A/N: Remember Link's Algebra partner? I've changed her name to Aghreal. Think it fits better. Sorry for the inconvenience.
Chapter 6
Morning brought with it the tranquility of a muddled mind. Link was still every bit as unsure about Zelda's revelation as he had been when she had given it, but halfway within the realm of sleep as he was, he had not the energy to pursue it further.
He enjoyed a light breakfast of toast and sausage with Zelda and Desi. They sat in an alcove with a giant window, looking out at the dreary day that awaited. The storm had at last died off, but rain still spattered the window, running down it like a blurry sheet.
"Up for some studying before we take you back?" Zelda said, nursing a cup of black coffee as delicately as if had been a vapor she was afraid of dispersing. The bitter edge of its odor alone brought him more from his drowsiness. Eight o'clock was far too early to be up on a weekend, but he would not have felt comfortable sleeping in past noon as a guest of the castle.
"Already?" Desi said, wrinkling her nose. "It's Saturday morning."
"You know, Desi, there's no law saying homework has to be done on Sundays. Besides, I doubt Kafei would be terribly pleased about Link staying here too much longer."
Link wondered whether Zelda could do anything that would displease Kafei, but he kept his mouth shut, save only to agree. He was not sure how much Desi knew, and he was not eager to have word spread that he was some sort of hero.
Zelda had the same easy air with schoolwork as she did with everything else. She sat beside him as he worked out problems, close enough to observe, but not so close that her presence felt invasive. When he stumbled, she nudged him in the right direction without making him feel stupid, and she was always ready with a trick or two to make things easier.
"Just remember: When the signs are the same, you find the sum, and the sign of the sum is the same as the signs," she intoned.
When at last it was time to return home, he felt as though he had learned more from her than he had all week at school. They chatted lightly with Nabooru on the ride back to Link's house, but as he stepped out of the car, Zelda caught his hand.
"If you have questions about anything, I'll be checking my e-mail frequently," she said. Desi peered around her, the girl's eyes flitting between Link and Zelda.
"I'll keep that in mind. Thank you," he said.
Kafei was there to greet him when he came in.
"Have fun at the castle?" the man said, eyes twinkling.
Link just nodded. He wasn't sure how much he wanted to reveal. Was the grin that played at his lips just a fake, he wondered. Was his eagerness to come greet him genuine? Link couldn't be sure anymore. Looking at the slender man before him, he felt like mere property, a pawn acquired in some deal made far above him.
"Missed a lot of studying though. I should really get back to work," Link said.
But it was not school that he began to work on, once he was safe in his room. He cleared off his desk and placed two sheets of paper atop it. He divided the first sheet into two parts, labeling one 'liabilities,' and the other 'assets.' The second sheet gained the appellation 'heroic qualities.' He set the latter aside for the present. No doubt he could brainstorm enough attributes to fill the page, but he wanted to be sure that everything on that sheet was actually a quality of one of Hyrule's many heroes.
At the end of an hour, the 'liabilities' column was distressingly full, but under 'assets' he had only 'speed' and 'Zelda's money(?)' written down. He stared at the mismatched list, fighting to keep his mind from despair. It screamed at him that Zelda was wrong, that he was just a fourteen year-old boy who had gotten lucky, but then he remembered the storm and the dreams.
Then become strong, Zelda had told him. He would have to become strong indeed if he was to overcome his cowardice, his lack of freedom, his stupidity. Perhaps strength was where he ought to start. It would certainly be the easiest area to improve. People got stronger all the time, but he had never heard of anyone outside of stories growing more confident.
With a shrug, he got down on the floor and did push-ups until his arms tired. He had hoped to get more than twenty, but even with that number his skin had begun to crawl, and his arms wavered beneath him.
Link pushed himself to his knees, sighing. He didn't feel any stronger after that exertion. He knew that it would take time to see a difference, but a part of him couldn't help but regret that his arms had given out so easily.
Such worries tainted his thoughts all afternoon, even after turning his mind to more mundane pursuits. Relief did not come until he put away his Chemistry text and stood up to stretch. Below, the doorbell rang. Link jumped, then, remembering that he had promised to study with Aghreal, sprinted downstairs to answer the door.
"Hey," she grunted. Her arms were crossed in front of her, and a bulky black bag rested on her back. Beside her, a rust-brown bicycle leaned against the house.
He invited her inside and led her to the sitting room. There, he pulled out a small table that they could both work at. Aghreal sat down across from him, but she made no move to unpack.
"I've been thinking," she said. He waited for her to continue, but she just sat there, arms folded across the table, staring at him.
"Oh?" he said, when the silence became unbearable.
"I have mastered this material. You…" She paused, chewed on her lip. "... have not. I see no reason to risk my grade and waste your time on these paired worksheets."
"That would be wrong," Link said immediately.
Aghreal tilted her head. "Enlighten me, then."
Link closed his eyes as he tried to find the right words. Somehow, he doubted "It's a partner worksheet; we're supposed to work on it together" would be enough to convince her.
"It takes away my chance to learn," he tried.
"And is my grade to be the price of your learning?"
"Look, it's just a few points. You're obviously good enough that it doesn't matter. Why do you care?"
She stood so quickly her chair fell over behind her.
"Do you know how I got so good?" she asked, leaning over the table. "I practiced all summer. Factoring, solving equations, graphing, every day until I grew sick of it, and then I worked some more."
"Why?" He could not deny that her claim was impressive. He even felt somewhat intimidated by her looming presence. But confusion was what won out. It just didn't make sense to spend so long on something you were about to spend a year learning anyway.
She slouched, then, with a snort, picked up her chair and sat back down.
"I failed last year," she said, picking at her thumb. "If I do not score one hundred percent this time around…" Suddenly her head shot up and her eyes narrowed. "Why else did you think I was the only Gerudo in Freshman Algebra?"
"Pardon?" Clearly, this was supposed to have some significance, but whatever there was, he could not see it.
"I'm the only one, because Gerudo take Algebra before high school. We have to. If we're not the top of the top…" She cut herself off with a violent shake of her head and settled back into her chair.
"I don't know why I'm telling you this," she muttered. "Not like you'd care."
But he did care, or at least he was curious as to what drove his classmate so. He did not think it the best time to mention this, however. She was looking to rant, not for empathy.
"How about a deal?" he said, instead. "I won't lay a finger on these worksheets anymore, but in exchange you have to help me get as good at this as you are."
"So in other words, I get to do the work of two people for class, and then I get to spend extra time getting you up to speed?"
Link shrugged. "You're the one who wants to do everything herself."
Aghreal breathed out heavily through her nose as she massaged her forehead.
"Why are you so good at looking pathetic?"
"So-"
"Yes, fine. It's a deal." Her head lolled back, but only for a moment. Then she snatched the textbook from the backpack beside her and opened it on the table.
"We'd better get started, then," she said. "We have a long way to go."
Link ended the weekend feeling more exhausted than he had felt at the end of the week. Aghreal had drilled him until it was time to make dinner, and then afterwards they had gotten a head start on the material they'd be covering next week.
"So it won't entirely suck for you," she had explained. She lacked the easy, understanding manner of the princess, but she worked with a ferocity that would simply not allow failure on his part.
The next day was spent reviewing what she and Zelda had shown him. The material somehow felt much less obvious without them sitting beside him, but with a little help from Anju he thought he was able to understand it well enough. Well enough to get by, at least.
Tired as he was, and troubled by his new task, he found the time away from school refreshing nonetheless. He even managed a smile as he walked into his Chemistry class. Aghreal actually talked to him during Algebra, and later he even managed to carry out a (very broken) conversation in Old Hylian.
The subject of Mythology that day was the Triforce. Mr. Rauru, a reserved-looking older gentleman with a round torso and a profound baritone voice, stood mutely beside the whiteboard as the students trickled in and found their seats.
"I trust everyone took advantage of the beautiful weekend," he said once the bell signaled the start of class. Beside Link, Zelda let out a polite chuckle, but the majority of the room just stared at him in silence.
"Hrm. Well then. To work.
"Now, I'm sure you've all heard the tales of the Triforce. The three aspects, its origin, all the wars about it. So today I want to look at how our understanding of this relic came to be."
Link sighed. Of course they were talking about the Triforce. There was no other object so tightly bound to the Hero or legends. Was this, too, part of the princess's plot? Did she alter the curriculum to fit or needs, or was this just a coincidence?" Link glanced at Zelda out of the corner of his eyes. If she noticed, she hid it well.
"A curious fact is that our very earliest sources do not speak of the Triforce as a whole. Only as the Triforce of Courage and so forth. At the other extreme, some heretical sects, notably that of Sierpinski, have tried to suggest that each element of the Triforce is in itself a complete Triforce, composed of three complete Triforces which each contain three… Yes, Shad?"
A lanky brown-haired boy stood up.
"Sir, what about these theories of a Tetraforce? Of course, the literature on them isn't nearly as comprehensive, but it's hardly surprising that something so… anti-doctrinal would not flourish. So far as I can tell, the sources themselves are not inherently any less valid."
He sat back down. Mr. Rauru looked down at him for a few seconds more, then, clearing his throat, began to pace toward the center of the classroom.
"Hrm. The theory of the Tetraforce is certainly popular among some circles. However, there are a number of issues.
"First, this theory supposes that the fourth piece is a complement to Power. Or more appropriately, that there is a Tetraforce of Creative Power and a Tetraforce of Destructive Power. However, this alters the balance. Tell me, what is so special about Power that it should gain a brother, while Wisdom and Courage stand apart?
"Further, what divinity would have formed the fourth piece? The Goddess Hylia may perhaps have been powerful enough, but as you well know her lineage as already lay claim to Wisdom."
His gaze passed over Zelda as he said this, and Link wondered that she did not blush. As a princess, she must have been used to the attention, he supposed.
Mr. Rauru droned on. Link supposed that he ought to pay attention. Details about the Triforce could very well be the most important thing he learned in school that year. If the legends had any validity, he would almost certainly have to acquire a piece of it, after all.
But the lecture could not hold his interest. The man's monotone was like white noise, providing a perfect backdrop for daydreaming. Before he knew it, he was lost in an image of the barren wastelands that encompassed Hyrule, wrestling with the lost powers rumored to be out there still.
Zelda shook him awake in time for the small group discussion. Claiming to have need of a certain book, she grabbed Link and pulled him away from the class, toward the thin bookshelf in the corner.
"Thoughts?" she whispered, running a finger slowly across the varied book bindings.
He told her of his list, and his brief attempt at physical training.
"That's good; you'll certainly need strength," she said, nodding. She removed a rather thick leather book from the shelf and flipped to the index.
"But if strength were enough, you'd just ask Groose," he said, finishing the unspoken thought.
Zelda smiled; an audible puff of air escaped her nose.
"The Hero is most often known his for courage," Zelda said. "Are you brave, Link?"
He shook his head. His first day of school had been terrifying enough. He certainly would not have the heart to stand up to monsters that could actually hurt him.
"Well, why don't we start with that, then?" Zelda said, returning the book to the shelf. "The way to overcome fear is to do things that are terrifying. So, by the end of the week, you are going to ask a girl out on a date."
Link opened his mouth.
"And you can't ask me," Zelda cut in with a giggle. "That would be too easy."
"Is this just an elaborate plot to find Desi a boyfriend?" he asked, following her back to their seats.
"No, but thanks for the idea. Besides, we should probably make her off-limits as well."
Then they were back, and their discussion turned by necessity to the topic of the Triforce. Looking at the other two members of their group, Link supposed that they couldn't have found a more mismatched team if they tried.
On his left sat Shad, a wiry boy who seemed to grasp the subject better at times than Mr. Rauru did. After only one week of class, they had already been kept after the bell had rung twice, due to his incessant flurry of questions and challenges.
Groose completed the party, a hulking red-haired running back, who at times barely seemed capable of forming a coherent sentence. From what little Link had seen of him, he spent more time staring at Zelda than he did actually participating in class.
He wondered if Zelda might use the boy as another way of building his courage. 'Groose won't leave me alone. Tell him to back off, Link. It'll be good for you.' Zelda seemed like a girl who could speak for herself though, much to Link's relief. One good punch from Groose would probably lay him out for a week straight.
One good thing about the group was that there was seldom much need for him to do anything. Shad and Groose easily dominated all the discussions. Presently, Shad was trying to convince the other that no, he wasn't just going to find the Triforce sitting around in Hyrule Park.
"Yeah, well how do you know it's not there, huh?" Groose said. "I bet you haven't even looked. You just sit on your butt and read all day."
Shad massaged his face with his hand.
"Groose, I read so I don't have to go out and look for things. The last news of the Triforce was that it was buried under the ocean. For it to wind up in Hyrule Park would be absolutely, totally, and in all other ways inconceivable."
After another half-hour of listening to their banter, it was finally time for gym. Like last week, they were playing tennis. He found that he was getting somewhat good at the game. He still had some work to do on intercepting the ball with his racket, but when he did hit it, the ball tended to fly right where he aimed it.
He was still no match for Desi, though. She was his partner for the day. The way she zipped around the court, one would hardly think she even needed Link there. Watching her leap up to spike a ball over the net, Link wondered just how much of her aversion to running and exercise was feigned.
At the end of the period, they had accumulated nine wins and just one loss. He and Desi high-fived and went their separate ways. As usual, Irene was waiting for him in her car.
"Buck up, kid; I'm not that ugly," she muttered as he entered.
"Why yes, Irene, I'm doing absolutely fantastic. How are you?"
Irene snorted.
"Don't get cute, kid. That's not you."
Link just turned and stared out the window. In truth, he did not much feel like bantering with Irene. By the end of the first week, he had begun to appreciate her sardonic nature, but now he just wanted to think.
No matter which direction his thoughts went, they all came back to Zelda in the end. She was using him, messing with areas even the Princess of Hyrule had no right to touch. By any logic, he ought not trust her at all.
But each time they met, this reticence vanished as if it had never been there. She had a manner of speaking that made him feel as though he were the only person in Hyrule. Away from her, in the car with Irene, he could easily tell himself that this was simply a skill every princess needs. He could not keep this distance when in her presence, however.
He was wise enough, at least, to see that regardless of her character, this quest was important enough to take seriously. If she went to unsavory means to protect her country, that was a reflection on her, not on the task. And so there was no way to avoid asking a girl on a date.
Link told himself that whomever he asked would not even need to say yes. He could simply walk up to some stranger in the hall, ask her to a movie, get turned down, and the quest would be complete. He found this reasoning to make the task no less daunting, however.
When Irene dropped him off at his house, for once he did not immediately start on his homework. Instead, he dropped his backpack in his room, opened the window, and let the breeze play across his face. He was tired of thinking, tired of worrying. All he needed was a moment to relax and enjoy the present.
Baking cookies would be a good way to unwind, he decided. He did not have that much homework; he could easily take care of it after dinner. Then once the cookies were finished, it would be time to start preparing the meal proper. Lasagna, perhaps, would be a good choice. Anju had just picked up the noodles for it the previous weekend.
"Are you trying to make me fat, Link?" Kafei chuckled when he returned home. "Those cookies smell delicious. Chocolate chip?"
"With walnuts," Link said.
"I suppose it would set a bad example to sample them before dinner," Kafei said, taking a long glance at the tray of cooling cookies.
At last Anju came home and they were able to eat. The lasagna turned out surprisingly well; it was the first time he had made it. Everyone had seconds. He still did not know whether he was truly cut out to be Hyrule's new Hero, but for the moment he was at peace. Tomorrow would take care of itself.
A/N: Yes, I'm fudging the timeline. Don't care.
