The man's name was Link. The princess's name was Zelda. These were their names from the beginning of the story. Even before Link was a courtier of the king, he was an excellent swordsman. He almost always carried his sword with him. The sword had been made by a friend in his home village. The shield was the official shield of the kingdom the king ruled: Hyrule. Now, continuing where the story left off:
"…He turned, and with a firm and rapid step he walked across the empty space. Every heart stopped beating, every breath was held, and every eye was fixed immovably upon that man. Without the slightest hesitation, he went to the door on the right, and opened it."
There was a tiger behind it. Instantly, Link whipped out his sword and shield from the scabbard on his back. The tiger leapt onto Link, but he quickly put his shield up to block the blow. The crowd roared with mixed reactions. Some were excited, eager to see a tiger fight. Others felt ripped, off, hoping to have seen a death or marriage. The king was furious, and he yelled, "Why was he allowed to defend himself?!"
Zelda instantaneously responded by saying, "Father, please! Let him fight, and if he wins, he is innocent. As for that other woman, send her home and dismiss the priest and everyone else. If Link wins, he deserves to marry me."
"I suppose you're right, Zelda, but I only agree on the premise that I don't think Link can win."
Meanwhile, Link was giving his all down on the field of the arena. While the others were yelling, cheering, booing, and talking, he had given the tiger a nasty gash on its side. The tiger was about fifteen feet way, panting and heaving, when it decided to charge. Link nimbly jumped to the side, rolled once, and spun his sword around, knocking the tiger down on the ground. The tiger was now bleeding profusely, blood flowing onto the arena.
Focusing all of his attention on the tiger, the arena seemed to disappear, and Link finalized his actions in his head. He leapt through the air, sword pointed down, and stabbed the ferocious tiger through the chest. With one last gasp, the beast died. The crowd exploded with jubilant cheers from every direction, and Link's face beamed with pride. Wiping his sword clean on the ground, he sheathed it and approached the king's arena throne.
"Well done, brave one!" exclaimed the King. "You are indubitably innocent and certainly worth of marrying my daughter."
Link said nothing, but he humbly bowed before the balcony where the king stood. Someone in the crowd shouted, "Is he to be a prince?"
"Yes!" the King said. "He shall be a prince!"