Link hadn't even had a conversation with the King, and now he was being told that he was supposed to be the Princess's knight? It was rather strange in Link's opinion. Sure he had the Master Sword he came upon during his rigorous training. Days spent out in what's been dubbed the Lost Woods a few years ago. It was his father's idea. Apparently it was something he had done while training to be a knight. If one could survive in the Lost Woods and make their way through it, they would make it out in the wilds. Only his father never dreamed that after he stumbled upon the Master Sword he would actually try to take it. He himself had been warned that not being able to draw the blade would cause death to those unworthy. Yet at the Deku Tree's persuasion, Link pulled it out with little effort. News spread fast that one of the knights had been chosen by the Master Sword of Legend. Link felt incredibly uneasy about the role from the start. And years went by with intense training regimes with his father. People looked down upon him, silently watching until they were out of sight and would only then talk. And now after years, it seemed that he had finally been recognized by the castle. He was to become the appointed knight of the Princess. But Link wasn't sure if his training affected the King's decision, or if he only cared about the sword he wielded.
When the day came, he said a solemn goodbye to his father and was taken to Hyrule castle in a carriage. He knew that the King was readying for a war, so there was no big ceremony, no parade like his fellow knights joked about. No, he was simply met by the Princess herself and four 'champions' they had been dubbed. Upon seeing Princess Zelda, he immediately kneeled and bowed his head, only catching a glimpse of her long blonde hair and her elegant blue and white gown.
"It's alright, you may rise," she said in a quiet voice.
He slowly got back on his feet.
"If you are to be my knight," she said, holding her shoulders high, trying to appear professional. "Then you needn't bow every time you see me. We shall save a lot of time that way."
He watched her.
She took a deep breath then spoke. "We have decided to hold a ceremony." She turned quickly and her hair flew through the air behind her.
Although Link hadn't met the Goron, Gerudo, or Rito, he was happy to see a familiar face in the Zora. Mipha gave him a soft smile and gentle wave as the five followed Zelda from the carriage to the end of the castle grounds where a raised stone platform sat at the edge of a small forest.
Link hinted a smile back to Mipha and the Goron smiled widely, waving his massive hand through the air. The Gerudo kept her head forward, walking with a sense of grace and dignity. The Rito simply turned up his beak and avoided eye contact.
"All right," Zelda breathed. She stepped into the center of the small stage. "Now you, knight, kneel before me while I say the ancient rites."
Link stepped forward and kneeled, his head turned down to the stone.
With another deep breath, Zelda raised her hand and began the ceremonial chant. "Hero of Hyrule, chosen by the sword that seals the darkness…" she said in a defeated tone, "you have shown unflinching bravery and skill in the face of darkness and adversity. And have proven yourself worthy by the blessings of the Goddess Hylia. Whether skyward bound, adrift in time, or steeped in the glowing embers of twilight. The sacred blade is forever bound to the soul of the Hero. We pray for your protection… and we hope that—that the two of you will grow stronger together as one." She paused as if perhaps trying to remember more of the rehearsed lines. She let out a small sigh and brought her hand up once more. "Forged in the long distant past…."
Link kept his eyes to the stone, his stomach growing tight at her lofty words, but his ears turned to the champions while Zelda recited the last few lines.
"Gee," started the Goron, "this is uplifting. She's making it sound as if we already lost."
"Wasn't this your idea?" The Rito scoffed. "You're the one who wanted to designate the appointed knight with all the ceremonial pomp, grandeur, and nonsense we could muster…. And if you ask me, the whole thing does seem to be overkill. I think I'm on the same page as the Princess regarding this… this boy."
"Oh give it a rest," the Gerudo said simply. "That boy is a living reminder of her own failures. Well, at least that's how the princess sees him."
Link swallowed hard, the sword on his back growing even heavier than it felt before. Realizing Zelda finished speaking, he focused on her, though his head stayed to the ground.
She was quiet a moment. Link wondered if he was supposed to do something in response.
"Rise then, hero, for you are now my knight, and Hyrule begs your protection."
Pushing on his knee, he stood tall and looked back on her.
She let out a breath. "Oh, right, I probably should introduce you to our champions." She turned to the four. "Mipha, from the Zora."
Mipha covered her mouth, stifling a soft laugh as she bowed politely.
"Daruk from the Goron tribe."
The Goron smiled. "Nice ta meet ya, kid."
"Revali from the Rito village."
The Rito crossed his wings and looked up to the sky.
"And Urbosa, leader of the Gerudo."
With a simple look from the eight foot and muscular Gerudo, Link was sure Urbosa could kill him with a single glance, Master Sword or not.
"And champions, this is…."
"Link," Mipha said happily. She stepped over to him. "He's rather quiet most of the time, but I know he will be a great addition to our team."
"So you know this boy?" Revali asked, his wings still crossed.
"Yes, Link and I spent a lot of time together in the Zora Domain in our younger days," Mipha said softly.
Link nodded.
"Well, I think it's time we let him in on our little secret," Urbosa said in a strong voice. "You may or may not have heard why we are called champions. And it's because we were chosen to pilot the Divine Beasts."
Zelda then lead them inside where a banquet was held in Link's honor. Many of the other knights were invited and cheered Link on.
Despite the wonderful food, Link found it all hard to swallow.