After closing the Gate of Time leading to the era of the sky, and the Gate of Souls hidden within, Link was eager to return to their base in the Lost Woods. While he knew being separated from Sheik was the wiser course of action, they could close more gates quickly, but he still felt off, like something in the air wasn't right and it left a thick, sticky ball of anxiety in his gut. The two had crossed several boundaries, reluctantly growing and learning to rely on one another through their shared bond with the triforce. Usually, he could expand his senses and feel the comfortable pull of the other man's magic, reassuring him in ways he was too embarrassed to look into.
Passing through Cia's Gate instantly cut off his connection with Sheik, leaving him feeling void of something. He had expected the energy to come rushing back once he made his way closer to his mate, but no such feeling came to him. Even reaching out, he couldn't find the Sheikah's magic anywhere and it felt wrong like something had been cut out of him. The back of his left hand tingled and itched as he guided his soldiers to the makeshift stable. The burning only intensified as he led Fi towards General Impa's tent where soldiers and other Warriors returning from their different eras gathered.
Being shoved in by a loud goron he later learned was named Darunia, Link's eyes widen, taken aback by the sight of Princess Zelda, her head ducked down to whisper something into the Sheikah general's ear. Raising her head, royal blue eyes met his own and a small smile grace her lips. Normally his blood would rush when the Princess' gaze locked with his but now he only felt a strange guilt. As the army celebrated the return of their princess and the successful closing of two gates, the anxiety and unease in Link's stomach only worsened. Blue eyes scanned the rest of the soldiers, pausing only at blonde hair or a braid or a tight suit. Surely Sheik wasn't dead, he would have felt it. Had he been trapped back in time? If so why wasn't Impa saying anything?
Shouldering his way toward the table that held most of the maps and military correspondence scrolls where Impa and Zelda hurriedly whispered to one another, watching his approach. Rising from her seat, the white-haired woman grinned broadly at him, waving him closer.
"Link! Hero, come quick! I was just about to tell the story of what happened to us once we crossed the portal-"
Clenching his fists at his side, the burning in his hand caused an ache to crawl up his arm and into his shoulder. Cutting her off, he glares at the small figurine that represented his companion on the map. "Where's Sheik?"
Confused by the Hero's suddenly aggressive demeanor, Impa's hands smack against the tabletop "Well, if you listen to what I'm about to tell you-"
A too-delicate hand stops the general once more, "Perhaps it would be best if I explain it to him." Zelda's voice, though soft, drew the many eyes of the soldiers in the tent. The Warriors listened as their Princess told them everything that happened in the Era of Time. "After the initial battle at Hyrule Castle, I knew I didn't have much time to avoid capture. Using ancient Sheikah magic, I disguised myself as Sheik, hoping to avoid Cia becoming aware of my presence." Looking down at the map, a long finger gently touches a spot. "I used an old escape tunnel and followed our army into the Eldin Mines. I knew I had to hide, but I wanted to help as much as I could. Impa has taught me many things, and I used this knowledge to hone my skill in battle. I had planned on staying in hiding for much longer, maybe even until the end of the war entirely, but Wizzro turned my hand when he used my image to cause problems back in the Era of Time. I had to use the Lens of Truth and the Shadow Sage's Medalion to seal him away, but in the process accidentally revealed myself. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to disappoint you." Her smile is pained and genuine and that just makes him angrier.
Clenching his teeth Link took a step forward, glaring down at the two women. "Bullshit," he growls, looking back and forth between the shocked women. "Where is Sheik?" the tingling in his hand felt like a burning in his blood, the pain crawling up the back of his neck.
"H-Hero, I told you." Zelda's cornflower blue eyes were wide as if trying to tell him something. "I was Sheik the whole-"
Drawing the Master Sword, he quickly separated the table from its legs, sheathing the holy blade before the scrolls could finish tumbling to the floor. "Try again. I know you aren't him, Princess."
"Link what in Hylia's name do you think you're doing?!" Impa demanded, confusion and betrayal apparent by her heated glare.
Rolling his eyes, Link tugged the glove off of his left hand, showing the two the pulsing glow of his Triforce. "Sheik and I have these. With them, we always know what the other is thinkin' and we've been practicing using 'em to communicate on the battlefield at a distance. I can always feel it when he's around." tugging his glove back on, he continues. "And you ain't him."
Tossing a final glare at his General and Princess, he turns, shoving his way out through the crowd and into the stuffy late-summer heat. Before he even clears the campfire and the rest of the concerned soldiers he breaks out into a run. Once at their shared tent, Link pilfers through his secret lover's belongings, trying to pretend he wasn't shaking as he desperately searched for clues to the Sheikah's whereabouts.
With a tired groan, Sheik forces his throbbing eyes to open, blurry vision making out the ceiling of a damp, dimly lit cell. He could hear the sound of water dripping in the distance, the sound slowly bringing clarity to his sleep-addled mind. Cursing his rotten luck, he pushes himself up, the sound of metal scraping and rattling against stone jerking his attention downward.
His ankle was bound, and a heavy shackle limiting his movement in the small cell was attached to the wall with heavy links of iron. A white gown barely fell above the ugly metal cuff, drawing a pained whine from his throat. Cursing himself once more, he let his body sink from the cot onto the cold stone floor, hands shaking as he examined the familiar, sacred ornaments decorating his body. Choking back a sob he pushed the purple and gold braces off of his wrists, quickly gathering his knees to his chest and whispering a song to soothe his frazzled nerves.
They had figured it out. Someone, probably his own impulsive actions if he were being truthful, led the Royal Family to discover the mix-up between him and Zelda. They knew he had the triforce… Quietly saying goodbye to his desperately craved freedom, he was thankful that he could spare his sister this torment. (And if he silently begged Link to save him, that was his business.)