The Legend of Zelda, its characters and locations are all property of Nintendo. Any and all OCs and original locations belong to me unless specifically stated to belong to someone else.
Conjecture
Chapter 4
Sheik tried not to think too much about Link for the next couple of days, trying to submerge himself in his studies and training. Obsession was the enemy of reason, as one of his teachers always liked to say. It made one see connections and shadows where there were truly none. Coincidences would no longer be coincidences, and from there one would jump to conclusions.
Sheik realised he'd done just that, and that he'd blinded himself with his suspicion of Link to truly look at the Hylian for what he was.
So, he decided he would take the coming few days to stop thinking about Link, and hopefully come back to the investigation with a fresh mind.
This, unfortunately, turned out to be more difficult than he'd anticipated. During his lessons, he frequently found his mind drifting to the Hylian.
In art lessons with Pikango, he caught himself tracing Link's face onto his canvas more than once.
In music lessons, the sounds of the brothers' ocarinas kept intruding as he read musical notes and transcribed what their teacher had been playing.
During maths lessons...well, his head was filled with maths. Because nothing could banish that shit, apparently.
During sparring sessions, particularly when they were grappling, he kept wondering what fighting Link like this would be like. If he would be able to beat a Sheikah in unarmed combat or if his forte lay in the way of the sword. If he would bare his upper body, if every inch of it be as toned and scarred as the little bit Sheik had seen?
Those thoughts quickly disappeared when Paya suddenly had him on the ground, though, and was trying to twist and bend his joints into positions they weren't meant to.
Bless his sister, bringing his thoughts back into the present.
It was only a temporary bliss, however, as Link now apparently saw fit to invade Sheik's dreams on a nightly basis. As before, Sheik did not feel the hostility he was supposed to either. At best he was neutral towards the Hylian appearing in his slumbering mind. At worst, though, he recalled feeling sympathetic, even supportive of him. Feeling that he wanted to help, to soothe whatever trauma kept stealing his sleep.
This was unacceptable, Sheik decided on the fourth night of dreaming about the bastard. Clearly, trying not to think about Link only made him think harder about him, so what the hell was he supposed to do?
Spy more, of course!
In his way, however, was an obstacle he didn't expect. Truly, he'd expected Link to be more cautious as he went about his business in the village. That business being ingratiating himself with every Sheikah he met, apparently. There was no one he would not stop to talk to or ask a million questions. Not a child he would not amuse or help with little chores. Not a single cat he would not stop to pet or play with.
Granted, that last part was something Sheik could agree on as well.
As he did these things, however, Link was not being overly cautious at all. He was as open (or as seemingly open) as he'd been before the deku nut incident.
Or at least from what Sheik got to see.
The aforementioned obstacle wasn't the elder Hylian at all. It was the younger.
The chibi had taken to walking around with his brother apparently, keeping close to him at all times. Sure, he also played with Ryuji and the other kids, but he had an uncanny ability to apparently sense when Sheik was out and about spying on his brother, and magically appeared at Link's side whenever Sheik had found a good position.
An annoyance, but something Sheik could live with, if only because then he knew exactly where both outsiders were.
The problem, however, was that the chibi seemed to know exactly where Sheik was hiding. No matter where Sheik hid—on rooftops, under carts, in the tall grass, in the bloody pond—Ravio's eyes immediately zeroed in on Sheik, meeting his gaze.
This was infuriating on many levels, mostly because Sheik had always gotten top marks in his stealth training. To anyone else he could disappear...except for this little Hylian boy, apparently.
Strangely enough, Ravio never revealed to Link that they were being watched, content to simply stare Sheik down until he felt so uncomfortable he had to relocate.
Why the fuck the little bastard didn't cut the game short and just tell Link that Sheik was spying on them, he had no idea, but it was quickly getting on his nerves.
When he told Paya about it one night before bed, she simply laughed and said it was cute how protective Ravio was of his big brother.
Obviously, she had not seen the amount of hate that kid could put in one look.
"Hate?" she'd said. "He just looks annoyed to me. Which I would be too if someone was stalking my brother." She'd looked at him pointedly as she said this.
Why was everyone so bad at interpreting looks? Sure, chibi was annoyed, but there was hatred there too.
Maybe it was for the best that only Sheik noticed. He felt himself withering on the inside whenever Ravio spotted him. He wouldn't wish it upon anyone.
Anyway, some sort of fucking magic was at play here, he was certain of it. How else did Ravio know exactly when Sheik was making his observations?
He had to find a way to observe Link without the chibi interfering, but that turned out to be a challenge beyond him. Whenever Sheik was in proximity of Link, Ravio would appear. Some sort of Little Brother Sense was clearly alerting Ravio that Link was under observation.
His attempts to find a way, however, were disastrous. The one time he came close to being able to watch Link without interference from Ravio was when Link went to the communal baths at the hot spring tucked away near the edge of the woods.
Sheik had borrowed one of the craftsmen's small drills and made a hole in the fence that separated the men's section from outside prying eyes. He'd made the hole in the tall grass near the cliffside, where no one would be able to see him squatting and looking in.
The chibi was asleep. Sheik knew this for a fact. Had seen the little bastard snoring loudly after a long morning and early afternoon of fighting in an imaginary battle alongside his Sheikah allies. Link had even tucked him into his futon before leaving for the bath.
Link had chosen to go between the two main rush times for the baths, presumably so he could have some privacy. It meant he was more or less alone in the bath.
The fool.
Sheik grinned to himself, keeping an eye on the door that led to the washroom, excited for the moment the door would open, revealing his target.
And open it did.
Sheik's mouth dropped open as Link stepped inside the spring area with little more than a towel preserving his modesty. He was wet from washing, his hair dripping.
Sheik had spent some time imagining what Link looked like under his clothes, as a way to gauge just how formidable of a warrior he was, and how much trouble he'd be to face in battle should the worst come to pass.
Based on what Sheik was seeing, there was going to be a lot of trouble. More scars, naturally. Link had clearly been a popular target at some point. Shadows of cuts, nicks, and stab wounds littered his body, a map of the killing intent aimed at him. But in return, whatever warrior's life he'd been leading so far had left him with a body built to handle it. Every step he took, every twist of his torso caused his well-defined muscles to ripple with movement. There was not a speck of superfluous fat.
If anything, he needed more of that because right then there was barely anything to protect what lay beneath his skin.
Sheik closed his mouth, watching as Link approached the edge of the spring, preparing to drop the towel. He leaned in closer, his entire face pressed up against the rough wood of the fence. Just a moment, and Link would be at his most vulnerable, and Sheik could finally see the man for what he was...
Link undid the knot holding his towel up, and let go of the fabric—
"Over here! Come on! Let's go!"
Sheik's body acted on its own at the sound of shouting children, dropping him into the tall grass just in time as a bunch of kids came running past, being chased by none other than Ravio.
A rousing game of tag for the sleepyhead, apparently. So much for nap time.
Sheik watched them through the slightest gap in the blades of grass, watching as they disappeared into the small wooded area just beyond the baths. As Ravio passed, his eyes met Sheik's. It was only for a moment, but it seemed to stretch on for an eternity, and there was no question about Ravio having actually spotted him, because those blue eyes were once more filled with warnings and promises of extreme physical pain.
And then Ravio, along with the others, was gone, their game continuing among the trees.
Sheik needed a moment to recover from that. How the chibi always knew exactly where he was, Sheik didn't understand.
He sat up after a moment and dared to look through the hole in the fence again. Link was in the water now, having sunk into it up to his chin. His eyes were closed, and he sighed in a very content manner.
Sheik reluctantly withdrew from the hole he'd made in the fence, somehow convinced that Ravio would soon return.
And Sheik wasn't keen on being there when he did. Especially not in such a compromising position.
Bath peepers were mercilessly punished, after all.
That night, Sheik dreamed of Link yet again. He'd never admit to anyone what he woke up with.
"You know, you could just try to make friends with him," Paya suggested for the millionth time as they stretched in preparation for the afternoon's sparring session. "Mana said she gave him a mochi and he spent the rest of the day chattering excitedly and begging her to teach him to make them."
"Good for Mana," Sheik said, crossing yet another ally off his mental list of people who had yet to fall under Link's sway. There were very few names left on it, now. "Now he has her recipes."
Was there nothing he wouldn't steal?
Paya rolled her eyes and went back to her stretching, to Sheik's relief. She wasn't going to waste her energy trying to convince him today, it seemed.
"All right, is everyone ready?" their instructor, Akira, said as he entered the dojo, looking carefree as usual. He nodded at the calls of affirmative he got in return. "Very well. Line up, then."
They did as they were told, but something was off. Usually Akira would immediately divide them into pairs and have them start practising the standard katas and moves before moving on to the sparring in the centre ring. Today, however, he paused to give them a slight grin.
"I have a surprise for you today," he said, looking smug.
"What's the surprise, sensei?" Paya asked, her hand raised.
"Wouldn't be much of a surprise if I told you, would it?" Akira said. "You'll know it when you see it. Anyway, let us divide into pairs. You and you, you and you, you and you..."
As the session began, with randomly chosen partners facing each other and going through the repertoire of moves and counters, Sheik couldn't get his mind off whatever surprise lay in store for them. Surprises were just a fact of life within the clan. Rarely, though, were they informed of one beforehand.
Generally because said surprises consisted of someone shouting "Surprise assassination! Now survive!" followed by the being surprised immediately getting attacked.
Sheik usually did quite well because he was always expecting something to go wrong or badly somehow. One time he'd even managed to clock Kiro in the face the second he popped out of the barrel he'd been hiding in. His nose was still slightly crooked because of it.
Presumably, this was Akira-sensei's idea of a joke, knowing his students would drive themselves half-crazy trying to figure out what he was planning...and giving him plenty of opportunities to needle them for the subsequent drops in their performance.
Well, not Sheik's. He'd been drilled on these moves so many times in the course of his childhood he could do them in his sleep. His opponent, not so much. Rama was clearly distracted by the idea of a surprise, and Sheik easily broke through his defences without even trying.
"Well, I think that does it for warming up," Akira-sensei said after about twenty minutes of watching his students. "Didn't realise it'd take just a little mystery to trip you guys up so much. We'll have to work on that. Anyway, gather around the circle, please. It's time to spar. We'll start with your assigned pairs, and then randomise the matchups. First one's back to hit the floor loses."
Sheik and Rama were first up. The larger boy's mind had cleared a little by the time they were facing each other in the ring, and it took some effort for Sheik to bring him down. But where Rama had the brawn, Sheik had the flexibility and agility, and Rama couldn't pin him down. Sheik waited for an opportunity and took it when it arrived. He brought Rama off-balance and, using his own weight against him, brought the brawny bastard to the floor.
"Well done, both of you," Akira-sensei said, nodding. "Rama, you'll want to work on not letting a faster opponent bring you off-balance."
"Yes, sensei," Rama said, bowing.
"And Sheik, you took a little long to bring him down," their teacher continued, looking at him. "You need to identify weaknesses faster when fighting a larger, stronger opponent. If this had been a real fight, if he'd gotten his hands on you, you'd be dead within seconds."
"Yes, sensei," Sheik said, also bowing.
When your teacher spoke, you listened. Even if he was a sadistic bastard about secrets.
"Next pair!"
Sheik took his place at the edge of the circle, watching as pair after pair of Sheikah fought each other. Everyone winced a little when Paya entered the ring with her opponent. No one envied Paya's opponents.
There was a loud thud as he hit the floor, screaming "Argh!"
Sheik was good at grappling, though he preferred bladed weapons. Paya, however, had made grappling into an art form. There was nothing she enjoyed more than absolutely destroying her enemi—er, opponents in the sparring ring, trying to give them new joints.
Coincidentally, she was also excellent at origami.
"Well done, Paya, that was very quick!" Akira-sensei praised, faltering a little. "Er, Paya, you can stop now. Paya!"
"Just trying to give Ollo a good stretch," she said innocently, finally ending his torment.
"Trying to rip my arm out of its socket, more like," Ollo said with a grumble.
Akira-sensei gave her a look. "We've talked about this."
"I'm sorry, sensei," Paya said, not regretful in the slightest. She always got away with this shit. Mostly because Sheik had a feeling Paya could easily take Akira-sensei if they were ever matched up in a real fight.
"Right, next up—"Akira-sensei began, but was interrupted by one of the assistant instructors entering the room. "Yes?"
"He's here, sensei."
Akira-sensei smiled. "Ah, excellent. Send him in." He turned to his students. "The surprise has arrived!"
Honestly, at this point, Sheik should have known.
Why he was still surprised when Link, his hair pulled back in a short ponytail, stepped into the room, dressed in the same gi as the Sheikah students, he had no idea.
Because it had to be out of the surprise his chest felt like it was about to explode, right? Surprise and rage.
At least the chibi was nowhere to be seen for once...but then maybe he was observing from somewhere hidden nearby.
"Some of you," Akira-sensei began, pausing, "well, most of you have met him already, but I'd like to introduce you to Link-san, who is currently our guest. I invited him here today." He turned to Link and bowed, which Link returned. "I understand you have some experience in the art of hand-to-hand combat, Link-san?"
Link immediately zeroed in on Sheik in the crowd of Sheikah, and...was that a fucking smile?! What the hell was he so happy about?!
"Some, yes," Link said, looking back at Akira-sensei. "I mostly fight with a sword, but I've had to rely on my hands a couple of times and learned a few tricks." He grinned a little, and there was a nervous edge to it that Sheik immediately noticed. What was he nervous about? "Not half as elegant as what you are taught, I bet, but it gets the job done."
"Well-said, Link-san," Akira-sensei said with an approving nod. "While it is true that our style adheres to routine and a repertoire of practised movements, it matters little if you cannot use them to finish a fight or, as you say, get the job done."
Link ducked his head, his cheeks colouring little at the praise. Fuck, it was almost cute.
All an act, of course.
"Now, my little ducklings," Akira-sensei said, clapping his hands together loudly. "Shall we see how a lifetime of training measures up against real combat experience? Who would like to face Link-san in the ring?"
Sheik's hand shot up before he could even think about it, waving it about desperately. "Me!" he exclaimed. "I will face him!"
Finally, an opportunity to confront the bastard. He'd humiliate Link in the ring, and then demand that he reveal his plans and confess to whatever heinous crime he was in the village to commit. His mother would finally see reason!
If he imagined this occurring in a glorious coliseum in front of an adoring crowd, no one needed to know.
"Well, someone's eager," Akira-sensei said with a grin. "What do you say, Link-san? Care to face one of our clan heirs in the ring?"
"I'd love to," Link said, sounding completely earnest, even though Sheik knew he was quaking on the inside. He had to be.
"Din above, save me," Paya muttered somewhere to Sheik's right.
Oh, Din would be watching, all right. She'd bear witness to Sheik's great victory over the Hylian invader. As he stepped into the ring opposite the Hylian, he mentally recited one of the litanies of battle dedicated to his matron Goddess in his head. It was little more than a request for her to witness his defeating a fool who, in her sight, had been a complete bastard.
The opponents stood at opposite sides of the ring, watching each other.
"Now, Link-san, Sheik," Akira-sensei said behind the line. "I want a proper fight, but please refrain from doing permanent damage to each other. That means no eye-gouging, bone-breaking or biting. I will interfere if I see things going too far. The victor is the first to pin his opponent. Is that understood?"
Well, shit. Those were all of Sheik's trump cards. Oh well, he didn't need them. He'd force Link into submission regardless.
"Understood," Link and Sheik said at the same time.
"Very well. Are you ready?"
"Ready!"
"Ready!"
"Then, you may begin!"
It wasn't the explosive clash Sheik had expected. He didn't trust Link, and wanted to see what the Hylian would do before throwing himself into the bout. Apparently, Link had the same idea, and for the first few moments all they did was circle each other slowly.
Then, Link made the first move. One moment he was the edge of the circle, the next he was within Sheik's reach, one hand reaching out to grab at him. Sheik side-stepped the advance and grabbed Link's outstretched wrist, intending to use the same move on him as he had Rama.
Just a matter of directing force and momentum just so, and—
Link lurched to the side, shattering Sheik's plan and forcing him off-balance instead, bending down at the waist and threatening to put Sheik on his back right then and there. A hasty twist as Sheik was going through the air ensure he landed on his feet after letting go of Link's wrist.
The Hylian left him no time to recover, though, immediately stepping back into Sheik's space, trying to wrap him arms around Sheik and trap him. Sheik dodged out of the way, using the speed he'd built up to stay out of Link's reach.
It became somewhat a game of cat and mouse, each of them trying and failing to trap the other in an inescapable hold or grip. Link's style was crude and mostly improvised, really more of a brawler than a disciplined fighter, but he clearly knew what he was doing because he kept coming and refusing to let Sheik recover and reset, which prevented him from using the moves meant for his sort of enemy.
Around the ring, the Sheikah were watching with rapt attention, mostly quiet save for a gasp here and there whenever one managed to corner the other or escape a close call.
Sheik was no fool. Like with Rama, he knew the fight would be over the moment Link got a proper hold of him. Their clashes revealed that the Hylian's arms were pure muscle, as was his core. His footwork was that of a swordsman, though, and not the best suited for a grappler, which was what kept Sheik from getting cornered more than once.
This was bad.
They'd been at it for only a few minutes, but Sheik was already feeling tired. The fucker just wouldn't give him a moment to think, always there to grab him.
Well, from what Sheik could see, Link mostly used his arms.
Which meant Sheik had an approach Link was ill-suited to counter.
He ducked under Link's grab and threw himself forwarding, purposefully tangling his legs with Link's and using his weight to take the Hylian's footing away.
They hit the floor with equally bothered grunts, and immediately continued where they'd left off.
But this was Sheik's territory. His flexibility meant he wasn't as easy to pin as Link had probably hoped, especially not since he didn't know the various choke holds and other pinning moves that Sheik had been taught since he was old enough to walk.
On the other hand, just because Link couldn't get a proper hold of Sheik—who was doing his best to be as slippery as a snake—didn't mean that Sheik's struggle was over. Because Link was heavy and strong, and managed to break Sheik's attempts at pinning him with relatively little effort.
More than once did Sheik believe he'd won the fight and was waiting for Akira-sensei to announce it when Link suddenly broke free and reversed their position, forcing Sheik once more to wiggle like a fish on land to avoid the Hylian Arms of Doom.
"Come on, Sheik, you can take him!" someone shouted.
"Go on, Link-san! You've almost got him now!" someone else said.
That seemed to break the spell of silence that had been cast over the rest of the Sheikah, and soon the sounds of grunts and panting had been replaced by supporting shouts for either opponent. Usually, Akira-sensei didn't tolerate such excessive noise in his dojo, but this was clearly an exception to the rule.
Or maybe he just knew there was no point in trying to get a group of Sheikah adolescents to be quiet in a situation like this.
Hell, once Sheik could've sworn he heard his sensei's voice cut through the noise, offering advice. To whom, he wasn't sure.
It'd better be for Sheik, or he'd consider Akira-sensei a traitor.
The match couldn't continue for much longer. Sheik was getting tired, and he was incredibly hot, sweat pouring down his forehead and into his eyes, his breath coming in short pants. Link was much in the same way except for his breathing, which was still quite a bit calmer than Sheik's.
Better stamina. Unacceptable.
He needed to pin Link, and now. Otherwise there was a very good chance he'd lose, and that could not be allowed to happen. He'd never live it down. He'd forever be branded as the clan heir who'd lost the first fight—real or practice—against a Hylian in years.
Everyone already thought he was paranoid, and they would be too enamoured with this Hylian interloper to ever bother with listening to Sheik again. And that meant they'd be vulnerable to whatever Link was planning to do to them.
There was more than just his honour at stake here!
"Sorry," he panted, finally seeing an opening he could use. It'd require some finesse, but Link wouldn't see it coming. "But it...ends here..."
He managed to grab Link's arm with both his hands and, with a sudden, jerky movement, brought it down over his shoulder. It was working! Sheik felt Link's weight shift with the movement, waiting to feel and see the Hylian's body get thrown over his shoulder and onto the floor, ready to be grappled into submission—
Link stopped moving. Sheik took just a moment too long to register what had happened. That moment was all Link needed. Suddenly, both his arms were wrapped around Sheik's middle, his back pressed to Link's chest, which felt like a brick wall.
Then Sheik was suddenly being lifted into the air, quickly dipping back towards the ground as Link let himself fall backwards, bending his back so Sheik's shoulder was the first thing to hit the floor.
The fall was relatively soft, but it still rattled Sheik to his very core.
Before he could recover, he was rolled onto his stomach, a heavy weight settled on his lower back, and both his arms were wrenched behind his back and his wrists pushed up towards his shoulder blades.
It was impossible to move—no matter what he tried he couldn't shift Link's weight, and trying to move his arms only resulted in his shoulders flaring up with pain.
He was pinned.
Link had won.
One side of the crowd broke out in cheers while the other looked disappointed. Akira-sensei clapped, whistling loudly to calm everyone down.
"And we have a winner," he declared. "Well done, both of you!"
Sheik glared at the floor as he felt Link's hands release his wrists, the Hylian's weight easing off his lower back. Sheik remained on the floor, however, not sure if he was ready to face a world where he'd just been soundly beaten by his mortal enemy yet. His chest was tight, his stomach roiling, his face boiling hot.
"I must say, Link-san, despite your lack of training or familiarity with the Sheikah style, you showed a remarkable ability to adapt to and counter it," Akira-sensei continued, undoubtedly blinded by the inevitable hypnotising smile on the Hylian's face. "That finishing move was not something I expected."
"It's...come in handy a few times," Link's voice said, sounding bashful.
Even now his acting skills were superb.
"Well, I look forward to seeing more of it, if you would care to stay and train with us?" Akira-sensei said, pausing when he realised Sheik hadn't gotten up yet. "Sheik, are you all right?"
"Oh, I'm perfect, sensei," he said, voice muffled by the tatami floor.
"Then please get up, would you? I'm sure someone else would like a chance to face Link-san."
"Here," Link's voice said. "Let me give you a hand."
Growling, Sheik rolled over, staring up at the flushed face of his most hated enemy. Even sweaty and red-faced, the bastard looked unfairly composed and chiselled. Sheik felt his stomach lurch again.
Out of disgust, likely.
His hand was outstretched, offering to pull Sheik up.
"Since I won, does that mean I get a prize?" Link asked, half-jokingly. "How about your friendship?"
"A worthy and well-deserved prize, Link-san," Akira-sensei said happily.
Something snapped inside Sheik. He slapped Link's hand away, standing up somewhat awkwardly, pointing at the Hylian.
"Don't you fucking dare!" he shouted. "I know what you're up to!"
Link's smile faltered. "I don't understand—"
"I know what you're up to!" Sheik repeated, his voice rising to a high pitch. "Oh, you come in here with your friendly attitude and oh I just want to be friends, dragging your adorable little brother with you! But I see through the charade! It's all an act! Just there to lull us all into a false sense of security so you can steal our secrets!"
"Sheik, I don't—"
"Hyrule just couldn't leave us alone, huh?! No, of course not! They sent you to steal the secrets we took with us, because no way in hell can they stand the idea of us living on!" He stomped his foot on the floor when Akira-sensei opened his mouth, cutting his teacher off. "And don't think I don't know what your other objective is, either!"
Link's mouth was open, but nothing came out, a helpless look on his face as Sheik stripped down his defences and revealed his plans like it was nothing. His hand had dropped to dangle limply at his side.
"It's not enough to steal our secrets, no! You're here to kill my mother, too! Have to leave us all in chaos, after all! But that turned out to be harder than you thought, because I saw through you from the beginning, so now you're focusing on eliminating me first! Hah, no chance!" He marched up to Link, their faces inches apart (the Hylian's an infuriatingly small amount higher than his). "Admit it! Admit that you have ulterior motives!"
"Sheik, that's enough—"Akira-sensei tried to break in, but Link's mouth finally moved.
"I...yes, I do have motives, but they're not—"
"I knew it!"
He didn't hear what else came out of Link's mouth, too focused on the fact that he'd just gotten Link to admit it. If all he'd had to do was scream in his face, he'd have done it much earlier.
Well, only one thing left to do, now!
"Sheik!" Akira-sensei barked, but Sheik had already turned on his heels and was heading for the door, the small sea of Sheikah parting around him. "Where are you going? I didn't dismiss you!"
"I'm telling mother!" Sheik shouted. "She needs to know we have a spy among us! Apparently, I'm the only one around here who actually cares about village security!"
He shoved the dojo doors open, intending to head for his mother's house immediately...only to come face to face with said mother in the street, evidently on her way to the dojo.
Her face was blank, but her eyes, particularly her left one, were blazing.
"Sheik," she said, her tone even and perfectly controlled. That was a bad sign. "A word, if I may?"
Oh.
Well, this saved him some time!
"Mother, I just heard him confess—"he began, but Impa silenced him with a gesture.
"Not here. At the house. Come. Now." She turned and marched away, expecting him to follow. Which he did. Because he wasn't suicidal.
Behind them, the dojo doors closed silently. No one dared interfere.
His mother remained quiet on the walk back to their house, only shutting down Sheik whenever he tried to start explaining what had just happened. The rage from before had died down to a smoulder now, but it was still as hot as before. Just less chaotic.
"In," Impa said as they reached the house, sliding the door open and waiting for him to go inside. "Sit."
Sheik kneeled on the tatami floor, his heart pounding. This was a critical time. He needed to make sure Impa understood what he'd just discovered, but if he didn't manage to do that in time...
"I was looking forward to seeing the future warriors of the clan sparring with our Hylian guest. To see how their skills measured up against a young but experienced warrior," Impa said before Sheik could put his thoughts in order. Her eyes were closed, a slight crinkle in her brow betraying her annoyance. "Particularly, how my future heirs would be able to put earlier grievances with said warrior aside and simply compete against him to the best of their abilities."
She opened her eyes and fixed Sheik with a stare that would have scared the god of death themselves.
"Imagine my surprise when I arrive at the dojo and hear my own son flinging wild and unsubstantiated accusations and conjecture at a guest of the clan. A guest who, I might add, have been nothing but polite and courteous to our people, has expressed an interest in learning about and taking part in our culture, and was even willing to let a legitimate issue go in favour of extending a hand in friendship."
Sheik's mouth was dry, his breaths coming and going in short bursts. This wasn't how it was supposed to go. He'd finally managed to corner and make Link admit that he wasn't just there for a friendly visit, and yet he was the one getting yelled at?
"Why is it, Sheik, that I had to witness such an embarrassing and insulting display?"
His mind still refusing to cooperate, all Sheik could think to say in his defence was: "He beat me, and I—"
"In the sparring ring?" Impa said, raising an eyebrow. "Truly a heinous action worthy of accusations of premeditated murder and theft."
"That's not..." Sheik paused, trying to calm himself down. "Mother, he confessed. To my face. In front of everyone."
At last, he had witnesses!
Impa's face remained unimpressed. "To what?" she asked.
"To..." he paused again. "To having ulterior motives."
Impa nodded minutely. "I see, and what ulterior motives would those be?"
Well...
Sheik had never bothered actually listening to what Link had confessed to. What his motives were. Other than ulterior, of course. Well, in the context...
"To being here to steal our secrets and assassinate you. After assassinating me."
Impa's face turned into stone. "And...did you actually hear Link-san say these things? Did anyone in that dojo hear him confess to being here in the role of a thief and assassin?"
"Well, not really, but—"
"So, in truth," Impa cut him off, "all you heard was Link-san admit to having ulterior motives."
"Yeah!"
Impa took a deep breath, reaching up a hand to pinch the bridge of her nose. "My son, you realise that ulterior motives need not necessarily be negative, do you not?"
Obviously, Sheik thought. But what did that have to do with this Hylian bastard? He nodded, but otherwise said nothing.
Impa sighed. "Well, could it possibly be that Link-san has ulterior motives that, in the end, would be nothing but a net gain? Such as wanting to make a friend of, say, a certain clan heir?"
"No?" Sheik said. "Because he's here to assassi—"
"Sheik," Impa said abruptly, interrupting him. "Enough. I have tried to make you behave, even encouraged you and Link to have a fresh start, but clearly this relationship is dead in the water."
"Yes, which is why—"
"I am talking now, Sheik."
"Sorry."
Impa pinched her nose again. "I thought you'd be mature enough to put your suspicions aside, but at this point there is just no salvaging the situation." She straightened up and gave him a long look. "I forbid you from going near Link-san. You will stay away from him and his little brother."
Sheik gaped. "What? You can't do that!"
"I'm your chief, of course I can," Impa said simply. "Even if you don't see fit to listen to that authority, I am also your mother. You will obey. If I see or hear from anyone that you have been near the two of them, I will have to think of some very creative punishments. And I think we both know what happens when I get creative."
Nightmares were what happened when Impa got creative. Sheik stared at her. This couldn't be happening. This wasn't how things were supposed to go. She was supposed to listen to him, hear his concerns, and then investigate and hopefully imprison Link for espionage!
"I don't...understand," he said slowly. "Why won't you listen to me? He's up to something, I swear—"
"Sheik, please" Impa said, sounding exhausted. "Just...do as I say. Stay away from them. Now, go to your room and stay there. You are under house arrest for the time being. I'll let you know when supper is ready."
The fight in him was extinguished in the face of his mother's exhaustion and frustration, and Sheik rose shakily to his feet. "I just...do you really trust them that much?" he asked, desperate.
"I do," Impa said immediately. "And I hoped you would trust me enough to give them the benefit of the doubt. Clearly, I was wrong." She stood up, pointing to the stairs. "Room, now." Then she left the house.
Conversation over.
Sheik stood silently for a moment, fists clenched, feeling the warm, prickling tears of frustration in his eyes. This wasn't over. Not by a long shot. He just needed a new approach.
Growling, he ran up the stairs and dove into his futon, burying himself under the comforter, beginning to scheme.