Link had only been to Kakariko a handful of times. The first time, he was just another soldier in King Rhoam's army. He left that day a member of the Royal Guard. The second time, he was a newly appointed member of the king's Special Forces Unit, replacing his father shortly after his death. He received most of his orders from their headquarters in the city, returning to Kakariko from time to time to meet with Dorian, the head Sheikah of the unit. The last time he was there, he was promoted and receiving orders to protect the king's daughter, Princess Zelda.

Now, he was in Kakariko meeting the princess in person for the first time.

"I hope you are as good as your father was," she said.

Link raised a brow.

"He was my handler for some time," she said. "They promised me you were the next best."

There was a lot Link didn't know about his father. Being the princess's handler was one of those things. He knew he was a member of the Special Forces, but his father never spoke of it to Link. For obvious reasons, of course; his work in the SFU was top secret, as was Link's work, now. In fact, he didn't even know what Zelda's involvement was with the SFU, and why he was tasked as her new handler, though, he figured that information would come soon.

"I know you have a lot of questions, Link," Dorian said to him.

"Please fill him in right away," Zelda said. She turned to Link. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Link watched as she left them alone in the room, closing the door behind her. He turned his hard gaze to Dorian, waiting for answers.

"Don't give me that look," Dorian said. He handed Link a manilla envelope. "Your father perfected that look."

Link ignored him and opened the envelope. He pulled out the papers which were clipped together inside and started flipping through them as Dorian spoke.

"As you know, the Special Forces Unit is a group dedicated to the protection of Hyrule and the Royal Family. It has been around for a very long time and is made up of highly trained individuals - such as Sheikah like me - who make it their job to know everything, allowing us to constantly be two steps ahead of our enemies."

"Spies," Link said simply as he continued to flip through the pages. His eyes scanned a few of the documents closely. He was particularly interested in the mention of the Yiga Clan.

"The Yiga Clan remains Hyrule's, and the Royal Family's, biggest threat. In the past, they have merely been pests that seemed set on making life in Hyrule very unpleasant. But we have new intel that suggests their leader - a man who goes by Ganon - intends on assassinating the king and taking over Hyrule. We don't know of his whereabouts yet. That's where you come in."

Link tossed the papers and the envelope onto the table in the room. "And the princess?"

"The princess must be kept safe at all costs," Dorian said. "Should conflict arise, she will be the key to keeping Hyrule safe."

Link narrowed his gaze on Dorian. "They key?"

"The lineage of the Royal Family can be traced back hundreds of thousands of years. There's a reason that our leaders come from the same bloodlines as opposed to being elected. In that bloodline sleeps an ancient power that only the Royal Family can wield. Zelda has been training for a very long time to awaken that power in anticipation of war. Without that power, Hyrule will easily be lost to our enemies. It is your job, Link, to protect that power - to protect Zelda - and aid her in her tasks to bring down the Yiga Clan before war can erupt in Hyrule."

Link hesitated, turning his eyes to the papers he tossed onto the table. His father's own file stuck out just slightly. "Did my father do this?"

"No," Dorian said quickly. He paused, meeting Link's hard gaze. He knew Link was suspicious of him. He would find out one way or another. Dorian bit his bottom lip at the corner. "It's no coincidence that you followed the same path as him. In fact, you were destined for this job since the day you were born." When Link didn't so much as blink in response, Dorian continued. "Just as Zelda's ancestors played a role in Hyrule's history, so do your own ancestors. It is your duty to continue on with their legacy and help keep Hyrule at peace."

Link held his gaze on Dorian until Dorian averted his eyes.

"For what it's worth," Dorian muttered. "You're damn good at it already. A natural. You must get it from-"

"My father," Link snapped. "Seems he was grooming me this whole time."

Link jumped slightly as Daruk's glass hit the bar and shattered. His eyes darted over to the goron to his left as his friend chuckled sheepishly.

"That's why I don't drink here," he muttered to himself, then to the bartender, "Sorry 'bout that, brother."

The bartender replaced Daruk's drink and he turned to Link. "They need goron approved cups here, like we have back home."

"Hm." Link lifted his own glass to his lips. It was almost empty.

"Well, well, well," Revali's voice said from behind them. The ruto took the empty seat beside Link, sliding in effortlessly. "If it isn't Mister Big Shot." He turned to the bartender, raising his wing. "Scotch, neat."

"Take it easy, Revali," Daruk warned him.

"Are you implying that I have something against Link?" He didn't wait for an answer, speaking as he took his drink from the bartender. "It only makes sense that he would be chosen as Zelda's handler. His father and King Rhoam go way back, of course."

"Watch it," Daruk growled at Revali, narrowing his eyes at him.

Link continued to ignore their interaction, finishing off his drink and signaling for another one.

"I'm envious," Revali continued. "We've all had to work to get where we are. Link has the benefit of connections. We can't all have things handed to us in life."

"He's earned his position just the same as any of us," Daruk said. "The princess could not be in better hands."

Revali took a sip of his drink. "I'm still a better shot."

"Piss off," Daruk growled.

Link resisted the urge to order another drink as he finished off his second glass. He threw his payment against the bar and stood.

"Off so soon?" Revali said with a grin.

"Some of us have real work to do tomorrow."

"Of course," Revali started. "Babysitting the princess will be difficult to do with a hangover."

Daruk stood abruptly, knocking over his barstool. He sighed as he picked it up, then followed Link out of the bar and into the cool night.

"Don't let him get to you," he said to Link. "Guy's an ass."

"I don't," Link said simply.

"He's just mad because he wanted the job."

"We're all doing the same thing in the end."

Daruk nodded thoughtfully. "What do you make of it?"

Link shoved his hands in his pocket and looked up at the moon as they walked across the lot. "I'm not sure," he admitted. "But we can't trust anyone. And Revali needs to learn how to keep his damn beak shut."

Daruk snorted. "Maybe he's the mole."

"Revali is a lot of things," Link said. "But he is loyal to the end."

"That's what he wants us to think."

"You just want a reason to pound his ass into the ground."

Daruk grinned at Link. "Just say the word."

Link pulled his keys out of his pocket. His car beeped twice as the doors unlocked. "See you tomorrow, Daruk," he said as he pulled the door open and slid into the seat behind the wheel. He turned the key into the ignition and the engine roared to life.

He pulled out of the parking lot and onto the road, following it to the outskirts of the city. His mind wandered as he drove with the overload of information he received earlier that day. It hardly troubled him - it's what he had been training for, after all. What his father had been training him for, without even his knowledge. He couldn't help but feel betrayed. Used. Like his life was planned out the day he was born, without any consideration of how he felt about it. Without any free will of his own.

His grip hardened on the wheel and his brows knit together as his stomach knotted. His father was his idol, but he was just a tool. To think he wanted to be just like him. Well, needless to say, he got his wish. He cursed his father under his breath.

But there was no sense getting angry about it. Regardless, he had a job to do. Tomorrow, he would be back in Kakariko, sitting at that table as the commander of the Champions with Dorian, Zelda, and the other four Champions, Daruk, Revali, Urbosa, and Mipha.