I don't own Zelda. Blah, blah, blah, disclaimer. I love separate Sheik and Zelda. That is all.
He never knew I was there, of course. I knew that because I'd never known, either. He was aware of only one thing: going home: the blissful look on his face made it all too obvious. I remembered, wistfully, the feeling of being able to go back to normal, accompanied only by a very slight feeling of guilt at leaving Zelda behind.
Her Majesty stood several paces behind the Pedestal of Time, doing her best to look mournful, and Impa guarded the doorway, in her usual relaxed-yet-tense posture, arms crossed. I shifted slightly, noiselessly, and refrained myself from leaping out into the temple and shouting, "Don't go! Don't put yourself through this!" I probably couldn't really have done it, but the thought of restraining myself was at least a bit comforting.
The Master Sword clanged into the Pedestal, its reverberations shaking the whole chamber. I could still feel that in my hands, sometimes. There was a bright flash of light, as if the goddesses were sending their light from the heavens... and then he was gone, leaving the sword dull and stony in the semi-darkness.
The Princess sighed. "Well, that's that. You're sure it will work, Impa?"
"He will return to immediately after the point where he was sealed in the Sacred Realm: ten years of age," responded her Sheikah mentor and guardian. She stepped forward, footsteps echoing in the vast hall. "He will find his path more easily than you think." She paused, and laid her hand on Zelda's shoulder. "There is something I must now reveal to you, my lady, that I did not tell you before. It is a secret of many years in the making, and was painful to keep... But now is the time appointed for you to know, and all must out, now that peace has finally come to Hyrule."
Zelda frowned, and with good reason. Impa did not keep secrets from the Princess unless they were very, very serious. "Tell me this secret."
Impa said nothing in return, only turned her head slightly toward me. I vaulted into the chamber, landing silently behind Impa, and came forward to bow before the Princess.
If anything, Zelda's consternation increased; "Sheik?" was all she said at first, her beautiful face lined with confusion. Then she turned to Impa once more. "Impa, does this have something to do with why you had me appear in the place of this young man? I thought at first that you wished me to appear more powerful than I was... or was it so that the Chosen One only had to leave one friend behind?"
I rose, took a deep breath, and spoke, startling Zelda. Normally Sheikah did not speak to members of the Royal Family unless bidden to do so--excepting Impa, of course. "That is not entirely the reason, my lady. It was not that you needed to masquerade as me: it was that I needed to become you."
From her expression it was clear that I was only confusing her further. I looked at Impa, and she nodded. In one swift movement, I reached up with both hands and removed my face shield and head wrap.
It took only a moment. Her face became white, her blue eyes immense and her pretty mouth drawn into an O of astonishment. "L... Link?" she managed. I nodded. Her eyes fluttered back, and the Princess of Hyrule fainted, collapsing into the arms of her guardian.
Impa looked at me; in a moment completely out of character for both of us, we burst into quiet laughter. "I suppose there was no softer way to break the news," she said.