Link slept on the top bunk of his bunk bed, leaving the bottom bunk for Zelda. As he listened the sound of Zelda breathing in her sleep, he wished that he had a bed wide enough for two instead of the narrow bunk bed. Then he reminded himself that goatherders from Ordon Village didn't sleep with the Queen of Hyrule. Of course, turning into a wolf and roaming the land alongside the Queen of the Twilight Realm also wasn't something goatherders from Ordon Village were known for doing either. Zelda was right, he mused to himself. Whatever he had become, he could no longer call himself a simple goatherder.
Morning came sooner than he would have liked. It was Zelda who woke him up by shaking him, perhaps a bit more roughly than he would have preferred. She was dressed in drab traveling clothes.
"Good morning, Link" she said softly. "How do you feel?"
Link grinned at her. "I feel like searching for the Triforce of Power" he replied.
Zelda's eyes widened and a gasp escaped her lips. She looked like she wanted to cheer or jump up and down, or otherwise show her excitement in a more visible manner, but years of schooling in the etiquette expected of a queen dulled her exuberance. Suddenly, her expression turned more serious. "I know how much I am asking of you, and I am very grateful that you are agreeing to help me."
"I realized that I can't just turn my back on Hyrule" said Link. "I can't pretend to be less than what I really am and turn a blind eye to the threats facing our land". He hopped out of the top bunk and stretched his arms, yawning as he did so. "It's early but I suppose now is as good a time as any to leave for Hyrule Castle."
"Then I suppose I should give you this" said Zelda as she reached into her traveling pack and retrieved an object that Link was all too familiar with – the Master Sword.
"But how?" asked Link. "How were you able to remove the Master Sword from its resting place?"
Zelda smiled as she held up the back of her hand to show the faint glow of the Triforce of Wisdom embedded on her skin. "You forget that I possess part of the Triforce too. In fact, if my theories about the Master Sword are correct, the Triforce of Wisdom is actually more attuned to the magic of the Master Sword than either of the other two parts."
"That part makes sense" said Link. "But the Lost Woods are a dangerous place, even without that Skull Kid. How did you make it through there?"
"With a platoon of heavily armed soldiers" said Zelda. "The lone swordsman routine may work for you, but the Queen of Hyrule gets an army. Oh, and don't worry about Skull Kid. The Lieutenant who was with me has orders to find a home for him. I shot him with a light arrow, and now the Skull Kid is a regular human child again. I don't understand it either but I'm happy that he has been freed from the curse. After that, getting to the Master Sword was easy. The Master Sword recognizes me as one who is permitted to wield it, but by all right, it should be wielded by you. After everything you have been through with it, you have more of a claim on the sword than anyone alive."
Link nodded as he took the sword from Zelda. His words failed him at the moment. Holding that sword in his hand brought back a rush of memories swirling around in his head. Despite the wave of dread he felt rolling through him, it still felt good to feel that familiar hilt pressed against his palm. He stretched out his arm and held the sword high above his head, gazing at it with a look of awe plastered across his face.
"That's really strange, Link" said Zelda, interrupting his brief reverie.
"What is?"
"The way you always strike a pose and hold random objects above your head like that. Seriously, don't do that in public or people will think something is wrong with you."
Link blushed and put the sword down by his side. "I'm only joking with you" said Zelda. "Your little idiosyncrasies are what make you unique. Now, I think you're right. We really should be leaving for Hyrule Castle so we can arrive before it gets dark. You really do like to sleep in. You should probably let Fado know that you will be leaving. I will meet you near the entrance to Faron Woods."
Link nodded. "I will try to hurry."
