his tent. If need be, she'd be happy to accompany him.
But Zelda waited for hours in that seat, and the Hero failed to make a reappearance.
Had something happened? Was he unable to walk at all? Perhaps now that he'd been off his leg for a while, it was difficult to go back on it.
Concerned despite herself, she started for the mess hall, stopping only when she heard a voice behind her.
"Are you going to try to strike up conversation with him again?" Impa asked, voice harsh in a way Impa had never used with Zelda. "He's asleep, so I wouldn't recommend it. It would be rude to wake him."
"Asleep? In the mess hall?" Zelda asked, furrowing her brows. "Surely not."
Impa let out a hmph and crossed over to her, standing between Sheik and the door. "I promise you, he is. Usually he wakes up and goes back to his own tent around this time, but sometimes he stays the whole night in there. The troops know not to wake him, so you ought to, as well."
Zelda frowned, but it went unseen beneath her mask. "He should sleep in his own tent."
"He ought to get whatever sleep he can get, pushing himself like he does. If he falls asleep at the mess hall, so be it. I won't allow my best soldier to be disturbed—and especially not by the likes of you." As if Impa hadn't made her point clear enough, she crossed her arms and looked Sheik up and down. "You spoke with him earlier. That ought to be more than enough for you, Sheik."
The way she spoke Zelda's alias made the princess feel, if anything, more like an outsider than she already did. But it was strange—before tonight, it had seemed as though Impa was beginning to adjust to Sheik's presence just as Link had. What had changed?
"I won't wake him," Zelda finally said, choosing her words wisely. "Thank you for telling me that he was asleep. He hadn't come out, so I wanted to make sure nothing had happened to him."
"What would have happened to him in the mess hall?"
"He was walking with a bit of a limp earlier," Zelda said, feeling quite defensive, "And I'm sure he's had his fair share of minor injuries today. Forgive me if I wanted to make sure that he wasn't in need of assistance."
Impa continued to stare down the princess in disguise for a few moments more. But whatever imperfection she was looking for, she didn't find, because finally she tsked and looked away. "You can check on him if you'd like. But if you wake him, I won't be pleased—and I'm sure he won't be, either."
Zelda felt quite insulted to have been given permission to enter the mess hall (what did she need permission for when she was the princess of Hyrule?), but her indignation didn't show on her face. Instead, she merely nodded, entering the mess hall with all the stealth she had mastered with her magic.
To her surprise, Link was exactly as Impa had said—fast asleep against the mess hall tables.
Apparently this was nothing new, either. The cooks were being noticeably quiet as they cleaned, and the other soldiers kept far away from Link's solitary table. And Link himself, dead asleep as he was, had a blanket draped around his shoulders, his face pillowed in his arms.
At Sheik's entry, most of the mess hall looked up, but none gave her any greeting save for the soldiers she'd protected most often—and even they kept their greetings to a silent nod.
It was strange to see the Hyrulean army acting so in-sync with each other when normally they were so disharmonious on the battle field.
But Zelda supposed this was a simple task, and it was obvious that the Hyrulean Army cared deeply for their favorite soldier.
Heeding Impa's words, but wanting to be there in case he did need help getting back to his tent, Sheik stayed put. The soldiers, fortunately, paid her no mind, and she was allowed to simply watch over the Hero as he slept. It felt, in a way, familiar—and she wondered about some of the reincarnations of old.
The name 'Sheik' didn't feel like something she'd come up with herself, after all.
Surely there had been some Zelda, sometime in the past, who had watched over her Hero. Perhaps she'd taken the name Sheik, too.
As distracted in her thoughts as she was, Zelda still didn't miss it when Link started to stir.
He woke slowly, bleary eyes taking a few moments to adjust to the dim light of the mess hall. Once he did, he hardly looked surprised—and Zelda wondered just how often it was that he fell asleep here, and when the habit had started.
Once he was fully awake, the blanket was the first to go. After looking around for its owner and finding no one who immediately stood to claim it, Link folded it neatly back up, setting it on the edge of the table. Just as he started to stand, though, Link's face twisted in pain. He fell back down against the hard wood of the bench, and was quick to make an "It's nothing" gesture when a few soldiers turned to look at him. Once no one but Sheik was watching, Link took off his cap, a small fairy flying out of it.
Proxi said something to him, and Link replied with a forced smile. Then, after a few more words from Proxi, he attempted once more to stand. The moment his hurt leg struck the ground, his face twisted into a grimace. Having no desire to see Link in pain, Zelda took it as her cue to approach him.
"Link," she said softly, walking quickly to his side. He seemed surprised to see her so late, but she made no attempt of small talk. She gestured to his leg, brows furrowed in concern. "Do you need help?"
"I'm fine," he replied immediately, voice just a bit sharp. Not wanting to make a scene, he started for the door, ignoring Sheik as she walked beside him.
But once they were under the cover of night and away from prying eyes, Zelda wouldn't take it any longer. She put a hand on his shoulder, prompting him to stop.
"You're injured," she said. "You're likely to hurt your leg further if you trip over something in the dark. Let me help you, please."
Proxi flew out from behind Link, appearing just inches from Zelda's nose.
"He'll be fine once he gets to his tent," the little fairy explained. "He has several bottles of red potion waiting for him, but thank you for offering, Miss Sheik!"
Sheik couldn't help but smile at the tiny fairy, but that answer wasn't going to help Link get to his tent. "That's good," she said softly. "But there's no need for him to be in pain while he gets to his tent. It's rather far away from the rest of camp, isn't it?"
Proxi floated between Link and Sheik for a moment, seemingly conflicted between loyalty to her partner's wishes, and concern for his wellbeing.
Sheik didn't say a word, simply allowing Link to either accept her offer of help or deny it—but she'd stay as long as he was still deciding.
Finally the hero broke his silence, head bowing slightly as he adjusted his weight, testing his bad leg and deeming it inadequate. "I don't want to have to use more red potion than I already need to," Link said, just a hint of agitation in his voice—Sheik wondered if she was irritated at her for noticing, or at himself for becoming injured in the first place. "What help can you offer?"
"You can use me as a crutch," Sheik said, approaching his injured side. "I won't carry you, but at least this way you can get there faster and not hurt your leg further."
It seemed to be a test of pride, but finally Link nodded and opened his side up to her. Zelda was quick to duck under his arm and wrap it around her shoulders, her inside arm wrapping around his waist and supporting him up. Part of her knew it would be easier to just carry him, but she had a feeling if she so much as suggested it, he'd insist on walking alone instead.
She wondered, for a moment, why he seemed so insistent on keeping to himself.
After all, he worked alone in most of his battles. Always charging ahead, working earlier and staying later than most of the troops, always advancing as far as he could, and still finding the energy to clear a path for the soldiers to start on tomorrow morning. She wasn't sure if he was capable of working as a team with anyone—he seemed to always take control and finish a battle himself even when others were working by his side.
For some reason, Zelda felt herself become bothered by it. Though this Hero was clearly their best shot at winning against the dark forces, he was such a lone wolf that Zelda could hardly stand it.
It was clear the Hyrulean Army adored him, what with their morale rising and falling to match Link's successes and failures. And Impa… Save for her true identity, Zelda had never seen Impa get so worked up on anyone's behalf.
But it had been weeks since Zelda had disappeared and taken up the title of 'Sheik'—she supposed she'd missed quite a bit. A Hero so capable of defending Hyrule was bound to become admired, even loved, by the troops that fought by his side. And Impa had already seemed rather protective of him back in the fight against Volga, a fight that Zelda had witnessed only moments before disappearing. A few weeks of getting to know each other would have only furthered Impa's protectiveness.
And yet, for all the friends Link had already gained on this quest, for all those who cared deeply for him, he had been so sharp with her when she offered help in front of the troops.
He was courageous, no doubt, but he'd also rushed needlessly into danger and pressed on much harder than was necessary, working himself to the brink of exhaustion.
And for what?
Zelda sighed, lips curling into a frown hidden by her mask.
"We all care deeply for you, Link," Sheik finally said, keeping her eyes perfectly expressionless as she stared ahead. "Please keep that in mind."
Link pursed his lips. "I appreciate the thought, but I'm going to have to decline."
"Why?" As the pair approached Link's tent, Sheik slowed to a stop, not willing to let him leave without an answer. "Why, Link? These men—Impa—we're all ready to help you if you ever need us to. We want to help you. Why not?"
The more Sheik pressed, the more Link's frame tensed, and finally Sheik fell silent, slowly leading him forward. The last thing she wanted was to truly make him angry after the stressful day he'd had. So when they finally got to the entrance to Link's tent, she helped him inside, setting him down on the cot and passing him a bottle full of red potion.
Link accepted the bottle silently, then leaned back against the pillows of his cot.
It was clear to Sheik that she wouldn't be getting an answer, and she knew she needed to leave before she ended up saying something out of anger.
Just as she turned to leave, though, Link finally spoke up.
"Wait," he said, and Sheik froze as she reached for the tent flaps. "I've always been fine on my own, Sheik. I've never really needed anyone's help," he said softly. "But if it makes you feel better, fine. I'll remember."
Sheik turned her head, looking surprised at the Hero. Finally, though, she nodded. "I'll hold you to that. Goodnight, Link."
Zelda was gone before she could even hear his reply, and she was quick to vanish back into her own tent. It had been a strange night, tonight, and it was getting late. Whatever qualms she had about Link's methods of getting work done, she'd have to address another night. For now, all she could do was pray that he'd be more careful—and more willing to accept help from his friends and teammates in the future.