"Hurry, Link! This may be our most important find to date!" Giddy and full of excitement, Zelda hurried through the ruinous corridor, skidding to a halt when she made it to the sanctum at the end, eyes wide like a child in a toy store.

"A shrine… a shrine of resurrection… another one?"

Looking to her right, sure enough, there was an intact guidance stone, and within the terminal under it sat "And another Sheikah slate…" The princess scurried over to it, immediately enamored by its striking blue glow. "And it's active!" By now, her escort caught up to her, and her hand darted to the young knight's shoulder. "Link, do you have any idea what this could mean?!"

Zelda hurried towards the active shrine, but she was stopped when the titular knight dashed up and barred her path. The princess' frustration was immediate. "Ugh, calm down, Link!" She none too gently pushed his protective arm away. "I swear, you can be suffocatingly dull, sometimes!"

Pulling her own Sheikah slate from her belt, the princess proceeded back over to the shrine's terminal. She waved the device over it like she did with so many others, half expecting another dud. But when the console began to change and shift, her excitement came back with a vengeance. "Yes yes yes!" With an explosive hop, she hurried over to the pool itself, leaning against the edge as it began to drain.

The first detail Zelda noticed about its occupant was that they were a woman, their face and lightly clothed bosom being the first to rise above the restorative waters. Her lightly bronzed skin and silky white hair, splayed in messy tendrils, told her right away who she was. "Oh my…" The water continued to recede, and her stalwart feminine physique, muscled and covered in healed scars, were now exposed to the light. Link looked like a small boy in comparison.

But that wasn't the sleeping warrior's most fascinating detail. "By the goddess…" Zelda stared in utter fascination at her left arm. Rather, the complex system of metallurgy that took its place in shape of an arm. "Link! What do you make of this?"

As the princess hurriedly beckoned her knight over and whipped out her Sheikah slate to take a picture, the curious Link took her side to get a good look at the shrine's occupant. Well, he would have, if she was decently dressed. All she wore were undergarments. With a startled gasp, Link's hands rushed over his eyes as he hurriedly turned away, his decency kicking in.

Zelda couldn't help but roll her eyes. "I don't think she'd mind, Link." After snapping several pictures of the Sheikah, then several pictures of her arm, a thought occurred. "Why… why hasn't she awoken?" From what Purah told her, users of the Shrine of Resurrection would wake up before the pool even finished draining. She appeared to be in perfectly good health, the glowing waters had now evaporated from every inch of her or the pool, yet she was still comatose.

Link off-handedly proposed the idea that she's been asleep far longer than she was supposed to.

"That looks to be the case. Still, we aren't leaving her here." Zelda stated, looking to her knight. "Link, I want you to ride for Fort Hateno and bring a carriage." She looked back to their sleeping find. "I'll stay here and watch over her, in case she wakes."

Link cast a reluctant look, first at her, then at the sleeping woman. Stepping in place, he resolved to stay.

"I'll be fine, Link. I'm more qualified than most to talk to her, remember?" The Sheikah, from the scientists to the advisors, preceded even the Knights of Hyrule in their service to the royal family. She should be delighted to meet Hyrule's princess, no matter what period of history they came from. "I'll be right here. Out of sight and," she sighed. "Away from danger."

No matter how one looked at it, the young knight was still breaking his vow and letting the princess out of his sight. But taking in how arduous the trip here was, and how removed this shrine was from prying eyes, it was enough for him. With a resolute nod, Link turned tail and dashed back the way he came. The faster he fetches the carriage, the faster he can return.

Now alone, Zelda looked back to the sleeping occupant, leaning over the pool. "Now exactly how long have you been sleeping?"

XXXXX

Before nightfall, Link, Zelda, and their sleeping companion were rushed to Kakariko Village.

Purah and Impa were summoned by the princess to care for the ancient Sheikah until she awoke. Naturally, Purah was ecstatic, more than eager to run countless tests and demand countless questions. And though it was stated by her sister that the slumbering Sheikah was in perfect health, it went without saying that what Purah really cared about was what she could learn from the distant past.

In the meantime though, while their patient was being tended to by Impa in the elder's home, the Sheikah slate that their comatose friend had with her was busy being tampered with by Purah. Well, it would be, if she could access it. She practically bounced off the walls as soon as her eyes landed on the other-worldly trinket, as she was certain she had cracked the secrets on her own and Zelda's, but once she realized that this new one had a password she didn't know, let alone a password at all, her excitement died down to careful focus for the next several hours before sputtering out completely, unsuccessful and out of ideas.

By the time she finally rose to her feet again, she wanted to grab the Sheikah slate and hurl it across the room. It was the promise of new discoveries and a watchful elder leering over her shoulder that made her reconsider. "Purah, I know there's little I can do to dissuade you from tinkering with our great ancestor's relics, but it would stand to reason that she will open it herself, when she wakes. I thought I taught you more patience, growing up."

Purah, for her part, wasn't willing to give up just yet, though. "Me and Robbie were the masterminds behind every secret, every grand discovery the kingdom made. The guardians, the divine beasts, the Sheikah slate…" She held up the aforementioned device, thinner, lighter, and sleeker than hers or Zelda's version. "This friggin' thing could hold secrets I, me, the mastermind herself, couldn't possibly dream of! Imagine a handheld weapon that gives a normal person the firepower of a guardian! Or blueprints for prosthetic limbs! Or even a way to reverse the aging process!"

"Let's... Taper our expectations, Purah…"

"Come on, Elder Mago! The possibilities are literally endless!" In a moment of exasperation, Purah accidentally flung the Sheikah slate upwards. In a panic, she tried to reach up for it, but in her elation, she and the chair fell backwards, and she bumped her head just as the device hit the ground. Rushing to her feet above it, Purah observed it still showed its empty password bar, with its moving animations and all. But despite no harm done, not even her sheepish grin could save her from the glower such a careless action had made.

"Perhaps it would now be prudent to help your sister tend to our patient?" Elder Mago was widely regarded as a patient old woman. And after hours of Purah muttering to herself and vocalizing her frustrations, it seemed her patience was beginning to wear thin. Considering Purah worked a stone's throw away from where she meditated, a determined Sheikah scientist with a gadget to play with made for poor company.

To Purah's credit though, she opted to take the Sheikah Slate to her lab in Hyrule Castle to take it apart, but Impa pointed out that their friend would likely be very very angry if she awoke realizing that her one piece of livelihood was confiscated and being dismantled.

Groaning out her frustrations in a loud, obnoxious, mating call-esque noise, Purah admitted defeat. "What's there to do? Impa says she's in perfect health, and all we have to do is wait for her to wake up."

"But Impa is no scientist. There may be something to gain from a fresh perspective."

XXXXX

"From what the princess told me, she's been asleep for thousands of years. After spending all that time comatose, she's likely gotten used to it." Impa piped up as she took notice of Purah stepping into the room.

"I wonder how long it took her to get used to this." Unceremoniously walking up to the bed, Purah's hand found its way to the metal arm like a toddler fascinated with an exotic bug, and without thinking, began to wave the bionic stand-in back and forth and side to side. The arm weighed in Purah's grip as she moved it, and the joints moved with soundless fluidity. Not so much as a creek, tick or pop, unlike her back when she would finally stand up after hours of tinkering. It boggled her just how finely this prosthetic was crafted. When she let go, the metal hand fell limp like it was made of flesh and bone, full of personality and muscle memory. "I wonder if the same can be done about a heart or a brain…"

"I don't think that's what we especially need to learn from her, Purah." Impa reasoned, taking the Sheikah's other hand, and feeling for a pulse. Still weak, but still constant and stable.

Purah shrugged. "It would still be really cool. Maybe she can show us how to make a fully artificial person. Give it a nice voice, and Robbie would fall in love." she sniggered. The man has an appetite for research that very well rivalled her own. But unlike him, Purah has a sister that drags her out to 'smell the flowers' and 'feel the sunshine'. She couldn't blame Zelda for thinking voice-of-reason Impa was the older of the two.

"I'm sure he would. If we get that far though, it'll be because she wakes up soon." Impa reminded.

"When you put it like that," Purah regarded her elder sister again to stare wide-eyed. "I'm not getting any younger!" Leaning over their patient, Purah extended a thumb and pried a dark eyelid open. "C'mon! Wake up, already!" She blew a none-too-gentle gust of wind into the sleeping Sheikah's eye, and was met with not so much as a twitch. Her hand moved from the woman's brow to her mechanized shoulder, and began to shake furiously.

Impa didn't know why she was surprised. Nonetheless, she pulled her sister back by the arm that was reared back for a strike. "Purah!"

"What?!"

"Maybe you can analyze her Sheikah Slate?" Impa tried, in order to redirect her sister's impatience. Honestly, how would they expect to get this stranger to comply if she's blowing into her eye and shaking her apart?

Purah huffed, pointing a finger to the tablet on the desk on the other side of the room. "I already tried that! It has some kind of password on it!"

"Then I guess all we can do is wait until she wakes…" Impa tentatively let her sister go, two seconds from reprimanding her.

"If she wakes…"

XXXXX

Morning came the next day, and Purah was at the room's desk, organizing her list of questions from most important to least important when she began hearing a noise. Alone with her notes and a dead-silent roommate, the silence was deafening, only broken up by the idle tapping of her fingers and the scribbling of her quill on parchment. She was so focused on her current task that it simply registered as an annoyance, so the scientist pushed it out of her mind and focused on her list.

Then it got louder.

It was growing, it was constant, and it was coming from behind her. Huffing and looking over her shoulder, Purah noticed the rise and fall of her patient's chest, and as her eyes scanned the sleeping Sheikah, she noticed small twitches in the prosthetic hand.

Eyes not leaving the patient, Purah turned to face the door. "Impaaaa?"

XXXXX

"Dear Diary,

Over the passing months, it feels like the only thing that can make me smile, aside from Link, is the progress on the guardians and the divine beasts. At least they and him have something to show for their efforts, unlike myself. Sometimes, I feel that at any moment, I could buckle under the immense weight of my burden. It's suffocating.

But I digress. From what I understand, our ancient Sheikah, given her arm, is from days before Calamity Ganon's defeat ten thousand years ago, and if history is as follows, she served the Royal Family in a similar capacity as the Knights of Hyrule, with faith as well as honor. If I am so fortunate, it's quite possible she knew the princess of the time. Possibly even how the former princess was able to awaken her powers. It fills me with hope. Something I thought I'd never feel again.

I cannot wait."

Zelda had been waiting for a message from Kakariko Village with bated breath.

Before leaving Kakariko Village following her and Link's delivery, she had instructed Impa to send a message via pigeon the moment their comatose friend awakes.

It was the one thing that occupied her mind in the days following their return to Hyrule Castle. And of course, she had to write about it. When the letter finally arrived, delivered via the castle scribe, she did all she could not to snatch the rolled piece of paper from the poor boy's hand.

"She's woken up. We will set course for Hyrule Castle in the morning.

-Impa"

But such wasn't the intention for the princess as she immediately called to her door guard to begin gathering supplies for a trip to Kakariko Village. Her smile broadened, her hands shook, her heart thumped in her chest, and she was just about on the cusp of crying. Just the idea of even one of her demons being laid to rest was almost like a drug, turning her into a neigh unrecognizable version of herself under the influence of giddy hope.

Such a thought made her giggle as she went to fetch Link.

XXXXX

If there was one thing Zelda wanted more than anything, it was a guide.

Someone to give her advice, a pep talk, a direction to go in. The most damning inner struggle of hers is her self-doubt, which stemmed from not knowing what she was doing wrong. Or doing right.

It was her wish that this Sheikah they found could at least give her something. The more she thought about it, the more she looked forward to establishing a bond. At this point, she was beyond desperate. And as much as she hated to admit it, anytime away from the castle, it was a boon, so long as she could be away from her father. Their connection nowadays feels more like a void. The more she put into it, the more it felt like she was losing. It put her mind at ease when she didn't have to gaze into the ever-disapproving eyes of the king.

That's all he felt like, now. Him the king, and her the princess.

And as far as she knew, she wasn't a very good one.

Link was there, but he didn't give an incredible amount emotionally, aside from his protection, his ear, and on the rare occasion, the assurance that she wasn't struggling alone. She knew she could rely on him, and she was grateful for it, but she wanted more than just a silent ear. She needed more.

Though, despite her overactive imagination that swelled at the slightest hint of hope, her reasonable side kicked in during her inner monologue, and reminded her that this stranger was, well, a stranger. There was no guarantee that she would have all the answers Hyrule seeks. There wasn't a guarantee she'd be able to help with that, let alone her personal problems. There wasn't even a guarantee that she'd even be willing.

Doubt once more reared its ugly head, a niggle at the back of her mind, and Zelda took a deep breath to find her center again. "Can you imagine it?" She asked aloud, as she and Link rode east of Hyrule Field, knowing her knight was right behind her, listening. "Ten thousand years asleep. You close your eyes, you wake up again, and it's the same world inhabited by completely different people."

Assuming the mysterious Sheikah was in a condition for her to talk to, all she could do was meet her with courtesy and ask for her help. And if she's anything like Impa, Purah, or Robbie, then not only would she accept, she'd be happy to. Zelda justified that in her mind with the ancient Sheikah vow to the Royal Family.

XXXXX

Her name was Akai.

She was a Sheikah warrior, her metal arm possessed monstrous strength, and she was very angry at the Royal Family. That was the sum of what Impa and Purah were able to surmise about the now active Sheikah as she donned the fresh set of clothes by her bedside and proceeded to storm out of the room. One sister begged her to stay, the other expressed her outrage for leaving.

"Akai, please be reasonable!" Impa called out in pursuit of her larger, taller, stronger kin.

"There's nothing to be reasonable about." As she admonished her thoughts, Akai's steely voice was low with an edge of fire to it. It wasn't that she didn't care. She was plain angry.

But whereas it gave the perceptive Impa a brief moment of pause, it only spurred the short-tempered Purah to charge on to block her path. "Is this how you treat the people that nursed you back to health?! Some patient you are!"

All that accomplished however, was their former patient grabbing Purah by the garment with her metal arm and throwing her aside with nary an ounce of effort.

The village elder, upon noticing the debacle that carried on from upstairs, looked on from her hassock as the large Sheikah stormed across the room with her granddaughters in tow. "Young one? A word?" she called, hand outstretched.

For once, the angry Sheikah stopped in her hasty stride. But her hard gaze betrayed no change in attitude. "What do you want?"

Whereas Impa and Purah were wide-eyed at Akai's blatant disregard for respect and courtesy towards their elder, the aged woman was unfazed by it as she rose from her knees. "I simply want to know why you're so angry. Did we do anything to offend you?" Concern was etched into her aged features as she descended from her place at the back of the room.

For just a moment, the anger subsided. "Nothing you would understand." Akai answered before turning to leave.

The elder's chest swelled with concern. "Akai…"

Grabbing her bearings again, Impa ran out in front of her. "Akai, please! If we did something to upset you, we do apologize!"

"And what am I supposed to do?!" Furious eyes locked onto Impa as she snapped. She threw an arm out, the glowing eye within its palm brightening. "Help you in whatever little conflict you have? Be the Royal Family's tool until they're done with me? Give you all of my secrets in exchange for waking me up? No. Not again. Fight your monsters yourselves." She stepped past to descend the front stairs, but she was stopped again when Impa grabbed her arm.

"It's so much worse than monsters." Fear was in her voice, intensified by her whisper. "Calamity Ganon has returned." That seemed to be the only thing to give the Sheikah warrior pause in her demeanor. "All of us are desperate to create a defense to throw back the Calamity and defeat it once and for all. It's coming, and we don't have much time. Please..."

Akai simply wrenched her arm free. "It's not my fight anymore."

XXXXX

So, I had this story idea back since before I finished the game the first time, like mid 2019. But I never really saw a prime time to post. But as new and interesting ideas shower the archive, there's no time like the present. I bet my game data there's already a fanfic with a Sheikah bionic arm somewhere on the site. XD