Chapter Two: The Tournament

The next morning, everybody in Hyrule castle was preparing for the upcoming tournament. Already the stands were being built up, coloured banners were being strung up and multiple striped tents had arisen out of nowhere surrounding the arena. Zelda leaned on the balcony of her bedroom chambers, staring down at all the excitement.

Everybody seemed more energetic and lively than they had a day ago, awaiting the epic tournament. Zelda couldn't keep the smile off her face. She loved to see the people of Hyrule in such good spirits. She shouldn't have surprised her how quickly her father had been able to organize the event, yet she couldn't help but marvel at how spectacular everything was.

Zelda's handmaid Impa had told her that Sir Oliver would be fighting in the tournament and anyone who would be able to defeat him would have the honour of being her new sword master. Her father still wasn't convinced that, apart from Zelda, there actually was anybody in the kingdom would would be able to defeat him, yet they would soon find out.

*

Two days passed and the day of the tournament had finally arrived. Link had woken up earlier that morning (much to Navi's displeasure) to ensure he got to Hyrule Castle in time to register for the tournament. He equipped himself only with his sword and metal shield, as he definitely wouldn't require his boomerang in the tournament. Under his green tunic he wore his heavy chain mail and a white shirt. He attached both braces onto his forearms and pulled on his brown leather gloves. As usual he wore his baggy beige pants with his brown boots other the top. Other his tunic he slashed on baldric, placing his sword in it and finally he pulled on his green hat over his messy blonde hair.

"You nervous, Link," Navi joked.

Link rolled his eyes.

Link was the bravest person Navi had ever known; there was no way he could get nervous. Sometimes when Link got bored, he would march into the forest in the middle of the night as if he owned the place, trying to rid it of the monsters that lived there. It also gave him a chance to test out the Master Sword. To Navi, it seemed that there was no end to his courage, and no matter what, Navi was always dragged into his messy situations. It was a good thing that Link was always able to conquer his enemies, no matter how fierce they were, and without losing a breath too. No wonder the old man thought he was the Hero.

"I'm only doing this to help Malon out," Link stated.

"Don't you want to meet the Princess," Navi teased.

"Shut up, Navi," he said, jokingly glaring daggers at her.

Secretly Link was looking forward to seeing the Princess of Hyrule. They had never met before but he had often seen her sneaking around Castle Town under her hooded black robe at night, enjoying the fresh air and being outside of the castle. It seemed that Link was the only one who ever recognised her when was was wearing her dark attire. Link often heard stories in town of what a great archer she was and how she could even best the knights of Hyrule in a sword fight. Link wished he could have been there to see it. Perhaps she'd even be in the tournament, he wondered.

It was the beginning of the tournament and her father was about to make his speech. Zelda was sitting in her seat to the right of her father in the royal section of the stands. The stands were packed with overly excited spectators. A total of eight contestants were chosen, keeping the number small to ensure that the tournament would only commence for one day. Some tournaments that she had seen often dragged on for days, with the initial rounds boring the hell out of her. It was only in the final rounds where you truly got to see how skilfully the knights fought.

"Dear friends and valiant knights of Hyrule. I wish you all good luck during today's tournament, however only one can triumph, so without any further babblings from me, let the tournament begin!" The King of Hyrule announced.

There were to be four battles in round one, with the first of them being Sir Oliver versing a man from Ordon village. The man from Ordon was rather amateur and Sir Oliver had quickly disposed of his sword and shield swiftly and effortlessly. The man had a bit of a temper and didn't accept defeat very well and had to be escorted off the grounds. As the knights were removing him, he started to shout abuse at Sir Oliver, claiming that he had cheated by using magic and that he should be disqualified, but everybody knew that he was lying. When he refused to shut up one of the knights knocked him out in the back of the head and did the job for him. The entire crowd exploded in laughter.

Next up was Sir Mourent of the King's guard battling against a man residing in Castle Town. Zelda observed that the man from Castle Town was rather good yet his footwork could have been a lot better. Sir Mourent bested him within three minutes of the battle. Extending his hand, Mourent helped the man up unto his feet again, and they shook hands. At least he wasn't an ill-tempered sore loser like the Ordon villager, thought Zelda.

A young boy of sixteen had entered the tournament and was up against a middle aged man from Kakariko Village. The crowd instantly assumed that the boy of sixteen stood no chance but Zelda thought different. The young boy looked confident and composed throughout their entire fight. The boy had managed to strike down the middle aged man when he was lost his footing, winning the battle. The man's injury wasn't serious but it was the worst one so far. The boy and another knight helped the man into the first aid tent where his wound would be treated. Then the fourth and final battle of round one commenced.

A farmer who had taught himself to wield a sword, only having wooden logs and scarecrows to practice with, was up next. He was up against a young man of nineteen years, dressed in green, simply claiming to be from 'around'. He had an impressive sword containing a circular blue Rupee at the bottom of the hilt.

When the battle started, the young man in green began to circle the farmer, assessing the best way of attack. The farmer soon grew impatient of his circling, mistakenly thinking him for a coward, and charged at him with his sword pointed. At the last second, the man in green jumped to the left, whacking the farmer's sword to the ground with his own. The swordless farmer stood there completely shocked that he had been so easily defeated. He tried to reach for his sword however the man in green was one step ahead of him, placing his boot on the farmer's sword.

"Who is that?" Zelda asked her father, impressed.

"I believe his name is Link. He wouldn't say where he was from. Just around," the King replied with emphasis on the word 'around'.

For a second, the audience didn't know how to react, as nobody had ever won a battle that quickly, not even Sir Oliver. When it was announced that Link held the new record for the quickest defeat though, the crowd finally cheered and clapped very enthusiastically. It was the best response from the crowd that anybody had received all day.

In round two, Sir Oliver was up against the boy of sixteen. Sir Oliver ended up winning but he was so impressed by the boy that he offered him an apprenticeship. The boy accepted gratefully, thinking that was two hundred times better than the 1000 Rupee reward.

Link and Sir Mourent were up next.

"There's no way he'll be able to beat Mourent as easily as the farmer," the King told Zelda. The King had always rather fond of Sir Mourent.

"Don't be so sure," Zelda said amusingly.

Zelda couldn't help but admire Link and the way he fought. He wasn't tripping over his feet like the man from Castle Town and he would never recklessly rush into things. He would always take his time to observe the situation and plan his best way of attack. He fought with grace too, which surprised her, as not many men could were graceful fighters. Not even Sir Oliver fought like him, and Zelda hadn't known a better swordsman.

Link ended up winning the battle with Sir Mourent. They exchanged a few good words and shook hands before it was time for round three.

Only Sir Oliver and Link were left now. Zelda found herself gripping the arm of her chair in anticipation for this battle. Link intrigue her.

As soon as they were told to begin, Link began moving around his invisible circle. However, Sir Oliver knew what he was doing and matched his steps perfectly. They ended up rotating a whole semi circle before Link took a few steps forward, causally spinning his sword in his left hand. Oliver met him in the middle of their circle and struck his blade. Finally their swords started to dual, blades flashing and ringing loudly. Their movements seemed almost impossible to match yet they both kept up without a sweat.

Seeing a continuing pattern, Link saw the opportunity to make use of his shield. An incoming blow was coming towards him from Sir Oliver's blade and Link used all his strength to push his blade away with his strong metal shield, however, Oliver's grip remained on the hilt of his sword. Now that Sir Oliver was slightly caught of guard, Link used that opportunity to strike him again, this time causing Sir Oliver to lose grip. Before Sir Oliver could pick up his sword, Link pointed the tip of his sword at his neck, causing him to freeze as still as a statue. The crowd gasped. In the background Link could see Princess Zelda's hands clasped over her mouth. Link kicked Sir Oliver's sword away and was declared the victor.

Link removed his sword from the Oliver and slid his sword into his baldric.

Link patted Sir Oliver twice on the back. "You fought excellently, Sir Oliver," Link said to the defeated knight, smiling.

"The same can be said for you. We must have a rematch one day," he replied, with a grin on his face. "Never have I been in a battle quite like that."

They shook hands and turned towards the King of Hyrule. Link kneeled before him.

"Arise, young warrior," the King addressed him. "Link, where did you learn to fight like that? Nobody's ever been able to defeat any of my knights in battle before!"

Link shrugged. "I suppose I just picked it up, Your Majesty."

"Is that so?" The King laughed. "You have a miraculous gift, and with it you have bravely earned your reward of 1000 Rupees."

The crowd cheered as Link was presented with a chest containing many red Rupees.

"Tell me, brave Link," the King began. "What do you intend on doing with your treasure?"

"I plan to give it to a friend of mine, who needs the money to build a new fence around their land."

"Splendid! The boy is talented, courageous and selfless. Everybody, give it up for Link!" he bellowed.

The audience erupted in another round of applause.

"Link, I would like to invite you to dine with us tonight in the castle. I hope you are able to accept," the King said, knowing full well that he would, and had no choice.

"I would be honoured to dine with you, sir" Link replied.

"Excellent! The gates will be open for you as soon as the sun sets."

TBC

A/N: Hope you enjoyed this chapter. In case anybody was wondering, the sword Link is using is the one Link uses in Spirit Tracks. Tell me what you think. If there are any characters that you would like to see in this fic, don't hesitate to ask. I live hearing suggestions. The next chapter shall be coming soon.