My name was Princess Zelda.

I emphasize the word WAS.

My kingdom had been taken over, and my father had been killed. It now lay in the hands of the evil Ganondorf. The same hands now rest upon the throne of my family, or perhaps they wring in anger over having lost me the day he gained access to the triforce of power.

I had been whisked away a not a moment too soon by my keeper Impa. I had left a plan in action, one that to this day worked its way to the surface of this harsh reality, promising to right all things that had gone so terribly wrong.

Since the day I had been taken from my home, on the outside for the first time, I had been trained in the ways of the Sheikah by Impa, preparing me for the world that was to come, for the world I would one day fix. I was now more agile and stronger than I ever could have dreamed of as a young girl, now with the physical power to match my station.

I was on the run from Ganondorf, and so I had taken on an alter ego. I had once been Hylan, I was now a Sheikah. I had once been soft, I was now hard. I had once worn long, flowing dresses, I now wore tight fitting clothing. I had once been a girl, but no more. My name was Sheik. My face was hidden at all times, as was my voice. Short tufts of my flowing blonde hair poked through my cloth visor, skillfully spiked into a more masculine shape. Tight rags wound their way across most of my body, my legs and arms were bound by them, the cloth fitting my skin well. They served another purpose as well, binding my breasts so as not to reveal my gender.

Behind my layers of clothing and my miraculous voice work, my disguise was impervious to any inspection.

Impa and I spent most of our time in Kakariko Village, her home town. I had been here for quite some time, rarely leaving the confines of the town save for the occasional training sessions that required me to do so. Lately though, Impa had been spending much time away, attending to the matters that required her attention. She suggested that, my training being complete, I should venture forth and explore the world, taking great care not to be captured, but necessarily familiarizing myself with the land of Hirule, a land I had ruled for all of my childhood, but one I had seen surprisingly little of.

She said that if I was to save the world, I had to see it first.

And so, I took her advice, sneaking out in the dead of night, slipping by the citizens of the town, and entering the planes of Hirule.