Author's Note: This is my first writing endeavor in about five years, so go easy on me! I have at least two more chapters planned, but I will see how this turns out!

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She had my heart at first sight. I mean, I didn't fall in love with her at our first meeting, but when I saw this lonely girl, no older than I was, with the world on her shoulders, I knew I had to be there for her. This is despite the fact that it was obvious that she held a great deal of acrimony towards me. After a while, I began to understand she must have felt. She had been working so hard to unlock her darkness-sealing abilities, to no avail. Meanwhile, I just show up with the key to unlocking my destiny all wrapped up in the Master Sword on my back.

I mean, I don't necessarily agree with it. My life had been no walk in the park since I had pulled the Darkness-Sealing Sword from its resting place. I had been told over and over again that I was to defeat Gannon and prevent the fall of Hyrule, just as the heroes before me had done. However, it seemed incredulous to me that the Calamity capable of engulfing the world as we know it in darkness could be stopped by a lone teenaged boy such as myself.

I had been training every single day since I'd learned of my destiny. I had already been undergoing battle training since a young age to become a knight and live up to the legacy the men in my family. However, now I wasn't just fighting for my own pride or that of my family. I had the world to fight for. I had to become faster, stronger, more agile, and more deadly if I was to save the kingdom. I soon became the most capable swordsman in all of Hyrule and the youngest knight selected to serve the King directly.

However, it still didn't seem like my strength could possibly be enough. Sure I could best bokoblins and moblins, and even hinoxes and lynels in battle, but how does that compare to the Calamity. Was he 10 lynels? 100 lynels? 1000? I bore the constant weight of the Master Sword on my back, but it might as well have been the weight of the entire world. Yet, her weight still seemed heavier.

From the beginning of my knighthood, I had heard rumors in the past that the princess had yet to unlock the darkness-sealing powers bestowed to the women of her blood and name, but I never gave them any weight. What good with it do to the Goddess to deny the princess her birthright? However, once I was assigned to be the Princess's protector and constant companion by the King, the gravity of the situation became clearer.

I was called to a private royal chamber and briefed by the King, himself. He somberly explained to me that the Princess had, indeed, failed to awaken her powers, despite near constant prayer and fealty to the Goddesses. He said that it was my duty to protect the Princess, not only in the coming threat of the Calamity, but also against the ongoing threats and plots against her life by a clandestine offshoot of the Sheika tribe, the Yiga Clan. I was to also assist the Princess in any way that was necessary for her to unlock her powers. I had no clue what that last part meant for me. Surely the King and his assembly of priests and priestesses knew more about what was necessary to help the Princess than a boy that could hardly even remember his prayers. Maybe my mere presence was supposed to have a catalytic effect? Either way, that day I swore to the King that I would do all within my power to fulfil these duties.

The Princess made none of this easy. At first she treated me very coolly. In the first few weeks, she didn't speak to me at all outside of the ceremony where I was anointed as the Hylian Champion, and I could hardly call her attitude towards me on that day to be warm.

Gradually, she at least began to speak to me, or should I say, at me. I don't think she could help it. She seemed to love to speak her thoughts out loud. I think she would have been speaking rather I was there or not. Once, I had tried replying to one of her ideas with a suggestion of my own, but she scowled at me over her shoulder. From then on, I kept my mouth shut and simply observed the Princess. She was quite the oddity.

I had expected a princess to be spoiled and pampered, but she couldn't have been further from my expectations. In between her prayers starting in the very early morning and lasting into the mid-day and her studies lasting well into the night, she was one probably the hardest working person I've ever met. That, and she was brilliant. Her mind was constantly working, whether it was on the function of the Divine Beasts piloted by the other champions, the capabilities of that Sheikah Slate she was always carrying around, or just the plant and animal life around Hyrule. She was always postulating, plotting, and studying.

I could get into how beautiful she was but I try not to allow my mind to linger to long on the Princess's physical attributes. Or at least I fought my hardest not to. Falling for your charge is for the weak, I tell myself. It is for the undisciplined, shallow squires. Knights do not lust after princesses. But this was a little more than lust. Despite the Princess's attitude towards me, I couldn't help but find her charming. After a while, I allowed myself to secretly appreciate the Princess in that way. After all, it's not too often that I found myself even attracted to a girl.

I mean, I like girls and all. I've had all of the typical experiences of a boy in my village, playing at courtship and sneaking off to the woods to snog a crush in secret, but I never found myself wanting any more than a surface level acquaintanceship with any one girl.

At my age, a lot of the boys in girls from my village were taking up their trade, courting, marrying, some of them have even started families. Late at night, after a long day at the Princess's side, I liked to fantasize about having such things for myself. Relaxing in my favorite chair by the fire after a long day's work in my cozy cottage. Toys scattered at my feet. A sandy haired child, sucking their thumb, curled in the lap of a wife as she reads a story book. The wife looks up at me and smiles with such love in her eyes. Sometimes, if I'm close enough to sleep to let go of some of my inhibitions, I'll allow the wife to wear the familiar face of the Princess. I always scoffed aloud at that part.

Where is Gannon in this world? Already defeated? Or did he simply never exist? In a way, I have Gannon's existence to thank for this fantasy. If it wasn't for his impending appearance and me pulling the Master Sword, I would be lucky to even catch a passing glimpse of the Princess during the course of my service as a typical knight. Even now, I'll be lucky if the Princess doesn't banish me to the outskirts of Hyrule out of spite once this is all over. But until then, we are stuck with each other.

The Princess wants to make journeys to the four Divine Beasts in order to make modifications that will make them easier for their respective Champion to handle. She, of course, wanted to make this journey alone, but the King would hear none of it. I awkwardly stood guard outside of the King's private chamber with my back to the door as I heard his booming voice on the other side declare that the Princess would have an escort if she was to leave the castle and that, at least, I alone accompany her if she would have no one else.

The wooden door flung open beside me. I kept my gaze straight ahead as I heard the Princess step out of the room. She paused next to me and I could feel her eyes on me. Before I could even glance over to read the her face, she stormed down the corridor past me. That told me all that I needed to know about her feelings on the matter.

But it was settled. I was finishing up at the royal stables late at night, having made all of the necessary preparations for our journey. The Princess and I will leave early tomorrow to make our Journey to the Rito Village.

I made my way back to my chamber that was only right down the hall from the Princess's. I placed my hand on my doorknob and paused. I turned my attention to the door of the Princess's chamber at the end of the long hall. I debated whether I should even go to sleep tonight, as the Princess might try to sneak off without me. It certainly wouldn't have been the first time she made an attempt.

I made my way down the corridor to the Princess's door and stopped in front of the solid, wooden structure. I'm not sure what my plan was. Entering the Princess's chamber in the middle of the night was a good way to get myself thrown in the dungeon.

"Get some rest, Sir Link", I voice from behind me spoke. "I will watch the Princess tonight".

I nearly jumped out of my skin and my hand instinctively raced to the hilt of the Master Sword. I spun around to see Impa, a young Sheika and part of the Royal Guard. The Princess seemed to be quite fond of her.

She smirked at him as she took a few steps closer until she stood next to me in front of the Princess's door.. "You know you're going to have to be a little quicker than that if you mean to be the Princess's sole guard on this journey".

Before I could reply, she placed a hand on my shoulder. "I'll make sure the Princess stays put until tomorrow. Get some rest. You have a long journey ahead of you".

I gave one last glance towards the Princess's closed door, before turning back to Impa and giving her a affirmative nod. I made my way back to my own door, but when I looked back at the Princess's door, Impa was gone. Had I dreamed that whole encounter?

I knew the Sheika were known for their stealth, but seeing those skills in person was always disconcerting. My thoughts then shifted to the threat of the Yiga Clan and the intel received that they were planning on making attempts on the Princess's life.

In between the calamity harbingering doom, a conniving shadow organization, and a princess rebuffing me at every step, I had my work cut out for me. I needed all the rest I could get.