Did she really think she was in disguise? Lana constantly found her eyes drifting back to her on both the battlefield and their campsite. Sheik. How ridiculous. Such an obvious lie too soon after her highness had disappeared without a trace.

It was annoying. No one would fall for it. No one would be stupid enough to not at least suspect it. And yet, everyone seemed to be completely clueless which just made her even more angry. Why was it making her so angry? If anything, she should've been relieved that Zelda's identity was safe for the time being. So why? Why, why, why?

Ahhh, but Link. He was the only one. She could tell he knew something was up, but he still remained silent, not showing any ideas on his face except every now and then when Sheik would say something. So he knew at least?

That made Lana feel a bit better. Of course Link would be able to see through an illusion that should've been shattered on the spot. He truly was amazing. Zelda was amazing too, so why was she making such a stupid move? It was full out war. One that Lana had caused. Dammit, dammit, dammit, why wasn't she hiding herself more and instead fighting with them?

It was dangerous. Cia still had all their knowledge of the past and alternate realities. She'd see through her right away just as Lana had. Then what would happen? She didn't know, she didn't know!

Cia was being unpredictable. Just doing whatever she pleased. She was the side of them that just took whatever she wanted at whatever cost.

...Unfair.

Why did Lana have to be the "good" half? Why did she have to keep her feelings locked away? Why….why….unfair….unfair…..unfair….

The sound of shattering glass echoed in her ears. It sounded so distant. Had she done that? Ah, she'd dropped her glass she had taken maybe one sip from, the clear liquid spreading across the ground.

She did nothing to move, just staring down at the mess she had caused. Her eyes were glazed as they followed the trail of liquid as it raced down an unpredictable path before slowing down.

Unpredictable...How fitting for she was sure her vision captured a glimpse of an image of her in the faint reflection like the other side of a coin.

Damn her.

"Lady Lana, are you alright?!"

One of the soldiers rushed in, a couple others hanging back outside, perhaps so as to not intrude on her personal space.

"Aha, sorry. I just dropped my cup. It's nothing to worry about, but thank you for the concern."

She flashed a grin in their direction. They really did view her as their savior. To come running to make sure she was alright after the simple sound of a cup breaking.

Ridiculous. She didn't deserve it.

After all, she was the cau se o f th e -

They remained by her side for another moment, making absolute sure she was unharmed, while also trying to clean the mess but she told them not to worry as she could easily clean it up with a quick spell or two.

And so they finally left her, one offering to bring her another drink to which she humbly declined.

She had to keep smiling. She had to. Smiling. Smiling. ...It was exhausting.

She released a breath, finally alone with her thoughts again. What had she even been thinking about before…? She blinked a couple times before her mind drifted back. Again and again. That's right. That's what had started all of it, right?

And suddenly she found herself moving, unable to stay isolated alone in the suffocating silence she had trapped herself in any longer. And as she was leaving her quarters, she gave a quick glance at the shards of glass still scattered everywhere and on the faint edges of her memory, she remembered.

She hadn't dropped it. She'd thrown it.

"Do you really think you're fooling anyone?"

To the sudden question, Sheik turned around. Between the two dropped a silence except for the occasional bustle of activity outside from moving supplies around or a couple soldiers taking a casual stroll to relieve stress.

"...Excuse me?"

"Ahh, even your voice. The way you talk. I don't understand how…" her voice died down.

Lana couldn't recall exactly how she had ended up there. All she could remember was the shards of glass, and the horrible thoughts that wouldn't leave, and eventually she had ended up there in Sheik's tent, confronting her.

"...You said you wanted to speak with me about something…" the ninja's voice was slow-Lana could tell she was being cautious, "...I presume this is it? Though I'm afraid I don't understand."

So she was going to play dumb, huh? Of course she was. At this point feigning ignorance was the only option she had given herself.

Lana remained silent for another moment before taking a step forward,

"You know, I expected more from you."

And another step.

"You've always been so wise, sometimes even crafty."

And another.

"But to try and join the fight so soon after supposedly falling off the map…"

And another.

"Tell me, your highness: what part of this plan did you really think would work without bringing rise to any suspicion?"

She had stopped her pursuit a mere step away from the other, and staring into her one red eye, Lana could tell she had taken her off guard.

However, Sheik did her best to play it off; a worthless show of effort to put on for someone who knew the moment she'd first seen her.

"...I understand everyone still has their suspicions of me, but your accusation is-"

"Wrong?" the sorceress interrupted her, a tone of spite in her voice despite letting out a small laugh, "That's kind of cute. You honestly weren't expecting anyone to catch on and now that you're being backed into a corner, the best you can do is pretend I'm wrong so i'll be thrown off? So...is that it?"

"...Lana, are you alright?"

"Is that really all?"

She ignored the other's question, instead repeating her own, her voice quieter than it had been before. And, suddenly without warning, she brought her hands up, gently holding her face in place.

And Sheik- Zelda -shot back, out of her grasp, her back hitting a crate of supplies. And Lana couldn't suppress a smile rising to her lips,

"That's not very ninja-like, now is it?" and she stepped forward, closing the space between them again.

"L-Lana-! What are you-"

"Ahh, your voice is changing. Are you cracking under the pressure? Are you unable to keep up the lie?"

And her hands lingered on her face for a brief moment before her thumbs tucked under the fabric of her mask, "That's alright. You don't need to right now."

"W...Wait-!"

And she tugged the mask down, revealing her face. Lana's eyes widened a bit, but otherwise her expression remained the same. Was Zelda...blushing? Because of her?

Shouldn't that have made her happy? Excited? She supposed it did, but….

Without saying anything, she reached up and brushed her hair back, revealing her other eye. Red too, huh? And Lana frowned. Before her hand glowed lightly with a spell that made Sheik flinch slightly from the shock, her one eye screwed shut as the other one that had been hidden behind her hair dissolved into blue.

And, realizing what had happened, Sheik's hand flew up to cover her left eye, Lana only being able to stare into the one that remained red. And Lana tilted her head, something seeming to click,

"Is that how you do it? You use magic, not only to change your appearance, but also to make it so no one questions what your true identity obviously is?" And Sheik's expression was all the answer she needed. "...That's pretty advanced magic."

She reached for Sheik's wrist, pulling it away from her face. And as she stared into her two different colored eyes-one true and one an illusion-Lana's tone changed,

"You know, you've always been gifted at magic but to think that automatically makes you safe from everyone is something only a fool would do."

"H...huh?"

Sheik blinked, confusion evident in her voice. One could assume Lana was talking specifically about her but...it felt more like she was speaking from a broader expanse of knowledge. And after another moment of silence, Lana seemed to have considered her words,

"...Forgive me. It appears I have confused you. ...It would seem you have managed to fool many, but remember: you may be gifted at magic but that doesn't make you the best. After all, I saw right through you, and that means Cia would be able to as well, right? I did tell you we're from the same clan after all, didn't I?"

She couldn't tell her...it was actually because of who she was….

She looked to the side, before looking back, an unnerving grin on her face,

"...Also, it would seem even our great soldier with potential has noticed something's familiar about you."

Why was she being like this…?

"...I won't stop you from fighting, as you've gone too far to stop now,"

This wasn't her….

"However, I would appreciate if you wouldn't rush off to the front lines anymore."

Was this really her?

And she drew back, a smile still painting her face, the light in her eyes long gone,

"I want you to stay safe and I can't protect both of you at the same time...Zelda."

There was nothing else to say. She'd said what she'd come to say. Zelda was now aware that her false sense of security was foolish to have and it was now gone. Now, maybe Lana couldn't protect her around the clock, but she could-

"L...Lana…." Zelda choked out after a long pause, "W...Who are you?"

And Lana's smile fell immediately. Until it came back, and she stood with her hands clasped together behind her, tilting her head,

"...I'm just a sorceress who's trying to help out in this war."

After leaving Zelda's-or she supposed she should help keep up the facade- Sheik's tent, Lana had transported herself to a location far in the distance, but still close enough to where she could easily get back to camp if an emergency arose.

And staring off at nothing in particular, she suddenly cast a spell to enclose a small space around her. This would block out any noise so no one nearby would be able to hear.

And, her book fell down to the ground, the pages no doubt getting crumpled upon the impact. Tears ran down her face

a nd

sh e

s cre a me d.

It was such an imbalance…..She was such an imbalance…..She was supposed to be the "good" side so why? Why couldn't she keep her desires locked away? Why? It was so easy for Cia to give in because that's who she was supposed to be. So why….why couldn't she keep them locked away like she was supposed to be able to…..?

Unbalanced….unbalanced….

"...Cia….Cia…..where are you….? Please…..Please come back….. I …...I feel so broken…"

A/N

I'm going through and crossposting my fics from over on ao3. This one is from like 2 years ago, and I most certainly did not take the time to edit it at all, so it might be a bit rough lol. (Some of the formatting might be a bit off, too. I don't really come here very much, and the upload process seems...inflexible to say the least.)

Anyway, the idea of this fic has to do with the many different au thoughts I have, involving Lana and the world of hw. In my versions, Lana/Cia develop feelings for both Link and Zelda, and this fic is one that deals with the idea of: if Cia can have a redemption arc, Lana can easily become corrupted.

I like the idea of Lana not being all happy go lucky because even in the game cutscenes we can see she's really not. You can tell she's always trying to keep her feelings locked inside and I wanted to explore if she wasn't really able to do that.