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.

Changeling
Chapter 1

The interior of the cave was silent, the oppressive darkness only broken by hundreds of little pinpricks of light in the ceiling, gently illuminating the stone podium, on which the sealed sarcophagus rested. The lights in the ceiling pulsed slowly, in time with the being resting within the sarcophagus, blissfully unaware of the passing of time, and the world at large.

So it had been for years. Nearly a century, in fact.

For the first time since the cave had been sealed so long ago, the silence was broken. A loud crack echoed throughout the cave as the large outer door opened, time and the shifting mountain having knocked its hinges slightly askew. The sound was piercing, stone grinding against stone until the door came to a halt.

The automatic guardian system's proximity alert went off as it registered several heat signatures entering the cave, attempting to warn those on duty of the unauthorised access. The warning reached no one, and the alert was soon silenced when the heat signatures reached the secondary door, a connection opening between the system and one of the intruders.

Within the sarcophagus chamber, voices could be heard through the door. They were muffled, dampened by the multiple layers of metal and other materials they passed through. The chamber's auditory sensors picked the sounds up, reporting them to the guardian system, which was now inert. Dead. Disabled.

Another crack, and the secondary containment door slid open with a high-pitched of rusty metal hinges. The intruders did not immediately step inside the chamber, pausing for a long moment, gazing into the darkness.

"It actually worked," the leader said, holding a small, glowing device in his hand. "I can't believe it."

"Kiro wasn't lying, then," a second intruder spoke, her voice awed by their entry. "He deserves a reward."

The leader held out the device. "Scan shows nothing. Doesn't seem like the chamber has been secured with anything except the door. Sloppy. Let's get some light in here."

The chamber was flooded with light as the stars in the ceiling brightened considerably, bathing the sarcophagus in brilliant blue. It, too, lit up brightly, still pulsing in time with its occupant.

The intruders, six in all, entered the chamber and spread out, securing it systematically. It did not take long—the chamber had never been equipped with defences. It relied on its personnel for that.

"Clear," the woman said. "Nothing of interest in here, save for the obvious, and...wait. What's this? Boss, Scanner reveal anything here?" She pointed at a small section of the chamber floor, near the door, where there appeared to be some sort of protruding section.

"Hm," the leader said, letting the device do another scan, finding something of extreme interest, in fact. "Hang on." He input a command.

There was a loud hiss, and a small pillar rose from the floor. It appeared to be some sort of receptacle, into which a rectangular item had been inserted. The leader recognised it immediately, his heart skipping a beat as he realised what they'd just found.

"The slate," he said breathlessly. "Grab it, quickly."

The woman did so, pulling it out of its receptable and putting it in her pack. "That's the secondary objective secured, at least," she said. "Anything else?"

"Nothing," the leader replied, turning his attention back to the podium, slowly stepping up to the sarcophagus. He gracefully hopped onto the podium, looking down at the sarcophagus. His face, like those of his fellow intruders, was hidden behind a cold, white mask. "This is all there is."

"And?" a third intruder asked, sounding impatient. "Is it him?"

"Is he alive?" the woman added.

The leader watched the screen of his device, humming quietly as he accessed the system's diagnostics, reading the text that scrolled across its screen. "It's him," he confirmed after a long, breathless moment. "And yeah, he's alive. In good shape, too, according to the readouts."

"Good," the third intruder said, chuckling. "Gives us the pleasure of finishing him off ourselves."

"Impressive, that he's been kept alive for so long," the woman said, climbing onto the podium, joining her leader. "Credit where credit's due, it's amazing engineering."

"All the more reason to finish him off," the third intruder said nastily. "Come on, let's do this."

"Patience," the leader said, accessing and reading more diagnostics before finding the sarcophagus controls. The machine was locked, the only option being the emergency purge. A warning appeared on the screen, saying something about the restoration process being incomplete, that conducting an emergency purge could result in cognitive impairment and amnesia. "Stand back, I'm opening it."

They stepped off and away from the podium, listening as a complex array of mechanical gears and other devices began to move within the sarcophagus and, seemingly, within the floor, ceiling, and walls of the chamber. Clearly, there was more to the Shrine of Resurrection than what this chamber let them see.

The sarcophagus lit up brilliantly once more, and then there was a loud pop as the seal was broken and the top half of it lifted slightly. Hot steam escaped from the opening, billowing across the floor. A few drops of blue, glowing liquid condensed and slid down the lower half of the sarcophagus. The leader stepped up to the sarcophagus and looked inside, seeing more of the glowing liquid draining away through unseen seams and cracks in the floor of the thing, slowly revealing the shape of a person.

Blonde hair, pointed ears, a slim but muscular male body covered in scars from countless battles. The boy's eyes were closed, a drop of the liquid clinging stubbornly to long lashes. Young, not even out of his teens, likely.

The description from the stories matched him perfectly, and it left little doubt in the leader's mind they had just uncovered the single greatest threat to their goal. They had succeeded where so many previous generations of their clan had failed. This was a great day; victory was finally within reach!

"He's not breathing," the leader noted. "Maybe the engineering wasn't so amazing after a—"

The boy's eyes flew open, wide and panicked, his mouth opening to take in a gasping breath. All that came was a choked gurgle, and the boy panicked, sitting up and leaning over the side of the sarcophagus, coughing and hacking as about a gallon of the healing liquid was expelled from his lungs, all over the third intruder's boots.

"What the f—"

The leader was at the boy's side in an instant, patting his back harshly, encouraging him to cough up the rest of it.

"That's it, get it all up," he said. "Good boy..."

"Boss, what the fuck?" the third said, now halfway across the chamber, shaking his feet to get the stuff off his boots.

The leader blamed it on instincts and reflexes built while taking care of the younger clan members years ago. He really couldn't explain it otherwise. This boy was the enemy. The enemy, in fact. What he should have done was draw his wind cleaver sword and cut his head off and end it, but...no, instead, he was helping the boy sit back up in the sarcophagus. The boy looked miserable, soaked and shivering in the cold air of the cave, the shorts protecting his dignity doing little to keep him warm.

"Let's finish the job and get out of here," the woman said. "We'll get caught if we stay here much longer."

"Right," the leader said, letting go of the boy's shoulder and standing back, intending to finally end it, but then the boy's hand was gripping his wrist tightly, his bright, blue eyes focusing on the leader, his face twisted into confusion.

"Wh-Where am I?" he croaked, voice rough and hoarse from disuse and the violent emesis he'd just suffered. The leader tried to pull away, but the next question caught him off-guard. "Who...who are you?"

The plan formed in an instant, so quickly it had the leader wondering if he'd been considering it all along; been wondering if the possibility was there. The system had warned him about amnesia. And if they could turn that to their advantage...

"I was afraid of this," the leader said gently, kneeling at the sarcophagus' side. Even on his knees, he towered over the boy. "You were so badly injured that we put you in the Shrine as a last resort. It's healed your body, but your head must still be rattled."

"Injured...?" the boy said, looking down at his body, wincing at the patchwork of scar tissue, puncture marks, and other battle wounds that covered him. "How?"

"Ambush," the woman said, catching on to what her leader was trying to do. "We were on patrol and were caught in a Sheikah trap. You were at the head of the squad and took the brunt of the attack before we managed to fight them off."

"You saved my life," the leader continued, gripping the boy's wrist. "I will never forget that—and I wasn't about to let you die. We got you to the Shrine just in time."

"Sheikah..." the boy said, his brow furrowing, clearly not remembering the name. "Who are they?"

"A stain on our honour," the leader replied, filling his voice with as much disgust as he could. It was not difficult. Just the thought of their cousins ignited a roaring fire in his chest. "A branch of our clan that turned against us, nearly wiping us out with their machines."

"Oh..."

The third intruder snorted, but hid it under a fake cough.

"What are we, then?" the boy asked.

"We are Yiga," the leader replied, reaching up to remove his mask. "The survivors of a long and proud lineage."

"Yiga...Yiga..." the boy repeated the name to himself a few times, nodding slowly. "Yes...that sounds...right." He looked up at the leader, a shaky smile slowly coming to his lips. "Do you...what is my name?"

The leader cleared his throat. "Your name is Seiran, and you're my little brother. I'm Aichi."

"I'm Reyla," the woman said, also removing her mask, smiling kindly at the newly named Seiran. "The grumpy bastard over there is Keven," she said, gesturing to the third intruder.

The remaining three intruders introduced themselves as well, catching on to Aichi's plan. Reno, Dan, and Rumi. Pretty much the best the Yiga had to offer, and the only ones who'd been trusted with the task of penetrating enemy territory so deeply, to eliminate the greatest obstacle to Lord Ganon's complete victory. The Great Plateau wasn't easy to reach in the first place, and climbing it even less so. Master Kohga had been reluctant to authorise the mission in the first place, but Aichi had convinced him.

Seiran took in their names and faces, his smile growing wider and wider, seemingly relieved to not be alone with a head empty of memories. Aichi smiled and offered his hand to Seiran.

"Come on," he said. "Let's go home."

Seiran took his hand with a bright smile.

It was a beautiful day in Kakariko. The sun had just cleared the cliffs surrounding and protecting the village, warming the small valley pleasantly. The air was filled with the gentle babbling of streams and little waterfalls, and the clucking of cuccoos and general sounds of livestock. It was another perfect, peaceful moment, filled with the laughter of playing children and pleasant conversations between friends and family.

Sheik paid it all no mind, his attention focused entirely on the piece of sparking tech in his hands, wrapped in a bundle of cloth to hide it from prying eyes as he hurried through the streets of the village, climbing the hill and taking a left near the old, inactive Shrine, heading into the woods. He had to make sure he wasn't followed, ducking into the tall grass and waiting for a few minutes, satisfied to see that no one was dogging his steps.

That was good. Meant he wasn't about to be interrupted. He continued a little way into the woods, reaching a small, isolated copse where he could work in peace. Not exactly sterile conditions, but what choice did he have, at this point?

He'd done his best to set up a workstation, at least. A wooden tray to serve as a desk, a small set of tools that no one would miss, and a waterproof box to protect whatever parts he was able to stea—er, borrow from the proper labs. He always returned them in more or less the same condition he'd borrowed them.

Most of the time, at least.

It wasn't his fault many of his samples chose to explode or evaporate in unfortunate incidents.

For the most part.

He sat cross-legged on the forest floor and carefully put the bundle of cloth on the tray, unwrapping it with utmost care. The thing only sparked once, and the pain was negligible. Didn't even numb his finger. He wasn't entirely sure what it was he'd managed to borrow, but it was definitely interesting. A cylinder of sorts, showing the same markings and made of the same materials as the sort you saw on Guardians, though this one appeared almost brand new, with no signs of age or wear and tear anywhere. Wires poked out from either end of the cylinder, which were the source of the sparks as the leads occasionally touched each other.

A battery of some sort, perhaps? Still carrying a charge, for certain.

Sheik smiled to himself as he opened the little toolbox and fished out a screwdriver, beginning to dismantle the cylinder. Opening it revealed a mess of wires and circuits that were not marked or labelled in any way. That was all right—Sheik enjoyed a little mystery, and the Sheikah ancestors who'd built these things were very keen on those.

Why else would they refrain from making anything easy for their descendants to figure out about their tech?

A few minutes of carefully pulling the wires apart and moving the circuits yielded the power source, at least. A glowing orb in the very middle of the cylinder, to which all the wires and circuits were connected. A battery, in remarkable condition. The light of the orb seemed to dim and brighten alternatively, like a pulse, a heartbeat. It was odd, how something so clearly artificial could seem so...alive. Organic, almost.

Sheik pulled out his journal and began write down his thoughts and hypotheses, sketching out the circuits and making guesses as to what they did. He was already considering what sorts of experiments he could run with this thing. He had a host of other parts in the waterproof box, including what he suspected was one of the focuses used for the Guardian cannons. If he could power that thing up...

Well, he'd have to find somewhere to test fire it, first of all. Somewhere he wasn't liable to accidentally blow up a house or set fire to one of the farmers' crops.

Again.

No one had told him even flour can explode with a strategically timed spark!

He shook his head. No, this was not the time to think back on previous incidents. As Impa always said, one must always look to the future!

Once he figured out how to make a Guardian cannon, they'd have to give him lab access again. Just imagine what he'd be capable of with proper supplies and tools!

He was so caught up in his examination and note-taking that he didn't notice a pair of red eyes watching him intently from a few feet away, nor the owner of said eyes' exaggerated throat-clearing. Only when his pencil was plucked out of his hand did he realise he was being watched, and reacted appropriately.

By definitely not yelping and accidentally touching one of the sparking leads, which absolutely did not cause him to jump two feet in the air and land in a twitching heap at the other Sheikah's feet.

"Ow," Sheik said, taking a moment to study his attacker, noting her disapproving frown and the way her arms were crossed that, despite the loose-fitting robe she was wearing, accentuated the size of her biceps. She was tapping her sandal-clad foot on the ground impatiently. He smiled up at her. "Hey, Paya."

"Sheik," Paya replied, clicking her tongue. "Why am I not surprised to find you up here? Did you steal from the labs again?"

"I didn't steal," Sheik said, slowly regaining the use of his limbs. "I borrowed. There's a pretty big difference, I think you'll find."

"Borrowing without permission is the same as stealing," Paya said drily.

"Semantics," Sheik replied with a snort, sitting up. His fingers were still twitching involuntarily. It was an odd sensation. Kind of funny, too, if he were completely honest. "Anyway, what're you doing here? Thought you'd be busy in the dojo right now."

"I was supposed to be," his cousin said with an exasperated sigh, shaking her head. "Grandmother asked me to find you and bring you to her. There's something she wants to talk about. Presumably that," she said, pointing at the dissected specimen, "and how it came to be in your possession."

"Fuck, thought I'd have more time before they caught on to me," Sheik said, annoyed. "Why the hell is it always me they suspect?"

Paya rolled her ruby eyes. "Because you're the only one who steals from the labs."

"Because they won't let me into the labs anymore," Sheik growled. "How the hell else am I supposed to learn about this shit? You cause one explosion—"

"We're still finding pieces of that Guardian in the pumpkin patches, Sheik! And everywhere else!"

"I thought a little iron in our diets was supposed to be a good thing!"

Paya pinched the bridge of her nose. "Just...put that stuff away and let's go. I need to get back to training. Dorian promised me he'd teach me some advanced wind cleaver techniques today."

"I'm telling you," Sheik said as he quickly put his stuff away, locking the cylinder away in his waterproof box, "once we rediscover out how to manufacture Guardians, we'll never have to pick up a blade again. But does anyone appreciate that idea? No, of course they don't. Because Hylia forbid that we actually try to regain some of our past glory—hey, no, Paya, not the ear, ow! Ow! Ow!"

Shortly after, Sheik was sitting in Impa's house, his ear stinging, doing his best to avoid the diminutive Sheikah matriarch's glare. Honestly, the sight of his surrogate grandmother sitting on a huge mound of pillows was mostly amusing, but it wouldn't do to undermine her authority with company present.

Said company being Paya, Impa's bodyguards, and Cela. The scientist looked particularly irate, her face twitching angrily for some reason Sheik was certain he had no idea what was. He still avoided her glare as well.

"Nephew," Impa said, her steely voice enough to reduce any grown man to tears. Unless they were Sheik, that is. "I'm sure you know why you're here."

"I'm afraid not, aunt," he replied, giving her his most innocent smile. "I was meditating in the forest when Paya came to fetch me. Is something the matter?"

"You know perfectly well what the matter is, Sheik," Cela hissed. "You stole one of the Guardian battery enclosures! Do you have any idea how fragile those are?! Or how rare?! That specimen was brought back just a week ago, and you have the audacity to—"

"Cela, please calm down," Impa said calmly, but firmly. "Let us not devolve into a shouting match so soon." She shifted on her pillow mound and looked to her granddaughter. "Paya, did you happen to see Sheik with the battery enclosure in question?"

Paya looked hesitant, but eventually shook her head. "No, grandmother. I did not see anything resembling a battery enclosure in Sheik's possession when I fetched him."

Sheik fought down his grin. It was technically true. Paya had no idea what a Guardian battery enclosure looked like (and neither had he up until earlier that day, for that matter). Paya had always been fonder of the martial aspects of the clan than the scientific ones.

Cela huffed, but another glare from Impa shut her down quickly.

"Well, then," Impa said, "I believe that tells us all we need to know, Cela. That is, unless you'd accuse both my granddaughter and my nephew of lying?"

Cela puffed herself up, looking ready to argue, but eventually deflated again, shaking her head. "No, master," she said bitterly.

"Excellent," Impa said, nodding. "Matter resolved. I am sure the battery enclosure will turn up again safe, sound, and intact." She emphasised the last word, and Sheik was glad he'd sketched the original positions of the wires and circuits. "Perhaps you simply misplaced it?"

"We do not misplace such important pieces of tech, master," Cela said, looking insulted. "It was most definitely taken."

"I shall have the village searched, Cela, we will find it I'm sure," Impa said, nodding. "Now, unless there was something else you wished to speak to me about?"

"No, master, that is all," Cela said, glaring at Sheik. "He is still—"she began, but Impa cut her off.

"—still forbidden from entering the labs, yes, Cela, as we agreed," the clan leader said. "He is more than aware of that, I'm sure."

"I certainly hope so," Cela said, looking a little smug. "And I don't see that changing anytime soon."

And I don't see you getting your tech back anytime soon either, Sheik thought. Miserable witch.

Maybe he'd try to blow it up, out of spite.

"Agreed," Impa said, conceding to the scientist. "Now I'm sure you have a busy afternoon of experiments to run."

The dismissal was clear, and Cela left, but not without giving Sheik a glare so cold he could swear ice crystals formed in the air between them. When she was gone, Impa frowned down at him.

"I hope for your sake, nephew, that you'll be able to put it back where you found it without being discovered," she said. "Or else I'll have Dorian drill you on stealth until you pass out."

The man in question looked positively thrilled about that, the bastard. He'd always been a strict teacher, but Impa loved to use him for discipline—er, special training, and he relished the role.

"I have no idea what you're talking about, aunt," Sheik said in a practiced way. "But I'm sure I will."

The elderly Sheikah looked amused at his answer, but she still heaved a heavy sigh now that they were alone, looking tired. "At some point, you will have to make peace with Cela. Especially if you ever hope to gain access to the labs again."

"I'll make peace with her once she gets pulls that stick out of her a—"

"Master!"

He was cut off as a Sheikah whose name he didn't know came bursting through the door, carrying a note. His face was red and sweaty, and he smelled of horse. He must have ridden to Kakariko just now. That's where Sheik knew him from—he was one of the scouts from Hateno.

"I have an urgent message from Doctor Purah!" Only after saying this did he seem to realise they weren't alone, looking a little embarrassed. "I apologise, I did not mean to interrupt—"

"We were just finished here, Gran, do not worry," Impa said. "What is the message?"

Gran kneeled at her side, giving her the rolled-up paper, which she unfurled and read. Her face was impassive when she'd finished, folding the note carefully and placing it in her robe's inner pocket.

"Dorian," she said. "Do we have any scouts near the Great Plateau?"

"No, master," he replied. "Not at the moment. Vyn's team will reach it sometime next month."

"That's too long," Impa said, crossing her arms and looking to Paya. "Purah has registered some strange signals and activity on the Great Plateau," she said. "This happens from time to time, but this is the first time we've detected it near there. Paya, I want you to take a team and investigate. It's likely nothing, but I want it checked just in case."

"The Great Plateau?" Paya said, eyes wide. "You mean—"

"Possibly, but hopefully not," Impa said, cutting her off. "Like I said, it's very likely nothing. Likely just a random data burst, as Purah calls them, but one can never be too sure. I can trust you with this task, can I not?"

Paya nodded firmly (and eagerly, but Sheik knew better than to point that out to her).

"Of course, grandmother. Who should I take?"

"I will leave that up to you save for two members," Impa replied. "Pikango will go with you—he knows the area well, and can offer advice or support, should you need it."

Sheik approved. It made sense to bring the old man, if only in an advisory role. Paya had wanted her own team for ages, but there was no telling if she could actually handle one until she was actually out there.

"And the other?" Paya asked.

Impa looked at Sheik, and their eyes met in a silent, never-ending moment punctuated with dread crawling down Sheik's spine.

"Your cousin," the clan leader said mercilessly. "I believe it's high time he got to see other parts of Hyrule than Necluda and Hateno. If nothing else, it'll give Cela a little time to improve her lab's security."

"What?" Sheik asked. "Why do I have to go?"

"Because I'm telling you to, nephew," Impa said brightly. "You've been cooped up in these mountains for too long—it's high time for you to spread your wings, and what better way to do so than embarking on your first proper mission with Paya?"

Oh, I dunno, maybe granting me access to the labs again so I can actually do something useful, Sheik thought.

There was no point in arguing, though. Impa had already made the decision, and she rarely, if ever, budged once she'd made up her mind.

If anything, this was just a longer version of those bullshit "patrols" he was occasionally sent on with some of the younger warriors around Kakariko's immediate vicinity, which he'd heard some clan members refer to as a vacation from the explosion-causing little bugger.

Again, if someone had just taken the time to explain to him why certain things reacted strongly to other things, there wouldn't be nearly as many craters dotting the village. The old mill would certainly still be standing, and they wouldn't have been forced to purchase a new millstone from Hateno.

And Sheik wouldn't have been made to help transport it from Hateno to Kakariko.

He could still feel the phantom muscle pains sometimes.

"Fine," he muttered. "But I want lab access when I get back."

"We shall see, nephew, we shall see," Impa said grandly. "Is your task understood, Paya?"

"Yes, grandmother."

"Excellent, then I shall leave you to gathering your team and packing. You leave tomorrow at dawn. If you travel efficiently, you should make it there in a few weeks. Investigate the Plateau, confirm that there is nothing wrong, and then return as soon as possible."

"Understood."

Sheik felt like he was a in daze as they left Impa's house. Paya looked positively giddy at finally getting to lead a team of her own. It was almost cute, the way her steps had that extra bounce.

"You should get packing," she told Sheik. "It'll be a long trip."

"Yeah, yeah, I will," he said dismissively. "Got something I need to do first."

"Battery enclosure?"

"What's that? Never seen one."

Paya groaned. "I assume it's too much to ask that you return it before we leave?"

Sheik tried to look as innocent as he could. The technique wasn't nearly as effective as it had been when they were children, but it was still worth a shot.

"Return what, Paya-nee?" he asked sweetly.

She huffed and stomped off. "Dawn! Tomorrow!" she shouted at him. "You had better be ready and awake!"

Sheik snorted. As if he was planning on going to sleep that night. He only had so much time to examine that battery enclosure, after all.