The rough leather of the hilt burned against his calloused fingers; he tried to compensate for the slickness of his sweaty palm by strengthening his grip tighter. The sword sang as he parried to the left, returning the blow with metallic ring. He could feel the air quiver as the vibrations as steel met steel. He locked his eyes firmly on his target, and spun on his heel, bringing his shield up to block a quick counter strike.
"You know she's looking right this way, Link."
Link turned his gaze at the western tower. Sure enough, he could see a wave of blue silk and golden hair swaying through the soft summer breeze. What was she-
Link brought his shield up with a quick swing-just enough for the sword to lodge itself into the soft metal of his shield. He could feel the frustration from his sparring partner as he yanked his sword free. He took a quick hop backwards.
"That was a low blow, even for you, Roam," Link said through gritted teeth.
"Don't let her distract too much," the raven-haired knight responded, returning with a hard slash from above, "after all, she's probably just wanting to take in a sparring match with the future Hylian Champion."
"In that case," Link said, narrowing his eyes, "I am happy to oblige."
A quick spin brought Link's shield to his opponent's chest, knocking him to the ground, and swift slash of his sword left the point directly at Roam's chest.
"Perhaps next time, friend." Link said, offering his hand. Roam clutched the open palm dejectedly, pulling himself up. Out of the corner of his eye, Link could swear he could see the princess smile.
Roam cut his eyes at Link, and then brushed the dirt off the white of his surcoat of his armor, pausing dejectedly as his finger fumbled with the tiny nick his adversary had made in it's rough fabric. He brushed his fingers through his shaggy black hair and sheathed his sword in frustration.
"Don't think that this little victory means anything," Roam's deep voice said with a sigh. "I'm the one who'll be wearing the blue of a champion. You might as well get used to that green tunic; It suits you better anyways."
"Maybe if you didn't always weigh yourself down with those metal plates you'd stand a better shot at beating me," Link said with a smile. He smoothed the green fabric of his tunic, still overly aware of the green eyes he could still feel locked on him. "How about a meat skewer, victor's treat?" Link taunted, walking over to the cookpot, flames licking up it's sides.
The glowing embers let out a loud pop, abruptly waking Link from his sleep. The fire flickered making the soft shadows dance against the wall of the cave. The light of the fire made the princess glow with a shadowy umbra. She turned with a grimace, and he feared what fresh hell might be tormenting her dreams. He could only imagine; in the months since he had emerged from that goddess-forsaken Shrine of Awakening he had been plagued by no small number of demons.
Sometimes, he would dream of strange flashes. Places. People. Things that he didn't understand, memories locked together with a feeling that is oddly familiar, yet unrecognizable. More than once he'd dreamt of his death...or near death. On a good night, he might have dreamt of that golden hair. But more often than not, he'd just dream of that empty blackness. That hundred-year void that left him lost and empty. The chill of the dark night sent a shiver down his spine. He turned to the warmth of the fire's light, hoping to chase away the goblins that lurked in the depths of his mind.