Chapter 2
Link wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, hoping to not have any drips of water on his green tunic as he walked up to where the ceremony was to be held any minute now. He rushed past the rows of family and then those dressed in the knightly blue uniforms to find Zelda in her seat next to her father. To her right was an empty seat, which Link quickly took.
"Link. You slept in again, didn't you?" Zelda asked, eyeing her friend only to get a sheepish grin.
"Sorry," Link offered.
"At least you're here," Zelda said, twiddling her thumbs in her lap. "I'm so nervous."
"What, you, nervous?" Link asked with a laugh. "Never thought I'd see that."
"Shut up," Zelda retorted, smiling back at her friend.
"We are blest with a clear sunny sky this fateful day," the royal priest said, calling everyone's attention to the man standing just to the left side of the king, "where we dub our senior class of squires into knighthood. As history requires of us, on the royal's fifteenth year, Princess Zelda will dub the new knights."
"I hope I don't chop anyone's head off," Zelda said, quietly enough Link barely heard it.
He tried to hide his smile, knowing the audience was watching him more than anyone else. It was unusually for a non-royal to be sitting with the royal family, much less a former son of a carpenter turned squire.
Link turned his attention away from what the priest was saying and looked through the crowd. He recognized a few people dressed in blue, seeing them all sitting at attention.
"The sword, please," the priest said, turning towards a knight who held the sword in wraps. The priest took the sword with a nod before turning towards Zelda.
Zelda stood up and took a few steps so she stood next to the man.
The priest handed the sword to the princess, having all four hands on it. "This sword has been passed down the royal lineage as it was used to save the royal family and all of Hyrule by the Hero of Light many years ago. Use it well, Princess Zelda, in knighting the future protectors of this fair land."
The priest let go of the sword so she held onto it on her own. Zelda turned it so that the handle was in both hands only to freeze as a man materialize with his hands on her shoulders.
"Excuse me, but I'm in need of your princess," Vlad said, lifting her up off the ground.
Quickly knights pulled out their swords, trying to protect the princess. Link watched helplessly as the man lifted Zelda higher in the air.
A cry of "Don't shoot! You might hit the princess!" rang throughout as Zelda tried to hold her own, swinging the sword at the man only for the blade to go right through him.
"Stop that," Vlad ordered, a purple glow surrounding the sword before it fell out of her hand and towards the ground.
Link noticed it was falling straight for the king and quickly called out, "Your majesty!" as he pushed the man out of the way.
Link crouched over the king, almost expecting the sword to pierce his back only to hear it hit stone. The teen got up and helped the king to his feet only to hear a female voice call out, "There he is!"
Link turned towards the voice to see three strangely dressed teens about his age, one of them jumping up in the air after Zelda and the man.
"Sorry Daniel, not this time," Vlad said, a smile on his face showing his fangs. He released one of Zelda's shoulders and shot down a stream of purple energy, hitting Danny square in the chest. The teen fell out of the sky, lights going over his body to change his cloths and hair as he landed in the rows of abandoned chairs brought out for the ceremony.
"Danny!" the girl called out, running at the fallen teen.
Link grabbed the fallen sword and stepped over to the three, seeing the man that had taken Zelda knew them.
"I'm ok," Danny said, gasping in pain as he stood up.
"Stop," Link ordered, pointing the sword at the three. "Where did he take her?"
"I don't know," Danny admitted, grabbing at his gut as it screamed in pain. He gasped as he fell to his knees, unsure what was happening.
"Link, stand down," the king ordered as he walked over to the four.
Link dropped the sword so it hung in his left hand pointing towards the ground.
"Bring Lady Impa," the king ordered, kneeling down next to the teen. "You were wounded trying to save my daughter. In turn I'll help you."
"I just need to sleep," Danny mumbled, his eyes already closed as he fell towards Tucker.
The techno-geek caught him saying, "Oh no you don't. Stay awake."
Tucker found he was too late on saying anything as his best friend had already lost consciousness.