Chapter 2

"Got your dining hall pass?" Beedle asked from the doorway. Link shuffled through the papers until he found a small card with his name and face on it. He held it up to Beedle with an arched eyebrow.

"Yup, that's it. Come on. You have to get down there early if you want a decent seat." Beedle urged him out the door into the busy hallway. Link froze at the amount of people in the narrow hallway. It had been so quiet before.

"Hey, Bug Boy! Who's the newb?" A loud voice called out. Link turned to find a large boy with bright red hair pushing his way down the hall. Following close on his heels was a short boy with dark hair and a scrunched up face, and a tall skinny boy with a mop of blonde hair.

Link noticed how Beedle's posture instantly seem to curl in on itself, his shoulders slumping and a sigh escaping his lips. "Groose," Beedle greeted nervously as the boy walked up to them.
Link looked up at the tall boy. He was built like a football player, with broad shoulders and thick arms. A large grin was plastered on his face that looked just a little too devious for Link's taste. Groose held out a hand to him, "Name's Groose."

Link shook his hand politely, noticing that the boy squeezed his hand a bit harder than was necessary. "I gathered as much," Link said flatly. "Link."

"You're new here?"

"Yes."

"And Bug Boy is showing you around?"

"Barry has kindly offered to show me around, yes," Link said in annoyance, feeling a bit protective of his new chaperone.

Groose glanced at Beedle and shrugged. He threw an arm over Link's shoulders and turned him away from Beedle. He leaned over, acting conspiratorially. In hushed tones he said, "Ditch the bug. Cawlin, Strich, and I will show the actual ropes to this school."

Link groaned inwardly and shrugged the arm off. "I think I'm good, actually. But thanks for the offer," he said as he stepped back to stand with Beedle. He crossed his arms and held his head high as he eyed Groose.

Link noticed that the hall went silent as Groose looked at him in surprise. "Not a wise move, newb," he said with sinister chuckle. "Think about it," he said as he strode away.

Link glared after the boy.
"Try to ignore him. It's what most of us do," a girl's voice said behind him. He turned and found himself face to face with a girl with beautiful long red hair and bright blue eyes. She brushed her hands on her purple skirt before offering him a hand. "My name's Malon." She was beautiful.

Link took the offered hand. "Link."

"Malon! Link's going to be at the stables with you for elective," Beedle said from behind Link.

She beamed as she released his hand. "Really? You're a horse guy?"

"Maybe," he said with a shrug. "I've never ridden a horse before."

"Never?" She cried out in surprise. "Oh, well, we definitely have to fix that!" She looked him up and down. "I've even managed to get Beedle on a horse! We may have the perfect horse for you. She's new this year and no one else has been able to get near her."

He eyed her suspiciously. "You want to put me on a crazy horse?"

She laughed. It sounded like bells in the wind. "No, not crazy. Just stubborn. Maybe she'll open up to you. It's worth a shot at least. What are your other electives?"

"Cooking and fencing."

"Hey, Kina," Malon shouted down the hall. "The new kid's in cooking with you!" Link tried not to shift uncomfortably as everyone turned to look at them. A girl with her brown hair pulled back into a bun pushed her way forward.

"Link, this is Kina. Kina, Link," Malon introduced. The girl waved to him.

"Nice to meet you, Link. Welcome to the school."

"Thanks."

"Kina makes a wicked pumpkin soup. I know, sounds gross, but it's not! Trust me!"

Beedle grabbed Malon's arm and towed her down the hall. "Come on, you can talk in the dining hall. I'm starving and we're never going to find seats if we don't go now."

Malon laughed and grabbed Link's arm, pulling him along, Kina following after them with.

Link looked at the pile of pasta on his plate, along with a side of asparagus, a chunk of italian bread, and the large cup of soda. His mouth was salivating just looking at it. He had never smelled anything so good.

"Food's pretty good," Malon said with a shrug.

"It looks amazing," he whispered as he poked the pasta with his spoon.

She eyed him suspiciously before shrugging again. "It's pretty average honestly. Have Kina cook for you sometime. That's amazing."

Link scooped a spoonful of pasta into his mouth and closed his eyes, savoring each bite. He never ate so well at the foster home. The guardians never bought anything more than boxed meals and he often had to split one with one of the other kids.

"So...Link. Where did you go before Hyrule High?" Malon asked curiously as she took a bite of her own pasta.

"Kakariko High in a small city a few hours East of here."

"How'd you wind up here?"

"Advisors at my school recommended me." He took a big bite of the bread and almost groaned at the wonderful taste of fresh bread.

"I'm surprised we didn't see your parents moving you into the dorms," Kina noted.

"That's because they didn't drop me off."

"Oh, really?" Malon asked in surprise. "I had to basically call campus security to make my father finally leave," she laughed. "He was in tears as he drove away."

Link nodded but didn't add anymore. He did not need them pitying him. His situation was for him and the administrators to know. No one else.

As he took a swig of soda, his eyes were drawn to a girl who was stepping into the dining hall. Her face was almost completely buried in a thick book, but he could still see her big blue eyes darting back and forth, taking in every word. Long blonde hair hung loosely down her back, with a thin braid across the top like a headband. She wore a blue long sleeve shirt that seemed to match her eyes, and tight black skinny jeans. He couldn't tear his eyes from her as he watched her step into line to wait for food, never once looking up from her book.

"That's Zelda," Malon whispered in his ear.

Link jumped, splashing his drink all over the table.

"What?" He asked innocently as he tried to clean up the liquid that was spreading everywhere.

"The girl you were staring at. That's Zelda. Her room is on our floor."

"I wasn't—"

Malon waved a hand. "Yes, and I don't have red hair," she teased as she tossed a thick red lock behind her.

"Beedle mentioned she's the dean's daughter?" Link asked.

She nodded. "And the smartest kid in our class. She almost always has her head in a book." She leaned back in her seat. "I'd recommend you stay clear. Not a good idea to mess with the dean's daughter, plus Groose has already staked claims."

Link watched in fascination as Groose's eyes instantly locked on her. He stood up from his table, walking over to Zelda with all the confidence in the world. He threw an arm over the girl's shoulder and whispered in her ear. Zelda scrunched her face and slammed her book shut, causing Groose to jump. She pushed him off and said something harsh, which just caused Groose to laugh.

"She doesn't seem to return his feelings," Link pondered out loud.

Beedle laughed. "Oh, she definitely doesn't. But Groose is...persistent."

Link glanced over to find Strich and Cawlin laughing quietly as they watched their friend.

Groose threw an arm back around her shoulders, holding onto her a bit more tightly as she tried to work her way down the buffet line. She was clearly uncomfortable.

Link grabbed his plate and pushed his chair back. "Excuse me, that pasta was just so good," he muttered as he stepped away from the table. He marched across the room, heading directly for Groose and Zelda.

He paused right behind them and coughed loudly. The pair jumped in surprise, causing Groose to loosen his hold just enough. Link elbowed his way between, careful to only bump Groose roughly. "Excuse me," he said politely. "Just trying to get more pasta." When they were completely separated, Link grabbed another scoop of pasta. He caught Groose glaring at him.

"Oh, Groose!" He faked surprise as he straightened. "I didn't realize that was you. I was hoping to ask you something." Groose glanced behind Link at Zelda who stood quietly waiting. Groose nodded and allowed Link to lead him away. Link glanced over his shoulder and found Zelda watching them in confusion. He threw her a wink and led Groose back to his table.

"What can I help you with?" Groose asked as he took his seat.

"Well, you seem like the kind of guy that would be able to help me with this," Link explained slowly, keeping an eye on Zelda as she moved up to the cashier. "Is there access to the dorm's roof?" Not that he really need an access point.

Groose nodded slowly. "Looking for a quiet space to partake in the not so legal things on campus?" He arched an eyebrow and smirked.

Link shrugged. "Is there an access or not?" Zelda made her way to a table with only one remaining seat. Groose wouldn't be able to bother her there. He turned his full attention to the boy.

Groose shook his head. "Not on the dorm buildings, but there is on Main."

Link nodded slowly. "Well, thanks. I appreciate the help." He stepped away and walked back to Malon and Beedle. He set his tray down with a bit more force than he intended.

Beedle raised an eyebrow. "That was smooth."

Link shrugged. "I don't like bullies." His eyes strayed across the room where they were instantly met by a pair of blue eyes. He quickly ducked his gaze and returned to his meal.

As the four teenagers stepped out of the dining hall, they waved goodbye to Kina and Malon skipped forward down the path. "To the stables!" She sang as she twirled around.

Beedle nudged Link and laughed. "She also grew up on a farm. You just can't take the farm out of a person."

"Why would you want to?" Malon laughed. Link couldn't help but smile.

"Excuse me."

Link turned at the sound of the soft voice and found Zelda standing behind them, her book tucked under her arm. He stared at her in shock.

Malon skipped over. "Hi, Zelda! This is the new kid on our floor that your father mentioned." She glanced over and found Link staring silently. "His name is Link," she supplied for him.

"Hello, Link," she said politely. He detected a bit of an accent in her soft voice but he couldn't place it.

"Hello," he muttered quietly.

"We are on our way to the stables if you'd like to join us," Malon explained.

"Actually, I was hoping to speak to Link privately for a moment, if that would be alright."

Malon nodded and grabbed Beedle's arm, pulling him down the path. "We'll meet you at the next intersection," she called back to Link.

Zelda brushed her hair back as she looked up at him. "I just wanted to thank you...for intervening with Groose. He can be a bit much sometimes."

Link nodded. "Happy to help."

"Yes, well. Thank you," she said.

He could read the unease on her face. He glanced at the book in her arm. "What are you reading?"

Her eyes seemed to brighten as she pulled the book out to show him the cover. It was a thick leather bound book with a blue metallic symbol embossed on the front. It was almost like an eye with a large tear drop below it and three triangles above it like weird eyelashes. "It is an encyclopedia on the Sheikah tribe. Professor Impa loaned me the book for a personal project that I am working on."

Link smiled and dug his phone out of his pocket. He flipped it over, showing off his phone case with the same symbol on it. Zelda gaped at it in surprise. She looked back up at him.

"How…?"

"I have also read up on the Sheikah tribe. They were a fascinating group," he explained vaguely as he slipped his phone back into his back pocket. "I had the phone case custom made last year."

Zelda looked him over, seeing him in a new light. "Well, I do not wish to keep you from Malon and Beedle. Have fun at the stables and welcome to the school."

"Thanks. I'll see you around?"

She nodded and disappeared into the crowd emerging from the dining hall.