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 1

Time.

What a mess.

It's hard enough to quantify when you only have to take a single instance into account. There is a point A, and a point B. To get from A to B, you draw a line.

Simple? If only.

Because there isn't a single line. There are infinite lines, and which line you end up on entirely depends on your actions and the actions of everyone around you. Sometimes, it's not even about the specific action, but the timing of said action. Wait an extra split second, and everything ahead in your line changes compared to the one where you didn't.

The only source of comfort in this mess is the fact that there is no way to hop between these lines. You are confined to your timeline and can take heart in knowing that there is no way to change any given outcome, either for the better or worse.

You simply accept what happens and move on.

Sheik was very satisfied with this stance, as taught to him by his mother. Mostly because he'd ended up in a timeline where the Sheikah took to their senses after the Hyrulian royal family decided their servants in the shadows were becoming too much of a threat and decided to put down any possible rebellion before it could even take root.

The Sheikah operatives in Castle Town had alerted the clan leader that angry murmurs were happening around the council table, and rather than wait and see or, worse, attempting diplomacy, the clan leader had decided it was time for the Sheikah to move on.

They packed up and left in a single night. By the time the Hylian troops arrived in Kakariko, the once thriving village was a ghost town. All they had left behind was an ancient stone tablet that symbolised the union between Hyrule and the Sheikah.

It had been broken in half.

No one knows how the king of Hyrule reacted. The Sheikah had left their once-allies—and masters—behind forever.

They retreated deep into the mountains, far away from any who would threaten or wish harm upon them. To increase security, the clan was split into several smaller tribes, each building villages where they found most comfort and safety, never gathering all their numbers in one place.

And so, the Sheikah lived and thrived in their new home.

Sheik didn't dare imagine what would've happened if they had stayed in Hyrule. He didn't bother engaging in the mental gymnastics that was the theory of time, or even imagining scenarios.

Because he was in the best timeline. Why would he need to imagine another?

And he didn't have to.

At least, not until the day a pair of Hylian brothers wandered into his village, requesting asylum.

Time.

What a mess.

The large room was quiet as Sheik watched his mother carefully. She read the paper he had just handed her, red eyes roaming the scrawls. His anticipation grew as she came closer and closer to the bottom of the paper, and the sums written there.

"Wrong," Impa declared, handing him the paper back.

"What?!" he exclaimed, glaring at her. "No! I did everything right!"

"My son," Impa said, "your total is so off it's not even within the worst- or best-case scenarios. I'm honestly quite baffled as to how you managed to reach these numbers. It's like you have warped the equations somehow to break the laws of mathematics."

Next to him, Paya giggled a little as she handed Impa her own sheet.

"Just keep laughing," Sheik warned her. "I bet yours is just as bad."

"These are all correct," Impa declared a moment later. "Well done, Paya."

"Thank you, mother," Paya said, giving Sheik a smug look. "It's easy once you learn how to the equations properly."

Sheik huffed, turning away from them and glaring at the wooden wall of Impa's house, shifting on his pillow.

"So what? I'm a warrior! I don't need maths anyway!"

"What about all the calculations you do subconsciously when fighting?" Paya asked. "Angles, momentum, leverage, aim? That's all maths, Sheik."

Sheik huffed again. Her words made sense, but all he thought when fighting was stab stab stab.

Impa cleared her throat. "Perhaps, Sheik, we should take another look at the equations? If we go through them together, we might find the correct answer."

Sheik reluctantly turned back to face his mother, ignoring Paya's bright smile. "Fine," he muttered, preparing himself for another lecture.

Mostly because saying no to Impa was akin to signing one's own death sentence. He loved her, he really did, but damned if his mother wasn't one of the scariest people he'd ever met. He'd seen big, bad-looking men almost reduced to tears by a woman half their size, sometimes because of her stare alone. Never mind that she could easily do terrible, terrible things to their anatomies if they decided to get physical.

Sheik had been on the receiving end of it before, during training. And she'd been going easy on him and Paya both, those times.

So yes, he didn't dare say no when his mother was about to lecture him on economics, because he valued his bones, thank you very much!

However, it was interrupted when a ruckus was raised outside. It grew in volume, clearly spreading from the village entrance, all the way to Impa's house at the other end. Footsteps rapidly approached the sliding door, whereupon the newcomer hesitated, catching their breath before knocking rapidly on the frame.

"Impa-sama!"

Impa, who'd tensed in her seat, relaxed slightly upon hearing the voice of Dorian, and released her grip on the tanto strapped to her back.

"Enter," she called out. The shōji slid open, revealing Dorian in a kneeling position, his face flushed and sweaty. "What is it, Dorian?"

"Intruders at the main gate," he said, panting slightly. "I ran here as soon as I was told."

Impa stood up, eyes narrowing. "Intruders? Who?"

"Hylians, Impa-sama," Dorian said, grimacing. "Two of them."

Sheik tensed. Hylians. The Sheikah's former oppressors. His fists clenched in the fabric of his trousers. Was this it? Had Hyrule finally tracked them down and sent soldiers to kill them all?

He was ready. He'd show them why making an enemy of the Sheikah was a bad idea.

"Two?" Impa asked. "Messengers? Soldiers?"

Dorian hesitated. "Er...children? One of them, at least. Maybe ten or eleven years old? The other is older, but barely out of his teens, if that." He cleared his throat, looking a little embarrassed now. "The older one is requesting an audience."

"I see," Impa said, face blank as she considered it. "Did he say what he wishes to speak to me about?"

"He said it was for your ears only," Dorian replied.

Nodding, Impa took another moment to think. Then, she said, "Very well. Escort them here, please. Make sure they are unarmed."

"As you wish," Dorian said, bowing his head to Impa, then to Sheik and Paya. The door slid shut, leaving the three of them alone in the large room once more.

"Well, this is an interesting development," Impa said, looking at her heirs. "What do you two make of this?"

"Assassins," Sheik said immediately. "No doubt about it."

"Children," Paya pointed out. "Unless I'm mistaken, Hylians generally don't resort to sending kids into battle. If they're assassins, they're also not very good ones by showing themselves in the open."

"The nearest Hylian settlement is two weeks away by horse," Sheik said. "There are at least three Sheikah villages between ours and them. These intruders somehow snuck past three villages, including our own defensive line and sentries? They don't need to hide if they're that good."

"They could be wanderers who simply stumbled across us," Paya said, glaring at him.

Sheik glared back. "One hell of a coincidence for them to stumble past the defensive line without being spotted."

"Coincidences happen, Sheik."

"And so do assassinations, Paya."

"Thank you," Impa said, nodding. "Your opinions have been noted. You are dismissed."

They both turned to their mother, eyes widening.

"What?"

"What?!"

Impa sighed. "Whatever message they carry is for my ears only. That means, surprisingly, not for yours as well."

"But...what if it is an assassination attempt?" Paya asked, pointedly ignoring the triumphant look Sheik shot her. "Surely at least one of us should remain, just in case?"

"I am more than capable of defending myself, Paya," Impa said calmly. "And I will have Dorian stand guard outside the door, just in case. If something should happen, he will be at my side in seconds."

"We can hide upstairs," Sheik suggested. "Out of sight—"

"But not out of earshot," Impa interrupted. "I intend to honour the request of these messengers. They might be diplomatic envoys from one of the Hylian settlements, who sent us their young as a show of faith. It would not do to breach that trust by having someone eavesdropping on the conversation."

Her heirs stared at her, unconvinced. She sighed.

"Rest assured, if it is indeed of importance, relevance, and in your best interest to know, I will share the details of the message with you." She looked as footsteps approached the house again, shoes thumping against wood. "Move along, now. Tell Pikango your art lesson has been moved forward. I'm certain he'll appreciate the extra time to impart upon you our people's artistic history."

There really was no arguing, and the two of them glowered as they stood and left the house through the side entrance.

They did not go to Pikango. Instead, they lingered in the bushes outside Impa's house, hoping to catch a glimpse of these would-be assassins. They failed. Sheikah guards were tightly clustered around them as they were escorted into Impa's home, the doors and windows shut, and guards posted around it to prevent any eavesdroppers.

"Right," Sheik said, looking at his sister. "I'll go to Ren; you go to Mana. One of them must have seen something."

"Agreed," Paya said, nodding firmly. "I'll check in with Kiro as well. He might have been on gate duty."

"Right, meet back here in half an hour?"

They shook hands in agreement and turned to split off...and ran right into Pikango. Their art teacher did not look amused.

"I had a feeling I'd find the pair of you here," he said, arms crossed. "What would Impa-sama say, I wonder, if I told her that her own children were spying on her, disobeying her orders?"

"Aren't you the least bit curious?" Paya asked.

"Of course I am," the art teacher said, seizing them by their shoulders and firmly guiding them out of the bushes and towards his house. "But I also know the value of patience, something you two little terrors clearly aren't acquainted with. Come along now, we have art to create!"

Their groans echoed across the village.

Pikango, sadist as he was, said he wouldn't let them go until they had finished at least three sketches each. Landscape ones. The kind Sheik couldn't stand drawing because they were so boring. There was nothing dynamic about them, just bits of rocks, trees, sky and clouds...all of it painfully static. By the time he started the third sketch, he was rearing to go both because the dullness of it all was going to kill him...and because his mother might still be in close quarters to Hylian assassins.

It didn't stop him from adding a few personal touches to his final landscape because Paya, perfectionist as ever, insisted on making her sketch the best sketch ever, apparently. And Sheik couldn't imagine anything that would make a landscape more exciting than, say, a group of Sheikah operatives rappelling down the cliff side, about to ambush a group of armoured soldiers below of unidentified origins. They definitely didn't have a Triforce sigil on their surcoats.

"Hm, very good, Sheik," Pikango said. "You've captured some very interesting rock formations here...and is that a group of operatives about to descend upon some poor hapless soldiers?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Sheik said, trying to hide his unauthorised addition with his elbow. "If anything, they're about to offer medical aid to wounded hikers."

"With eightfold blades?"

"Some wounds might need to be lanced!"

"With eightfold blades?!"

"Why are you repeating yourself, Pikango-sensei?"

Pikango stared at him for a long moment, and Sheik could see the internal debate happening in his teacher's head. Had this been any other day, Sheik knew he wouldn't get away with it, but he also knew for a fact that Pikango must have been just as curious (and, hopefully, suspicious) about the new arrivals to the village as him and Paya, and was very keen on getting out of this disastrous art lesson.

"Paya," Pikango said carefully, "how far along are you with the last sketch?"

"Almost done, sensei," Paya said. "I just need to shade it."

Sheik fought down a groan. Of course the new arrivals didn't deter his sister from being annoyingly neat with her artwork. He supposed they were lucky the lesson of the day wasn't woodcarving or pottery. They wouldn't get out before nightfall in that case.

Pikango quickly hid the grimace that appeared on his face at her answer. Sheik grinned. Excellent.

"Well, perhaps you can finish that later," he suggested.

Paya paused, eyes widening but not turning away from her sketch. "Sensei," she said slowly, "surely you are not suggesting that I should not finish something I have started?"

Sheik's grin grew wider when Pikango realised he'd been caught in one of his own lessons, his words biting him in the arse.

"Yes, well," he said, clearing his throat uncomfortably. "Given recent events, perhaps we can let artwork simply be artwork and end the lesson? Just for today, mind you. I'm sure you're just as keen as your brother to find out more about our visitors."

Paya sighed deeply and very theatrically. "I suppose I can finish this on my own later, sensei. I just hope it doesn't impact my artistic growth negatively." She sighed again, looking at her sketch. "And this was going to be my masterpiece..."

Pikango sighed, muttering under his breath to Sheik, "She really knows how to twist the knife, doesn't she?"

"She's the master," Sheik whispered back.

"I also have excellent hearing," Paya said.

They both gulped.

"Right!" Pikango exclaimed, clapping his hands, "why don't you two run along, and I'll take care of these sketches until the next lesson!"

"Why don't you just come along, sensei?" Sheik asked. "You're just as rearing to go as we are."

To his credit, Pikango tried to pretend to not be interested. But the mask of indifference he put on only lasted for about five seconds before it cracked, and he nodded at the door.

"Let's go!"

All three moved as one, stumbling over each other in a bid to be first through the door. Someone fell. Sheik was not too ashamed to admit he stepped on them. It got him out the door first, and that was all that mattered.

Given their general reclusive nature, as well as extensive training in the arts of information gathering, spying, and assassination, in which they were instructed from the moment they could walk, Sheikah were notoriously bad at concealing their curiosity when it came to events taking place within their own territory.

As such, a crowd consisting of pretty much every person in the village had gathered outside Impa's home, trying (and failing) to look like they weren't there just to catch a glimpse of whoever had managed to sneak past their defences and then just politely asked to speak to their chief.

"Did you hear?" someone said. "Apparently, they're just kids. Two little Hylian boys!"

Someone snorted. "Don't be ridiculous. They're princes, I bet. Sent here as an offering to Din."

"Hah, they're about three centuries too late then."

"Wait, we made mortal sacrifices?"

"I told you to pay attention in history lessons!"

"Besides, they're not princes," someone interrupted. "Hell, they're not even Hylians! I saw them, and they were clearly Zora!"

There were some murmured agreements, but someone else laughed loudly. "Why would Zora come this high up the mountains? And how would two of them sneak past all our sentries? They're not exactly graceful on land!"

"Because they're not Zora," a fourth gossip joined in, sounding very smug. "One of them isn't, at least. I caught a glimpse of the small one, and they were clearly a Goron child."

The first gossip, who turned out to be one of the blacksmiths, laughed. "You couldn't tell a Goron from a rock, you blind fool!"

"What did you say?!"

Another thing outsiders generally don't learn about Sheikah is that they have very short tempers when gathered in large groups...such as this. As a result, no one was surprised when the fourth gossip, who was a miller, decided this insult was too much to take, and punched the blacksmith in the face. She returned the punch with gusto.

And so, the first mass fight of the week began. It didn't take long for the guards to show up with their shinais, bonking the worst agitators on the head a few times to separate them, quickly restoring the peace within minutes.

It was all routine at this point.

The Sheikah were a very psychical people who rarely got to use their skills these days. They needed some sort of outlet. Generally, that meant fighting each other over the smallest of issues.

All in good fun, of course.

"Will you lot shut up?!" Dorian shouted from his position by the door to Impa's house, his bearded cheeks quivering, looking like he wanted nothing more than to grab one of the guards' shinai and start hitting everyone indiscriminately until they stopped acting like children. "Can we at least pretend to have a modicum of dignity and respect?!"

Sheik couldn't resist. "No?" he called out.

Everyone laughed. Even Paya had to hide her smile in her high collar. Dorian rubbed his eyes tiredly, but suddenly straightened up, standing up straight and falling silent. This had a ripple effect on the crowd, the members of which also stood up straight and at attention, falling silent immediately.

The door slid open, revealing Impa herself.

The tribe's matriarch cut an intimidating figure, even dressed in what Sheik and Paya had come to call her casual outfit, which consisted of a loose-fitting, comfortable dark blue kimono with red Sheikah eyes embroidered into the fabric, with a haori in a lighter shade of blue worn on top of it.

Her silver hair was tied back in a loose bun save for a single lock, which she had tied and weighed down with beads to frame one side of her face. The hair alone made her look severe, but combined with the bright red tattoo around her left eye, she could be downright terrifying. When her left eye was closed, the tattoo looked like a fierce war wound, made to look like a stylised eye, with red triangles made to resemble eyelashes, and a long, triangular line cutting vertically down across her eyelid.

When opened, however, it was as if Impa's eye turned into that of Din herself, judging you and your every action. It could be a terrifying sight even when the matriarch wasn't angry.

When said gaze landed directly on Sheik, however, in the middle of the crowd, he did feel a rather sizeable twinge of fear in his gut. He hated that it was so easy to pick out his blonde head in a crowd of mostly silver and white ones.

"Ah, you're all here, good," Impa said, clearly not surprised by the entire village showing up on her doorstep. It certainly wasn't the first time. "Sheik, Paya, please come inside. There is someone I'd like you to meet."

She waited in the doorway until her heirs were a few feet away before adding, "Oh, and leave your weapons outside, please. This is, for the moment, a diplomatic meeting."

Sheik and Paya looked at each other, their anticipation growing. They removed the holstered tantos from their belts and left them with Dorian and made to enter the house. Paya go through without trouble, but Impa's hand snatched Sheik's wrist as he passed her. She rolled up his sleeve, revealing the mechanical contraption attached to his wrist.

"That means this thing as well, Sheik," she said, glaring distastefully at the concealed weapon. "In fact, you can throw that thing out entirely. You're more liable to kill yourself with it than an actual threat. Of which there are none in my house, I might add."

"You never know," he replied, all the while undoing the complicated belts holding the wrist blade in place. "They're Hylians, right?"

Impa held his gaze. "Remove the blade, son, and come meet our guests."

The guests, as it turned out, were not of the Zora or Goron persuasion, and Sheik made a note to rub this fact into the faces of those who'd claimed so.

They were, in fact, Hylians. Regular, boring, but undeniably deceitful Hylians. One appeared to be around Sheik's age, while the other was younger, no more than a child, maybe ten or eleven. Or so Sheik assumed. He hadn't met many Hylians and had no idea at what pace they aged.

They were both sitting on pillows on the tatami floor. The elder had managed to seat himself in a bad and stiff imitation of the way Impa had been sitting, legs crossed. Sheik could tell he'd already managed to cut off his own circulation. The younger was simply sitting normally, legs straightened out.

The first thing that struck Sheik when he looked at them sitting side by side, was that they were clearly related. They shared a number of features—almost all of them, in fact—and if he didn't know any better, he'd assume they were twins. Though that'd require them to be aging separately, and that just wasn't biologically possible.

Right?

They were wearing very similar outfits, as well. Green tunic and leather trousers on the elder, green tunic and shorts made of the same fabric for the younger. The younger was also wearing a green cap, which he kept fiddling with.

That was all the observation he had time for, as Impa gestured for him and Paya to sit on either side of her, facing the guests. As he sank effortlessly into a graceful sitting position next to his mother, Sheik noticed that the elder Hylian's eyes—a bright shade of blue—were fastened on him.

The hell was his problem?

"My apologies for the wait," Impa said, bowing her head a little. "It appears the entire village has decided to take an interest in this meeting, and I had to find my children in the chaos. Let me introduce you: This is Paya and Sheik."

Sheik bowed along with Paya. He might be suspicious of these assassins—or at least of the elder one—but he wasn't rude. Plus, if he didn't, Impa would smack him upside the head. And so would Paya, later.

There was an awkward silence, during which the elder Hylian kept staring at Sheik. The younger cleared his throat pointedly.

"O-Oh!" the elder sputtered, cheeks reddening. "Nice to meet you," he said. "My name is Link, and this is my little brother—"

"Ravio," the younger finished for him, imitating Sheik and Paya's bows. It took a moment for the elder to catch on, and quickly dipped down as well.

Well, at least they knew to show respect. Sheik doubted his people were bowed to back in Hyrule. Getting spat on was probably more likely.

"I believe it would be best to introduce the four of you before I went to make my announcement," Impa continued. "Sheik, Paya, I have offered young Link and Ravio shelter in our village for the time being."

Sheik's jaw dropped. "What?!" he exclaimed. "Why?!"

Paya, traitorous as ever, didn't join him in his outrage, but she too was just as curious as to why their mother was offering these two intruders room and board rather than throwing them right out.

"Their circumstances are rather...unique," Impa said, only hesitating a little in her choice of words.

That rarely happened, if ever. Impa was never the type to speak without first carefully considering what to say. That made Sheik even more suspicious. Were they blackmailing her, somehow? Forcing her to offer them shelter against her will? How dare they?

"They have explained their situation to me in thorough detail," Impa continued, cutting Sheik off before he could protest. "And I would be remiss if I were to not offer them sanctuary. It would be a stain on my—and by extension our clan's—honour, in fact."

"What could possibly—"

"I have made my decision," Impa interrupted, glaring at him. "Please do not question my reasons, Sheik."

The request was worded politely, but there was a warning behind it. One that spoke volumes of the punishment that awaited Sheik if he didn't stop.

"Then I would like to welcome them to our village," Paya said, bowing again. "Link-san, Ravio-san, welcome."

"Thank you," the Hylians replied in unison, pausing a little when they realised they had.

Sheik mumbled a greeting of his own when Impa's gaze challenged him to, his eyes meeting Link's again. Bastard couldn't stop staring at him, apparently. Sheik's mind was already hard at work figuring out why. As well as their supposed special circumstances. Clearly something confidential and sensitive if Impa was willing to go to such lengths to conceal them, even offering them sanctuary when most travellers save for merchants were usually turned away.

A thought struck.

Shit, what if they were princes after all? On the run from a relative trying to pull a coup, perhaps? Or perhaps Link had been the one to attempt taking the throne, failing and being forced on the run with his little brother.

Princes in exile.

Huh.

Interesting.

Or, wait.

Not interesting.

Disastrous!

This meant there was possibly an army of Hylians on the way to catch these two runaways.

And if Impa was giving them shelter, the Sheikah would inevitably be dragged into it, and possibly even open war!

What the hell was she thinking?! This was worse than them being assassins! Impa should have turned them away, or better yet, tied them to a pair of horses and sent them down the mountain, back whence they came.

It still left the matter of how they'd managed to sneak past the Sheikah sentries, though...

...unless...

...Impa had known they were coming, and purposefully let them through, only acting surprised in order to keep her involvement hidden?

Din above, this was more complicated than he'd feared!

Eugh, damn it, he needed to pay attention! He could figure out this strange conspiracy later, with Paya. Right now, he had to keep his wits about him, and keep a close eye on these two strangers.

"...that I believe will be quite comfortable for you and your brother," Impa said. "Don't you agree, Sheik?"

"Huh? Oh, right, of course," he recovered masterfully, fooling everyone into believing he actually knew what they were talking about. "Indeed."

Paya let out a quiet, disappointed sigh.

"Then it is agreed," Impa said. "You will stay in the guest house, and Sheik and Paya will assist you with whatever you should need."

Come again? Sheik couldn't remember agreeing to being someone's manservant. Wasn't this the sort of thing they left Hyrule to escape? He wasn't given a chance to protest yet again, however, as Impa stood up and swept them all outside again, facing the crowd...which had grown bigger in the meantime. It was now, in fact, the whole village save for the ones on guard duty who had gathered outside the chief's house.

"Oh, good, you're all here," Impa said. "Saves me the trouble of gathering you all."

Sheik watched his mother with more than a little despair. Was she under some sort of spell? Was that how the two Hylians next to him had managed to infiltrate their home so thoroughly?

He edged his way over to Paya as Impa addressed the village, introducing Link and Ravio.

"What the hell is going on?" he whispered to his sister. "Has she gone insane?"

Paya rolled her eyes. "Has it occurred to you that she knows exactly what she is doing?"

"By drawing us into a war with Hyrule over their exiled princes?" he hissed, to which Paya could only give him a long, very confused look.

"...what?" she asked.

Sheik huffed, turning away. "Never mind. Look, what exactly did I agree to in there? Because if he's going to ask me to wash his feet for him—"he jerked his head towards Link"—someone's going to die."

Paya continued to stare. "Did you hit your head or something on the way in? All you agreed to was to help them get settled in. We both did. They need something, we help them get it...within reasonable limits, of course."

"Right, right, so no explosives?"

"Sheik, please don't give them explosives. In fact, don't give yourself explosives. You remember what happened last time? They're still finding pieces of the millstone in the fields."

He scowled. "At least I didn't blow up the grain silo."

She scowled right back at him. "Why aren't you or Kiro allowed in the pumpkin patch, again?"

"Look, those scarecrows were conspiring and needed to be eliminated, all right?"

"Except for the one you decided to give a pair of assets by stuffing pumpkins down its shirt."

"That was Kiro's idea, and furthermore—"

"A-hem."

They froze, turning to face the expectant face of Impa, Link, Ravio, and...the rest of the village.

"Are you two done?" Impa asked, eyebrow raised and holding out the heavy keychain towards them. "Because I'm quite certain our guests would like to get some rest now."

"Of course!" Paya said brightly, grabbing the keys. "Link-san, Ravio-san, please follow us!"

Sheik didn't have much of a choice, as Paya grabbed him none-too-gently by the neck and began to half-drag him towards the guest house, which was nestled in among the rocky cliffs at the northern end of the village.

"Wait, my tanto—"Sheik tried, but there was no mercy to be had as Paya simply didn't let him go.

"You can cut yourself open doing tricks later," she said.

Behind them, the Hylians were following closely but silently, giving each other looks that went from confused to amused. All the while, Sheik felt the elder one's eyes boring into his neck.

Clearly, something about Sheik fascinated Link.

And Sheik was going to find out what that was.

The guest house was the most spacious building the village in the village, consisting of four wings of three medium-sized rooms each, arranged around a central square that was occupied by a well-maintained garden. It had been built to accommodate many guests at once, as some of the merchant trains that travelled this far up into the mountains consisted of small armies of assistants and, sometimes, the merchants' families.

At this time of year, however, there were no guests, and the two Hylians would have the run of the place to themselves.

Paya led them up the small set of stone steps to the main doors, unlocking the heavy padlock with the keys, unceremoniously dumping the burden on Sheik, who barely managed to react in time to not get dragged down by the weight.

"It's usually livelier in here, but we do not get a lot of visitors this time of year," Paya said as they entered the main hall, bare feet padding along the tatami floor. "Perhaps a little more spartan than what you are used to, but I hope you will find it comfortable nonetheless."

An innocuous statement, but Sheik knew what his sister was doing. Sure, one would not be uncomfortable in this guest house, but if these two were princes, it would look like a prison cell free of opulence. And surely spoiled little princes would object to that?

"We'll be fine, I'm sure," Link said, smiling. "I'm used to sleeping outside. Having a room is practically a luxury."

"I like sleeping outside," Ravio added, looking around the big room, studying the decorative tapestries that hung on the walls. The dullest ones, at that. Sheik and Paya had once tried to liven the halls with a little artwork of their own, but no one had been pleased.

Except for the visiting children, maybe.

Paya and Sheik shared a quick look at Ravio's statement.

Right, so probably not princes, then. Or if they were, they'd been exiled for a long time if they were used to not sleeping in the lap of luxury.

"Well, if there is something you want or need, do not hesitate to let us know," Paya said brightly, leading them down the west wing and stopping by the first two rooms.

The rooms were definitely not up to the standards of royalty. Single futons occupied most of the space, with the rest dedicated to a small closet, along with a low desk and a pair of pillows for seating. The opposite wall was also a door, leading into the central garden.

"It is not much, but—"

"This is perfect," Link said, smiling brightly. "Thank you, Miss Paya."

Eugh, it was the sort of smile Sheik suspected the Hylian had spent a lot of time perfecting, meant to charm and disarm anyone he directed it at. Perfect teeth, too. It certainly worked on Paya, judging by the way her cheeks reddened slightly.

It did not work on Sheik. That tingle in his stomach was just an eagerness to get to work on figuring out what these Hylians were here for.

"Yes, thank you!" Ravio added.

And if Link's smile was weaponised charm, Ravio's was weaponised cuteness. His eyes were impossibly huge, face lit up by boyish joy and slightly chubby cheeks. Even Sheik felt a slight urge to pinch them.

Whatever nefarious scheme was at hand here, the little one wasn't involved. This was all Link, clearly. Bastard was probably using his little brother to divert everyone's attention from his plot. Sheik wasn't falling for it, though. There was one thing he'd wanted to ask since the moment they'd been left to the task, in fact.

"Where're your packs?" he asked. "Kinda weird, coming all the way up this mountain without any supplies whatsoever...or weapons. Sheikah lands are safe, make no mistake, but who walks around without any sort of protection?"

"Oh, we left those with the guards at the village entrance," Link replied. "Figured it'd be best to come in unarmed as a show of faith, you know? I do hope we'll get the packs back, at least. There's some personal items in them."

Like secret missives or assassination orders, Sheik would be willing to bet.

"We'll talk to our mother," Paya said. "The guards will likely have searched them, I'm sorry to say."

"We understand," Ravio said, testing the softness of the futon by crawling all over it. It was not adorable. It wasn't. "I just want my ocarina back."

"Mine too," Link added, hesitating a bit when Sheik looked at him. "They were gifts," he added. "From a dear friend of ours."

"Who—"Sheik began.

"Well, I'm sure you'll have them back soon enough," Paya cut him off, bending her right index finger just so, a silent signal for Sheik to shut the fuck up before he said something unfortunate. "In fact, I'll go—"

"Let me," Sheik said, finally the one to interrupt for once, faking a great deal more cheer than was strictly necessary. "I'll go talk to the guards and see if they have your things. Paya, I'll leave the orientation to you! Link-san, Ravio-san, I wish you both a good night!"

He was out the door and building before anyone could respond or stop him, happy to see spot a pair of warriors stationed outside the main doors, having arrived after them at some point. That was good. At least Impa wasn't quite as mad as he'd assumed.

He failed to hear one guard whisper to the other: "Troublemaker number one identified."

He arrived at the main gate just as Impa was leaving the small hut that housed the guards that were off-shift, a pair of weathered travel packs in her hands and a pair of swords—one appropriately child-sized—dangling from their sheaths over her shoulder. She paused, surprised to see him.

"Where are our guests?" she asked, giving him a sceptical look. He didn't blame her for being suspicious. He'd certainly given her enough reason to be over the years.

"At the guest house," he said, making his eyes as big and innocent as he possibly could. It had worked a treat when he was younger—he saw no reason why it wouldn't now. "Paya's with them, helping them get settled. Figured I'd get their stuff."

"How...kind of you," she said, pausing as she tried to find the right word. There were probably a few adjectives she'd wanted to put ahead of kind, but evidently chose to trust him on his word. "Here, take them, then."

She handed him the packs and looped the sheathed swords over his shoulder.

"You're giving them their weapons back?" Sheik asked, surprised.

"On the condition that they don't carry them around the village," Impa said. "Make sure they understand this rule, please. Assure them that no harm will come to them while they stay with us, and that arms are not necessary lest they venture outside our walls."

"Got it," he said, nodding. "Anything else?"

"No, that is all for now," Impa said, looking up at the pink skies, the sun nearly gone. "Ah, you can also inform that I will have an evening meal sent to them in an hour or so."

"Right, food, got it." He went to march back to the guest house, but Impa's hand on his shoulder stopped him.

"Not that I believe it is necessary, Sheik, but let me remind you: Going through their belongings is a massive violation of privacy and guest rights."

He scoffed. "I knew that," he said. "What do you take me for, a lowbrow Hylian?"

"Sometimes I'm not sure what you are," Impa said quietly, almost at a whisper.

"What was that?"

"Nothing, Sheik. Hop along, now. Remember the rule about weapons."

"Got it, got it!" he ran off before she could think of anything else to remind him of. Hah, as if he was stupid enough to start digging through the Hylians' things...

...while still in her sight.

He waited until he was a few streets away from the guest house before ducking into a little alley formed between the houses belonging to the bowyer and one of the hunters. He put the swords down (honestly, the little one was just a little shorter than Sheik's tanto), and carefully opened the biggest pack. It also happened to be the most worn of the two.

He held his breath as he dug through the contents, waiting for that glorious moment when he'd feel the paper of assassination orders or sabotage instructions touch the tips of his fingers.

There was nothing. He frowned, looking into the pack and finding nothing more than an assorted number of items that, while useful on the road, gave no indication that their owner was up to something nefarious.

There was even an ocarina, as he'd said. Clearly not made by an actual instrument-maker, if the slight imperfections in both its colour, coating, and shape was any indication. That was the only interesting thing in the pack, honestly. The rest was just various types of travel provisions, whetstones for his sword, and a sewing kit. Oh, and a pair of worn, but very clean socks.

Dull, dull, dull.

Well, he supposed it wouldn't make sense of an assassin to be carrying around his orders, especially not into the heart of the target's home. Sheik knew he wouldn't be that unprofessional...if he were ever hired for an assassination, that is.

Unless...

He looked at Ravio's pack. Well, no one would suspect the adorable boy of anything nefarious, which Link had probably counted on, hiding his conspiracy evidence in his brother's pack instead.

Well, only one way to find out!

He opened Ravio's pack and was, once again, disappointed to find more provisions and maintenance tools. There was also, to his surprise, a pair of masks.

One was a simple set of bunny ears painted in an obnoxiously bright shade of yellow, while the other was a relatively elaborate mask of a Hylian's face, with strange facial paint. Apart from being a strange thing to take with you on the road in general, especially if you're possibly running from a throne-stealing relative, there was nothing strange about them. He carefully put them back, making sure he didn't accidentally break them.

Beneath the masks, he spotted what appeared to be another ocarina, though this one was slightly bigger. The light of the setting sun caught on something that glinted like gold on the instrument, but just as he was about to examine it more closely, he heard rapidly approaching footsteps.

Shit, if he were caught red-handed doing this...

He closed the pack and was very careful to make it look like the contents of both packs had not been disturbed before emerging from the alley, pretending to not have been doing anything suspicious at all. To his annoyance, he'd panicked for nothing, as the footsteps belonged to a random villager out for a jog, already gone by the time he was back on the street.

He'd wasted too much time to go back for another peek, though. Damned interruption...

Well, at least no one would know what he'd done.

Hiding evidence of his tampering was something he'd made into an art form at an early age. It was the only way to get away with pranks pulled on Paya.

Not that it stopped his sister from finding out he was responsible and kicking his ass in the sparring ring for it, of course.

Disappointed that he hadn't found anything of interest in their packs, Sheik quickly made his way back to the guest house, meeting Paya on the steps.

"What took you so long?" she asked.

"I got lost," Sheik said immediately. It had bypassed his lying centre entirely.

Paya glared at him, crossing her arms in an eerie imitation of Impa. "You went through their things, didn't you," she said. It wasn't a question.

"No?" he said. Why it came out as a question, he wasn't sure, but it had, and he was committed now.

Paya looked at the pair of guards near the entrance to the guest house, lowering her voice. "Find anything?" she asked, her glare intensifying when Sheik grinned.

"You're just as bad as me," he said, waggling his eyebrows. "And no, not really. I'll tell you about it later. Get Kiro and the others, and we'll discuss our findings."

"Right," Paya said, shaking her head. "I should see about getting them some supper first—"

"Mother's got it covered, they'll get a meal in about an hour."

"Ah, good. Saves me the trouble. I'll get the others, then. Meet at Kiro's house in thirty minutes?"

"You got it."

She marched off, and Sheik strolled through the doors into the guest house like he owned the place. Being the chief's son had its perks. He headed for the door to Link's room, the light within muted by the shōji. He was about to knock on the frame, but he heard Link's excited voice inside the room, and paused, listening in.

"...can't believe it! It's really him!" Link exclaimed, sounding like he'd just found an orange rupee hidden in a pouch of green ones. "I didn't actually think we'd find him here!"

"Shh, calm down," Ravio's voice hissed at him, sounding annoyed. "You're too loud."

"Oh, sorry," Link corrected himself, lowering his voice. Not that it helped, since Sheik had more or less plastered himself against the wall now, listening intently, though careful not to let his shadow give him away. "I just got excited."

"I know," Ravio said. "But yelling at the top of your lungs isn't going to help. Especially not if you want it go well."

Link made a frustrated groan. "But how?" he asked. "I can't just...do it."

"Why not?"

"Because that's not how it works!"

They fell silent, and Sheik had to fight the desire to lean in further. Whatever he was listening to right now was clearly juicy, and further confirming that Link was up to something...and had apparently dragged his little brother into it.

A terrible thing to do to such an innocent child.

Link was clearly a villain, and Sheik was going to take him down!

"Is someone out there?"

He held his breath and quietly moved away from the wall, thanking his teachers for all the stealth lessons over the years. Impa's training had been harsh, but it had left him more than capable of moving quietly.

"What is it?" Ravio asked.

"Thought I heard something," Link said. "I'm a little jumpy, sorry."

"It's been a long journey, and we're both tired."

"Yeah..."

That was his cue, probably. Sheik had more than enough information to work with for now. Confirmation that something was going on here, at least, which meant he'd definitely need to investigate further. He had no idea who Link had recognised, but it definitely wasn't a good thing that he had.

He quietly moved back to the main hall, and then made his way to the room again, more or less stomping along the tatami to give the impression he'd just gotten there. He knocked on the frame to Link's room.

"Link-san? Ravio-san? I have your things," he said with faux cheer.

"Ah, c-come in!" Link's voice exclaimed, immediately followed by the door sliding open. It slammed into the frame, a little too much energy put into the push.

Sheik bowed his head and walked inside the room, placing the packs and swords on the middle of the floor.

"My mother hopes you find everything to your satisfaction, and to bring you a request to not wear your weapons inside the village. You are perfectly safe here, and do not need to arm yourselves. Is everything all right?" he asked. "Is there something I can get you?"

Ravio was sitting cross-legged on the futon, giving Sheik a polite and slightly shy smile. "I'm a little hungry," he said, sounding embarrassed to admit it.

In the corner of his eye, Sheik was very much aware of Link staring at him again. He still had no idea what the guy's problem was, but it was getting pretty annoying.

"Supper will be brought to you in a little while," Sheik said, decidedly not looking at the older Hylian. He wasn't rising to whatever bait Link was trying to put down. Clearly, he was trying to provoke Sheik somehow. Staring at him until he started picking a fight, or something.

Oh, Sheik was down for a fight, certainly, but he wasn't going to be the one who started it. If Link wanted to fight, he'd have to throw the first punch. And then Sheik would take great pleasure in tying him into knots and deliver him to Impa.

"Thank you!" Ravio exclaimed, eyes huge and looking eager at the idea of food.

Too cute.

Sheik wondered what he'd look like with those yellow bunny ears on...

Shit, gotta stay focused. He cleared his throat and bowed his head again. "Then, unless there is something else you need, I'll leave you to settle yourselves in. Please don't hesitate to let the guards know if you need something. Good night, Link-san, Ravio-san."

"W-Wait!" Link exclaimed as Sheik made to leave.

"Yes?"

This time Sheik did look at him and found himself drawn into a staring contest that lasted for several long, uncomfortable seconds as he waited for the Hylian to say what he needed to say.

"Er..." Link said. "D'you...er..." he sighed, looking down at the floor. "Nothing, I'm sorry."

Sheik narrowed his eyes a little but nodded slowly. "That's...perfectly all right. Good night, then."

"Good night," Link said, still looking at the floor.

"Good night!" Ravio said brightly from the futon.

Sheik left the guest house wondering what the hell had just happened in there. What had Link wanted to say? More importantly, what was he up to? Who was he after? Clearly a man, so his target wasn't Impa, apparently. Who, then?

So many questions, so few answers. He'd have let the others know everything he'd learned tonight, and go over it all carefully with them. Paya was always good at analysis, so she'd definitely find some sort of connection somewhere. And then Sheik could act on the information and prove to Impa that one of their guests was anything but an innocent traveller.

He reached Kiro's house a few minutes later and was not surprised to find it crammed full of Sheikah youths. Sheik and Paya's respective friend groups didn't really mingle very often, but this new mystery had them all gathered and ready to identify the threat that had arrived in their midst.

The moment he entered he was inundated with questions, and he made sure to answer them to the best of his ability, as well as telling them what he'd found in their packs. Paya, in particular, ate up this information.

They then spent the rest of the evening theorising what the two were here for. Unfortunately, Sheik appeared to be the only one taking them seriously as a threat. The others were too occupied with what Link and Ravio looked like and if they were nice or polite or rude.

Completely uninteresting, and no matter how much Sheik tried to refocus the meeting on combating the threat of the Hylians, it kept reverting back to how handsome Link was. Paya was quite active in this part of the discussion, describing Link's face in detail. Sheik didn't care.

Sure, Link was attractive—for a Hylian—but what the fuck did that matter when he was clearly here to kill someone? Or sabotage something? Or...escape something?

They were still no closer to figuring out his goal, other than a man being involved somehow.

He was no small amount of bitter when they left Kiro's house just before curfew that night, with no great breakthroughs to show for the meeting.

"Maybe they're just travellers?" Kiro had suggested just before they'd left.

It made Sheik seriously re-evaluate his best friend's intelligence.

"We'll figure it out, I'm sure," Paya said placatingly as they climbed the steps to Impa's house, finding their mother sharpening her weapons in the main room.

"Our guests are settled in?" she asked, looking up from her work.

"Affirmative," Paya said.

"Good," the chief said. "Needless to say, I expect the two of you to be on your best behaviour as long as they're here. I'd like one of you, or both even, to take them on a tour of the village tomorrow morning. In fact, both of you do it."

There was no arguing with that order, and after saying their goodnights the three retreated to their respective rooms. As he laid on his futon, trying to fall asleep, Sheik's mind kept going over the information he had about Link. More specifically, sifting through the male inhabitants of the village in order to find Link's likeliest target.

It took him an embarrassing amount of time to reach an answer that made sense, and when he did he felt utterly stupid.

Of course.

The target was him! Link's main target was Impa, of course, since she was the de facto leader of the Sheikah, but he couldn't get to her as long as one significant obstacle stood in the way. The best, strongest warrior in the village, in fact.

Sheik.

That's why'd been staring so much. He was gauging Sheik's strength, trying to figure out his weaknesses so he'd know when to strike, eliminating Impa's strongest defence. Like that'd ever happen. Sheik was onto him now and wouldn't let his guard down around the bastard.

Plus, he was making the mistake of not taking Paya into the equation. Even if, by some sort of miracle, Link got past Sheik, he'd still find himself facing the second-best warrior in the village before he could get to Impa.

Oh, Link was in for a bad time, all right.

The door to his room slid open, revealing a grumpy-looking Paya.

"Will you stop mumbling to yourself?" she said. "I'm trying to sleep!"

"I just figured it out," he said excitedly, immediately launching into an explanation that he figured she'd find interesting.

Which was why he was so surprised to find himself on his back, being smothered with his own pillow.

And thus began another play fight to the death in the chief's household.

Until they woke up Impa, that is, and she twisted their ears until they stopped.